#3: Mystery In Space, Pt. 1 (Burchette / Tupper)

“Could you repeat that?” Flash asked as his teammates stood staring at the young man garbed in the gear of Hawkman.

“I am Katar Hol, son of Carter Hall and member of the Thanagarian Hawk-Knights. I’ve come here in search of my father,” the young man replied, with more than a note of irritation in his voice.

The Atom, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman stood there for a moment, rooted to the ground in their shock.

“He’s Thanagarian, all right,” Hal said. “Ring confirms it.”

“Okay, then what exactly is a Thanagarian?” Atom asked.

Hal shrugged. “Beats the hell out of me.”

His ring supplied the answer: Thanagar is the third planet that circles the Polaris Star. It has been in existence for nearly two million years.

Katar Hol turned to him. “You are the Green Lantern for this sector. I haven’t seen many of your kind around, lately.”

“Things have been a bit chaotic, lately,” Hal replied, bristling at the tone in Katar’s voice.

“Gentlemen,” Wonder Woman interrupted. “Perhaps we should take this conversation inside. Please, Katar Hol, we welcome you to the Hall of Justice. Follow me and we’ll see what we can do to help you.”

In the Monitor Room

The main view screen flickered and suddenly Aquaman’s face appeared.

“What?” He said shortly.

“We were getting worried, Arthur,” Superman replied. “We need you. Something big has come up, and we’re going to need everyone for this.”
Arthur glared at them all for a second. “I have my own troubles. I have no time for the problems of land dwellers.”

The screen went black and they all stood there in shock. Even Batman seemed at a loss for words.

“Anyone want to tell me what that was all about?” Flash asked.

“We’ll worry about it later,” Superman said. “What now, Diana?”

“We go without him, and, when we return, we find out exactly what that was all about.” She turned to Alan Scott. “We could use your aid as well.”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Seeing Carter’s son has made me realize that I’ve done a great disservice to Carter or to his memory. Somebody needs to search for him, to try and find him; or at least what became of him. But I wish you Godspeed.”

Wonder Woman turned back to her comrades. “Then it’s settled. We go to the Polaris System and stop this madman.”

They all nodded and marched out of the door and toward their destiny.

The first Leaguers to step out onto the new world were Superman and Flash. They were the first to see an alien city with its long sleek buildings, made of material the like of which they’d never seen before, standing in smoke and rubble. As the others followed them through, all stood in amazement at the devastation that was before them.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I know this wasn’t it,” Barry murmured to himself.

The man called Adam Strange was already in the air, heading towards the ruins of the city, when Superman cocked his head to the side.

“We’ve got people trapped in those buildings. They need help.”

Without further thought, the League jumped into action, each using his or her skills to begin the rescue operations. While Wonder Woman and Superman obtained maximum digging through brute strength, Green Lantern’s indelible will power brought his ring into full effectiveness as he created a huge shovel to begin the digging process. Atom worked his way into the cracks and crevices, and, with Martian Manhunter’s help, located those who had survived, giving them aid and comfort as needed. Flash moved from one survivor to the next, quickly assessing the severity of the injuries, and doing all he could to help them

Adam Strange had disappeared from their view. He and Katar Hol had flown ahead, towards the one tower that was still standing, in the middle of the city. One of the Leaguers had followed as quickly as he could; keeping away from their line of sight, his black cloak billowing out from behind him. He watched as both strangers flew into the upper window of the building.

J’onn, can you hear me?

I am in contact with everyone, Batman. Go ahead.

I followed our two hosts to the middle of the town. The path of destruction leads straight to it, but for some reason it remains standing. It also appears that this city’s local law enforcement, or what’s left of them, are starting to come around with medical help as well. Once the rest of you get a chance, convene on my…

Just like that, contact was broken on Batman’s end as he was stunned into silence by a large explosion that blew out the top portion of the tower. He dove out of the way, as debris fell around him.

He looked up again to see the figure of Adam Strange falling fast out of a hole in the wall. As he reached for his belt, he felt the familiar rush of air go past him and then saw the slow descent of Strange, as a funnel cloud of incredible strength and speed appeared from nowhere.

“Good job, Barry,” he mumbled to himself, as he raised the tool he had reached for and shot a cable up to the blown out portion of the building. He needed to get up there and this was the fastest way he knew how. He flipped the trigger and shot straight into the air, arriving at the top in seconds.

As he jumped into the huge room, the first thing he saw was Katar Hol lying on the floor, not out, but obviously dazed. Standing above him was a very large pinkish creature with what appeared to be a fin running across his head. What he found even odder than that was the third eye located directly above his first two.

The creature turned to the Dark Knight, his sharp teeth glistening in the sunlight. “I don’t know what sort of wretched creature you are, but if you leave now, you may live to see another cycle.”

Again Batman felt that familiar gust of wind and was not surprised to see Barry standing next to him. “Strange is out cold. Is this the alien in question?”

“That word is pretty subjective if you ask me,” the thing shot back.

“Yes,” Katar said from the floor, still reeling from the blow he had just taken. “This is the one they call Despero.”

“Doesn’t look too tough to me,” came the voice of Green Lantern from behind them, as he hovered just outside the crater sized opening.

Despero’s eyes widened at the sight of Hal. “A Green Lantern. I thought your kind to be extinct. Pity.”

“He was after the Zeta Beam’s mainframe, to locate Thanagar and figure out a way to transport himself there. We figured that was where he was headed and Strange and I tried to stop him.”

Green Lantern flew inside the huge room, noting the large equipment at the far end of the room. “Well, it’s not like we haven’t taken down aliens before. Let’s say we wrap this up and get back to Earth in time for American Idol.”

Hal focused his will, his mind creating a large cocoon to wrap Despero up in, but was more than taken aback when a scythe appeared from his weapon. He tried to stop it, focusing with every ounce of strength he had, but for some reason it would not respond to him. It was as though it had a mind of its own. He watched in horror as the scythe swung around in a blur and struck Batman.

The cowled head rolled off its body and landed at the feet of the Flash.

“What have I done?” Hal shouted in utter despair. So focused was he, that his body was slammed up against the wall by an invisible force before he even realized it. He slumped down unconscious.

Flash let out a scream of rage as he began to dodge in and out of Despero’s reach, his fists pounding into him at incredible speeds. The large alien just laughed, until he was struck in the chest and driven back by Superman.

The two heroes continued their assault, Superman screaming not to let up, when there was a sudden crack and then a snap. Somehow Superman’s blow had missed his target and he watched as Barry Allen’s neck broke in two when it met the Man of Steel’s fist. Barry fell to the floor with a sickening thud. The Last Son of Krypton stopped his assault, and went to reach for his friend, when he was yanked back by his cape. Despero’s laugh was lifeless as he flung Superman with all his might, watching the Kryptonian fly through the wall and out into the far horizon.

As the destroyer turned towards the Zeta Beam’s main computer, he heard the voice of the Hawk-Knight behind him.

“You will not reach your destination as long as there is breath left in me,” he bellowed.

Despero turned back to face him again. “Then we will have to change that Thanagarian. I have defeated the rest of your order; you alone cannot stop me.”

“Good thing he’s not alone, then,” came a female voice, as a golden lasso wrapped itself around the alien.

“A rope?”

“Not just any rope, monster,” she stated as she flung him right at Katar, who stood ready, a large mace held in both hands.

He struck Despero hard, but the force of the blow threw him across the large room and right at his final destination. Wonder Woman, who had been firmly holding her magic lasso, was lifted off the ground and went sailing along with the creature.

She landed on top of him, her fists ready for the blow, but at the last second he had reached out and caught both fists in his hands. He looked into her eyes and grinned as he used all his strength and shattered every bone in both her hands. She cried out in pain, and he took that advantage to head-butt her, forcing her off of him.

He had little time to regroup though, as Katar struck him hard again with the mace, forcing him to slam against the large machine.

“I’ll destroy you, and the beam, to stop you, if I must.”

Another blow struck Despero square in the jaw as a tiny little fist flew past him. Despero growled with anger.

“I have had enough. I do not know what manner of aliens you have brought with you, Thanagarian, but no one will keep me from my destiny. This ends here and now!”

Atom went to leap at Despero again, but was not quick enough as he watched some sort of powerful energy blast come from the third eye of the creature. So strong, so powerful was it, that the very flesh was vaporized from Katar Hol’s body.

Ray Palmer stopped in shock. The nightmare of bodies strewn around the room, finally seeping into his consciousness. What could he do? One man with the power to shrink was no match for someone as powerful as this alien.

No! There was one thing. The ear. Aim for the ear. He leapt towards his destination, his anger focused into avenging his new friends and comrades.

“I heard that a mile away,” Despero sneered as he reached out and grabbed The Atom between his finger and thumb, and looking him straight in the eye, squeezed down as hard as he could. It was like the sound of a man stepping on a large June bug, and then he let go and Atom’s body plummeted to the ground.

Despero turned once again towards the machine and began to work the controls. His mind racing to figure out how he could get it to work in his favor; to send him directly to Thanagar and to his destination.

“You have fooled them, monster, but you cannot fool me.”

Despero turned, but there was no one around. His eyes narrowed as he combed the room, until he found what he had been looking for. It was right next to him. He swung out at the invisible adversary, but missed.

“You cannot get into my brain as easily as you did my friends. You are not the only one with the ability to play with people’s minds. Even now, I am awaking my friends from the nightmare that you created for each one of them. You have, in short, messed with the wrong people.”

“… And you talk too much,” Despero snapped back, as he reached behind him and grabbed onto the body of his invisible assailant.

Martian Manhunter acted quickly and wrapped his arms around Despero’s neck. Both of them wrestling against each other’s strength.

“All those who can, act now,” J’onn cried out.

Although all were still shaking off the effects of the illusion that had seemed so real to them moments ago, three of them were able to charge. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Katar Hol smashed into the giant alien.

Their momentum, however, carried them into the main console behind them. There was a sudden blaze of pure white light, blinding the others who were still recovering, and then darkness.

“I can’t see!” Flash called out.

“Our eyes are adjusting, give it a minute,” Batman replied calmly.

The sound of a jetpack was heard seconds later and Adam Strange appeared. He looked around at what was left of the Justice League.

“The Zeta Beam mainframe - it’s been destroyed. What happened?”

His eyesight returning quicker than the others, Flash also looked around. Green Lantern, Batman, and Atom were there, but the others had vanished.

“It was damaged in the battle against Despero, but the bigger question is: what happened to the others?”

Adam Strange walked quickly to the computer, giving it a once over. “Best possible theory is that they triggered some kind of feedback when they hit it. They were transported somewhere.”

“All of them, together?” asked Green Lantern.

“Not necessarily. They might be all together, or the beam may have sent each one to a different corner of the galaxy when it was damaged. At this point, I just don’t know.