#12: To See Tomorrow, Pt. 4 (Walsh / Flinchum)

Chapter Two
Starring Firestorm, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Hawkman and the Manhunter from Mars

J’onn J’onzz looked at his rescuers, his red eyes unfocused as he let his mind wander free from the room they stood in. His team-mates watched and waited, Hawkgirl providing a still-disoriented Hawkman with support; Hawkman accepting it while trying to appear as if he stood at attention on his own.

“The Dharlu is a biomechanical creature,” J’onn announced as he reached out and found the alien beast at last. It was lurking in the infrastucture of a lower floor, its mind having fallen into hibernation from the super-cold it was immersed in. “I caught some of its nature and origin when it had managed to secure the mindlock on Hawkman and myself. It was grown for the purpose of gaining control of the satellite. It knows only to seize control. Right now, the cold has its brain comatose.”

“Well, we’ll just be keeping the temperatures for the lower levels reduced,” Green Lantern said as he made the proper adjustments.

“It does its job well,” Hawkman said as he watched Hal Jordan manipulate the control panel. “I’ve never seen the various components of the satellite interface so smoothly. We might have something here.”

“Are you suggesting locking that creature up in our computer core?” Hawkgirl asked, her and Firestorm giving the winged warrior a stunned look. “It’s a living creature!”

“It’s an alien monster out to conquer us!” Firestorm added.

“Something to discuss. It has no other purpose but to control the satellite,” Martian Manhunter repeated. “Right now, we have other things to attend to. Such as who sent it to attack us.”

“Well, I have a guess,” Hawkman said as he looked at the sensors on the control panel, and made his own adjustments while Green Lantern fixed the sub-zero temperatures for the lower half of the satellite. “I recognize sub-space ripples out near the Moon, patterns that would probably be missed normally.”

“Oh? And what patterns are those?” Hal asked, looking over to see the readings in question.

“Thanagarian stealth shield,” Katar Hol answered grimly. “Two ships, I’d say. And if we have Thanagarian ships hiding in space, and Wingmen robbing Earth museums...”

“...can’t be a coincidence,” Hawkgirl finished with a smug smirk on her face while Katar looked up at her, irritated to have his sentence finished for him. “I say we go pay these ships a visit. Since we shut down the Dharlu, and they have these shields up, I’m betting we have the drop on them.”

Hal gave his own cocky smile now as he looked over at Kendra Saunders. “I like the way you think, Hawkgirl.” He gave her a wink as he started out of the room and into the hall, followed quickly by Hawkgirl, and then the others.

Hawkman left the room last, trailing Martian Manhunter, and pulling out his mace, thumping the head of the heavy metal weapon into the palm of his hand and watching the two heroes at the forefront.

The five heroes reached an airlock and stepped out from the satellite’s protection, each powered by their own abilities as they flew quickly across the space, only missing by a minute the arrival of the Atom a room away.

“If they are well-trained crews, they will be monitoring the local space,” Hawkman said as he sped up through the group and took the lead. “They will see us coming. They will alert their fellows below, or any other ships hiding in the system. Can we do something about that?”

Hal gave a thumb’s up and his ring began to emit a soft green pulse at regular intervals. “Frequencies jammed, Hawk my friend.”

The five heroes grew silent as they stared ahead to their goals, the two sleek wing-ships appearing in view soon enough. One of the ships turned toward the incoming League members, weapons powering up.

“Prepare for their attack,” J’onn announced. Bolts of ruby energy surged from the ship as the Martian Manhunter darted ahead of the group and blocked one of the weapons. Green Lantern’s ring lashed out with a verdant kite shield, catching the other stream of energy.

“The other ship will be the command vessel,” Hawkman declared, and then streaked out toward it, quickly followed by Hawkgirl.

“I will go with them, if you two can handle this craft,” J’onn offered and then followed when Hal gave the thumb’s up again.

“Two against a spaceship?” Firestorm asked Green Lantern as he ducked a new burst of weapons fire, while Green Lantern provided his three team-mates with cover.

“Yeah, I know. That’s really not fair to the Thanagarians, but hey, they did bring it on themselves,” Hal answered with that confident grin.

We can handle it, Ron, Martin Stein said from within Ronnie Raymond’s psyche. Focus on the molecular structure I’m picturing, and then ask Green Lantern to make us a hole in the hull. If he can.

“Of course he can, Prof. He’s Green Lantern. If he can’t do that, we’re not gonna be able to do squat,” Ronnie answered, making Hal glance at him.

“What?”

“Make us a hole in the hull?” Firestorm asked as the two heroes ducked and weaved around the ship, green and golden blasts of power from the two heroes slowly disarming the ship.

“Sure,” Hal replied. An emerald power drill appeared, the bit tearing into the metal of the ship as it attempted to escape the attack. Green Lantern merely moved the plasma drill bit with the ship, slipping at a couple of moments, but a whoosh of oxygen soon announced success. “Now what?” He grinned though, not worried; Firestorm seemed to have a plan, and he was curious what the kid had in mind.

Firestorm dove down to the hole and closed his eyes as he released the restructuring power through his hands, filtering a powerful anesthetic throughout the craft for several minutes, before finishing and pulling up.

The ship continued to soar in a straight line, without guidance until huge emerald tongs stopped it. “Nice work!”

At the other ship, Wingmen soldiers flew out to meet Martian Manhunter and the two Hawks. A dozen warriors piled on the three heroes, but J’onn was implacable, laser vision searing artificial wings and leaving attackers floating helpless, and powerful arms battering through the center of the assault, giving his partners the chance to get on board.

“Now where?” Kendra asked Katar as they pounded through the airlock and into the ship.

“This way to Command and Control,” Hawkman answered tersely and led her down a hall.

In the command center, ship’s captain Hadric Nor watched the reports of the attack with growing dismay. He ordered soldiers into the hall to stop the traitorous Thanagarian and his companion, and then watched as the two Leaguers tore through them. He ordered blast shields closed to secure the command room, but, by that time, the Martian had arrived and the blast doors were dismantled quickly.

“This Hawkman is a most capable warrior,” the Persuader said with admiration as he thumbed the haft of his Atomic Axe. “I am very glad I came to this world. First this...Amazon?...and now the traitor.”

“I’m so happy you’re finding fulfillment in the collapse of our mission for the master,” Commander Nor snapped as he looked up to see the doors into the command room torn open. “I will not return to him in disgrace, I promise you that.”

“Do what you feel you must,” Persuader said as he charged toward the intruders, dismissing the Thanagarian captain. Hawkgirl swung her mace for Persuader’s knees but he blocked the attempt with an efficient maneuver of his haft and then lifted it to catch her jaw and send her sprawling away. A deft flick of his wrists brought the blade down at J’onn next, who had turned intangible, confident in his ability to avoid damage, only to feel the blade slice a wicked line across the broad green chest. “Stand aside, you two. I would battle the worthy Hawk Man!” he announced.

“Fine by me, Okaaran!” Hawkman snarled as he flew toward the warrior, mace clashing with halberd in a flurry of feints, blows and sweeps. The two circled each other, eyes locked and faces set into grim determination. A thrust of the haft, a swing of the mace, a slash of the axe, a lashing kick, a wicked head-butt: all this and more left both men bruised and breathing heavy. Hawkman grew angrier as he struggled to find a way past the Okaaran’s defenses; Persuader grinned wickedly at the grand sport, watching more and more of the traitor’s discipline slip and lead to the coup de gras.

“What are you hoping to do?” Martian Manhunter asked as he floated up through the floor behind Commander Nor, who spun around in his command chair. “Self-destruct? How...selfish. Cowardly almost. I do not think we will be letting that happen.” He backhanded Nor and sent him down to the floor unconscious before telepathically rummaging through the Thanagarian’s mind for how to deactivate the self-destruct sequence.

Hawkgirl had been surrounded by the bridge crew, each arm held by a different soldier, and a third soldier preparing to start beating her. She lifted her head, gave a mean-looking grin and brought her leg up between the third man’s two legs.

“You know, I really wondered if that would work on an alien,” she said as she watched the man scream in pain and fall to the ground. She twisted with all her strength, hip-tossing the warrior to her right, before head-butting the man holding her left-arm. “I wondered if maybe it would be in a knee, or a chin or something. Nice to see Thanagarians have some things in common with Earthlings.” She landed a sharp kick to her first victim’s jaw and sent him crashing to the ground unconscious.

“Ship is secured,” J’onn announced as he looked up from the control panel and caught Hawkgirl’s eyes.

“Bridge crew’s taken care of,” Hawkgirl reported, and then looked over to the duel.

“You tire, you weaken, and you are losing focus, Hawkman,” Persuader declared as he launched a flurry of swipes at the winged warrior. “Soon, I will have you defeated. You were a worthy opponent, but you couldn’t hope to last.”

Hawkman took to the air, trying to keep near to the ceiling to avoid the Atomic Axe, having seen it slice into an intangible J’onn. His eyes narrowed and he felt sweat run down his brow under his helmet as he desperately swerved the furious strikes.

“It is time to get this over with, so I don’t have to listen to you anymore,” Katar answered, swooping down with a powerful two-handed stroke of his mace that Persuader sidestepped easily. The Okaaran swung upward with the halberd, as Hawkman called out, “Hold on to something!”

Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter watched as Katar spun around as quickly as he could, grunting in pain as he twisted his body hard, slipping under the blade and then darting up after the avoided blade. Persuader could only watch in awe and respect as the powerful stroke was encouraged by Katar, slicing through the top of the hull. The explosive decompression sucked Persuader out into space, his cry of surprise cut off by the dissipating oxygen.

Hawkman and his partners struggled to keep the bridge crew from being sucked out into space as well, until a small green dome appeared over the gash. Green Lantern dropped in and gave a wave. “Everything under control in here?” he asked.

“Thanks to our worthy Hawkman,” Hawkgirl replied with a cheery smile and a look of admiration at the exhausted Katar.

J’onn sat Commander Nor on his chair and folded his arms over his chest as he watched the captain wake up slowly. “Now to find out what is going on.”

“I am telling you nothing, Martian!” Nor snapped back angrily.

“You do not have to say a word,” J’onn replied calmly as his red eyes started to gain that unfocused look, his mind rummaging through the Thanagarian captain to learn about the plots and designs of his master. “Kanjar Ro. Somehow he is behind everything. I can not wait to learn more.” And he plunged deeper into the murky plans.

Chapter Four
Starring Superman and Mon-El

“No!” Superman cried out as he watched Mon-El flutter helplessly to the waters below. The red-garbed Kryptonian struggled to ignore the pain racking his body, and Superman’s eyes narrowed in fury as he turned on Nightfall.

“First, we make sure you don’t hurt anyone else,” Superman promised as he flew at the woman. She lashed out with a tentacle of shadow that whipped across his chest. It caused no pain, but a momentary chill passed through his invulnerable flesh as he closed with her and swung a punch at her. Even angry, he was cautious with his blow, not yet knowing her limits.

The darkness she commanded swept up and around her and blunted the powerful fist as the disc she stood on pulled her back from the angry Man of Steel. He again moved toward her, but he couldn’t help but notice he didn’t succeed in increasing his speed, as he had intended.

“Something wrong, Kryptonian?” she taunted him while unleashing spheres of darkness that battered into his chest and face. “Not quite yourself at the moment?”

Superman flew after her, punching aside the next two or three spheres, and noticing the chill slowly spread over his skin. He paused as it sank in, and Nightfall’s taunting grin widened. “That’s right. My darkness is driving the solar radiation right out of your cells. I’m sure you’d be able to strike me down before I could defeat you...but I’m not alone, am I?”

It was then that a powerful arc of power coruscated across the Man of Steel, unleashed by Overmaster, who was still orbited by the imprisoned Wandjina. Wandjina’s power still at the Overmaster’s command as he drew down tremendous bolts of lightning and drove them deep into the sizzling ocean.

Superman cried out in pain as Overmaster blasted into him, and he staggered back as Nightfall lashed out with shadowy tendrils, the twin attacks slowly driving Superman into defeat and unconsciousness. Kal-El resisted, struggled back against the blows, but it was clearly only a matter of moments.

Moments the Overmaster and his Nightfall would not get. “Get off of my brother!” Mon-El demanded, sweat dripping from his pores, a sickly grayish cast at his throat and fingertips as he streaked up and smashed through Nightfall’s defenses. He struck again and again as she struggled to regain balance, but Mon-El’s fury was too much. Superman now turned his attention on Overmaster, and met the surge of power being thrown at him with his own amazing heat vision. He drew on every ounce of energy in his body to burn hotter than he ever had before, and even Overmaster was surprised at the furious assault, breaking off his own attack.

“Return, loyal vassal. This battle is lost and I need you for a bigger struggle,” Nightfall cried out as she formed darkness into a portal and reached out for her Shatterfist as Mon-El’s surge passed and the lead poisoning again started to claim him.

“We’re not done here, not by a long shot!” Superman declared as he flew to the falling Mon-El and grabbed him up. “And when I come back, it’ll be with friends of my own! Count on it!” Then Superman was gone over the horizon.

Shatterfist stepped through the portal and to Nightfall, dropping to a bended knee at her feet. “My liege! I have returned!”

“Too late for this fight. But don’t worry, my loyal servant. First blood was ours. Final blood will be as well,” Nightfall said with her taunting smile returning as a hand ran over Shatterfist’s head.

Chapter Six
Starring the Batman, the Elongated Man, Firestorm, the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, and the Manhunter from Mars

The Dark Knight Detective was a man who did his best to never let situations get the better of him. No matter the sights, sounds and motions, no matter the affects on other people, Bruce Wayne had spent years mastering his reactions so that he would never be caught off-balance, off-guard, unprepared or at a loss. All that training failed him now, awe gripping his mind at the scene unfolding around him. His one other surviving thought at that moment: if he could be this amazed, how must his team-mates be handling it.

Green Lantern stood in the command center of the Thanagarian wing-ship, his arm outstretched before him, his ring giving off wave after wave of emerald energy. His ring-hand rested on top of Firestorm’s own hands, and beneath those of J’onn J’onzz; and those not involved in the work of the three heroes could feel the palpable aura of sheer willpower and raw force being channeled into the universe’s most powerful weapon. The emerald energy flooded out past the ship, gripping both vessels and punching a huge hole in space beyond Earth’s moon, a hole that stretched out to connect with the space near Thanagar.

Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Elongated Man and Flash all stood around the Batman and all watched in awe as their three team-mates shifted the ships through their artificial wormhole, crossing the gulf of space in less than an hour.

The two ships slipped back into space as the wormhole sealed up swiftly behind them, and Hal, J’onn and Firestorm all fell away from each other and took several minutes to recover from their efforts.

“Good work,” Batman said in his firm, low voice.

“Gee, thanks. Don’t gush now,” Firestorm retorted as he tilted his head from side to side and shook his arms out.

“I won’t. We need to determine the situation with Thanagar and Kanjar Ro as quickly as we can, and then find Ro himself,” Batman instructed as he looked over at Hawkman.

“Right,” Katar answered as he sat down in the command chair and began to run over various communication channels and database hook-ups.

As Katar Hol worked on that, a grunt from Martian Manhunter made the League turn to him. His hand rested on his forehead and his eyes closed in concentration.

“What’s wrong?” Hawkgirl asked as she and Flash moved up to flank him and give him support.

“Mental intrusion,” J’onn answered slowly, his attention far away from the ship. “Wide-scale. Commanding and invasive. I’m shielding us from the effects, but it needs to shut down soon.”

“One of his artifacts, I’m betting,” Elongated Man deduced, his nose twitching as he stretched his neck over toward Katar so he could read over the Hawkman’s shoulders. “Not that I understand a word of Thanagarian, darn it.”

“Darn it?” Kendra asked as she looked at Ralph.

“Hey, Sue will know if I swear, and I’ve already bought her a new DVD player thanks to the swear jar,” Ralph defended himself with a much-too-wide grin.

“Okay, there’s nothing on newsfeeds and similar channels. From what I can tell, there’s been about three or four weeks of absolutely nothing but standard work activity,” Hawkman reported.

“Like there’s no need for anyone to explain or report anything?” Ralph suggested. “Like everyone’s mind-controlled?” He glanced over to J’onn, who remained between Kendra and Barry, eyes sealed tight in concentration.

“The Palace seems to be the focus of all the activity,” Hawkman added without answering the obvious. “And there’s some weird craft in low orbit with a lot of life-signs aboard. I’ll give a visual.”

One of the viewscreens flickered to life, showing what appeared to be a waterborne ship with an open top and a sail and oars thrust out along both sides of its hull. It floated in the black void of space, surreal and unnatural, not unlike an ancient Earth galley of huge size.

“Wow. That’s just not right,” Firestorm muttered and let out a low whistle. “And there’s people alive on that thing?”

“Another one of his magical artifacts. Just like whatever the mind-control source is, I’ll bet,” Flash explained as he stared at the strange craft.

“I’m taking this ship into the capital as fast as I can take it,” Katar said in an angry voice. “I want to get my hands on Ro!”

“Fly by the space galley on your way, Hawkman,” Batman said as he started to point to half the team. “Flash, Ralph, Hawkgirl, we’re going to go and free the prisoners.”

“What makes you think they’re prisoners, Bats?” Ralph asked as he looked over to the Dark Knight.

“It’s a galley. Galleys used slave labor to man the oars. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about magic, it’s that symbolism counts, and I won’t risk the chance that there are people on board in need of help.” His voice offered no argument, not that any of the League could refuse such logic.

“Couldn’t hurt to make sure he’s got one less toy to use against us,” Hawkgirl added. “You going to be okay without me, Katar?”

Katar ignored the light jab, merely lifting a hand up in response and then finished programming the navigation. “This is going to be fast and hard, and Lantern, you might need to hold the ship together and protect us from the landing. I’m not giving Ro a second more to get ready than I need to!”

The ship pivoted and then streaked toward the strange galley, as Batman’s team moved to an airlock, surrounded in green shimmers of energy.

“Those fields will go down after you land on the ship and you can breathe on your own,” Hal explained as the galley came closer and closer at rapid pace. “Or ten minutes. Whichever comes first. So try and find oxygen before then.” He winked at the quartet. “Can’t wait to swap tales when this is all done, so make it back in one piece; got it, guys?”

“Don’t you worry, Lantern,” Flash shot back with a grin. “I’m not letting you out of getting the first round.”

“I never said...” Hal was interrupted as the airlock cycled open and the four heroes hurtled out toward the galley, leaving the Emerald Gladiator to return to the bridge and prepare for their own confrontation.

The three male heroes landed with solid thuds onto the wooden deck of the bizarre vessel, the green fields giving way to the atmosphere of the ship. Hawkgirl remained off the deck, but close to her team-mates, and watched as the Dark Knight spared not a moment to glance at the surroundings and headed immediately toward a sealed hatch. Even Flash paused longer, all three of them adjusting to being in a far area of space, hovering over an alien planet, standing on what looked like an ancient ship, albeit one that seemed like an ocean liner in proportions, and one powered by magic. But Batman was already trying to bypass the security on the hatch.

“I can’t release the lock,” Batman admitted in frustration as he stepped to one side.

Flash appeared next to him. “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” His arms became ferocious red blurs that vibrated into the strange, wood-like material, shattering it and sending pieces flying. When he was done, his gloves were in tatters, and his fingers were bloody, but the hatch was opened. “Splinters,” he said, trying to laugh off the injuries when the others looked at his hands.

Batman pulled out a small packet from his utility belt and passed it to the speedster. “Clean those up,” he barked as he dropped down into the hold of the ship, his cloak flaring out around him as the darkness below swallowed him up.

“Gee, I didn’t think he cared,” Ralph teased as he stretched down after Batman, followed by Hawkgirl. Flash was last, after he’d taped his hands in the seconds his team-mates had given him.

Flash landed on the deck below, under the darkness that enveloped the entrance and saw the wide, curved sides of the ship, brightly lit from a source he couldn’t see. Numerous cells lined both hulls, all simple boxes no more than ten feet high and four feet wide, each filled with a figure. The figures represented many races; many were Thanagarians, and many others were servitor races of the Thanagarian government. All were locked into the cells, each attached to strange metallic coils that connected them to the hull, and each had a simple golden glowing light atop their cell, a rhythmic pulsing that reminded the Leaguers of heartbeats.

“What do you think you’re doing here?” demanded an angry, screeching sort of voice. The heroes turned to face Kanjar Ro. His segmented eyes glittered yellow and malicious, and he looked bigger, stronger than Batman and Flash remembered from their last visit. Pink skin and sharp facial features gave him a predatory look, and he held a sleek glass rod topped in a sparking sphere of silver in his left hand. “How dare you invade my realm?”

“With an attitude like that, you have to be Kanjar Ro,” Hawkgirl snapped and flew toward the commanding figure. She hefted her mace and brought it down toward him, but he intercepted it with his own weapon, the sparking top unleashing a cascade of energy up the mace and into Kendra’s arms. “Aarrgh!” she cried out and was hurled backward.

“I will pit my energi-rod against your pitiful weapons any day,” Kanjar Ro answered with a grin, showing rows of shark-like teeth, and he stepped forward menacingly. “Let’s try this again: who do you think you people are to raid my own home?” He punctuated the question with a blast of crackling energy from his weapon, slicing up the center of the deck but hitting none of the other heroes.

“We’re the Justice League,” Flash declared and streaked toward their enemy, only to race through him and narrowly avoid striking a far wall.

Ralph lashed out with a punch from down the other end of the deck, as Batman released two of his small, bat-shaped darts, but none of the attacks struck home as Kanjar Ro laughed, loud and hard.

“Well, Justice League, with spirits like yours, I’ll be happy to use you to power my galley to the shattered wreck of your world and claim the prizes that wait there!” He unleashed another blast at Batman, but Ralph dropped down like a curtain between them and caught the blast himself. He screamed as he was nearly stretched apart by the force, and snapped back into limp shape, stunned and in pain.

The Flash was back into the battle now though, as he raced around Kanjar Ro in a circle, lashing out with punches to no avail. Batman stepped back and watched the villain lash out with the rod, sweeping the sinister arcs of power from his energi-rod that narrowly missed the Scarlet Speedster but did strike several cells and open them.

As the pair dueled ineffectually, Batman started to look closer at Ro, trying to look as best he could past the crimson cyclone at the alien mastermind. The flap folded over the tunic’s right side, the heraldry of the Hawk facing to the right, and more, all slowly added up in the detective’s brain.

“Hawkgirl, get up and pour it on!” he barked at Kendra, who was slowly pulling herself up to her feet. He grabbed her shoulders and helped to stand her up roughly. “We have to push him hard!”

“We can’t even touch him, Bats,” Ralph replied in a shaky voice as he tried to pull himself together. “What’s the point?”

“He’s not here, it’s an image, but we can distract him if we push him hard enough, and let Hawkman’s team take him by surprise!” Batman hissed in return as a loud cry of pain was followed by a skittering speedster as he bounced by the group. “Come on!”

Batman spun toward Kanjar Ro and tossed out several pellets that burst into clouds of smoke as Ralph and Hawkgirl struck in their own fashions. Batman knew he was playing a risky game with his group. Hawkman hadn’t noticed any readings that would indicate something like the energi-rod had been aboard, and that most likely meant he was in the palace. But magic was such a fickle factor, and Batman hated that. He gritted his teeth, and leaped into the fray, and hoped his gamble paid off for the others.

Those others were screaming through the atmosphere in their ship, the vessel straining under the stresses as Hawkman coolly kept control over the crazed descent. “We’re moments from landing,” he announced to his three partners.

Hal clenched his fist and reached out with his emerald power, stabilizing the ship’s structure as best he could, feeling the ring’s energy levels start to dip lower than he was happy with. But he was concerned with the safety of the ship’s crew, and, in particular, the Okaaran prisoner sitting unconscious in the brig with the others. And so he pushed himself and controlled the shaking of the craft.

“I’d say make this quick, but that’s really kind of a bad idea at the moment, isn’t it?” Firestorm joked, and then noticed that no one was able to pay him any attention. J’onn remained in a near-trance as he battled the mental assault from the surface, and Hal was completely focused on holding the ship together, while Katar was paying attention to nothing else but directing the plummeting craft.

If it makes you feel better, Ron, I paid attention, Prof. Stein told Ronnie. Humor in the face of certain death will serve you in good stead, I’m sure.

“Gee, counting me out already, Prof?” Firestorm replied, before realizing that the professor was also cracking wise. Then the ship bucked as it started to contact the ground around the palace courtyard, metal screaming and concrete tearing, as Hawkman forced a quick stop. J’onn and Firestorm were knocked around as Hal floated in the center of the bridge, struggling to keep people safe and the ship from destruction as the front of the palace building brought an abrupt halt.

“Move, move, move!” Hawkman ordered as he unstrapped himself from the command chair and quickly flew to the nearest opening, as Green Lantern helped Firestorm and J’onn to their feet.

The heroes tore out of the ship, and watched as several large metallic figures stalked toward them. They weren’t robots; that was quickly determined. They seemed made of solid metal, and a dull red glow lit their eyes as they marched forward, the only noise being the heavy clang of their footsteps.

J’onn floated up into the air, and placed his fingers to his temples. “Kanjar Ro is in the audience chamber,” he announced, though he didn’t sound certain. “Something isn’t quite right about his presence...but you’ll find him there. I must go and locate the source of the mental assault before I can shield you all no longer!” With that, the Manhunter from Mars dropped into the ground and vanished from view.

“You go and handle Ro, we’ll take care of the uglies here,” Firestorm suggested to Hawkman, who soared up into the sky and toward the audience chamber. Green Lantern and Firestorm flew into the nest of metallic figures, beams of green and blasts of gold lashing out against the defenders.

J’onn J’onzz dropped down to a small chamber, slipping through the thick concrete foundations of the building and the metallic walls of the vault. He turned tangible, and then staggered a little. This close to the source, the mental assault was merciless. He stared at the tall frame holding the five-foot diameter disk of Nth metal. He could sense the lingering traces of Despero’s power in the sinister gong, as it stood in the center of this vault. Around him were many other artifacts of mystic antiquity, among them the Emerald Tablets of Trismegistus from Earth. He growled as his senses alerted him to their knowledge. It was these tablets that taught Kanjar Ro how to use the Ark of the Covenant; worse, it was these tablets that taught him how to make this Gamma Gong, this instrument of control.

Martian Manhunter stepped forward now, as the metal construction held the telepathic gifts stolen from Despero, and the frame set off chime after chime in a steady rhythm, bringing all of Thanagar under Kanjar Ro’s control. The enmity between alien telepaths made the Gong feel alive to J’onn, but the Manhunter from Mars never wavered. He moved within feet of the Gamma Gong, and then opened his eyes. They flared red, and ruby beams seared the disk in half. A scream of relief echoed through the Martian’s mind for several moments, and then, when all went still, he dropped to his knees and breathed heavy and let himself rest.

“Katar Hol! How dare you return to Thanagar? You will be found guilty of high treason and executed this time, not just exiled!” Kanjar Ro screamed in fury as he spun around to face the shattered window and flutter of Hawkman’s wings.

“Never, conqueror! I will bring you down and see my people free!” Katar declared as he swooped past the bug-eyed alien, who leveled his energi-rod at the hero and fired a stream of energy.

“You’re mad! Listen to yourself! Bring freedom to a race of tyrants? You’re delusional!” Kanjar Ro retorted as he avoided Hawkman’s initial assaults. He brought the Energi-Rod up and deflected a powerful sweep of Hawkman’s mace.

“You might be right about that, but you tried to exterminate life on an entire planet for your greed,” Katar pivoted and spun gracefully, easily misdirecting Kanjar Ro’s next blasts. “So if I am delusional, then how deep does your lunacy run?” He grunted in frustration as the rod his enemy wielded launched a deflecting field that made Hawkman’s mace recoil. He barely regained control in time to roll away from another powerful blast of energy.

“It is only lunacy if you write the history book on my career, bastard,” Kanjar snarled as he slowly stalked the winged warrior, preparing to pick his next shot. “And that will never happen, I assure you!”

As Hawkman dipped low again, seeking out a hole in the defenses established by the Energi-Rod, his sharp eyes caught sight of a mirror. In the mirror was Ro’s reflection, but the stance was all different, and the room the reflection stood in was wooden, like the inside of an ancient seafaring ship, and the reflection did battle against his team-mates that he’d left up in orbit. And Hawkman grinned as he swooped up toward the high ceiling and at the very apex, he let himself fall down toward Kanjar Ro in a power dive.

Ro grinned and energy crackled and flickered, casting eerie strobes across the large chamber. He released a vicious, large sphere of power at his foe only to watch Hawkman pivot away. The hero’s ruse worked and the attack tore through the ceiling, dropping rubble that forced Kanjar Ro to duck and deflect with his weapon. He lost sight of Hawkman, and was unable to stop the warrior from reaching the mirror and smashing it with his mace.

“Gaaahhh!” Kanjar Ro screamed in pain and dropped to his knees as the link to his duplicate on the space galley was broken. By the time he’d blinked the shards of pain from his compound eyes, Hawkman stood over him. His face fell in dismay, and then the villain fell to the floor unconscious.

“That’s the last of your tricks,” Katar said softly, hovering over Kanjar. “And when my people awaken from your control, you’ll wish you could join me in exile.”

Epilogue
Starring the Justice League and the Ultimate Squadron of America

Miles above the Earth, the heroes gathered in a newly-dedicated room of the satellite. A bust of Mon-El, Wandjina and Blue Jay stood majestic before the assembled mourners. They slowly started to move away at the end of their somber, private ceremony, honoring heroic sacrifice and tragic loss.

“We’ll figure out a way to save Mon-El, Superman,” Atom said as he rested a hand on the Kryptonian’s shoulder, and looked over at Flash on Kal-El’s other side. “We won’t leave him in the Phantom Zone a minute longer than we need to.”

“Ray’s got it right,” Flash reassured his friend. “We saluted his heroism today, but it’s not a funeral; not for him.”

“I hate that place,” Superman said softly as they walked to another room in the satellite. “Hate it. I hate sending any criminals there. To send Mon...” He clenched a fist and slapped a wall in passing, leaving a deep dent. “It tore my heart out. I know you guys will do what you can. Thanks. But it’s not going to make what I did any easier.”

“Are you sure about this, Laura? Harry? I know we could get you onto the team if you wanted to stay,” Kid Eternity asked Silver Sorceress and Captain Speed as they moved along with the group.

“Thanks, but you have a speedster, and he outclasses me like no one’s business,” Harry said as he looked over at the Flash with envy. “I need to be the Fastest Man in the World. I just can’t be second.”

“You wouldn’t be second,” Hawkgirl said from behind the trio. “Jay Garrick moves nearly as fast as Flash, and then there’s...” Captain Speed looked over his shoulder and glared at Kendra. “Sorry. Not helping, is it?”

“I appreciate the thought, Kit. I’ll miss you and Dawn, but Harry and I, we need to find a world where we fit in. I learned how to cross the barriers to other Earths when Wandjina brought us here,” the Sorceress explained. “I’ll use it to move us across dimensions and we’ll find the place to call home. There’s just too much baggage for us to stay here.”

“I understand. If you can, come back and visit; at least try and get us word how you’re doing,” Kit said as they entered the teleport room.

“Will do, Kit. Will do. Thanks,” Harry said as the two heroes moved near the tubes. Silver Sorceress began her spell as both sides passed final farewells and wishes of good fortune. Then they were gone, as suddenly as they had entered this Earth.

“You’ve gotten a pretty big responsibility thrust on you, Dawn,” Diana said as the pair stood in the rear of the crowd. She looked at the scholar-turned-hero, and watched as Dawn toyed with the glyph-laden tomahawk in her hands.

“Yeah. Definitely.” Dawn looked at the beautiful, ornate weapon and tool in her hands. It was smaller than it had been as Wandjina’s double-bladed ax. The blade was keen, the handle curved to fit in her hand like it was meant to. And it was. She could sense that she was always meant to come to this station in her life at some point. The responsibility for the balance rested in the weapon entrusted to her now. She looked up at Diana with nervous eyes. “Manitou Dawn. What do you think?”

“I like it. It’s good. It fits you. It fits you well.” Wonder Woman looked over at Kid Eternity, still standing off to the side of the League, but talking with Ralph and Ray at least, and looking more comfortable. “If you’d like to try provisional membership in the League, like Kit, it’s open to you. We’d be happy to help you train in your new role. And Kendra and I could use some help keeping the Hall of Justice from looking like a locker room.” She smiled warmly and held a hand out to the nervous new heroine.

“I’d like that. Yeah, I’d like that a lot,” Dawn replied as she took the offered hand and shook.

Ralph coughed a little and raised an arm and his head high into the air. He held a glass in his up-stretched hand and he looked over the League. “A toast. To our friends. Those lost to us by fortune, others lost to us by choice, and those newly come to us. To the League!”

And a baker’s dozen heroes, all proud members of the Justice League, raised their glasses and toasted.