Green Lantern

The door to the spacious house opened and Hal walked through with his bags, looking around. "So, Dad, where's my room going to be?" He asked. Thomas followed him in with the Social Worker.

"Well, i prepared a room for you upstairs" he stated, staring at the Social Worker.

"I'm so happy to see Hal getting along with you." She smiled, before leaning into Thomas "He's a tricky one, he'll try to escape the first chance he gets." She whispered.

"I've dealt with rebellious children before." He replied, pushing her away a little.

"Ah yes, the daughter you mentioned. Where is she?" She looked around.

"I had to leave her back in..." He paused for a second.

"England?" the Social Worker asked.

"Yes! Yes, that's right." Thomas replied. The Social Worker watched Hal head upstairs. The house was a small, two-story house in the suburbs of Coast City, about 10 minutes drive from the ocean.

"How the hell did you afford all of this?" Hal yelled from upstairs.

"I have a lot of connections in the world, as well as some back home." He replied. The Social Worker looked at her clip-board.

"Alright, i have some other clients to see, but that should be everything." She smiled. "If he gets loose, call us." She then turned around and walked out. Thomas closed the door behind her.

"Green Lantern, get down here!" Thomas called. Hal skipped down the stairs to see Thomas stood in the hallway. "Time to get you up to speed on how this is going to work." He walked into the dining room and Hal followed. This room had no windows to the outside, just a large fire-place and a table with chairs. Thomas scrunched up his fist and the Golden ring appeared, before he transformed. Exploding in a flash of golden light. He then stood gold and black uniform and now looking decidedly less human.

"In blackest day, in brightest night!"
"Beware your fears made into light"
"Let those who try to stop what's right,"
"Be burned by the power, The Golden Light!"

"Wow..." Hal stood, staring in total awe at Thomas. "So... You're an alien, like Supergirl?" He asked.

"Supergirl? Ah yes, the Kryptonian, sort of, but my people are more like yours, lacking any real power on our homeworld." He replied.

"And Thomas isn't your name, is it?"

"My name is Thaal Sinestro. I am the Gold Lantern and the champion of all that is good and just in the universe. My homeworld was constantly raided by slavers and warlords, till i showed them how to feel fear. That was when the Golden Ring chose me. It represents the power to instil fear into the hearts of those who would transgress. You wield the Green ring, it represents the power of Will, to keep going forward and never stop, regardless of what stands in your way." Hal scrunched up his own fist

In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight!
Let those who worship evil's might
Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!

He yelled as he transformed too. "So, you said that you were the leader of "The Lanterns" Is it just the two of us or are there more?" He asked. Thaal nodded.

"Yes, The Lanterns consist of 7 Lanterns in total." His ring glowed before projections of the other rings appeared. "Blue represents Hope, the most incorruptible force in the universe. Orange represents Averice, for those who's heart is filled with an insatiable need for justice and an inability to stop until it has been despensed. Indigo represents Compassion, those who cannot help but always see the best in everyone and help them become the best they can be. Star Sapphire, Love. The Lantern who fight to protect everything they hold dear and true in the universe. And Red, that represents Rage, for those who can harness the greatest rage at the existence of evil in the universe."

"So, we're going to go fight bad guys and save the universe?" Hal asked, unable to contain his excitement.

"No." Sinestro replied, bluntly. "The other Lanterns are dead. This fault lies with an immensely powerful villain by the name of Despero." A hologram of him appeared from Sinestro's ring, before the hologram came to life, it showed Sinestro and the other lanterns silently attacking despero, but him defeating them with his eye-blasts, fire power and sword, until only Sinestro remained. "I took the rings and fled. But he wasn't going to give up that easily." He said. "He destroyed my barrier." the Hologram followed Sinestro's every word. "And the rings were scattered in this direction, they all landed on this planet. I have been tracking the rings down, but haven't been able to find them bond with anyone... Until i found out about you."

"I feel honoured." Hal chirped.

"You should... You should also feel afraid, because Despero is coming." He said. "He wasn't able to give chase immediately, but it won't find him terribly long. I have until he finds us to whip you into shape, make you superior to my old friends and gather the other rings. Then, we may be able to stand a chance against him. Your training shall start tomorrow, for the moment, it's a lot to take in, you will find me a hard teacher, but a fair one."

"Alright, and don't worry, this Despero guy seems tough, but he hasn't met Hal Jordan." He pumped his arm.

"That's what Abin said..."

"Who?" Hal asked. Sinestro looked down and breathed a heavy sigh of sadness.

"Abin Sur... Your predecessor... And my oldest friend."

"I'm... Sorry." Hal whispered.

"Don't be sorry, be willful." Thaal ordered. "Abin died doing what he knew was right, we all knew the risks and i know he had no regrets. If you want to show me that you are sorry that he died, then you will not die. You will show him that the man he passed his ring onto will surpass him and do a better job than he ever could."

"Alright." Hal nodded. "Where do we start?" He asked.

"Not going to take time to adjust?" He asked.

"Never have before, don't ever plan to start. Despero is on his way and taking time for myself is only wasting precious time. How do we find the other rings?" He asked. Thaal smiled a little.

"Alright, the rings are going to start looking for whoever exibits their trait the most and try to latch onto them. I've spotted a few attempts from the last few weeks, but the Rings haven't been able to bond properly and have moved onto a new target." He said, a golden map of earth appeared. He pointed to Gotham City on it "First was a large crocodile mutant that the Red Ring chose, but it wasn't able to bond properly, i fought the man until he was forced to let go of it, but the ring slipped through my fingers." He then pointed to a small island off the coast of Malaysia "The locals call this place "Madripoor" I tracked the Orange ring here to some criminal, he caused a lot of damage before it escaped.

"I'm beginning to see a pattern..." Hal sighed.

"I'm not able to do this alone. With the two of us, the next time a ring appears, we should be able to stop it, and capture the ring before it escapes." Hal looked down at his own ring.

"So... How do these things even work?" He asked. "I know i can make swords and hands and stuff, but-" Sinestro looked at him with a face of utter disbelief.

"You mean... You've had the ring for 2 weeks and you haven't even used it, outside of the first time yet?" He asked. "Who knows you have the ring?"

"Well, Detective Stewart. He's been my best friend ever since i can remember. He told me not to use it so i don't draw attention to myself. I hear there's some shady government agencies like the Illuminati that kidnap young people with super-powers and brainwash them." Thaal rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Uuuuuuugh... We have a lot more work to do than i thought..." He grabbed Hal's ring hand and picked it up. "This ring is powered by your emotions and your imagination."

"So, if i imagined-" At that point, a giant green sandwich appeared in front of him.

"Always a sandwich..." Thaal sighed "Just once, i'd like someone's first construct to be something other than food... Anyway, yes. You need to be able to use this as if it was a natural reflex." He explained. "For example-" At that point, a yellow sword jumped from Sinestro's ring and sliced the sandwich into several pieces.

"Is that why Despero wants the Rings so badly?"

"He wants the Rings, because with all 7 rings, he will become invincible."

"How?" Hal asked.

"Look, don't ask so many questions about what Despero will do if he gets the rings, let's focus on making sure you never have to find out." Thaal grunted. Thaal then walked towards the back door and into the back garden. He then rocketted into the sky.

"We can fly?" He asked. "Super-cool!" He then jumped and, by instinct, rocketted up after Sinestro. "SO AWESOME!!!" He yelled, flying past Sinestro. Sinestro sighed as he followed Hal into the clouds. "I've never felt anything like this! Can we go fight bad guys? Can we save some people from a sinking ship? Can we-"

"HAL!!!" Sinestro snapped. "Get ahold of yourself. We have pressing matters. Yes, we will stop evil as we find it, but our top objective right now is to get you trained into the true Green Lantern and finding the other 5 rings. Hal stopped and nodded.

"Yeah, alright, show me how." He asked. Sinestro summoned a golden sword in his hands.

"Defend yourself." He ordered.

****



****

Sinestro helped Hal up the stairs of the appartment, arm over his shoulder. "Let me back in, coach... I'm good for one more round..." Hal grogily mumbled, his eye was black, his lip and nose bleeding.

"You did well. I remember when Abin first taught me like this. Consider yourself lucky that you can walk on the one leg."

"But that social worker... She'll take me away... If i look like this..." Sinestro nodded.

"Don't worry about that." Sinestro replied. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we go on the hunt."

"I'll be ready at dawn..." He groaned, rolling onto the bed and falling asleep almost instantly. Sinestro made his way back downstairs, sitting down at the computer, he began typing away at it.[

Deep Space, just outside Kree Territory

"This is K.M.S. Kortosis of Merchant Floatilla Ruul, we are under attack from multiple enemy vessels, our shields have failed and we are being boarded. Mayday, MaydAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!"

"For the last time... Where is the Green Lantern of this sector? We know that you rendered him help 3 days ago. You can tell me, or you can tell Lord Despero when he arrives. I offer you a quick and painless death. Milord will not be so kind." The Skrull asked the captain. The bridge of the ship was completely torn to shreds with weapon fire having destroyed most of it. The Kree captain staired daggers at the Skrull. "For the last time, it's my bullet, or Lord Despero's Pyre..." The Kree spat in his face. "Well, don't say i didn't warn you." He punched the Kree across the face hard, a tooth flying free from the Kree's lips.

"As amusing as it is to see you hurt this man, my underling, it is not going to get us anywhere." Said a deep and powerful voice as the door opened and Lord Despero walked through.

"L-l-l-l-lord Despero..." The Kree stammered, he began to shake in his bonds. "Please, Skrull, i beg of you, end me now. I'll tell you everything." The stepped away before transforming into a beautiful Kree woman, he blew the captain a kiss, before transforming back into Skrull form and kneeling at Despero's feet.

"Yes, little Kree, you are correct to be afraid. But you wound me with your begs to die so quickly. Does my magnificence not please you? Does the entropic nature of my splendor gouge at your very soul?" he asked, there was a laughter from the SpaceKnight in the corner.

"Milord, i suspect this one thinks he is superior to you. Maybe he thinks that he is too good to bask in your presence." The colour drained from the Kree's face. "Give the order and i'll send him to have fun with the Dire Wraiths." He said, pointing the Neutralizer at him.

"Oh come, come," Despero began "This man is an honoured guest. His people now belong to me, those smart enough to surrender have a place in my fleet. After all, a ruler who scorches the earth of every conquest rules naught but a kingdom of ashes. Don't you agree?" He asked, walking towards the captain and picking him up by clamping his hand onto the side of the captains cheeks. He nodded the Kree's head for him. "See? This one is smart. And you said that he wasn't smart enough to take my offer. Now, to seal the deal, you just need to tell me everything about the Green Lantern that you helped." The Kree stared at him, too afraid to speak, too afraid to move. "Come now, this is a very generous offer on my part. Do you not wish to live?"

"I'm... Sorry... He saved my daughter... You can do what you want... But i cannot give him up... On my honour..." At that point, Despero slammed the Kree's head into one of the broken consoles.

"HONOUR!? WHAT DO THE KREE KNOW OF HONOUR!?!?" he roared. "WHEN MY PEOPLE WERE DYING AND WE ASKED FOR AID, THE KREE WERE NO-WHERE TO BE SEEN, NOR THE SKRULLS, THE THANAGARIANS, THE SHI'AR, NOT EVEN YOUR PRECIOUS SPACEKNIGHTS!!! He roared, pointing to Bakin. He then began to laugh "Ah, you made me angry. I like that in a subordinate Now, here's your last chance, tell me, or i will keep on tearing your mind apart and stitching it back together, until i get what i want to know." The Kree's mouth gibbered and he wept, blood and snot flowing from his nose.

"I... I... I CAN'T!!!" He wept. Despero brought him face to face.

"Then you will die braver than most..." Despero's third eye opened and a red ray shot into the Kree's head. The Kree began to gibber and burble as the life drained from his face. He slowly began to melt, as if being hollowed out and made into nothing more than a lump of skin. "Well, how about that? He didn't know anyway." Despero laughed. He then walked out, being followed by Paibok and Bakin. "I liked that man, find his daughter, give her a nice position in the fleet." He smiled "Anyone that harms her has to answer to me." Walking down the hallway. before getting to the end, he nodded to his underlings, before disappearing in a roar of fire.

He appeared again back in the throne-room of his ship. "Milord, i question why you choose to interrogate prisoners personally."

"Because i rarely get to use my power these days. I enjoy the flexing of muscles" Lyssa nodded

"As is your prerogative."

"What does your magic book say about finding Sinestro?" he asked, sitting in his throne and staring out of the main viewport.

"I see a planet covered in water. I see... The hero who despises his own existence... The 1 who is 10... The last son of Krypton... I can see nothing more..." Her eyes glowed yellow as she spoke.

"Krypton? No wonder he has chosen to hide from us there. If it is protected by a Kryptonian, then we will have to tread lightly... Start searching the databases for a planet that fits that description. I am curious to see what little backwater stain on the universe he is hiding on." Despero grinned from ear to ear.

"Wait, milord... There is another... The son of Alan Scott..." Despero looked at her.

"You are certain of this?"

"Milord, i would not say so otherwise." she whispered. Despero's smile faded. He looked out at the field of destruction that the battle had wrought, fragments of ships still exploding as they drifted into each other.

The great silver-white void stood silently rushing, activity juxtaposed with utter stillness, as metallic bands of all things historical swirled around a great center. These were events in history, all moving at great speed, all entwined, always and forever...or sometimes never. The area was vast, perhaps infinite in set, and all centered around what to many who could see would describe as a dense planetoid of shiting crystal, eternal white marble, and an unknown assortment of metals. Many travelers will have seen some interpretation of it. It often changes according to the user. You might call it the Vortex, the Axis, The Fourth Dimension, or even Yog-Sothoth. To those that visited it most, however, this was the center. This was all.





Hovering in meditation, the female figure sat with eyes closed and in heavy concentration. It was - oddly enough - a young lady who only recently reached adulthood, but then...this is how they all were, in general. She herself was dressed a bit like Obi Wan Kenobi, for her interpretation of the power had been a bit like The Force. It was all in the mind and how it flowed through you. To that end, she used it to see through time and possibility with greater ease than all of her counterparts. Right now, she was focused on one, just one.

Come on, Raimi... Your whole life has been leading up to this. Take him down!

Every version of them were called Mirai Saito, but one - just one, who had been on quite the journey before they ever met - set herself apart from the others by instead taking the name 'Raimi', an anagram of her birth name. There was something special about her, either brought forth by her history or simply something that had always been there. That was important, in this case, because if she did not rise up to the occasion, her enemy would destroy her world and travel through the galaxy to make it burn. That's what she was up against in there, a foe whose powers would eventually grow to destroy entire worlds...

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Normally, this area was known for its calm and serene atmosphere, but not today! It'd been a miracle to keep him out of the heavily-populated areas. She stood ready for the next onslaught. He could do anything, anything at all, so long as it was flushed through the chaotic cascade of a wild molecular disruption. They were surrounded by rubble, a young lady in black with a metallic helmet and clawed gauntlets and a young man in a bluish combat suit with an orange emblem of a supernova in the chest. He wore a mask - a spiked and stylish sort of thing with flare-compensation in the lenses, like her own - but she knew him...or thought she did.

Once, in another lifetime, there had been a Brit-born young man by the name of Allen Forscythe, the unfortunate son of a villain and a woman taken and manipulated by said villain. She had given birth to a well-adjusted boy who rejected his father and was aided by his uncle - an alchemist - to escape the country and lie low in Japan. But that was in another world, in many worlds. Not hers. No no... Her world had to be special, where many of the heroes and villains were inverted! The boy's father, Baron Von Madness, was Baron Von Mentalist here, a philanthropic wonder. Instead, it was the uncle - the self-styled Master of Change - who was corrupt. Raimi had defeated him recently, but like any mad scientist, the man had one last ace up his sleeve. It was the ace she'd been dreading and preparing for ever since she'd heard the name, years ago.



It was a name out of Dr. Strangelove, the war satire, for an element in the Doomsday Device which spelt the end for all humanity. The Master of Change was a self-styled alchemist like his counterparts. He produced potions and chemical explosives, horrible mutants and shapeshifting homunculi. He had taken Allen's natural gift and amped it up, and he had altered Allen's mind as well. In all other worlds, he was a nice guy. Even this one, apparently, but now...

"Oh, not long nooowww..."

The lenses burst on his mask as the energy surged and rippled around him. They had been fighting and, to her credit, she had wounded him more than he had hurt her. He'd kicked her in the face when she tore at his chest. She'd avoided several attacks and slammed him through portals. However, he was good at ignoring pain and he'd sealed all of the wounds, even taken some of the oomph from her own moves with a trick he called 'Unchaos', sucking out the energy potential for chaos and change from a given area to fuel himself. He was preparing to unleash ALOT of his power now, though. Allen had made lightning and fire tendrils, hellish maws open from the ground, created freak tornadoes, and now he was preparing to blow up the whole Prefecture in one blast. Raimi gritted her teeth.

"Alright, you asked for this. TEMPUS FU-"

No, not that one!!

The voice was her own, inside of her head, but it wasn't really hers. It was the one who watched, Oracle. She had been offering moral support or guidance where her combat expertise was limited, but now she was shouting in her head, and it was too late! Tempus Fury was an attack she made up. It was a distorted and disjointed time field that she'd used to tear opponents asunder in the worst way or - when stable - actually reverse time in that area. She was planning to invert everything in on Cobalt Thorium G, but apparently...that was a bad idea.

Allen didn't shift into distorted madness. Everything did. In an instant, the dimensions were out of control as time and space threw a wibbly-wobbly FIT that cascaded in all places! The effects...well...they'd be far-reaching, to say the least.

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It did not matter what it was called before. It did not matter that the people still called it Los Angeles. All that mattered was what HE said now, because this...was Zen's World now. He was the word and the law. The people conformed to the rule of law absolutely, or they were processed so that they would comply. We take you now to a line that extends outside of a supermarket, where a man looking right miserable and angry was standing in line. Standing there, that is, until the machine walked over to him. It was a humanoid android armored in blue-black armor. It came installed with a thruster pack on its back and compact engine-wings to guide its flight. It had five-digit hands, stood approximately seven feet tall, and had three large eyes situated side-by-side on a streamlined head designed to reduce air-resistance. This android was Zen. They were all Zen, as Zen was short for Zenigawa Enforcement Network, a great and self-sufficient system built by the altruistic Dr. Zenigawa before his death, wishing only peace and security across the globe. The enforcer unit addressed the man in a deep mechanized tone.

"Citizen John Harrison, you have been correctly identified as a Lawbreaker. Step out of line."

"What? N-no, I haven't done anything! It's bullshit! I've done nothing of the kind!"

"You are a food thief. Food theft normally carries a fine and reduction of comfort, but due to the resistance to Law in this area, food allocation is limited per capita in order to ensure that all persons are fed equally, and therefore the punishment is more severe."

"You collapsed the industry after promising not to harm free enterprise! Of course there's resistance!"

"The heads of those food industries, with small exception, were corrupt. They were arrested for their crimes and the infrastructure was taken over by Zen until replacements could be found. Your complaint is irrelevent. You have stolen and are also under arrest."

He started backing away from the thing in fear.

"You can't do this...! My family will starve without me!"

"They will not. A Lawkeeper will make your deliveries on time, every time. Your family will not suffer, but you will ALL comply with the Law."

"Those hideous things?! They're not human!"

The machine closed the distance and grabbed him by the wrist.

"They ARE human, and you will become one if you continue to resist."

"Someone, help! Don't let 'im take me, please!"

He strained against the android's grip, trying to pull free from its grip with little avail. Zen raised his other hand in order to stun the man completely. It was at this time, however, that the area suddenly rippled and shifted wildly, severe shudders and quakes shaking the entire area, the entire world! An alarm sounded, followed by an announcement over the city intercom system.



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The quake was both temporal AND spatio, the force of two powers colliding and blasting out through dimensions, not the physical area. It was creating...quite a mess, and the results were far-reaching in several different ways. Way down underground, about a mile down from a house built in secret to kill anyone who entered in terrible nasty ways, there was a man. He was a strange sort of fellow with a somewhat classy attire. Vest over shirt, loose overcoat over vest, top hat on head, a face and hair like a grand Irish Noble, and a long-handled scepter that appeared to have the headpiece of a bronzed rubber ducky. There were numerous details about the man to go into, but suffice it to say, this was Baron Von Madness. Right off the bat, knowing that in various timelines there were many such men of madness, and so therefore you might be inclined to ask which one this guy was. Well...first of all, it wasn't Baron Von Mentalist, sadly. This was The Madness, and unfortunately, he was about to get company.

POP!

"Hello, world!"

"Nyaaah!"

The Baron was suddenly visited upon by...The Baron! As a result, he lost at the game he was playing. The Second Baron was wearing a bizarre metallic harness device that was now cycling down its power cells. The Original Baron glared up at him now, quite irritated with his surprise counterpart.

"You couldn't have waited five minutes to do...whatever you just did to get here?"

"You mean, built a time-displacement harness after extensive study of that irritating girl and kidnapping some damn fine technicians?"

"Yes!"

"Well...maybe, but the fact is that someone was going to do it, because the fissure is pretty bad right now, and that means we're going to be showing up all over the place!"

"I see. And when you say 'we'-"

"I don't mean 'Si'. I mean WE."

POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!

Oh crap.

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It was both a heavy impact physically and energetically. Some of the power released would naturally act in shockwave force and explosive release. It was centered at a construction site for a new mid-range office building in Gotham City, which would...now have to be cleared up and started again. Girders and all kinds of debris lay around them, the dust reaching up to great heights. Amidst the center, which was actually clear, lay the figures of the Timekiller (Raimi Saito) and Cobalt Thorium G (Allen Forscythe), both of whom were regaining their senses. Allen was a bit quicker to his feet, though.

"Okay, good for a warm-up, but now...hmm?"

Eh heh...heh heh heh... Oh dear. He was pretty much out of juice, now. A little to get by on, as it generated now, but wow, what a ride! He turned to ask what the hell Raimi did to him, but suddenly had to duck back as she tried to claw his face off, suddenly! She was a little unsteady, but getting her feet underneath her now.

"Guess it didn't all happen according to plan, did it?"

"Plan? What plan? I don't have a plan. Blam is the plam. I mean, plan."

"Heh...and now you're all tapped out."

"Yeah? So are you."

Unfortunately, he was right. Her hair had a tendancy to spike in back when she had a temporal charge, but right now it was smooth. She was empty. That said, she had enough fighting experience to-

"Unchaos."

What? Oh shit, no no no no!

Too late. There was a ripple-wave that pulled into him from fifty feet in all directions. Dust fell to the ground in a heap, pieces that had still been rattling ceased immediately, and Allen's eyes started to glow again...before he swept himself up in a quick personal whirlwind to rise up WAY out of reach as he shouted "Leaving now! Buh-bye!"! Even her grappling gun failed here. Swearing to herself, she reeled it in and made her way out of the collapsed uhhh...everything, climbing over or under until..

"FREEZE!"

...until the police shouted at her! Wait...that was in English, these people didn't look like Japanese police. Where was she? Raimi decided to uhh, step back, and the cop on the megaphone shouted "WE HAVE THE AREA SURROUNDED! DROP YOUR WEAPON, PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD, AND SURRENDER NOW!". Weapon? Oh, right... She was still holding onto the grapple gun. Well then...this was where she threw a flashbang out at them and fired a hook at one of the nearby buildings!



She swung out of reach, but even still recovering from the flash, several of them opened fire while others were taking to their cars. Raimi got up high, disengaged the hook, launched to another building, and repeated to keep ahead of anyone with a decent rifle. Not gonna get away from them like this, though. Not that easily, anyway. I mean, it's broad daylight and she had NO IDEA what was going on! How'd she get to an American city?! How was she gonna catch Allen now?!

Ping!

Maaaybe now wasn't the time to ask that. She had to lose these guys. Raimi suddenly dropped down on a car that was ahead of the police, took hold of the roof, and shoved her masked face down against the windshield with a devilish grin. The driver went "FUCK!!", hit the brakes and swerved, she went flying, and - most importantly, the police in pursuit began to crash into him and each other, Blues Brothers style! Raimi ended up tucking and rolling, then running for a nearby alley. It was one of those alleyways that had a manhole cover in it. Perfect! She'd used her claws to pull the lids up plenty of times! When the cops rushed into the alley, they'd find the lid just a little bit ajar. They reported her having possibly gone into the sewer. Meanwhile, her grapple gun had taken her to the roof of the building there. Snickering, she let them do as they pleased, getting the hell out of the area while keeping watch for helicopters. No sign of Allen... No idea where she was, or if this really was the United States or just ANY English-speaking town. I mean, she could speak the language, but...ah, she needed time to think... This...this was gonna take some time. Real time, not funny hah-hah I'm-a-time-traveler time.

"Fuck..."

Jonathan Kent/Superman

Eastern Europe-Balkan Mountains

"Strike Eagle this is Mother Goose do you have visual on the target?"

"Strike Eagle to Mother Goose. I have visual confirmation, permission to engage"

"Stand by Strike Eagle, awaiting confirmation."

...

"Strike Eagle, green light to engage. Good luck."
"Copy. Strike Eagle moving in to engage... have the clean up crew ready, this shouldn't take long.

****

Finally it was time to move. Jon unfolded his arms, his eyes focused on the singular target despite being over several miles away in an elevated position. Even the most advanced military scopes would have had difficulty locating the singular being who trekked his way through the snowy, windy landscape but these kryptonian eyes were physiological wonders. Jon took one last look around the winter landscape, there was nobody around and no potential victims that could get caught up in the upcoming confrontation. Jon arched himself back like a sprinter preparing to explode out of the blocks before he he extended his arms forward and in an instant was ripping the air sky echoed with the sound of thunder.

Ivan Petrov lumbered his way up the mountain, his head lowered as freezing winds slashed at his skin to little effect. This harsh environment would have proved to be a mighty obstacle for most but not for Ivan. This was Ivan's everyday life as his past as a former Soviet soldier forced him to remain secluded from the rest of the world. His past sins were admired under the Soviet government but that government no longer existed and no country was willing to house a renowned killer such as himself. It had been a long trip back home and his "business meeting" in Metropolis was a success, all there was left to do was head home and prepare for his next job.

Ivan approached the cave that provided him his shelter and though a sense of relief filled his spirit something felt off. The giant of a man paused and took a long hard look at his environment but all he could hear was the blowing wind and his sight remain obstructed by the raging blizzard. Shaking his head in irritation, Ivan entered his residence, running a gloved hand through his long hair as ice and snow dripped from his body. The man unfurled the duffle bag he had carried with him as he moved to grab an unopened bottle from an organized stack at the side of the cave. Chuckling in anticipation and savoring a proper drink, Ivan moved to open his alcoholic vice until the sound of thunder echoed outside caught his attention. Ivan turned his gaze towards the entrance of the cave as he took a hard swing from the glass bottle. For several moments there was nothing and Ivan grew disinterested. "Nothing. Just my imagination" he thought to himself as he turned away to grab a second bottle in preparation but he heard a thud at the entrance of his home.

"Ivan Petrov." A voice announced as Ivan turned in surprise at the sound of his own name as an armored, muscular figure entered his home.
"Do I know?" Ivan questioned as he examined the individual before him. At first he was wary, surprised that someone else was capable of traversing his mountain until his eyes focused on the S symbol on the individual's chest. "Ah... I see. You are that new Superman aren't you? S.H.I.E.L.D's dog." Now it all made sense.

Jon smirked at Ivan's response and stopped just several feet before his adversary. "So you do know who I am. If that's the case then you know what this is about. Ivan Petrov, you are wanted for murder, assassination of a federal officer-"
Ivan cut off Jon with a chuckle. "You do not need to state what I already know. You follow orders as I have followed mine. I have taken many lives. It is simply business"
Jon was amused with the answer. Perhaps he was going to get some action after all. "This is your last warning Ivan. You've been under surveillance since you departed Metropolis. We know all about your little therapy session with Bruno Mannheim. You have no where to run, nobody to help you, it's over."

"Your first mistake Superman...I do not bend." For several tense moments nobody made a move, each individual attempting to anticipate the other. Ivan finally took initiative, lunging to a nearby assault riffle that lay against the cavern wall and just as quickly as he had retrieved the weapon, Ivan was just as quick to unleash a hailstorm of bullets right into the kryptonian's chest. However much to Ivan's disappointment the bullets harmlessly ricocheted off Jon's chest and after several seconds of sustained fire, the clip was emptied with no damage dealt.

"I commend you for your accuracy but your bullets won't be enough to kill me." Jon boasted as he began to advance towards the former Soviet soldier. Despite the task ahead of him, Ivan gritted his teeth and in a series of Russian curses grabbed a pair of hunting knives he had kept at his sides and lunged forward.

"He's fast but not that fast." Jon thought as Ivan moved in a manner that was greater than a normal human being, his physiology was not enough to overcome the alien before him. In a swift response to his opponent's actions, Jon caught his opponent by the wrist, his composed smirk never fading. With a frustrated snarl Ivan threw a second strike with his other hand but that blow was also caught by the young kryptonian. With a brief application of pressure Ivan grimaced as it felt like the bones in his wrists would snap. Ivan struggled in vain to free his arms but Jon's strength was too much.

"Give up." Jon demanded as he applied more pressure, inflicting more pain in a brutal forceful attempt to impose his will on the former Soviet soldier who could only return the kryptonian's actions with a barrage of insults he could not understand. Having decided that he had his amusement, the kryptonian raised his blue armored foot and connected with a sharp front kick into Ivan's chest, propelling the former Soviet soldier backwards into one of the nearby cave walls. The impact between the rocky cavern and Ivan's body shook the very foundations they were standing in. "It's over Ivan. That kick right is several broken ribs." It was far from a full powered strike but surely enough to damage his opponent.

"You dare mock me?" Ivan replied as he struggled to stand. Despite his strength of will even Ivan could not ignore the pain that radiated from his torso as his own legs struggled to support his weight. With his body beginning to fail him, Ivan prepped himself for one more attack. "If you think I'll surrender, you are gravely mistaken. I may die in this cave Superman but I will take you with me!" The former Soviet threatened as he once more rushed at Jon who stood his ground. Jon had to give Ivan some credit, his previous blow would have killed an ordinary man and yet despite his injuries was still coming for more. Seeking to oblige him once more, Jon fired a quick straight punch into Ivan's midsection as the Soviet was launched what seemed like a dozen feet deeper into the cave, hitting the ground in a vicious thud. It was a mighty blow that Jon felt could have burst his opponent's chest wide open.

Jon casually walked over towards his downed opponent as his second blow had all but put Ivan down for good. The Soviet struggled to move but his damaged body would not respond and it felt like his very own life was fading away. "The Soviet's attempt to mimic the Roger's serum is pathetic but it's because of it that you should count yourself fortunate you aren't dead." Jon stood over Ivan who was now struggling in and out of consciousness as blood began to drip from the sides of his mouth. "You should have saved yourself the trouble and surrendered now look at you." Yet despite his gloating Jon realized that his opponent simply began to chuckle.

In a weakened effort but an effort none the less, Ivan began to start sprouting off random words in Russian leaving Jon dumbfounded. "Perhaps I hit you too hard. I got you all delusional." Jon took a knee next to Ivan as his kryptonian eyes worked to decipher just how much damage he had caused but suddenly Ivan's began to laugh in a way that unnerved the krytponian. The laugh was filled with pain and mixed with bloody coughs and despite the physical agony, the laughter would not stop. For several moments no sound filled the cavern but the laughs of a dying man until another sound began to erupt from throughout the cave. It was quiet at first but it became faster and louder. A bomb... Jon turned his head trying to locate the source of the sound as he realized that Ivan was playing his final surprise. Just as the kryptonian debated his next actions, he felt a weak hand grasp his ankle.

"Hail Hydra." And just like that the walls imploded in a fiery explosion as Jon was bathed in fire...

****
"Strike Eagle do you copy? Are you alright?"
...

"Strike Eagle, please respond."

"This is Strike Eagle. I'm alright. Target has been eliminated."

"What happened?"
"Ivan had no intention on being captured. Took himself out along with his little hide out."
"Copy that Strike Eagle. We're sending a recovery team in to see what they could salvage from the wreckage... Heads up, Director Fury is requesting contact."

"Copy. Send him through."

"Jon, I told you I needed him alive." Despite their communication being through the radio, Jon could tell right away Fury was slightly disappointed.

"I had every intention on making it happen but Ivan had a contingency in place. This patient game isn't working, we should move against Intergang now."

"Not yet. We need to know why Intergang is reaching out to Soviet operatives. There will be others and perhaps next time you won't let them blow up. As for now I need you to stateside ASAP"

"What for?"

"Just got word from a Commissioner Gordon. An old friend of yours has been spotted in Gotham."

The name Horace Wilks means nothing to you. In fact, it means nothing to almost everyone. Not that Horace see's this as a bad thing, he's a simple man with simple needs and desires. He was married straight out of highschool and has beautiful house with 2 daughters. Waking up this morning, he could hear the latest cheesy pop-song on the radio alarm. He looked at the alarm to see the time "10:01" He grabbed the clock as he quickly realized what was happening. This was the third time he had slept through his alarm this month, that was grounds for disciplinary action. Quickly leaping out of bed, he ran over to the wardrobe, pulling his clothes out and pulling them on as quickly as he could, before running out of the house. He looked around, not seeing his car. "What the fu... UUUUUGH!!!" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed his wife. "Hello, dear, where's the car? What do you need it for? Well, i need it. Why didn't you wake me?" He asked. "AAaaaaaaaaahhh!" He roared, before running off down the street to try, in vain, to make it to work before he was fired. As he began to run, the heavens opened and sheets of rain pelted down.

By the time he had gotten to the city center, he had given up. Looking at his phone, he saw the time was 10:26 and he was hungry. Well, if he was going to be late and soaking wet anyway, better be late on a full stomach. Horace entered the McDonalds and waited in the que for several minutes, leaving immense puddles of rainwater dripping off of him, before finally being seen.

"Hello, can i please get a sausage and egg McMuffin meal? Large coffee." He asked. The woman behind the till pointed to the clock. 10:31. "Look, i'm not having a good day, can you please just give me an egg McMuffin meal?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but i'm not allowed to serve breakfast after 10:30am." Horace grunted in frustration. He then saw someone getting handed a pancake breakfast meal.

"Well, then why is he getting served?" He asked.

"That customer obviously made the order before 10:30." The woman replied with a smile. Horace's face soured even more. He looked at his phone to see 10:29 on it.

"Hey, it's not even 10:30 yet, look." He showed her his phone.

"I'm afraid that your phone must be running slow, sir."

"Have you ever heard the expression, the customer is always right?" He asked. He then saw the clock on his phone flip over to 10:30.

"Yes i have, and your phone now says that it's 10:30, i'm afraid that i cannot serve you breakfast. May i offer you a Big Tasty?"

"No you may not offer me a big tasty, i don't want a big tasty, i want an egg mcmuffin." He growled.

"Well, i'm sorry, i'm afraid that there is nothing i can do." She replied, big smile still across her face. Horace looked around, before looking behind her and seeing a whole row of egg mcmuffins on the pre-made bench behind her.

"Wait, can't i just buy one of those? You're going to throw them away anyway." She turned around and looked at the row.

"Ooooh, i'm sorry, but it's past 10:30, i am afraid that i could lose my job for selling you one of those."

"BUT YOU'RE GOING TO THROW THEM AWAY!" He yelled.

"Sir, if you are not satisfied with the lunch menu, then you can speak to the manager, or call our offices." She said. Horace didn't even care that he was getting later for work by the second, this was a matter of principle.

"Yes i would. Get your manager down here right now." He ordered. She spoke into a mic and a few moments later, the manager arrived.

"Hello sir, can i help you?" Asked the manager.

"Yes, you can, i want to buy an egg mcmuffin, one of those ones sat right there and about to get thrown away!" Horace demanded.

"Was this employee refusing to sell one to you?" The manager asked.

"Yes, she kept on saying "BuT iTS pAsT 10:30!!!" Despite the fact that it was 10:28." He growled.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's past 10:30 and we aren't allowed to sell them anymore. We could lose our license." The manager replied.

"SELL ME THE FUCKING BURGER!!!" Horace snapped.

"Sir, if you will not remain calm, i'm afraid that we are going to have to call the police." Horace wasn't paying attention anymore as he watched an employee picking up the tray of muffins and taking them to the back to throw them in the dumpster and all he could feel was the purest of anger. He only wanted this one thing to brighten up his already pretty shitty day.

"Horace..." A voice said. Horace looked around, he could see the manager still talking at him, but he couldn't hear a word the man was trying to say. "Horace Wilks, I sense in you great rage. Say the oath and join our ranks." As the manager continued to talk at Horace, he saw the mans eyes starting to turn red, before his teeth sharpened, red foam started to pour from his mouth.

"Umm... Sir... Are you alright?"

"With blood and rage of crimson red,
From the corpse of the innocent, so freshly dead,
Together with our Righteous hate,
We'll burn all evil--that is your fate!"

Horace's clothes exploded, revealing a crimson red business suit, with black lines and the Red Lantern Logo over his breast-pocket. his eyes were now a burning red. Red fists of energy lanced out, punching the till operator and the manager in the face, before he let out a roar and a shockwave of red energy erupted through the McDonalds, throwing over tables and smashing the windows. Horace stomped through the carnage outside, before red hands of energy launched up to the golden arches and pulled them down and throwing them across the street. People were now running away screaming.

"BURN EVERYTHING!!! BURN!!!" He roared as he opened his mouth and a beam of fire shot from it, setting the McDonalds sign on fire.

****

The Green Lantern

****

Hal awoke in his bed, he patted himself over, remembering yesterdays training session with Sinestro. He crawled out of bed. "Shit, this is bad..." He groaned. If the social worker saw that he was injured, they would remove him immediately. Rushing over to a mirror to see how bad it was, he noticed that his face was fine... As was the rest of him, he looked down at his bare chest... He was more... Well toned than he remembered being. "Umm... Tom!!!" He called. Sinestro strode into the room in his human disguise.

"Excellent, you must have sensed it too. Quick, charge up and then we'll go."

"Go? Go where? Look at me, i've got pecks!" Hal chirped.

"The Ring heals your body and makes sure that it is in peak condition to wield it." In a flash of light, Sinestro was now in his Gold Lantern form.

"Oh, yeah!" Hal ran out of the room and downstairs.

"Wait," Sinestro called after him. Hal donned his costume in a flash of green light and ran out the back before jumping into the air, but this time, he just fell straight back down.

"What the... Come on, ring. Up-Up and away! Come on!!! To infinity and beyond! In brightest day, in blackest night no evil shall escape my-WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING!?" He called to Sinestro.

"Because you didn't give me the chance to give you this." Sinestro handed him a Strange lantern "Where do you think we got the name "Lanterns" from?" he asked.

"Ok... Weird, but i'll take it, how do i use it?" He asked.

"Put the ring in the torch and speak the oath." Sinestro replied. Hal did as he was told.

"In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night
No Evil Shall Escape My Sight
Let Those Who Worship Evil's Might
Beware My Power, Green Lantern's Light!!!"

As Hal finished the oath, green energy permeated his entire body. "Wow..." Hal smiled. "That felt pretty good."

"Good, then let us go." Sinestro said, before launching into the sky. Hal following him.

"So, if the rings need charging, then this should be easy." Hal said "We wait for the rogue rings to run out of juice and find them then."

"An astute observation and a good plan!" Sinestro replied. Hal put on his smug grin. "If that was how the rings worked." Hals smile faded. "Everyone is filled with these emotions and the rings are attracted to those who have a lot of their specific emotion. When they attach to the body, they drain it of all of that emotion, focus it and then use up the body until it's completely spent. If that person doesn't have an affinity for that emotion, like we do, then the ring will move on. If it does, then we will have our new recruit." He replied.

"Cool. So, what are we doing?" Hal asked.

"The Red Lantern Ring has shown itself. Tearing up downtown." The two finally arrived to see Horace advancing on a pair of police that were emptying clip after clip of ammunition into him, a red shield blocking it. "Damn, he's not got an affinity."

"How can you tell?" Hal asked.

"He's not in control, the Ring is just forcing him to feel nothing but unbridled rage. We need to stop him before he can do any real damage." Sinesto and Hal swooped down towards Horace. Horace looked at them.

"More misbegotten brethren!" He roared, before a red TeC-9 appeared in each hand and he pointed them firing wildly. Hal immediately created a shield, but Sinestro simply dodged out of the way of the bullets.

"Green Lantern, we need to flank him, get the ring off of his hand!" Sinestro called.

"Right, Gold." Hal replied. Hal lunged straight for him, deflecting bullets with his green shield, before Horace opened his mouth and a beam of blood-like energy blasted at Hal, breaking through a part of his shield and sending him to the ground. Hal rolled, before getting back up and began running. The green energy formed into a bazooka as he pointed it at Horace and pulling the trigger. Horace grabbed the green missile with one of his red hands and pulled it to his face, he gripped the missile between his teeth and bit down until it exploded. At that point, Sinestro grappled Horace into a full-Nelson.

"GET THE RING!" He yelled. Hal began to fly towards Horace, but his mouth opened and Hal was hit by a beam of red energy, sending him sprawling backwards as he got a shield up at the last moment.

"GET OFF OF ME!!!!!!!" Horace let out an ungodly scream, Sinestro was forced to let go and grab his ears as Horace turned around and began punching Sinestro back and forth across the face with the red fists, before summoning a pair of baseball bats and continuing to hit him. Hal rushed fowards again, just as Horace grabbed onto Sinestro's head by the temples, before opening his mouth and his mouth glowing. There was a loud bang as Horace stopped and turned around to see Officer Stewart.

"Drop the magic ring and stand down, sir!" He yelled. Horace stared at Stewart before dropping Sinestro and rushing for him, getting body-checked mid flight by Hal.

"Get back, officer!" Hal yelled. Steward fired a few more shots at Horace, before running back for his car. Sinestro was now back up and rushed over to Horace, a clamp made out of golden energy slammed around Horace. Hal reached a hand down and grabbed his hand, before finally managing to wrench the ring away. He held it in his hand before the ring began to wriggle and writhe, Hal clamped both hands around it. "Gold, we got a live-one!!!" He yelled as the Ring desperately tried to get away. Sinestro shot a beam around the ring, wrapping it in gold energy. Hal pulled his hands out and sighed. He looked over at Horace who was laying naked in the street. "Officer, want to give Nature Boy here your coat or something?" He called over to Stewart. John walked over to Horace and stared at Hal the entire time. He put his coat over Horace, before cuffing him. He then leaned over to his radio

"Stewart to dispatch, we need a bus and a wagon on West Phillimore street. Suspect in custody." He walked over to Hal and Sinestro, shaking their hands each. "Thanks for the save." He then leaned into Hal "We are going to have a talk later..." He then leaned back, before walking over to Horace and staring over at Hal as the two Lanterns slowly raised into the sky.

"So... We have it... Now what?" He asked.

"Little choice in the matter, we're going to have to wait for the Hero of Rage to show himself. I'll bleed some of its energy off to keep it from escaping. If we can calm it, then the next time it goes active will be when the true Red Lantern makes himself known."

"Convoluted... But it makes sense." Hal sighed.

"Tell Detective Stewart whatever you like, but do not tell him about me. As far as he is to be concerned, i'm just a regular human." Hal nodded as they flew back towards the house.

Towering above the city streets a lone sentinel kept his silent vigil, hidden amongst the gothic architecture that dominated Gotham’s downtown districts. Any casual observer might have mistaken the motionless figure for one gargoyle amongst the others, chiseled decades before from dark granite and left forgotten. Even the light wind, tugging playfully at the young man’s hair and cape could not drive him to movement, chilled to the bone though he was. He kept his rebellious body in check, denying his teeth from chattering and his body from shivering. In unusual form for the normally secretive Dark Knight the cowl was pulled back, leaving Damian’s face exposed to the elements and prying eyes. The rain had not yet relented its hold over the city, and the water soaked through Batman’s exposed hair, running down his gaunt cheeks. Dark bags hung under his bloodshot eyes, and evident exhaustion battled to take control and allow the easy drift unto slumber, held only at bay by Batman’s sheer will and the cool rain he let fall upon his countenance. The silent watcher felt his eyes droop, and he shook himself refocusing on the third story window across the thirty-foot gap separating his hiding spot and the Gotham Memorial Hospital.

Foot traffic had lessened considerably since that afternoon, early evening had come and gone, and the later hours of the night were fast approaching. Judging by his internal clock Damian would have determined the time to be nine in the evening, and yet already darkness had fallen in full effect. Just enough people to blend in, and just few enough to witness an attack, the perfect time to strike. Damian’s green eyes slid from one pedestrian to the next, centering his attentions on those entering the hospital itself. Finding the location was simple, child’s play really. An easy hack into Gotham PD’s records gave him the address, ward, room, and even stationed security within the compound. A quick examination of the city blueprint records gave him a reasonable assumption for the easiest entry points, and even the best location to maintain watch over the area not already patrolled by officers. All that remained was to wait and be ready for when they arrived to finish their grisly work. And what then? Swoop down to fight amongst hostile police or remain hidden and hope he could deal with any potential threat undetected. He almost hopped for the challenge, after six hours crouched upon the windswept roof, he longed to stretch his muscles.

Behind him, unbeknownst to the new Batman a lone figure alighted on the arched roof, creeping steadily closer. White silts glowed beneath a crimson hood in wanton anticipation, an unsheathed 1911 held loosely in the figure’s left hand. Very few people could lay claim to being able to surprise Damian, for the hooded figure even his success most likely was a combination of the younger man’s intent focus, and the steady rain that worked wonders in drowning out the tiny scuffs of his boots. “You forgot to put on the cowl Dami.”

Batman jumped, jerking away on instinct alone, a flood of adrenaline turning every inch of his body into a coiled spring, ready to leap away or fight at a moment’s notice. For a minute, his green eyes locked onto Red Hood’s emotionless mask, and then he calmed himself, letting the pent-up energy fade away, unspent. “Jason Todd.” He murmured in a familiar but not too untoward manner, watching the barrel of the .45 pistol warily. Determining the Red Hood did not want to kill him, at least not yet Batman returned to his vigil, as if he could simply ignore the intruder until he went away. Internally he berated himself for failing to notice Hood before the masked vigilante caught him off guard. He figured his new guest would make his intentions clear soon enough on his own, unprompted. Red Hood held their mutual silence, but true to his nature the vigilante could not remain unobtrusive for long. He stepped forward, grasping the hanging cowl and slipping it over Damian’s features, concealing his face beneath the dark fabric.

“Weren’t you taught to always wear your mask while in uniform? Or have standards been slipping since I left?”

“What’s the point?” Damian spat, bitterly pulling the cowl off once again. “They hide nothing anymore.” Bruce had always been adamant about keeping their secret as close as possible. The number of living people who knew their true identities could have been counted on two hands, or at least that was the case until three days prior when the entire world, and several alien species were let in on the secret. Everything Bruce worked so long to protect gone in an instant, and everyone and everything revealed beneath the light of day.

Red Hood gave an impatient sigh, “Because you look like shit and no one wants to see your ugly mug.” Damian heard the gun sheath and the slight hiss of escaping air as the armored facemask that concealed Jason Todd’s scarred visage released. Of all Bruce Wayne’s wards, in Damian’s eyes Jason was the ugliest by far. Brutish features, crooked teeth, and an ugly scar running from his left temple down to his chin marred whatever charm he might have once possessed. Damian had seen a photograph of Jason before he had died and something else had changed as well. Something visual, but not quite describable behind the man’s haunted eyes. Damian bit back a retort, going back to ignoring Jason, which the other man took as an invitation to continue. “You seem almost bitter about being an infamous celebrity. Didn’t expect to appear in the headlines as well as the rest of us?” He inquired before answering his own question. “He must have betrayed your trust in the end. That must have been a shocking revelation, and here I was thinking you gave up everything including your own name willingly. Heh, is that why you killed Hans Zuthenlifer? Revenge for revealing your identity as well? Isn’t that ironic…” Jason dropped down next to Damian, his feet dangling over the edge as he peered towards the third story hospital room across from them.

“What are you on about Todd?” If Damian did not know better, it almost sounded like Jason was accusing him of betraying his own family. The German’s words returned to him in a flash, like an alarm bell in his ears. Everyone would think he told. But how? Surely of all people Jason Todd would see past the paper-thin lie. Damian’s heartrate quickened and his eyes snapped away from the hospital’s entrance to glare back into Jason’s accusing gaze. “What do you mean?” He asked, more forceful this time.

“Don’t play dumb.” Jason mocked; his posture become more aggressive by the word. “Everything Hans Zuthenlifer claimed and wrote about was provided by the Lernaean Cohort, every bit of evidence he needed to prove his revelation to the world who Batman and his partners were, all released to him by that particular hero group. And who, was the little shit that led them for four months?” He prodded Damian in the chest, right where the bat symbol was emblazoned, his eyebrows raised as if challenging the younger man to deny his words. “I might not be the detective Bruce was, but doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together Damian. You left Wayne Manor after fighting Bruce, and four months later your team miraculously leaks vital data that just about destroys everything.” For a moment Jason seemed to catch himself, his voice breaking as if he was fighting back his emotion. “He has son, and a wife… Not that you care. You’re just here to finish the job, aren’t you?”

“Shut up Todd!” Damian jumped to his feet, shadowed by Jason. The Red Hood was slightly taller, and of heavier build allowing him to look down on his surrogate brother. Nearly every fight they ever had Jason came out on top. But they had not gone against each other in years, and Jason’s spiteful words had Damian rearing to try and even the score. If only there was no other, more pressing matters at hand. “Just shut up already, you have no idea what you’re talking about, and I’ll hear no more of it. In case you have not noticed that’s Grayson’s room across the way, and I’d rather keep him safe than deal with you. Run away, before I grow impatient and throw you back into the gutter where you belong.”

“Oh is that right?” Jason snorted, his dark eyes locked against Damian’s green, never once wavering. “You’re here to keep Dick safe, isn’t that rich? That’s what I’m doing, and have been doing for the last twenty-four hours. Imagine my shock when you come along and take up position right across from his window. I figure you’re waiting for the opportunity to finish him off, or were you standing watch to let someone else do your dirty work. Either way you are lucky I didn’t kill you the first chance I had. Guess, I ought’a give you the chance to try and explain yourself. Maybe plead for mercy. I shouldn’t have expected much from a traitor.”

Shocked rage contorted the younger man’s face. “How dare you insinuate I’d try to harm Grayson. I’m here to protect him.”

“Fat lot of good you’ve done on that front.” Jason shot back. He flung a hand towards the distant window. “Far as I can see all of this is your fault, so Damian, give me one good reason I shouldn’t drop you right here, right now?”

“Why don’t you try?”

The tension could have been cut by a knife. The two vigilantes stood separated by mere inches, like twin coiled springs ready to pounce and fight to the death, and truly a battle it would be. Jason was the fighter, always had been. From his first breath to his last, and to his first again he’d been a hot-blooded warrior, throwing everything he possessed into every blow, never faltering in his utter conviction towards victory. Despite the bold face, and his own stubborn pride Damian wasn’t convinced he could win, especially not in his current state of exhaustion. Though, judging by the dark bags under Jason’s eyes and stubble on his chin it had been a while since the Red Hood had gotten a proper six hours of rest as well. Nevertheless, doubt was the first step towards defeat, and the worm of it crawled in Damian’s heart. If he wanted a chance, he would have to keep his temper in check and think his way through the contest, and his foe was no idiot. Then Jason swung first.

The opening stages happened in a furious whirlwind, leaving Batman reacting mostly on an instinct derived from thousands of hours of practice. First came containment, deriving Red Hood of his most lethal weaponry, which meant keeping him at close range, and his hands busy. Hood did not even attempt to draw his guns, instead driving forward like a bull, catching the smaller man a heavy blow to the side of his face and throwing him to the ground. Landing hard Batman tried rolling away but his adversary remained persistent forcing him into a steady retreat. Every time the Dark Knight managed to regain his footing the Hood would knock him back down. Splatters of bloody saliva sprinkled the rooftop, dribbling from Batman’s lip. Every blow felt heavier than the last, faster and fiercer than anything Batman had ever encountered from the Red Hood before. He couldn’t keep up, couldn’t compete against the sheer ferocity unleashed. They clashed again, blocking, dodging, striking in a flurry swifter than the eye could follow. Batman landed two glancing hits, and received a repost to his lower rib cage in response, dropping the younger man to his hands and knees, gasping for air.

Their bout lasted less than minute and served to remind Damian just how outmatched he was against this particular opponent. Jason wasn’t here to mess around; he did not pull his punches and Damian had failed in his one recourse to keep his temper in check and strategize his way through the battle. Frustration fueled the rage that had been smoldering since the start of this fiasco. Since the death of father, since the wounding of Dick Grayson, since the betrayal by his team and the confrontation with Gordan. The final straw, losing to Jason again and being accused of a wrong he did not commit. It was all too much. Snarling he rose swinging wildly. Red Hood stepped back dodging the haymaker and delivered a swift kick to Batman’s stomach dropping him again. Twice Batman attempted to regain momentum, each effort receiving equal brutal denial leaving the defeat vigilante back where he started.

For a second Batman remained where he was, trying to keep the world from blurring out of focus. His green eyes locked onto a humble scene far below where the pedestrians went about their business unaware of the duel taking place far above their heads. By the visitors entrance a older police officer, in a heavy service coat, with the collar turned up against the rain pushed a young red-haired woman in a wheelchair, accompanied by what could only be her young son. Barbra Grayson? It must have been, and her father Commissioner Gordon as well. The distant trio moved quickly across the rain-soaked pavement to a waiting car where the officer helped the woman board, before tucking her chair in vehicle’s trunk. Batman watched the vehicle peel away, catching a glimpse of its plates before it vanished from sight. There had been no police record of where Barbra had vanished too after the Grayson family home had been attacked. It only made sense that she would be living with her father. James Gordon would be more than willing to take his daughter and grandson in during their time of need. Slowly, to avoid eliciting any further attacks by the Red Hood the Dark Knight eased himself to his feet, clutching at a sharp pain in his side. Hood watched him suspiciously, but respected Batman’s open raised hand, the sign for temporary quarter. Wiping a smear from his lip he nodded towards the distant window, the one they both knew contained their elder brother Dick Grayson, comatose and vulnerable. “You’ll stay here and protect him?” Damian coughed, tasting the metallic warmth of blood on his tongue. Jason considered him, as if determining what schemes the younger man was devising. At long last he nodded.

“As long as he needs me.”

A sense of relief washed over Damian. Judging by the beating he’d just received someone would have to be crazy to try and finish Grayson off. Their wounded brother would be in good hands, at least until he was well enough to fend for himself. Meanwhile Damian could reprioritize his efforts. With Barbra’s help he might even be able to recover a few clues as to his father’s final case, or even the whereabouts of the missing Tim Drake. First and foremost, he needed a shower, some civilian clothes, and something to stop his lip from bleeding. Damian’s hand fell to his utility belt, retrieving a small gray capsule, the last of two. He’d have to make more of these sooner or later, he was starting to run out. “And what of me,” he inquired, of Jason his short term plans complete. “Are you going to kill me?”

Once again Jason seemed hesitant. He shrugged, resting a hand on his yet undrawn pistol. “I dunno. Haven’t decided yet. One thing is for sure you need to be hurt a little bit more before I make up my mind.”

“Fair enough… Whenever you decide let me know.” The last word said Damian dropped the smoke pellet releasing a burst of concealing chemicals that spread across the roof and upwards before finally dissipating. Jason made no move to stop Batman’s escape. Retrieving his armored facemask, he fitted the vacuum seal into place and turned away. This wasn’t over, obligation to Grayson aside when the opportunity came, he would find Damian again, and finish their battle for good.

Anyone who was monitering police band radio would probably hear an odd little tidbit, starting a number of hours ago. Police were looking for an unknown figure dressed mostly in black with a helmeted mask and claws connected to the wrecking of a construction site. Because the suspect was not a recognized figure, it was assumed to be hostile, even though its escape measures from the site were lacking in fatalities or severe injury, even though a five-car pile-up had been deliberately caused. Anybody who knew their way around a Caped Crusader knew that this wasn't a local, so whatever procedure was being used for them...well...they couldn't afford to take any chances here. The subject had not been seen in hours, nor had the other suspect, seen flying away from the scene until it hijacked a helicopter, where it flew away and was lost from immediate pursuit. Pilots were thrown from the craft onto a nearby rooftop. The helicopter itself had been found in a two-lane side-street, no sign of suspect. Only description available on him was that the suspect was probably an adult male wearing a dark-blue full-body suit with a mask on and a bright orange symbol on the chest.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It'd taken several hours for her powers to come back, partially because she hadn't had any time to rest and think for a while. She first needed to find a place in this city where she could be out of sight, even from aerial surveilance. With her body already strained and the adrenaline wearing off, Raimi allowed herself to sleep a while among a building's rooftop air conditioning. All of today's problems had to wait, real time, or else she'd never get any of them done. She fell asleep trying to contact Oracle, not knowing if even her thoughts could reach the other time traveler in her weakened state. Time passed, and Raimi awoke with a jolt, having rolled over onto claws and poked herself. It was nighttime, and fortunately she hadn't stuck herself. Normally, she'd be in a 'seated' position while suspended in Axial Time if she were in her suit, but this was a different time, literally and figuratively. Her charge must've come back while she was asleep, though, and as she stood up she could feel time once more.

Oracle, are you there? I need to talk. I might've royally screwed something up here. No, check that, I know I did, but I don't know what. Oracle? Hello?

You ever have one of those moments where you're talking to yourself, except you feel like you're talking to somebody else who's watching? Supposedly, that was Oracle, how ever-presently aware she was, at most times. If she really needed to speak to her, Oracle would respond, especially at a time like this, but right now...there was silence, and that worried Raimi now. She had to get out of time, try to figure this out from a new perspecti-

A portal opened nearby, and she stepped out of it suddenly with a "Okay, that's new. What the hell?" and an defintie expression of confusion and worry. Raimi stepped out into the open to confront herself.

"What happened?"

"Oh, you have to see this one for yourself."

"Okaaay..."

She opened a portal and stepped into time. At first, it was hard to see what all the fuse was about. The time streams were swirling, the Axial Center was in place, no harmful abominations were in place, and everything appeared to be inta- Where was home? Where were the paths she knew and tread so often? This wasn't history! This was somebody else's history, and she didn't even recognize whose! It was like owning a car and having the keys, but somebody switched all the parts of your car so while it looked and ran alot like your car, deep inside you knew it wasn't your car! She stepped out of there in a hurry, like she'd just seen a disturbing piece of art and told herself to go and have a look, then cooled down a second.

"Oracle, are you listening? I'm in someone else's reality!"

Nothing. This wasn't good. She wasn't even close to anything familiar, a definite 'No longer in Kansas' sort of feeling, like even if she went to the Axial Center, she wouldn't gain that familiar feeling of having been there before. It was like her recognition of time itself had been reset. Reset? No... That couldn't be it. Time couldn't be reset. It'd taken a dozen of them to mend the damage from their last mash-up. Nobody could reset everything. The blast must've sent her and Cobalt - her and Allen - far out of their reality...or something. Okay, let's concentrate on this. She needed to get her bearings. She had all the power, none of the effective knowledge, so it was time to coordinate. Quickly, she leapt...and returned soon after, several times over. Raimi now stood as a half dozen of herself, each having gone and investigated something else along her timeline in order to get a grasp of the situation across this town. She addressed them now with an "Okay, what've we got?", so that many minds could work on the problem.

"Well, for one, we're not in Kansas, Tokyo, or any place we were expecting. It's Gotham."

"I couldn't believe it, even as I saw it. Everything labeled Gotham this, Gotham that, found Crime Alley if you can believe it.

"Hey, I almost got spotted by the cops, and even I'm still skeptical."

"That explains why nothing seems familiar. All the landmarks of this city, this country, or any other place in the world will be wrong. It's almost impossible to get a bearing. I don't even know if I exist in this world."

"Well, if we do, it won't take long for her to sus us out, but for now we operate like we're in hostile territory."

"That's not hard. We're in America. Everyone's hostile, everyone's got a gun."

The other five glared at her.

"Geez, one joke to lighten the mood..."

"Anyway, this means we're in deep. It also means that HE will probably spot us at some point, or someone working with 'im."

They all knew what she meant, of course: Batman. If this was Gotham City and all of its everything was real, then in some form or another, the Dark Knight was around, or any number of his proxies. The best and the worst case scenario here would be to get his attention, especially after what happened earlier in the day. They were in a world where their favorite comic was real life, like the part of the Spider-Verse where Spider-Man is a show and Peter Parker meets the actor who played him and the man who wrote the show. Raimi didn't even want to think about all the implications of Batman being real that it also meant. Just having to share the same reality with him was blowing her mind. He could be extremely helpful, but-

"Under no circumstances should any iteration of go and seek him out. We know how he is about people in his city. Even if it's our business, even if we're trying to fix the problems we created, he doesn't like people messing around inside of it. Eventually, he'll find us, and hopefully he's in a mood to hear our story. If not, we're in alot of trouble."

Because it was hard to imagine them lasting long in a proper fight against Batman, the world's most-prepared human being alive. Might shock or blindside him for a while, but he'd hold out even under the worst of circumstances and turn the tables if they had to fight. Even one of the others would be a hard sell in a fight. They all separated now, disappearing into their place in time and leaving the current Raimi alone. This was gonna be rough. She had no resources but what she had on her person. It'd be safe enough to leave her equipment suspended in time to travel around in her normal clothing, but she didn't have any American money...or a passport...or any idea of who to go to for normal help. Well...maybe that was something that Gotham's Finest could help her with, once she got down to street level and her street clothes.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



Just a dark alley somewhere, in the lower level areas of Gotham, among the more dilapidated sections where the word 'dilapidated' wasn't likely to be spoken, because the kinds of people you got around here were nothing but gangers, such as...the Jokerz. It was actually chill time down in clown town. The gang was enjoying a little brew scored off of a successful raid on the Ts territory, laughing it up as they drank it up. All was good in Gotham's darker side, as far as they were concerned, as one member was making their sign, but he was laughing it up as he sprayed it upside-down. The others laughed as he finished with a "Tada!". It was a great day to be alive.

Aaand lemme just stop you right there.

There was a certain spark in the air, all of a sudden, like lightning preparing to strike or not enough fabric softener in your everything. Pins and needles feeling, without warning, as the wind seemed to picked up and swirl around a particular point above them, twenty feet in the air. They were a witness to some real St. Elmo's Fire, right there, not that any of them knew what that was, as bolts of energy crackled in place and something flew - or was flung - right into the wall where the upside-down sign was located. The Joker who'd made it sagged his shoulders, going "Aww, maaan!". Whatever hit it cracked the wall severely and left scorch marks, ruining it. The freak event ended, and servos kicked in as the figure rose from where it hit the ground after the wall. They saw a machine in blue-black armor, eyes lighting up as it stood, body smoldering with great heat.

"Temporal Descent successful. Combat chassis compromised, but intact. Scanning..."

The android began to move around its surroundings, scanning the area for...something. They watched as the three eyes swiveled around, even regarded them for a second, but seemed to largely ignore their presence. The Jokerz began whispering to one another.

"Yo, whachu think it is?"

"It's a robot, fool. Whadya think?"

"Yeah, but like...from where? Here or outer space?"

"It showed up outta' nowhere. I think that means not from around here."

"What're we gonna do about it?"

Now, you must remember that to become a Joker, you must've made some seriously wrong choices in life, and then made even more. They were not brilliant, these clowns, and frankly neither were their rivals. But Jokerz, oh boy... When the leader went "Give 'em the welcome they deserve." and pulled out something to clobber the machine with, you know are going to end poorly. He was thinking 'It looks damaged, so let's slag it, take it apart, and use its parts however we want.', and to be fair, it was damaged...externally. None of the core systems were damaged, which meant when any of them or all of them went to attack, the android swiftly owned them. Clubs and stuffed rubber chickens dodged or knocked aside, attacks deflected, and it did not stop there... When you attack Zen, he makes sure that you are down and STAY down. So, soon after the fight started, there was an impact to ribs, a kick to the face, a sudden thrust of the knee to the solar plexus, a toss of Joker into Joker, and then he began to get mean. While making certain to crunch bones and tear ligments in two of them, he prevented the others' escape by charging eye beams and blowing up the gathered cycles. The two stragglers were soon run down as it flew their way, scooped them off of the ground, and dropped them among their friends, making sure that something broke when they landed before he did, nearby.

"Lawbreakers, you will stand as testimony to this frame of time as a message that civil disobediance will not be tolerated. All shall conform to the Laws of Zen."

He resumed scanning even as they groaned in pain. When one of them attempted to call backup with their phone, Zen took it, made immediate connection, and scoured the internet, as well. This was not what he was looking for. This was not when he was looking for.

"Lawbreaker-One not located within this timeframe. Begin Temporal Descent."

Another swirling mass of energy, and he was gone. There was groan that followed, and then "He took my phone home...".

Green Lantern

Hal and Sinestro had arrived back home. Sinestro walked through the house to the cupboard under the stairs. the yellow energy surrounding the red ring beginning to show strain as the red ring constantly beat against the construct. "Um, Sinestro, that ring isn't looking so good. Looks REALLY pissed."

"It's the ring of Rage. i don't know how you expected it to act." Sinestro grunted as he pressed a finger into the door. After a few seconds, he opened the door and it was a staircase leading down.

"Wait, when did we get a lair installed?" Hal asked, staring down.

"I arrived on Earth a month ago, did you really think i spent the entire time sitting around watching this planets form of entertainment broadcast?" He asked. Hal shrugged, he was still coming to terms with the "Chosen one" thing that he had going on, he wasn't thinking too much about what everyone else was doing. He hadn't even seen several of his friends ever since he got the ring. Hammond was probably up to his eyeballs in trouble and Carol... Well, she was loaded, she'd be fine. The two of them headed down the stairs. At the bottom, lights flicked on to reveal a small room, about 20x20 with flawlessly, pearly white walls and a large glowing tube in the middle, the colours swirling around matched the 7 Lantern colours.

"Ah, the big glowing tube. Wouldn't be a sci-fi lair without a big glowy tube, really ties the whole thing together." He laughed. Sinestro walked over to a console and pressed a few buttons, before lowering the red ring to the console. A glass tube snapped up and around the ring, cutting the yellow energy. The Red ring seemed to growl as it beat mercilessly against the glass, but the glass was resilient, not showing any signs of cracking. Sinestro pressed a few buttons and the ring began to glow as it relentented its assault, the ring finally stopped glowing and floated peacefully in the tube.

"The Red ring is secured. The console will continue to keep its power at a constant. Just don't get angry around it. Now, time for my evaluation of your first mission." Sinestro approached Hal.

"Let's see, we beat the bad guy, nobody died, and we are now 3 rings down with 4 to go, i think i did-"

"Painfully average" Sinestro cut in, bluntly. Hal's face went from pride to shock.

"PAINFULLY AVERAGE?!" He yelled.

"I told you not to get angry with the red ring around." Sinestro continued "Yes, we won, but you barely used your ring for anything other than making fists. You have access to one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, you need to start using it." He said.

"I didn't see you using anything bigger." Hal replied.

"I saw no need to use anything else. I will give you points for creativity with the Bazooka and it's a good start, but for this mission, my final grade is a painfully average. I've seen..." Sinestro stopped himself.

"Seen what?" Hal asked. Sinestro walked away, back up the stairs.

"Charge your ring and follow me." He ordered.

****

****

Sinesto and Hal landed on the beach. Sinesto looked into his ring as projected a map of the area. "No human life around. Good." He said. He turned back to Hal. "Alright, now come at me, properly this time."

"Look, Sinestro, you didn't need to drag me out into the middle of the damn pacific to kick the shit out of me. We could have stayed home and did that."

"Not this way." He grinned, sinisterly. Sinestro's ring glowed as it began to project a 40 foot tall, golden version of himself. "Defend yourself." He ordered as the giant brought a fist down on him. Hal immediately surrounded himself with a green shield. "You keep using that ring for defense. I've seen you defend yourself pretty good, now use it to attack!" Sinestro called. The giant retreated its fist to bring it in for another swing. Hal broke his shield and rocketted into the air, creating a giant fist and punching the Giant. "STOP THINKING WITH YOUR FISTS, YOU CAN CREATE ANYTHING!!!" He yelled.

"I know..." Hal grunted as he swung at the Giant with the giant fist again, keeping it off-ballance. He then created another Bazooka and shot at it again. This time, the giant easily batted away the missiles.

"You're becoming too predictable. You need to think bigger." Hal flexed his fingers, trying to think, the Giant went to swing at him, he shot a shield towards the hand, but in response, the giant swung at him with the other hand, punching Hal to the ground. "TRY SOMETHING ELSE!!!" Sinestro snapped. Hal spat out a mouthful of sand, before standing up. Hal seethed at it

"Alright, you king-kong lookin'..." Something clicked in Hal's head before he jumped into the air, creating a Bi-Plane construct around himself. the plane flew out of the giants reach, before coming around and beginning to shoot at it with the machine guns.

"Good, but think bigger." He ordered. As the plane finished its pass, the Giant narrowly missing the tail of the plane as it grabbed. Hal stuck his ring hand out of the plane and, before he knew it, the Giant was being forced into the sky as a replica of the Empire State Building appeared bellow it. "Impressive..." Sinestro mumbled. The giant clung to the top of the skyscraper As the Bi-Plane came around again, pelting the giant with machine gun fire, the Giant went to swing at it, but the Plane disappeared as the hand swiped for him, Hal's smaller form now slipped straight through its fingers, before he made impact, he made a construct of a giant green gorilla around himself, as big as the Giant, before plowing straight into the Gold construct. The Gorilla punched the giant across the face. "You're starting to understand." Sinestro called. The gorilla grabbed the Giants head as its feel clung to the side of the building. It began to crush the giants head. The giant looked back at the Gorilla and shot lasers at it from its eyes.

"Wait, that's not fair, you can't shoot lasers from your eyes." Hal called.

"That's not me, it's a construct that looks like me. The only limits to its power is my imagination." Sinestro called. The Gorilla was forced back by the laser eyes, before it fell down the building a big, but began to climb back up, the Giant leaning over to shoot at it. The Gorilla was forced to put up a hand to stop the lasers from hitting its head.

"Well, in that case, looks like Kong is about to get some upgrades." He grinned. The Gorilla let go of the building as a cape appeared out of its back and it put one fist forward, bringing the other under its chest. A large shield with a K appearing on its chest as it rocketed towards the Giant, punching it in the face, then again, then blasting it with lasers from its own eyes, then opening its mouth and blowing at the Giant, Green energy launched from the gorilla's lips as large shards of green ice pelted the Giant, The Gorilla swiftly kicked the Giant, before flipping off of it and the Gorilla's fists changed to Gatling guns, a relentless barrage now blasting the Giant from its mouth, eyes and machine-gun hands. The Giant was forced to let go and Hal watched it fall to the floor and shatter as it hit the sand. Hal floated down to the ground as the building and gorilla disappeared.

"You finally are starting to understand, aren't you?" Sinestro asked.

"Yeah, me and Super-Kong are gonna go far." Hal grinned. Sinestro stared at him. "Go on, say it." Hal grinned.

"You want me to say it?" Sinestro prompted.

"Yes, of course i do." Hal laughed.

"Alright, 20 laps around the island, no flying, no running, use only your constructs." He said, patting Hal on the shoulder and walking away. Hal was left confused for a second, before turning around.

"Wait, wait, no. You're supposed to say "Good job, Hal, you're really starting to look like the Green Lantern" Not give me laps." He ranted.

"When you are team leader and training a Lantern, you get to choose how to compliment them. I compliment you by giving you more work." Sinestro smiled, before creating a deck-chair and sitting down in it. "Hop to it. We don't have all day. I've got you enrolled at Coast City Academy and you start tomorrow, we need to get to the shops and get your uniform.

Hal stopped dead in his tracks. "C... Coast... City Academy? How the HELL did y-"

"I'm VERY persuasive. The Social Worker will start to get suspicious if i don't get you into formal education. Coast City Academy is supposed to be the best in the city. Anyway, you were there before for about a week, weren't you?" Hal raised a fist and scrunched his lips. He was never one for high society academies, he had been there when he was living next door to Carol. He knew that she still went there. Maybe this was for the best. After all, the Air Force had a minimum qualification requirement for its... Wait, why was he still thinking about going into the air force. He was the air force now. He could make anything he wanted, he could be anything he wanted. But his dad was a test pilot for the Air Force. He needed to follow him. It was his everything he had ever wanted, it kept him going before he had the ring... Yes, when this was all over, he was going to need a cover story, he was going to need a civilian identity, he was goi- "And yet you are still standing there... You are currently at 0 laps..." Sinestro yelled, derailing Hals train of thought like a B-17 bomber.

"yOu Are cURrEnTlY at 0 LaPs..." Hal muttered under his breath. before putting his ring forward and a Green Monster-Truck appeared. He jumped up into it and began to speed away. The Monster Truck was fast, way faster than any he had seen and he was having a great time, finally finishing the laps, he got out of the Monster Truck and it dissolved. Hal walked over to Sinestro. "Done. You happy now?" Sinestro looked down at his ring.

"Ecstatic." He replied with an evil smile.

"You're planning something..." Hal replied. Sinestro put on his poker face.

"Of course not. Come on, let's go." He replied. He rose into the air and slowly floated back towards land. Hal tried to float after him, but didn't leave the ground.

"Ummm... Help!" He called. Sinestro turned around.

"Oh no... You're out of energy." He said, feigning shock and concern. "How are you going to get back to land?" He put a finger on his chin and pretended to think. "Well, i wish i could help, but i don't know how much energy my own ring has left." He lied.

"You bastard, you knew this would happen!" Hal yelled at him.

"Well, if i'm a bastard, then you clearly don't need my help to get back to land." Sinestro said, pretending to look hurt. He stared at Hal, showing him exactly how this had to go.

"Master Sinestro, if you would be so kind as to help me get back to land, i would be eternally greatful." He said in his sweetest tone.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Sinestro smiled, before pointing his ring forward and producing a Small child's car that was barely big enough for Hal to fit in. Hal stared at it.

"My hate you so much right now." He grunted.

"This lesson is called humility." Sinestro replied. Hal climbed inside of the car and Sinestro made it raise into the air and starting to fly away with it, before turning around. "Cheer up, i'm not going to make you go all the way back in that." He then produced the green battery for him.

"How the hell did you have that?" Hal asked.

"That is a secret i plan to keep. Let's just say that, these costumes don't have pockets and i still need to carry things." He replied. Hal climbed out of the car in a most undignified manner, before he grabbed the battery off of him.

For once in the past eight months, Daisy was back on American soil with no orders. Which meant that she actually had time she could dedicate to Nikita. While she’d had no major incidents, Nikita had unfortunately not been on her best behavior in Daisy‘s absence. Daisy understood that Nikita was just a kid being a kid to the best of her ability. S.H.I.E.L.D. saw things differently, the organization still considered the teen hostile. Daisy was growing increasingly concerned especially considering how they reacted to rising tensions with other gifted young heroes they couldn’t control, like Damian Wayne.

“Just jokes,” Nikita had grumbled under her breath. The short response had pulled Daisy from her thoughts.

“Miss Kos, if we run out of agents willing to keep surveillance on you, you will no longer be permitted to live on your own. Is that clear?” the director asked, his tone sharp. He was not a man with a nurturing nature and unlikely to be sympathetic to Nikita’s growing pains.

Nikita nodded, mute for the time being and Daisy reached out and gave her wrist a gentle squeeze. “I’ll set her straight,” she assured.

“See to it that you do,” he suggested. “You are both dismissed,” he added.

Nikita had grown so much since she’d first landed in the states. She kept pace with Daisy as they retreated down the corridors. “I know it’s frustrating, but the better you behave, the more freedoms you’ll have,” Daisy said after a moment.

“New chains, same shackles,” Nikita quipped bitterly, a light Russian accent present in her response. It had improved greatly in her time here but it still made her insecure. It marked her clearly as foreign and she had a distaste for the negative associations that often followed.

Daisy was at a loss for what to say. She knew it was unfair. If Nikita had meant them any harm, she would’ve lashed out long ago. She had been handled by less capable field agents who had left completely unscathed. It was clear to Daisy that Nikita was just trying to grow in an environment that was resistant to it.

“They’re wrong about me. I want to help. I want to do good things,” Nikita said gently. Here she was, growing in spite of the circumstances. Like a weed, forcing itself towards sunlight through concrete.

Daisy sighed. “I’ll try to arrange someone more understanding to keep watch on you, in the meantime, stay out of trouble. That’ll be a good step in the right direction,” Daisy suggested softly. Nikita nodded in agreement and Daisy escorted her back to her new apartment in Gotham City.

"Hi, i'm your host Edward Leeds!"

"And i am your co-anchor, Sally Floyd. Today, the world is rocked by the return of an old face to the Supervillain scene. Mark Mardon, more commonly known as The Weather Wizard, struck today with a floatilla of Weather-Machines. We go to our man on the ground Vicki Vale."

The camera feed cuts to Gotham City, as Snow is on the ground, along with Lightning in the skies and blazing sun poking through holes in the cloud layers. "VICKI VALE REPORTING! WEATHER WIZARD HAS BEEN PUTTING ON A DISPLAY OF HIS RENEWED POWER. MANY WILL REMEMBER HIS MANY BATTLES WITH THE FLASH BACK IN THE JUSTICE SOCIETY DAYS, BUT HE HAS MADE ONE LAST PUSH FOR RELEVANCE IN THE MODERN AGE! AS YOU CAN SEE, SNOW, SUN, LIGHTNING AND EVERYTHING ELSE YOU COULD IMAGINE IS BEING THROWN AT CITIES ACROSS THE WORLD AS GIANT WEATHER CONTROL MACHINES WERE DEPLOYED ACROSS THE PLANET EARLY THIS MORNING, TAKING UP ORBIT A MILE ABOVE MANY MAJOR CITIES, INCLUDING GOTHAM, STAR CITY AND NEW YORK CITY, BUT NOT JUST THE UNITED STATES, MOST EVERY CAPITAL CITY HAS THEM! THERE LOCAL SUPERHEROES ARE DEALING WITH THEM AS THEY COME, BUT NATURALLY, THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY HEROES. SHIELD IS REPORTEDLY TRYING TO MOBILIZE, BUT AERIAL VEHICLES IN THE AREAS ARE ALL GROUNDED, EVEN THE MIGHTY HELICARRIER FLEET IS FINDING DIFFICULTY IN GETTING CLOSE ENOUGH TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THEM! IF THAT'S IT, I'M GONNA GET SOMEWHERE THAT'S MORE TEMPERATE, BECAUSE, EVERYWHERE HERE IS EITHER TOO HOT, TOO COLD OR BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!"

Somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic

Jon ripped through the sky like a speeding bullet, the air seemingly being split open before the kryptonian. He must have taken flight thousands of times at this point in his life and even then, it still was exhilarating. Despite being fully aware of his capabilities, S.H.I.E.L.D in their various headquarters throughout the world often watched in awe as Jon would ‘jump’ from one area to another, covering dozens of miles in seconds. Despite being deep in the mountains of Eastern Europe, Jon was rapidly making his way over the Atlantic and closing in on the Eastern Seaboard. Such a trip for an ordinary agent would have taken several hours at least even with the most advanced aircraft available but for Jon, it was just another quick trip that felt like that would only last minutes.

Every once in awhile Jon would eye a lone vessel out at sea and if they were lucky the crew would catch a glimpse of the speeding humanoid figure until it disappeared, leaving a thunderous echo as sound raced to follow the alien in his wake. “Soon.” Jon thought. Yet in his private thoughts the realization that that he was returning to Gotham to find and bring in his childhood friend, Damian bothered him. The fabled Bat family was shrouded in myth and awe and Bruce Wayne in his time was every bit the hero Clark Kent was or at least that’s how Jon figured. Bruce did not have Clark’s kryptonian physiology yet made up for it through unparalleled strength of will and mind. Yet for all his greatness, Bruce was dead along with members of the Bat family and the killers were roaming free.

S.H.I.E.L.D however were not the mourning type. Batman was a vigilante, independent of the law who did not answer to any authority. This unpredictability made him dangerous and with the circumstances regarding the death of Bruce Wayne and the others, Jon was tasked with bringing Damian in to uncover the truth because… S.H.I.E.L.D had to know everything. Jon had long pondered this mission and why he was chosen. Perhaps it was the bond he once shared with Damian? Or perhaps those in charge thought Jon would be able to convince Damian to turn in easy or maybe it’s because of Damian’s abilities made it that anything less than the son of Superman himself was incapable of bringing in the son of Bruce Wayne.

So consumed with his thoughts that only did Jon realize the air around him turned cold as if he was suddenly entering the eastern European mountains once more. “That’s not right…” Jon took a glance around him and realized that it was snowing. Suddenly a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and the roar of thunder echoed all around him. “This came out of nowhere so quickly. So… unnatural.” Jon mused privately as he focused his eyes straight ahead. The clouds were darkening, and the bizarre weather was only getting stronger, and he was heading straight towards its source. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Jon clenched his fists and accelerated…

****

Gotham

Jon landed with a soft thud, his boots sinking into the snow-covered roof. It was the storm of the century going all around him and Jon could hear the raging panic in the streets below. At this point the wind was blowing extremely hard and violent bolts of lightning struck at Gotham’s tallest buildings with an unnatural violence. Amidst the chaotic weather small rays of sunshine poked through the clouds at random catching Jon’s attention as the wind blew and paused in some unpredictable manner and the air felt hot and cold all at the same time. The kryptonian turned his eyes to the sky and tried to focus past the clouds and his eyes managed to make out sort of machine in the sky. If it was not obvious before, it was now… Jon entered the Gotham S.H.I.E.L.D safehouse in a hurry knowing he was about to get his answer.

"You're late." A voice called out as Jon entered the large communication room where dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D agents frantically analyzed screens filled with data and images of what was not only going outside Gotham but seemingly the whole world. Agent Phil Coulson approached the Kryptonian, his arm extended for a handshake. Jon took the hand firmly as they greeted each other with a customary nod fitting of good friends. “Sorry. Bad weather. I ran into traffic.” Jon replied. It was a joke but not a good one. “So, what are we dealing with?”

Coulson pointed towards a TV recording from one of the major news channels as reporter Vicki Vale relayed the news. Jon listened intently as images of the chaos from all over the world filled the screen.

“We need to find Mardon.” Coulson finally stated concluding that Jon heard all that he needed to hear.

“If he’s in Gotham, I’ll get him.” Jon replied.

“Last I checked all of command is trying to find something that can lead to his whereabouts. As of now command wants to keep you here, ready to go should we get a lead on Mardon.”

“I’m not sitting around here while all of this is going on.” Jon argued.

Coulson shrugged. “Not my orders but if Mardon is in Gotham and he knows you are here, he’ll do what he can to stay away from you.”

“I’m not going to stay cooped up while people are dying. Command has 15 minutes. If they don’t find something I’m destroying whatever that is above Gotham.” Coulson’s expression changed to one of amusement and shock.
“Hold up, we don’t exactly know what that will do”. Coulson raised a hand in a calming fashion as if to temper off the kryptonian but Jon was undeterred.

“You’re right but I’ll take my chances. The aerial fleet may be down but I can still get to it.”

“And what will you in the 15 minute grace period you've decided to bless us with?” The question came with a bit of sarcasm and sass though Coulson was one of the few who had that type of relationship with Jon.

“I’ll go street side, see what I can do to help get people into shelter.” A good answer.
Coulson nodded begrudgingly knowing whatever opinion he had or alternative suggestion, Jon would have just overruled him. Coulson’s eyes then scanned over one particular screen that detailed a variety of information.

“I almost forgot. We do have another asset in Gotham. Perhaps she can be of some help…”

Jon shot Coulson a puzzled look and in return Coulson reached over and grabbed a tablet and sorted through several files before handing the tablet over. Jon scrolled through the tablet “A Russian girl… Nikita Kos… 19…Huh… that’s interesting.” Jon continued to sort through Nikita’s profile. At its conclusion Jon looked at Coulson “Is she field ready?”

Coulson shrugged in reply “Well she’s with another agent, a longtime friend of a mine… a miss Daisy Johnson.”

“Get in contact with them, try to see if they can provide aid to any people that need it and if they get a chance on Mardon… you tell them to contact me.” Jon turned and headed towards the exit but paused as Coulson called out to him. “As important as this all is we still have a Bat issue.” Jon didn’t reply immediately, taking several moments to come up with a response.

"He can wait you know." Jon said finally breaking the silence. "This right now is priority."

"If you ask me, I agree. But the agency wants their pound of flesh. They want Damian brought in ASAP.” Coulson turned to look at the various data screens once more, one that was highlighting several meta humans all around the world taking actions to help deal with the current event. “This latest catastrophe is revealing a lot of interesting folk like yourself. We’ve had some odd sightings coming from Coastal City for example. All I’m saying is, just be careful out there Jon, we don’t know whose side people are on and the world just keeps getting weirder.” There was truth to those words, but Jon remained undeterred.

“Just keep me up to date if anything else comes up.” And just like that the new Superman was off.

The weather change had been rather abrupt, like...really abrupt. Like...Star Trek IV levels of abrupt. It wasn't natural. She had been just about to go change into her street clothes when this happened. The temperature dropped, which was a definite no-no for shedding layers, and then the wind and the snow came with...lightning? Thunder snow?! They were having a thunder snow? But it was clear skies, a little while ago! Who could have performed such a sinister act?! Heh... Sorry, had to do it. Raimi switched her helmet's mental boost frequency to basic radio to see if there was any relevant news. What she got was...

"Weather Wizard? Never heard of 'im."

Still, yeah, it DID look like the bad weather was centered around a particular source, one that was waaay up there. Looking up...a blob of snow decked Raimi in the face. But after she shielded herself from the weather, it was apparent that the source definitely wasn't going anywhere. That had to be it, a mile up. A mile... And she was still having trouble navigating around here. Hmmm.

"May as well give it a try."

She was definitely getting hungry, though, so a meal after this was over definitely needed to happen, somehow. So, Timekiller on the move! Raimi vanished into a portal...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



He had ditched the helicopter and just kept moving. Police authorities were nowhere nearby, and he made a clean getaway, knocking out a guy and taking his clothes to fit over his suit. So, you have a young brown-haired Englishman walking the streets in a shirt, a tie, a trenchcoat- Why the hell did this sound so familiar? Okay, the hair was wrong, but he couldn't exactly help his genetics, now could he? Allen Forscythe was not a magus, anyway. He was the heavenbreaker, the fulcrum of the chaos. He was Cobalt Thorium G. And...he was also quite lost, for a while. He'd wandered about town, looking for a place to put his feet up for a while, and found himself in a more rundown part of Gotham. Yes, Gotham, like the comics. Okay, no problem. He went to a rundown establishment of third-rate hotel rooms, scrambled the front clerk's brains, got himself a few keys, chose one at random, and took to the room...with the clerk's little television. Allen lay in bed and just watched some tunes for a while, thinking about what happened back there, between him and the Timekiller. She behaved like she knew 'im, but this was their first meeting. Well, time traveler. Makes sense. He let the TV on as he took a snooze, but was awakened by sour weather and a special news broadcast that made him chuckle.

"Heh heh heh...relevance. Good one."

Apparently, some washed-up villain was attempting to extort the world with some bad weather. Cumulatively, it wasn't a bad idea, but if this was something maintained by a machine, as it said, it was only a matter of time before an air base launched a squadron of planes to nix it. After all, didn't this sort of thing happen in GIJOE? And if there was anyone like him in the world with powers... Powers... Hmmm. That gave him an idea. He stepped out of the room, headed on upstairs, broke through to the roof, and stood out in the harsh, terrible blizzard with the errant lightning bolts abound.

"This'll do, for a start. Unchaos!"

A field with a 50-foot radius suddenly went up, and in it...was an ocean of calm. The wind became a gentle breeze, the snow fell lightly and softly, and any stray lightning bolt became noticably weaker. And Cobalt did grin. The bad weather was charging him up, the longer the better for him!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



Of course, the United States was NOT the only place affected by this disaster. Here in the UK, it is somewhere around 2-3 o'clock in the morning, and this weather machine had parked itself above the heard of the country! True, the weather was often quite bad in this part of the country, and some might even laugh at this sort of thing, but to sustain a blizzard and thuderstorm at once? That could knock out the power! But who could we call upon to deal with London's dire times? John Constantine? No! Bicycle Repair Man? I think not! This was a job for that swarthy short-man, that well-dressed dispensor of wit and charm, none other than...The Dapper Dwarf!



Yes, the Dapper Dwarf, a diminutive purple-skinned man with a moustache, always dressed keenly in black with a top hat and spectacles. No one knows where this stranger came from or where he goes when he leaves, but he fights for the betterment of all mankind against the forces of the notorious Baron Von Madness! Always a gentleman fighter, his power is derived from increased momentum into exponential force, and thus he keeps on moving! But now, he must halt in his tracks as he sees the effects of the device hovering high in the sky!

"By gods! Even London can't stand to be literally buried in snow! I must get up there and disable that contraption! But how...?"

The answer was simple, in fact. No air vehicle could possibly make it up there, no building was tall enough for him to simply jump off of. There was only one way! He had to run around the whole of London to gather speed, AND THEN catapulting off of Big Ben! THAT should produce the momentum required! He'd already heard a man in Tokyo was trying similar, anyway! TALLY-HO!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



Inside a room in The House of Madness, a group of men ALL answering to the name, Baron Von Madness, sat at a table and waited for the last man to bring the bagels. However, as the last man DID show, he was in wide-eyed and as exciteable as hyper-active terrier.

"Everyone! IT'S SNOWING OUTSIDE!!"

They all gasped as one, and shouted "LOOT PARTY!!" before nearly trampling the man at the door. Moments later, in store fronts all over the place, people were being pelted by snowballs from strangely-dressed men with duck sceptors as random establishments were robbed by this gaggle of mad geniuses!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>





The wind and snow blew around the rotating mechanical structure in the sky, lightning arcing this way and that, then...

"...Agh!"

She missed the mark so many times! Portals had opened, and even though it was a whole lot easier to navigate the open air in this new time, it was still difficult to find the right spot and elevation in time, a trial-and-error of portaling and falling, re-portalling and re-trying. It was REALLY hard to get her bearings, sometimes, even when she was on the inside, hovering by the portal and looking out, because it was all just storm, storm, storm, object, LEAP! Finally, one of her managed to cling onto one of the longer struts of the weather machine. Ahead of her, another one just barely managed it, claws tearing and rending metal for a bit before grabbing purchase.

"Anybody else make it?"

"WHAT?!"

"DID ANYBODY ELSE MAKE IT?!"

"I DON'T KNOW YET! MAYBE LATER! OR EARLIER! WHAT'S THE PLAN?!"

"I THINK WE'D BETTER MERGE, SO WE CAN ACTUALLY HIT THIS THING!"

"SOUNDS GOOD!"

She crept forward carefully, knowing that her other self had a bit tenuous a grasp of her place, right now. Grabbing a leg, the two of them merged and...she created a field accelerated time around herself. This would be akin to that time Temple Fuget had those handheld acceleration devices. Her powers in this form were not unlike some of those effects, but right now, she was only increasing her speed to the point where the wind and snow were less effective on her, making her form kind of blurry. She sighed now, saying "Much better." as she got up and walked along the strut, carefully minding her footing. Her progress in terms of normal time was a brisk pace, as she headed for the center.

"Now...how the heck does this thing work?"

Sometimes, morality mattered little when a man was pushed beyond his normal limits. When the orbital locked superweapons unleashed their hellish weather upon Gotham, Damian found himself forced indoors to escape the downpour, taking cover in the belltower of a large Catholic priory. Lifting a few casual civilian garments off the church’s slumbering inhabitants and a small blanket he spent the greater part of the night in fitful sleep between the rolls of thunder and howling wind, mulling over the irony of his predicament. The wealthiest person in Gotham, and one of the richest in the world by order of inheritance forcing himself upon the unknowing and most likely unwilling charity of those vowed to minimalism. Even if he’d wanted to utilize the vast resources left to him to try for a motel room, Federal offices had already frozen his father’s accounts. Seizing all of Bruce Wayne’s assets, using the untapped efficiency the bureaucratic state could only muster when it came to finance control. Even attempting to withdraw a single cent would trigger an immediate response from the authorities, who would bear down upon the unfortunate place of business bringing with them a full brigade of GCPD and Federal Agents. Or even worse, SHIELD. Thus ensnared in temporary poverty Damian wrapped himself in a ragged sheet and did his best to ignore his rumbling stomach and the constant atmospheric changes occurring outdoors.

Early morning arrived all too soon, and Damian having barely managed an hour’s proper rest was rudely awakened by the shuffling of feet upon stone. Snapping upright, all sense of exhaustion forgotten Damian bundled the assorted Bat-gear under his blanket, shoving it all into the darkest corner of the belfry just a wrinkled face appeared at the door. “Oh, hello there young sir. Frightful weather we’re having, wouldn’t you agree?” A spindly old fellow stepped inside bringing a mop and yellow bucket full of soapy water behind him. He seemed rather unconcerned by the stranger residing here and began going about his work as if it were entirely normal for Damian to be there. He worked studiously, mopping the small stone floor with practiced ease, even going around, and leaving undisturbed Damian’s precariously concealed gear. He was no threat; he must have been at least sixty and showing his age poorly. His tired hands shook just moving the filled bucket. In short order he completed his task, before he looked back at the somewhat stricken Damian. “You know, we have proper quarters downstairs, where you can get off the streets and out of the weather if you have nowhere else to go. No need to burgle and hide amongst the rafters.”

Damian glanced down at the blue jeans and long sleeve he had stolen last night. Imagine someone offering charity to a Wayne, to him of all people who should have toughed the conditions and honored his father’s legacy. A Wayne should not beg, but nor should he resort to becoming a common thief. Another disappointment to add to the list. Chalk it up to his own pathetic weakness on the steady onrush of failures that had been the last few days. “I cannot pay, so I will return them.” He swore it at once, but could he afford to? He needed these garments if he wished to approach Barbra without eliciting undue suspicion. He supposed he could consider an attempt during the night in uniform, but attracting her attention would be nearly impossible without also alerting James Gordon or the constant police presence around his home. Hell approaching her in civilian attire would be difficult enough.

“No need son.” The old man waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. Damian almost wished he demanded recompense of some kind. It would be easier than accepting handouts. “I’m sure we could find the means to buy Matthew a new pair. The Church is so very generous after all with their donations, and I’m sure you need them more.”

He felt sick to his stomach, and he bit back a sharp word of denial. Losing control would only worsen his guilt. “I cannot accept, I will return them and leave, just, you must go downstairs until I finish changing first.” Obviously, the old man had not recognized him yet. Most people probably wouldn’t outright. He had been just another one of Bruce Wayne’s many wards. Following a short-lived flurry in the tabloids the excitement around him died down, and he disappeared behind Bruce’s large shadow vanishing from the public eye. Or at least he had, now his face was no doubt circling the internet, and would very soon be back in the current conversation. Not that this old man used the internet much. He’d probably be safe for awhile. Still, if he changed into the bat suit right in front of him, that would most certainly turn into a story, and the last thing Damian needed was the entire world knowing that Batman was resorting to sleeping in church towers.

The elder appeared troubled by Damian’s insistence. “You would rather steal than accept charity? Oh the foolish pride of youth.” He stroked his wispy white beard at great length, contemplating this unorthodox impasse. “Very well, consider them a loan. Once you have financially regained your footing, I expect their worth paid in full, plus one night’s stay and interest of one percent a month. Is this acceptable to you?” He waited patiently for the young man to absorb that offer, the boy seemed both shocked and uncertain about the idea prompting the elder to lesson his offer. “If that is too much, I could always reduce the price. Just the clothes paid for, and no interest-“

“No!” Damian threw up and hand, stopping the elder before he could finish. “I find the first deal acceptable. I assume you are the prior who I will pay?”

The old man laughed, taking up his bucket and mop he departed leaving the young man to himself. “No, no I am just the custodian, I’ll explain everything to Prior Andrew though. Remember, if you want to stay the night please come downstairs, I imagine this belfry is drafty during the night, and a stone floor is no substitute for a bed.” Chuckling he disappeared downstairs leaving Damian alone once again.

The next morning, Daisy was noticeably absent from Nikita’s apartment. Frowning, the teen switched on the radio to hear a report of a “Weather Wizard” terrorizing the globe with weather machines making the weather unbearable. Nikita had poured herself a bowl of cereal as she listened, eating slowly as the reporter mentioned that S.H.I.E.L.D was attempting to resolve the issue. ‘That’s where she is,’ Nikita realized. Daisy wouldn’t actually be getting time off, it seemed. However, this meant that Nikita was unsupervised for the time being. A terrible mistake on the organization’s part, of course, but one she intended to take advantage of. Nikita was quickly sporting a mischievous grin and her agency-issued uniform. She took a few minutes to focus on what she’d been wearing previously, all black street clothes with far too many zippers and chains. When she checked her reflection, she appeared to be wearing them once more. ‘Perfect.’

She launched into the hall and down the stairs of her walk up before emerging onto the sidewalk directly outside. She made eye contact with no one, maintaining focus on her appearance. She drew little attention despite her unconventional style of dress thanks to the miserable weather and several others hurrying to safety. The air was hot and humid but sleet poured down relentlessly. There was an older homeless man who sat under a tarp, sweating and shivering, unable to regulate his body temperature in the present conditions.

Nikita pressed on. Instead of heading towards more stable or favorable weather, she forced herself into worse. High winds and lightning began a few blocks up. Snow coated the ground. Her boots began crunching through the fresh white blanket that covered the streets. ‘What kind of shit villain-‘ she thought bitterly, the idea cut short as she grew more aware of her surroundings. She realized a man who had caught her attention when she had first exited her apartment was still following behind her. She ducked into an alley as she realized the loss in concentration would drop the illusion of her appearance.

The man waited at the edge of the alley as he continued his phone conversation in hushed tones. Nikita pulled up the hood of her suit, waiting to be told she would have to return to her apartment or another lecture from the Director. After yesterday, maybe she was in for worse.

“Kos. Are you coming? Burning daylight, kid,” he called to her. “I’ll get her back, Johnson, give me a few,” he sighed, lowering his voice. Nikita met him without too much reluctance. “Look alive, kid, it’s not a goddamn funeral,” he told the teen, unamused.



Daisy took a second look at Nikita as she approached. “Why are you wearing that?” she asked, clearly confused.

“I wanted to help.”

Not that again. Daisy sighed and looked to Anderson for support but found none. This was not something Nikita could handle by herself. Her skill set might make her a valuable addition to neutralizing the weather devices but she wouldn’t be able to do so alone. “How’s flying coming?”

“I don’t fly.”

“Right. How do you plan to pull one of these from the sky by yourself, then?”

Nikita hadn’t had time to properly formulate an answer when the pair was approached by Phil Coulson. “I see she’s suited up and ready to go,” he remarked. “Here’s your chance to play the big leagues,” he told Nikita. “Stay with her, clear the civilians out of the streets. We’re still working on locating Mardon but the New Superman just landed. If you find Mardon, call immediately,” he instructed Daisy. He was obviously in a hurry, speaking in short, choppy phrases and hurrying in the opposite direction as soon as he finished.

“Get all that?”

“Da...”

East Gotham

Please be advised, all citizens are asked to seek shelter and avoid travel.

The emergency broadcast repeated itself continually having taken over every major radio station. Jesse cursed quietly to himself as he shut off the radio and turned up the heat in his car another level. The broadcast was driving him nuts. "I'm so close." Jesse tapped the wheel of his car in irritation as he took another gaze at the traffic around him. They moved at a snails pace, the long lines of vehicles all attempting to exit off the freezing highway but ice and wind all slowed their travel and the last thing anybody wanted to do was abandon their vehicle in the chaotic weather. Jesse peered through his passenger side window and took note of the Gotham river which was now looking ice solid. It had come so suddenly and all of Gotham was woefully unprepared to deal with any of this.

"I need to get of this fucking bridge man." Jesse cursed aloud as he tried to avert his eyes elsewhere. The irritation, the anxiety of realizing he was in a bridge above a frozen river was egging him on. Trying to find something to distract him, Jesse eyed his rearview mirror and noticed the eighteen wheeler truck behind him had left a sizable space between their vehicles. The traffic remained stop and go, stop and go and the people in the cars around him were just as irritated. "Come on man let's fucking move!" Jeese shouted, mostly to himself before his eyes were averted back to his rearview mirror.

The gap that was left between him and the truck was growing smaller and the truck wasn't slowing down. "Oh fuck." Jesse could just see through his icey, snow covered mirror that the driver of the truck was in a panic. It all made sense and Jesse felt his life slow to a crawl... due to the conditions the truck's breaks were failing and the truck was pushing forward with no signs of slowing down. Jesse looked to his right towards the passenger side... he was right next to the edge of the bridge, the only thing that would stop him was the steel rails but they wouldn't be able to halt his car. Jesse looked left, maybe he had to exit his vehicle, maybe if he was fast enough maybe.... Too late.

Collision.

The truck slammed into Jesse's sedan which crumbled like paper, his chest pressed into the wheel before the airbags went off, pushing him backwards as the seatbelt of the vehicle was the only thing preventing from the poor man from being launched from his car. The windows in the rear of his vehicle had shattered and Jesse could feel a gust of cool wind enter his car. Worst yet his vehicle had punched through the steel rails and though his vision remained obstructed he could feel his car starting to tip over. "Fuck fuck!" Jesse knew what was happening, he could feel his car inching forward, he was going to go over the edge. His mind flashed with dozens of memories as the car fell forward, accelerating downward like a rollercoaster but even in his terror he knew that it would all over in a second. Jesse closed his eyes, accepting his fate only to feel his momentum pause. "What the fuck?" Jesse turned his head as he felt his vehicle move but not by his will...something was carrying back towards the bridge.

Jon pushed the sedan back on the bridge as he could see dozens of people having exited their vehicle in astonishment to get a better look at the newly arrived super being. Jon than turned towards the truck whose front end was peeking over the bridge. Jon leaned over, grasping the truck from the bottom and with a quick tug, fully pulled the 18 wheeler fully back on the bridge. The surrounding Gotham citizens watched dumbfounded as Jon displayed a quick display of strength beyond imaging but he wasn't done yet. Turning back towards the damaged sedan, Jon tore the door off and freed the immobilized Jesse.

"You alright?" Jesse could barely come to his senses though the blue armored figure who stood by was the only thing he can focus on. "Su-Superman?" Jesse muttered. Jon nodded at the man he recused in acknowledgement only to hear the crowd that had gathered began began to clap and cheer. It was odd being the center of attention like this. His father had done similar acts hundreds of times but for Jon this was still rather new... after all his 'super hero' career involved chasing down the most dangerous of adversaries, not resucing common people in natural disasters. Jon tried to think of saying something witty or creative to put the people at ease but lightning streaked across the sky following by an ear shattering boom ending ruining the moment.

"Get to safety, all of you." Jon said aloud at the thunder faded, his request sounding like a military command. A hard wind rushed through the packed highway as the people instantly tensed up as if to brace themselves but Jon alone stood unaffected. It was hopeless, time and time again he made valiant attempts to aid the people of Gotham but the weather's intensity and unpredictability almost made his efforts meaningless. Jon gazed at the sky, his eyes trying to focus on where the weather device machine hovered. Would destroying it actually do something? Yet in his debate, Jon caught a passenger plane steak across in the sky, its nose tilted downward. Jon focused his eyes... something wasn't right. His eyes honed in on the engines and judging from his view and estimation, the engines were being affected by the weather and the pilots were losing control.

One last rescue, then he was going for the machine. Another hard wind blew again as Jon took off, accelerating towards the falling airplane. He did not want to admit it but the weather was having some effect, his efforts were slowed thus requiring greater effort to move against the howling force. Lightning bolts raced past him, striking indiscriminately at Gotham below as Jon attempted to survey the aircraft. Now that he was right next to the aerial transport it was evident that the engines were as good as dead and the only way this craft was going down safely was through his hand alone. Jon took a quick gaze alongside the windows of the passenger aircraft, his eyes capturing the frightened looks of the passengers aboard. Jon raised a hand as if to calm the passengers who could see him as he raced towards the front of the plane. He wasn't going to let them down. Maybe he wasn't his father but Clark Kent's obligation to help his fellow man was an instinct he also inherited and a call he could not ignore.

Passing by the cockpit, Jon took a quick glance at the pilots of the aircraft who struggled to keep the aircraft airborne but their visuals were compromised and their transport no longer in their control. Jon took a quick glance downward... they were close by the river and that was likely the best place to help guide the aircraft. As the young kryptonian positioned himself in the front of the airplane he privately weighted the risks of his actions but figured that the river was his best shot at an easy landing and it also allowed him to avoid guiding the transport through Gotham's skyscrapers. Admittingly what he was about to do was crazy, he never attempted such a feat before but with time running out, hesitation was out of the question.

****

Jon gritted his teeth he could feel the airplane screeching come to a halt. The kryptonian's blue armored boots sank into the thick ice as he balanced the aircraft in the air before gradually easing it downward. Considering the weather conditions, the airplane should hold on the ice, at least long enough for the people to evacuate. With delicate precision, Jon eased the airplane downward with an exhale and with a soft thud, the airborne transport had made it back to the ground. Stepping backwards Jon took the moment to contemplate what he had just accomplished... he had pulled an airplane out of the sky and brought it safety to the ground. Impressed with himself, Jon peered at the cockpit and he could see the relieved pilots waving at him, their expression said it all.

"Jon, hell of a catch. If we all get through this you'll be on the cover of every newspaper for the next month." It was Coulson and still in a good mood to his credit. Jon pressed a pair of fingers by his ear to access the communicator by his ear to reply.

"Talk to me Coulson, tell me you have something on our guy." Jon braced himself, ready to move on the Weather Wizard's location and-

"Unfortunately no. Our other asset is on the ground and doing what she can. I guess you're up." Jon took a pause, disappointed with the news but he wasn't surprised. With Nikita now deployed to help Gotham's citizens, Coulson had more or less gave him the signal to go for the weather machine.

"Copy that." Jon gazed at the sky, the ice under him cracking as the super powered alien prepared to explode into action once more.

"Do Gotham a favor and break it good. Don't need any loose ends falling down on someone." It was a witty comment disguised as an order but Jon didn't need to be told twice.

****

Jon soared the air, racing past various lightning bolts and freezing gusts of wind as his eyes honed in on the vast machine over the city of Gotham. Jon debated just flying through it's center in one quick pass to smash it too bits and then deal with the remnants but he wanted to take one good look at the machine to see if there was anything he can learn from it. Positioning himself above the machine, Jon's eyes scanned the various metallic pieces, planning his attack but something caught his eye... someone else was already on the machine. Could it be...? No that's not the Weather Wizard... maybe an associate?

In a display of force, Jon flew towards the center of the giant machine and landed just several feet away from Raimi with a forceful thud, the metal under him bending from his strong landing. Jon took a quick glance at the mysterious being before him, his mind assuming the worst as his eyes began to grow an eerie red...

"So, the Weather Wizard has a partner?"

With her progress no longer being hampered by the wind and the snow, the force and velocity reduced by the effect on time around her, Raimi had managed to move from a point closer to the end and almost reach the center...when it happened. The sound had, at first, seemed like an effect of the storm, like a slowed-down thundercrack or some other similar action. Such was not the case. As she neared the center, a new form landed a short distance from her, close enough to be heard as he spoke. Raimi's first impression, upon seeing this guy, was a decided 'Uh oh'. Then, she reminded herself that this guy looked very much like You-Know-Who that everyone always wants Bats to be in a tussle with. And directly after he spoke, there was a decided 'Oh Crap' feeling as what ultimately had to be a super man addressed her as a potential enemy.

This was bad, but then she could clear this up. The only thing about that was that the same time field that had allowed her to carefully walk up here without falling was still accelerating her in every way possible. So, when Raimi spoke...

"What?Nonono,that'snotwhatI'mdoinghere!Thatdoesn'tevenmakesense!Whywouldthisguyhaveapartneraroundasinglemachinewhenhe'sdoingthisaroundthe- Holdon."

...which is when she stopped, because she realized that as much as he was speaking in slow motion to her, she must've sounded like a tape recording with the fast forward button jammed on to him. There was every possibility that he could follow all that because he had super senses or something, but Raimi wasn't sure, so she fixed it with a quick gesture, expanding the field. The blur of a human being that John had seen standing there, talking a mile a minute with rapid gestures suddenly resolved into a form that moved and acted normally...before his surroundings began to slow down by a marked degree. The figure shugged, speaking alot more coherently now.

"Sorry, time physics. Gets weird. I'm not here to help the wizard. I came up here to disable this thing, find the guidance system, and send it crashing down somewhere empty-ish. Pretty sure you want the same thing, so how 'bout a hand? The only thing you can do here is trust or not trust, 'cause you don't know me and we really don't have time to back-and-forth, so what do you say?"

She waited for an answer, knowing that very little time was technically passing in reality, but that what she was doing now was only a case of allowing the act of talking to effectively be a free action. Raimi felt that she could do this without him, but it would be much easier WITH the S-Man, and alot harder to counteract the sheer speed that he could bring to bear.

Jon smirked, the look in her eyes said it all. The kryptonian took a small menacing step forward, eyes glowing brighter, his body poised to launch forward to attack in an instant. Jon's mind was all but made up, his natural aggressive instincts having taken over that he hardly noticed the speed of her voice until the world around him visibly slowed and now it was him bearing the look of uncertainty and confusion.

"Impossible."

It was all he could reasonably mutter at the moment. Perhaps this was all an illusion or some sort of other technological trick yet every feeling in his body all told him that this was reality, there was no trick. Jon alas watched as Raimi explained herself, her voice having slowed and her words more clear. Jon wanted to ease up and laugh as his mind had drifted to what Agent Coulson had said earlier about the world getting more strange however he kept his composure... after all he didn't want to break his menacing persona.

"Time physics huh?" Jon replied, his glowing eyes having reverted to normal and his body posture now relaxed.

"You are a strange one but I suppose we can work together considering you seem to have honest intentions. If you have a plan other then blowing it up or having me throw it into the ocean, I'm all ears."

Take this from the Timekiller's perspective: You're working hard to try and do a good thing, and this guy shows up with eyes glowing read, immediately accusing you of being somehow involved in the device under your feet, just because you're standing there. Now, Raimi didn't personally know Jon specifically, but again...avid Batman fan. She knew the Supes when she saw 'im, and the S don't lie. She didn't know as much about Kryptos as much the extended Batman family, but this had to be one of 'em, which said one thing very clearly: Red eyes mean sailors take warning. He had the heat beams primed faster than Cyclops during an eye exam. It was fortunate that her antics and her sudden shift of the time field to include him in it delayed his action long enough for the guy to reconsider. That being said, it was irritating that the walking WMD assumed there'd just be a random villain walking around here.

When he'd put away the potential for searing beams of death, the S-Man agreed to work together. Raimi was making sure to regulate the field they were in carefully. The way this place rotated to spread its weather disaster, having some of the strut they were on in too much of said time field would cause its physics to swing out of control from the rest of it. She was already starting to hear a slight creak under her feet, hence why she was focusing a little on it. The Supes' intentions were fairly straightforward, destroy or get rid of the device quickly, hopefully minimizing the damage caused by either action. Raimi, who'd seen a few nasty devices like this (and a TV shows to boot), had a feeling it wasn't as easy as that. Honestly, she was surprised this Weather Wizard hadn't installed some kind of security system on his machines. Then again, it was pumping out frozen hell at a rate most humans would find unapproachable. Still...

"The way I see it, this thing's manipulating all weather and air currents in the area to design. I don't know how it works, but I'll bet moving it without disabling the thing or trying to blow it up causes everything to go berserk. I was going to find and short-circuit the power supply, then slow it down when it falls out of the sky so wherever it lands, it's as harmless as a leaf."

She raised a taloned finger, then, with a smile.

"If we do it like that, the computer will still work and we can take it to someone to track down your Weather Wizard. The rest, you can compact to the size of a pea, for all I care."

Green Lantern

Hal was rudely awoken in the morning as what sounded like an explosion ringing out. Falling out of bed, he hit his head hard. "Ow..." He groaned. Walking over to the window, he threw open the curtains to see a blizzard going on. "What in the-" He was then fell over backwards as a bolt of lightning struck right outside the window. As he scrambled to his feet, the thought occurred "Wait... It's Spring..."

"Indeed it is, Green Lantern. Suit up, one of your Earth evildoers has set up a weather control machine and it's destroying everything in its path." He said. At that point, the window lit up as blazing sun poured into it.

"Sounds like Weather Wizard. That guy was big in the 70's." Hal sighed.

"Yes, i believe they gave him that name on the news broadcasts." At that point, his ring flashed and the golden suit appeared around him. Hal did the same as his green suit appeared. Rushing out into the back garden, Hal immediately began to shiver, despite the blazing sun.

"Why is it so c-c-c-c-cold?" He then looked at Sinestro, who looked rather comfortable. Sinestro motioned to the yellow aura surrounding himself.

Aura of protection from elements. Allows us to travel in space, protects us from harsh environments." Hal nodded, closed his eyes and suddenly, everything was fine. He looked at the green aura surrounded him.

"Cool..." As they blasted up into the sky, they looked back at Coast City. The city looked strange, parts of it frozen, parts of it on fire, parts of it flooded, parts of it quite perfect. "Why would anyone do this? Any chance it's someone possessed by a ring?"

"Power makes one do strange things... But this doesn't look like a Ring's handywork. Not something on this scale." As they finally got through the clouds and saw the enormous station hanging in the sky, Sinestro's ring flashed. "Definitely not a Ring, it's made of solid metal." At that point, there was a flash from the machine as a laser shot right between the two.

"And it's not happy to see us."

"Apparently." Sinestro grunted. "I'll go high, you go low. Remember your training." An ark of lightning shot at them, with Sinestro creating a giant golden hand that back-handed it away. He then rocketted upwards, Hal kept low as he could hear bullets and lasers whizzing past him. As he began to climb, getting ready to attack, clouds rolled in, conceiling it.

"Well now what am i supposed to- wait i can do anything." The ring in his hand began to glow before a large rotary fan appeared, spinning faster than the eye could see in an attempt to blow away the clouds. However, as the air currents reached the cloud, laser cannon shots lanced out, shattering the fan to pieces. "Damn, wait, no, GOTCHA!!!" quickly constructing a pair of sidewinder missiles on his arms, the green rockets launched into the cloud, a green explosion ringing out. Hal pumped his fist, but then was caught offguard as a laser round caught him square in the chest, sending him spiralling down. Finally pulling out of the dive, he decided that it was time to try speed. Constructing an F-22 Raptor around himself, the green plane blitzed across the sky "Sinestro, i'm coming in with some heavy power, how're you holding?"

"My old team and i used to attack monstrous machines like this all the time. Dismantling it is childs play." Sinestro's voice came through Hal's ring. "Let me draw it's attention and you get in and destroy it." As he said that, Hal would see flashes of gold from above the cloud layer as the Raptor went in for an attack, dodging lasers and missiles, before hailing green bullets into the machine. As he came out the other side of the attack run, he looked back.

"Minimal effect, coming around for another pa-" But as Hal was ready to attack again, suddenly, he would see a golden light shine from the machine as Sinestro burst from the bottom with a large drill attachment from his ring. "Wow... That was a good move, Gold." As he floated, the weather around them started to clear up.

"Don't celebrate yet, we've still got work to do... The Weather control part of this machine is gone, but it's still floating and i have no idea how... There's nothing left that should be keeping it afloat..." Sinestro responded. "Get in here and let's see if we can't get to the bottom of this."

Jon nodded in agreement as he started to scan the metallic surface, his kryptonian eyes peering past the metal and into the inner workings of the crazed weather machine. Part of him still ultimately wanted to just pulverize the machine and be done with it but Raimi's own suspicious agreed with his own hunches. For several moments Jon contemplated the machine's inner designs before locating what he believed housed the main power generator. The interior was large enough for a person to maneuver around inside.. clearly part of the design. It was difficult to tell if there was internal defenses but he was confident that there was nobody else on the inside so that was a plus.

"There's enough space for you to travel the inside. I'll move this thing towards the ocean and away from Gotham while you see what you can do on the inside." Jon then gazed downward before plunging a fist through the metallic surface before ripping a sizable hole on the metal surface. It was a decent show of strength but more importantly, such a small blow shouldn't affect the overall integrity of the machine's hull.

"There's your door. The main power source shouldn't be too far. I'll be careful but you need to move quick as I move this thing. The longer we take, the more people get hurt down there." Jon took a step back as he surveyed his surroundings once more. The hurricane like winds and violent lightning strikes would have proved to be quite a deterrent to most... but he wasn't most.

Jon walked over to the closest edge and gave Raimi once more subtle nod in acknowledgement, having no choice but to trust she would do her part before stepping off, letting gravity pull him downwards. Hail harmlessly bounced of his body and the sharp winds cut at him to no avail as Jon identified a proper position to move the grand object. With a quick burst of acceleration that sent the air around him blowing away, Jon placed himself right against the machine's main body. With a small exhale Jon placed his hands along the structure and began to apply force. At first nothing happened as Jon had to try and delicately balance his strength, trying to find the right sweet spot to ensure he could move the object but at the same time not accidently crush it.

After several tense movements, the machine began to move... it was slow at first but from the ground looking up, one would notice the weather machine gradually getting guided over the ocean and away from Gotham.

In the flooding streets of Gotham, Nikita’s hair was now plastered to her skin. The cold didn’t seem to bother her like it did Daisy. Daisy trembled as they corralled pedestrians into nearby businesses. Nikita pulled the shadows behind her into solid and opaque tendrils. As she focused, she manipulated the appendages to lift debris from hurricane winds to clear the way for citizens of Gotham to proceed to milder weather and shelter.

“Nikita!” The call from Daisy was sharp. It ripped Nikita’s attention from the task at hand and caused her to drop the arms back to flat shadows. Nikita crossed the abandoned street, meeting with her mentor at the crosswalk of a connecting road. “There’s tornadoes touching down around Midtown, we need to move!” Daisy yelled over deafening thunder.

Nikita grew rigid and shook her head in fierce protest. “We must help,” she disagreed.

“You’re still just a kid, I’m not letting you go in there!” Daisy snapped. She was adamant as she knew there were already agents en route. Nikita had always listened well to Daisy but today she didn’t hesitate to take off in the opposite direction. Daisy cursed under her breath but knew she was faster than the teen. She caught up to Nikita in no time, managing to block the teen’s attempt at a counter attack. The shadowy tendril rebounded from the protective shield before dissipating into the rain. Before Daisy could drag her away though, a funnel cloud touched down only a few blocks up from the duo. The cries of onlookers could be heard as buildings were being shredded.

Anderson spotted them. “What are you doing here?! You need to leave!” he shouted, obviously frustrated. He’d been with the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were just now arriving at the scene.

Nikita pointed towards the stadium. The Knights played the Colonials today, Anderson realized. Many had already begun trying to pour out of the stadium but progress was slow with many obstacles and taped off exits. Daisy relinquished her grip on the teen who tore away from her towards the entrance. Nikita cleared obstructions without hesitation, barked orders at staff to evacuate the sports center. Daisy followed suit, tackling a separate area and even ducking inside. Anderson felt his stomach drop. He couldn’t let anything happen to either of them, Coulson had made that very clear.

“Clear the stadium, haul out Johnson! I’m going after the kid!” he hollered. A gloved thumb shot up into the air, showing that Jason had been heard and understood.

“Kid! KID!! We’re getting you out of here!” he called after the black-clad girl.

“Not yet! Not until they’re safe!” Nikita disagreed. She was called ‘Terror’, he knew, but she didn’t seem fearful.

The lights were beginning to fail in the stadium. Nikita paused. Black masses began lifting in the shadows. Before Anderson could process what was happening, the black shapes lifted, pulled, and pushed stragglers to exits. Jason realized it must’ve been the girl doing this. He’d not been briefed on her abilities but it made sense why S.H.I.E.L.D. kept her under strict supervision.

He took her distraction as an opportunity to make up the distance between them and started forcing her towards the exits. “Not up for discussion! Move!” Anderson ordered. He was much stronger than she was and though she balked and tried to writhe away, he practically carried her to an exit. Shoving her into the desolate street, Daisy erupted from another entrance. She was beside the pair in an instant and shoving Nikita into an armored vehicle, Anderson piling in after.

As the vehicle retreated, Nikita asked furiously, “Why don’t you help them?!” The young woman pointed towards the sky, jaw clenched.

Daisy shook her head.

“Everybody has a job, Kos-” Anderson tried to reason, but the Russian wasn’t listening.

“I want to talk to Coulson!”