Post by HoM on Sept 15, 2015 12:35:00 GMT -5
Previously, in JUSTICE LEAGUE...
With the departure of THE FLASH and SUPERMAN, the JUSTICE LEAGUE introduced CYBORG to their ranks, continuing the experimental restructuring of their roster that includes THE ATOM, BIG BARDA, BLUE BEETLE, DOCTOR LIGHT, THE GUARDIAN, HAWKMAN, MERA, MISTER MIRACLE, WONDER WOMAN and ZATANNA.
This new line-up was called into action almost immediately, as their current guest and potential final member of the team, the mysterious being known as MAJESTROS made his move against JACK MARLOWE, CEO of HALO Corporation, operating in Los Angeles! MAJESTROS claimed that MARLOWE was an alien automaton, sent to prepare Earth for a coming invasion of the deadly DAEMONITES, but MARLOWE revealed that the invasion had come and gone… and the DAEMONITES were victorious!
Before more questions could be answered, THE GUARDIAN removed MARLOWE from the scene, and while MAJESTROS followed, the JUSTICE LEAGUE were interrupted by TEAM ACHILLES, an elite anti-superhuman strike force organised by STORMWATCH.
BEN SANTINI, commanding officer of TEAM ACHILLES, informed the JUSTICE LEAGUE that their days were numbered as the UN were voting to remove the global sanction previously awarded to the super team, and demanded they stand down unless they wanted to go to war. WONDER WOMAN took the safe option and ordered a strategic retreat, but not before HENRY BENDIX, Weatherman of STORMWATCH, ordered Phase Two to be put into action.
With all this in mind, please join us now for the continuing adventures of the JUSTICE LEAGUE--
Jebediah Stuart, good ol’ boy and war veteran turned President of the United States of America, stood in front of a bank of cameras while the journalists awaited his statement. There was a brief chatter as he approached, but with one stern clearing of his throat, there was silence.
On the screen behind him, camera footage rolled. Grainy images became clear, and it was obvious that the helmet cam was being fed into the televisions of every man, woman and child watching the president’s address.
“Good work, don’t you think? ” said a voice. The helmet cam turned and a grinning soldier gave a thumbs up. “Another group of terrorists locked down and out of America’s hair. ” He indicated to his left, and the helmet cam turned and the de-powered members of Axis Amerika were being marched toward containment cells. “This is why I signed up, y’know? ”
“Yeah, me too, ” said the man wearing the camera. “Did you hear what the Justice League said-- holy--” He wrenched up his rifle and there was a commotion. The hull split behind Axis Amerika, and Wonder Woman stormed through into the security bay, and with one hellacious scream she tore the head off Übermensch. Rifles began to be fired, but Hawkman swooped in through the hole and began to attack the gathered members of Stormwatch. Men choked as the water was dragged from their bodies and splashed in front of them, and they soon toppled to the floor as desiccated corpses, grey-skinned with pitted eye sockets.
“Oh, oh, God, ” said the soldier, who was picked up roughly by Big Barda, as the skull of the soldier whom he was speaking to a moment before exploded when the Atom emerged from his head, growing to normal size as he went. Barda snarled, and tore the man’s helmet off, blood splashing against her armour. Except it was obviously not just the man’s helmet she snatched from his body, but the soldier’s head as well.
Barda tossed the helmet to Wonder Woman, who grabbed it in two hands as she stood over the bodies of the slaughtered Axis Amerika members. “Bendix, you declared war on us today, so we’re returning the favour. There’s not room for both of us operating on this planet, so I advise that you pack up and leave, before we decide to drop your pithy little satellite onto the White House’s front lawn. ” She tossed the camera away, and it rolled to a stop to show the murdered contents that littered the room.
Stuart looked dead on at the camera. “We need to talk about the Justice League.”
“Holy crap,” said Blue Beetle, watching the press conference unfold with the other members of the Justice League on their island headquarters of Laputa. “What did we do?
JUSTICE LEAGUE
Issue Ten: “Drag The Angels Down And Hold Them Under”
HoM / RIMMER / BOWERS
SKYWATCH:
Henry Bendix strolled across the metal walkway until he reached the sealed door that only opened when he stood in front of it. This part of the Skywatch satellite was his, inaccessible to the rest of the crew.
As Bendix entered, a voice came across the comms. <Weatherman, repairs to the containment bay are nearly complete. Full manifest of the deceased is on the command server.>
“Thank you. I’ll be offline for ten minutes. Let’s make sure that all the relevant power is directed to the Storm Door , and the Justice League can’t get us again. Continue tracking the League’s movement. See if we can’t track down the source of those orange portals they’re using to travel the globe.”
<Yes, sir.>
Bendix looked around the private chamber, and then walked toward a large pod in the middle of the room. He wiped the condensation away with the ball of his wrist and smiled at whatever it was inside. “My secret weapon.”
Bendix picked up a remote and turned on the bank of screens nearby and watched Stuart’s presidential address, and smiled. “Now it’s your turn, Jeb.”
“I apologise for the graphic nature of the footage you just witnessed. Every major news outlet in the United States received a copy of what we just saw and it has already amassed a near billion hits online after only twelve hours in circulation. That kind of attention is unprecedented and worthy of discussion right here, right now.”
“I understand that some of you are shocked, but this has to be said. This has to be said right now, before there is any misunderstanding: I do not believe the Justice League did this. ”
Stuart gripped the pedestal tightly. “I do not believe this footage is real. No matter how real my advisors tell me it is. I refuse to believe that the world’s greatest heroes are capable of such acts. So I say this-- whoever is responsible for the doctoring of this footage. Whoever is responsible for staging such an atrocity, you will be found out. You will be taken into custody. You will pay for your crimes.”
Lois Lane put up her hand. “President Stuart! What are Stormwatch saying about this footage?”
Stuart straightened up and then turned to his press secretary. “Johansson will be answering any questions. Good day and good luck.”
Stuart clenched his fist tightly as he vanished around the corner, then whispered. “Come through for me, Harper. Godammit, come through for me. ”
“You had one job, Stuart, one job: Condemn the Justice League for their terrorist act, and you couldn’t even do that,” Bendix stormed into the ops room of his satellite and immediately one of the officers on duty looked up at him, news on his lips-- news already known to Bendix.
“Weatherman, President Stuart just came out and refuted the footage you provided. What do you want to do?”
Composing himself, Bendix smiled and shook his head. “If President Stuart doesn’t want to play ball, then a price had to be paid. Arrange for the release of the video of his son. I want it to hit all national news agencies twenty-four hours after he bad mouthed our organisation. Then raise the Storm Door. We’re at war.”
“Yes sir,” said the officer, turning his attention back to his computer.
“I had just one rule ,” said Bendix, talking to himself as he wandered the walkway over his officers. “Pledge loyalty or be declared an enemy combatant.”
“The footage is legitimate,” said Blue Beetle, stood in front of the assembled members of the Justice League. The only members absent were the Guardian, along with their mysterious houseguest, Majestros. They hadn’t returned to Laputa after the events that had transpired in Los Angeles, inside the HALO Corporation skyscraper. Jack Marlowe, the CEO, was also still missing. Their satellites were scanning for the trio, but they’d had no luck as of yet.
“No, it’s not,” said Big Barda. “If I went to war for the Justice League, I would know.”
“Yeah, of course, me too, sure,” said Beetle. “Completely. But, I mean, the footage is 100% legitimate. No manipulation, no fakery. For all intents and purposes, that’s Wonder Woman, that’s the Atom, that’s the Justice League invading wherever you’re-- they’re-- invading.”
“How is this possible?” said Hawkman. “A duplicate? Like Burr*?”
“It’s fascinating,” said the Atom. “But no, I think it’s something completely different.”
“Yeah?” said Cyborg. “Because it looks like the Justice League just killed a bunch of guys the day I joined the team. Now, I know that’s not us, but I ran my own set of tests, and the footage is real. ”
“Clones, then,” said Zatanna. “They’ve cloned us, or whatever. There’s another set of us running around that we have to beat up and then drag onto the steps of the Washington Monument to prove that we’re the real deal. Isn’t this superheroics 101? I think that was a chapter in the book Batwoman lent me…”
“I’ve just been in a room with a half dozen super teams explaining that we’ve not been controlled, possessed, or replaced by doppelgängers,” said Wonder Woman as she walked into the room. “But we have their support now that they know we’ve not gone mad. I didn’t want to go to war with the Justice Society. I don’t think we could have survived that confrontation.”
“Well, at least we aren’t going to be attacked by our own any time soon,” said Zatanna. “The rest of the Outsiders wouldn’t forgive me if I turned bad… again.”
“Is there something more, Wonder Woman?” said Hawkman.
“You can tell? One of my friends on the UN general council just told me that they’re voting on whether or not to permanently remove the global sanction that allows the Justice League to operate across the world,” said Wonder Woman. “This runs deeper. The fact that I wasn’t informed that the meeting was taking place, considering my position in the UN, makes me very curious . Even if it is a closed session.”
“So what’s the play?” said Cyborg. “What are we going to do?”
“Three teams,” said Wonder Woman. “The first will join Mera and myself at the United Nations. Kimiyo, would you care to join us? And why stop there-- Barda and Zatanna, how about you?”
“Why not?” said Doctor Light. “Always wanted to visit the UN.”
“Yeah, that’s a pretty big stage,” said Zatanna. “Love a good show and I love a girl’s night out.”
“I like the sound of that,” said Barda.
“Okay, fair ,” said Beetle. “So, splitting into teams, like you said; team two?”
“Track down the Guardian and make sure Majestros doesn’t do anything that might tip this situation into something much worse,” said Wonder Woman. “Katar and Scott, you have the skills required to find, and hopefully contain our guest.”
Hawkman patted his mace in his open palm. “Acceptable.”
“I love a challenge,” said Mister Miracle.
“And the rest of us?” said the Atom.
Wonder Woman gestured toward Blue Beetle. “Ted, you identified an issue with our data uplink, something that could be the work of Stormwatch. If they’re inside our systems, I want the problem identified and expunged.”
“IT support,” said Ted. “Nice. Nice. That’s me, Ray and the kid?” He gestured toward Cyborg. “No offense.”
“None taken,” said Victor Stone. “I have some ideas. Where are the main servers?”
“I’ll show you,” said Ted. “C’mon, guys, we’ll grab Spica on the way, she might have some ideas to contribute too.” The three men headed off down the corridor and with that, the rest of the Justice League went to do what needed to be done.
The back of Jack Marlowe’s head was wide open, revealing a labyrinth of circuitry and cybernetics. Countless tubes and wires had sprung from inside his brainpan and were now connected to the unconscious James Harper’s head, the hooks and needles threading their way into the Golden Avenger’s neural pathways.
“What are you doing?” said Majestros.
“Sharing our history,” said Marlowe. He held out his hand, and a thin wire emerged from his wrist. He offered it to the alien warlord. “I think you’d benefit from this too.”
Majestros contemplated the wire, and then accepted it, jamming it into his brainstem. He felt true pain for a split second, before the world melted away…
The planet Khera was overrun by the body-snatching Daemonite hordes. Friends were suddenly foes, and distrust and paranoia was at an all-time high. Majestros, his hair jet black and cut short-- unlike his present-day self, with that stark-white shaggy mop-- stood on a citadel, looking down as the creatures slaughtered his people.
The warlord grimaced, shaking his head at the chaos. “I cannot believe it has come to this.”
The short man beside him peeked over the ledge on his tiptoes, then shook his head in disgust. “But come to this it has, and it’s time we left.”
Majestros looked down at the grey-haired man. “Emp, what we are doing is tantamount to suicide. To travel the spaceways until an appropriate new world is found. Who knows if there is a world suitable for the Kherubim to thrive upon?”
“There are countless worlds in this universe. If it’s not suitable for us then we’ll make it suitable,” said Emp. “The ark is prepared, designed to the agreed specification. The Coda would prefer we stay and fight to the end, but Lady Zannah convinced her sisters that their survival is imperative or the Daemonites will spread across the galaxy. There’ll always be other wars, she said.”
“There will be, Emp,” said the crimson-armoured warrior woman as she entered the chamber. The red tattoos across her face marked her as a member of the Coda, a sisterhood of warriors whose worth was dictated by the wars they waged. “Survival here allows for that eventuality.”
“My lady,” said Majestros, bowing slightly.
“Now is not the time, Majestros,” said Zannah. “The rest of the Pantheon await your arrival.”
The word ‘Pantheon’ came out of her mouth with a large dose of disgust. It was their lack of foresight that had led to this situation. They had voted to open up peace talks with the Daemonites, and now the entire world was paying the price. The only dissenting voices in the vote were Emp and Majestros, and they had nearly been exiled for their deviation from the Pantheon’s order. Thankfully, their removal from the world had been delayed, and it was Emp’s Spartan robots and Majestros’ strategic brilliance that had allowed them to last this long.
Gunfire rattled off outside, and Majestros turned. A Daemonite drone clambered over the ledge and leapt toward him. His eyes flashed and the creature was disintegrated, but not before dozens more began to swarm into the room.
“Get to the ship,” said Majestros. “I’ll hold them off.”
“We’ll hold them off,” said Zannah. She drew her indestructible sword and nodded at Majestros, then the two dove forward, leaving Emp to shrug and head into the launch chamber of the Citadel where dozens of surviving Spartans were loading supplies onto the ark. “How are we looking?”
A single Spartan, identical in every way to the others, emerged from the pack. “Everyone is loaded and the sleep protocol is active. Genetic stock has been contained and we are ready for lift off.”
“That’s m’boy,” said Emp. “Begin launch procedure once I’m on board.” He turned toward the door and whispered, “Majestros, I know you’re busy, but you should get back here before we leave without you.”
“What are you working on, hon?” said Hal Jordan as he looked down at Chloe Sullivan while she worked at her computer. Their daughter was currently napping, and while Hal enjoyed the brief respite, Chloe continued working on a project that had taken up the majority of the day so far.
“The footage Stormwatch shared with the media,” said Chloe. “I noticed something.”
“Yeah?” said Hal. “I thought you were working on that White House proposal?”
“No,” said Chloe. “I was never working on that. I lied, I’m sorry.”
Hal smiled. “Yeah, yeah, I guessed as much. What’s caught your eye?”
“The men who died in this video, I’m looking at their name badges,” said Chloe.
“Why?” said Hal.
“This video is real. Every expert is testifying to that fact, but no one believes it’s the truth. That it’s somehow a fake. And I think I know something they don’t know,” said Chloe. She clicked an icon on her computer and the wall behind them lit up, projecting screen captures from the video she had spent the morning analysing, all showing the dead soldiers, in order of their deaths.
“Harrison. Edwards. Lawrence. Prentiss,” said Chloe. “The first four. Marshall then Esterhuizen. Streicher’s name tag is covered in blood but you can clean it up easily enough electronically. Alewijnsz. Volschenk. Eckhoff. Menanteau and Engelbrecht. What do you see, flyboy?”
“A lot of dead bodies. But,” Hal stepped forward, something clicking. He pointed at the names. “Hey, hey, that’s--” started Hal.
Chloe nodded. “That’s my boy. It’s an acrostic. H. E. L. P. M. E. S. A. V. E. M. E. A someone made that video. Made it real as humanely possible but they snuck something in there because they’re doing it against their will and they want help. We need to tell somebody, but if Stormwatch mean as much business as they do, then--”
“They’ve got a prisoner in their secret satellite headquarters,” said Hal. “I think this is a job for the Justice League, Chloe.”
“My thoughts exactly, honey,” said Chloe. She began to get excited as Hal went looking for his old Justice League-branded communication device. “This is it. I’ve got the bastard. I’ve got the bastard that ruined my life’s work.*”
“I believe we might be walking into a trap,” said Barda matter-of-factly.
The masked members of Team Achilles stood at the door of the main assembly room, blocking the way of the assembled members of the Justice League. One of their members stepped off a ladder that led to the lowest point of the ceiling and closed the legs, taking it back to wherever ladders should go in the United Nations building. There were no civilians present, only cordons and more armed Stormwatch soldiers.
“I won’t be barred from the proceedings,” said Mera. “I am the Queen of the Seven Seas--”
“Wouldn’t dream of keeping you,” said Ben Santini, Achilles’ field leader, lifting his mask up. “You and the Greek are free to go in, as per your credentials. The rest of you, that’s illegal, and you’re in plenty trouble as is.” He winked, blew a kiss, and lowered his mask back over his face.
{ I am coming to despise that man,} said Barda, using the nanotelepathy that allowed the Justice League to communicate in secrecy.
{I could make him a gal, see if that changes his disposition,} said Zatanna.
{Yes?} Barda held up her Mega Rod and winked. {So could I.}
{I’ve always liked you, Barda,} said Zatanna.
{You’re all insane. I forgot how insane this whole thing is,} said Doctor Light.
{You love it though,} said Zatanna. {That’s the really mad thing.}
{True,} said Doctor Light. {Wonder Woman, what’s the plan?}
{I go in there and plead our case. Mera will come with me. We’ll be fine. You stay here and don’t get into any trouble,} said Wonder Woman. She grinned. {I’m looking at you, Barda.}
“You’re not worried?” said Doctor Light.
Wonder Woman placed a hand on Doctor Light’s shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “Why would I be? We’re the Justice League.”
“I think something bad happened,” said Blue Beetle. “And I think it might be my fault.”
“What’s wrong?” said Cyborg.
The Atom, Blue Beetle and Cyborg, along with the Guardian’s technical advisor Angela Spica, were inside the main server room at the base of Laputa, poring over numerous consoles and nodes, reams of data streaming down the screens and holographic projections of the systems’ layouts zooming in and out of certain areas as they worked.
“Vandal Savage’s, uh, for the lack of a better term ‘blackmail archive’*? Angela just found a clone marker amongst the file uploaded to our servers from his. Something like that screams out to me that someone got a copy of all that data before it hit our servers. Someone else has every piece of dirty laundry Savage was keeping under wraps for a rainy day.”
“It was subtle,” said Angela , showing the data falling down her screen, “but Jim was having me work on a project that bumped into this-- I’ve built an anti-virus that targets specific data and I was looking through our servers to see if there was anything that needed removing. When you know what to look for, it becomes easier to see. And scary to boot.”
“It’s in no way a good thing,” said Cyborg. “What’s the extent of the damage that could be done here?”
The Atom ran his hands through his hair, thinking it through. “A number of senators, White House staff, United Nations representatives, they’re all name checked in the file we got from Vandal.”
“You don’t think--?” started Beetle.
The Atom nodded vigorously. “Our sudden change of political fortune? This latest PR attack? I think Bendix gobbled up all that information and used it immediately to drag our names through the dirt, just like Kobra. He’s holding this data over everyone’s heads, and it means we’re public enemy number one.”
“Hey, hey, guys,” said Angie. “Look at this.” She pulled up the holographic display of the data centre, and zoomed in on a blue file as it went red. “Whatever wormed its way into the system is still worming. It’s eating into whatever data it can get its hands on and transmitting it back to whoever sent it.”
“Purge it from the system,” said the Atom.
“I can’t move fast enough,” said Angie, typing furiously, “we can’t shut down the servers but maybe--”
“I got this,” said Cyborg. His hands clicked, and his fingertips opened up to allow a dozen miniature fingers to extend out and type faster than the two men’s eyes could follow. “It won’t let me-- it’s like its moving, travelling where it can and avoiding my attempts to flush it out, and sticking close to data so that if I press the big red button we’ll more than likely lose core facilities. Argh. I’m throwing chaff data at it, but it’s ignoring my fluff and going for the good stuff. I’m writing extra firewall software on the fly, but we need to figure out a way to purge it without wiping the servers themselves.”
“Any thoughts?” said the Atom, looking at Beetle and Angie
“I wanna know what it is,” said Beetle. “This is Martian software, there’s a psychic element to it, but without J’onn around we can’t get in*. We need to get inside the computers.”
“Yeah, this isn’t as simple as running Norton,” said Cyborg. “There’s something… sentient… about the way this virus is running through the servers. I think we’re facing off against some kind of AI right now. But if you need an interface to get inside these things, let me try something.”
There was a pressured hiss as the back compartment of Cyborg’s head opened up, glowing blue light shining from the inside of his skull. Beetle peaked inside and saw grey matter combined with a lattice of circuitry, then two small wires began to unravel out from inside his brain pan .
“What’s this?” said the Atom, contemplating the wires as they ran from Cyborg’s head to the small of his back.
“Uh, USB cables, basically, but they’ll plug into your head,” said Cyborg.
“You had these at hand?” said Beetle, holding up one of the wires.
“I grew them,” said Cyborg. “My body is infused with bleeding edge nanotechnology, it’s how I can reconfigure my arm into a cannon at the drop of a hat. I can use my own internal server to shunt us into Laputa’s, and this will give your brain the oomph to carry over into them.”
“Okay, sure, sure,” said the Atom. “So how do we do this?”
Cyborg shrugged, the wires sprang to life, and then drove themselves into the back of the heroes’ heads, causing them to pass out immediately as their brains went blank. “Sorry, guys.”
“That’s the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Angie as the Atom and Blue Beetle slumped over in their seats. “You’re going in after it?”
“Yeah, I guess we are,” said Vic.
“Then you’ll need this.” Angie took a small USB key from her pocket and handed it to Vic, who promptly plugged it into his arm. “It’s the project I’m working on for Jim. Virus deletion plus.”
“Thanks, Angie,” said Vic. He sat down and the lights behind his eyes went out as pulses moved through the wires connecting him to Atom and Beetle then into the computer banks…
“Emp, where is Majestros?” said Lord Imperator, current ruling member of the Pantheon. He was taller than the others in the Pantheon, built like a tank, his blond hair cut close to his skull. It was his misjudged albeit impassioned speech that had led to the peace talks with the Daemonites that broke down so violently.
Emp bristled against the contemptuous tone in Imperator’s voice. “The Daemonites have breached the Citadel, Lord Majestros and Lady Zannah are currently holding them off.” He looked back at the entrance to the ship, and then back to Imperator. “They’ll be here any moment.”
“Seal the ark,” said Imperator. “We leave now.”
Emp was shocked. “But Majestros-- Zannah--”
“I gave you an order, Emp,” said Imperator. “You would do well to--”
“What are you waiting for,” said Zannah, her armour shredded, her sword bloody, as she hurriedly climbed aboard, “launch the damn ship.”
Behind her, Majestros gripped his side, claw marks covering his body, but stumbled aboard the craft. He was about to speak when a Daemonite leaped at his back, but Imperator’s eyes flashed white-hot and the creature was destroyed in one look.
“Launch,” said Imperator, his eyes still crackling. “Khera is lost.”
The Guardian’s psychic representation in the replay of events looked over at the psychic presentation of the present day Majestros, who stood in silence as he re-watched his life’s experiences. “I don’t know about you, Majestros, but I do not trust that guy. ”
“So we’re internet avatars now?” said Blue Beetle. “What is this, Second Life?”
“Old school reference, I’d have gone with The Sims,” said Cyborg.
“You’re both nerds,” said the Atom. “Eyes on the ball, gentlemen.”
The three men glowed inside the telepathic mainframe that powered Laputa’s computer banks. The only one of them who looked different was Cyborg-- his avatar was of his wholly human self.
“What?” said Cyborg. He looked down at himself. “Oh. Ha. Looking good.”
“So, what are we looking for?” said Blue Beetle.
“That, maybe?” said Cyborg, pointing up.
Floating above them, devouring countless bytes of data, was a glowing green avatar with a metallic face mask. He didn’t notice the heroes below him, but kept clawing at the database, shoving the resulting files into his mouth and chewing away.
Cyborg lifted up his hand and his human arm transformed into a cannon. Angie’s software package buzzed inside the weapon and he knew it was going to do some real damage. He smiled at the foreign avatar. “Smile.”
A blast of anti-virus software zipped toward the green avatar but the thing turned at the last moment and avoided the attack with ease.
“OH, HELLO,” said the thing.
“You talk?” sad Beetle. “That… is not good, is it?”
“IT’S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I’VE FOUGHT COSTUMES,” said the thing, “SO VERY LONG.”
“Do I know you?” said Cyborg.
“WHEN I WAS FLESH, I WAS CLIFFORD MAXWELL. NOW I’M SOFTWARE. I’M THE THINKER INFINITE.”
“Holy crap,” said Beetle. “Didn’t you use to fight the JSA back in the day*?”
Without a word, the Thinker shot away and the Justice League looked at each, unsure of what to do. “We can’t lose him now.”
“This place isn’t any old server, guys,” said Cyborg. His avatar shifted, building up the tank-like appearance of his actual self. “It’s a psychic mainframe. Think it and it becomes real, drawing telemetry from the data the League keeps on file. Mind over matter.”
“We need to chase him down,” said Beetle. “So climb aboard.” Data streamed around the three of them and formed the Bug. Ted climbed behind the controls and they were airborne, the rows and rows of files becoming skyscrapers. “Hey, Vic, what happens if the Thinker eats us up like he’s doing our data?”
“Don’t think too hard about it,” said Cyborg. “But yeah, don’t let him eat you.”
The United Nations General Assembly Hall was empty but for one man, who stood behind the podium, his hands behind his back as he waited patiently for Mera and Wonder Woman to enter.
“Hello, your majesties,” said Henry Bendix. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Where are the representatives? What have you done here?” said Wonder Woman.
“Oh, that was just a ruse,” said Bendix. “An emergency assembly? I’m in control, Diana. They don’t matter anymore.”
“What do you mean?” said Mera.
“Aren’t you listening? Or do you have water in your ears?” said Bendix. “I make the decisions now. This is my world, and you don’t have a place in it.”
“Your world?” said Wonder Woman. “Far from it. You’ve lied since day one, and now you’ve gone mad. It worries me that you were able to engineer ascension to the top intelligence agent in the world.”
“It’s easy when you know how,” said Bendix. “I’ve been planning this since the Cold War. Just ask your friend Harper. I was always making my plans.” He began to walk across the stage, gesturing as he spoke. “All it took was some spin, and Chloe Sullivan’s optimistic little Global Peace Agency fell into ruin. All it took was one video, and one press conference, and yet again the Justice League are deemed a danger to the world. Spin, spin, spin.”
{Are you hearing this?} said Wonder Woman, speaking to the Justice League members outside the room.
{They’re really not. No eavesdropping,} said Henry Bendix. {I have control over all media in the world. You think I can’t tell when people are being rude right in front of me?}
“So what’s your plan? Make us the villains so you can be the hero? How do you hope to make that happen?” said Mera. “There’s not just the Justice League to concern you, but every single superhuman across the world.”
“I make an example of those who cross Stormwatch, and, well, you know what, ladies?” Henry raised his hands up violently and plucked Mera and Wonder Woman from the ground, invisible forces preventing them from moving. “I think the time for talking is over.”
Outside the General Assembly, Ben Santini pressed a button on his belt and the oxygen was wrenched out of the immediate area by a device set up in the ceiling above them. Zatanna gasped, unable to make a sound, and Team Achilles were already on the move, firing tranquilisers at their opponents.
Barda swatted the tranquiliser darts headed towards her away with an immense wave of her crackling Mega Rod while Doctor Light destroyed them with a blast of light. Zatanna took a hit and keeled over, instantly knocked out.
Wildly, her head aching as the oxygen deprivation smacked her lungs, Doctor Light swung an arm up and fired a blast at where the ladder had stood previously. The ceiling erupted, and plaster, stone and a large device fell down, smashing across the floor into hundreds of pieces. Oxygen flooded back to them, not that it had stopped Barda from pummelling the soldiers .
“Kill them,” said Santini. “None left standing.”
Majestros finished dressing Zannah’s wounds, and now it was his turn. The Daemonites had certainly got tougher since the early days of the war-- a side effect of inhabiting so many of their Kheran kin. The Daemonites had started to manifest their enemy’s resilience, and were using it against what was left of the Kheran people
“Are you all right?” said Majestros, the first words uttered since the ark left Khera’s orbit.
Zannah shook her head sharply. “Against all my instincts we ran. And it was my words that convinced my Coda sisters to do so. I just hope that the decision made was the right one.”
“How are we seeing this?” said the Guardian. “I thought we were plugged into your head, Marlowe? ”
Jack Marlowe’s projection looked over at the silent Majestros. “He is here with us. The memory bleed through is because of that. ”
“That should have been obvious, I guess, ” said the Guardian.
“Be quiet, Guardian, ” said Majestros. He reached out toward Zannah’s face, but the memory continued without interruption. He closed his hand, and shook his head sadly.
“You did what needed to be done,” said Majestros. “Now we have a chance at survival.”
“At the cost of our home, of Khera?” said Zannah. “That is not what I believe. Those are not the old ways.”
“Perhaps there’s a reason the old ways are just that,” said Imperator. “Prepare yourself for the sleep. We are soon entering the dimensional rift that will take us far from here.” He turned and left, leaving the two alone.
“Of all those saved, why did he have to be one?” said Zannah. She bandaged his side, her touch soft against his skin.
“He can hear you,” said Majestros, a smile forming on his lips. “Not that you care.”
“Exactly,” said Zannah. “Everyone else is asleep. The Spartans nanny us to ensure we are safe for the journey ahead. Is this what Lord Emp expected of his android army? Yon Kohl would hang his head in shame if he knew his image was used for wet nurses.”
“I am here to administer dampener,” said a Spartan, entering the room with two large hypodermic needle guns. “For the long sleep. To prevent night terror damaging the containment pods.”
Majestros sighed and held out his arm, Zannah did the same. “Soon we can sleep, Zannah.”
“How long has it been since you last managed to rest?”
Majestros could remember clearly the last time he slept-- it was before the war started, hundreds of years ago. “I could sleep for a thousand years.”
“I hope we do not,” said Zannah, the needle piercing her flesh.
Meanwhile, Imperator entered his private chamber and leaned over the computer console to the side.
“Outttt,” he grunted, and his body buckled.
Glowing blue talons began to emerge from his back, climbing out of him as the large behemoth of a man grit his teeth, blood dribbling from his lips.
Without paying attention, a Spartan entered the chamber holding a hypodermic needle and was shocked to see what was unfolding. The things climbing out of Imperator leapt toward the Spartan, and the lord of the Kheran people growled, grabbing the android and throwing it through the hull of the ship, losing it to the void as they entered the dimensional rift that opened around the ark.
In another part of the ship, Lord Emp gulped. All Spartans shared their memories, and the Spartan lost to the edge of the dimensional rift automatically uploaded what it had just seen to its brothers.
“Betrayal,” said Emp. “Spartans--”
Imperator tore through the room and kicked Emp to the ground. His eyes flared and the gathered Spartans were incinerated. He slapped Emp across the face, loosening his jaw and knocking him out cold.
“Do you hear that--?” said Zannah.
“My senses are already dulling,” said Majestros, clutching the spot on his neck where the Spartan had administered a dose of power dampener. “What did you--?”
A dozen more needles pierced Majestros’ chest as the Imperator struck, and he cried out as chemicals filled his body. He vomited purple ichor as he overdosed on the power dampener, then fell silent as Imperator punched him so hard his skull fractured violently.
Zannah raised her sword, but Imperator smiled as the Daemonites filled the room behind him. “What… what have you done?”
“I’ve ensured our people survive,” said Imperator. “That was the deal brokered. Every pure-blooded Kheran on this ship holds a Daemonite, ready to replicate when we land.” Imperator grabbed her wrist and twisted, the sword falling from her numb fingers. “I restore genetic purity to our people, and the Daemonites conquer new worlds. Hhm. I’ll enjoy what comes next.” He looked down at Majestros and chuckled. “My friends, put him in a containment pod and let him fall through the rift. Where is--?”
Another sound filled the ark. An escape pod had launched, and Imperator could no longer hear Emp’s DNA valences vibrate aboard the ship.
“Another coward gone,” said Imperator. “Sleep, my dear Zannah. You’ve got quite a time ahead of you.” He flicked her temple and she was knocked unconscious. Imperator watched as the Daemonites dragged the comatose Majestros into an empty pod, then he performed the release process himself, sending the battered, broken and vegetative Kheran warlord into the void.
“I win,” said Imperator. “Goodbye, Majestros.”
The Guardian turned to Majestros, who stood in front of the memory of Imperator.
The red and white-clad superhuman shook with rage, memories coming back to him as they replayed. “Betrayed. We were betrayed. ”
Marlowe nodded. “It gets worse. ”
NEXT ISSUE: Henry Bendix shows his true colours! The Guardian journeys into Earth’s history as Jack Marlowe’s memory replay brings them planet side! The Thinker is chased through the Justice League’s databanks, devouring more as he goes! Chloe Sullivan fights to save Stormwatch’s mysterious prisoner! And as Marlowe said: IT GETS WORSE.
As Batwoman descended into the lower levels of the abandoned Kobra headquarters, that familiar tingle moved down her neck. That old Gotham shiver that came with the abominable and the strange. This place was cursed by the events of the past, a haunted house that would need exorcising.
Barbara knew a few ways you could do such a thing in these cases. Fire. Lots of fire, and blissful, forced ignorance.
No one should ever come to this place again.
Batwoman took the small voice recorder from her belt and held it out in front of her. She then pressed 'play' and listened to part of the Global Peace Agency mission briefing.
"Intel came in from GPA operative 12 that he had been inducted into the upper echelons of the Kobra cult. The psychic and mystical safeguards put in place to protect his identity had held, but he was nervous, especially after word got to the other newly-ascended Nagas that King Kobra had taken the fake Kobra off the board*. Jeffrey Burr was clearing shop. Making sure there were no pretenders to the throne. Once his powerbase was solidified, who knew what he was capable of--"
Batwoman paused the recording. “And GPA operative 12 died soon after filing his report, his intestines transformed into snakes by supernatural means.”
Batman has provided her with every piece of intel gathered during the first, modern, all-hands-on-deck operation to take down Kobra. She had found her way down into the dungeons, where the worst atrocities took place under Jeffrey Burr's rule.
Barbara fast forwarded the recording, then hit 'play'.
"--We found Jason Burr in the science dungeons, held at gunpoint by Jeffrey. Jason was... messed up. I know that's not the best way to put it, not the most PC term for what happened to him, but that's the first thing that came to mind when I saw him. Completely messed up. There was scarification all over his skin, and that, combined with the mutagenic experiments Jeffrey had performed, left him looking like, I kid you not, a lizard man. "
"Stay on track, soldier. " James Harper's voice landed sharply, and Barbara heard the interviewee shifting in his seat. She'd not met the Guardian, not one-on-one (do superhero team-ups count anymore?), but she'd heard stories about him. "What happened next? "
"Jeffrey was ranting, going completely off on one, talking about Kali Yuga, the coming age of chaos. Our bafflers were working on overdrive. We all know about the rumours his voice can induce fervent loyalty. Thankfully, the GPA tech held out. We didn't take the shot, as you know. We wanted to take him alive-- that was the mission objective-- but Jeffrey didn't count on his brother hating his guts more than anybody. I guess Jeff didn't expect his brother to yank his sidearm out from under him and shoot him through the face. "
Batwoman remembered the autopsy photos. Entry wound-- under the chin, exit wound-- the entirety of his head. The top of his skull was gone, just fragments and charcoal. When she reviewed the helmet camera footage from the attack, she saw Jason do what he did and was amazed.
Firstly, Jason unclipped the holster cover. He did that in front of the soldiers, and they didn't even spot it. Just a minor bit of prestidigitation-- Zatanna would be proud of her-- and then back to being the helpless hostage. Then, two minutes later, when it was clear Jeffrey wasn't going to be talked down, Jason whipped the weapon out and arched it up, taking his brother out and leaving him the lone survivor.
Batwoman continued to listen to the recording. "Jason just collapsed. We thought he'd been hit, but the man had been through hell. Absolute hell. We cleared Jeffrey's body-- I gotta say, I was scared he was wired to blow-- and then the medic checked on Jason. He went into shock. Just kept saying 'thank you, thank you', again and again, until they sedated him. We airlifted him out. Where is he now? "
"Classified, " said the Guardian. "End debrief interview D-953. "
Barbara ran the details through her head. Team D were one of the three ground teams. The best Special Forces team known to man. They went in to secure any esoteric weaponry stored in the base, but their directives changed when Jeffrey Burr-- target alpha-- ran into them. A brief firefight ensued, and they chased him down to the science dungeon, where they found him with the tortured Jason. Nine hundred and fifty-three debrief interviews? Talk about stamina.
There were scorch marks on the ceiling where the weapon salvo landed after it went through Burr's head. They hadn't even bothered to scrub the blood clean.
“Why did Jeffrey come down here when all hell was breaking loose?” pondered Batwoman.
Barbara cast her mind back to the personnel files and structural arrangements of the operation, then skipped through the recordings until she reached a file she’d find useful. Thank God for that photographic memory of hers, else she’d have been skipping through the files forever…
“Give me the operational structure. Cliff notes. I’ve got to find my impact vest. ”
Barbara recognised the speaker as Bill Nodell, one of the GPA’s primary field agents, and an expat of the Department of Extranormal Operations. Whenever there was a crisis, you could expect Nodell and his partner, Travis Clevenger to be on the scene, throwing disparaging comments at whoever was close by like a real-life Statler and Waldorf.
Clevenger responded. “Team A? Team A is shock and awe. We’ve got Fang Zhifu, aka August General in Iron, along with Ghost Fox Killer-- no known alias-- both members of the Great Ten and representing the Chinese intelligence contingent. ”
What did Barbara know of Shi Hao Xia-- the Great Ten? Bruce once said they were ‘hampered by bureaucracy’, that every decision must go through the government before the team could act. The team were referred to as ‘super-functionaries’, an issue with the communist Chinese ethos rejecting the word 'heroes' for a humbler one. Based inside a secret complex within China's Great Wall. Ten team members. An unlimited supply of metahumans pumped out through some unknown means to man the ramparts, as it were.
In a previous life, back before iron plates became skin and every day a rusted, living nightmare, the August General in Iron was a member of one of China’s elite ‘Xeno-Teams’-- elite spec ops units trained for encounters with extra-terrestrials.
When his unit investigated an alien craft that crashed in a remote province, they were all but wiped out by some kind of pathogen that reverted their bodies to primordial slime. Fang barely survived this encounter, but the special treatments he was given not only prevented his death, but also caused his skin to transform into iron-like plates, an evolutionary response to the pathogen that nearly killed him. That came with super strength and endurance, but the agony of his flesh… Barbara couldn’t begin to imagine.
Ghost Fox Killer, on the other hand, was a totally different mystery. According to Wonder Woman, she was a female emissary from a hidden colony of ‘Ghost Fox Women’ that once had dealings with Themyscira.
As their ambassador, Ghost Fox’s sole responsibility is to kill evil men and then exert control over their ghosts. Diana said that if Ghost Fox Killer does not kill off evil men for her colony, their society will fall, as the colossal engines that power their civilisation run on the souls of the evil dead.
“Spooky,” said Batwoman.
“Of course the Guardian is involved. Harper will be acting as central operative of the Global Peace Agency and overall lead man for the operation. Superman was invited into the operation. Sullivan’s decision. ”
The Guardian. What was there left to say about him? A former police officer whose unwavering belief in right and wrong bought him to the attention of the secret super soldier program the US government ran during World War Two. They transformed him into a living weapon, and he’d been acting as an operative for the US military ever since.
Harper had had his ups and down with the higher ups-- his moral core sometimes coming into conflict with the more questionable directions that certain administrations have taken, or tried to make him take-- but he was the premier soldier. No one better to lead an operation like this. Or any operation. Ever.
Superman was on the mission as a favour to the GPA’s Director, Chloe Sullivan, but also as insurance. No one knew what was going on inside the Kobra complex after GPA operative 12 died. Good to have a heavy hitter onside.
“Who’s that Russian broad? ”
"Nikolija Kamarov, Russia's representative. They call her Winter and according to her file, she is one scary operator, Spetnaz-trained and according to Harper, the best kept superhero secret the world has ever known. A cadre of Rocket Reds came with her for aerial support. The Russians weren't going to let their asset go in there without back-up that they trusted implicitly. "
“I found my vest, ” said Nodell. Barbara ended the recording.
When Batwoman first heard about Winter, she thought that it must be a man. Russia’s exclusive super-operative, with a list of qualifications longer than Barbara’s arm. Former Olympic athlete. Former Spetnaz operative. She now flew the flag for Russia during crises that hit the republic, and apparently she had the ear of their president. Harper’s annotated notes on the operation included a circle around her name, which was something Barbara didn’t see with anyone else.
Rocket Reds, of course, were walking, talking tanks. Flight-enabled, featuring a cadre of metahuman suppressant weaponry and strong enough to take a punch from most enhanced operators. Each suit was piloted by a true patriot. Barbara had met a few in her time. Good, honest men and women.
“But why would Jeffrey come down here? ” Barbara asked herself again.
The cell that Jeffrey kept Jason inside was empty and that mapped to the reports Barbara had read. Jason Burr was kept in a room until he was needed for experiments and torture, and then he was taken back to his room.
Barbara looked around slowly. Something didn’t track.
Then there was a sound--
Like a slither--
Like a hiss--
And when Batwoman turned, the large, snake-like horror that had somehow made its way down into the pit with her bared its fangs. “Faaaaaaithhhhhhhhhh. ”
“Of course this wasn’t going to be straightforward,” said Batwoman. “C’mon then.”
With the departure of THE FLASH and SUPERMAN, the JUSTICE LEAGUE introduced CYBORG to their ranks, continuing the experimental restructuring of their roster that includes THE ATOM, BIG BARDA, BLUE BEETLE, DOCTOR LIGHT, THE GUARDIAN, HAWKMAN, MERA, MISTER MIRACLE, WONDER WOMAN and ZATANNA.
This new line-up was called into action almost immediately, as their current guest and potential final member of the team, the mysterious being known as MAJESTROS made his move against JACK MARLOWE, CEO of HALO Corporation, operating in Los Angeles! MAJESTROS claimed that MARLOWE was an alien automaton, sent to prepare Earth for a coming invasion of the deadly DAEMONITES, but MARLOWE revealed that the invasion had come and gone… and the DAEMONITES were victorious!
Before more questions could be answered, THE GUARDIAN removed MARLOWE from the scene, and while MAJESTROS followed, the JUSTICE LEAGUE were interrupted by TEAM ACHILLES, an elite anti-superhuman strike force organised by STORMWATCH.
BEN SANTINI, commanding officer of TEAM ACHILLES, informed the JUSTICE LEAGUE that their days were numbered as the UN were voting to remove the global sanction previously awarded to the super team, and demanded they stand down unless they wanted to go to war. WONDER WOMAN took the safe option and ordered a strategic retreat, but not before HENRY BENDIX, Weatherman of STORMWATCH, ordered Phase Two to be put into action.
With all this in mind, please join us now for the continuing adventures of the JUSTICE LEAGUE--
JUSTICE LEAGUE ROLL-CALL:
 |  |  |
| THE ATOM | BIG BARDA | BLUE BEETLE |
 |  |  |  |
| CYBORG | DOCTOR LIGHT | THE GUARDIAN | HAWKMAN |
 |  |  |  |  |
| MAJESTIC | MERA | MISTER MIRACLE | WONDER WOMAN | ZATANNA |
THE WHITE HOUSE:
Jebediah Stuart, good ol’ boy and war veteran turned President of the United States of America, stood in front of a bank of cameras while the journalists awaited his statement. There was a brief chatter as he approached, but with one stern clearing of his throat, there was silence.
On the screen behind him, camera footage rolled. Grainy images became clear, and it was obvious that the helmet cam was being fed into the televisions of every man, woman and child watching the president’s address.
“Good work, don’t you think? ” said a voice. The helmet cam turned and a grinning soldier gave a thumbs up. “Another group of terrorists locked down and out of America’s hair. ” He indicated to his left, and the helmet cam turned and the de-powered members of Axis Amerika were being marched toward containment cells. “This is why I signed up, y’know? ”
“Yeah, me too, ” said the man wearing the camera. “Did you hear what the Justice League said-- holy--” He wrenched up his rifle and there was a commotion. The hull split behind Axis Amerika, and Wonder Woman stormed through into the security bay, and with one hellacious scream she tore the head off Übermensch. Rifles began to be fired, but Hawkman swooped in through the hole and began to attack the gathered members of Stormwatch. Men choked as the water was dragged from their bodies and splashed in front of them, and they soon toppled to the floor as desiccated corpses, grey-skinned with pitted eye sockets.
“Oh, oh, God, ” said the soldier, who was picked up roughly by Big Barda, as the skull of the soldier whom he was speaking to a moment before exploded when the Atom emerged from his head, growing to normal size as he went. Barda snarled, and tore the man’s helmet off, blood splashing against her armour. Except it was obviously not just the man’s helmet she snatched from his body, but the soldier’s head as well.
Barda tossed the helmet to Wonder Woman, who grabbed it in two hands as she stood over the bodies of the slaughtered Axis Amerika members. “Bendix, you declared war on us today, so we’re returning the favour. There’s not room for both of us operating on this planet, so I advise that you pack up and leave, before we decide to drop your pithy little satellite onto the White House’s front lawn. ” She tossed the camera away, and it rolled to a stop to show the murdered contents that littered the room.
Stuart looked dead on at the camera. “We need to talk about the Justice League.”
“Holy crap,” said Blue Beetle, watching the press conference unfold with the other members of the Justice League on their island headquarters of Laputa. “What did we do?
JUSTICE LEAGUE
Issue Ten: “Drag The Angels Down And Hold Them Under”
HoM / RIMMER / BOWERS
SKYWATCH:
Henry Bendix strolled across the metal walkway until he reached the sealed door that only opened when he stood in front of it. This part of the Skywatch satellite was his, inaccessible to the rest of the crew.
As Bendix entered, a voice came across the comms. <Weatherman, repairs to the containment bay are nearly complete. Full manifest of the deceased is on the command server.>
“Thank you. I’ll be offline for ten minutes. Let’s make sure that all the relevant power is directed to the Storm Door , and the Justice League can’t get us again. Continue tracking the League’s movement. See if we can’t track down the source of those orange portals they’re using to travel the globe.”
<Yes, sir.>
Bendix looked around the private chamber, and then walked toward a large pod in the middle of the room. He wiped the condensation away with the ball of his wrist and smiled at whatever it was inside. “My secret weapon.”
Bendix picked up a remote and turned on the bank of screens nearby and watched Stuart’s presidential address, and smiled. “Now it’s your turn, Jeb.”
THE WHITEHOUSE:
“I apologise for the graphic nature of the footage you just witnessed. Every major news outlet in the United States received a copy of what we just saw and it has already amassed a near billion hits online after only twelve hours in circulation. That kind of attention is unprecedented and worthy of discussion right here, right now.”
“I understand that some of you are shocked, but this has to be said. This has to be said right now, before there is any misunderstanding: I do not believe the Justice League did this. ”
Stuart gripped the pedestal tightly. “I do not believe this footage is real. No matter how real my advisors tell me it is. I refuse to believe that the world’s greatest heroes are capable of such acts. So I say this-- whoever is responsible for the doctoring of this footage. Whoever is responsible for staging such an atrocity, you will be found out. You will be taken into custody. You will pay for your crimes.”
Lois Lane put up her hand. “President Stuart! What are Stormwatch saying about this footage?”
Stuart straightened up and then turned to his press secretary. “Johansson will be answering any questions. Good day and good luck.”
Stuart clenched his fist tightly as he vanished around the corner, then whispered. “Come through for me, Harper. Godammit, come through for me. ”
SKYWATCH:
“You had one job, Stuart, one job: Condemn the Justice League for their terrorist act, and you couldn’t even do that,” Bendix stormed into the ops room of his satellite and immediately one of the officers on duty looked up at him, news on his lips-- news already known to Bendix.
“Weatherman, President Stuart just came out and refuted the footage you provided. What do you want to do?”
Composing himself, Bendix smiled and shook his head. “If President Stuart doesn’t want to play ball, then a price had to be paid. Arrange for the release of the video of his son. I want it to hit all national news agencies twenty-four hours after he bad mouthed our organisation. Then raise the Storm Door. We’re at war.”
“Yes sir,” said the officer, turning his attention back to his computer.
“I had just one rule ,” said Bendix, talking to himself as he wandered the walkway over his officers. “Pledge loyalty or be declared an enemy combatant.”
LAPUTA:
“The footage is legitimate,” said Blue Beetle, stood in front of the assembled members of the Justice League. The only members absent were the Guardian, along with their mysterious houseguest, Majestros. They hadn’t returned to Laputa after the events that had transpired in Los Angeles, inside the HALO Corporation skyscraper. Jack Marlowe, the CEO, was also still missing. Their satellites were scanning for the trio, but they’d had no luck as of yet.
“No, it’s not,” said Big Barda. “If I went to war for the Justice League, I would know.”
“Yeah, of course, me too, sure,” said Beetle. “Completely. But, I mean, the footage is 100% legitimate. No manipulation, no fakery. For all intents and purposes, that’s Wonder Woman, that’s the Atom, that’s the Justice League invading wherever you’re-- they’re-- invading.”
“How is this possible?” said Hawkman. “A duplicate? Like Burr*?”
*Two Jason Burrs were taken into custody in Justice League #7
“It’s fascinating,” said the Atom. “But no, I think it’s something completely different.”
“Yeah?” said Cyborg. “Because it looks like the Justice League just killed a bunch of guys the day I joined the team. Now, I know that’s not us, but I ran my own set of tests, and the footage is real. ”
“Clones, then,” said Zatanna. “They’ve cloned us, or whatever. There’s another set of us running around that we have to beat up and then drag onto the steps of the Washington Monument to prove that we’re the real deal. Isn’t this superheroics 101? I think that was a chapter in the book Batwoman lent me…”
“I’ve just been in a room with a half dozen super teams explaining that we’ve not been controlled, possessed, or replaced by doppelgängers,” said Wonder Woman as she walked into the room. “But we have their support now that they know we’ve not gone mad. I didn’t want to go to war with the Justice Society. I don’t think we could have survived that confrontation.”
“Well, at least we aren’t going to be attacked by our own any time soon,” said Zatanna. “The rest of the Outsiders wouldn’t forgive me if I turned bad… again.”
“Is there something more, Wonder Woman?” said Hawkman.
“You can tell? One of my friends on the UN general council just told me that they’re voting on whether or not to permanently remove the global sanction that allows the Justice League to operate across the world,” said Wonder Woman. “This runs deeper. The fact that I wasn’t informed that the meeting was taking place, considering my position in the UN, makes me very curious . Even if it is a closed session.”
“So what’s the play?” said Cyborg. “What are we going to do?”
“Three teams,” said Wonder Woman. “The first will join Mera and myself at the United Nations. Kimiyo, would you care to join us? And why stop there-- Barda and Zatanna, how about you?”
“Why not?” said Doctor Light. “Always wanted to visit the UN.”
“Yeah, that’s a pretty big stage,” said Zatanna. “Love a good show and I love a girl’s night out.”
“I like the sound of that,” said Barda.
“Okay, fair ,” said Beetle. “So, splitting into teams, like you said; team two?”
“Track down the Guardian and make sure Majestros doesn’t do anything that might tip this situation into something much worse,” said Wonder Woman. “Katar and Scott, you have the skills required to find, and hopefully contain our guest.”
Hawkman patted his mace in his open palm. “Acceptable.”
“I love a challenge,” said Mister Miracle.
“And the rest of us?” said the Atom.
Wonder Woman gestured toward Blue Beetle. “Ted, you identified an issue with our data uplink, something that could be the work of Stormwatch. If they’re inside our systems, I want the problem identified and expunged.”
“IT support,” said Ted. “Nice. Nice. That’s me, Ray and the kid?” He gestured toward Cyborg. “No offense.”
“None taken,” said Victor Stone. “I have some ideas. Where are the main servers?”
“I’ll show you,” said Ted. “C’mon, guys, we’ll grab Spica on the way, she might have some ideas to contribute too.” The three men headed off down the corridor and with that, the rest of the Justice League went to do what needed to be done.
ELSEWHERE:
The back of Jack Marlowe’s head was wide open, revealing a labyrinth of circuitry and cybernetics. Countless tubes and wires had sprung from inside his brainpan and were now connected to the unconscious James Harper’s head, the hooks and needles threading their way into the Golden Avenger’s neural pathways.
“What are you doing?” said Majestros.
“Sharing our history,” said Marlowe. He held out his hand, and a thin wire emerged from his wrist. He offered it to the alien warlord. “I think you’d benefit from this too.”
Majestros contemplated the wire, and then accepted it, jamming it into his brainstem. He felt true pain for a split second, before the world melted away…
AN UNKNOWN AGE AGO…
The planet Khera was overrun by the body-snatching Daemonite hordes. Friends were suddenly foes, and distrust and paranoia was at an all-time high. Majestros, his hair jet black and cut short-- unlike his present-day self, with that stark-white shaggy mop-- stood on a citadel, looking down as the creatures slaughtered his people.
The warlord grimaced, shaking his head at the chaos. “I cannot believe it has come to this.”
The short man beside him peeked over the ledge on his tiptoes, then shook his head in disgust. “But come to this it has, and it’s time we left.”
Majestros looked down at the grey-haired man. “Emp, what we are doing is tantamount to suicide. To travel the spaceways until an appropriate new world is found. Who knows if there is a world suitable for the Kherubim to thrive upon?”
“There are countless worlds in this universe. If it’s not suitable for us then we’ll make it suitable,” said Emp. “The ark is prepared, designed to the agreed specification. The Coda would prefer we stay and fight to the end, but Lady Zannah convinced her sisters that their survival is imperative or the Daemonites will spread across the galaxy. There’ll always be other wars, she said.”
“There will be, Emp,” said the crimson-armoured warrior woman as she entered the chamber. The red tattoos across her face marked her as a member of the Coda, a sisterhood of warriors whose worth was dictated by the wars they waged. “Survival here allows for that eventuality.”
“My lady,” said Majestros, bowing slightly.
“Now is not the time, Majestros,” said Zannah. “The rest of the Pantheon await your arrival.”
The word ‘Pantheon’ came out of her mouth with a large dose of disgust. It was their lack of foresight that had led to this situation. They had voted to open up peace talks with the Daemonites, and now the entire world was paying the price. The only dissenting voices in the vote were Emp and Majestros, and they had nearly been exiled for their deviation from the Pantheon’s order. Thankfully, their removal from the world had been delayed, and it was Emp’s Spartan robots and Majestros’ strategic brilliance that had allowed them to last this long.
Gunfire rattled off outside, and Majestros turned. A Daemonite drone clambered over the ledge and leapt toward him. His eyes flashed and the creature was disintegrated, but not before dozens more began to swarm into the room.
“Get to the ship,” said Majestros. “I’ll hold them off.”
“We’ll hold them off,” said Zannah. She drew her indestructible sword and nodded at Majestros, then the two dove forward, leaving Emp to shrug and head into the launch chamber of the Citadel where dozens of surviving Spartans were loading supplies onto the ark. “How are we looking?”
A single Spartan, identical in every way to the others, emerged from the pack. “Everyone is loaded and the sleep protocol is active. Genetic stock has been contained and we are ready for lift off.”
“That’s m’boy,” said Emp. “Begin launch procedure once I’m on board.” He turned toward the door and whispered, “Majestros, I know you’re busy, but you should get back here before we leave without you.”
COAST CITY:
“What are you working on, hon?” said Hal Jordan as he looked down at Chloe Sullivan while she worked at her computer. Their daughter was currently napping, and while Hal enjoyed the brief respite, Chloe continued working on a project that had taken up the majority of the day so far.
“The footage Stormwatch shared with the media,” said Chloe. “I noticed something.”
“Yeah?” said Hal. “I thought you were working on that White House proposal?”
“No,” said Chloe. “I was never working on that. I lied, I’m sorry.”
Hal smiled. “Yeah, yeah, I guessed as much. What’s caught your eye?”
“The men who died in this video, I’m looking at their name badges,” said Chloe.
“Why?” said Hal.
“This video is real. Every expert is testifying to that fact, but no one believes it’s the truth. That it’s somehow a fake. And I think I know something they don’t know,” said Chloe. She clicked an icon on her computer and the wall behind them lit up, projecting screen captures from the video she had spent the morning analysing, all showing the dead soldiers, in order of their deaths.
“Harrison. Edwards. Lawrence. Prentiss,” said Chloe. “The first four. Marshall then Esterhuizen. Streicher’s name tag is covered in blood but you can clean it up easily enough electronically. Alewijnsz. Volschenk. Eckhoff. Menanteau and Engelbrecht. What do you see, flyboy?”
“A lot of dead bodies. But,” Hal stepped forward, something clicking. He pointed at the names. “Hey, hey, that’s--” started Hal.
Chloe nodded. “That’s my boy. It’s an acrostic. H. E. L. P. M. E. S. A. V. E. M. E. A someone made that video. Made it real as humanely possible but they snuck something in there because they’re doing it against their will and they want help. We need to tell somebody, but if Stormwatch mean as much business as they do, then--”
“They’ve got a prisoner in their secret satellite headquarters,” said Hal. “I think this is a job for the Justice League, Chloe.”
“My thoughts exactly, honey,” said Chloe. She began to get excited as Hal went looking for his old Justice League-branded communication device. “This is it. I’ve got the bastard. I’ve got the bastard that ruined my life’s work.*”
*Chloe’s Global Peace Agency was shut down in favour of Stormwatch in Justice League #5
THE UNITED NATIONS:
“I believe we might be walking into a trap,” said Barda matter-of-factly.
The masked members of Team Achilles stood at the door of the main assembly room, blocking the way of the assembled members of the Justice League. One of their members stepped off a ladder that led to the lowest point of the ceiling and closed the legs, taking it back to wherever ladders should go in the United Nations building. There were no civilians present, only cordons and more armed Stormwatch soldiers.
“I won’t be barred from the proceedings,” said Mera. “I am the Queen of the Seven Seas--”
“Wouldn’t dream of keeping you,” said Ben Santini, Achilles’ field leader, lifting his mask up. “You and the Greek are free to go in, as per your credentials. The rest of you, that’s illegal, and you’re in plenty trouble as is.” He winked, blew a kiss, and lowered his mask back over his face.
{ I am coming to despise that man,} said Barda, using the nanotelepathy that allowed the Justice League to communicate in secrecy.
{I could make him a gal, see if that changes his disposition,} said Zatanna.
{Yes?} Barda held up her Mega Rod and winked. {So could I.}
{I’ve always liked you, Barda,} said Zatanna.
{You’re all insane. I forgot how insane this whole thing is,} said Doctor Light.
{You love it though,} said Zatanna. {That’s the really mad thing.}
{True,} said Doctor Light. {Wonder Woman, what’s the plan?}
{I go in there and plead our case. Mera will come with me. We’ll be fine. You stay here and don’t get into any trouble,} said Wonder Woman. She grinned. {I’m looking at you, Barda.}
“You’re not worried?” said Doctor Light.
Wonder Woman placed a hand on Doctor Light’s shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “Why would I be? We’re the Justice League.”
LAPUTA:
“I think something bad happened,” said Blue Beetle. “And I think it might be my fault.”
“What’s wrong?” said Cyborg.
The Atom, Blue Beetle and Cyborg, along with the Guardian’s technical advisor Angela Spica, were inside the main server room at the base of Laputa, poring over numerous consoles and nodes, reams of data streaming down the screens and holographic projections of the systems’ layouts zooming in and out of certain areas as they worked.
“Vandal Savage’s, uh, for the lack of a better term ‘blackmail archive’*? Angela just found a clone marker amongst the file uploaded to our servers from his. Something like that screams out to me that someone got a copy of all that data before it hit our servers. Someone else has every piece of dirty laundry Savage was keeping under wraps for a rainy day.”
*Acquired as of in Justice League #8
“It was subtle,” said Angela , showing the data falling down her screen, “but Jim was having me work on a project that bumped into this-- I’ve built an anti-virus that targets specific data and I was looking through our servers to see if there was anything that needed removing. When you know what to look for, it becomes easier to see. And scary to boot.”
“It’s in no way a good thing,” said Cyborg. “What’s the extent of the damage that could be done here?”
The Atom ran his hands through his hair, thinking it through. “A number of senators, White House staff, United Nations representatives, they’re all name checked in the file we got from Vandal.”
“You don’t think--?” started Beetle.
The Atom nodded vigorously. “Our sudden change of political fortune? This latest PR attack? I think Bendix gobbled up all that information and used it immediately to drag our names through the dirt, just like Kobra. He’s holding this data over everyone’s heads, and it means we’re public enemy number one.”
“Hey, hey, guys,” said Angie. “Look at this.” She pulled up the holographic display of the data centre, and zoomed in on a blue file as it went red. “Whatever wormed its way into the system is still worming. It’s eating into whatever data it can get its hands on and transmitting it back to whoever sent it.”
“Purge it from the system,” said the Atom.
“I can’t move fast enough,” said Angie, typing furiously, “we can’t shut down the servers but maybe--”
“I got this,” said Cyborg. His hands clicked, and his fingertips opened up to allow a dozen miniature fingers to extend out and type faster than the two men’s eyes could follow. “It won’t let me-- it’s like its moving, travelling where it can and avoiding my attempts to flush it out, and sticking close to data so that if I press the big red button we’ll more than likely lose core facilities. Argh. I’m throwing chaff data at it, but it’s ignoring my fluff and going for the good stuff. I’m writing extra firewall software on the fly, but we need to figure out a way to purge it without wiping the servers themselves.”
“Any thoughts?” said the Atom, looking at Beetle and Angie
“I wanna know what it is,” said Beetle. “This is Martian software, there’s a psychic element to it, but without J’onn around we can’t get in*. We need to get inside the computers.”
*Martian Manhunter is currently piloting the alien ark from Justice League #4
“Yeah, this isn’t as simple as running Norton,” said Cyborg. “There’s something… sentient… about the way this virus is running through the servers. I think we’re facing off against some kind of AI right now. But if you need an interface to get inside these things, let me try something.”
There was a pressured hiss as the back compartment of Cyborg’s head opened up, glowing blue light shining from the inside of his skull. Beetle peaked inside and saw grey matter combined with a lattice of circuitry, then two small wires began to unravel out from inside his brain pan .
“What’s this?” said the Atom, contemplating the wires as they ran from Cyborg’s head to the small of his back.
“Uh, USB cables, basically, but they’ll plug into your head,” said Cyborg.
“You had these at hand?” said Beetle, holding up one of the wires.
“I grew them,” said Cyborg. “My body is infused with bleeding edge nanotechnology, it’s how I can reconfigure my arm into a cannon at the drop of a hat. I can use my own internal server to shunt us into Laputa’s, and this will give your brain the oomph to carry over into them.”
“Okay, sure, sure,” said the Atom. “So how do we do this?”
Cyborg shrugged, the wires sprang to life, and then drove themselves into the back of the heroes’ heads, causing them to pass out immediately as their brains went blank. “Sorry, guys.”
“That’s the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Angie as the Atom and Blue Beetle slumped over in their seats. “You’re going in after it?”
“Yeah, I guess we are,” said Vic.
“Then you’ll need this.” Angie took a small USB key from her pocket and handed it to Vic, who promptly plugged it into his arm. “It’s the project I’m working on for Jim. Virus deletion plus.”
“Thanks, Angie,” said Vic. He sat down and the lights behind his eyes went out as pulses moved through the wires connecting him to Atom and Beetle then into the computer banks…
AN UNKNOWN AGE AGO…
“Emp, where is Majestros?” said Lord Imperator, current ruling member of the Pantheon. He was taller than the others in the Pantheon, built like a tank, his blond hair cut close to his skull. It was his misjudged albeit impassioned speech that had led to the peace talks with the Daemonites that broke down so violently.
Emp bristled against the contemptuous tone in Imperator’s voice. “The Daemonites have breached the Citadel, Lord Majestros and Lady Zannah are currently holding them off.” He looked back at the entrance to the ship, and then back to Imperator. “They’ll be here any moment.”
“Seal the ark,” said Imperator. “We leave now.”
Emp was shocked. “But Majestros-- Zannah--”
“I gave you an order, Emp,” said Imperator. “You would do well to--”
“What are you waiting for,” said Zannah, her armour shredded, her sword bloody, as she hurriedly climbed aboard, “launch the damn ship.”
Behind her, Majestros gripped his side, claw marks covering his body, but stumbled aboard the craft. He was about to speak when a Daemonite leaped at his back, but Imperator’s eyes flashed white-hot and the creature was destroyed in one look.
“Launch,” said Imperator, his eyes still crackling. “Khera is lost.”
The Guardian’s psychic representation in the replay of events looked over at the psychic presentation of the present day Majestros, who stood in silence as he re-watched his life’s experiences. “I don’t know about you, Majestros, but I do not trust that guy. ”
LAPUTA:
“So we’re internet avatars now?” said Blue Beetle. “What is this, Second Life?”
“Old school reference, I’d have gone with The Sims,” said Cyborg.
“You’re both nerds,” said the Atom. “Eyes on the ball, gentlemen.”
The three men glowed inside the telepathic mainframe that powered Laputa’s computer banks. The only one of them who looked different was Cyborg-- his avatar was of his wholly human self.
“What?” said Cyborg. He looked down at himself. “Oh. Ha. Looking good.”
“So, what are we looking for?” said Blue Beetle.
“That, maybe?” said Cyborg, pointing up.
Floating above them, devouring countless bytes of data, was a glowing green avatar with a metallic face mask. He didn’t notice the heroes below him, but kept clawing at the database, shoving the resulting files into his mouth and chewing away.
Cyborg lifted up his hand and his human arm transformed into a cannon. Angie’s software package buzzed inside the weapon and he knew it was going to do some real damage. He smiled at the foreign avatar. “Smile.”
A blast of anti-virus software zipped toward the green avatar but the thing turned at the last moment and avoided the attack with ease.
“OH, HELLO,” said the thing.
“You talk?” sad Beetle. “That… is not good, is it?”
“IT’S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I’VE FOUGHT COSTUMES,” said the thing, “SO VERY LONG.”
“Do I know you?” said Cyborg.
“WHEN I WAS FLESH, I WAS CLIFFORD MAXWELL. NOW I’M SOFTWARE. I’M THE THINKER INFINITE.”
“Holy crap,” said Beetle. “Didn’t you use to fight the JSA back in the day*?”
*The Thinker was one of Jay Garrick’s villains back in the 1940s
Without a word, the Thinker shot away and the Justice League looked at each, unsure of what to do. “We can’t lose him now.”
“This place isn’t any old server, guys,” said Cyborg. His avatar shifted, building up the tank-like appearance of his actual self. “It’s a psychic mainframe. Think it and it becomes real, drawing telemetry from the data the League keeps on file. Mind over matter.”
“We need to chase him down,” said Beetle. “So climb aboard.” Data streamed around the three of them and formed the Bug. Ted climbed behind the controls and they were airborne, the rows and rows of files becoming skyscrapers. “Hey, Vic, what happens if the Thinker eats us up like he’s doing our data?”
“Don’t think too hard about it,” said Cyborg. “But yeah, don’t let him eat you.”
THE UNITED NATIONS:
The United Nations General Assembly Hall was empty but for one man, who stood behind the podium, his hands behind his back as he waited patiently for Mera and Wonder Woman to enter.
“Hello, your majesties,” said Henry Bendix. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Where are the representatives? What have you done here?” said Wonder Woman.
“Oh, that was just a ruse,” said Bendix. “An emergency assembly? I’m in control, Diana. They don’t matter anymore.”
“What do you mean?” said Mera.
“Aren’t you listening? Or do you have water in your ears?” said Bendix. “I make the decisions now. This is my world, and you don’t have a place in it.”
“Your world?” said Wonder Woman. “Far from it. You’ve lied since day one, and now you’ve gone mad. It worries me that you were able to engineer ascension to the top intelligence agent in the world.”
“It’s easy when you know how,” said Bendix. “I’ve been planning this since the Cold War. Just ask your friend Harper. I was always making my plans.” He began to walk across the stage, gesturing as he spoke. “All it took was some spin, and Chloe Sullivan’s optimistic little Global Peace Agency fell into ruin. All it took was one video, and one press conference, and yet again the Justice League are deemed a danger to the world. Spin, spin, spin.”
{Are you hearing this?} said Wonder Woman, speaking to the Justice League members outside the room.
{They’re really not. No eavesdropping,} said Henry Bendix. {I have control over all media in the world. You think I can’t tell when people are being rude right in front of me?}
“So what’s your plan? Make us the villains so you can be the hero? How do you hope to make that happen?” said Mera. “There’s not just the Justice League to concern you, but every single superhuman across the world.”
“I make an example of those who cross Stormwatch, and, well, you know what, ladies?” Henry raised his hands up violently and plucked Mera and Wonder Woman from the ground, invisible forces preventing them from moving. “I think the time for talking is over.”
Outside the General Assembly, Ben Santini pressed a button on his belt and the oxygen was wrenched out of the immediate area by a device set up in the ceiling above them. Zatanna gasped, unable to make a sound, and Team Achilles were already on the move, firing tranquilisers at their opponents.
Barda swatted the tranquiliser darts headed towards her away with an immense wave of her crackling Mega Rod while Doctor Light destroyed them with a blast of light. Zatanna took a hit and keeled over, instantly knocked out.
Wildly, her head aching as the oxygen deprivation smacked her lungs, Doctor Light swung an arm up and fired a blast at where the ladder had stood previously. The ceiling erupted, and plaster, stone and a large device fell down, smashing across the floor into hundreds of pieces. Oxygen flooded back to them, not that it had stopped Barda from pummelling the soldiers .
“Kill them,” said Santini. “None left standing.”
AN UNKNOWN AGE AGO…
Majestros finished dressing Zannah’s wounds, and now it was his turn. The Daemonites had certainly got tougher since the early days of the war-- a side effect of inhabiting so many of their Kheran kin. The Daemonites had started to manifest their enemy’s resilience, and were using it against what was left of the Kheran people
“Are you all right?” said Majestros, the first words uttered since the ark left Khera’s orbit.
Zannah shook her head sharply. “Against all my instincts we ran. And it was my words that convinced my Coda sisters to do so. I just hope that the decision made was the right one.”
“How are we seeing this?” said the Guardian. “I thought we were plugged into your head, Marlowe? ”
Jack Marlowe’s projection looked over at the silent Majestros. “He is here with us. The memory bleed through is because of that. ”
“That should have been obvious, I guess, ” said the Guardian.
“Be quiet, Guardian, ” said Majestros. He reached out toward Zannah’s face, but the memory continued without interruption. He closed his hand, and shook his head sadly.
“You did what needed to be done,” said Majestros. “Now we have a chance at survival.”
“At the cost of our home, of Khera?” said Zannah. “That is not what I believe. Those are not the old ways.”
“Perhaps there’s a reason the old ways are just that,” said Imperator. “Prepare yourself for the sleep. We are soon entering the dimensional rift that will take us far from here.” He turned and left, leaving the two alone.
“Of all those saved, why did he have to be one?” said Zannah. She bandaged his side, her touch soft against his skin.
“He can hear you,” said Majestros, a smile forming on his lips. “Not that you care.”
“Exactly,” said Zannah. “Everyone else is asleep. The Spartans nanny us to ensure we are safe for the journey ahead. Is this what Lord Emp expected of his android army? Yon Kohl would hang his head in shame if he knew his image was used for wet nurses.”
“I am here to administer dampener,” said a Spartan, entering the room with two large hypodermic needle guns. “For the long sleep. To prevent night terror damaging the containment pods.”
Majestros sighed and held out his arm, Zannah did the same. “Soon we can sleep, Zannah.”
“How long has it been since you last managed to rest?”
Majestros could remember clearly the last time he slept-- it was before the war started, hundreds of years ago. “I could sleep for a thousand years.”
“I hope we do not,” said Zannah, the needle piercing her flesh.
Meanwhile, Imperator entered his private chamber and leaned over the computer console to the side.
“Outttt,” he grunted, and his body buckled.
Glowing blue talons began to emerge from his back, climbing out of him as the large behemoth of a man grit his teeth, blood dribbling from his lips.
Without paying attention, a Spartan entered the chamber holding a hypodermic needle and was shocked to see what was unfolding. The things climbing out of Imperator leapt toward the Spartan, and the lord of the Kheran people growled, grabbing the android and throwing it through the hull of the ship, losing it to the void as they entered the dimensional rift that opened around the ark.
In another part of the ship, Lord Emp gulped. All Spartans shared their memories, and the Spartan lost to the edge of the dimensional rift automatically uploaded what it had just seen to its brothers.
“Betrayal,” said Emp. “Spartans--”
Imperator tore through the room and kicked Emp to the ground. His eyes flared and the gathered Spartans were incinerated. He slapped Emp across the face, loosening his jaw and knocking him out cold.
“Do you hear that--?” said Zannah.
“My senses are already dulling,” said Majestros, clutching the spot on his neck where the Spartan had administered a dose of power dampener. “What did you--?”
A dozen more needles pierced Majestros’ chest as the Imperator struck, and he cried out as chemicals filled his body. He vomited purple ichor as he overdosed on the power dampener, then fell silent as Imperator punched him so hard his skull fractured violently.
Zannah raised her sword, but Imperator smiled as the Daemonites filled the room behind him. “What… what have you done?”
“I’ve ensured our people survive,” said Imperator. “That was the deal brokered. Every pure-blooded Kheran on this ship holds a Daemonite, ready to replicate when we land.” Imperator grabbed her wrist and twisted, the sword falling from her numb fingers. “I restore genetic purity to our people, and the Daemonites conquer new worlds. Hhm. I’ll enjoy what comes next.” He looked down at Majestros and chuckled. “My friends, put him in a containment pod and let him fall through the rift. Where is--?”
Another sound filled the ark. An escape pod had launched, and Imperator could no longer hear Emp’s DNA valences vibrate aboard the ship.
“Another coward gone,” said Imperator. “Sleep, my dear Zannah. You’ve got quite a time ahead of you.” He flicked her temple and she was knocked unconscious. Imperator watched as the Daemonites dragged the comatose Majestros into an empty pod, then he performed the release process himself, sending the battered, broken and vegetative Kheran warlord into the void.
“I win,” said Imperator. “Goodbye, Majestros.”
The Guardian turned to Majestros, who stood in front of the memory of Imperator.
The red and white-clad superhuman shook with rage, memories coming back to him as they replayed. “Betrayed. We were betrayed. ”
Marlowe nodded. “It gets worse. ”
TO BE CONTINUED…
NEXT ISSUE: Henry Bendix shows his true colours! The Guardian journeys into Earth’s history as Jack Marlowe’s memory replay brings them planet side! The Thinker is chased through the Justice League’s databanks, devouring more as he goes! Chloe Sullivan fights to save Stormwatch’s mysterious prisoner! And as Marlowe said: IT GETS WORSE.
Meanwhile, The World Keeps Turning; Part 2
A Batwoman Adventure
A Batwoman Adventure
As Batwoman descended into the lower levels of the abandoned Kobra headquarters, that familiar tingle moved down her neck. That old Gotham shiver that came with the abominable and the strange. This place was cursed by the events of the past, a haunted house that would need exorcising.
Barbara knew a few ways you could do such a thing in these cases. Fire. Lots of fire, and blissful, forced ignorance.
No one should ever come to this place again.
Batwoman took the small voice recorder from her belt and held it out in front of her. She then pressed 'play' and listened to part of the Global Peace Agency mission briefing.
"Intel came in from GPA operative 12 that he had been inducted into the upper echelons of the Kobra cult. The psychic and mystical safeguards put in place to protect his identity had held, but he was nervous, especially after word got to the other newly-ascended Nagas that King Kobra had taken the fake Kobra off the board*. Jeffrey Burr was clearing shop. Making sure there were no pretenders to the throne. Once his powerbase was solidified, who knew what he was capable of--"
*Back in Secret Society of Super Villains #3
Batwoman paused the recording. “And GPA operative 12 died soon after filing his report, his intestines transformed into snakes by supernatural means.”
Batman has provided her with every piece of intel gathered during the first, modern, all-hands-on-deck operation to take down Kobra. She had found her way down into the dungeons, where the worst atrocities took place under Jeffrey Burr's rule.
Barbara fast forwarded the recording, then hit 'play'.
"--We found Jason Burr in the science dungeons, held at gunpoint by Jeffrey. Jason was... messed up. I know that's not the best way to put it, not the most PC term for what happened to him, but that's the first thing that came to mind when I saw him. Completely messed up. There was scarification all over his skin, and that, combined with the mutagenic experiments Jeffrey had performed, left him looking like, I kid you not, a lizard man. "
"Stay on track, soldier. " James Harper's voice landed sharply, and Barbara heard the interviewee shifting in his seat. She'd not met the Guardian, not one-on-one (do superhero team-ups count anymore?), but she'd heard stories about him. "What happened next? "
"Jeffrey was ranting, going completely off on one, talking about Kali Yuga, the coming age of chaos. Our bafflers were working on overdrive. We all know about the rumours his voice can induce fervent loyalty. Thankfully, the GPA tech held out. We didn't take the shot, as you know. We wanted to take him alive-- that was the mission objective-- but Jeffrey didn't count on his brother hating his guts more than anybody. I guess Jeff didn't expect his brother to yank his sidearm out from under him and shoot him through the face. "
Batwoman remembered the autopsy photos. Entry wound-- under the chin, exit wound-- the entirety of his head. The top of his skull was gone, just fragments and charcoal. When she reviewed the helmet camera footage from the attack, she saw Jason do what he did and was amazed.
Firstly, Jason unclipped the holster cover. He did that in front of the soldiers, and they didn't even spot it. Just a minor bit of prestidigitation-- Zatanna would be proud of her-- and then back to being the helpless hostage. Then, two minutes later, when it was clear Jeffrey wasn't going to be talked down, Jason whipped the weapon out and arched it up, taking his brother out and leaving him the lone survivor.
Batwoman continued to listen to the recording. "Jason just collapsed. We thought he'd been hit, but the man had been through hell. Absolute hell. We cleared Jeffrey's body-- I gotta say, I was scared he was wired to blow-- and then the medic checked on Jason. He went into shock. Just kept saying 'thank you, thank you', again and again, until they sedated him. We airlifted him out. Where is he now? "
"Classified, " said the Guardian. "End debrief interview D-953. "
Barbara ran the details through her head. Team D were one of the three ground teams. The best Special Forces team known to man. They went in to secure any esoteric weaponry stored in the base, but their directives changed when Jeffrey Burr-- target alpha-- ran into them. A brief firefight ensued, and they chased him down to the science dungeon, where they found him with the tortured Jason. Nine hundred and fifty-three debrief interviews? Talk about stamina.
There were scorch marks on the ceiling where the weapon salvo landed after it went through Burr's head. They hadn't even bothered to scrub the blood clean.
“Why did Jeffrey come down here when all hell was breaking loose?” pondered Batwoman.
Barbara cast her mind back to the personnel files and structural arrangements of the operation, then skipped through the recordings until she reached a file she’d find useful. Thank God for that photographic memory of hers, else she’d have been skipping through the files forever…
“Give me the operational structure. Cliff notes. I’ve got to find my impact vest. ”
Barbara recognised the speaker as Bill Nodell, one of the GPA’s primary field agents, and an expat of the Department of Extranormal Operations. Whenever there was a crisis, you could expect Nodell and his partner, Travis Clevenger to be on the scene, throwing disparaging comments at whoever was close by like a real-life Statler and Waldorf.
Clevenger responded. “Team A? Team A is shock and awe. We’ve got Fang Zhifu, aka August General in Iron, along with Ghost Fox Killer-- no known alias-- both members of the Great Ten and representing the Chinese intelligence contingent. ”
What did Barbara know of Shi Hao Xia-- the Great Ten? Bruce once said they were ‘hampered by bureaucracy’, that every decision must go through the government before the team could act. The team were referred to as ‘super-functionaries’, an issue with the communist Chinese ethos rejecting the word 'heroes' for a humbler one. Based inside a secret complex within China's Great Wall. Ten team members. An unlimited supply of metahumans pumped out through some unknown means to man the ramparts, as it were.
In a previous life, back before iron plates became skin and every day a rusted, living nightmare, the August General in Iron was a member of one of China’s elite ‘Xeno-Teams’-- elite spec ops units trained for encounters with extra-terrestrials.
When his unit investigated an alien craft that crashed in a remote province, they were all but wiped out by some kind of pathogen that reverted their bodies to primordial slime. Fang barely survived this encounter, but the special treatments he was given not only prevented his death, but also caused his skin to transform into iron-like plates, an evolutionary response to the pathogen that nearly killed him. That came with super strength and endurance, but the agony of his flesh… Barbara couldn’t begin to imagine.
Ghost Fox Killer, on the other hand, was a totally different mystery. According to Wonder Woman, she was a female emissary from a hidden colony of ‘Ghost Fox Women’ that once had dealings with Themyscira.
As their ambassador, Ghost Fox’s sole responsibility is to kill evil men and then exert control over their ghosts. Diana said that if Ghost Fox Killer does not kill off evil men for her colony, their society will fall, as the colossal engines that power their civilisation run on the souls of the evil dead.
“Spooky,” said Batwoman.
“Of course the Guardian is involved. Harper will be acting as central operative of the Global Peace Agency and overall lead man for the operation. Superman was invited into the operation. Sullivan’s decision. ”
The Guardian. What was there left to say about him? A former police officer whose unwavering belief in right and wrong bought him to the attention of the secret super soldier program the US government ran during World War Two. They transformed him into a living weapon, and he’d been acting as an operative for the US military ever since.
Harper had had his ups and down with the higher ups-- his moral core sometimes coming into conflict with the more questionable directions that certain administrations have taken, or tried to make him take-- but he was the premier soldier. No one better to lead an operation like this. Or any operation. Ever.
Superman was on the mission as a favour to the GPA’s Director, Chloe Sullivan, but also as insurance. No one knew what was going on inside the Kobra complex after GPA operative 12 died. Good to have a heavy hitter onside.
“Who’s that Russian broad? ”
"Nikolija Kamarov, Russia's representative. They call her Winter and according to her file, she is one scary operator, Spetnaz-trained and according to Harper, the best kept superhero secret the world has ever known. A cadre of Rocket Reds came with her for aerial support. The Russians weren't going to let their asset go in there without back-up that they trusted implicitly. "
“I found my vest, ” said Nodell. Barbara ended the recording.
When Batwoman first heard about Winter, she thought that it must be a man. Russia’s exclusive super-operative, with a list of qualifications longer than Barbara’s arm. Former Olympic athlete. Former Spetnaz operative. She now flew the flag for Russia during crises that hit the republic, and apparently she had the ear of their president. Harper’s annotated notes on the operation included a circle around her name, which was something Barbara didn’t see with anyone else.
Rocket Reds, of course, were walking, talking tanks. Flight-enabled, featuring a cadre of metahuman suppressant weaponry and strong enough to take a punch from most enhanced operators. Each suit was piloted by a true patriot. Barbara had met a few in her time. Good, honest men and women.
“But why would Jeffrey come down here? ” Barbara asked herself again.
The cell that Jeffrey kept Jason inside was empty and that mapped to the reports Barbara had read. Jason Burr was kept in a room until he was needed for experiments and torture, and then he was taken back to his room.
Barbara looked around slowly. Something didn’t track.
Then there was a sound--
Like a slither--
Like a hiss--
And when Batwoman turned, the large, snake-like horror that had somehow made its way down into the pit with her bared its fangs. “Faaaaaaithhhhhhhhhh. ”
“Of course this wasn’t going to be straightforward,” said Batwoman. “C’mon then.”
TO BE CONTINUED...
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