Metropolis

One day, not long after the destruction of Titans Tower, every hero in America had a bad dream. The theme was similar for most of them, their being responsible for death and destruction. Barry Allen dreamed it was himself who killed Wally West on the Justice League Watchtower ripping the boy's heart out. Dick Grayson dreamt of Damian killing again under his supervision and Damian himself dreamt of arguing with Dick about killing before throwing one of his mentor's escrima sticks into his neck and killing his older brother. Roy Harper dreamt of Lian Harper dying because of his failing as a hero once more and Donna Troy had a dream of a not too dissimilar theme. The most terrifying of these dreams was Clark Kent's. It began like the others with him, happy in his home, with Lois and his mother chatting and relaxing with him. Times were good. Then he and Lois went to work. He walked over to Jimmy Olsen and saw he was grinning much more than usual, and so was Lois. He watched as his wife laughed herself to death from the toxin of the Joker. He then went to avenge her upon his own recovery, and fought Mongul, for some reason, meaning he had to let loose to fight his enemy. Somehow his blows were more effective against Mongul than normal. Then he saw who was really being beaten. His wife, Lois Lane. And behind him was the Joker, laughing like a fool.

A piping, hot pot of coffee at 6am was required as Lois tried to sate her husband who had woken screaming for the first time that she, or he, could remember. "So, what's the problem, eh? Come on, Smallville, you can tell me anything." "It's nothing, Lois. Just a bad dream." "Which you never have. Talk to me, Clark. What's the one thing that could possibly wake you at night? I mean you've been through the wars before and this has never happened. You've seen some terrible things out there. You've fought Doomsday, for Christ's sake! Is it…about Conner and Kara?"

"I can't remember, Lois."

"You're not the only one who can tell when someone they care about is lying, Clark."

"I…I know. Fine. I…saw you die. I killed you, because I thought you were someone else. Someone I shouldn't hold back against. I killed you and the children."

"But honey, that's never going to happen."

"Is it not? No one's been acting rationally recently, honey. This whole situation has made everyone stupid. Bruce disappears on the night of his son's wedding and his city falls to Hell. Power Girl massacres the Teen Titans on a whim. Wally crashes into the Moon. Nothing makes sense at all. What's to say I won't do something similar."

"You're thinking too much about it. You're one of the kindest and most selfless people I know. That's why I love you. You care about everyone else in the universe more than you care about yourself. Clark, I'd call you a saint except you're too good in the sack."

"So, what, Lois? Karen was selfless. She'd basically been a hero since the '40s. And Bruce, he gave up his whole life to save his city from despair and destruction. Now, neither of them are acting as they should be."

"Clark, just know I believe in you even when you don't. I know you feel the same about me, and that's what's going to make us great parents. We hold each other down and little Jon and Lara are going to see what being dependable is. I believe that your dream isn't going to come true, because I believe in you."

"Lois, that means a lot," he said, as she stroked his hand and kissed him lightly on the cheek, "But you can't know what's going to happen, no matter how hard you believe in it." As husband and wife embraced in an attempt to comfort the feeling of unease brought about by Clark's dream, a telepathic distress call made its way into Clark's mind from of all places, the Moon. "Clark, this is J'onn. I have been investigating the remains of the Watchtower for the past few days to see could I find a connection between the Black Mercy and the Watchtower crashing. I think you'll need to see this." "I'll be right there," Clark said within his mind before kissing Lois and saying "Gotta' fly. J'onn wants me."

Citadel of the Seven Seas, Orinopolis, New Atlantis

Mera still didn't trust this cadaver claiming to be her father-in-law which had inveigled its way into the throngs of King Orm's court and, more importantly, her husband's official household. Thankfully, having Diana with them was an improvement. The princess sat across from Mera on a couch drinking wine one evening while Arthur was out with his father. "So, Garth is alive?" Diana asked her old friend with a hint of uncertainty. "Yes, and that is a good thing, Diana," Mera replied, a hint of unease despite her sincerity lacing her words, "Arthur and I are happy that he is with us, but he is not himself. I think he's feeling some kind of trauma from dying and being reborn. Not like how Arthur died." Diana sighed as she placed her hand on Mera's. "Garth has always been a good man, and I am sure he will prevail from his sorrow. Mera, you do realise why they came back?"

"Because of that demagogic fool. Arthur told me Orm claims Garth was revived by him, and Tom Curry has claimed his return comes from the same source. You say his name is Thawne, and yet no one suspects he is Eobard Thawne?"

"Bruce did."

"And you made the fatal error of not listening to him?"

"It's…more complicated than that. Bruce is…Heh…he's the reason Wally died, Mera. A man he had arrested he said was Eobard Thawne and let no one in on it except Red Tornado, Green Arrow and John Constantine of all people!"

"Why on Earth would Bruce do that?"

"Because Thawne used his mystical powers of resurrection to entice Roy Harper and Jason Todd to his side, just as he is doing now with your husband. Batman feared we would be too 'sentimental' to actually handle him properly. By Hera, he needs to take a look in the mirror!"

"Indeed. That was wrong. But what made you think this man wasn't Thawne?"

"The fact that the Black Mercy was detonated in the sky above Earth, and its hallucinogenic effects have been altering our brain chemistry. We don't know when but J'onn picked it up and he was still investigating it when I left. Not to mention Oracle and Supergirl both said that any records they found didn't corroborate Bruce's story. However, I suspect it is us who were duped by the Black Mercy and not Batman."

"That doesn't explain Arthur. He's been underwater for months now. There's no way this Black Mercy could have affected him."

"No. But maybe Tom was carrying its pollen when he came here. I can't know for sure, but I suspect that might be the case. Then again, what's to say Thawne doesn't have an element of mental control or persuasion we haven't realised yet?"

"But why would Eobard Thawne have these powers? He's just a speedster like Barry or Wally."

"Yes. But I suspect he gets his powers from somewhere else. I was in communication with Bruce for a while about it, but he's…gone AWOL. We must look to peace between our peoples. My mother and King Orm must meet. I do not care for this summit. It is foolish and unwise on Orm's part, because he has it in his head that my sisters are his enemies. Will you speak with me for my sisters, Mera?"

"Of course, Diana. It is important to me that we stop this psychopath from destroying both our nations."

The Moon

Earth's major satellite still seemed to shine a little with the Justice League Watchtower having been destroyed upon its surface. For the past few months, Earth's night sky had seemed so bright that it was as if the Moon had become a star in its own right. It was only in smog infested cities like Gotham that the effect was moot. It had been declining over time, but even with the fires gone the nuclear material kept a light shining from the Moon. The fire was why J'onn had never come down to continue investigating. As a Martian, fire was the one weakness he suffered from. Fire had destroyed his people, the Green Martians, leading him to cradle his wife and daughter as they burned. Fire had killed him once too. Not long ago, only a year. Murdered as a sacrifice to the Secret Society of Super-Villains by Libra to prove to them that he and Darkseid would give them what they desired.

As he scoured through the remains of the Watchtower, Superman joined Martian Manhunter flying up from Metropolis. "What's the problem, J'onn?," he asked in all seriousness, "I still don't get why you're up here. We know what happened." "But we don't, Kal," was the taciturn reply of one of his oldest comrades, "All we know is that Hunter Zolomon claimed he killed Wally West. Now he is conveniently dead and therefore unable to answer any of our questions, even if we asked that miraculous pastor to revive him." "That's not how Eddie's power works," Kal-El noted.

"That man makes my skin crawl lately. His mind is a tabula rasa, Kal. I read it and it felt…false. I accepted he believed he was telling the truth, but then I wasn't sure was it his mind I was reading. It felt like…like a child's. Not even a child. An infant. But yet it also felt like the mind of something older than us. Older than any living thing. And again, it felt like that of…who he said he was. And that seemed to override everything else about him."

"What have you found anyway?" Clark asked, desperately trying to move the conversation along from another political debate about Eddie Thawne. J'onn raised the stalk of what looked like a vine from the ground. "The Black Mercy," he gravely noted, "It seems Bruce was telling the truth. It was dispersed by the nuclear explosion in the Watchtower. There's no way Wally could have hallucinated Eobard Thawne." "Yes, but like you said that was probably Zoom," Clark smiled, not quite understanding the need for this debate. His mind seemed to be screaming at him that J'onn needed to bve wrong. "Wally would have recognised Hunter Zolomon," was the Martian Manhunter's logical reply, "Not to mention Zolomon was a quadriplegic in Iron Heights at the time Green Arrow found this man in Star City. There were no official sightings of him for a couple of weeks after Wally died."

"So, you reckon Eobard Thawne is back?"

"I don't know. I believe we're dealing with someone who wants to remain hidden. Someone who deliberately made sure the Black Mercy was dispersed over Earth in order to affect our perceptions. Whilst crime might be down, Kal, there has been more death and destruction since Wally's demise. Look at the Teen Titans and how Gotham is sinking."

"Yes, but you've no evidence to say they're all the work of one mastermind, J'onn."

"But they are, Kal!"

"Who?"

"Isn't it obvious, Kal?" J'onn said just before he was suddenly engulfed in flames and Superman's vision seemed to recede from how blinding it was. It was as though fire had been blasted from the heavens right at his old friend. Startled for a moment he stumbled forward saying "J'onn, are you okay?" A distorted voice then said, "He's not okay, Clark." "Who are you?" Superman shouted into the void as all around him things turned black as night. "The man who detonated the Black Mercy," it grated, "Eobard Thawne." "Where are you?" Clark then felt hundreds of punches to his face at once. "Ah, power sapping is a great ability. Makes it easier to fight a Kryptonian."

Clark felt himself getting pounded on as his sight was slightly restored. He seemed to see a yellow blur, and while there was no physical impact apparent, he felt the punches. "When you're done here, Clark, I'm killing your wife and the babies. Then Ma Kent. Just like I made sure Kon and the Karas died. I am the mastermind of all this horror. I am what J'onn and Bruce are saying!" Superman flipped and slammed into the blur before him, flying down. The punch and his anger led them to come crashing down to Earth. As they flew down, Clark felt more punches. Time to make himself see clearly. A charged blast of heat vision.

The heat vision burst into the chest of the blur before him and what was supposed to be Eobard Thawne was slammed into the ground. Clark blinked a few times and saw instead of on the Moon he was now in the middle of the DEO of all places. And the person lying before him was not Eobard Thawne. It was J'onn J'onzz. J'onn hadn't been burned, but he was now. Eobard Thawne was never there. It was all Clark's illusion. He had just attacked his friend and may have killed him because he feared he was the Reverse-Flash. J'onn's one weakness was fire and Clark had just unleashed heat derived from a yellow sun right at him. "J'onn," he spluttered, heading towards his wounded comrade, "No, I'm sorry." Clark gripped his barely breathing friend who whispered in his ear, "Please, Kal. You…need…help…but not from..."

"Kal-El, please back away from him. For his sake," the kindly voice of Eddie Thawne whispered in Superman's ear as soldiers began surrounding them. "I…I thought he was the Reverse-Flash," Clark stammered as he moved backwards at the preacher's suggestion. Eddie placed a caring hand on Clark's trembling right one and the other on his shoulder, looking up into his face with concern. "Now you know that's impossible, Kal-El," he said with the tone of a teacher telling off a naughty child with kindness, "Eobard Thawne is dead. Barry Allen told you. Didn't he?" "Yes, yes he did," Clark managed to say through his trembling lips. The soldiers were taking J'onn's injured form away and he reached out an arm in pleading to Superman.

"Good. You know that don't you, Kal? So, why did you think poor J'onn here was the Reverse-Flash?"

"Because I saw Thawne. I heard him. I thought he'd attacked J'onn."

"What were you and J'onn talking about before this 'attack'?"

"Eobard Thawne."

"Hmm. You confided in me recently that you're not sure about your mental state. Didn't you?"

"Did I? Yes, I remember now. Of course, I did. How could I forget confiding in you, Eddie?"

"Yes, Kal-El. I'm always the one you can confide in. You spoke to your father, didn't you?"

"He told me to stop being Superman. To hide myself in the Fortress so I don't hurt someone I love, like Lois."

"Count yourself lucky J'onn is not dead. But the good people here will be able to look after him. He will be in our care for many months I'm afraid to say, Kal, with burns like that."

"I'm so sorry."

"I know, my child. But He cannot tolerate conflict between the righteous. If you doubt yourself, Kal-El, you are not fit to serve Him."

"But what can I do? Seal myself in the Fortress forever? Abandon my wife and children."

"Not…necessarily. You are familiar with the fact there are different strands of Kryptonite?"

"Yes, of course. All too familiar sadly."

"Well, you must know the gold strand of it. It can deprive a Kryptonian of their abilities to gain power from the yellow sun permanently."

"Isn't that fatal?"

"No. A common misconception. You would feel ill afterwards but it will not kill you, Kal-El."

"But the world needs Superman…"

"And it also needs to not have a dangerous Kryptonian running around killing everyone like Power Girl did? Not to mention, Lois needs a husband and your children a father far more than the world needs one more hero. And after all, Kal-El, wonderful as you are, you are just one more hero. The Earth will not go undefended just because you can no longer fly."

"I don't know."

"Answer me one question. What is your name?"

"Kal-El."

"No. It isn't. That is the name Jor and Lara gave you on Krypton, of course. But you grew up Clark Kent. You were Clark before you had ever even heard of Krypton. You are Clark Kent who happens to have once been Kal-El before you even understood the idea of memory. Why not go back to being Clark Kent? The world is safer now, Clark. You can retire in comfort, knowing that humanity is protected by other heroes and from you by your lack of extraordinary abilities which could claim countless lives if let loose. It is the responsible choice."

"I—"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course, I trust you, Eddie. I feel like I've known you my whole life."

"Then take my advice," Thawne said as he pulled from out of his pocket a golden rock, "Hold this for 30 seconds. You will no longer be Superman. You will be mild-mannered reporter, Clark Kent, future father of two." "But what about my children?" Clark managed to say through his confusion, "They're still hybrids." "Raise them right, Clark," Thawne answered with a reassuring nudge on the cheek, "Raise them as they should be raised. If you feel you cannot trust either of them with their abilities…you have the rock. But like you, I think it would be best to let that be their decision." As J'onn was being placed in a nearby pod struggling to speak, Thawne looked him dead in the eyes and showed the Green Martian his true mind. Monstrous amalgam that it was, J'onn felt overcome and passed out before he could tell Clark the truth he now knew, the theory he had intended to tell him on the lunar surface. That Eddie Thawne was the mastermind behind all these events.

"Here goes nothing!" Clark said as he grasped the Gold Kryptonite in both hands and was overwhelmed by the raw power within. Every facet of his being seemed to slip into the hunk of rock as he suddenly felt deafened by not hearing sounds from all around the world. He felt cold, as if the Sun didn't really shine on him anymore. Not to mention he felt weak, like he couldn't even stand because any weight was too much weight. Eddie then took the Gold Kryptonite from the former Superman and placed it in a suitcase. "Welcome, Clark Kent," he announced triumphantly, "Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life." "Thank you, Eddie." Clark was on his knees now and pressing his face into Eddie's stomach as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. "But what about…Superman?" "Don't worry. I have a…replacement in mind for that."

Sol Bogdanus

Koriand'r and her little team of R.E.B.E.L.S. had been scouring planets for months since their initial battle on Ryut. The team now consisted of herself, her brother, Adam Strange, Lobo and Dex-Starr who had volunteered to travel with them. Sol Bogdanus was the fifteenth planet a Tamaranean had reported being seen on that the Red Lanterns could identify. Supposedly, the man named Merand'r knew of the Hybrid Messiah or at least had a source who did. Supposedly, they knew the true nature of the prophecy. At a tavern on Sol Bogdanus, Merand'r sat counting his credits after a long and arduous sale to a Thanagarian who wouldn't take no for an answer. Well, he looked Thanagarian, but the man said he was from Earth. Called himself Carter Hall. Merand'r said he'd known of a Thanagarian named Katar Hol, and that the name sounded eerily familiar. The drunkard just scoffed and said he wouldn't buy an Nth metal spear since he already had a mace made of the same material. Eventually, Merand'r had asked him again three drinks later and the Thanagarian had bought it. Poor fool. It was made of silver, not Nth metal. Unless there were some werewolves he needed killing, it was pretty useless. Merand'r himself was a large man, burly with a black beard and long hair, aged about sixty with some missing teeth, which only made him look more formidable when combined with his impressive height of 6"10".

Drinking a flagon of grank, Merand'r continued to count his money. "Looking to hire, bub?" an angry voice said approaching the table. Considering there is only one Czarnian in the universe, there was no mistaking who it was. Looking up into the face of the most dangerous man in the universe didn't help Merand'r feel any safer after swindling an armed Thanagarian. "Lobo…" he haltingly spoke, "Uh no, but if you'd like a drink." Lobo grabbed the flagon Merand'r was currently drinking and downed it in one mouthful. "Now buy me one, it's more polite." "Sure, sure," the Tamaranean meekly allowed, "What are you looking for?" A cat slinked up beside Lobo in a Red Lantern uniform and a human sat beside him in an outfit even Sector 666 would have considered retro.

"We're here on behalf of the Queen of Tamaran."

"My people have no queen, Lobo, since we don't have a planet. Don't expect me to recognise the wicked princess, Komand'r, and her band of glorified refugees!"

"No, the rightful Queen, you idiotic bastiche!"

"Rightful queen?," Merand'r laughed, his antipathy for his homeworld's ruling class apparent in every word, "Do you mean the younger princess of low character who whored herself with an Earthling?" Adam Strange then pointed his blaster at Merand'rs head. "Careful, pal. Kory's a good friend of mine." "Ah, so you're one of her Earth pets?" the old guard snorted derisively. "I'm happily married, fella'" Adam replied, "To a girl from Rann name of Alyssa." "Oh, Adam Strange," Merand'r rolled his eyes as though utterly bored, "The pleasure is not mine." Dex-Starr hissed angrily and some of his bloody napalm landed on Merand'rs hand. "Ow!"

"Yeah, Dexie bites," Lobo said stroking the cat's hair. "What do you all want from me?" Merand'r asked, "I don't care if you work for Koriand'r just don't expect me to call her my queen." "She's looking for you," Adam spoke, "We hear you know…or know someone who has all the deets on the Hybrid Messiah." "I don't do dealings with cultists," Merand'r waved a hand dismissively in Adam's face bile seeming to rise to the top of his throat, "It's that blasted witches you want. They're holed up somewhere in the Lost Sector. Cloaked somehow. No one knows." "It is an ancient spell of our people that has not been used since time immemorial," Ryand'r said, coming into view, "You can confirm that the Sisterhood of Okaara reside there?" "They call themselves the Sisterhood, false prince," Merand'r spat at him, "They are no more than old women with delusions that they will save our people and bring the coming of the Hybrid Messiah. The true Sisterhood died out after our people rejected magic."

"The order persisted. My mother's mother, Princess Niviath of Nerio Isle, was a Sister. She was their High Priestess for many years. She perished in the final destruction of our homeworld with my mother and father. She told us that my sister would one day be the Hybrid Madonna, as her scrying rituals all pointed to Koriand'r. Masked her foreknowledge as folklore, but always insisted she would be the one."

"The Hybrid Madonna was supposed to be born a slave."

"A mistranslation. My sister was sold into slavery if you remember. Her escape from it is how she came to Earth. I became our father's heir over my wicked eldest sister. The records of the Psions state that they found the Sisterhood based in Sector 666, but on a planet undetectable to the naked eye, unless it is entered with the mark of one of the royal guards. Considering any and all royal guards we know of are dead or loyal to Blackfire, that leaves you and your contact as our access, Merand'r."

"I'm a businessman, not a royal guard."

"I remember your service under my father. He squired under you, old man. You were the most valiant knight our nation has ever seen. You think I do not recognise you? You're the same lout who handed Koriand'r over to the Citadel."

"Yes. And your father never forgave me for that, despite all I had done for him. But my father and I are trying to live in peace out on the other side of the galaxy now. Do not bring your politics into this!"

"Will you not do it for the love of my father?"

"No. I will not honour a man who ostracised me for obeying his command. A lad I taught everything exiled me for loyalty. I loved him like a son and because I was the one who took your sister by the hand and gave her to the invaders, by his writ of peace, he exiled me and my elderly father."

A much older Tamaranean man then sat beside them. He was clearly blind and in his late eighties but sharp as a tack with his hearing more acute than even his son. He was also impressively tall for his age with no hint of a stoop, at 6"8". This man was Thyggadrond'r, former Captain of the Guard before Merand'r. "My boy!," he shouted, rapping his knuckles against his son's head, "Show some respect. I could hear you mocking our royal family from the other side of the tavern!" "Father, go back to your game with those Bogdans!" Merand'r bellowed. "They all try and cheat me anyway," his father gave a dismissive hand wave not unlike those of my sons, "They'd cut my throat if this place didn't have ancestor worship, making it bad luck to kill someone older than you. So, you must be Prince Ryand'r. I had wondered when you'd come looking for us. Your grandmother told me to wait for you after my son and I were exiled. Wait for you and your sister."

"You maintained contact with my grandmother?"

"Princess Niviath sought us out over a decade ago. She found us here with my son trading junk parts from an old Malthusian stardrive. She said she and her Sisterhood were determined to protect the Hybrid Messiah. She had a swaddling infant in hand and told me it was her great-granddaughter. Said that her grandson and the Hybrid Madonna would see me again."

"Where did they go?"

"Why, I took them to the retreat of our ancestors, boy. Mir'an."

"Mir'an never existed. It's a myth. You can't expect me to believe that my ancestors prepared for the coming end and sought out a dead world and hid it from the rest of the universe.

"The myth is very true. In the Lost Sector, they found it. My great-grandfather led the expedition. The world was beautiful and fragrant with no life. It was as the legends said, in the Lost Sector; hence it had been culled by the Hunters of Man aeons ago. The colonists used the artificial dome with the help of our ancestors' technology to fertilise the land. The dome was near completion and the colonists sent there thrived. It was agreed that in order to avoid exploitation and keep the planet bountiful that few Tamaraneans would ever go there until the foretold destruction of our world. When the time came for us to depart Tamaran, we would end up there. As Commander of the Royal Guard, it became my great-grandfather's solemn duty, to safeguard the coordinates, so that some greedy monarch couldn't foolishly try and exploit our new world needlessly lacking the wisdom of their elders. That duty passed to his son on his deathbed, then his grandson and finally me. The colonists were small in number and handpicked from the beginning, and all were dedicated to building towns and cities large enough to house our entire population. Sadly, I was exiled and my knowledge of Mir'an was not passed on to my successor, since my son was exiled with me. Your grandmother asked me not to settle on Mir'an yet after our arrival, to ensure its safety. But when we arrived, we discovered something shocking…"

"Yes?"

"The colonists had all been wiped out in an invasion by the Psions, who had found a way past our cloaking technology. Your grandmother and niece settled on a dead world, along with the sisters and their retainers. There was barely a hundred of them altogether. Religious pilgrims who left Tamaran before its destruction knowing the end was nigh. I offered to stay, as Merand'r and I had no intention of letting any vagabonds come and disturb this world, but she told me that one day I would need to bring her grandchildren to her. I told the princess it was my honour. But now you are here we can finally go home."

"But Father," Merand'r impatiently interrupted, "We have a business and a life on Sol Bogdanus. Their family owes us nothing and you still insist on following the whim of an old woman who wasn't even queen."

"Queen she was not, but she was High Priestess of the Sisterhood of Okaara. And I believe her to be genuine in the confidence that her great-granddaughter is the Hybrid Messiah. Mir'an will need a king or queen, as well, and a child is hardly fit to govern. Nor an elderly priestess. Not to mention, this is hardly a suitable life. Using an old man to cheat smugglers at card games while you try and cheat drunk aliens? We can make Ryand'r here king of our people and be part of history instead."

"I have no interest in ruling. My sister, Koriand'r, will be queen."

"Ah yes, the girl whose fate drove my son and I from our home. Where is the beautiful Hybrid Madonna?"

"She said she saw someone she recognised before coming in. Haven't seen her since."

At his table while this was happening, Carter Hall drank another flagon of grank and admired his new spear. It would go well with his mace of Nth metal. If he'd get off his backside and actually fight again instead of drinking his grief away. He had just lost Shiera, the woman he loved, after she had been resurrected by the Entity following the Blackest Night. Time to travel the universe, avoid his friends and get drunk. Seems perfectly logical if you're an ignorant old man stuck in his ways who hated showing his feelings like Carter was. I mean his last girlfriend literally only liked him because of reincarnation. The day a woman talked to him (apart from his star-crossed love of many lives) after today would be a cold day in Hell.

"Hello, Carter," a feminine voice which sounded like it contained a kindness that humans couldn't really express walked up to him and gave him a hug, "You smell like this bar." "Wha—oh, Starfire," was the groggy reply, "What brings you around here?" "We are meeting one of my own kind here to discuss the matter of a missing child." "Not really my area," Carter yawned, "Oh, wait…do you mean Merand'r? Nice guy." Starfire scowled a little at Hawkman then, displaying the Tamaranean reputation for wearing their hearts on their sleeves. "Merand'r?" "Yeah, do you know him?" Hawkman asked, befuddlement in his eyes, "He says he used to be in the royal guard."

"He took me as a child and handed me over to the foul Citadel as a slave," Kory said, her anger blazing in her eyes, "I can never look at him again. But he is useful to me now." "Oh, well I'm sure he's sorry," Carter added drunkenly, "He's such a nice guy. You know he sold me some Nth metal for practically nothing. Swell fellow. Got me a drink too. I know it's cheap swill, but grank's the best stuff you can get here." He brandished his new spear as if he had just lifted Excalibur from its stone. Kory had to laugh. "Carter, that is silver." Carter laughed when he remembered that Tamaraneans weren't known for deception or being sarcastic in any way. He took another look at the spear and then tapped it against his mace. "I'm going to kill him," he stood up and stumbled, I'm going to fucking kill him!" As Ryand'r pointed out Hawkman and Starfire to Merand'r and Thyggadrond'r, Carter Hall leapt upon the con man and wrestled him to the ground.

"Make a fool of me, will you! I've been fighting gods and demons for nearly four millennia. I am the Savage Hawkman! Bane of Hath-Set!" Thyggadrond'r despite being blind then picked up Hawkman's mace and hit him on the head with it so he'd stop throttling his son and the fool passed out promptly. "Thanagarian plus human!" he turned his nose up at the sight, "Hardly a gracious mixture." Koriand'r started crying as she recognised the elderly man and hugged him warmly. "Ah, that is a smell and a warmth I will never forget," he said into her long hair, "Hello again, little princess." "Thyggadrond'r it is so good to see you," Kory warmly said into the chest of her old tutor, "Why are you here?" "I'm with my son, of course," he grimly yet kindly reminded her, "And your grandmother asked me to lead you to her." "Grandmother is alive?" "Yes, on Mir'an," he said causing the princess to look into his eyes in sheer disbelief. Ryand'r waved at his sister. "It's a long story. I'll tell you on the way there." Lobo was on his seventh flagon at this point. "Hey, do any of you bastiches hear that?"

"Hear what, Lobo?" Kory asked. "I think we've been followed, princess," the Czarnian began hefting a large gun onto the table "Hopping across planets looking for Tamaraneans is bound to get about as a rumour. Adam, call back to Rann. Does Alyssa know anything about what Blackfire and Brainiac 2 are up to?" Adam got his communicator up and saw that his wife wasn't picking up at first. Then, he saw he'd been left a message. Clicking on it, Alyssa appeared. "Adam, we've had to get off Rann," she said as quickly as possible, "It's Blackfire, she and Brainiac…they've attacked the capital. The government are dead. She's working with one of the Guardians of the Universe!" "One of the Guardians? How the—" Three men in cloaks then entered and blasted star bolts into Lobo's back. "Oh, you bastiches picked the wrong guy in this outfit to hit first!" Lobo rose up then, pulling a second large gun from beneath the table, and opened fire at the three of them. Dex-Starr unleashed napalm across the bar which angered a lot of bounty hunters making things a hell of a lot worse.

Merand'r and Thyggadrond'r ran outside with the aid of Starfire, Darkfire and a stumbled Hawkman. "Come along, Carter," Kory said, "You want to feel worthwhile and honour your wife, come with us! Save my daughter!" "Your daughter?" he asked, slurring his words slightly between the alcohol and the concussion. "It's a long story, I don't even know if it's true," she hastily went on, "But a hero like Hawkman would help me!" As two Tamaranean soldiers flew down and fired starbolts in their direction, Thyggadrond'r was wounded by one. Hawkman, inspired by the princess' words, flew straight at the two soldiers and took them down with his mace, albeit with far less poise than normal. "Kory, where is the ship?" he shouted. "On the cliff!" came the reply. Carter then pointed to a fire at the cliff. "There's no way any of us are escaping flying on our own in deep space," he told them as he came to land beside them, "We need new transport." Thyggadrond'r then drew his son closer to him. "My son, you must take the family ship." "Father, it doesn't work," his son whispered aggressively. "It will if you use my seal." Thyggadrond'r then placed his hand on his son's wrist, clasped it and transferred a tattoo from his own forearm to his son's through some untold witchcraft. "Father, no!" "Go, Merand'r! Do right by the girl you let down in her father's name! Bring her to her child! Save our people! Stop the false queen!"

"I am not leaving—" "You have to, otherwise they will kill you." Merand'r held his father's hand and they bumped foreheads before Thyggadrond'r stumbled forwards. "Carter! Koriand'r! Ryand'r!" the wizened yet upright old man bellowed in the direction of the escaping heroes, "Get to the ship, Merand'r will lead you! I will join your friends at the bar and protect them while I can!" Flying through the streets of the spaceport, three Tamaraneans and a human with Thanagarian wings headed into a disused garage. Koriand'r recognised the ship as her father's old royal cruiser. "How did—" "Your grandmother stole it for Father," Merand'r noted sourly, not making eye contact with the woman he ruined the life of, "Said her idiot son-in-law didn't appreciate how important we all were. Now, the bar is that way. We can still save Father!"

In the bar, Lobo was busy killing both patrons and Tamaraneans alike, protecting Adam Strange from attack. They both seemed like they were going to be taken down when Thyggadrond'r blasted their enemies away. "Damn, this old man is one tough bastiche!" "Less of the cursing, Czarnian!" the octogenarian ordered, "I think your Terran friend needs a lift and you should be getting one right now." Adam ran over to a nearby button after Thyggadrond'r nodded at him. The roof opened as Adam was hit on the head with a bottle and knocked out. Lobo grabbed him and jumped as high as he could right up to the ship where his hand was caught by Hawkman. "Damn, another human along for the ride!" Lobo grumbled, "I'm sick of your kind and their fragging heroics!" Merand'r looked down to see his father being surrounded by Tamaraneans and blasted to bits with their starbolts. He shed a single tear while he reclined back in the cockpit.

Kory suddenly found herself feeling that innate sense of compassion the Teen Titans had loved her for and held his hand. "Your father was an honourable man, Merand'r. And you were once too. But you lost your way, because my father couldn't forgive you for his own self-loathing. You became dishonest, turned everything in on yourself. Even dismissed your father, who you had respected and venerated all your life, as a superstitious, conservative, old fool. When in reality he was a man of great foresight. He died wanting you to help our people. To make it up to the girl you handed over to evil long ago. Can you do that?" Merand'r looked up into Koriand'r's eyes and for the first time in many years she saw the kind, older man who had played with her and her siblings when she was very small again. They embraced and he whispered in her ear, "Your daughter is going to be a very lucky girl, Koriand'r, to have a mother such as yourself."

JSA Headquarters, Monument Point

Todd Rice had not been feeling his best the past few months, what with his father dying and Karen Starr being most certainly dead. Now as they buried an empty coffin when the DEO refused to hand her body over to them, he became overwhelmed with anxiety. His twin sister, Jennie-Lynn Hayden, placed her arms around him as he wept for Karen. The service was a secular one, with Jay Garrick standing over it. "We commend Kara Zor-L as a teammate who gave her all in service to the Justice Society of America. When she joined us, we didn't really know each other at all. But she came to remember a world where we had been her mentors, and we decided to let that be the case again. She, in turn, became a rock to the rest of us. I hope wherever she is she's found her cousin again. We shall miss her." Todd began weeping as the empty coffin was lowered into the ground. Heading back to base, the team all sat together over mugs of tea and coffee. The good news was that Hourman and Jesse Quick had recently had their child. A little boy they had named Johnny after her late father.

"So, Dad is definitely still dead?" Obsidian looked to the Flash and Jay nodded at Todd, "Seems like the righteous aren't really being rewarded." "None of us believe that, Todd," Jennie said with a hint of bitterness. "I know in my heart that that man killed Karen," Todd referred to Eddie Thawne. "You've no proof," his sister reminded him. "It seems convenient that the one Kryptonian on the planet without the weaknesses of Superman goes mad and attacks the Teen Titans, conveniently dying afterwards," he shouted, "And Kal-El can't even be bothered to turn up for this funeral. I know she's from another universe but they were cousins." "Superman's not himself," Mr Terrific said as he poured Todd and Jennie two new cups, "Batman's disappeared. The world's not right." "Which is why it needs the JSA," Courtney Whitmore said with fury and passion. "What is the point of us?" Jay said with a mouthful of cake masking both his speech and his depression, "We're old men and our grandkids playing dress up. The real heroes are the JLA and the Teen Titans. They're both gone now."

"No," a young voice said entering the room with an older man. The voice belonged to one Virgil Hawkins. The hero known as Static Shock. The man beside him was Metropolis school teacher Jefferson Pierce, better known as Black Lightning. "The JSA is a place where the young can look to their elders and learn from them," Jeff piped in, "Alan thought that Jay. You can't give up on that." "But we can't fight him," Jay replied despondently. "Yes, we can," Black Lightning said with a strong gravitas, "We need to organise. Work underground. Find out what this guy, Thawne is up to, and how he sent Karen after the Titans, before he sends someone after us. We can't give up Jay. You guys are the only team left in the country now the Titans are gone. The world needs you." Jay Garrick stood up and hugged Jefferson Pierce.

"You always were a sage one, Jeff. But what exactly are we going to do?"

"We're going to go underground. Find out exactly what Thawne is doing to people across the country. Work in our own cities and try and find what's causing the low crime rates, 'cuz it's not the religion, I can tell you that."

Courtney stood up and looked the elder hero up and down with an inquisitive eye. "You know something, don't you?" "Yeah, I do," he replied to Stargirl, "Take a look at this." Taking out his phone, Jeff showed them footage of children in Metropolis' Suicide Slum being rounded up by members of Intergang and placed into a truck which then drove off into the night. "Low crime rate, my foot. This punk's kidnapping metahuman kids. What for, I don't know. But we're gonna' fight this guy. For the sake of justice!"

The White House, Washington D.C.

At the White House, President Randy Eiling and Vice-President 'Sebastian Hady' discussed the recent news with presidential pastor, Eddie Thawne. "So, plans in Gotham are going according to plan?" Randy asked with a touch of concern, "The bombings will cease soon. Our inaction here is not exactly looking good, Father Thawne." "Do not worry, Mr President," Thawne coolly reassured him, "Operation: New Babylon will shortly come to its inevitable end. I just hope those Teen Titans don't turn up alive and well. I can sense they are alive, but I don't know where they are. Let's hope they ended up in the Phantom Zone or somewhere else virtually inescapable. Let Zod and his fools unleash their wrath on him. Heroes aren't known for kneeling." "Yes, I forgot to ask," Randy smiled, "You said Superman has retired." Hurt sneered before answering. "We were merely being merciful for once. Father Thawne merely depowered him." "But you can't have a Justice League without Superman," Randy shrugged, "Not if you're going to make it a propaganda tool. I mean come on, Eddie. He's...well he's Superman."

"Oh, don't worry. An associate of Dr Hurt and I already have that in hand, Randall. The Amazon-Atlantean preliminary talks are being held soon, so Mr Curry tells us. We have something in hand to ensure King Orm turns on his potential allies. And we have plans to deal with Queen Hippolyta in a similar fashion. There is nothing to worry about, Mr President. Only to make sure your dynasty is maintained and let us do the actual ruling. Now, you have the speech prepared."

"Yes. And just to be sure you don't want to make Superman's retirement public?"

"Of course not. Like I said our Superman is nearly ready. We will provide him for your announcement of the League tomorrow. You will be pleasantly surprised, trust me. He is not our Superman, but he is Kal-El. Arguably, the real Superman. But you cannot rush genius."

"Naturally, Father Thawne. And your proposal for the leadership of Task Force X…you're sure you can trust a known felon."

"Absolutely not, that's why he's going to the Suicide Squad. The Secret Six need leadership. And I think the Red Hood can provide that. He may not be a loyal dog, but the Entity tells me he will be suitable for our needs. Dr Hurt, how goes your work at Wayne Enterprises?"

"Swimmingly. More and more of their offices are helping with metahuman trafficking as we speak. Kasnia and Markovia are ready to buy as many of our highly powered chattel as they want. Earle also says he's perfected a form of mind control that's slightly more humane now that Jervis Tetch has replaced Lucius Fox in tech development. Sure, he's got a different name, but we have the genius of the Mad Hatter for manipulation of the psyche at our disposal. All he asks in return is a regular salary, an apartment and…frequent provision of new guests for his tea parties."

"I would rather not hear about that…"

"Sorry, Mr President. But we believe you should know everything at this stage. Father Thawne insists on that."

"And why's that?"

"So, that if we are ever rumbled you will come crashing down with us, of course."

"But that's not going to happen. I mean, you've done so well, so there's no one who can stop you. Not even Superman."

"Precisely. But I feel things can't go this smoothly forever. Which is why we need this League. A team of superhumans to suppress any lingering resistance. A Justice League of Reaction! Now, you have to admit, Mr President, that that does whet your appetite slightly. Being the first President in American history to have your own squad of superhumans."

"Well, not really. Since they're your superhumans."

"You should learn to appreciate what we have given you, Randall. The less you think about the bars, the more gilded the cage. You are still first among our subjects, do not worry."

"Do I have a choice?"

"No. None do except us. The real rulers of America. Welcome to reality."

Kahndaq

Thaddeus Sivana and Amon Tomaz had been travelling the Earth for months since their separation from Slade Wilson. All the latter wanted was to rebuild the fabled Methuselah Device, and restore his sister, Adrianna, and her husband, the great King of Kahndaq, Teth-Adam, known to the world as the supervillain, Black Adam from their slumber. "Hurry it up, Sivana." "You promised me the Wizard, Osiris!" was the high pitched sneer of a response from the odious and repugnant scientist. "We will deal with him when we have Black Adam at our disposal," Amon told him, "It has taken you months to rebuild it." The Methuselah Device was an attempt by Sivana to prolong life which had recently been destroyed by Arsenal and Jericho. Using Kahndaqi materials and manpower combined with arms smuggling, they had now perfected the machine. Amon had no interest in appealing to the Americans for help on this matter. He wanted his family back. He had sworn to Sivana that the wizard, Shazam, would die by their hands if he restored his sister and brother-in-law. He wanted to do that, but that was very much up to the man to whom he owed his life. Black Adam.

Sivana flicked a switch on the Methuselah Device and the two statues began shaking. The fingers of his sister and his husband moved first. Dust fell from their forms slowly but surely. In a few moments, it was clear to anyone who had eyes to see that Black Adam and Isis were returned. The King and Queen of Kahndaq stood in all their splendour before their prince. Osiris ran into the arms of his sister who was taken aback at how Amon had succeeded in reviving them. They had been immobilised in their true forms of Teth-Adam and Adrianna Tomaz, but the Methuselah Device gave them the powers of the Wizard once more, which was why Osiris and Sivana had taken so many months. They knew that for his family to live again they needed the power of the ancients once more. "Now, we shall conquer this Earth, sister. In the name of Black Adam!"

"No, brother," Adrianna said, turning her gaze towards her still silent husband, "Adam and I just want to live happily now. The world is a cruel place, but we will not be the ones to cleanse it." Adam placed his hand upon his wife's shoulder and looked with sincerity into the eyes of his brother-in-law. "By our actions we brought further injury to the Batson siblings because of our hubris," he said with shame and sincerty, "Another way I have hurt their family unnecessarily. What we should focus on is rebuilding Kahndaq and ourselves, Amon." Sivana then raised his hand to protest. "I was promised the Wizard's head!" Osiris was about to angrily quash his protests when a voice came from the shadows, "Wait in line, Sivana. I came here seeking Adam for the same reason." A young lad in a wheelchair with black hair made his way out of the shadows and Adam nodded in respect and recognition.

"Freddy Freeman. To what do we owe the pleasure?" "I am here to help rediscover myself, Adam," the young man answered, "I am here to do what Mary did and gain power through you." "I can't allow that, Freddy," he interrupted. "And why not?" the confrontation in the former Captain Marvel's voice cut through the desert winds like a knife. Adam then paced towards his old enemy and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Because of what it did to Mary, the woman you love. She is seeking redemption still as we speak. Good people should not have my power. Look what it did to me and my family." Freddy bowed his head solemnly. "Though neither the Wizard nor I are the only source of your powers," Adam cleverly noted, "I will make it my mission to help you regain them all, Freddy Freeman." "How can you do that?" "You've done it already...though this time will be more difficult. You must find the gods of Shazam and gain their strengths for yourself."

The Source Wall

The edge of the universe is not as pretty as one would expect. A garish wall with the forms of those foolish enough to come into physical contact with it loomed over all who stood there. They even loomed over one as mighty as Krona, the creator of the multiverse. He was looking at one form in particular. A recent one which looked suspiciously like Kal-El. "He does resemble him, doesn't he?," a voice spoke from behind, "Well, I suppose he is him." The speaker was of course Eddie Thawne who had arrived here with the help of a Mother Box immediately behind his longest serving ally. "You're late," Krona added with some dejection. "Prerogative of the most powerful man in creation," Eddie quipped, placing his hands behind his back and giving Krona a sarcastic smile, "How goes the negotiations with Komand'r?" "Very well," the Maltusian added, "She will have a hold of Rann on the morrow. Then we will deal with her sister and the Hybrid Messiah."

"I want the Hybrid Messiah alive. Once Blackfire has outlived her usefulness we'll stick her here for good measure. Then we can have the Hybrid Messiah as one of our new Teen Titans. It will all work swimmingly. But first, we need a Superman for our Justice League."

"Are you sure about this? He is not known for being easily controlled."

"He hasn't met me."

Thawne then raised his hands and with great exertion called on the Entity. His body seemed to glow in a radiant beam of white light as cracks began emerging in the Source Wall before him. Krona could see how much strain this was placing on Thawne and went to aid him, only to be telekinetically reflected away. The form before them seemed to move slightly until eventually he burst from the Source Wall in a blaze of illumination. Lying before them was the prostrate form of Kal-El of Earth-Prime. Better known to the people of this universe as Superboy-Prime. Thawne seemed visibly weaker now and was temporarily blind in both eyes. He needed to return to Earth soon and access the Cosmic Treadmill for healing.

"Where am I? Laurie? Where the hell's that fake Superboy and his bitch cousin?"

"Kon-El is dealt with for now. As are all other Kryptonians of this universe, Clark, my boy."

"Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Eddie Thawne. I brought you from the Source Wall. Now tell me, would you like to be the new Superman."

"I'm the only Superman. The only real one. The one of this Earth is dumb. Not willing to do the right thing."

"Well, then. How about…you make up for his mistakes? Save the Earth. Save it as my Superman. Clark Kent, welcome to the Justice League!"