13

The LAPD acquired arrest warrants for Vivid based upon Triad's testimony. The Freedom Fighters utilized their ARGUS connections to assume jurisdiction. Uncle Sam went so far as to temporarily deputize Jade and Obsidian. Mayflower already had her own permanent ARGUS credentials.

Surrounding Vivid's estate, carved into the Malibu hillside, the group saw who Vivid's protection detail consisted of. First Strike had been a military experiment in meta-human soldiers. But it had been decommissioned after erratic behaviors began appearing. Only Major Force, Lady Liberty and Silent Majority graduated to the Force of July, a more effectively developed successor.

Mayflower was the Force of July's sole surviving member. But First Strike had escaped Leavenworth to reassemble as a mercenary outfit. Barracuda was the sole surviving member of an Atlantean subspecies. Chief Justice was the original team leader before being demoted by Father Time and replaced with Americommando. Embargo created siege constructs. Railgun transformed his body into hypervelocity projectile weapons. Spin Doctor mesmerized people with her voice and altered their belief systems. Propaganda guided Spin Doctor's hypnosis through telepathic probes of the enemy's thought processes and beliefs.

Uncle Sam laid down the inevitable challenge, "You thar need to break it up and get on yore way. This is a duly deputized arrest warrant. We'll be takin' lil' Miss Vivid inta custody."

"Vivid is an American entrepreneur and we'll be defending her rights of free speech," Americommando retorted.

Mayflower explained the situation to Jade and Obsidian. Obsidian was even more agitated at Vivid's doorstep, "We need to end this farce."

"You need to realize there's a hierarchy to this. The Freedom Fighters developed in World War 2. CADMUS created First Strike as a replacement option for the Freedom Fighters. ARGUS shut the program down and initiated the Force of July program," Mayflower quietly divulged, "There's a lot of pent up resentment and First Strike no longer recognizes any loyalty except to the highest bidder."

A loud explosive sound ripped through the wealthy neighborhood.

Uncle Sam barreled into Americommando. The result of yet another super soldier program fought the Spirit of America. Americommando attacked a landmine look device to Uncle Sam's chest.

"Thanks to CADMUS I regret I only have one life to give for my employer," Americommando boasted.

The explosion killed Americommando and Uncle Sam was ripped apart as the energy matrix that created him unraveled.

Embargo tried to fight Phantom Lady but Stormy Knight knew precisely when to phase into the dark world and when to use her phantom gauntlets to create constructs to embattle Embargo. Finally, Embargo used a hold out derringer to take her own life.

Phantom Lady slipped into intangibility and tried to recover from the shock of it.

Doll Man fought Chief Justice and noticed the trigger finger of his foe's right hand was missing. And Doll Man assumed he was a righty because his aim with his left was off enough to continually insure Doll Man's survival. But when Doll Man snared Chief Justice in a nearly unbreakable net, the First Striker ate his cyanide pill.

Barracuda was aquatic but she'd learned to fight on both land and in the air. So she fought Black Condor in his environment. He got the first strike in at her jet pack. But she outmaneuvered him and broke his neck seconds before her jet pack massively overloaded and blow up, incinerating both her corpse and Black Condor's.

Spin Doctor's silken voice pitted Human Bomb against Firebrand. It wasn't until Human Bomb ripped off his protective suit and tackled Spin Doctor in one final momentous explosion that Firebrand found her mind cleared.

Mayflower viciously mutated plant growth to rip Railgun's cybernetic body apart. Jade and Obsidian faced down Propaganda. He tried to rewrite their minds with him as a benefactor. But Obsidian's shadowy form ripped the man's heart out.

Phantom Lady, Doll Man, and Firebrand didn't have time to mourn their losses. Instead they united with Mayflower, Jade, and Obsidian to serve the LA County's arrest warrant for Vivid. Vivid leered at Obsidian.

"I knew you'd bring me new pets," she laughed.

Jade contained her inside a power pulse construct, "Lady, all you're seeing is the inside of a jail cell maximized just for you."

And Vivid's empire took its first step in crumbling apart.

Once the LAPD and the Coroner's Office began recovery efforts, the Freedom Fighters and Mayflower checked in the ARGUS. And Jade and Obsidian joined their grief for the losses endured by the Freedom Fighters, Justice League Unlimited, Justice League of America, JSA All Stars, and Conglomerate. No one shed any tears over the villains and Kryptonians who'd died thus far.

Sue ended her final act for the JLA with commemorating a memorial to the fallen heroes around the world at the Hall of Justice. Then the press conference turned nasty. Superman shut it down.

"I can't believe they doubt us," he said behind closed doors, "Us!"

Waller had left but Steve Trevor was still ARGUS' base commander and liaison with the restructured JLU, "Over fifteen thousand people have died despite are best efforts. Millions more are displaced and the world's governments are bankrupted without even trying to rebuild an infrastructure. No one can afford to because there isn't enough money in existence to do so. And printing any more will merely devalue it further."

"We still need to sanction, Kalea, Galatea, and Black Mary for killing those ranger scouts," Superman complained.

"Hell, I'm willing to petition the United Nations to authorize every nation on Earth towards giving them the highest medals available." Trevor reported. Superman finally realized Colonel Trevor was a soldier where Sue had been a trusted civilian.

"How are they holding up?" Waller teleconferenced with Gwen and Flagg.

"The inmates are throwing an 'I survived' party we seem to be catering," Gwen said with disgust.

"Light's pretty twitchy though. She may not recover from her sister's death and she may become a liability in the field in the future," Flagg assessed.

"Nightshade and our trustees are monitoring the gathering," Gwen told Waller.

"They have twenty hours and then we may be green lit," Waller warned them, "The Legion and the last of the Kryptonians will only lick their wounds for so long."

Superman ordered the three women to the conference room, "Sit down. We have a lot to discuss."

"What's this about?" Black Mary demanded to know.

Superman saw what everyone else had recognized already about Black Mary. Mary Marvel and her temerity were long gone. Black Mary owed more to Black Adam than Captain Marvel.

"You three are standing down from the final confrontation when it occurs," Superman informed them, "We cannot condone killing innocent men and women."

"Excuse me, Daddy Dearest," Kalea snorted, ""But this is war and they sure as hell weren't innocent. They killed thousands of people right in front of you. Or have you forgotten that?"

"They're innocent until proven guilty in this nation," Superman said loftily.

"Then take them to some other nation where the populace isn't a bunch of idiots," Kalea insisted.

"The World Court has jurisdiction for prosecuting war crimes," Power Girl told him.

"Then we'll turn you three over when this is done," Superman pledged.

"There isn't a court on this planet, except maybe in Tehran, that could convict us much less prosecute us," Black Mary snapped.

"I'm a foreigner so your precious court system has no jurisdiction or authority over me," Kalea reminded her father.

"And I'd like to see you arrest me," Power Girl challenged him.

"Maybe we should prosecute this war in our own way," Kalea suggested.

"I'm just getting the hell out of here," Black Mary sullenly snorted before she flew back to Fawcett City ready to let the world burn around her.

Superman watched Power Girl leave with Kalea. Once, Galatea had saved Superman from the wrath of his daughter. Now, ironically it seemed, they'd become the closest of friends and allies.

Outside the Hall of Justice, Kalea turned to Power Girl, "The one you call Mary bears watching. She has a lust for power without regard of how she acquires it. Trust me; I know the signs from personal experience."

"Aren't I coming with you?" Power Girl asked.

"I have to ask you to stay on here for a time longer," Kalea told her, "Afterwards we'll discuss whether you still want to return to Almerac or not."

In Iceland, Inara watched the horizon while Rayni, Kira and Fal-Jegg reconstructed their ship's drive into an antimatter bomb that would utterly destroy the Earth and the ranger scouts with it. But Brainiac had explained this protocol to Luthor. So he sent his cleanup option in.

Slade Wilson's long time attaché and business manager, Billy Wintergreen, flew the Titans to the Icelandic hinterlands. Wintergreen himself was a veteran of the 22nd Parachute Regiment Special Air Service. He'd selected a young Slade Wilson to be trained for specialized missions by Major Adeline Kane. Adie had married Slade and born him his two sons, both of whom were now dead. And fired the bullet that cost Slade his eye after Adie learned of Rose's existence in light of the loss of both her children.

Wintergreen leveled out the C-130 over the ice plain the ranger scouts had moved their ship to. The Titans exited out of the plane through the cargo ramp. No one had mentioned it yet but Slade was beginning to get grey around the temples again. A process that would end with all of his hair whitening out. If Slade had noticed he didn't seem to care.

Gunslinger sat the mission out. Pat Trayce viewed herself as a vigilante dispending justice. Not as a soldier. Cheshire had spent the flight engaged in a vitriolic tirade against Gunslinger and Ravager. Deathstroke didn't approve of Rose's romantic choice on the basis it would deny him an heir. But he understood love came with costs as his own marriage to Adie Kane had proven.

Horus was also AWOL, consumed with feverish plans to restore Teth-Adam and Adrianna Tomaz's patronage. No matter the cost to Black Adam and Isis.

Tattooed Man attacked the Kryptonians with his shadowy tattoo constructs and a dagger carved from kryptonite. Arsenal had three flint-like kryptonite arrowheads. Cheshire wore red solar powered claws with gauntlet batteries. Cinder it seemed already radiated red solar plasma when she transformed. And Deathstroke's pistol carried thirteen red solar rounds in its magazine.

Cinder joined with Tattooed Man against Rayni. Cinder it seemed was immune to the Kryptonian's attacks. Tattooed Man ran Rayni ragged with his shadow constructs until her distraction with them and Cinder's painful attacks to stab her in the heart with the kryptonite shard. She wore such a surprised expression as she died.

"She didn't think it could be done," Cinder observed, "Not by human hands."

"None of us ever do," Tattooed Man said grimly wondering what had ever happened to the man and hero he had once been called Ink.

Cheshire slashed away at Fal-Jegg them she dropped and rolled away. One kryptonite tipped arrow after another penetrated his heart and he collapsed with a startled expression. Arsenal observed the grouping.

"Have I still got it or what?" he boasted.

Cheshire grabbed him by the balls, "Let's get in the ship. You know how horny murder makes me."

Inara studied Deathstroke. And she assessed that he was the superior fighter as he soundly beat Kira in every conceivable form of combat. For all her strength and speed, he'd kill her just as he killed Kira after toying with her for two minutes.. She dropped to her knees.

"Just do it!" she barked.

Deathstroke put three rounds in her forehead and five in her chest before she collapsed backwards, propelled by the impacts just as the seven bullets he put in Kira punctured her multiple times before she even fell to the ground from the first impact.

"Stack the bodies," Deathstroke instructed, "Luthor wants them for genetic research. And get Harper and Cheshire out of the damn ship before they screw each other's brains out. Luthor wants the ship so we'll secure it until the Legion arrives to collect.

And then Slade contacted Wintergreen and requested that his friends land.

Saturn Queen suddenly broke into everyone's thoughts at the Hall of Justice, "The Kryptonian threat has ended. We'll be going now."

As she and Ultraman made their way out of the complex, no one could even speak to hinder their progress. But Superman managed to place himself in their path.

"They're dead?" Superman grated in an extreme effort to speak.

"To the last man and woman," Saturn Queen told him, "So there's no further point in our being here. Stand aside."

And Superman, to his great ire, found himself complying. But Saturn Queen paused, "You have detectives at your disposal then you can investigate the means of their demise. I recommend you focus your efforts on Iceland."

After Saturn Queen and Ultraman departed, her lock on everyone's minds ended. Barda reminded Superman of the secondary threat, "Luthor won't just sit idly by while the world rebuilds.

But they discovered even ARGUS' vast resources were unable to locate the Hall of Doom. And Kal-El realized he still needed Kalea's assistance.

Deathstroke and his Titans team escorted the Kryptonian corpses and their ship to the Congo when Ultra-Humanite and Half-Ape came to collect. Then Deathstroke and his team departed millions of dollars richer. Grodd briefly tried to recruit Deathstroke to his cause but he swiftly realized Luthor had beaten him to it.

Kalea arrived and every Legionnaire scrambled. Kalea had one demand, "I wish to speak with Luthor. Alone."

"Why should I allow this?" Grodd wondered.

"Because I might still kill him and spare you the trouble," Kalea laid it out.

Grodd consented.

"I've wanted to meet you since you reached maturity," Luthor schmoozed.

"Spare me," Kalea grunted, "I'm taking the antimatter failsafe."

"In exchange for what?" Luthor was fascinated by her impertinence.

"In exchange for Almerac's neutrality in your battle with Saturn Queen," Kalea offered.

"We have a bargain," Luthor decided, "If you personally pledge your own noninterference in events to come."

"I'll gladly make that pledge," Kalea assured him. She hefted the antimatter bomb and left the Hall of Doom to return to her own ship.

"Was that wise?" Grodd asked afterward.

"You'll appreciate that bargain soon enough," Luthor told him.

Luthor bargained with Deathstroke, "I need another contingency plan."

"Gold bullion speaks volumes," Slade told him.

Luthor outlined his needs and his plan. Deathstroke nodded, "Transfer the retainer fees the usual way. Then when the time comes fifty percent up front and the remainder when the tasks are finished."

"We have a bargain then," Luthor chuckled.

Kalea stowed the antimatter bomb in her skiff which remained undetected in Kazakhstan. Power Girl returned from saying goodbye to Emil Hamilton. Kalea said her farewells to Galatea and then Power Girl slipped away.

"About time you found me," Kalea told her father twenty minutes later, "I was getting bored with the busy work waiting for your arrival."

"You have sharp senses," he applauded her.

"You're just noisy," Kalea warned him, "And now that I relieved Luthor of his planet killing weapon, I'll fly home and leave you in peace. You seem to prefer it that way."

"I…" Superman faltered.

"It's okay. I get that reaction a lot," Kalea reassured him, "You don't know whether to kiss me or hit me."

"I wouldn't kiss you that way," Superman irritably remarked.

"It's a metaphor. Go with it," Kalea rolled her eyes.

Superman paused before changing the topic, "This look suits you."

"Yeah, that's me. The conformist. Add a little flesh and everyone forgets that the artificial bits are still artificial," Kalea seemed resigned.

"Are you taking Galatea with you?" Superman asked.

"And now we get the actual point," Kalea nodded, "It seems she isn't coming with."

"Make certain she never comes across my path or I will see her prosecuted for murder," Superman warned her.

"And who has she killed that anyone will grieve?" Kalea rebutted his assertion.

"Who have you become?" Superman was aghast.

"My mother's preferred weapon," Kalea, "And you wouldn't imagine what I've done in her name."

He didn't want to, "You said there were other Kryptonians at this 'Kandor'?"

"There shouldn't be any left by now," Kalea said nonchalantly.

"What?" he blurted.

"The mission was an extermination. You're the only Kryptonian left from the Prime Universe again," Kalea promised him.

"Maxima ordered this?" Superman couldn't believe it.

"I may have spared her a few details in our operational parameters," Kalea smirked.

"My God, you're a monster," Superman gasped.

"I am what you, mother, the Techno-Organic Union and years of struggle have made me," Kalea advised him, "But Ultraa may deal a fatal blow soon enough so you won't have to worry about muddying up your bloodline."

"I don't understand," Superman admitted.

"You taught me naiveté. Mother taught duty and honor. Toppling her empire taught me the nature of politics. And Lord Ultraa is teaching me treachery and betrayal. Lessons I hardly needed already," Kalea explained, "Such is life at the center of the Imperial court. Now that I'm removed from it, I see the threats facing mother and I can deal with them and protect her from my doing so in the most efficient manner."

"You really are a patriot willing to do anything for your cause," Superman finally acknowledged, "And your sole cause is Maxima."

"I acted on my own. Then I acted for the people's interests. Then I expanded that view to include mother," Kalea outlined, "And her interests and the subjects coincide. So I can commit to the empire and to mother as my sovereign and everything else falls into place."

"For what?" Superman had to wonder.

"That's the surprise headed straight for you," Kalea warned him, "But I hate to spoil it."

"I guess I'll find out the hard way," Superman grudgingly let the topic go.

"Trust me, you'll love it," Kalea smirked again.

Claire Montgomery summoned a press conference to outline the many changes to the Justice League. The JSA All Stars, the Conglomerate, and the JLA were all absorbed by the JLU. But many of the members off those former organizations were either dead or resigned now that the crisis had passed. The supplemental Justice Society would train the next generation of heroes.

The rumored Justice League Dark and the Canadian Justice League United would be legally sanctioned by the United Nations to disband. As far as the UN was concerned, there was only one Justice League left standing and it was the Justice League Unlimited. And Superman was ready to convince the world of that fact.

Luthor watched the conference with some amusement that he could gather in the crowd unnoticed. He could rain fire down on the populace and no one could stop or hinder him from doing so. Unknown even to him, Saturn Queen stood at the edges of the assembly. Everyone clung to the idea the Justice League could save them from the inevitable threats to come. Eve Aries relished the opportunity to shatter the public's trust.

Author's note: I've finished the outline to the next installment in the series. It will be 21 chapters with a greater word count per chapter. And it continues the cataclysmic world changing event structure of this story. First the heroes were stricken, next comes the villains.

I actually completed Part 23 in early October and took a break until early November when I began my outline to Part 24. I will begin producing actual chapters by mid-January with publication occurring as it can.

And, continuing my grand tradition, I researched over 300 obscure characters. I continued from DC Database to Comixology where I used the Comixology Unlimited free trial to further my inquiries by reading actual digital comics featuring many of these characters. In addition, I stretched further than Comixology allowed by purchasing over $150 worth of complete series sets of comics including nearly the entire Impact imprint line produced by DC and starring licensed characters from the MLJ/Red Circle/Archie Adventure Comics publishing group between 1991-1993. Later, in 2008, DC relicensed the properties again and tried to incorporate them into the mainstream DCU before the New 52 forced Archie into reincorporating the characters into the second Red Circle launch and then devised the Dark Circle imprint to showcase the superheroes they own.

The oddity is, DC rarely licenses intellectual properties. In the past they simply bought out companies. They acquired Fawcett Comics to purchase the Marvel Family and associated characters (including Spy Smasher) after bankrupting the company with a copyright infringement suit because Shazam/Captain Marvel was more popular than Superman. They bought Quality Comics to get the Freedom Fighters. And they took over Charlton Comics in order to seize Captain Atom, Nightshade, Blue Beetle, and of course, the Question. All of these acquisitions occurred after 1970. It's not a singular practice. Marvel acquired company after company with Malibu Comics being the most recent in order to shut down the increasingly popular Ultraverse. I have no idea who sold them Angela from the Spawn universe. She was a joint property between Todd Macfarlane and Neil Gaiman. I can only theorize they disagreed on the character's future usage and sold the character and associated Heven properties to settle the debate. And who the hell at Marvel decided an angel should actually be an Asgardian?

But traversing the "Bad Characters" line up within DC Database, I also have begun incorporating 100+ villainous characters not associated with Archie. They will begin appearing in Justice League Downfall: DCAU Series Part 24 through Justice League Hallowed: DCAU Series Part 28 before becoming reoccuring series antagonists.

I have integrated the Impact and DCU versions of the Mighty Crusaders whereas I previously relied more heavily on the Impact Universe when I previously introduced the Mighty Crusaders when they assisted the Movement and Gen13.

I have also inserted a plethora of Wildstorm characters. So I have now incorporated the Wildstorm, Vertigo, and Impact imprints into the DCAU with only the Milestone imprint outstanding. The DCU absorbed the Dakotaverse so I'm looking into how to flesh it out into the DCAU. Since the early DCAU is a kinda pre-Crisis, post-Flashpoint, mid-Rebirth kinda multiverse we're slowly, but acceleratingly, moving towards the Batman Beyond, none of the above, DCAU. After all, how many people recall that the Legion of Superheroes dwelt in a New Earth styled singular universe rather than a Multiverse?

But, as always, the Justice League still remains the primary mover that propels the story. And as you'll see, the world has never needed a Justice League like now.