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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:06:53 GMT -5
Dinah Lance somersaulted across the room, landed hard, double back flipped toward the window, and then landed with precision on the ledge, the warm breeze floating into the gymnasium. She wasn’t in costume, instead wearing grey bottoms and a white tank top. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She took a moment to drink from her bottle, and then spoke quietly to herself: “He doesn’t like it, Babs.”
A voice buzzed into her ear. Oracle. “Alfred doesn’t like being babysat, but it’s necessary. With Bruce dead, and after what happened with Wally… I’m concerned about the community. This could either be a systematic strike against the League, or a systematic strike against us Gotham based heroes.”
Dinah looked around at the room she was in. It was massive, equipped with everything a crime-fighter would need to keep in shape, and this wasn’t even the full gym, that was below the Manor itself, in the Cave. She had been staying at the mansion for a week now since the attack on Alfred Pennyworth and the explosion that took Wally West’s life. She wasn’t enjoying being cooped up. “How’s Nightwing?”
“I…”
“Still not spoken to him?”
“He’s distant. It’s never been like this before. Sure we’ve had our ups and downs, but he’s just dropped off the map. I heard that Wildcat and Hourman caught up with him in San Francisco a week back, and that he’s staying at Titans Tower, but he’s avoiding all contact with everyone but Robin.” Barbara Gordon sighed. “But I guess safety in numbers.” She changed the subject abruptly. “Where’s Helena?”
“Ha, you should see her, Babs,” Dinah shook her head. “She’s down in the kitchen. Alfred’s cooking has amazed her. She can’t get enough.”
“Heh,” Oracle laughed awkwardly. “Thanks for accepting this assignment, Dinah. How’s Ollie, spoken to him recently?”
“He’s being… quiet. Which is weird for him. But Barry was like a brother to him, and Wally like a son. We all mourn in different ways.”
“Mm.”
---
“Impressive,” nodded Bruce Wayne, as he watched Dinah Lance dive toward him. He jerked to a side, and she dove past him, but he grabbed her leg, span her round, and then clutched her throat. “But you left yourself wide open to that.”
“You’re not training me, Bruce, we’re sparring.” She kicked up, his arm nearly dislocating out of the socket, and whilst that sudden pang of pain surprised him, she was able to lift her knee between his legs. “And I’m winning.” He released her throat and grabbed her thigh, and then pushed her back. She laughed, and he released a rare smile.
“Force of habit, Dinah, I apologize.”
“Don’t, this is fun.” She bounced from one side to another, keeping light on her feet. “There’s no one else I really feel comfortable sparring with. Wonder Woman is a warrior, sure, but I need someone with that finesse that years of martial arts training creates.” She wore white, whilst he wore black. She could see every scar on his torso, and it was strange. They didn’t look like they hurt, they looked like badges. Like awards you won through trials.
“Someone more on your ‘level’?” he questioned, as he motioned forward, but then pulled back, he himself stepping slowly and with great though. “I feel quite honoured to be considered so.”
“Yeah, well, just don’t tell Ollie. You know how he gets.” She pounced, kicking him in the stomach and then the neck, causing him to cough, but before she could dive backwards and resume her neutral stance and plan her next move, he drove forward, grabbing her by the waist and throwing her upwards, throwing off her sense of balance. He then grabbed her by the face and threw her hard onto the mat.
“Insanely jealous?” He pinned her to the ground, and grinned.
“Yeah,” breathed Dinah, as she cleared her throat. He lingered there a moment longer than normal, his eyes staring into hers…
…Bruce suddenly climbed back onto his feet. “Well, he knows he has nothing to fear from me.”
“Ha,” smiled Dinah. “Ok, we’ll call that 1-0. Best out of three.”
Bruce bobbed his head from side to side, thinking. “Out of five. Let’s make this interesting.”
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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:09:45 GMT -5
Justice League of America: Revolution
…The Caged Bird Sings
Story by House Of Mystery
Edited by Jay McIntyre Aquaman darted through the waters near his kingdom. He had his military regularly patrol the borders of Atlantis, always on the look out for an attack from Luthor’s Society, or some surface dweller who thought they had what it took to take down the King of the Seas. The League had contacted him numerous times recently. He visited Linda West a few days ago, offered his condolences, but hadn’t stuck around to be spoken to by Diana, who after all the death and sadness, was starting to scare even him. She had become intense. Worryingly so. The expansion of the League was also a concern. They were less a team and more a strike force, and every hero so far had accepted their invitations readily. He also had heard about Green Arrow, the Question and Blue Beetle, and their uncomfortable investigations into Bruce’s death. Had Arthur not witnessed Diana’s interrogation of Harvey Dent himself, he would readily be by their side, but the Lasso of Truth, a gift from Diana’s Gods, had never been wrong before… He drifted along with the currents for a while, day dreaming, and then pulled himself back. “Wait.” He looked at his kingdom for a moment, and then looked at the open vastness of the ocean. --- “I’m sorry,” muttered Batman, as he stood atop a large building, overlooking San Diego.
“Excuse me?” jumped Aquaman, in surprise. “Why? Why are you apologizing?”
“I am quite singular in my focus,” started the Dark Knight, as his cape flapped about in front of him in the wind. “Gotham comes first to me. And sometimes I forget that you don’t police a city, but the entire ocean.” He shrugged. “It’s hard for me to fight crime over an entire city, not like it is for Jordan or Clark. But an entire ocean… And now this? A section of San Diego submerged into the bay? Your responsibility increases. And I apologize for my rudeness when it came to the Eel. I was out of line.”
“Thank you, Bruce. That means a lot.” Aquaman put out his good hand, and Batman took it, and nodded at the aquatic hero in respect. |
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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:11:32 GMT -5
“Why do you need it, Ted?” asked Barbara Gordon. She sat in the nerve centre of her operation, the Clock tower, which resided in the centre of Gotham City. After it’s destruction a few years back at her own hands, Wayne Enterprises had rebuilt it to some special, secret, specifications, and now with Jim Gordon back as Commissioner of the Police Department, Babs was more than ready to return. It was weird, to be back. Since her return, she’d seen less of Dick though, which concerned her. She typed into her computer. “I mean, I’ll get you the list, but why?” She pulled up the files, and then forwarded them. “Ok. I understand. Yeah, I will, why?” She paused, and then laughed. “You’re a very strange man, Mr Kord. Goodnight.” She closed the channel, and then erased the past five minutes of data from her security feeds. Was Ted Kord becoming paranoid?
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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:14:47 GMT -5
The swamp seethed and hissed. The deep moorland bubbled up and foliage shivered. Trees were oddly shaped, deformed and growing like gnarled fingers reaching for some unseen object. A man trudged through the waters, wading through muck, searching for something.
A man met him, glistening silver in the pale moonlight. “Who are you?”
“Jus’ passing through,” grunted the man, clothed in a rags and dirt, his red hair a greasy mess and a long beard obscuring his jaw. He shivered, and stank of liquor.
“Inconceivable. It is impossible to ‘pass through’ this swamp.”
“Well,” smiled the man, as he looked at his inquisitor with glowing green eyes. “I reckon our definitions of ‘impossible’ an’ ‘inconceivable’ are differing.” Guy Gardner’s ring sparked up and transformed the rags he wore into his Green Lantern uniform. His beard vanished, the stench of beer dissipated too, but that, not so much. “An’ seeing as your Metallo, and that massive building behind you resembles a skull, I guess I’m at the HQ of the so-called ‘Legion of Doom’.” Guy Gardner blasted Metallo with a beam of emerald light that melted his metal hide and contained the heart of kryptonite in a sphere of impenetrable green. His brain was contained too, and sealed within a life support device he imagined. “I hate metal men.”
The front of the gigantic skull building began to open up, and he saw dozens of super villains starting to storm toward him. “Ha, an’ I’m liking these odds. But unfortunately, I’m not allowed to beat all your asses myself.” His ring tore reality in two, and then dozens of Justice League members stormed into the ranks of villains. “Legion of Doom? Meet the Justice League.” He punched someone in the face. He didn’t know who. But it made him happy.
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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:19:57 GMT -5
An unknown number dialled into the Clock tower. This some what scared Barbara Gordon. Voice modulator online, she answered it calmly. “Hello?”
“Oracle, this is Thomas Blake, and I have a message for a friend of yours.”
Thomas Blake? “How did you get this number, Catman?”
“From said friend. Tell him that the preparations are complete. My debt to him is fulfilled. I no longer owe Green Arrow anything.”
Blake hung up, but Oracle had already rerouted three satellites to back track the phone call. A name buzzed onto the computer screen in front of her, and she arched an eyebrow. Medikwe Reserve? What was Thomas Blake doing in Africa, and more importantly, what did he want with Oliver Queen?
She looked at the headset that rested next to her Robin plushy. She could contact the League. The JSA. The Titans even. She sighed, and did nothing. The message was for Oliver Queen, and not for anyone else, and he best tell her what the hell was going on, else she’d make him bleed. She nodded to herself and then got back to what she was doing.
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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:23:15 GMT -5
“I’m thinking about what happened,” murmured Dinah, as she paced the floor. Huntress, in her civvies, looked up from her plate of spinach and ricotta ravioli, and watched her, confused.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Where’s Alfred?”
Huntress took another spoonful, and sighed. “I think he’s cleaning.”
“You know, Helena, you keep on at that pasta you’re going to need a hell of a lot of time in the gym to work it off.”
Helena Bertinelli rolled her eyes, “You were saying?”
“I watched the security footage, and what Wally said before he… Before he vanished? The shadow, the mentions of Jay Garrick? What does that say to you?”
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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:26:34 GMT -5
“Long time, no see, Shade,” smiled the bearded man. He was in his early 30s, but the facial hair made him look older. He wore a black jacket over a Hawaiian t-shirt, and sipped his coffee slowly. “I heard about Batman, and the Flash.” “Yes, it’s an awful shame, but the lives those people lead,” the Shade squinted at the sun and shook his head in arrogant disgust. With a regretful sigh, he removed his black sunglasses, and placed them inside his coat pocket. He wore all black, as per usual, and because of this gained strange looks from the people in their white t-shirts and shorts who passed by. “Don’t you mean ‘we’? The lives ‘we’ lead?” “I am no hero, Jack,” snapped back the Shade. “Oh, you are more white knight that ever, Shade, we both know it. No matter what you say, you long gave up straddling that thin little moral line that separates the good from the bad.” Jack Knight smiled, and took another sip from his coffee. “But whatever lets you sleep at night, ok?” The Shade looked outraged, but then this subsided, and he smiled. “You’re still an infuriating fellow, Jack. I see San Francisco has done nothing to dull that. How is it, by the way? How is this horrible, artificial little city comparing to dear old Opal?” “You don’t have to ask that, Shade.” Jack laughed and then shook his head. “I miss it, but my lady love, my daughter, and Teddy… This is our life now.” “And you feel safe?” The way the Shade said this made Jack feel uncomfortable. The way the Shade’s voice dropped an octave, the way it came from nowhere. “We do… Yeah.” Jack finished his coffee. “Why are you here, Shade?” “Your company has always been something I enjoy, Jack. You remind me of my, eh, my ‘youth’. When I fought your father and Jay Garrick in the golden age of villainy and heroics. I say ‘youth’, but you know what I mean.” He took a sip from his own coffee. Black. “You remind me of your father more and more now.” Jack fell silent. “Hmm.” “Do you ever get the itch? The itch to return to the spandex? Or in your case, fire up your cosmic rod and take to the skies?” “No,” Jack replied quickly. “My life is here now. With Jayne…” He laughed. “God it’s still weird calling her that. My life is her and the kids.” “Ah,” the Shade seemed almost deflated by this. “I was approached by Lex Luthor to join his Society, did you know that? He wanted me on his team. I would pay him, of course, to be protected by his brotherhood of evil.” Jack leaned forward. “What did you say?” The Shade didn’t reply, instead, he changed the subject. “Say, have you noticed that no one has walked by in the past five minutes?” THROOM! A massive green blast of fiery energy exploded on the sidewalk, sending and concrete and rubble flying. Debris littered the street, and Alan Scott descended from the skies. The Shade lowered his shadow shield and looked up, surprised. “What’s going on?” Jack Knight looked around, “Alan! What’s going on?!” “Back away from the Shade, Jack. He’s a murderer and he’s in cahoots with the Society.” Jack Knight looked at the Shade, and then back to Alan Scott. The rest of the JSA were behind him, Stargirl included. “Dammit, Shade, is that true?” “Jack, on your father’s life, I swear--” The Shade was suddenly engulfed with a blast of glistening power that sent him through the window of the café he and Jack Knight had been staying in. Jack looked at the culprit, a man floating high above the street, his golden cape swirling in the blue skies. Doctor Fate weaved a spell of containment that entangled the Shade and nullified his powers. Jack had never been in awe of a hero as much as he had Fate. Something about the inconceivable power he wielded terrified him, but also sparked the curiosity inside his inherited genetic disposition toward science. Magic didn’t make sense to his father, it nearly drove him mad, but for Jack, it was just another thing. Another crazy thing he’d left behind. Jay Garrick arrived at Jack Knight’s side, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Shade is a member of Luthor’s Society, and he engineered Wally West’s death. The JLA just took down the ‘Legion of Doom’, as they’ve so quaintly dubbed themselves, and there are files that verify this.” Jack Knight looked at Jay with disbelief. Courtney Whitmore descended from the sky, holding her cosmic rod tightly. “It’s true Jack. We’re going to get Brainwave to verify it directly from the Shade’s mind, just as the Martian Manhunter has done with members of the Society.” Knight looked around, as the Shade was contained by the JSA and carted away. Alan Scott had already repaired all the damage done to the street, and finally, Jack was left alone on the deserted pavement. “What the hell just happened?” |
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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:28:38 GMT -5
“We don’t get into any situation without scrutinising it to death first. We cannot be caught unawares by details missed first time round. We must always be prepared.”
Black Canary nudged Green Arrow, who looked back at her. “is he always this serious?”
“Yes, Canary, I am,” barked Batman, as he pointed at her. “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to be here--”
---
“The Shade’s been captured,” informed Oracle, as Black Canary held a finger to her ear. “Good call with that.”
“Just connecting the dots. Jack Knight once told me about how the Shade, whilst possessed by his enemy Simon Culp, was able to lobotomise a genius in Vienna… Considering he has no real respect for any of the heroes of this era, I don’t know, it just made sense, and with the JSA verifying this…”
“Being in the Manor’s making you a bit of a detective, isn’t it Dinah?”
Dinah looked around the library she was standing in. “Memories, Barbara, memories.”
“I understand,” sighed Barbara, as she typed into her console, “I heard about the Justice League ‘Unlimited’ plans, J’onn’s brought me into to help keep the communications in order. They’ve recruited every major player in some way or another, it’s quite impressive. Three Green Lantern’s, Red Tornado, Black Lightning, it’s all very… Big.”
“Yeah, I got an automatic in due to my past experience, I’m going to be leading one of the squads. I guess you can call me Sergeant, eh?” Dinah smiled, and then took a book from the shelf. “I’m worried about Ollie.”
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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:33:43 GMT -5
The golden age Green Lantern lead Superman and the current Green Lantern through the lower levels of the brownstone, lower and lower until they reached a heavily reinforced door. “Is that lead lined?”
Alan Scott nodded. “Designed by the greatest escape artist in the world, J’onn J’onzz. After the Phantom Zone attack, we wanted a place where in case of emergency, we could fall back and recover. Only JSA members have access to it. There are a number of precautions that prevent the unauthorised from entering.” He tapped the cold hard metal. “Unbreakable. I’d invite you to attempt to break through, Superman, but I don’t want you to hurt your hand.” Alan smiled awkwardly. He placed a hand onto the metal, and it hissed, then whined open. “DNA sensors. This entire hallway is sound dampened. It’s a very messy security system, but deadly efficient.”
“Hmm,” Superman followed the two Green Lantern’s into the well lit lower chamber. It was a perfect dome that housed a small, glowing blue sphere. “What’s that?”
“A tesseract,” grinned Alan Scott. “A very strange gift from Sardath for our assistance in the Rann/Thanagar altercations.” He stepped through, leaving Hal Jordan and Clark Kent confused.
“Are you alright, Clark?” Asked the Green Lantern, as his ring scanned the tesseract.
“Yes Hal. It’s just… A bit much, isn’t it?”
“Not all of us have crystal palaces in Antarctica to relax in,” winked Hal. “Let’s just see what Alan has to say.”
They stepped through the tesseract, and after a moment of disorientation, were met by a strange sight. Brainwave and Obsidian were leaning against a wall, and the Shade was hunched over in a silver throne, his limbs tied down. He looked a mess, his black clothes ripped and torn. He looked up through worn eyes, a bead of black blood dribbling from his lip. Alan Scott was attending to Brainwave, who gripped his head. The Green Lantern turned to the JLAers. “He tried to escape!”
“Are you alright?” inquired Superman as he pulled Todd Scott, Obsidian, up from the floor.
“Seems that my connection to the Shadowlands is stronger than his. Was able to send his constructs back into the darkness before Brainwave was hurt.” Obsidian hobbled toward his father, “he shouldn’t cause you any more problems, dad.”
“Alright Todd, I’ll see you back upside.” Todd nodded at his father’s words, and then vanished through the doorway back to the brownstone. “We’ve been trying to discover if the Shade was the man behind the Flash’s death.”
Superman turned to Alan Scott, his eyes blazing. “Has this man been tortured?”
“N-no, Superman,” stuttered Brainwave, as he approached the Kryptonian. “We had him upstairs, b-but he attacked us. Refused to a-answer our questions. We have permission to contain supervillains if they’re deemed dangers to the public, and Power Girl had him sent into this c-containment cell so we could mind sca-scan him.” He gripped his head. “he fought back against my mind scans, but I was able to discern the truth.”
“Traitor!” the Shade spat, as he attempted to escape his bindings. “What would your father say?”
“My father was a terrible man!” snapped back Brainwave, “and I’m atoning for his sins, so do not bring him up!”
Superman supported Brainwave, who was still weak on his feet. “God,” he placed a hand on the Man of Steel’s shoulder, and was able to bring himself to stand. “I’ve stripped away his lies, and now he can only tell the truth, for however long that’ll last…”
Hal Jordan looked at the Shade, who quivered with rage. “What did you do to Wally West?”
“Hrrrr…” the Shade shook, and attempted to escape once more. Blood mixed with saliva, and he wiggled about within his bindings.
“Answer the question, Shade!”
“It was Luthor’s plan!” screamed the villain, “he wanted to make one of you kill your friend, further demoralize you…! But it went wrong, went… Wrong…”
“My God,” grimaced Superman. “Where’s Luthor?”
“Hrrr I don’t know, I don’t know,” dribbled the villain. “I don’t know, you charlatan!”
Alan Scott placed a hand on the Shade’s shoulder, and the villain suddenly fell unconscious. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s ok, Alan,” sighed Superman, “we’ll find Luthor some time soon. I can feel it.” He then turned to Hal Jordan. “We need to help with the debrief at the Watchtower.”
“Right,” nodded the Green Lantern.
“Any help you need,” started Alan Scot, “we’ll be here to offer it.”
“See you later, Alan,” said Hal Jordan, as he stepped back through the tesseract.
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Post by arcalian on Feb 24, 2010 4:36:12 GMT -5
“Thanks Oracle. I’ll… Tell you later, alright? Bit preoccupied right now.” The river whispered in the quiet night. It’s waters drifted up the sandy bay, and then withdrew, but the whispers didn’t falter. “You were saying?” “The Shade.” “That’s wrong,” whispered Green Arrow, “The Shade?” “I haven’t had the ‘pleasure’ of facing the Shade in battle, Oliver, but from talks with you, Roy, Jack Knight… It seems off for him to have returned to his villainous ways. I suspect he’s been framed by the Legion of Doom, dragging him down with them to spite his dismissal of their invitation, but with J’onn’s mind scans… I suspect that Despero or Grodd has been utilised to ensure his downfall.” “Why are you telling me this, Art?” Oliver Queen looked at the man who stood in the water beneath the bridge he was sitting under. He had situated himself on a rocky alcove, out of sight from above and around, whilst Aquaman stood in the elbow high water. “I am against the expansion of the League, Oliver. I think we’re going about this the wrong way, and in our rush to expand and grow, we’re ignoring key facts. If Batman were here we’d scrutinise the hell out of the proceedings, but with him gone, and then the added blow of Wally’s death, I don’t know, it’s just becoming too much.” He climbed out of the water, and took the hand of Green Arrow, who pulled him onto the alcove he was sitting atop. “Did you get your invitation?” Oliver handed Arthur a piece of paper. Arthur removed his green gloves and examined it. “Yeah. They want me to help the newbies. Outsiders and Titans that are midway through becoming prospective JLA members. I don’t know whether to tell Clark to shove it or to seriously consider taking up the position.” “That was Diana’s idea,” Arthur replied slowly, as he passed the invite back to Oliver. “Your skills would be ‘a great asset to the training of the next generation’. She’s got a point, but hell, that’s a ridiculous way to go about it.” “You can say that again,” sighed Ollie, as he stood up. “I’m going to go up to that tower of yours and--” His belt began to buzz. “Hmm?” He took his communicator from where it was attached, and looked at it. “Ah, I have to run, this is important.” Aquaman looked at his friend, as he reattached the communicator and checked his arrows. “Anything I can help with?” “It’s the Question, he’s got some information.” “That’s all he has, Ollie,” winked Arthur, as he too stood up, and prepared to dive back into the river and head back to Atlantis. “Be careful, alright?” “You too.” The two separated, and the river’s whispers hushed, for the time being. Please give us feedback on this issue here: www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?action=display&board=l2jlar&thread=4480 |
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