Zero Hour #4: "Running Out of Time"

Ray Palmer had seen some fairly bizarre things over the past year. The day a white dwarf star meteor fell into his lap was only the start of it. Everything from that point on had been a roller coaster ride.

Ray loved it. He was almost embarrassed to admit it, but he had discovered something about himself he had never realized before.

He was an adrenaline junkie. Scientific Method and theory was all fine and good… and Ray certainly enjoyed any foray into the world of science… but shrink him down to 1 1/2 inches and launch him at the head of some masked baddie? Pure thrill.

Yes, Ray had seen some very bizarre things lately. It still didn’t prepare him for the next three minutes.

It was almost 2 AM… Ray had papers to grade and lesson plans to finalize, but he couldn’t tear himself away from the modifications he was making on his Shrink belt. He was peering into the microcircuit panel when he felt a strange electricity in the air. He looked up and found himself face to face with two brightly dressed individuals.

“… oping he’s not awaaaaaaaaaaaake.” Blue Beetle trailed off, staring into Ray’s face. “Whoops. Um… hi Professor Palmer.”

“Blue Beetle?” Ray asked, surprised. “Booster Gold? You two are from that group… Protectors, Inc or something?”

“Powers, Inc. Yeah.” Booster replied. “We’re here… um… we’re here to warn you… err… yes… warn you of impending doom! That white dwarf star is giving you… CANCER! We’re here from the future to save you. Give us the star… quick… before it’s TOO LATE!”

Ray wasn’t sure if he should laugh or be shocked. Blue Beetle look embarrassed.

“Oh GOD will you shut up.” he said to Booster.

“What?” Booster demanded, looking nonplussed. “It makes sense… right?” He looked at Ray. “Right?”

“Are you two for real?” Ray asked them. “How did you get in here. What’s going on?”

“Always with the questions.” Booster sighed. “Look Palmer, we need your frigging star, ok?”

“Well what do you expect?” Beetle asked him. He looked at Ray and sighed. “Listen Professor Palmer, I know we don’t really know each other… but my idiotic friend here is right. We DO need some of that white dwarf star… it’s actually very important.”

“For what?” Ray asked.

“It’s complicated…” Beetle replied. “…and fairly… well… hard to believe.”

“Try me.” Ray shot back. “I’m not exactly close minded. I’ll be open.”

“You’ll be dead!” a voice rang out from behind them.

Inerta shot into the room and body checked Blue Beetle, sending his flying.

“No you idiot! Get Gold!” Chronos shouted as he came into view. “Before he activates…”

“My force field.” Booster finished as Inerta slammed full force into it. Booster watched the speedster skitter across the floor and headed for Chronos.

Ray Palmer just reacted. He didn’t stop to consider that everyone in the room would pretty much be able to figure out he was the Atom. He just grabbed his belt and shrank down.

“Hey! Where the heck did Palmer go?” a figure dressed in blues and yellows shouted, joining the fray.

“Forget Palmer Timeflux!” Chronos screamed, diving to avoid Booster’s lasers. “Just grab that %#^@$# meteor!”

Timeflux reached for the luminous rock sitting in a glass case on the workbench in front of him. Before he could grab it however, something hit him. Hard.

“Hands off the merchandise Pal!” the Atom called out, adjusting his weight controls so that his two inch figure hit with the force of a 350 pound man.

“Where the hell did the Atom come from?” Inerta asked, picking himself off the ground. “We weren’t told about…”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Blue Beetle, recovered from Inerta’s first attack, put a boot right between his shoulder blades.

“Booster, grab the star!” he shouted. “They’re here to stop us! GET THE STAR!”

Chronos and Booster locked eyes for a moment, and then both dove for the meteor.

Neither one of them got it.

The rock rose, seeming on its own, into the air. Booster reacted a second faster than his opponent and shifted his focus. Booster let two laser bolts rip from his gauntlets. Chronos’ attention was on the rising meteor and couldn’t avoid the blasts. They slammed into him, driving him to the ground.

Booster could see the tiny form of the Atom under the white dwarf star. At that moment, Ray Palmer decided to take a leap of faith. He tossed the meteor to Booster.

“Take it! Go!” the Atom shouted.

Booster caught it and looked over at Beetle. He was grappling with Inerta.

“I’ve got it!” Booster yelled. “Hey speed freak! Come and get me!”

Inerta looked up and let go of Beetle. He rushed to his feet to charge at Booster, but before he could let fly, the golden dressed figure vanished.

"SUCKER!" Booster sang out as he disapeared.

Inerta realized his mistake and turned to rush back to his partner, but saw Beetle fade from sight as he turned.

“DAMN IT!” he screamed.

Ray Palmer sat, only 3 centimeters tall, on the edge of a light fixture hanging from the ceiling. He watched Inerta throw a fit and start trashing his workshop. A minute later Chronos recovered enough to try and stop him, They argued and raged at each other for a moment, then the pair picked up the form of Timeflux and vanished.

“What ever you two are doing…” the Atom breathed to himself. “I hope I just helped.”

"I'd like to call this meeting to order." Aquaman said, banging his gavel onto the table top. "I have some business I have to get back to in Atlantis."

"We could have covered things here without you Bruce." Carol Ferris spoke, settling in her seat. "Seeing how it's the anniversary of the day you and your parents were attacked in the middle of the Atlantic by pirates, we didn't exactly expect you to be here today anyway."

"As current chairman of the League I wouldn't have it any other way Green Lantern." Aquaman said. "But I would like to get down to it. New business anyone?"

"I'm still searching for the Mist after his last set of robberies." Starman commented. "Word on the street is that he might have hooked up with Two-Face and could be hiding in Gotham. Any ideas Ollie?"

Batman frowned and leaned forward. "Can't be. I put Gordan back into Arkham less than 48 hours ago Jack. I talked to District Attorney Dent this morning and he's still there."

"What a shame that such a great Policeman like James Gordan could be reduced to this Oliver." Wonder Woman remarked. "If only that acid hadn't ruined his face."

"Half of his face Princess Donna." Batman replied. "But you are correct. I wish there's more that Red Arrow and I could do for him."

"How IS your sidekick these days Ollie Ollie Oxen Free?" The Joker asked. "Jason says that Dick hasn't been at Teen Titan meetings lately."

"He been working through some... personal issues Joker." Batman responded stiffly. "You can tell Robin that when he's ready he'll be back."

"Looks like the two of them haven't worked out all of their differences, eh Iris?" Firestorm whispered.

"Fraid not Martin." The Flash whispered back. "I don't know if Batman will ever get over what happened to Black Canary... not that it was Joker's fault."

"Enough with the gossip you two." Superman whispered to the two of them, slightly amused. "We've been called to order, remember?"

"Sorry Lex." they both replied quietly.

"I think that one of us should go to Opal City and help Jack search f-" Aquaman broke off as a loud crash rang through the hallyway outside. A split second later, a figure burst into the room.

"Everyone! He's here!" Rip Hunter shouted as he stumbled into the room.

"Timemaster!" Wonder Woman called out, jumping up. The Flash had already sped to his side and Donna Troy joined them. "We were wondering why you weren't at the meeting. What's happening?"

Rip Hunter looked up with a terrified glance. None of the Justice Leaguers had ever seen their team-mate like this.

"H... he... he's here." Rip stammered. "He's t... too powerful..."

"Who Rip?" The Man of Steel asked, coming forward. "Who is co-"

Superman was cut off by a deep and snarling voice. "That would be me Superman."

"EXTANT!" Rip screamed.

Acting as if one, Batman flicked a wrist and sent a stinger batarang and Green Lantern shot a green laser beam in the direction of the new arrival . At the same time Firestorm rose upwards and the Joker leapt up and ran forward.

The batarang bounced away from the figure without effect then flew back at it's master. Before Batman could react, the batarang hit him and shocked him out of concesness. The laser from Green Lantern's ring almost disapeared before it reached it's target then turned yellow and flew back at the ring bearer. The enegry backlash of the yellow beam entering the ring stunned the Green Lantern and caused her to crash to the ground.

The rest of the League began to move forward. Extant laughed and waved his arm. A loud shrieking wave came out of nowhere and knocked everyone but Superman and Wonder Woman to the ground.

"That... that was Dinah's old Canary Cry!" Firestorm managed to cry before he hit the floor.

"Great Diana, guide my aim!" Wonder Woman hissed under her breath as she let her golden lasso fly in Extant's direction. Before it found it's mark however, her target seemed to shimmer, blink out of existance, then reappear a split-second later right next to her. Before she could react, he slammed the palm of his hand into her chin sending her flying backwards into the wall. Extant smiled. He had felt her neck snap as he had hit her.

"This ends NOW!" Superman shouted. Extant grinned at him and beckoned him closer. He seemed to be punching something into a little disk in his hand. Superman screamed in rage and flew at Extant with a blinding speed, but the villian reached up and grabbed him by the throat as if he was standing still.

"Lex Luthor, found by a vacationing millionare and his wife in the fields of Kansas... and the last son of Daxim. Your power is MINE!" Extant shouted. Superman struggled but seemed unable to break the grip on his throat. He could feel his strength leaving him. Extants fingers dug deeper into Superman's neck. His eyes sank into his skull and his flesh began to smolder. His last thoughts went to his wife Harley.

Aquaman, Flash, and the Joker pulled themselves up. Rip sat on the ground, his femur bone poking through the skin and the pants-leg of his suit.

"Flash, get out of here." Rip hissed, trying to hold his leg steady, blood running over his hands.

"I can s-" she began.

"No dammit! GET. OUT. OF. HERE." Rip demanded.

"I...I..." The Flash didn't know what to do. As it was, she was not used to anything outside of the world of TV News. The accident in her boyfriend's lab had given her powers she still didn't fully understand.

"Go Iris. Do what Rip says." Aquaman told her.

The Flash nodded and sped out.

Aquaman looked at the Joker.

"Ready for one last rush old friend?" Bruce asked.

"Always willing to follow you Aquaguy." The Joker responded. "Besides, who wants to live forever? This way I don't have to pay my cable bill!"

The two figures flanked Extant, who was bending over the form of Firestorm. Without even a glance backwards, Extant waved his hand behind him. A seering energy blast incinerated Aquaman and the Joker as they crept forward.

Rip Hunter used the upended table to pull himself upright. He gritted his teeth and punched something into the watch on his wrist. Extant smiled and teleported right next to him.

"Nice try Hunter." Extant taunted him. "But you aren't going anywhere."

"You have a H.E.R.O. dial don't you. That's how you're doing all of this." Rip ignored his taunt. He needed a few more seconds.

"Maybe... or maybe I've just evolved enough to defeat anyone I wish." Extant replied, crushing the hand that Rip had used to punch into his watch with. "Sending the Flash running out of here will do no good. I have an energy trace on her as we speak and I'll get her once I'm finished with all of you... and I have more than enough power to stop you from jaunting out of time."

Rip smiled even as blood ran out of the corner of his mouth. "Who said *I* was trying to jaunt out?"

Extant looked puzzled for a moment then realized the watch was no longer on Rip's wrist. He turned and saw that the rest of the stunned Justice Leaguers were also gone. The signal of the Flash's energy trace was no longer there.

"NO!" Extant screamed, slamming Rip's body into the ground. Rip chuckled to himself, even as his skull caved in from the force.

Extant heaved Rip's lifeless body into the wall and stormed to the computer. He didn't even have to attempt to access any files to know it was wiped clean.

A second later Chronos' voice came over the communicator. His voice was wary.

"Extant, we lost the signal on this Flash." he said. "What shou-"

"Just shut up and move to the next target." Extand hissed. He turned and looked at the broken body of Rip Hunter. Even in death, Hunter had bested him.

"No more Hunter." Extand spat on the body as he faded out. "No. More."

"Are you insane?' The Flash demanded of Rip Hunter. "Why in blazes would I agree to do that?"

"Because there's something in there I need." Rip told him. "I have to be able to-"

"Listen Mr. Hunter, I think that enough is enough here." Flash said, approaching Rip and jabbing a finger into his chest. "You saved me. I get that. However, I don't know you and if you think I'll just hand over Justice League secrets on your say-so you've got another thing com-"

"Dammit Flash don't you get it?" Rip hissed. "Extant is out there doing everything possible to rip apart the threads that hold our VERY EXISTANCE together! Do you think your nephews abduction was random? This maniac needs power, and he's harnessing Kid Flash's speed to power something REALLY nasty. If we don't find him and stop it then we will simply CEASE TO EXIST."

"You keep referring to this 'Extant' like I should know him. I asked you before... who IS he?" Flash damanded.

A shadow seemed to fall over Rips face. He sighed and sat down.

"Extant is a time traveler who has seen a little TOO much. His knowledge of the timestream rivals... well... my own." he explained. "Have you ever heard of 'Future Shock'?"

"Of course." Flash responded. "According to sociologist Alvin Toffler, it's a personal perception of too much change and new knowledge in too short a period of time."

"Exactly." Rip replied. "Now imagine a person who has traveled to the far corners of time itself. Someone who has seen so much and learned so much that their very being was altered as a result."

"So future shock becomes almost literal." Barry said.

"There's no almost. That's exactly it." Rip told him. "You've heard that absolute power corrupts? Well absolute knowledge does too. Extant learned too much, too fast. There was no buffer... no precautions taken. It changed him. Now he wants to change everything. Change it all in his image."

The Flash looked back up at the giant chalk-board. He gazed at it for a moment and looked back at Hunter.

"And what does the League computers have to do with this?" he asked.

"Extant is kidnapping Flashes." Rip said, jumping up. "Not just Flashes actually... speedsters. Everyone with the ability to run like the wind and beyond. He's got something... something huge and something dangerous... but to power it he needs the charge of as many speedsters as he can get. He's got to hide them somewhere. We need to find out where."

"Again Mr. Hunter... and how can the League computer tell you where he is?" Flash asked again.

"Just get me in Flash, and I'll show you." Rip told him.

Flash winced and rubbed his temples with his hands. "Why don't we get Batman and SUperman in on this?"

"We can. In fact We'll need them." Rip said. "But until we have the information we need it's dangerous to spread our plan around. Listen to me Flash. I know you know about the Multi-Verse."

Barry's head shot up. After a moment he relaxed. How could Hunter NOT know about that?

"We have a hell of a lot more to save than just this Earth and this universe." Rip explained. "I know something that Extant doesn't. Earth 1 is the nexus of where all reality is balanced. The answers we need are here... but we have to act and we have to act NOW."

Barry thought for a minute then did something he never did. He cursed under his breath. Resigned, he looked up.

"Alright." he told Rip. "Let's go."

It was a good thing that Booster Gold materialized first. It gave him a second to get his force field up and around Blue Beetle as he solidified a few moments after him.

"What in blue blazes!" Beetle shouted. All around them was nothing but space and debris.

Booster's flight ring kept him aloft. He looked over at Beetle and frowned. "This is bad Ted. This is REALLY bad."

"Did you use the wrong coordinates again?" Beetle demanded.

"No, not this time." Booster breathed. He ran a hand through his hair. "We're in the right... space."

"That can't be Booster!' Beetle said. "Where is Paradise Island? Where is this earth's purple ray?"

"That's just it Ted." Booster replied, his face grim. "It should be right here, but it's not. This earth has been totally BLOWN AWAY."

"Where are you Rip Hunter?" Extant mused aloud. He stared at a chess board as if it held some sort of answer.

"Sir?" Chronos asked, moving carefully. "I thought you killed Rip Hunter."

"I did." Extant told him. "On Earth 3,900... and on Earth 88... and at vanishing Point... hell, I blew one up on Earth 123... but like a nest of roaches there always a few scattered through that still need to be crushed underfoot."

Chronos had no idea what Extant was talking about and in the end, he didn't think he wanted to know. "What next sir?" he inquired.

"Next?" Extant laughed. "You don't worry about what's next. Just get me the last of those Flashes and get rid of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle once and for all."

"Yes sir." Chronos said and turned to leave.

"Oh... and David." Extant stopped him.

"Yes?' Chronos winced as he came to an abrupt stop.

"Don't screw up again." Extant said plesantly. "Or I'll kidnap you as a 13 year old and skin you alive."

"Yes sir" Chronos gulped.

After he was gone Extant sat back and looked at the computer screen in front of him. It was coming together, but not completly. He was missing things... he didn't know how, but he was missing SOMEthing.

"What do you know that I don't?" Extant asked out loud to no one.

He could feel the walls of time starting to crack and splinter. Hunter and his rag tag team of losers could only last so long. Extant smiled to himself. He had to admit, Hunter using Gold and Blue Beetle was a crazy, yet brilliant idea. He hadn't expected it. With all of this gaze on the likes of Supermen, Wonder Women, Batmen and Green Lanterns the notion of using two jokers like that had totally escaped Extants notice. Whatever Hunter was planning might be desperate, but couldn't be discounted.

He got up and walked over to the huge screen at the end of the wall. He passed a chalk board with angry red scribbling on it.

- RIPPING OUT HUNTER'S HEART

- THE OWL ALWAYS EATS THE MOUSE, AND THE BAT

- THE FLASHES WILL SCREAM "DON'T TREAD ON ME!"

- T MINUS FIVE, SPELLS DOOM FOR THE HAWK

- WHAT IS GOLD PANNING FOR?

- DON'T LET THE BLACK SUN GO DOWN ON ME

- BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE AN EYE?

- WHO IS WATCHING ME?

- HE WHO LAUGHS LAST, DIES FIRST

- DIAL UP SOME POWER

Extant came to the screen and gazed into it. On the screen, what seemed like thousands of figures, rushed forward in place.

"No matter what you're planning Hunter, it won't be enough." Extant hissed. "The countdown has begun and it ends in ENTROPY."

And below him; Wally West, along with thousands of other Flashes, ran.

TO BE CONTINUED...