Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business Justice League Apocrypha: fanfics, fanfics discussion, and more

FL, I just read through the first page of this thread and I love how you -

a) celebrate different eras of the League

b) have the voices down well - you write like you really know Ollie Queen

I'm really excited to see your coming story on Dr. Light and Cyborg in Japan. Kimiyo is my #1 favorite Leaguer, and having her interact with fellow scientist Cyborg, who has a very different personality, is going to be awesome I just know it.

I don't think I can commit to a full-blown collaboration, but I'd be happy to help with ideas. Having Bea and Tora as stars gets two thumbs up from me.

For the Global Guardians -

I think having Rising Sun as the somewhat cavalier Japanese man with a love for battle and a heart for romance is fine. The one element I'd tweak is reviving his pursuit of Dr. Light (Kimiyo), and use it to highlight their contrasting personalities. Kimiyo would be all business, while Rising Sun would enjoy the fun. He's never explored the other applications of his light powers because he just likes throwing blasts. Kimiyo, on the other hand, is much more practiced and truly wants to change the world.

Tasmanian Devil was a hero who just happened to be gay, but I'd like to see him becoming more active in the LGBT community as a spokesperson for LGBT rights. He had a throwaway line where he mentioned liking the JLI more because of it being more accepting of gays. The one thing that mustn't change is his masculinity - he was well-written as is.

Owlwoman was written as a co-conspirator of the Queen Bee/Harvajti before, then they turned it around and said she'd simply been brainwashed. I'd go with her as being angry at injustice (much like what happened to the Native Americans), but she's start enough to be in total control in public. She wouldn't be averse to getting involved in political intrigue though...

My favorite Global Guardians would be Dr. Mist, Icemaiden, Green Fire, Olympian and Tuatara.

For being used as much as they have Ice and Fire have changed so much that they are not much like the original Icemaiden and Green Fire, whom I kind of preferred to the JLI reinterpretations of them.

Ibby, Set, thank you both for chiming in.

I'm still thinking of possibly doing the Monster Master story set in Japan, but with the re-imagined JLI/GG instead of the League I used in those old stories.

Glad you enjoyed the old stories, though, Ibby, and I appreciate the compliment on the individual voices.

Set, I, too, prefer the Pre-JLI Fire in many ways myself, especially her origin.

Before Kent presented his ideas, I was thinking of tweaking Little Mermaid.

I was going to have her be the actual Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen harbor

I would have had her as being from Tritonis. She dabbled in the Dark Arts and as a result she became cursed. The curse turned her into the statue. For periods of time, she can resume her flesh form. The amount of time she can remain flesh depends upon how much previous time she remained as a statue. The curse can be broken when she performs a truly selfless heroic act. (Of course knowing that a heroic act will break the curse makes all, so far, of her heroic acts not selfless)

Also, I'd have her mother be from Poseidonis and her father from Tritonis. Because of this, when she is out of water, she has legs, but in the water she has a mermaid's tail.

I like it, Quis, especially her parentage being from two different Atlantean cities. Thank you.

Have an idea for Thunderlord. Will post by Monday.

I look forward to it, Quis. Thanks in advance.

Lei Gong was bored. He is one of the barely remembered gods. Without worshippers, he and his fellow gods have become like mere phantoms. The most he could do is watch the doings of mankind. He longed for the days when he would aid mankind by punishing those who had committed secret crimes. It seemed as if the mortals did not need the gods as they could help themselves, some even had powers that rivaled the gods. He envied these superheroes. "There must be a way" He thought "for me to aid mankind once again like the superheroes do now. I will go see Sun Wukung. If anyone knows how to do something, it will be him."

Sun Wukung did know a way, but there was a high price to pay. Lei Gong would have to become mortal himself and would eventually die. Lei Gong pondered this for a long time. The empty life he was living soon lost to his need to be worshipped again and to do good deeds for mankind. Sun Wukung told Lei Gong that he must first find a mortal willing to change places. Then Sun Wukung would instruct the mortal in the rituals he needed to do in order to make the transfer.

Liang Xih K'ai was scared and lonely. In the space of a year the eight year old's entire family had died. Some to illness, some to accidents, and his beloved grandmother to old age. He missed his family. And he was scared of dying. So when the spirit form of Lei Gong first appeared to him, he thought it was Death come to claim him at last. But Lei Gong offered him immortality. Liang would swap places with Lei Gong and become a spirit. And as a spirit, Liang would be able to interact with other spirits, including those mortals who have died. Although as a spirit Liang would look like Lei Gong and Lei Gong would bond with Liang's body.

Liang agreed and gathered together all the items Sun Wukung said was needed to make the trnasfer. He painted the sacred symbols in just the right place. And on the next full moon, when the barrier between the spirit world and the material world was at its weakness, Liang began the spell. The spirit form of Lei Gong looked into the eyes of Liang and Liang looked into the eyes of Lei Gong. The two remained locked liked this for 9 hours when neither could tell which was Lei Gong and which was Liang. This continued for another 3 hours until there was a booming clap of thunder. Then Lei Gong looked upon the spirit form of Lei Gong and Liang looked upon the body of Liang Xih K'ai.

For the next ten years Lei Gong trained his body to physical perfection. Only a strong and healthy body could withstand the forces unleashed when he would use his powers. On his 18th birtday Liang felt ready to begin his career as a superhero. He could form his hands and feet into claws or talons. When he wished to fly, two gigantic bat wings would spring forth from the back. And Yes the thunder was his to command once more. Taking the superhero name of Thunder Lord, Liang looked forward to aiding the unfortunate, protecting mankind, and og course, to be worshipped once more.

Very cool! Thank you so much, Quis.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL Issue 1

Written by: Fanfic Lady

Creative Consultant: MLLASH

Special Thanks to: Kent Shakespeare, Quislet, Esq., Invisible Brainiac

PAGE ONE

PANEL 1: (Establishing shot of the Secret Sanctuary in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, which once served as headquarters for the now-defunct Justice League of America. Moving trucks are pulling up outside the Sancutary.)

PANEL 2: (Inside the Sanctuary, the remanants of the JLA -- Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Elongated Man, and Sue Dibny stand around, as if no one wants to be the one to say that it is time to leave.)

PANEL 3: (Close-up of...)

BLACK CANARY: I hear the trucks outside. Let's go. We would only be in the workmen's way if we stayed.

PANEL 4: (As they make their exit, Sue brushes away a tear.)

ELONGATED MAN: You okay, honey?

SUE: Of course I am. You know I'm not the...sentimental type.

ELONGATED MAN: Hey, it's not like all our super-friends out there aren't still fighting the good fight. Besides, what could possibly happen that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman can't handle by themselves?

PAGE TWO

PANEL 1: (Half-page splash of hurricanes and tidal waves and hell-beasts bursting from the Earth's crust all at once. The moving trucks are sent flying and spinning around.)

PANEL 2: (The four heroes with their jaws dropped at the horrific sight of what they are witnessing.)

ELONGATED MAN: Me and my big mouth!

PANEL 3:

MARTIAN MANHUNTER: I shall rescue the workmen. The rest of you, retreat into the Sanctuary and issue an alert calling all available heroes!

PANEL 4:

BLACK CANARY: You heard him! Run for it!

Oooh, so J'Onn, Dinah and Ralph remain as members. Will you be keeping the lineup the same, or throwing in some interesting new faces?

It's going to be pretty much what most people would expect from a JLI lineup, but with all of the Global Guardians mixed in to add a bit of spice. Okay, a lot of spice.

There will be at least a couple more pages by tomorrow.

Oh hey, I just got reminded of this thread, and it seemed like a good place to spurt out a random thought I just had about Thunderlord.

Back when City of Heroes was running, I made a Sonic based character, with a backstory that, I think, could be adapted for a very cool sort of Thunderlord backstory...



That sort of backstory (modified for a male protagonist!) might make for a more mystical sort of Thunderlord, and suggest a greater range of sonic-based effects than just shouting at people really loud and knocking them around.

.

Icemaiden is another one I'd love to dabble with.

Imagine if her 'hidden magical lands' in Norway or wherever where inhabited not specifically by a race of ice-manipulating people, but her gift was more special, and that her hidden people had various other bloodlines of power, carefully bred over thousands of years. These 'Thulians' might be considered some sort of supremacists, due to their isolation, and unwillingness to dilute these bloodlines by interacting with outsiders, and like Department H, going to 'return Wolverine home' whether he wanted to return or not, her people might send a team of super-powered champions to fetch her back, trying to convince her that her abilities are a gift from her people's heritage, and not something she has any right to just take away and use to the benefit of others. (And perhaps not openly admitting that they *need* her, because their hidden magical land is warming without her, and at risk of flooding or whatever!)

Very cool ideas, Set. Thanks for bumping this thread.

I may just have another JLA story or two in me...we shall see.

JLA/JSA: CRISIS ON EARTH-4 (Part 1 of 6)

Special thanks to Eryk Davis Ester for the idea.

ROLL CALL:

JLA - Wonder Woman II of Earth-1, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, Gypsy, Vixen, Dr. Light II.

JSA - Wonder Woman of Earth-2, Flash of Earth-2, Green Lantern of Earth-2, Dr. Fate, Wildcat, Power Girl, Huntress

The meetups of the JLA with the JSA, the respective greatest superhero teams of Earth-1 and Earth-2, had been an annual tradition for longer than anyone could remember. This year, it was the JSA's turn to host the get-together at their Gotham City brownstone.

This had been a great relief to the members of the JLA, as they had recently gone through some of the most difficult times in their long and stories history. Their friends in the JSA now provided them with sympathetic ears.

"Clark and Bruce send their regards, young ladies." said recently deposed JLA chairman Martian Manhunter to the Huntress and Power Girl.

"Thank you, J'onn." replied the Huntress. "I understand they'd like to return to the team, but are both dealing with personal matters."

"Indeed." said MM. "Their respective turfs require their full attention. It is as though all of Earth-1 is in a state of alarm in these times."

"I give you credit for not letting your team fall apart." said Power Girl.

"I certainly did my part," answered MM, "but I feel it is Donna who deserves the credit."

The Donna of whom MM spoke was Donna Troy, the former Wonder Girl who had taken up the mantle of Wonder Woman since the untimely death of her mentor, Diana of Themyscira. Out of respect for Diana, she had altered the Wonder Woman costume, eschewing the gaudy red and blue for lightweight golden armor and a differently-shaped tiara, with wings. She had recently succeeded MM as the JLA chairperson, and was currently doing her best to make friendly conversation with the Diana of Earth-2.

"She always spoke very highly of you." said Donna to Diana hesitantly.

"Bless her soul, may it rest in peace." replied Diana serenely. "And please know that I have full confidence in you."

"Thank you, that means a lot to me. It hasn't been easy, but then growing up never is. I'm definitely not a kid anymore, that's why I thought it best to leave the Titans for the JLA."

In another part of the conference room, Vixen and Gypsy were getting acquainted with the always-affable Jay Garrick, the more reserved but polite Alan Scott, and the grouch-with-a-heart of gold named Ted Grant.

"So how do you like Earth-2 so far?" asked Jay.

"It is certainly much friendlier than Earth-1." answered Vixen.

"Not to sound arrogant," interjected Alan, "but I think we've held on more firmly to basic humanistic values."

"There ya go again, Alan, scramblin' my brains with yer big words." laughed Ted.

Before Alan could reply, Jay had spoken up about another subject. "Your newest member doesn't seem to be enjoying herself. She's all alone in that corner." Jay said to Vixen and Gypsy as he pointed with his thumb at Kimiyo Hoshi, the second, and first heroic, Dr. Light.

"Her idea of a good time is partying with her test tubes." snarked Gypsy.

"Cynthia, don't say things like that." scolded Vixen. "She's merely a naturally reserved individual."

Suddenly, all conversations were interrupted when the brownstone's doorbell rang loudly.

"What in Hera's name could that be?" inquired Diana.

"If it's a baddie tryin' to catch us with our guard down," said Ted, "he's gotta 'nother thing comin'."

"I'll go check it out on the monitor." said Elongated Man. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get a head start." And with that, EM stretched his neck towards the monitor on the other side of the conference room. He pushed the monitor's button with his long, equally stretchable and versatile nose. The security camera outside the front door broadcast the image of a blue-and-black clad young man, holding an unconscious purple-and-black clad young woman in his arms.

"Anybody recognize them?" asked EM.

"The boy is my son, Todd, better known as Obsidian," replied Alan, "but I have no idea who the girl is."

"I smell a mystery." said EM.

TO BE CONTINUED

JLA/JSA: CRISIS ON EARTH-4 (Part 2 of 6)

"...and that's when I decided it would be best if I brought her here." said Obsidian.

"She just dropped into your apartment, out of the shadows? That's a bizarre story, even by our standards." replied Power Girl.

"Her life signs are normal." interrupted the Huntress, looking away from the medical instruments which were attached by wires to the unconscious young woman on the mattress. "The trauma appears to be purely on a mental level, probably a shock to the system when she crossed dimensions...if what she managed to tell Todd before she passed out is the truth."

"J'onn," said Donna, "do you think you could look into her mind and see if there's any way to help her?"

"I shall do my best." said MM.

An eerie silence blanketed itself over the heroes as MM put his fingertips on the young woman's forehead. Seconds seemed to become minutes seemed to become hours, until MM abruptly jumped back.

"By H'ronmeer!" he exclaimed. "I am surprised she yet lives. An attempt was made on her life...by her own mother. Worse, her mother succeeded in killing her other child, a son. Her own flesh and blood..."

The other heroes either gasped, put their hands in their heads or simply shook their heads.

Finally, Diana spoke up. "Poor thing. I would not wish that on my worst enemy."

"Her brother must be avenged." said a seething Donna.

"You sounded a little bloodthirsty there." retorted Power Girl. "I mean, Rao knows I'm just as outraged and angry as you are, but we can't set ourselves up as judge, jury, and executioner."

"It's not about vengeance," replied Diana, "it's about bringing her mother to justice."

"First things first," said the Huntress calmly, "we need to pinpoint her home dimension and then find a way to get there."

"I believe this is where I come in." asserted Dr. Fate. "Todd, if you will put one hand in the young lady's hand, and put your other hand in mine, we should manage to do just that."

As Dr. Fate and Obsidian worked their magic, the young lady began to moan.

"I only require a few more seconds." said Dr. Fate.

Now the young lady sat bolt upright. "Where...where am I?" she demanded to know.

"I brought you here." said Obsidian, "to the only place you could get help, the headquarters of the Justice Society of America. You're lucky that the Justice League of America, from another Earth, happened to be here tonight as well."

"Meta-humans...forming...teams?" slurred the young lady. "I wish they had that on...my world..."

"What is your name, and where do you come from?" asked Donna.

"I'm Eve...Princess Eve. I was born in the Land of the Nightshades, but raised on Earth by my adoptive parents. Then my parents...my...real parents...invaded Earth. It was all chaos and destruction when I escaped." was the young lady's answer.

"How did you get here?" asked Alan.

"I can teleport through the shadows. I was born with that ability."

"Can you teleport back to your Earth?" asked Jay.

"I've...only teleported once, to get here, and it almost killed me. But there has to be some way to get there. The world needs to be saved from...my parents."

"Perhaps if you tell us more about your monstrous parents?" asked Diana.

"Their names are...Queen Magda and King Ian. And they..."

"Ian?" gasped Jay. "His last name wouldn't happen to be...Karkull, would it?"

"Yes." sighed Eve. "That's his last name."

"Who's Ian Karkull?" asked a confused Gypsy.

"A most dreadful human being." replied Dr. Fate. "He learned esoteric secrets in the ancient city of Ragnor which allowed him to manipulate shadows. I faced him alone twice, and then once more with the All-Star Squadron back in 1942. We thought him destroyed. Apparently, that was not the case."

"No, it wasn't." said Eve. "He ended up in the Land of the Nightshades, and seduced my mother, who then assisted him in killing her own parents, the previous King and Queen. They set themselves up as tyrants, and had everyone living in terror. When my twin brother and I were born, they sent us to Earth as their magical familiars. Without our knowledge, they observed the Earth through our eyes until they were ready to launch an invasion. That was when my brother and I learned the truth about ourselves. They offered us a choice: join them or die. My brother was the first to speak out, and when he defied them, they...killed him. My powers kicked in instinctively, and I barely escaped to this Earth."

"If Karkull originally accessed the shadow dimensions through Ragnor, then maybe we can do it ourselves if we go there." offered the Huntress.

"Yes." said Dr. Fate. "With the rich mystical energies in that city, it would be child's play for me to summon a portal."

And so it was that the JLA and JSA, along with Eve, journeyed to the deserted ancient city of Ragnor, in the middle of the Sahara. Those who could fly themselves did. The others used the most advanced aircraft on Earth-2.

Dr. Fate quickly found the highest concentration of mystical energy emanating from a crumbling temple. He wove a spell around all the others to protect them as they were about to enter the temple.

Unfortunately, Dr. Fate had to face the others in order to cast the spell over them, which meant his back was turned to the entrance of the temple. Which is why he was not prepared for a long black spear to emerge from the temple and pass through his shoulder.

As Dr. Fate keeled over in pain, a whole army of living shadow warriors charged out of the temple and attacked the other heroes.

TO BE CONTINUED

I am greatly enjoying this, Fanfie! The cast you chose is diverse and amazing, kudos for choosing less-popular Leaguers like Donna, Ralph, Gypsy, Vixen, and of course Kimiyo. Also, for linking Obsidian and Nightshade in.

Loved the characterization, especially bits like Vixen defending Kimiyo, and Power Girl calling out Donna for being a bit bloodthirsty. I much liked Power Girl when she was more level-headed, there were times when she was too hot-tempered and aggressive for my liking.

Thank you, Ibby.

Yes, I thought keeping at least part of the team from the late-period original JLoA series seemed like a more natural segue. I also have to thank Peter David, for getting me to like Gypsy in his Justice League Task Force two-parter.

Glad you're enjoying the links to the different DC shadow characters. Again, it just seemed natural to me.

Agree 100% on Power Girl. I think a lot of readers (and writers) think that because Kara often has to play (emphasis on PLAY) the Bad Cop to Helena's Good Cop, that Kara should be like that all the time. And that just ain't Kara.

I agree, the real Kara has a good head on her shoulders.

Nightshade having to fight her parents is also going to be interesting. I can't wait for the next installment!

JLA/JSA: CRISIS ON EARTH-4 (Part 3 of 6)

Meanwhile, two universes away, on the Earth where Eve was raised...

Up until now, Blue Beetle had been the world's most flippant superhero. Always quick with a quip, always happy-go-lucky, the eternal boy who laughed so he may not cry.

But at this moment, the man born Ted Kord could not find any humor in the situation he was in. As he piloted his custom-built airship -- known colloquially as The Bug -- through the city, all he could see for miles were either invading shadow warriors or panicking civilians. He flew at a reasonable enough height where he thought he would be safe from the shadow warriors while he struggled to figure out how he could possibly fight them.

Blue Beetle was wrong. He was not safe. And he discovered this too late, thanks to a shadow-matter spear which pierced The Bug's tough hide and short-circuited one of the engines. Ted desperately tried to find a clearing somewhere where he could crash-land without injuring any civilians. He finally found a small patch of empty space in the city's largest public park. He braced himself for a rough landing, but it was not enough. The Bug hit the ground hard and went skidding straight into a massive tree. Worried that he may be suffering from internal bleeding, Ted exited The Bug as slowly and carefully as he could.

As he got his bearings, he could see a squad of shadow warriors running towards him. Grimacing through the pain, Blue Beetle drew his BB Gun and put it on the compressed air setting. Thankfully, the shadow warriors had needed to solidify in order to use their weapons, so the blast scattered several of them and cleared a path for Ted to run for cover. Blue Beetle set the BB Gun on the light blast setting, and ran as fast as he could, blinding any shadow warrior who crossed him.

Eventually, the BB Gun's charge ran out, and the shadow warriors moved in for the kill.

Then, without warning, a lithe figure leaped from a tree branch into the fray, his limbs a flurry of martial arts kicks and chops. This, thought Ted, could only be the Judomaster...but wasn't he an old man by now? Not wishing to lose his life through nitpicking, Blue Beetle ran for the nearest building -- the public restrooms. He ducked into the one labeled "Men" and stopped to catch his breath.

To Ted's shock, another man burst out of one of the toilet stalls. With his body armor and lethal weapons, he had to be the urban legend known as the Peacemaker.

"Don't shoot!" shouted Ted. "I'm not a shadow monster!"

"Well, well, fancy meetin' you here." growled the Peacemaker sardonically. "Too bad for you I got a reputation to protect and can't leave any witnesses. Nothin' personal, y'understand..."

"Are you crazy??" yelled a terrified Ted at the top of his lungs.

"Everybody's crazy." replied a grinning Peacemaker, pointing his gun at Ted's chest.

Before Peacemaker could shoot, he was distracted by a strange smell. He realized too late that it was powerful knockout gas, and he fell to the floor unconscious.

Blue Beetle, for his part, had instinctively reached for the gas mask he carried on his belt. So it was that he found himself face to face with another urban legend, this one emerging from the ventilation shaft. It was the Question.

There followed a tense silence which Ted eventually broke. "I could make a joke about bathroom odors, but I'm not in the mood."

"Glad to hear that." said the Question. "Let's make haste before he recovers."

"And get impaled on the shadow monsters' spears??"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Before Blue Beetle could answer, Judomaster burst through the door. "I have cleared us a path." he said with a marked Japanese accent. Wait, thought Ted, wasn't Judomaster an American WASP? Oh, well, that doesn't matter right now.

The three men ran for their lives through a field of fallen shadow warriors. Ted wondered briefly if Judomaster had killed them. As if he could read Ted's mind, Judomaster announced, "This is war. Never forget that."

Finally, they climbed a tall statue which had been erected in the park. Hopefully, this would buy them some time.

"Our fate may not be our own anymore." intoned Judomaster gravely.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Blue Beetle.

Judomaster pointed at the sky. Captain Atom, Earth's most powerful meta, was divebombing them. Blue Beetle turned up the maginification in his goggles to its highest setting, and what he saw chilled him to the bone. Where Captain Atom should have had eyes, there were pitch-black holes. The shadow monsters must have gotten to him somehow, thought Ted, converted Captain Atom into their slave.

Blue Beetle sighed and said to no one in particular, "Mother said there'd be days like this."

To which the Question replied, "The question is, what are you willing to do to survive?"

TO BE CONTINUED

Nice! Glad you brought the Charlton heroes in. I think you got Ted down to a T, and I'm happy with your writing of the Question and Judomaster too.

Peacemaker is interesting, when I first encountered him in COIE he was already buddy-buddy with the other Earth-4 heroes. But it's not a stretch for him to be like this.

And of course we have to remember Nightshade's comment that on her Eearth, heroes don't band together.

Looking forward to the next parts!

Thank you, Ibby.

Blue Beetle was an absolute joy to write. Glad you like the portrayal.

Regarding Peacemaker, remember that this is a different multiverse where CoIE never happened. That said, I'll freely admit my Peacemaker comes off a lot like his scummy Watchmen counterpart, The Comedian, with a bit of Lobo thrown in. You'll see why in Part 4.

JLA/JSA: CRISIS ON EARTH-4 (Part 4 of 6)

Meanwhile, back on Earth-2...

As soon as the battle between the heroes and the shadow warriors had started, J'onn J'onzz had instinctively created telepathic mind-links with all the other heroes, through which Donna Troy issued the battle plan she'd had to make up as she went along. It helped when she quickly realized that the shadow warriors needed to solidify in order to fight.

As Alan Scott shielded the recovering Dr. Fate with a green-energy force field, Jay Garrick took the point, using his super-speed to keep the shadow warriors off-balance. The rest of the heroes counter-attacked, each in their own particular way: the animal ferocity of Vixen, the brute force of Wildcat, the invisibility powers of Gypsy allowing her to sneak up to individual shadow warriors and strike from behind, and Elongated Man lassoing whole groups of warriors with his own stretchable body.

"Donna," called out J'onn telepathically, "the shadow warriors' commander is emitting a mental frequency familiar to me. I believe him to be our old enemy, the Shadow Thief."

"Roger that." replied Donna telepathically. "I need Kimiyo to open a path for the double team of Eve and Todd, while Diana and I combine our lassoes."

Dr. Light blasted the Shadow Thief unrelentingly. "Fall, damn you, FALL!" she screamed.

Eve and Todd then used their own natural shadow powers to counteract the Shadow Thief's artificial shadow powers and pummel him to the ground. They then deactivated his shadow suit. As the Shadow Thief tried to get up, Donna and Diana's lassoes ensnared him. Without anyone to command them in the field, the remaining shadow warriors fell before the might of the heroes.

"You WILL cooperate with us." hissed Donna through clenched teeth at the now-unmasked Shadow Thief.

"I...will...cooperate...with...you." replied the Shadow Thief as if under a spell.

Meanwhile, on the warzone known as Earth-4:

Just when it seemed as if the three heroes were done for, the recovered Peacemaker burst out of the restroom, firing his enormous gatling gun directly at Captain Atom and shouting, "Eat death, ya cosmic commie! WA-HOOOOOOO!"

Blue Beetle, Question, and Judomaster got themselves out of the line of fire as fast as they possibly could.

Peacemaker discovered to his jaw-dropping horror that his weapon had done no harm to Captain Atom, who scowled eyelessly at Peacemaker as he turned around to face him.

Captain Atom let loose with nuclear blasts from his hands, vaporizing Peacemaker instantly.

The three heroes had taken advantage of the commotion to hide in the trees. But Captain Atom was no fool. He blasted the treetops, setting them on fire.

"And here I forgot to bring the weenies and marshmallows." said Blue Beetle ruefully.

Meanwhile, on Earth-2...

"Is everyone clear on the plan?" Donna Troy asked the heroes assembled at the temple in Ragnor.

"Yes," replied J'onn, who had shapeshifted into an exact replica of the Shadow Thief and put on the shadow suit, "I shall lead one team, posing as my prisoners, into the Land of Nightshades, where we may battle the King and Queen -- beard the lions in their den, as it were."

"And meanwhile," said Donna, "I'll lead another team to Eve's Earth, where we can get the situation under control."

With a wave of Dr. Fate's good arms, two portals appeared. Donna's team -- her, Diana, Vixen, Gypsy, Alan, Jay, Ted, and Dr. Light -- stepped through one. J'onn's team -- him, Power Girl, the Huntress, Eve, Obsidian, Elongated Man and Dr. Fate -- stepped through the other as Dr. Fate said, "May the gods watch over us all."

TO BE CONTINUED