Post by Admin on Mar 22, 2014 3:05:02 GMT -5
JUSTICE LEAGUE ROLL CALL...
THIS MONTH, GUEST STARRING...
THIS MONTH, GUEST STARRING...
Laputa was beautiful at dusk. The sun was setting and the shadows stretched out across the city like a blanket, keeping the structures warm at night while the sky went dark.
“It’s a warp marker,” said Green Lantern. “Best as I can tell from this distance. I wanted to make the League aware for obvious reasons.”
The Flash, Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter stood on the edge of the dock, looking up at the moon. It was a bright one tonight, illuminating the sky like it was on fire.
“Of course,” said the Martian Manhunter. “Sitting behind the dark side of the moon. Out of sight but not out of mind. How interesting.”
The projection generated by John’s ring showed a throbbing, scarlet sphere that essentially appeared organic, the surface not smooth but instead ridged, with no discernable openings. Beneath the ridges lights throbbed slowly and methodically.
John Stewart thought of highway patrols and of drivers told to slow because of bad weather at night.
When was the last time he had to drive a car?
“What’s a ‘warp marker’ when it’s at home?” said Barry.
John smiled. “Signal points. They’re old technology, not wholly organic, not wholly artificial. I’ve never seen one before in my life, but they were used by the sailing fleets of Tor, six thousand years back.”
“That ring of yours sure knows a thing or two,” said Barry. He shivered and rubbed his arms. “J’onn, I don’t know how you can stand there, dressed like that, on a night like this.”
“I am perfectly at home in weather like this,” said J’onn. “I could shift my form into winter wear if you would prefer, but you would have to remember that the clothes I appear to be wearing right now are mere constructs of my fluid bodily structure.”
“Forget I said anything,” said Barry. He smiled. “I keep forgetting you run into fights naked.”
John generated a small emerald fire in front of Barry, who rubbed his hands together and held them out toward the flames.
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” said John. “So what’s the plan?”
“Aquaman and Wonder Woman have headed to Poseidonis to research the artefacts stolen by Shadow Thief* from the Museu Histórico in Rio and the Dynamic Duo are talking to the GPA scientists about Spartan*. We’re going to have to go up there,” said The Flash. “Get a closer look.”
*Last issue!
“Such a journey might be better suited to John and I,” said J’onn.
“I’ll tag in on the Spartan thing,” said Barry. “If you need anything just shout.”
The Flash was gone in an instant, sprinting across the ocean toward America.
“You know what this means, right?” said John. “If there’s a warp marker up there?”
“I do,” said J’onn. “The Tor were wiped from the face of the universe during a period of civil war. Their home sector is a cosmic sinkhole created by one of their doomsday weapons. If a sailing ship is coming, it could mean trouble. I do not wish to jump to conclusions. It has been thousands of years since the Tor were last seen. Since they died. We should be careful.”
“Aren’t we always?” said John. “Right. I’ve scanned the warp marker with my ring from afar. The ship is due here any minute. One ship. The marker appeared two hours ago.”
“Do we have information about the ship itself?” said J’onn.
“None,” said John. “Are you ready?”
J’onn nodded. “I am..”
John’s ring flared up and a construct formed around the two heroes. They headed upwards, toward the warp marker, and to the unknown.
Justice League
Issue Four: “The Centre Cannot Hold ”
HoM / Flinchum / Bowers
The Dark Side Of The Moon:
The ship appeared from nowhere behind the moon, the sudden emergence from warp sending vibrations through John’s construct. It held. The ship itself was massive, as if someone had taken a bundle of skyscrapers and tied them together. Riddled with damage, the hull raised questions. Was the damage due to battle or impact from space debris after travelling for so long?
“Scanning,” said John. Emerald light washed over the ship slowly, feeding data back to the Green Lantern.
“The ship is psi-shielded,” said J’onn. He touched his temples. “I cannot penetrate it.”
“Odd, I can’t detect any weapons,” said John. “It’s not any configuration of sailing ship my ring has ever seen. The Book of Oa has seen a lot, I’ll tell you that.”
“No,” said J’onn. “The Martian archive contains records of the Tor military. This does not look like one of their war machines.”
“Anti-gravity projectors are lining the surface of the ship. Interesting. Keeping the moon from dragging it down. You know what I’m going to say now.”
“We have to board to find out more,” said J’onn. “I’ll send a psychic message to the others. Let them know what we’ve found.”
John placed a hand on J’onn’s shoulder. “Here, take the telemetry from my mind into yours, share it with them. Every bit helps.”
“Of course,” said J’onn. The information downloaded and sent via the psychic link in seconds. “Let us move forward.”
John located the entrance to the ship and the two men floated toward it in the construct. He took the lead, his ring scanning the right combination to allow them access.
“It is odd,” said J’onn.
John glanced back. “What’s that?”
“I have been on Earth for decades. I am at home there, in as much as a man in my position can be. But this ship, this situation, it is alien to me.” J’onn smiled. “The threats we face, the horrors we battle, friends and loved ones lost, lives filled with tragedy, but even now, after all this time, I can still be fascinated by something.”
“Let’s hope that it keeps fascinating, and doesn’t decide to bite back,” said John.
Silently, the external door opened and the two men floated inside, the hatch sealing after them. The interior of the ship was just as odd as the exterior, the corridor they stood inside long and winding, the surfaces curved and smooth. There were doorways surrounded by arches, but no signs of life.
“The air is breathable,” said John. He lowered the construct and breathed in deeply. “But stagnant.”
“How long has it been travelling in warp? Not interacting with the universe, simply travelling behind the scenes?” J’onn brushed his hand across the wall. “This is Tor technology.”
“You’re sure?” said John.
“Yes,” said J’onn. “The Martian military had a skirmish with a minor war fleet during the early days of our own space travels. It was the intervention of a Green Lantern that ensured Mars stood and Sector 2814 did not fall.” J’onn thought back. “This was some time before the Tor genocide occurred, of course.”
“There’s a precedent here then, for the Tor to journey this far from home.”
“Yes. Can your ring detect any life signs? I cannot hear a thing,” said J’onn.
“There’s something,” said John. He pointed down the hallway. “The ring’s having trouble picking them out, but it’s detecting something.”
A low rumble moved through the walls. John felt the ground shudder and looked at J’onn. The sound echoed once, and the two men considered their next move.
“Let’s go,” said John. “I don’t like being on the ignorant end of a situation.”
Poseidonis:
The undersea city of Poseidonis was unlike anything on the surface world. Spiralling towers, constructs that appeared to be more from shell than brick. Lights floated across the spires, and Wonder Woman wondered how that was even possible. She smiled. The Queen of Themyscira came back to a thought that bounced back and forth in her head from time to time. The lives they lead. The forces they face. And still there is an opportunity to be amazed.
“Diana?” said Aquaman. “Are you with us?”
“Of course, your majesty,” said Wonder Woman. The breathing device over her mouth doubled as a communicator. Her voice floated across the waves like whale song, heard by Aquaman’s evolved ears. “I was admiring your kingdom.”
“My kingdom’s capital,” said Aquaman. A correction, worded accordingly. He swallowed, realising he had been rude, albeit slightly. “The shining city of the seven seas. We have only just rebuilt her*, but to simply rebuild the city is not the intent. We wish to exceed its marvels a hundredfold.”
*Black Manta detonated explosives that destroyed Poseidonis in Aquaman #25. It got better!
The two monarchs were floating down slowly toward the seabed, so as to admire the sights from below, having done so from above. The seahorses they rode purred, and Diana couldn’t help but slowly stroke the creature’s head. The sound it made was a positive one, and again, Wonder Woman couldn’t help but marvel.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to see Poseidonis again, it’s been so long. You will have to visit Themyscira soon,” said Diana. She was adamant. “You would be welcome any time.”
“I thought men weren’t welcome on Themyscira Island?” said Aquaman.
“You are more than a mere man, Arthur,” said Wonder Woman.
Aquaman smiled, but couldn’t disguise his all-too-human blushing. “You’re too kind. We’re here.”
“Did you hear J’onn’s update regarding the marker behind the moon?” said Diana.
“I did,” said Arthur. “J’onn is one of the best men I know, and John Stewart is an admirable addition to the Green Lantern Corps. If they cannot handle the situation, they’ll contact us. For the time being, I am happy to put my life in their hands.”
“As am I,” said Diana. “An ancient space ship appearing from nowhere. Will wonders never cease?”
“You tell me,” said Arthur. “After all, are wonders not your forte?”
Wonder Woman was smiling as the lower doors to the royal spire opened wide. A white bearded man with an air of supreme intelligence stood awaiting them. “Your Majesty, my King, Queen Mera awaits you in the library.”
“Our steeds will return to their herd,” said Aquaman. He lightly pressed his head against his seahorse’s. “Thank you for your kindness.” He repeated the process with the seahorse Diana rode. The two creatures floated away, their purring intensified.
“Thank you Vulko,” said Arthur. “How have things been in my stead?”
“No wars have broken out,” said Vulko. “Which I always think is a good sign.” He looked past Aquaman and saw Wonder Woman. “Queen Diana, it is always a pleasure to see you grace our halls.”
“Thank you, Vulko,” said Wonder Woman. “I hope your king hasn’t been working you into an early grave?”
“Only one of my own digging,” said Vulko. He shared a conspiratory nod with Diana, and Arthur let out an exaggerated sigh. “That is my cue, I believe. Now, I have to attend the city council, but it was lovely seeing you.”
Aquaman and Wonder Woman floated through the corridors until they reached a room separated from the ocean depths by a glowing seal. When they moved through it their ears popped and they found themselves breathing air again. The library was vast, it seemed to go down many floors, and lining the walls were dusty books, ancient scrolls and long thought lost scrolls.
Mera turned at the sound of the seal being broken. She looked up from the bottom most floor of the library. Aquaman peered down over the rail and saw his wife, radiant, beautiful, and couldn’t help but smile. He jumped down without hesitation, surprising Diana, and landed softly beside his queen.
“Mera, my love,” was all that needed to be said before they kissed. Diana gave them their privacy, deciding to browse the uppermost shelves, well out of sight of the loving couple.
Anchored Behind The Moon:
The two men journeyed down the corridors. Doors were sealed but they could see inside. J’onn rubbed his finger against the ground and looked at the tip curiously.
“No dust,” said J’onn. “The air must be constantly circulated, but it is old air, explaining the smell. Maybe the filters are damaged.”
“Maybe,” said John. “My ring is having trouble with the schematics of the ship. There are elements of known Tor design, but the Book of Oa has nothing. Even deep scans are having trouble. This place is so big.”
“We should find the bridge,” said J’onn. He allowed his molecular makeup to shift, and became immaterial. “A linear approach will certainly take up the majority of our allotted time. I suggest a non-linear method of investigation.”
“You’re the expert,” said John. He allowed his ring to put him out of phase and the two men flew upwards, through the ceilings and floors of the ship until they reached the uppermost point of the ship. They moved quickly, until they found a long, empty chamber full of consoles and monitor screens.
“The bridge then,” said John. He looked around. “These consoles are dead.” He tapped something into the alien keyboards available but nothing happened.
J’onn was at the front of the bridge. There was a large, blank space that confused him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Outside of the ship, it appeared as if this was some ad hoc ark, comprised of multiple crafts. I think that is the case. This is the viewing screen, but it is sealed shut. What if this is one of many bridges, one of many ships within one?”
“Could be,” said John. “I want to push a little power into the computers, see if we can get an idea of what’s going on. What do you think?”
“A little,” said J’onn. “If automated systems delivered the ship here, we should discern their purpose, but I do not want any auxiliary systems activating. If too much fills the circuits, you could shunt us into the Earth. An unsavoury result.”
“I got it, controlled,” said John. He closed his eyes and placed his hand on the console, allowing a slither of emerald light to travel through it. The screen in front of him powered up, and John nodded slowly. “That’s it, we’re a go. The interface is unfamiliar to me. What do you think?”
“Tor,” said J’onn. “Let me think.” J’onn’s body shimmered and twisted until it took on a new configuration. Bipedal, but armoured, bigger than his previous form. Large muscles under plate carapace. Almost insectile. Pincers clicked where his mouth had been. John was shocked, but said nothing about the transformation. {The Tor were a hive-mind race. Their interfaces psychic.}
“Right,” said John. “Let’s find out why they’re here then.
{Computer, mission read out,} said J’onn.
{Primary // Evacuation of brood chambers and secondary citizens. Secondary // Colonisation of appropriate D-class world. Tertiary // Restitution of the intergalactic Tor empire.}
“What did it say?” said John.
{It is an ark,} said J’onn. {Please bear with me, Green Lantern. Computer, why are we here?}
{Unable to answer // Computer banks damaged // Direct query at pilot}
{Where is the pilot?}
{Information is available to all crew // Common knowledge // Scanning query-source // MARTIAN PHYSIOLOGY DETECTED // EXTENDING SCANS // GREEN LANTERN POWER SOURCE DETECTED // WARNING // WARNING // ACTIVATING DEFENCES}
All colour in the bridge flipped and the light sources that had activated when John had pushed energy into the circuits began to strobe.
John’s face dropped. “Oh, that is not a good sound.”
Science City Beta:
The man known as Yon Kohl lay unmoving on the bed, an island of light all around him. Beyond the light was pitch-blackness, They had managed to remove the armour he had been wearing, and for all intents and purposes he looked like a normal human being. He had red hair and was taller than most, with a physique to die for, but again, human nonetheless.
The wounds he had arrived on Earth with had healed. There was no light behind his eyes but they were open. Unblinking.
Batman and Superman stood in an observation room with The Guardian. They had been going through the data the Global Peace Agency had gathered over the last week concerning the creatures they had in captivity and their prisoner, the one they referred to as ‘the Spartan’ but who had identified itself as Yon.
“Well, as you can see, this gentleman is a complete mystery,” said The Guardian. “He’s x-ray opaque, so they can’t see inside him. His skin is unlike anything we’ve ever seen, nothing can get through it. We can’t take any samples. He’s like a fixed point. Nothing we do changes him.”
Batman sent Superman a sideways glance and the latter nodded. He squinted and used his x-ray vision on Yon, but then shook his head. “I can’t see inside him either.”
“A regular man of mystery,” said The Guardian. “Which is all well and good if this were the 1940s and we were running around punching Hitler in the jaw, but we need answers.”
“What about the creatures, have you managed to get anything from them?” said Superman.
“They’ve kept quiet,” said The Guardian. “We’ve kept them isolated from one another but our scientists are picking up interesting electrical readings in their brains. Our best people suspect they’re utilising some kind of psychic link. A hive mind.”
“Interesting,” said Superman. “Green Lantern informs us that there’s nothing matching them in the Oan archives. The trajectory we’ve extrapolated back from the data you’ve given us shows that they appeared in the middle of space. Some kind of portal. A wormhole, maybe. This stinks, Jim.”
“What do you think, Batman?” said The Guardian.
“This ‘Yon Kohl’ looks familiar to me,” said Batman.
“Yeah, you and me both,” said The Guardian. “We’re running his face and prints through all the databases in existence, no results as of yet.”
Batman said nothing. He exited the room and then arrived downstairs in the main lab where Yon was situated. He began his own examination.
Superman paid Batman no heed and turned his attention back to The Guardian. “I’m concerned about Lord Naga and Kobra.”
“I’ll say it again, Kal. You and me both,” said The Guardian. “Jeffrey Burr is dead. His own brother delivered the kill shot. We both saw it. That should have been the end of Kobra but they seem to be crawling out of the woodwork every other day of the week.”
“There has always been a Kobra, or someone claiming to be Kobra,” said The Flash. He appeared from nowhere, vibrating through the walls of the building until he found Superman. “We had one in Central City a few years back, teaming with the Rogues. Elongated Man knocked him out with one punch* but he kept running around with Captain Cold’s boys, causing trouble.**”
*The Flash #19
**The Flash #33
**The Flash #33
“One punch?” said The Guardian. He smiled and shook his head. “I’m aware of that imposter. The real Kobra-- or at least, I think it was the real Kobra, Jeffrey Burr--ritualistically murdered him* to cement his position in the organisation.”
*Secret Society of Super Villains #3
The Flash considered this, then clicked his fingers. “Ah! And Green Arrow faced a Kobra too, called himself King Kobra, King Naga, all sorts*, but apparently he’s dead too**. Maybe it was the same Kobra? Maybe it was all Jeffrey Burr? There’s so little we know about these guys, it’s all hearsay and whispers.”
*Check out Green Arrow #0-3
**Green Arrow #8
**Green Arrow #8
“It was never going to be simple, was it?” said The Guardian. “We thought we had a chance to end their threat once and for all, call in Superman, call in favours across intelligence agencies across the world, and we get the big kahuna, but the cult still lives on. This Lord Naga guy, what I’d do to get my hands on him.”
“We’ll find him, Jim,” said Superman.
{We need to leave.} Batman’s sudden use of the telepathic link took Superman and The Flash by surprise.
{What’s wrong?} said The Flash.
{Yon Kohl is an exact duplicate of Jack Marlowe, CEO of HALO Corporation,} said Batman {If they don’t already have it, this is not information I want to share with the Global Peace Agency at this juncture. I’ll meet you back at Laputa.}
“You’re communicating via your psychic link again,” said The Guardian. “Quite rude if you think about it.”
“How did--?” said The Flash.
“I’m a tactically-augmented superhuman, Barry,” said The Guardian. “We pick up on things. Looks like your boy Batman has left, he’s probably waiting for you. Good luck.”
“I keep asking the stupid questions,” said The Flash. He vanished in a blur, sprinting back toward Laputa.
“Jim, we’ll let you know what we find,” said Superman.
“I think at this point, it’s better to call me Guardian, Superman,” said Harper. “When you start trusting me again, when your team starts trusting me and the GPA, then we can go back to the first name basis. How does that sound?”
Superman said nothing. He teleported out of Science City Beta and left The Guardian alone in the observation room.
“Yeah, this does stink,” said Jim. He looked down at Yon and grimaced. “Don’t you agree?”
Anchored Behind The Moon:
“It knows we are not Tor,” said J’onn. “Withdraw your power. We need--”
The air around J’onn ignited and he screamed into John’s mind.
Immediately, John’s ring extinguished the inferno and attempted to remove the power from the batteries at the same time but only one of the efforts was successful.
J’onn was singed but alive but John’s power ring was now pushing more and more energy into the circuits, against the Green Lantern’s will.
John gripped his wrist and tried to pull his ring away from the act it was performing, but found himself unable to stop. “Damn, what’s happening?”
“Counter-- counter-measures,” said J’onn. Weakened, his form fluctuated ever so slightly as he dealt with the trauma. “There are counter-measures in place for Green Lanterns too, it is using you to recharge the batteries.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” said John. He pushed all the power he could into the circuits, overloading them as he went about his work. He thought about everywhere the emerald energy had gone and pushed it further, burning out the remaining battery packs. The strobe faded and the colour in the room returned. The consoles were singed, but intact.
“This has become madness,” said J’onn. “But that may have worked in our favour. An alert will have gone to the pilot. Your ring needs to track that signal.”
“Right,” said John. His ring sent out a finder beam and it vanished through the corridors of the ship. “You up for a chase?”
“Yes,” said J’onn. He smiled. “The shock was the worst thing not the fires themselves. I do not like surprises. They open doors in my head I would rather remain closed.”
“Understood,” said John. The two men took flight and followed the finder beam through the ship. They flew past closed doors and then a few corners later an open one.
J’onn came to a stop immediately and John looked back at him, confused.
“What’s wrong?”
“That door was not open before.”
“Are you sure?” John shook his head. “Stupid question, of course you are.” His ring sent out more finder beams. “I’ve got life signs.”
“Tor?”
“Yes and,” he paused. “Yes and no. Multiple specie profiles.”
J’onn extended his mind and found little white lights in his head. He knew where the life signs were inside the ship. “Go to the pilot, figure out why they are here. I shall find the life signs.”
“You’ll be all right?”
“Stupid question,” said J’onn. The smile was one of bravery and it did the job J’onn needed. John flew away, and J’onn configured his appearance to that of a Tor again, then floated back through the corridors.
J’onn found the medical bay, where a number of Tor were rushing around tables with other species laying upon them. Attached to the instruments floating around the beds were the wounded, the equipment monitoring their lifesigns.
{What is this?} said J’onn.
One of the Tor working on the others looked up from his / her work. {Who are you? What are you here for?}
{The ship came out of warp in Sector 2814 with no life signs. I assume the power surge activated whatever systems kept you in stasis.}
{Correct. The stasis cubes opened, our patients needed immediate help. Now you can stand there gawping or you can help. One way is preferable to the other,} said the Tor.
J’onn nodded and his pincers clicked in agreement. He was larger than the caste of Tor working on the others. The Martian archive held detailed physiological scans of the warrior caste, but no others. Were these the working caste?
{I cannot hear your private mindstream,} said the Tor as he / she scanned the patient on the table. {From your public mindstream, you are obviously not one of us.}
{No,} said J’onn. {I am a Martian.}
The Tor looked up in shock for a split second, but then shook his / her head and resumed work on the humanoid patient. {I thought the Martian war was over.}
{It is, long ago. I am not here as an enemy,} said J’onn. {The Tor home worlds were destroyed--}
{I know,} said the Tor. {The warrior caste was too far gone to stop. Better to send the brood chambers away to learn a new way to exist in the universe than perpetuate outmoded ideals like war. The science caste programmed the arks to find new worlds. We emptied the hospitals of wounded, of those displaced during the war and triggered a galaxy bomb.}
{Your people willingly committed genocide?}
{Not genocide, mass suicide,} said the Tor. {This patient is stabilised, there are others. My name is Kkar. It has been a long time since I had to share that. What is yours, Martian?}
{J’onn, Tell me what to do, Kkar,} said J’onn.
Poseidonis:
“This library is magnificent,” said Wonder Woman. “There are books here that are older than ones we have on Themyscira. Which is astounding, considering immortality is involved.”
“Arthur’s people have always cared about knowledge,” said Mera. Arthur had excused himself from the library, and gone upstairs to spend time with his son, Thomas. “Vulko once told me that across history, the Atlanteans have always gone out of their way to protect knowledge. A large part of the Great Library of Alexandria was smuggled into our protection before Alexandria was sacked.”
“I am impressed,” said Diana. “Mera, it has been an age since we last spent time together, how are you finding the throne?”
Mera touched her lip and considered the question. “Arthur’s people-- I keep saying that, I’m sorry, they should be our people-- they sometimes look at me as if I am an outsider. Like I don’t belong here. And maybe that’s true, maybe I don’t, but I hope to prove to them one day that I deserve to be here. At Arthur’s side.” She sighed. “I want to do what’s best by them, what’s best for the people. I try and I try. We’ll see what happens when all is said and done.”
“I think that’s all we can do,” said Diana. “Do our very best and let the historians decide.”
Mera laughed. “Oh, listen to us. Arthur told me that artefacts of Xebel origin were stolen from a museum exhibition?”
“Yes,” said Diana. “We were hoping you could identify them for us?”
Wonder Woman handed Mera the dossier Aquaman had taken from the Museu Histórico Nacional in Rio de Janeiro documenting the finds from the underwater dig that had unearthed the artefacts. Mera turned away from Diana and flicked through the pages.
“Oh, this might be bad,” said Mera. She sounded breathless. “Not for you, but for us.”
Wonder Woman took a step forward. “What is it?”
“This is Xebel technology, definitely. These items are from a war cache,” Mera flicked back a few pages and showed Diana a specific artefact, “this is a portal weaver. It can allow you to step through water like it was a door and arrive in a completely different place.” She looked uncomfortable. “Imagine an enemy force of Atlantis having this weaponry? They could walk into our bedrooms at night and slit our throats without sounding an alarm.”
Wonder Woman understood why Mera now looked so pale. “Who knows of this technology’s existence?”
“Any member of the Xebel military, but they’re exiled from Earth—not that something like that ever stopped them. Myself, of course. And, oh. Oh, no.”
“What’s wrong, Mera?”
“Orm. I told Orm what a Xebel war cache could contain, back before he turned on Arthur. Before he proclaimed himself Ocean Master and caused the downfall of Poseidonis. I’ve doomed us. I’ve doomed us all.”
“No,” said Arthur. He stood with his hands behind his back, his chin high. “Orm, my dear, departed brother, doomed himself. He manipulated us all and we nearly lost everything. If what he knows is tied to the theft, then that is on him. If he is alive*. And if he is alive, then I will see him tried for crimes against the throne of Atlantis.”
*Ocean Master is presumed dead, along with Black Manta, after the latter detonated the explosives that destroyed Poseidonis in Aquaman #25.
“We need to fortify Poseidonis,” said Mera. “There are ways to circumvent a portal weaver, but we must work quickly. The other weapons, I know ways that can prevent them being used against us. But again time is of the utmost importance.”
Arthur took Mera’s hands and nodded. “We can overcome anything when we are together, Mera.” He turned his attention back to Wonder Woman “Diana, I am needed here. Until Poseidonis is protected, I cannot leave.”
Wonder Woman understood. “Arthur, if you need us, the Justice League is just a call away. And not only that, but as Queen of Themyscira, if you would accept our assistance, I offer you the military might of the Themysciran army if it comes down to it.”
“Thank you,” said Aquaman. “Poseidonis comes first, but know that if you truly need me, when all this is done, I will be there.”
Diana activated her teleporter and vanished, leaving the royal family of Poseidonis to prepare for war.
Anchored Behind The Moon:
John was on the other side of the ship when he found the pilot chamber. The information J’onn was pushing to him filled in part of the story, but the pilot chamber filled out another.
In the centre of the room was a large seat with winding wires hanging pathetically down toward an empty, throne-like chair. Scratches covered the walls of the chamber.
John scanned the walls and deciphered the ramblings. The truth behind the words shocked him.
{J’onn, can you hear me?}
{Go ahead,} said J’onn.
{The pilot went mad. He had to stay awake during the flight to make sure the systems worked while the passengers slept. The Tor lifespan must be massive. The messages he left on the walls here, it doesn’t look good.}
J’onn looked over at Kkar. {There is so much we do not know about your people, Kkar. What is your lifespan?}
{Our eldest was--} Kkar paused as he / she configured his / her thoughts toward the Earth calendar at the forefront of J’onn’s mind, {--three thousand years. Why do you ask?}
{Your pilot is missing,} said J’onn.
{Ijrs? How can this be? The pilot is symbiotic with the ship. The surgeries he had to go through to be compatible were excruciating but he endured and his mindstream adapted. If he is missing then the ship is stranded, we are trapped here.}
{Tor burned thousands of years ago. Ijrs has been alone all that time. It has driven him mad,} said J’onn.
{Right,} said John. {The ramblings are in a thousand different languages, in dozens of differing dialects. He broke the pilot interface, and now he’s gone.}
{The messages on the wall, what do they say?}
{Pretty much everything and anything, but there’s a recurring phrase. ‘The old ways are the best ways’. War, J’onn. He’s talking about war.}
{Where could he be?} said J’onn.
{The messages are recent, he caused the ship to drop out of warp, right? Ask your contact where a madman would go if he wanted to declare war on the universe.}
{Kkar?}
{I can hear your friend. His mindstream is a different colour to yours. Not a Martian?}
{John is a Green Lantern from Earth,} said J’onn.
{Earth? Never heard of it. Listen to me, the ark is not a war machine. That was the point. We left all the doomsday weapons behind and they burned along with the warrior caste. The engines are slow burn, they can’t be weaponised, and the anti-gravity field is purely defensive.}
{But what if it was shut down?} said John. {The ship would crash into the moon and throw it out of orbit, the destruction on Earth would be colossal. Doomsday weapon enough.}
Another loud rumble rolled through the ship. {That’s the sound of the anti-gravity engine when it’s being activated. I’ve never heard it deactivate though.}
{I have to go,} said J’onn. He resumed his humanoid form. {Keep working. We shall do the rest.}
Kkar watched J’onn go then resumed work on his / her patients. It would be wasted effort if the Justice Leaguers failed in their self-appointed duty, but he / she couldn’t stop until the very end point was reached.
Laputa:
Batman removed his cowl and breathed in deeply. “Any news from the moon?”
“The Johns will be fine,” said The Flash. “Jack Marlowe doesn’t sound like a name I know.”
“Marlowe is notoriously reclusive,” said Bruce. He took a sip from a bottle of water and began typing into the Laputa computers. “Not on any database accessible to the Global Peace Agency. He bought his anonymity when he took HALO private. Links to the military industrial complex. I wouldn’t be surprised if the GPA have HALO tech somewhere in their base.”
“How do you know this?” said Superman.
“I met him at a shareholder meeting back when I was retaking Wayne Enterprises,” said Bruce. “Our boy Jack was shadowing his uncle Jacob, the founder of HALO. I could almost relate, Lucius was the one who made me go.”
A photo of Jacob Marlowe appeared on the monitor screens.
“Jacob Marlowe died a few weeks before Jack took the company private.”
“Suspicious circumstances?” said The Flash.
Crime scene photos began to shuffle across the screen.
“Jacob Marlowe was murdered in Las Vegas by a serial killer who claimed that Marlowe was an alien here to conquer and enslave the human race. He died a sad death, shot in the head.”
Barry exhaled in a low whistle. “Where’s the perp?”
The booking photo of a gaunt-looking man-- smudged black lipstick wiped across his mouth, makeup on his cheeks-- appeared on the screen.
The man was smiling.
“The perp is a man named ‘Kenyan’. No one knows if that’s his first or last name. He’s in lockdown at the Slab. The thing that concerns me? From all accounts, Kenyan hasn’t aged a day since 1919.”
Superman looked away from the booking photo. “Superhuman?”
“Yes,” said Batman. “They pump his cell with metagene suppressants and he’s been as quiet as a mouse since they bought him in, but they were never able to get a gauge of his power levels before or during his incarceration.”
“So I guess we’re going to have to pay Mr Marlowe a visit?” said The Flash.
“And show our hand?” said Batman. “No, I’d prefer we go pay Mr Kenyan a visit. I want to know why Jacob Marlowe had to die. And then yes, we’ll say hello to Jack Marlowe. I want to know why he shares a face with a spaceman.”
Wonder Woman entered the meeting room and all eyes were instantly on her.
“Aquaman is off the active roster. Tell me your day has been better than mine.”
Anchored Behind The Moon:
Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter met outside the anti-gravity field generator and said nothing. They knew what they had to do and no more need be said. They phased through the wall and saw a greyish form skittering over the anti-gravity engine. As they entered, round, black eyes found their own and a look of pure madness spread over the Tor’s features.
{ANTI-GRAVITY FIELD FAILING. IMPACT WITH PLANETARY MASS IN // SIXTY SECONDS //}
“Well, I heard that one,” said Green Lantern.
Ijrs shrieked inaudibly but the psychic projections he sent into their minds sent the Justice Leaguers screaming to their knees. Loneliness. No one on the ship to talk to. The implants under his skin and his brain constantly itching, always uncomfortable. Isolation. Damage caused by space debris needing his constant attention. The ship wasn’t meant to fly for so long. Ijrs got lost. The damaged database meaning that no maps were available for him to plot a course. An entire race was lost and it was because of him. Their brothers and sisters died in the fire.
{ANTI-GRAVITY FIELD FAILING. IMPACT WITH PLANETARY MASS IN // FIFTY SECONDS //}
{Ijrs, you have to stop this,} said J’onn
{WAAAAAAAASTE. ALLLLL A WAAAAAASTEEEE}
{It was not a waste. You did your duty above all else, you carried your people this far, you cannot give up now.}
{ANTI-GRAVITY FIELD FAILING. IMPACT WITH PLANETARY MASS IN // FORTY SECONDS //}
{JUUUUUUSSTTTTT WAAANNNNNTTTT TOOOOO SLEEEEP}
J’onn grimaced and threw himself forward, pulling Ijrs down to the ground. The mad pilot struggled against him but J’onn morphed his body in reaction, sprouting more arms. After a brief struggle, Ijrs was restrained and J’onn looked down at the writhing lunatic.
{ANTI-GRAVITY FIELD FAILING. IMPACT WITH PLANETARY MASS IN // THIRTY SECONDS //}
“We’re going down,” said John. “I’m going to need your help, J’onn. I need schematics ASAP or it’s the end of the world out there.”
J’onn touched Ijrs’ forehead and saw the layout of the anti-gravity engine. He sent the images to John who patched the damage Ijrs had done to it with emerald constructs.
{ANTI-GRAVITY FIELD FAILING. IMPACT WITH PLANETARY MASS IN // TWENTY SECONDS //}
There was another rumble and the ship continued to shake after the initial rumble faded.
{ANTI-GRAVITY FIELD REACTIVATING.}
The ship fell silent, but Ijrs struggled against J’onn’s grip. With a solemn look, J’onn sent a single thought into Ijrs’ brain and the mad pilot fell silent, asleep after so long.
“It is done,” said J’onn.
“Yeah, but we still got a space ark on our hands and nowhere to deposit the survivors. Now what?”
“I have an idea,” said J’onn. “Let us see to the survivors, there were wounded. Then we can figure out our next actions.”
{We are marooned,} said Kkar. The patients were triaged and tended to. Kkar was leaning against the hull of the craft. He / she was exhausted, having spent the last few hours working against the clock to save the lives of the wounded who had been wrenched out of stasis by Ijrs actions. {Without Ijrs we are unable to pilot the craft to a new homeworld fit for us to release the brood chambers.}
“There must be something we can do,” said John. The Martian Manhunter had managed to link the minds of the Tor and human being, using his own Martian brain as a transmitter. “I can tow the ship out of the sector, we could get you somewhere at least?”
{It has been thousands of years, Green Lantern. The Tor are not well known in the universe but I am sure that what is known is of our war-faring brothers. We would be targets that the Green Lantern Corps should not be forced into a position to defend. The warpfield is best for us.}
{I have an idea,} said J’onn. {I can reconfigure my brain to allow the guidance systems to interact with it. I could be your pilot. I could get you to your new home. And if you wish it, I could also help in the education process for the next generation of Tor. I have seen war and I have seen strife, but I have overcome it. Perhaps I can pass those lessons on to the children of this New Tor.}
“J’onn, we have no idea how long it could take for the ship to find a suitable home, it could take years, maybe decades,” said John.
J’onn nodded slowly. {I realise that, but with the input of your ring we could surely narrow down the potential landing sites. The computers are thousands of years out of date.} He placed a hand on John’s shoulder. {These people need me and I can make sure that no one goes through what I did when I was wrenched from my home and marooned on Earth. These people deserve a home that is theirs. I’ll help them find it.}
“I can see I’m not going to talk you out of it,” said John. “I’ll upload full, known sector telemetry into the computers. I’ll also try not to activate the defence measures again. But it sounds like you’re wanting to go outside known sectors, get some peace and quiet. The Forbidden Sectors will be your best bet, but there’s so little known about them. Forbidden, and all.”
{What do you say, Kkar?}
{You would give up your life on this Earth for us? I don’t understand.}
“You and me both, sister,” said John. He left the two alone and headed to the main computer matrix.
J’onn turned his attention exclusively to Kkar. {I cannot turn away from those in need. That is why I do what I do. That is why the Justice League was formed. I can help you find your home, and maybe learn something about myself at the same time. This is what I live for, Kkar.}
{Then how could we say no? Thank you, J’onn. Thank you.}
Laputa:
“Hhh,” said Batman. “Did you feel that?”
Superman looked up. “The psychic link just went down. J’onn?” He closed his eyes. {J’onn, can you hear me?}
“J’onn’s gone,” said Green Lantern. He entered the meeting room quietly. “The ark that was linked to the warp marker? It needed a new pilot and no one else was compatible with the piloting mechanism. So, J’onn stayed. They’re gone now, straight back into the warpfield and off to the other side of the galaxy until they find a new home.”
“J’onn,” said Superman. He said the name slowly. The Martian Manhunter had been on Earth for decades, one of the longest serving superheroes on the Justice League. He was the spine of the team, the heart. He was the most powerful superhero on the planet, and now he was gone, just like that. “My God.”
“J’onn always did what was best for others,” said Batman. “Green Lantern, are you sure there was no coercion? He did it of his own free will?”
“J’onn did what needed to be done,” said Green Lantern. He slumped in his chair at the roundtable. “What anyone would have done given the circumstances. If I could have done it I would have.”
“Does anyone else feel like we’re being picked off one-by-one?” said Superman. “Three members of the team gone in as many months.”
“This means one thing, Clark. One thing alone,” said Batman.
Superman looked back at Batman. “What’s that?”
Batman latticed his fingers together and leaned forward in his seat. “Recruitment drive.”
Slabside Penitentiary, New Jersey:
“Do you know why they call this place ‘the Slab’?” said Warden Norman. He was smiling, like he hadn’t told this story a dozen times before. Behind him were The Flash and Wonder Woman.
“It’s a bad joke,” said The Flash. “All the Rogues make it, even though they’ve bounced in and out of this place like it’s Arkham. ‘because the only way you get out is feet first’.”
“Which is ironic,” said Norman. “Considering no-one has ever died here.”
“I didn’t know that,” said The Flash. “Not even,” he mimed shiving someone, “in the showers?”
Shilo Norman smiled. He had come a long way since being assistant to Scott Free, the New God who went by the name of Mister Miracle when he was performing as an escape artist*. The American government bought him onboard when they were constructing a new prison for metahuman inmates. It was his eye for a trap that had made the Slab so effective.
*Shilo was established as Scott’s assistant in Detective Comics #9
“Not even in the showers,” said Shilo. “This place is in lockdown all the time. The prisoners don’t interact with each other. The perfect solution to gang hits and all that. If they’re out of their cells without authorisation they bounce straight back, I call it a spacial tether. Boing.”
“And you built it all?” said Wonder Woman.
“I outsourced some of the more complicated snares to Exodus*. Scott was a great help, but the implementation is all me.”
*Exodus is the home of the New Gods, first seen in New Gods #1
“Impressive,” said Wonder Woman.
“Thanks, Wonder Woman,” said Shilo. “Kenyan is in Cell Block A. He was one of our first guests here at the Slab. I’ve blacked out all the cells except his so no one will see you coming or going. He’s all yours.”
“Thanks, Shilo,” said The Flash. “You ready, Di?”
Diana unlatched her lasso from her side. “Yes.”
Down the hall, back from where they came, a guard was making a phone call. “You told me there was big money if we told you when someone checked in on that Kenyan bastard, and I got something that deserves a nice bonus, right here.”
“Kenyan has a guest? Who would that be then?” said the voice on the other side of the call.
“It’s the goddamn Justice League. Wonder Woman and The Flash, right here, they’ve just gone in. Does that mean--?”
“The money is in your account,” said the voice.
Far away from Slabside Penitentiary in New Jersey, the immortal Vandal Savage terminated the phone call. He leaned back in his chair and began to laugh. After thousands of years of waiting something terrifying was about to happen, something that he enabled, and the thought of it excited him to no end.
IN ONE MONTH: There’s no time for recruitment drives when the Global Peace Agency experience a catastrophic attack at the hands of Kobra!
IN TWO MONTHS: Batman and Wonder Woman alone against the terrifying threat of Strikeforce: Kobra! Remember when the Justice League barely escaped with their lives against these guys? Well now there’s more of them, and even less of the League!
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