Annual #1: JL Vs America FINALE (Burchette/Charlton/Tupper)

PROLOGUE

“This is Lois Lane on special assignment with WGBS News on location in Washington, D.C., the scene of a desperate battle between the recently outlawed Justice League and the government-appointed superhuman watchdog agency known as Checkmate. Unconfirmed reports are also coming in that the U.S. Capitol Building has been destroyed after it was revealed that it was the lair of an extraterrestrial monster called the Star Conqueror. Sources close to the Lord Administration reveal that the President may have been under the influence of a so-called ‘Starro’ creature for months, and that the recent actions of Aquaman, King of Atlantis and former Justice League Chairman, also indicate alien control. The Leaguer known as the Martian Manhunter was last seen leading a strike force of heroes into the sub-basement of the Capitol to deal with the menace from space, as Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash and the rest of the world’s greatest heroes fought a pitched battle on the Mall against the rogue Checkmate Knights revealed to be Bizarro clones from the illegal Project Cadmus…

“This reporter has not seen destruction on this level since the Apokolips Invasion two years ago. Back then, all the world united behind their heroes to battle the evil god Darkseid, but this time it’s not so certain who the enemy is. In recent months, the Lord Administration has expressed deep distrust of our superhuman community and the vast power they wield with no apparent check. Incidents in Las Vegas and Coast City seem to bear out the need for oversight, not to mention the acts of aggression of Aquaman himself. Created by Executive Order, the organization called Checkmate has one mission: to police the world’s greatest heroes. But have they gone too far?

“Public opinion has swayed wildly in this conflict. At first, it seemed hardly believable that the Justice League would step outside the law, be complicit in terrorist attacks on American soil, and attempt to capture the president. Who could believe heroes like Superman capable of such actions? For weeks, these beloved icons and protectors of our world have been hunted and pursued by Checkmate, an organization, we now know, with ties to the shadowy Project Cadmus, and a willingness to employ increasingly fascist tactics. Now it appears that everything has been a carefully orchestrated agenda of manipulation and misdirection, perpetrated once again by a would-be alien overlord…

“At this time, we know very little about the Star Conqueror, except that it works by sending out miniature versions of itself, dubbed ‘Starros’, that attach to its victim’s neck and latch onto the control centers of the brain by transmitting a complex bio-electric imperative, effectively possessing the victim. The miniature versions resemble a small starfish with a bullseye pattern and a small sucker, and it is believed that they are all in simultaneous communication, operating in a hive-mind continuum. There is no word yet if the Martian Manhunter was successful in his attempt to destroy the parent monster…

“For now, however, the battle seems to be over, thanks to the timely arrival of the world’s first--- and some say greatest!--- superhero team, the Justice Society of America, who appear to have come out of retirement in response to this crisis. With the Checkmate Bizarro clones all but defeated by the heroes, a truce seems to be in effect on the devastated Mall. Is this the end? Could our long national nightmare finally be over? Let’s go to Superman, where he appears to be in conversation with the Fawcett City-based hero Captain Marvel…

“Wait! Something’s happening! Oh my god, Jimmy, are you getting this? Look up in the sky…! Folks… It’s… Monstrous! Blotting out the sun… It’s the Star Conqueror! I repeat, an enormous Star Conqueror has appeared in the skies over Washington, D.C.! It dwarfs anything I’ve ever seen before…! The sky is filled with miniature Starros, hundreds of them, falling to Earth…! Jimmy, move!

“It’s pandemonium on the ground here, as chaos and confusion reign in the shadow of the alien menace. And there goes Captain Marvel, followed closely by Superman! They’re headed right for it…!”

“Jimmy, are you getting this? Jimmy!? Jimmy, what are you do---”

From his perch atop the ruins of the Lincoln Memorial, Batman squinted up at the Starro-filled sky. His mind was taking it all in, and he swatted away several Starros as they came down toward him.

“I’m starting to get an idea of what it must have looked like during the whole Apokolips Crisis,” Green Arrow said as came up behind the crouched detective, his bow at the ready.

“Apples and oranges,” Batman muttered, starring grimly at the small Starros that were descending on the crowds in the streets. Cars were screeching to a halt, the sound of metal crushing into metal as some didn’t stop in time, as people ran screaming from the alien menace.

“End of the world again?” came a voice from behind them.

Green Arrow swung around, his arrow nocked and pointed directly at the throat of the man known as King Faraday.

“That wouldn’t be a wise move,” Faraday warned him coolly.

“From where I stand, it couldn’t hurt. You and your kind helped get us into this mess. Got us all confused to the point that we didn’t know who to trust; when the entire time the enemy was our own government, being duped and manipulated by aliens and corporate fat cats. Plugging a few of you guys seems to be the least we could do to help our country out.”

“Arrow, we don’t have time for this,” Batman barked. “What do you want Faraday?”

Although the Black King of Checkmate bristled at the tone of voice, he ignored it. “You need to know that Vice-President Stuart just went to DefCon 2. Fighter pilots are already on their way, but if that thing isn’t taken down, and taken down soon, he’s going to nuke it.”

“That idiot!” Arrow exclaimed. “Even up there it would wipe out everything in the greater D.C. area!”

“And if he doesn’t, it could mean the end of all civilization. It’s not an easy decision, but one he’s willing to make. Your people have one chance at this, and it’s not a big window of opportunity.”

“Typical,” Green Arrow snorted in disgust. “You hunt us down and proclaim us enemies of the state, but a big world crisis and who do you run to?”

Batman was already on his com link to let the others know. Their telepathic connection was still down--- which meant no word from J’onn and the others.

“We’re on it,” Batman said shortly to Faraday. “Let’s go, Arrow.” And with that the two of them took off.

Lex Luthor leaned back in his chair, watching the chaos on the closed circuit television screen which dominated one whole wall of his board room. Behind him, through the window that looked out upon nearly all of Metropolis, could be seen falling the spores from the monstrous Star Conqueror settling into Earth orbit.

On the speaker-phone crackled King Faraday’s voice. He didn’t sound happy.

“It’s over, Lex. I should have known better than to get in bed with a snake like you, but did you really think I wasn’t going to figure out what was going on? Your queens are done, off the board. Checkmate is out of your control!”

“King, King, King for a day…” Lex chortled, sharing an amused glance with the decidedly unamused others who shared the boardroom table with him. “Who knew you’d last much longer?” With that, he withdrew a small device from his coat pocket and jabbed a button.

Sitting at his right hand, Scandal Savage pursed her lips in a satisfied smirk. The smirk died when Faraday’s voice returned.

“If you’re trying to activate the remote electrocutioner device you had Scandal plant on me, then I wish I could see your face. Do you think I’m stupid, Lex? You don’t walk the danger trail for as long as I have and not learn a thing or two.”

“Let me go. I can kill him and be back in a few hours.” Lady Shiva half-stood, subsiding only at Lex’s gesture waving her back down.

“Checkmate has failed, Faraday. Your precious super soldiers have turned against you, which was quite surprising, wasn’t it? The aliens, freaks and vigilantes are still on the loose sowing chaos and contempt for law and order. Soon, they’ll have the press eating out of their hands like before, and we’ll be handing over the destiny of the human race to them once again. Is that what you want?”

“Spare me the propaganda, Lex. You’re the biggest egomaniac on the planet. You wrote the book on contempt for law and order. And Checkmate is not your tool any longer.”

Lex shrugged. “I created Checkmate. I can destroy it just as easily. Those seeds seem to have been planted already by those horrible Bizzaro clones.” He couldn’t help but allow a small smile of satisfaction come across his face.

“I’d like to see you try,” Faraday snapped back quickly. “And so help me if I find out you’ve had anything to do with this Star Conqueror business…”

Luthor brushed that aside, all business now. “You underestimate me--- and my associates--- at your own peril, Faraday.” He paused for a moment, allowing the threat to sink in. Around the table, the rogue Green Lantern Sinestro clenched a fist, his power ring glowing hotly. “I could unleash hell with one word. I have some people here who are not too happy with you…”

Faraday’s laugh came through the speakers. “Oh, I know all about your Secret Society of Super Villains, Lex. Tell Sinestro I’m looking forward to having him as a guest again, soon!”

The pink-skinned Korugaran’s eyebrows arched high and his nostrils flared. His ring sputtered with violent yellow sparks. “Impudent, sadistic ape---.”

Bur Lex seemed amused by the exchange. He made a mollifying gesture to Sinestro and leaned further back in his chair.

“You’ve got nerve, Faraday, I’ll give you that. Now prove to me you’re as smart as you think you are. I could use a man like you on my side. Consider this a one-time only offer: come work for me.”

The question hung heavily in the air in the board room. A few of those around the table bristled at the offer, but Lex met their eyes coolly.

There was a moment’s hesitation on the other end of the line. Then: “Go to hell, Lex. When this is over, I’m coming after you and the Society and I’m taking you down--- hard!”

Lex’s only reaction was a barely perceptible clenching of his jaw.

“Very well, Faraday. Then if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to---.”

“I know what you’re planning Lex,” Faraday shot back. “You’re using the distraction of the alien infestation to break into the Hall of Justice. But it’s impregnable. I’ve had S.T.A.R. Labs scientists at work on it for weeks! You’ll never get in---.”

The noise from the speaker-phone was drowned out by the double doors of the board room suddenly slamming open. The last member of the Society appeared in the doorway. Light glinted off the slick dark armor of Black Manta’s bulbous helmet, and his breathing was audible as he stepped ponderously into the room, carrying a prone figure in his outstretched arms, leaving a trail of water on the carpet in his wake.

Without a word, he deposited the body unceremoniously on the conference table. The other members of the Society looked grudgingly impressed.

Unmoving, the body of Aquaman lay before them, like a dead fish.

“It appears,” Lex said to the others, as much as Faraday on the line, “we have a skeleton key…”

The Capitol Building once stood shining and majestic in its Neo-Classical design, a symbol of freedom and the will of the people. Now it lay in ruin, smoke billowing from the yawning crack in its dome, the portico collapsed and small fires blackening the facade. Only moments ago, it had also been the lair of a monstrous creature from outer space…

There had been a pitched battle with an ancient alien Star Conqueror, one that had spent centuries awakening to its full strength, growing ever-stronger in the bowels of the building, spreading a malignancy and oppressive will like a cancer from the very heart of the land. In the end, it had caused the destruction of perhaps the greatest symbol of free will and democracy this world had ever known. The once-proud, ravaged building sat there now, quiet, smoldering, and reeking of death.

SKREEEEEE!!!!

The bolt of energy exploded upward and into the sky, followed closely by a battle-flushed and exultant Princess Koriand’r, who carried with her the dead, shriveled body of the alien. With a victorious cry, she tossed her vanquished foe into a heap of stone and mortar in the deserted street. The Ray followed her out, unable to refrain from a cheer himself. Right behind him came a glowing green sphere of Starheart-energy pulled by his Justice Society teammate, Jade, carrying within it Hawkman Katar Hol, J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, Atom, Nightwing, and an unconscious Huntress.

“It’s over,” the Ray gasped as they all landed on the ground, clear of the ruined Capitol.

The sounds of not-too distant battle came to them.

“X’Hal!,” Starfire exclaimed, looking into the sky. “No, it’s not!” With a fierce, warrior’s snarl, and without a moment’s hesitation, she shot into the sky, ignoring the protests of Nightwing.

“Size doesn’t matter,” the Atom stated reassuringly to his stunned and battle-weary comrades, who were craning their heads to take in the giant Starro filling up every inch of the sky.

“The bigger they come, the harder they fall, eh?” Katar shared a quick smile with the Atom, then sighed and reached for his Nth metal mace.

The Martian Manhunter stepped forward, raising a hand for Katar to wait. His expression was stricken, but cautious as he squinted upward. His acute Martian vision did not miss the Starros raining down from the Star Conqueror.

“My friends, we may have destroyed the creature that long sought to control and manipulate us and our leaders, but I fear not before it could call its offspring. This Star Conqueror has arrived on Earth just as it did on Mars, and now it is deploying its drones to begin the conquest. It starts here, but soon every life on this planet could be under its sway. We must tread carefully, lest we all succumb to its control.”

Nightwing, who was holding the unconscious body of Huntress, said, “J’onn, you have to reestablish the link with the others. We need to know what’s going on. Helena needs medical attention, now. I’ll be back as soon as I can get her the help she needs.”

J’onn nodded and closed his eyes, reaching out to his teammates. My friends, we were successful. The Star Conqueror that started this crisis has been destroyed, he announced, his tone subdued. The minds of our leaders and friends are free. But our fight is not over! This new menace must be destroyed before it can gain a foothold on Earth, or all is lost!

Wonder Woman’s thoughts came back quickly, J’onn, get everyone back to the Mall as quickly as possible. We’ve got a serious problem here. Superman, Captain Marvel, and now other heroes have already been taken over by this monster. We’re going to need all the help that we can get.

Understood. We will be there momentarily.

As one, the remaining members of the group took to the sky, falling in behind J’onn. Hawkman swatted several falling Starros away with his mace, and grunted, “And here I thought this world would be dull and unexciting compared to Thanagar.”

The Atom, riding on one of his friend’s shoulder straps, braced himself for the battle to come and grinned into the wind. “Nope, never a dull moment around here.”

Batman dodged a blow from an innocent who had succumbed to the attachment on his neck and came back with a quick chop to the neck that laid the young man out cold. He gazed at the scene in front of him: the fighting was getting worse, getting more out of hand as it went on. They had to stop the Star Conqueror, and quickly.

That’s when he received the radio transmission that he had been dreading. They had timed it perfectly, damn them. And there was no way Batman was letting them get away with it. He had his secret sentinel already in place, but he knew that would not be enough: he would need to go himself.

J’onn, the Society has arrived. I need to assemble my team. Have Alan Scott, Wildcat, Black Canary, Booster Gold, Wonder Girl, Black Lightning, Zatanna, Katar, and Blue Beetle meet me at my jet. You’ve got the coordinates. We don’t have much time.

Understood, Batman, and they are on their way. Good luck, my friend.

The Dark Knight gazed at the sight before him, friend battling friend, the two Flashes trading punches at lightning speed, Cyborg battling Superman, and he knew his team were not the ones who would need luck.

A star-spangled figure touched down beside him, a golden trident smoking in her hand.

“Batman! What is it? Why are you pulling troops out of the---.”

“It’s the Society, Diana,” he told her. “They’re going after the Hall.”

“They’ll never breach our defenses! Besides, there are guards---.”

“This is Luthor we’re talking about. Do you really want to take that chance?” he cut her off, keying in a launch sequence for the jet on a remote. “I know you can’t spare the firepower, but if Luthor gets into the Hall… He’ll not only have access to all of our personal information, but to the tech of half a dozen more advanced civilizations: Apokolips, New Genesis, Thanagar, Mars, Krypton, and Atlantis--- not to mention the wisdom of Themyscira!”

He saw the realization dawn in her violet eyes. She nodded, once, sharply. “Go. Stop them.”

Batman, your team is en route, came J’onn’s voice. He sounded slightly strained. Batman and Wonder Woman looked across the battlefield and saw the Martian Manhunter slugging it out with Superman, and he was getting the worst of it.

“I’ve got to stop Kal. He’s killing us out there,” Wonder Woman said by way of farewell. But before she could take to the sky again, Batman barked her name. When she turned back around, he was holding something out to her, a green glowing pebble.

“You’re going to need this,” he told her. “It’s the only way.”

For a moment, it looked as though she wasn’t going to take it. But the blows Superman and the Martian Manhunter were trading in the skies above made the very air pulse around them. She snatched it out of his glove, and clutched it resentfully in her fist.

“It’s what he would want,” Batman said, an odd gentleness in his voice. “And you’re the only one who can do it.”

She nodded; she was Wonder Woman, champion of the gods and the leader of the Justice League. Diana of Themyscira would not shirk her duty. No matter what it meant.

“I’ll do what has to be done here.” She stabbed a finger at him as her feet left the ground. “You just make sure you do the same.”

Batman watched her soar towards the Man of Steel. His jaw tightened as he turned toward his jet, and his team. It was time for the endgame to begin, and he’d make sure that Luthor paid for every drop of blood spilled today--- or die trying.

Lois Lane, a nasty bruise swelling on the side of her face where Jimmy Olsen had struck her with his camera, was still running, trying desperately to get away from the crazed photographer. She turned a corner and found herself in a dead end alley. She turned back, but it was too late, Olsen was there, swinging his camera wildly and grinning from ear to ear.

“Jimmy, listen to me. You can fight this. You can do the right thing and put down the camera,” she said.

However, she knew that it wasn’t going to work and she braced herself. If she had to, she’d take him down herself. She and her sister were military brats, and had been trained to defend themselves; she just didn’t want to hurt Jimmy.

She assumed a defensive position but as Jimmy took a step forward, she watched his body shake and convulse, and then fall to the ground. Standing behind him was a young blonde woman with a taser in her hand. They looked across at each other.

“I was going to shoot him, but I figured you probably wanted to keep him around,” the blonde woman said, a forced smile spreading across her face.

Lois squinted at the woman for a moment. “Chloe! How did you…? What are you doing here?”

“Well you know your cousin; where there’s a world ending crisis, I’ll be there!” she retorted with a wry smile.

They both burst out laughing. It was crazy in the middle of such chaos, but neither could help it. They continued to laugh as they hugged each other for the first time in many years. Cousins who had lost touch, due to their dedication with their jobs.

The laughter ended abruptly as Captain Marvel slammed into the side of the building over their heads. Fragments of brick and mortar began to rain down on them. Lois looked up in time to see Hawkman, the original one from the JSA, hammering into Marvel with a huge medieval mace, not letting him up.

Lois grabbed her cousin and tried to make a run for it, but didn’t get very far as a small chunk of brick hit Chloe in the back, causing her to stumble and fall. She fell forward, scraping her face as she wasn’t able to catch herself in time. More of the building was collapsing around them.

Chloe whispered something, but Lois couldn’t hear it. She looked around and saw a huge trash bin not more than a few feet from them. She grabbed the DEO agent and with all her strength, threw her into the bin, then ran back and grabbed the still-unconscious Jimmy. It was a quick and risky decision, but she yanked off the alien attached to his neck and although she felt debris slam into her shoulder, she continued to drag him to the dumpster. With more strength than she realized she had, she tossed him inside, jumping in right behind him.

As they lay in the darkness, listening to the sounds of the debris hitting the bin, she heard Chloe moaning.

“It’s going to be alright. We’ll get you some help as soon as we can,” Lois said in a soothing voice.

“Not me,” Sullivan said, obviously only half-conscious. “My baby. Just make sure my baby’s okay.”

“Your… baby?” Lois repeated.

Before another word was spoken, the lid flew open and bright light streamed in. Lois looked up to see the Justice League’s Green Lantern looking down at them.

“I thought I saw you go in there. Quick thinking, Ms. Lane,” Green Lantern said with a disarming smile. “Hawkman has Captain Marvel on the run, but I’m not sure how long he can keep it up. Is everyone here okay?”

“No, Agent Sullivan of the DEO has been hurt. She needs immediate medical attention.”

Lois didn’t miss that Green Lantern’s face had turned suddenly pale as he reached in and lifted her out.

“Be careful,” Lois said warningly. “She just told me she’s pregnant.”

For a moment she thought Green Lantern was going to drop her, his jaw dropping. Lois watched as Chloe lifted her head up and a rueful smile twisted her lips.

“Surprise,” she whispered before her head fell against his shoulder.

Hal picked up Jimmy with his ring and flew off with the two of them. Lois watched him leave, cradling Chloe’s body closely to his. She was a reporter, and her instincts were spot on; they always had been.

“Surprise, indeed,” she whispered with an arched eyebrow.

From somewhere inside Superman, a small sliver of independence and identity struggled to surface. But the depths in which it swam were murky and deep, and resonated with a weird alien harmonic that made assertion impossible.

He knew what he was doing, but the neuro-pathic imperative was too strong to resist. The cold, slimy thing on his neck drained him of all free will: he watched as if through a stranger’s eyes as he throttled the Martian Manhunter, twisting the malleable form of J’onn J’onzz beyond all recognition. With a mighty heave, he hurled his friend to the ground, then watched in horror through crimson-tinted eyes as he unleashed his heat vision to finish the job.

But the beams were deflected back at him, slamming full force into his chest and immolating his “S” shield! The part of him that was not controlled by the Starro thrilled to see the form of Wonder Woman floating before him, her silver bracelets crossed in front of her and smoking.

“I won’t let you do it, Kal!” she cried fiercely. “I won’t let you kill J’onn or anyone else! I won’t let you destroy everything you’ve worked so hard to protect!”

The Starro commanded that his adrenal gland pump furiously, that his heart-rate should accelerate. It spoke with his voice, and to Superman it sounded like a hundred voices, all echoing at different pitches: “You cannot stop us, Amazon. We control the only unstoppable weapon on this planet: the Kryptonian.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Wonder Woman held up a fist, and it pulsed with a sickly green light.

Waves of nausea washed over the Man of Steel, but the part of him that was still Kal-El felt a bittersweet surge of relief. Thank you, Bruce! Now, if only Diana can do what needs to be done…!

Superman lunged at Wonder Woman, and the Amazing Amazon did not balk. She reared back with the glowing fist and surged forward.

Power Girl enjoyed not holding back. She laid into Solomon Grundy with everything she had, her blow sending the monster crashing into a display case of Apokoliptian mind-melters. Whirling, she backhanded the Cheetah, but the arch-villainess rolled with the blow, back-flipping away. Next she turned to Black Manta, who was aiming the point of a harpoon-gun at her. She caught the barbed weapon, one-handed, inches from her chest, and smiled patronizingly at the Marine Marauder as she bent it like a pretzel.

When Batman had called to ask her to guard the Hall, she had resented it bitterly. While everyone else was out having the battle of their lives, she had been relegated to house-sitter! But apparently the Dark Knight had known more than he had let on, and Karen Starr was relieved to finally strike a blow in this crisis.

She was advancing on the retreating Black Manta when she was hit from behind, hard. Staggering, she went down on her knees, her hands breaking her fall. A haughty voice said, “Don’t get up, girl. Do you really think you can stand alone against the Society?”

All she could think about was what Booster would say if he found out she had been taken down by these goons. “Yep!” She spun around, her blood boiling. Much to her own surprise, twin beams of super-intense heat shot from her eyes, sweeping across Sinestro. The villain’s ring protected him from mortal injury, but the force of the blast knocked him for a loop, and straight into Lady Shiva.

“Well, that’s new…” Power Girl muttered to herself.

Just then, the floor of the Hall began to shake, and cracks suddenly opened up the length of the room. Power Girl took to the air, almost instantly spotting the culprit: Poison Ivy stood with her arms wide, a look of concentration on her face. What she was doing became clear in a moment: from every opening in the floor and split in the walls, expanded rapidly growing shoots, vines and tendrils, all of them writhing with a mind of their own--- straight towards Power Girl!

The heroine was immediately seized by ropes of green and brown organic material--- which she snapped easily, but more appeared to take their place. She broke those, too, but found herself continually bound and tied. From below, came the throaty laughter of Poison Ivy.

Feeling the fury rise within her, Power Girl again unleashed her heat vision, neatly slicing off the branches and creepers at their roots; she spun herself around at superspeed, shaking off her bonds and clearing a wide area all around her.

The Grand Foyer of the Hall of Justice resembled nothing so much as the Amazon Jungle now, with small fires burning everywhere from Power Girl’s heat-vision. The heroine drilled her way back to the ground--- she needed to get to Ivy, to end this wild forestation!

The minute she stopped spinning, she was seized from behind, two massive arms wrapping around her midsection pinning her arms to her side. Grundy! Nor was he alone. Sinestro touched down before them, blasting her with his ring. Wave after wave of yellow blasts slammed into her as Grundy chortled into her ear. Screaming in pain, Power Girl nevertheless launched herself at Sinestro, a stunned Grundy holding onto her for dear life. The two of them hit the rogue Green Lantern, and all three went down in a tangled mess.

“Enough of this!” Abra Kadabra appeared in a puff of white smoke, flourishing his wand. He pointed it at the groggy Power Girl, and she was lifted, unresistingly, from the pile of bodies. With a flick of his wand, he levitated her closer to him, just as he was joined by Luthor.

“What shall I do with her?” the 64^th century magician asked Lex.

Lex studied the weakened Power Girl a moment; she made feeble little movements in the stasis field, but her eyes were hard and defiant.

“Can you kill her?”

“Oh, assuredly,” Abra answered. “It may take some thought and some time, but I’m sure I could come up with something.” His moustache twitched in anticipation.

“Time is the thing we have in least supply right now,” Lex said, disappointed. “We have to get about our business before any others arrive. Leave her. We’ll pick her and Aquaman up on the way out.”

“Very well.”

Power Girl glared at them, but could only watch helplessly as the Society made their way past her into the depths of the Hall of Justice…

“Ollie, no!” Batgirl cried, watching as the Emerald Archer went down with a Starro clinging to the back of his neck.

She dashed across the broken, rubble-strewn ground, hoping to reach her teammate before the thing took hold of him, but could see she was going to be too late. Best she could do now was put him out of commission.

Green Arrow straightened up, a shaft already nocked to his bow and whistling towards her. She fired back at the same: her aim was true and the arrow was split in half by her batarang. Racing forward, she hoped she could get to him before that quick draw of his got off another shot--- she was leaping into the air when she felt the arrow go through her left shoulder. It penetrated the Kevlar and she cried out in spite of herself.

Her momentum kept her going, though, and she was able to kick the bow out of Ollie’s hand. He swung out to strike her, but she blocked and whipped her body around, her heel jabbing into his midsection. He fell back and she pressed into him, backhanding him again in the jaw and as his head snapped back, a red hand grabbed him from behind and pulled off the Starro. Green Arrow slumped to the ground.

“Thank you,” Babs said, gasping for breath, holding the shoulder with the arrow stuck into it.

Red Tornado was about to reply when they both heard the jets soar above them. They looked up to see the Blackhawks scream by overhead.

“Damn it, we’re too late,” Batgirl whispered. “They’re going to try and nuke it. They’re going to sacrifice us all.”

Red Tornado looked up and then back to his friend. “Not if I have anything to say about it...” Before he took off, he grabbed her by her waist and pulled her to him. He gave her a kiss, and for a second Barbara could have sworn she actually felt some kind of electricity pass between them. Then he pulled away.

“I… I…” She didn’t know what to say.

“Odd. It looks more interesting in the movies.” And with that he flew away, rising on a cyclone of wind.

The jet fighters veered off at the last second, one cutting to the left, the other to the right, but the third one continued straight on to the Star Conqueror. He felt his android body shaking as he continued to push his power harder and faster, and just as he had caught up with the jet, the bomb was released, and the jet soared off to the left.

Red Tornado gave it all he had, realizing he was pushing his powers far beyond their structural limits. He stretched out as he got closer to the bomb, his face beginning to melt as he grabbed a hold of the end of it, the fire burning into his artificial skin. He pulled himself up and climbed on top of the bomb as it closed in on its destination.

“Reddy, don’t do this,” came Barbara’s voice into his ear-piece. “I’m trying to get Firestorm---.”

“My only regret,” he told her as he rode the bomb, “is that I don’t have the cowboy hat to complete this moment.”

From the ground, Batgirl and a now-conscious Green Arrow watched in horror as the Red Tornado powered up again, forcing the nuclear bomb off course, and straight up, higher and higher, until it was out of sight. There was nothing but blue sky for a moment, and then a flash of light, brighter than they had ever seen. It had come from space, and they knew what it was.

“Reddy,” Batgirl whispered into her communicator, but it was met only by silence.

“Oh God,” Ollie said. Then he turned to Barbara. “I’m so sorry.”

The red-haired woman stared at him for a moment, her face emotionless. “Part of being an Outsider, isn’t it?” She turned and walked away from him, leaving Oliver Queen speechless.

Poison Ivy flinched away from the blast that cleared her foliage from the front entrance to the Hall, and squinted past the smoldering plant-life to see a shining blue and gold figure leap into view.

“Alright, you bozos can surrender now. Booster Gold is here!”

Ivy just stared in stunned disbelief at the ridiculous figure, as Cheetah and Sinestro joined her, hungry for an easy kill, laughing at their good luck.

But Booster’s smile got--- if possible--- even wider. “Oh, and I brought these guys along for the ride.”

He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder as Batman, the JSA’s Green Lantern and Wildcat, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Wonder Girl, Zatanna, Black Lightning and the Justice League’s Hawkman all came rushing forward into the Hall, howling mad!

Ivy, Cheetah and Sinestro braced themselves and met them head-on!

Superman smashed hard into the brick wall of the building, with Wonder Woman right on top of him, her glowing green fist falling relentlessly in blow after blow. Next to her appeared the Martian Manhunter, his eyes closed in concentration.

J’onn, tell Diana not to let up. I can’t break control of this thing; she’s got to finish it. It’s the only way.

That will not be necessary, Kal. You are weak enough now for me to rip off the Starro. This will hurt, but you should be fine in a few minutes.

What about Maxwell Lord? It put him in a coma because he was meta as well.

His powers are mentally based. It was a mental feedback that caused his condition.

Then do it, while I’m holding on.

J’onn grabbed Diana’s arm to stop her pummeling, and quickly pulled Superman forward and tore off the Starro. The Man of Steel cried out in pain and fell to his knees. The Starro began to twitch and move.

“One of its weaknesses is intense cold, Superman. Destroy it,” J’onn said.

Even in his battered condition, Superman took a deep breath and let go with a blast of arctic breath. The creature curled up immediately and died.

Wonder Woman put the green kryptonite into her belt. “Of course. That explains why the one on Arthur released him. When you two were fighting, you kept going deeper and deeper into the ocean, until that thing couldn’t take the frigid waters. Kal, I’m sorry for what I had to do.”

Superman stood up with the help of his friends. “Don’t be. You did exactly what you needed to. Now, let’s break the hold that this monstrosity has on our friends and end this, once and for all.”

Diana looked up. “It looks like some of us are already on their way to do just that.”

The others looked up to see the Justice Society member, Starman, leading his team towards the gigantic creature…

Jay, Barry, Wally and Jesse sped across the battlefield spreading the same urgent message to their comrades: “Heads down! Don’t look up!”

When the light filled the sky, the fighting stopped--- all of creation was awash in a soft white glow; time seemed to slow down, and for a brief moment, they all existed in the same dream-like pregnant uncertainty…

And though it seemed to last an eternity, the pure, brilliant light that had been Starman faded and sight returned--- and a mighty cheer rose up from the ground. The Star Conqueror still hung, suspended in the sky, but it was listing dangerously, nothing left of its single gargantuan eye but a blind, milky orb. It began to lose altitude, its tentacles writhing and spasming, and on the ground, every individual possessed by a Starro fell to their knees in mirrored agony.

Heroes and civilians alike watched in bated breath as the monster came crashing to earth. It hit the Potomac River with a mighty splash, shaking the ground for miles around. It sizzled as if being cooked internally, smoke rising from it in great clouds, and it thrashed on the surface of the water, emitting for the first time an eerie high-pitched whine that caused all to hear it to cover their ears.

In its death throes, the Star Conqueror was striking back with all it had left.

Almost there, Luthor’s eyes flickered rapidly across the screen, his fingers a blur on the keyboard. He felt like a spoiled child on Christmas morning, unwrapping present after present. First the schematic of an Oan power ring! Perfect! How did you know? Next, principles of Martian eugenics. Just what I always wanted! Soon he would have all the information he needed to make him the most powerful single player on the world stage.

And, of course, he had his insurance policy ready as well. While one hand was busy facilitating the downloads, the other was working on another console, hacking into the League’s monitor satellite on the far side of the moon…

There were sounds of a struggle from outside the room, but he ignored it. He just needed a few more seconds…

Then he was done. Just like that. His hands shaking in excitement, he unplugged the thumb drives and placed them back into the fitted foam slots of his metallic briefcase.

The batarang whizzed so close by his head it sliced a small cut into his ear. It smashed into the terminal screen, showering Lex with sparks and bits of glass. Flinching away, trying to clear his vision, Lex reached for his shoulder holster and fired blindly behind him.

The shots struck the steel door of Central Control, but just as his vision returned Lex spotted the swathe of black cape disappear behind a bank of computer servers off to the right.

“Batman.” Lex stood, peering around the corner. “I thought it might come down to the two of us. That big blue Boy Scout probably still hasn’t figured out what’s really going on. Good thing the heroes have you around to explain things to them.”

He crept cautiously forward, the gun held in front of him, the briefcase in his other hand.

“Superman’s got your number, Luthor.” The voice of the Dark Knight seemed to come from everywhere in the room at once, causing Lex to turn and look around in confusion. “The only difference between us is I play dirty.”

“I’m not that idiot Nigma, Batman,” Luthor said calmly. “You can’t intimidate me.”

“No, you’re Lex Luthor,” Batman growled. “Collaborator with Darkseid, puppeteer of Checkmate and leader of the Secret Society of Super Villians… All of which will get you a life sentence at Stryker’s--- if there’s enough left when I’m through with you.”

A noise behind him alerted Luthor, and he spun, blasting away. The bullets demolished a bank of blank screens, but there was no sign of Batman.

Hollow, mirthless laughter filled Central Control. “When I come for you, Lex, you won’t hear me.”

“You’re too late, Batman,” Luthor spat back, his voice a little too high, now. “I’ve already transferred the contents of your databanks back to my own headquarters, and I can assure you I’ve left no trail. I’ve got it all. I’ve won.”

“Don’t bluff me, Lex. The computers in the Hall have a fail-safe firewall of Rannian design. There’s no way to datadump or upload to an outside network. I’m guessing the briefcase in your hand holds a number of thumb drives with the information you covet so badly. Bad enough to waken the ancient Star Conqueror that slept beneath the Capitol, bad enough to endanger every man, woman and child on this planet by seeking to put its heroes out of commission… Everything is just a tool to you, Luthor, a means to an end. Well what’s the endgame now, Lex? You can’t possibly imagine I’m going to let you walk out of this room…”

This time, it was Luthor’s turn to laugh. “Very clever, Batman. Yes. It was I who found and woke that alien monster, and found a way to communicate with it… I’m getting very good at negotiating with interstellar menaces, you see. I created the Cadmus Project and manipulated Checkmate to my own ends, just as the Secret Society serves me now. But you’re wrong about one thing, Dark Knight: you are going to let me walk out of this room--- and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

There was a silence that stretched on for a long moment. Batman knew that Lex Luthor did not make idle threats.

“Now why would I do that?” The Dark Knight’s voice was low and dangerous.

A smug smile spread across Luthor’s thin lips. He stepped over to a console and tapped rapidly on the keys. On the main screen of Central Control, an image resolved; it was a photo, clearly taken by the League’s own super-powerful monitor satellite, of a sector of deep space. Visible against the star-field were specs of color, hundreds of them, perhaps thousands--- all of them in the shape of a starfish.

“Do you know what that is, Batman?” Lex asked conversationally. He didn’t wait for a response. “That is a magnified view of the beta quadrant of the Andromeda Galaxy--- otherwise known as the spawning grounds of the Star Conqueror race. I traced the course of the one having a tantrum over D.C. right now, and found this wonderful little horror. Seems we only merited the attention of one of the smaller ones.”

There was the sound of snapping leather, and Batman appeared out of nowhere, dropping to the ground mere feet from Luthor.

“What have you done?”

“What I always do, you fool. I’m winning,” Luthor snapped back, all trace of humor gone. “I’ve reconfigured the transmitter on that satellite of yours, and pointed it right at them. I’m calling for them, Batman! I’m bringing the whole lot of them down on us!”

Batman was appalled. He took a step forward. “I’ll shut it down---.”

“You can’t. Weren’t you listening?” Lex said scornfully. “I said I reconfigured the satellite. It’ll take you hours to undo my protocols. And don’t think you can force me to do it. I’ll die before I lose.”

“You’ll die if the Star Conquerors reach Earth,” Batman grated. “Or worse, you’ll be a mindless slave to an alien mind.”

“And so will that ‘every man, woman and child on the planet’ you and your ilk are always so concerned with,” Lex sneered. “I’m betting you’re not willing to let that happen. That’s why you’re going to let me walk right out of here. When I’m clear of the Hall, I’ll deactivate the homing signal. I calculate I have approximately two minutes until the point of no return--- but the longer you delay, the stronger the signal gets… Your choice, Batman. What’s it going to be: Scylla or Charybdis? The lady or the tiger? Bring the criminal to justice or save the world?”

Every muscle in Batman’s body tensed visibly. He seemed poised on the verge of uncoiling into action.

“One minute, forty-five seconds, Batman.” Lex glanced at his watch, his eyebrows arched. “What’s it going to be?”

His jaw clenched decisively, Batman said, “There’s a third option.” The batarang flew from his hand in the blink of an eye, ringing like a clarion off Luthor’s gun, which discharged loudly as it flew from the master criminal. Before Luthor could look up from his stinging hand, Batman was upon him, his gloved fist crashing into Lex’s face, causing the briefcase to fall from his grip. Luthor would have fallen, but Batman grabbed him by his lapels and flung him up against a bank of monitors.

“W---What are you doing?” Blood trickled from Lex’s mouth and nose, but his eyes were cold and hard.

“I’m outplaying you,” Batman growled.

Then he whirled away, moving to the closest control station. Behind him, Luthor realized he’d been cuffed to the terminal, and strained violently against it to no avail.

Batman jabbed furiously at the control station, his eyes laser-focused on the scrolling readout on the screen.

“What are you doing?” Luthor repeated with an air of resignation.

“What I have to do.” There were ice and daggers in Batman’s voice. He did not look at Luthor, but continued to type, going through window after window. “I can’t order the satellite to stop transmitting, but I can shut it down.”

Luthor snorted derisively.

Then Batman was done. He straightened, gazing wordlessly at the screen as an automated voice issued from the speakers: “Hall of Justice auto-destruct countdown has commenced. Sixty seconds, fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven…”

Luthor’s jaw dropped as Batman turned to him. “The feedback from the Hall’s destruction will travel through the uplink and overload the satellite, burning out every circuit and relay, and cutting off the signal.”

“Impossible!” Luthor exclaimed. “I disengaged the auto destruct sequence. I had Grundy tear it right out of the system. It doesn’t even exist anymore,” he scoffed, but there was uncertainty behind his eyes.

“The Justice League had theirs, I had mine. Game’s over, Luthor; you’ve lost. Checkmate.”

Across the country folks tuned their TVs and radios to Lois Lane’s live broadcast from Washington, D.C., watching and listening with growing pride and humility the battle their heroes waged to save the world.

“… still not sure exactly what just happened, but there was a blinding flash of light in the sky that seems to have brought down the Star Conqueror! It is an awesome and terrible sight to behold: the behemoth has splashed down in the Potomac, and seems to be emitting a high-pitched, almost keening whine.” The picture of Lois Lane on the roof of the Watergate Hotel crackled in and out of reception, but all of America hung on her words. “Is this some last-ditch effort by the interstellar monster, or are we finally hearing its death rattle? There can be no doubt it is badly hurt: everyone infected by a Starro-parasite seems to be incapacitated. And now…” She cupped a hand to her earpiece. “I am getting confirmation that the flash that knocked the Star Conqueror out of the sky registered at nearly one million terawatts, making it literally the brightest event ever seen within our atmosphere… Unconfirmed reports are now coming in that Starman, beloved guardian of Opal City and lifelong member of the venerated Justice Society of America, was the source of the flash. Experts back at the studio tell me that… the resulting heat of a flash of that magnitude would instantly vaporize a human being…” Lois looked away from the camera for a moment, the implication of her statement striking an emotional chord.

There were tears as the reporter spoke, and all of America shared her grief and astonishment.

“These are our heroes, people of America.” She faced the camera again, her cheeks unabashedly wet. “Persecuted and hunted, reviled and disrespected as they have been for the last few weeks--- fighting and dying to save us, as they have done so often in the past. And it’s not over yet! The Star Conqueror appears to be blinded and weakened, but it’s not finished…

“And here comes Superman! Freed of alien control by his Justice League teammate Wonder Woman, the Man of Steel is all over the battlefield, helping and raising up his comrades, destroying Starros with his heat vision and arctic breath-blasts! Now he’s freed Captain Marvel, and together they’re rallying the tired and battered heroes against the still-flailing Star Conqueror.

“They are hitting it with everything they have! The monster is attempting to fight back, to rise haltingly back into the sky--- OH! In a coordinated attack, Superman and Captain Marvel have knocked the creature back into the river! I can feel the ground shake from here…! And I think I see… Yes! It looks like our heroes are not alone in their struggle! Emerging from the river are hundreds of Atlantean war-sleds! They are surrounding the Star Conqueror and bombarding it with a fearsome barrage! The Atlantean people, who not long ago were manipulated by the Star Conqueror into attacking the surface world, have joined forces with us to take down our mutual enemy!

“This reporter has never seen anything like this! Starros are falling dead out of the sky… The leviathan is thrashing and screeching… Now it’s sinking beneath the waves! It’s over! I think… Yes! They did it! WE WON!”

A roar like none heard before, swelled across the nation’s capital. The heroes began to slap themselves on the back, hugging and laughing, some through tears, as the adrenaline began to fade.

All but one man, who spotted the remains of a nearly shattered and charred cosmic rod lying in a small park. Jay Garrick ran over to it and knelt down. He picked it up gingerly, tears streaking his face. You did it, old friend, he thought. You saved us all. Starman will be missed. Godspeed.