"Butch reported Black Mask slaughtered the Riddles," Batwing reminded everyone as the sun was setting.
"He slaughtered the goons. The heads escaped ahead of time," Black Bat retorted.
"Now we strike the head," Azrael told them as they stood atop the Sionis Industries Tower.
"You'd think Sionis would do better than make his corporate office his criminal empire's throne room," Batwing shook his head.
"Black Mask believes he is now untouchable," Azrael told him, "A lesson in humility will be justly delivered."
"I'll get set up on the opposing rooftop and target Sionis' office," Black Bat said gleefully.
"I'll come in after him when the window is blown," Batwing stated.
"I will descend the stairwell like the wrath of God," Azrael said.
"I'll cover the main exit in case anybody gets passed you two," Black Bat told them, "Try to leave a few of them."
"No promises," Azrael told him.
Black Mask raged behind his desk, still wearing his trademark mask, "Find me the Riddler! Better yet, find me Regina Swann! They can't have just disappeared. They both have loyalists running amok in this city. They'll pick away at our associates one by one until no one believes I can protect them."
"We have to prepare for Intergang's reprisal," his aide told him.
"That's tomorrow's business!" he screamed at her, "I'm talking about tonight!"
"Sir, there's a light moving on your desk," another lieutenant pointed it out.
"What are you talking about?" Black Mask turned to face the window. He saw a red light pinpointed at his chest, "Uh oh. Run!"
Black Mask was the first out of the office as Black Bat fired the missile launcher. The resultant explosion sent shrapnel from the desk out of the office and blew the doors off of their hings and propelled them forward towards those attempting to shelter in the stairwell. Across the street, Black Bat abandoned the spent launcher and headed for the elevator to go to the street level and cross the street to the Sionis building.
Batwing flew in as promised and vaulted down into the stairwell. While he struggled with Black Mask's protectors, Azrael came hurtling down the empty space between stairs. He stopped his repelling rope and swung onto the stairs beneath Black Mask's party. He drew and ignited his sword.
"Death comes swiftly to the coward," he declared. Several of Black Mask's bodyguards attempted to shoot Azrael but he moved swifter than an average human. His enhanced reflexes muscles propelling him as she skewered the hapless guards. Meanwhile, Batwing subdued two guards and handcuffed the aide to the stairwell. Black Mask was caught between him and Azrael.
Black Mask turned to Batwing, "You're the good guy. You can't let him kill me."
"Believe me I'm tempted to," Batwing warned him as he pulled handcuffs off of his belt. A flaming sword erupted from Black Mask's chest and then withdrew. The cauterized wound went straight through his heart and fell backwards to be shoved aside into the empty space of the stairwell. His body plummeted thirty stories to the basement below.
"How could you do that?" Batwing shouted at him.
"How could I not?" Azrael asked, "The blood of hundreds is on his head tonight alone. He would wage a war to retain control of Gotham's criminals. Innocents would die needlessly. I spared them by killing him."
"There's no justification for this," Batwing adopted a fighting stance, "I have to bring you in."
Azrael was upon him in seconds. Batwing found himself pressed against the hand railing with the sword's blade at his throat. He could feel the heat of its flames against his protective body glove.
"You are delusional if you think you can defeat me. You've always doubted my higher calling. Now it speaks louder than ever. Batman chose fear to quell the criminals of Gotham. I will show them what to fear and fear itself," Azrael released Batwing with a a throw that put him into the wall, "If you cannot stand by me, then at least stay out of my way. I will not kill you for the sake of our former alliance but I will not allow you to hinder me either. To spare yourself pain, I suggest you stand down until I have this city under control."
"What are you?" Batwing asked.
"I am vengeance," Azrael told him, "That was the purpose of my birth."
"We'll see about that," Batwing flew out of the stairwell back through the missing wall in Sionis' office.
Azrael turned to the terrified aide, "When his allies come to find you, tell them about me and my promise that they shall die if they don't change their ways."
"I don't believe you," she managed to say, "You'll kill me anyway."
"If I ever see you again, I will kill you," Azrael fired a grapnel line to the roof and then descended to the floor below, where Black Mask's broken and bleeding body lay in crumpled heap. Azrael retrieved his line and then walked out of Sionis Industries Tower out the front door. Several dead bodies lay about where some of Black Mask's men had fled the scene only to encounter Black Bat.
"I saw Batwing tear out of here," Black Bat told him.
"Batwing stands opposed to us now," Azrael warned him, "He doesn't understand the need for what he considers extreme measures."
"I understand all too well," Black Bat reminded him that as Tony Quinn ADA he'd been blinded before Wayne Powers replaced his acid scarred eyes with cybernetic implants, "Just remember, I tracked down his connection to the DEO. Alex Danvers may attempt to shut the Order of St. Batman down at his request."
"She can try," Azrael replied, "Now, we must return to Father M'Buttu to receive further word from Sister Lilhy and Butch Candon on the state of the city's affairs."
"Sionis keeps a fleet of cars here," Black Bat had investigated the garage earlier, "Any one of them can get us to St. Hildegard's."
"Good. With Black Mask dealt with, we return our attention to Neo Joker and her continuing plans," Azrael had decided.
"You mean her Jokerz War?" Black Bat asked, "I watched Jokerz herding people out of their homes already. Ad I spotted a mob headed towards the corporate buildings. They're looting the banks and probably going after the corporate vaults."
"The Newsboy Legion reported that Montoya and her SRU broke free of their precinct," Azrael mused, "It seems they are loose but unaccounted for."
"You check in with the Newsboys and I'll drive us on the Jokerz' trail," Black Bat offered as an alternative plan.
"Sharp thinking," Azrael commended him, "Those people will undoubtedly require our help."
Once on the road, Azrael got his update from Butch and Sister Lilhy, "The Jokerz fought their way into every district, including those protected by the KnightsQuest. They seem to be converging on Robinson Park."
"There's more going on then we know about," Black Bat admitted, "The Jokerz themselves are doing the herding of the people not involved in the looting. So money isn't their objective."
"Killing everyone that doesn't subscribe to their ideology seems to be the answer you're looking for," Azrael said grimly.
"So the Phantasm was right all along," Black Bat decided.
"So it seems." Azrael agreed with the assessment, "Now the Jokerz have positioned themselves across the city and Robinson Park to undertake the greatest massacre in Gotham's sordid history."
"You sound like you know the history's details," Black Bat realized.
"The Order of St. Dumas and the Court of Owls battled over the original settlement," Azrael told him, "A renegade knight of the Order led the campaign with a disgraced Wayne against the Court of Owls. But the Wayne turned against the knight and joined the Court of Owls. That is how Gotham became the Court's Nest. They ran their global operations from here. The Order of St. Dumas abandoned the city to the Court and fought their ambitions elsewhere across the world. My father died in Gotham killing a Court member."
"He was the Azrael before you," Black Bat had been told.
"It was how I learned I'd been conditioned since birth to be the Azrael," he told him, "But I rejected St. Dumas' teachings and became a renegade of my own."
"Saving Sister Lilhy in the process," Black Bat appreciated that part. Tony had a secret crush on the former Order member, "You and she must be very close."
Azrael grimly chuckled, "She has an eye for you, Tony Quinn. Just as you are attracted to her. She was assigned as my 'handler' before my death and after my reawakening. When I left the Order of St. Dumas, Sister Lilhy came with me. Part of her still serves St. Dumas. So have a care when dealing with her. Her allegiances are mixed between our two Orders."
"Thanks for sharing that," Black Bat said, "Now I understand her reluctance to embrace people in the KnightsQuest more completely. If she still feels compelled to obey the Order of St. Dumas, won't she eventually betray the Order of St. Batman?"
"That is the riddle yet to be solved," Azrael said grimly.
"Just who the hell is Jean-Paul Valley?" Batwing demanded to know from Sister Lilhy, "He went completely homicidal tonight."
"Jean-Paul Valley is, and always has been, Azrael. Azrael fulfilled his destiny tonight from the sound of it," Sister Lilhy told him, "The era of half-measures is over."
"You sound like you've been expecting this," Batwing disapproved.
"The Valley family line has always been the Azrael of the Order of St. Dumas. They were specifically bred to bring out the greatest features a warrior could have. Their mental conditioning taught them obedience and the arts of fighting. Jean-Paul Valley died and I resurrected a new Azrael with genetic enhancements. He believes he's acting against St. Dumas while I'm insuring that he obeys the Order. The true Order behind that of St. Batman," Sister Lilhy revealed.
"You're a double agent," Batwing was horrified, "The Order of St. Dumas are a rabid cult of killers."
"Azrael is aware of my true allegiance. He believes he can persuade me to commit to this false Order. So far, he's been mistaken," Sister Lilhy told him, "So revealing what I've said to him wouldn't do you any good. I do serve the Order of St. Batman. But that Order serves the greater good of the Order of St. Dumas."
"She speaks the truth, my son," Father M'Buttu emerged from behind the vestibule, "She enlightened me earlier today."
"You're all insane," Batwing declared, "People aren't really people to any of you anymore."
"We save lives, my son. But some sacrifices have to be made," M'Buttu replied.
"Not by me," Batwing stormed out and flew away.
"Best to let him go," Sister Lilhy advised Father M'Buttu.
"His help could be especially invaluable considering how the Jokerz forced their way into our protection zones, killed members of the KnightsQuest doing so and critically wounded others, in order to force people from their homes," Father M'Buttu told her.
"Batwing's conscience would be too easily bruised by what needs to happen next," Sister Lilhy told him, "This can only end with Neo Joker's death."
"As a priest, I took an oath to sanctify life. But my day's in Iron Knife's militia taught me that some people need to die. Their evil is too great to combat by other means," Father M'Buttu said sadly, "But can even Azrael be able to combat so many Jokerz."
"Never fear, Father," Sister Lilhy chuckled nastily, "He and Black Bat will have all the help they need."
Zeta tubes utilized an internal power supply. So the Justice League Outsiders will able to transit across from San Francisco to Gotham despite the power outage. Wonder Woman gathered the Outsiders, "Commissioner Gordon has three priorities. She needs the GCPD relieved from its siege. She needs the looters of corporate and bank vaults stopped. And she needs the engineers escorted the power plant to assess the damages and attempt to restart the generators to restore electricity."
Donna Troy's words impacted them as they awaited their marching, so she continued, "Thunder, Lightning, and Cyborg will accompany the engineering team. The can be found gathered at the Public Utility Office in Gotham Heights. I need two teams for the other missions. Tempest has agreed to lead the team relieving the GCPD. The GCPD Special Response Unit is on its way to assist the GCPD officers and detective we liberate in arresting the looters and Jokerz pressing in around GCPD headquarters. Tempest's team will be a cohesive one working together to alleviate the GCPD. The other team will be comprised of two-person units each targeting a separate looting situation."
Tempest took over, "I need Steel, Girl 13, Hawk and Dove as well as Prysm, Argent, Blue Devil, Firehawk, Halo, and Tigress to accompany me."
"The rest of you will follow Bumblebee and I to the financial section of Founders Island and stop the looting," Wonder Woman told the rest, "Pair off as needed and get ready to face mobs."
The Outsiders quickly chose partners and the two groups set off before splintering off into separate units.
"Glad you're still here," Thunder told the PUD engineers.
"The Jokerz were all busy during the day and now they've mostly vanished," the lead named Pat Garret told them, "When we got the dispatch from Commissioner Gordon that you were coming we kept out of sight while the Jokerz roamed the city."
"We'll do everything we can to help you get running again," Cyborg pledged.
"That's appreciated, Cyborg," Garret replied, "First we have to assess how many damage was done to the generators and their backups."
"We're here to get you safely across town," Lightning told them, "We're the team for both jobs."
The trek across Gotham only got treacherous a few times but the roving bands of mischief citizens not looting vaults were easily scared off. They got to the power plant in short order and unscathed. Garret used flashlight and portable lamps to light the area, "Generator One is dead on arrival. But the others could be started again if we had enough juice to prime them."
"Like this?" Lightning streamed electricity between her hands.
"We also have repair the primary controls," Garret told them.
"Give me the schematics and I'll handle that," Cyborg pledged.
"We also need the first generator to manually spun," Garret said.
"I'll handle that part," Thunder promised.
An hour later, they were prepared. Garret instructed Lightning, "Charge the capacitors so when Thunder throws the generator into a spin it'll self-sustain the spin."
Lightning drained herself into the capacitors, "I hope that's enough. I can't do any more."
"That would've powered several districts," Garret was impressed, "Cyborg, stand by on the start sequence when I give Thunder the word to to throw the generator into a spin."
"Standing by," Cyborg told him,.
"Thunder go on three," Garret counted down and she took a deep breath and then threw the lead generator into a spin. Cyborg triggered the capacitors and the backups also come online. Lights across the city began to shine again.
"We did it!" Garret and his team exulted.
"Let's hope every team was as a successful," Thunder sighed.
"I'll right. Punch a hole through their center blocking the entrance and then fan out to free all the exits," Tempest ordered.
Steel and Girl 13 worked together as befitted Natasha Irons and Traci Badyopadhyay's intimate relationship. They'd drilled using Steel's technology and brute force alongside Girl 13's technopolis magic. Traci could tap into the magical essence of any city she was in. That essence was created by all the life within the city and shaped by the character of its residents. Right now, the essence was in agonized turmoil. Steel's concussion blasts combined with her twenty-five pound sledgehammer made short work of the Jokerz' resistance.
Girl 13 struggled to bring order out of the city's current insanity. Natasha had to come to her lover's aid, "You all right?"
"Nat, the city's suffering. There's a madness embedded into essence that's festering and growing. We might not be able to break its hold on Gotham this time," Girl 13 warned Steel.
"Bring it up with Tempest after we clear away the Jokerz at the emergency exits," Steel recommended.
"Okay, but it can't wait for long," Girl 14 direly warned Steel.
Hawk and Dove had been estranged sisters when Holly Granger became the new Hawk after Hank Hall's dearth as Monarch. Hank had gone insane after suffering both Don Hall and Dawn Granger's deaths as Dove. The Lords of Order hadn't allowed Dawn to die. Instead they took her into the Realm of Order and repaired her damaged body and soul. Granted full possession to the Lords of Balance, Dawn returned as the Avatar of Peace rather than Order.
But Dove needed a Hawk. Hawk would be the Avatar of War. Together Hawk and Dove would emulate the necessary balance between the two extremes. Hank Hall had never fully appreciated Dawn's loss of her sister in an embassy bombing or her cage fighting days while attending Georgetown University. Dove knew how to fight, she just preferred to seek other options first. Hank hadn't understood that and her death was a result of her having to intervene when he got in over his head trying to protect her.
Separated after the embassy bombing, Holly couldn't remember her family or her past for several years. By the time she could recall it, she'd grown up in the streets of London's East End as a gang member. Holly sought out her parents but was told by British authorities that they'd died in the blast. Dawn's arrival shook her to the core.
Dawn had been led by the Lords of Balance to find Holly and empower her as Hawk. Holly reluctantly took on the role, doing it only to reconcile with her estranged sister. But this mission was testing her boundaries. She agreed with the Jokerz' philosophy and appreciated their rule of the streets.
Hawk turned against Dove during their conflict with Jokerz, "I'm through with this. These people are just seeking out what they're owed. If you can't back me on this, then I'm through."
"Hawk, think this through," Dove pleaded, "This is anarchy."
"A little anarchy is good for the soul," Hawk argued.
"The Lords of Balance won't think so," Dove warned.
"Futz the Lords of Balance. I was better off in the East End," Hawk declared angrily before she vanished.
"Oh no," Dove mourned the loss of her sister. She knew Holly had gotten her wish. She'd be back in London's East End with her powers stripped from her. What Dawn hadn't counted on was the reappearance of Hank Hall.
"What the futz?" he asked Dove, "You're alive?"
"More to the point, you are too!" Dove exclaimed, "You must've been in the Realm of Chaos."
"Don't remind me," Hank pleaded, "They made some kind of deal with some Lords of Balance."
"Say the name," Dove told him, "Quickly."
"Hawk!" Hank said hurriedly. He transformed into a bigger, stronger Hawk than ever before.
"Welcome to being the Avatar of War," Dove grinned as Hawk backhanded three Jokerz and sent them flying.
"I could get used to this," he mused.
"You can also heal almost instantly from any wound and you extendable talons now," Dove told him.
"How do you know all this?" Hawk asked, "And where the hell am I?"
"My sister took your place for a while. But she just quit. We're part of the Justice League Outsiders team and we're in Gotham putting down a Jokerz riot."
"Die for a while the world goes to hell," Hawk recuperated from three gunshot wounds almost instantly, "Damn! I could get used to this."
They went back to work putting Jokerz into submission to the GCPD could collect them. Hawk had a worried expression, "Your sister is alive?"
"Turns out," Dove shrugged, "Holly grew up a street criminal in London's East End with no memory of the family. When she did recover her memories it was right before the Lords of Balance led me to her."
"And you came back from the dead, like me?" Hawk wondered.
"Neither of us were ever truly dead," Dove explained as they began to run out of Jokerz, "The Lords of Order and Chaos each us into their realms and infused us with their essence. The Lords of Balance brokered the deal that we would work for them as Hawk and Dove as the Avatars of War and Peace."
"I sure as hell prefer this Avatar of War business better than representing Chaos. I was joke compared to what I am now," Hawk declared.
"We've both been boosted, "I can fly now and I'm hyper aware of my surroundings."
"But you don't heal like me?" Hawk sounded concerned.
"My strength is boosted to superhuman levels but you can smash tanks where I can barely punch through a brick wall. But my reflexes are off the charts and I do heal much more quickly than a norm," Dove assured him.
"A norm?" Hawk wasn't certain he liked the sound of that.
"An average non-Meta-Human," Dove explained.
"Great. Being normal is a slur now," Hawk grumbled as he knocked out the last standing Jokerz near him.
"It's just an expression. People without powers started it as a form of solidarity," Dove told him, "They consider us the freaks."
"Well, we are," Hawk reminded her, "And we're both supposed to be dead."
"When it comes to the others, let me do the talking," Dove advised him, "Some people will still only think of you as Monarch."
"I really screwed that up," Hawk said mournfully.
"You were lost in grief. People make bad decisions when they're grieving," Dove reassured him, "This will be fine."
"This team got a headquarters?" Hawk asked her.
"We're based out of San Francisco," Dove grinned.
"At least Oakland has a football team," Hawk smirked then grew stoic, "They still do, don't they?"
"I'll let you catch up on the sports world when we return to San Fran," Dove chuckled.
"Crap. That means they don't," Hawk grumbled.
Blue Devil worked beside Halo. Both Danielle Cassidy and Gabrielle Doe had become superheroes entirely by accident. Danielle had been cursed to be the Blue Devil when her uncle Dan Cassidy was killed. Gabrielle had been killed but a Mother Box activated her meta-gene at the moment of death. Halo didn't remember her life before her gen factor healed her.
Blue Devil's hellfire spewing pitchfork caused the Jokerz to break and run. Halo's various auras each enabled a different power. The Jokerz couldn't mount an attack against her because her auras automatically shifted to the power she needed most at any given moment. It was reflexive rather than controlled. Donna Troy was working with Halo to bring her powers under reasonable control according to her intentions rather than her reactive impulses.
When the Jokerz were either subdued or had fled, Blue Devil pointed out the nearby Hawk and Dove, "The hell? Hawk's a guy now?"
"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves," Halo suggested.
"Introduce? I want a futzing explanation. Where the hell did Holly go?" Blue Devil snarled. Danielle and Holly Granger had been friends.
"Then we start by introducing ourselves," Halo insisted.
"Gabby, you're too trusting. Let me handle this," Blue Devil stomped off. Halo followed and hoped a conflict would be avoided.
Argent and Prysm relieved the officers guarding the rear emergency exit behind GCPD headquarters. The SWAT officers holding the line were grateful to finally stand down as Argent's plasma blasts and Prysm's light powers created rock hard photon blasts. SWAT's uniformed backup officers gratefully arrested the downed Jokerz. SWAT held the exit while uniformed officers swarmed out to arrest the compiling downed Jokerz.
Tempest and Firehawk attacked the main entrance beside Tigress. Firehawk created a huge bubble of water by rearranging the atomic structure of nearby oxygen and hydrogen. Garth used the warer as weapons to bludgeon the Jokerz in the way. Tigress fought her way to the main entrance where she was received by Bullock and Capt. O'Moore.
"Capt. Bullock, I was told that you were in charge here," Tigress offered her greeting.
"My people informed me yours relieved the back entrance. We're arresting these maniacs," O'Moore congratulated Tigress.
"This is the tip of the spear," Tigress warned them, "The SRU is mobilizing to assist in arresting people following Neo Joker's advice and looting vaults across banks and corporate towers. We have teams deployed to assist in stopping the mayhem but we don't have the capability of detaining prisoners on a long term basis."
"Well, we sure as hell do," Bullock told her, "I'll send people to check on Central Holding and man it again if they abandoned it. We've been waitin' fer backup so we could break outta here and arrest some scumbags. Molly, you and SWAT stay here and hold the buildings while da rest of us fan out and snatch up the Jokerz."
"Glad to do it, Harv," O'Moore promised, "My people could use the down time."
"Good. Cause my people are dyin' ta get a crack at dese Jokerz and wannabes," Bullock went to marshal his forces.
O'Moore pointed out the crowd gathering around Hawk and Dove, "It seems you super types are having a rather heated argument."
"I'll find out why," Tigress promised. To her surprise a new/old Hawk stood amongst them. Artemis Nguyen Crock had been one of Green Arrow's many trainees when Hank Hall had become Monarch. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised to see him again as Hawk. After all, Dawn Granger had reappeared from beyond the supposed grave as Dove. But what had become of Holly Granger?
"The Lords of Balance took Holly to wherever it was she preferred to be. She literally quit and defied the Lords. So Hank was summoned back from the Realm of Chaos to be Hawk again," Dove was explaining to the crowd as Tigress joined them.
"That's hardly a persuasive argument for letting him into the team," Tempest scowled.
"We're a pair. A matching duo. You reject Hawk and you reject me," Dove told decisively.
"Look, I screwed up after Dawn died. I'd already lost my brother Don as Dove. Losing Dawn afterwards drove me insane. I started using drugs and became Monarch. I gave myself up to the Lords of Chaos. That's why it took the Lords of Order to stop me. I was punished in the Realm of Chaos for being a failure until the Lords of Balance brokered my parole," Hawk came to his own defense, "I'm not that same guy anymore. And Dawn's alive and stronger than ever. So I don't have any worries about her any more. I won't go psycho on you."
"I need to talk with Wonder Woman and Bumblebee. Omen can scan his mind and find out the truth. Afterwards, we'll weigh in on accepting Hawk into the team or not," Tempest told them.
"Remember, you ditch Hawk and you lose Dove," Dawn warned him.
"If need be," Garth replied stonily.
Donna Troy had filled many roles since coming to Themiscyra. She'd become the first Wonder Girl. Founded the original Teen Titans. Shifted to being Troia before becoming a leader among the Darkstars. A role Kara In-Ze had taken over when she stopped being Supergirl. Hippolyta, in her last act before abdicating the Amazonian throne, was to appoint Donna a Wonder Woman alongside Artemis. Diana's first act as Queen was to appoint her half-sister, Nubia, as a Wonder Woman as well. Hippolyta resumed the role of Wonder Woman and rejoined the Justice Society of America.
So now, as Wonder Woman, Donna had been tasked with recruiting and leading the Outsiders for the Justice League Unlimited. Artemis and Nubia both served as a Wonder Woman for the Justice League International. Dark Justice didn't require the presence of a Wonder Woman, though Nubia, as a former priestess, was well qualified to join. Donna knew Madame Xanadu had offered Nubia the role of team leader. The question remained if she would accept it.
Donna's first picks as her chief lieutenants had been former Teen Titans like herself. Tempest had been the first Aqualad. Karen Beecher was still Bumblebee. Lilith Clay was persuaded to adopt a secret identity as Omen. She would've liked to have reformed the entire old Teen Titans. But Dick Grayson had retired as Nightwing to raise a family. Starfire had been killed in an act of indiscretion on a team mission. The original Speedy was now called Arsenal and he was branded as a criminal. But that wasn't the Roy Harper Donna knew. Wally West had assumed the mantle of the Flash after Barry Allen's disappearance. There was a new Kid Flash from the future as well as Jay Garrick as the original Flash and a time traveling Bart Allen as Impulse. Kid Flash and Impulse were with Young Justice.
Miss Owl had been the Owl's teammate until he turned into a criminal and took on a new Owlgirl with the same inclinations towards crime. Bella Wayne refused to stand down afterwards and changed her code name to Miss Owl. She retained her flight gear she'd had as the first Owlgirl. So both Wonder Woman and Miss Owl flew to the upper stories of the Ryder Corp building and smashed through a window to reach the corporate vault where citizens wearing clown masks were attempting to breach the vault. The Jokerz had given them enough dynamite to take down the building.
Wonder Woman didn't bother with her Lasso of Persuasion and just went in for physical combat. As a daughter of the mythical Titans, Chronus and Rhea, Donna was the sister to Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. Though Donna appeared younger, she was Queen Diana's aunt. As a goddess, Donna could appear as any age she wanted to portray. She was also the most powerful Wonder Woman ever. The Jokerz followers didn't stand a chance against her.
Miss Owl cut off their escape route and fought hand to hand with fleeing criminals. The crooks with pistols and shotguns proved more lethal to their follow Jokerz followers than Miss Owl or Wonder Woman would ever be. Several thieves died in the crossfires set up by armed Jokerz wannabes. Miss Owl and Wonder Woman disarmed them and subdued them as quickly as they could. But over a dozen crooks were dead or wounded. Donna called for emergency services and hoped someone out there would still respond before the wounded bled out. But, the lights came back on to assist Miss Owl and Wonder Woman's search for first aid kits.
Karen Beecher was a veteran of the original Teen Titans before they left the team in the hands of Jason Hart and Gar Logan. Protector died as a result of saving Red Arrow's life and contracting HIV from Mia Deardon and eventually AIDS from the HIV when the antivirals failed him. Beast Boy was a member of the Outsiders after ARGUS had shut Beast Boy's Teen Titans down.
Red Arrow had become Speedy before joining the Outlaws beside Conner Hawke as Green Arrow after Oliver Queen's death saving Black Canary. But both Conner and Mia had died of AIDS after Conner contracted HIV from unprotected sex with Mia and her long battle with the deadly virus ended with her succumbing to AIDS. Conner's case quickly developed because he refused HIV antivirals, choosing to die with Mia rather outlive her.
Terra was Tara Markova, the Crown Princess of Markovia. Her brother Brion had given up being Geo Force to become king. Terra joined the Outsiders after Beast Boy vouched for her that she was freed from Deathstroke's control. In fact, Tara had agreed to work as Slade Wilson's mole inside the Outsiders. Terra found herself torn between her attraction to Slade and Gar. Her geokintic powers tore a chunk of ground out of the street and levitated her up to the penthouse of office of Wayne Powers CEO, Derek Powers.
She and Bumblebee broke in through the expansive windows Bruce Wayne had installed before his abrupt ouster. Bumblebee was insect sized but her stunner blasters felled grown men and women. Terra directed portions of the groundswell she'd upon to strike down and block escape of the thieves attempting to break into Power's walk in safe. The fight was fierce but short. Bumblebee returned to her normal stature.
"That settles that. Can you bind them somehow?" she asked Terra.
In turn, Terra positioned the concrete, dirt, and stone to bury the captives neck deep, "Will that do?"
Everyone tended to forget how young Terra was. She and Beast Boy the youngest Outsiders at fifteen and sixteen. Normally, gen actives that age would be turned towards the Young Justice program for training. Several of the program's graduates now served in the Outsiders. Key graduates had joined the JLI. Cassie Sandsmark, the new Wonder Girl, had stayed on as a peer instructor for the Young Justice students. Her powers came from being Zeus' daughter but she had no inclination to become a superhero. She'd only joined the Teen Titans because she'd been liberated after being captured by ARGUS and pitted into the NOWHERE program. After ARGUS disbanded the Teen Titans, Cassie was adrift until Hippolyta had convinced her to join Young Justice.
Bumblebee called the GCPD dispatcher and requested officers to arrest those that they'd detained, "We're in for a wait."
"Fine," Terra said and lit up a cigarette. Bumblebee frowned at her doing so. Tara was old enough to legally smoke in Markovia and the team was having a hard time convincing her that her diplomatic immunity shouldn't shield her from US age restrictions. Care packages from Markovia contained her supply of the offending addictive materials. Even Gar couldn't break her of the habit. His intentions were good but she found them annoying and helped keep her on her mission for Slade.
Katrina Moldoff and Bette Kane had trained together at the now defunct SPYRAL. Katrina had become the next official Batwoman and Bette gave up being Flamebird to become Hawkfire. She was veteran of the Teen Titans under Protector's watch. Bette was Kate and Beth Kane's youngest cousin. Unlike Kate, whom Bruce Wayne had talked out of becoming the next Batwoman, Bette went full bore into the superhero world.
SPYRAL had taken her to her full potential. She was no longer the weakened Flamebird but the strong, aggressive Hawkfire. Batwoman was even more talented and skilled than Hawkfire, hence earning the coveted mantle of Batwoman. The two worked well together as they stopped looters at a mafia bank owned by Intergang. Despite the begrudged lumps and bruises inflicted upon the looters, Batwoman and Hawkfire knew they were sparing them Intergang's wrath. After dropping the last thief, Hawkfire called dispatch and found it manned again. She was grateful to learn the GCPD was sending officers to arrest the unconscious heap of looters.
Stephanie Brown had grown up on Gotham's streets. She'd never understood why her mother had encouraged her to take martial arts classes ever since she'd divorced Steph's father. Arthur Brown on the other hand, strongly encouraged and even demanded academic excellence. Then came the fateful day Stephanie discovered her father was the infamous Cluemaster. She'd walked in him with several other super villains, all unmasked, planning their next big heist.
The others had demanded Stephanie be sacrificed for their greater good. Cluemaster put out the hit on his own daughter. Stephanie's mother, dependent on Arthur's hundred thousand dollars a month alimony, agreed to the hit. Stephanie found herself alone and hunted by the parents that had raised her. She found sanctuary with Harper and Cullen Row.
Stephanie decided to adopt her own costumed persona dedicated to foiling Cluemaster's gambits. Spoiler ran a one woman war against Cluemaster and the Legion of Annoyance that Lex Luthor let him run. Eventually, Spoiler's successes caught the eye of Dick Grayson, who wanted her to be the next Nightwing. She tried the mask and name on but felt compelled to turn his offer down after several months.
Carrie Kelley had been chosen by Barbara Gordon to be the next Batgirl. Since there were five women called Wonder Woman, Stephanie argued why couldn't there be more than one Batgirl? So, with Barb's grudging acceptance, Stephanie also became Batgirl. Cassandra Cain, uncertain of her role as Black Bat, gave the moniker up to become the third Batgirl. Because of their familiarity with Gotham, the three Batgirls had split up.
Batgirl found a gang of looters breaking into Gotham's First National Bank. So she went into action. Barbara, uncertain of having more than one active Batgirl, consulted Selina Kyle over the issue of the legacy sharing. The former Catwoman promised her that Spoiler was ready to be a Batgirl. In any given situation, Stephanie would overcome through the most unexpected means. She'd extensively trained with the three original woman who'd shared the title Batwoman. Kathy Duquesne told Gordon that Stephanie was even more capable in the role than Carrie Kelley. And Carrie was phenomenal at it.
Batgirl went in hard and fast, using her quarterstaff to inflict maximum damage with minimal exertion. She disarmed the gun toters before they could shoot one another. Batgirl timed herself and she'd subdued twelve looters in forty-five seconds. She knew Cassandra could beat that time but it was a new personal best for this Batgirl. She contacted GCPD dispatch and got offers headed en route to collect her baggage.
Barbara Gordon had found Carrie Kelley's name on the Bat Computer during one of her remote access sessions. Carrie was on a list of potential Robins. Stephanie Brown and Harper Row were also included. But Steph was then currently Spoiler and Harper was Bluebird. Carrie had no extensive experience crime fighting yet. But she dressed up as Robin every night since Tim Drake's disappearance and the We are Robin movement began.
But where the We are Robins worked as a collective, Carrie worked alone. And with greater success, even if it was accidental; at times. Barbara intercepted Carrie on one of her jaunts out into Gotham's night and offered her a chance to be the next Batgirl. When Carrie agreed it was on the condition that Gordon reveal how she was affiliated with the original Batgirl. So Barbara's tenure as Batgirl before joining the GCPD became known.
This Batgirl didn't use a quarterstaff. Besides the usual Bat utility belt paraphernalia, Carrie only carried a slingshot. Barbara had been skeptical until Carrie displayed her pinpoint accuracy with the childhood weapon. Using Bat spheres containing knockout gas, or taser balls, along with smoke bombs, Batgirl had a ranging weapon unlike her co-successors.
Batgirl also interrupted a bank robbery in progress. She took out the gunmen with her slingshot using taser balls. As the others panicked and went to collect the fallen weapons, she used gas balls to disable her opponents. Only two made it out of the knockout gas but were disoriented as they went to attack her. Her advancing skill at hand to hand combat combined with her natural talent for gymnastics gave her the edge. Batgirl was pleased GCPD Dispatch was up and running again and she babysat her prisoners until the officers arrived.
Cassandra Cain had been trained since birth by her father, David Cain, to fill a role in the League of Assassins to replace her mother, Lady Shiva. Cass broke with Cain and fled to a sanctuary in Hong Kong's New Territories. There, Batman found her and brought her to the States. She quickly took on the guise of Black Bat but seemed discontented with the persona. When Stephanie persuaded Barbara to allow her to also use the Batgirl name, Cass joined in.
Batgirl was a martial artist's artist. She took out thirty armed and unarmed assailants at another Intergang bank within fifteen seconds. Since Cass had only recently learned language, it took much longer to route the GCPD to her location than to actually fight the bad guys.
Gimmix had once been Merry, the Girl of 1000 Gimmicks. She was still trying to live that down even though at the time she was honoring her grandmother's legacy during the Forties. Jacqueline's deceased brother Sylvester Pemberton had rued the day he'd called himself the Star Spangled Kid. Later, as Skyman, he was grateful to hand off that moniker to Courtney Whitmore before she became known as Stargirl. Skyman died in a fight with Solomon Grundy.
Merry became Gimmix right after the funeral. Gimmix used the Pemberton family fortune to fund her personal gadgetry. Paired with Kole, she found herself engaged in a firefight with looters attempting to rob Dagget Industries. Kole created crystalline barriers to protect them while Gimmix employed one novelty after another to down their opponents. Finally, they were all subdued.
"God, sometimes I wish a had a super power," Gimmix complained after contacting Dispatch.
"I wish I were normal," Kole confessed.
"I guess the grass is greener," Gimmix chuckled and kicked the head of a rousing looter. He didn't stir again, "I have to get my tech team to make that device more potent."
She collected the offending hardware. She had plans for version 2.0.
Darkling and Omen seemed complete opposites despite the ominous appearances. Dora Keane had been a courier for a criminal auctioning off illegal weapons tech to super villains. An accident at an auction imbued her with her Shadow Realms manipulating powers over darkness. Lilith Clay was a telepath who'd worked as a counselor after leaving the Teen Titans behind. But Donna had pleaded her case for joining the Outsiders, so Lilith took on the name and costume of Omen.
"They know we're here," Omen warned Darkling.
"I own them," Darkling smiled. Her platinum white blonde hair was the only light feature besides her complexion to Darkling. Her pitch black bodysuit seemed made of shadow itself. As Omen experienced the terror of the looters as they were swallowed by the Shadow Realm, she felt Darkling's gleeful pleasure in it. Fortunately, Darkling kept her victims tethered to this reality so they weren't lost to the Shadow Realms forever.
"They have had enough!" Omen shouted at Darkling. The shadows ejected the victims and receded as though never there, "You enjoyed that."
"I have reason to," Darkling replied casually. But there was an edge to her voice. Darkling was the most mysterious of the Outsiders outside of Lightning Raider. Both were criminals, and in Lightning Raider's case, still a criminal. Dora Keane had a sealed juvenile record but had no adult arrests or convictions. She'd obviously gotten better at what she did. She'd joined the Outsiders because of an intervention mounted by Secretary for Homeland Security Bones. They didn't know the history behind it but Bones demanded she be part of the Outsiders. So they took her on.
"Mind explaining that?" Omen found, again, that she couldn't read Darkling's mind.
"Actually, I do," Darkling told her, "Now call the cops or I put them away again."
Successfully blackmailed, Omen made the call and had officers routed their way. But it raised new doubts about their mystery member.
Gangbuster and Blue Streak were new additions to the Outsiders. The Latina Gangbuster wouldn't reveal her identity to anyone. The Russian Alysa Borodinova had just graduated from Young Justice. Each had their secrets. Unknown to each other, each had killed in the line of duty. Gangbuster was torn by it and wanted by the police by her civilian name. Blue Streak couldn't care less that she'd killed the new Anarky where Red Robin wouldn't.
The speedster dodged bullets as though they were never fired and fought in close quarters. Gangbuster's body armor and accuracy with her own firearms was sorely tested. Though she used STAR Labs' hyperkinetic rounds, she still vividly recalled using live ammo and gunning down a gang attacking a neighborhood.
Soon, there was no one else left standing. Blue Streak pouted, "It was just getting good."
"We have different interpretations of the word 'good'," Gangbuster called Dispatch, "Weren't you a little too aggressive?"
"I do what I do and lives are saved. Money is recovered. Do not complain," Blue Streak told her.
"The Outsiders have a code of not killing," Gangbuster reminded, "That includes excessive force."
"You've killed before. I see it in your eyes. But you feel guilty about it. You shouldn't. Whoever it was, however many of them there were, they deserved it or you wouldn't have done it. Never doubt yourself," Blue Streak leaned against a wall looking like she was discussing a menu item.
"I'll never do it again," Gangbuster told her.
"Killers always say that before they kill again," Blue Streak chuckled coldly.
Lynn Haley Jordan had been the last person to expect to inherit her grandfather's gen factor. Her father had died as a police officer and her Korean mother had faced deportation afterwards. But Lynn helped her mom navigate the process of becoming a citizen and she'd done it. It gave Lynn the courage to take on the legacy name Air Wave. Learning that her uncle, Hal Jordan, had been a leader in the Green Lantern Corps had also inspired her.
His disgrace tainted her ambitions. But the bleached blonde Air Wave still used her powers for law enforcement even though Hal Jordan was little more than a terrorist these days. Air Wave had inexplicably recruited her two companions, both juvenile career criminals. Lightning Raider was a thief who'd never been caught. She had an amazing streak of luck that surrounded her every action. Just being with her had saved an unconscious Air Wave from being crushed by falling girders that mysteriously stacked themselves around them to shield them from the building's collapse.
The blue haired thief tagged along with Air Wave as she moved into the Outsider's skyscraper. Lightning Raider, whose real name was a mystery, and having never been caught, had no paper trail left behind. Lightning Raider scouted out and squatted in apartments whose tenet's had gone away for a time. She usually only stayed at a place for a week or two and always seemed to know beforehand the tenets were returning.
The Pied Piper was deaf but could entrance people to do her bidding when she played her flute. How she knew how to play perfectly while being unable to hear mystified every Outsider. Lightning Raider "luckily" knew American Sign Language. She'd convinced Pied Piper to help the Outsiders. Like the thief, she lived on the streets and often times squatted with Lightning Raider. Wonder Woman overlooked their petty larceny in exchange for services rendered.
Lightning Raider looked after Pied Piper like a sister. But she found living with her difficult at times. Pied Piper had reached sexual maturity. Lightning Raider always gave her the master bedroom in the apartments they squatted in while she took the couch. Being deaf, Pied Piper was unaware of how loudly she emitted moans and screams of pleasure as she masturbated. Which she did frequently. Lightning Raider had learned to put up with the noise but the neighbors were usually quite irate.
Air Wave detected the increased radio signals coming to and from GCPD Dispatch. Tapping into them, she generated a electrostatic burst that knocked out several Jokerz followers. Pied Piper played her flute to immobilize the other gun toting thieves raiding Regina Swann's blown open safe. Lightning Raider took a pistol from one of them and pistol whipped the immobile thieves. Afterwards, she looked hungrily at the stacks of bound one hundred dollar bills filling the safe.
"Don't even think it," Air Wave warned her as Lynn put herself between Lightning Raider, Pied Piper, and the vulnerable safe.
Pied Piper tugged on Lightning Raider's sleeve and signed, When do we get our cut?
Lightning Raider replied, Never, apparently.
Talk to her, Pied Piper signed.
"C'mon, Empress Penguin's a crook. That's stolen money. What she gonna do? Report stolen cash as missing? She'd have to explain how she got it," Lightning Raider argued.
"Captain Bullock is personally overseeing this arrest," Air Wave told her, "I tapped into GCPD Dispatch and they have units on their way.
Pied Piper tugged at Lightning Raider and signed again, Well?
Not happening, Lightning Raider's frustration showed. Even a few bundles would treat the street rats to feasts for weeks to come.
Pied Piper tapped a finger on her flute hanging from her waist. Lightning Raider signed again, She'll see it coming and she'll never trust us again.
Pied Piper scowled and signed, Are you in love with her or what? Why is is she so important to you?
Lightning Raider hadn't sorted out her attraction to Air Wave yet. It wasn't sexual. Lynn Haley Jordan just represented something Lightning Raider wanted to be. She'd earned Air Wave's trust and the Outsiders' begrudging acceptance because of her proximity to Air Wave. Lynn trusted her implicitly after Lightning Raider had saved her life on two previous occasions. She wasn't about to blow that now.
Look, the police ignore us because we're Outsiders. Lynn is our link to them. We lose her, we lose our immunity provided by Homeland Security. Think it through. Don't screw this setup up, Lightning Raider furiously signed.
Do you love her or what? Pied Piper repeated.
Not in that way. She's like a sister. Like you, Lightning Raider signed back.
This sucks, Pied Piper complained.
Tell me about it, Lightning Raider agreed.
"Are you two done deciding whether or not to mesmerize me?" Air Wave asked. Lynn was taking ASL classes now so she'd caught the drift of Pied Piper's wishes. The two had signed so fast that they'd lost her but she had the distinct impression that Pied Piper had asked Lightning Raider if she was in love with her. However Lightning Raider had answered, Pied Piper doubted it.
"I talked her out of it," Lightning Raider told her, "So, the money is safe. But it's a raw deal and you know it."
"You two can move into your own apartments at any time. Donna is holding two of them open for you," Air Wave reminded her. Outsiders headquarters took up the upper fifteen floors of the San Francisco Wayne Powers building. It had been sold to the Justice League Unlimited before Powers' hostile takeover of Wayne Enterprises. Powers had tried evicting them and found he had no legal standing to do so. The Tower, as it was called, had a separate lobby and elevators for the team members. They could come and go without revealing their secret identities. Homeland agents guarded the entrance, so Powers couldn't plant surveillance gear there.
Lightning Raider brought up the old argument, "And have the entire team judging us every time we came in and out?"
"You'd get a free place to live and a cash stipend for living expenses," Air Wave rebutted her argument.
"We'd just have to sign our lives away to Homeland Security and the Justice League Unlimited," Lightning Raider spat.
"They don't ask you to reveal your real identities," Air Wave was exasperated.
"They don't?" Lightning Raider was suspicious.
"They don't," Air Wave heaved a sigh, "It's voluntary. Most JLers never give out their real identities. No one takes fingerprints, retina scans, or DNA samples. You only tell them what you want them to know."
"What about medical records?" Lightning Raider asked.
"The JLU has its own medical specialist and everything is confidential and sealed from the Admin and Ops departments," Air Wave promised her, "There's no reason you and Pied Piper have to keep breaking into homes."
"How much of a stipend are we talking about?" Lighting Raider got mercenary.
"Two thousand dollars a week," Air Wave revealed.
Lighting Raider turned to Pied Piper and signed, We have a new plan.
Pied Piper wondered why Lighting Raider seemed so gleeful. So she paid extra attention to what her fellow thief signed next.
Rachel Roth thought Gar Logan was completely clueless. Sometimes it sucked being an empath. She knew Beast Boy valued her as his closest friend. He was also romantically attracted to her the way she was to him. But he'd recently broken up with Perdita Vladek, theQueenof Vlatava. Tara Markova reminded Gar of Perdita owing to their common Balkan origins and being born nobility. It was a a draw he wasn't even conscious of.
Raven sensed Terra was torn between a growing fascination with Beast Boy and her loyalties to someone outside the Outsiders. In fact, Raven sensed great antipathy towards the Outsiders coming from Terra. She was lying to her teammates and was disloyal. She'd voiced her concerns with Donna but Wonder Woman thought it mere jealousy over a romantic rival.
Rachel's feelings for Gar were obvious to everyone but Beast Boy. Still, Raven took it upon herself to carefully monitor Terra. She'd been pleased when Beast Boy automatically heeded Raven's suggestion that they team up tonight. Between her Soul Self powers and his changeling abilities, the thieves in clown masks never stood a chance. Beast Boy called in the GCPD as power was restored.
"That'll make the rest of the night easier," he smirked.
"Gar, we need to have a serious conversation," Raven was bursting at the seams to tell him about her romantic attraction to him. She'd waited this long in order not spoil their friendship. But the friendship needed to evolve or Rachel couldn't stay friends.
"Sure. What about?" she hated that he was still so clueless about his own feelings for her. Or at least portrayed it that way. His budding attraction to Tara clouded the issue.
"After we get home," Raven told him, "I need your undivided attention and we need privacy."
"You've got both now," Beast Boy promised. Raven had never been so grateful to get summons from Wonder Woman before.
Suzanne "Cissie" King-Jones was a legacy hero. Her mother had been the first Arrowette and trained by Green Arrow. But Oliver Queen's wandering eye had led him down the paths that borne him Theo Queen, Emiko Queen, and Conner Hawke. Cissie's mother had been so enraged, she hung up her bow and quiver. But she saw Cissie as a means to achieve full fledged hero status without being a sidekick.
Living vicariously through Cissie, her mother trained her since she could walk to be a superhero. Before joining Young Justice and facing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Disco Mummy and Bailya, Arrowette had doubted her life's direction. She'd only joined Young Justice after a year at a prep school where she went full vigilante to solve a classmate's murder.
Arrowette almost envied Great Hayes. But Secret only knew her real name because the DEO had it listed in a database. She had no memories of her life before her gen factor was activated. But it seemed her own death activated her meta-gene. Halo could verify that memories of one's own death could cause a complete loss of the memories of one's previous life.
Secret could barely hold a semi-tangible form. Usually she was semi-gaseous. Her powers greatly resembled Andy Nash's. But the Mist could revert back to a fully human state where Secret couldn't. They'd graduated together from Young Justice and been selected for Outsiders membership by Col. Steve Trevor, the JLU's Chief Administrator.
The looters Secret and Arrowette encountered were mostly blinded by Secret's mist form. She solidified fists to knock them senseless while Arrowette, used to picking out targets through Secret's cloud body, used taser and net arrows to down crooks.
Afterwards, Secret became as human as she could, "That wasn't hard ."
"Pretty much a Young Justice practicum drill," Arrowette told her, "I bet tonight doesn't stay that easy."
The lights came on and Secret remarked, "That has to be good, right?"
"It isn't bad," Arrowette agreed. She called into Dispatch since Secret's body couldn't support comm gear. Then she received Wonder Woman's summons, "Donna wants us to rendezvous a few blocks away. She's calling in everyone."
"I guess you're right after all," Secret sighed.