Son of Apokolips

He hadn't always lived on Apokolips; of that much he was certain. He was too small, too frail to have been born on this planet of fire and death. Not that anyone called him frail anymore, the last person had been Granny Goodness and in turn he had ripped her head off with his bare hands, proclaiming himself the strongest. He could have led the Female Furies had he so chosen but it was (in Father's words) "far too dangerous" for someone like him. It would not be fitting for the champion of Apokolips to die in battle before all of their Lord's dreams had been realized and all worlds conquered. Besides, if he happened to die here on Apokolips then all of his Father's careful planning would be for naught. True, Darkseid would finally be dead but there also wouldn't be a planet anymore and that had been crucial to his Father's designs on the throne of Apokolips.

"Sir?" a hesitant voice broke through his musings.

"What is it?" he didn't turn from the window he had been gazing out of. There wasn't much of a view but it was slightly better than the inside of the castle walls.

"Lord Darkseid requests your presence," the servant's fear was palatable.

"Really?" he was surprised, not that he would ever admit it. That must mean something had happened to Father.

"Yes he wants you to come right away."

"Very well then," he turned from the window and regarded the shivering servant with some amusement. It was painfully obvious that the poor man was not sure who to fear more; him or Darkseid. "Lead the way."

The servant nodded then began walking through the massive castle. It took some time, at least half an hour to reach Darkseid's throne room. Once there the servant knelt. "My Lord Darkseid, may I present to you the Pied Piper."

"Leave us," Darkseid's voice was intimidating, even when he did not try to make it so.

The servant wasted no time in fleeing.

"You do not kneel?" Darkseid raised an eyebrow.

"My apologies, my Lord," Piper knelt on one knee. "I was merely wondering why you had sent for me and not my Father."

"Your Father is dead," Darkseid said bluntly. "He was killed by an Earthling and the Kryptonian."

"I assume the invasion did not succeed then." It was common knowledge by now that the invasion had failed spectacularly, due in no small part to the Earthlings 'superheroes'. The death of his Father did not move him in the slightest; there had been no love in that relationship, simply the knowledge that he would one day kill Darkseid and then probably be betrayed by his Father, assuming the man wasn't too frightened of him. Everyone on Apokolips, even Darkseid himself, feared the Pied Piper and with good reason.

"You already know the answer to that," Darkseid replied.

"How could I, my Lord? I am forbidden to leave the castle and the servants do not talk to me," Piper didn't bother mentioning the enhancements which had been made to his eyes and ears, allowing him to see and hear far better than anyone on the planet.

"I know all about your spies," Darkseid scowled, tossing a rat to Piper who caught the poor beast and held it to his chest. "You would do well not to spy on me."

"I spy on everyone, my Lord, not just you," Piper could hear the poor animal's heart beating so fast he feared for its very life. "But I may be so bold, I do not believe you called me here simply to scold me about my rats."

"You are correct. Earth is a nuisance to me and I wish it taken care of."

Piper's green eyes widened minutely. "Am I to assume that you wish me to destroy the planet?"

Darkseid considered Piper's words then shook his head. "Not yet. You are to travel to the planet and dispose of the superheroes. If you have not done so within two months then you will destroy it. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my Lord. I shall make preparations to leave immediately," Piper bowed once more then retreated, closing the doors to the throne room behind him. Once out of sight a grin spread across his face. He was finally going to get to leave this miserable planet and go somewhere else; preferably somewhere without fires raging everywhere and with more color.

Within a few short hours all of his preparations had been made. Piper had packed all of his weapons and a spare change of clothes into a black bag which he slung over his shoulder and ordered twelve of his favorite rats to accompany him. He was certain that Earth had rats as well but he doubted that they would be as beautiful as his own or loyal. He kept one flute out, however, and checked to make sure that his costume wasn't torn or dirty before returning to the throne room.

"I am ready to depart, my Lord," he bowed his head respectfully. No need in angering Darkseid on the off chance that he should forbid Piper from leaving.

"Are you taking those confounded rodents with you?"

"If you allow me to, my Lord," Piper didn't say that he was taking the rats either way but both he and Darkseid knew that he would take them with or without permission.

"Very well, be gone," Darkseid waved a hand dismissively.

"Of course. Do you wish me to use a motherbox?" Piper hoped not; the sentient computers didn't like him very much and were usually too scared of what he would do to them to actually be of any use.

"Why bother? You are perfectly capable of getting there yourself, at least according to your Father that is. Besides, one of the Earthlings has merged with a motherbox and can probably close the boom tubes before you ever arrived."

"As you wish," Piper raised his flute to his lips and began to play. As he played he imagined Earth as he thought it would be; a world of vibrant colors and sounds with people that had smiles on their faces. A world that was far, far away from this planet, a world that offered him something he had never had before; hope. And as he poured his hopes and desires into his music an incredible thing happened; a portal opened up before him, not unlike the boom tubes created by the motherboxes but this one was all his own doing. This one belonged to him and he did not stop playing as he stepped through, his loyal companions following. The portal closed behind him and all of Apokolips heaved a sigh of relief at the knowledge that the Pied Piper had been sent far away from them.

Flash had been in the middle of taking down the Rogues as they robbed a bank when they heard it; a sound, more beautiful than anything Flash had ever heard before, floated through the open doors. It called to Flash, to all of them and they heeded it. Trickster was the first to move, flying out the door followed by Weather Wizard and Heatwave. Mirror Master simply sat down the bag of money he had been holding then turned as well. Captain Cold resisted the longest, making sure his men were all gone before he too holstered his gun and walked out, a blank expression on his face. Flash wanted to resist, he knew that it was a trick of some sort but even the Fastest Man Alive cannot outrun the music and so he found himself walking at a normal pace as he followed the other citizens of Central City as they all walked towards the center of town and the Flash Museum.

A figure sat at the base of the statue of Flash, something silver in between his lips and huge rats at his feet and on his shoulders. Something green shone from beneath the green cowl of his cape that matched his soft boots. What little that could be seen of the clothing underneath appeared to be black and red strands of hair peeked out and over his upraised arms. Upon seeing the Flash he smiled and rose to his feet, lowering the flute.

"Tell me," he said in a voice soft as silk. "Are you the Earthling that slew my father Desaad?"

"No," Flash said dazedly. "You should talk to Batman."

"Where can I find this 'Batman'?"

"Gotham City," Flash wasn't really sure why he was answering the questions, only that some other-worldly force was compelling him to.

"Thank you. Do not warn him of my coming, I do not wish to be stopped." He turned then froze when he caught sight of the Rogues standing there, eyes glazed over. "You are very familiar to me," he murmured. "You are free to go."

Then he walked off, jaunty music flowing back to the crowd, keeping all of them immobile save the Rogues who took a long look at their surroundings then dived through their reflection in a woman's wedding ring. After liberating her of her pearl necklace that is, a theft which was not discovered for another three hours.

Batman was on patrol when he spotted the Bat-Signal shining through the gloomy night sky. Without pausing he leaped off the roof and used his grappling hook to swing himself across the rooftops until he reached the Gotham City PD. There he found Commissioner Gordon standing there, his eyes void of all expression.

"Commissioner?" he tried to step forward only to discover that he had been frozen in place.

A dark figure moved from out of the shadows, lowering something from his mouth that glinted. "You helped kill Desaad?"

"Yes who are you?" Batman forced himself to ask.

"I am someone who is very grateful to you," the figure stood directly in front of Batman. He hesitated then leaned forward, brushing his lips against the Dark Knight's. "Thank you," he whispered then retreated, several rats following him.

Batman now found himself frozen in shock as he fervently hoped that Commissioner Gordon hadn't witnessed that. But, knowing his luck, it wasn't going to work out that way.

Metropolis was Piper's next stop, he found himself liking it much better than Gotham. It was much brighter, though not as bright as Central City. Where to set up shop, he wondered? Central City and Gotham had both been easy; he supposed he could hypnotize everyone again but he didn't really want to do the same trick twice. Frowning, he placed an elbow on his knee and irritably drummed his fingers against his face. He began to analyze the information that he had about the Kryptonian; super-hearing, x-ray vision, heat vision, freeze breath, super breath (a very stupid power if you asked him), invulnerability and an innate desire to help others no matter how inconvenient for himself. A devious smile began to spread across Piper's face as he threw back his head and laughed. Many passersby gave him strange looks and gave an even wider berth to the cloaked figure sitting at the bus stop. Oh yes, this planet was turning out to be a lot of fun after all.

Two hours later Piper proudly surveyed his handiwork, hands on his hips. Two dozen camera crews (including one from The Daily Planet) had gathered in a relatively well-known area of Metropolis all eagerly awaiting an exclusive interview with Superman, one that the superhero had 'phoned in'. All that was left to do now was wait for Superman himself to show up, something that he would no doubt do when he found out about the conference. All self-respecting and highly successful superheroes either had ties to the police force or the media and since a few cops were there as well chances were good that word had already spread throughout the entire city. Piper stifled another yawn; boom-tubing himself all over this planet had taken a lot out of him. After meeting Superman he intended to find himself a nice quiet spot and take a long nap.

"There he is!" one of the female reporters pointed to the sky.

Sure enough Superman himself landed in the middle of the square, confusion evident on his face. He opened his mouth as if to speak but Piper was quicker, he blew a single note on his flute, one that froze only Superman and walked towards the superhero. "Thank you," he whispered in Superman's ear, so low that only the two of them could hear it then kissed Superman. He tasted differently than Batman, not as brooding and more friendly. He could hear the cameras clicking and reporters talking excitedly among themselves as he pulled back and played another song. He chuckled to himself as he walked away unseen, listening as Superman was bombarded by questions before deciding that enough was enough and flew away high in the sky. Piper watched him go with some amusement then his smile fell. He had thanked Batman and Superman for killing his father but something was still troubling him; who were those men in Central City and why had they been so familiar?

Meanwhile, in Central City, the Rogues Gallery found themselves facing a similar quandary.

"So why were we the only ones who didn't get frozen for several hours?" Sam Scudder, aka Mirror Master, asked suddenly.

Not overly surprised as he had been expecting the question at some point Captain Cold (known as Len Snart to his close friends and sister) replied, "How should I know? I'm just grateful we got the chance to escape before the Flash broke out of his stupor."

"Agreed," the youngest Rogue, James Jesse but more commonly called Trickster, chimed in. "And we managed to get some loot while we were at it."

"I remember someone playing a flute," Mick Rory said dazedly as he played with his lighter, an obsession that had driven him to become Heatwave.

"And he was familiar to me even though he was no more than a stranger," Mark Mardon sounded as he always did when he had been reading a book; smart and poetic. Not something usually associated with the master criminal, Weather Wizard.

Len glowered at Mark but didn't say anything; instead he turned on the TV, wondering if there had been any other strange incidents like this afternoon.

"In other news today, is Superman gay? The Man of Steel called a press conference this afternoon, stating that he had something important to announce but didn't actually say anything! Instead, well you can see for yourself." The picture on the screen cut to an image of Superman kissing someone wearing a green cloak. As the person with the cloak turned it was just enough to make out the fact that they had no breasts, thereby eliminating them as a member of the fairer sex.

"That's the guy that hypnotized us!" Sam pointed wildly.

"I thought Superman was dating Wonder Woman," James frowned in confusion as he turned to Len.

"Can't wait to see how that conversation goes," was all Len would say before retreating behind the sports page to check the ice hockey scores.

"I'm not gay," Superman declared, the look of fury on his face enough to make Flash tremble in his boots and wonder if it was too late to go back home.

"Neither am I," Batman looked stoic as always but a slight clenching of his jaw said otherwise.

"Why would we think that you're gay?" Shazam asked. "I didn't say you were gay; did I say he was gay?"

"No you didn't," Cyborg reassured his friend.

"Who is the little tramp?" Wonder Woman's scowl ensured that there was at least five feet of space around her.

"He said that his Father's name was Desaad," Flash said quickly then fell silent when all attention turned to him.

"He did mention that he wanted to thank me for killing Desaad," Batman said thoughtfully.

"Did he kiss you too?" Superman wanted to know.

Batman didn't answer but turned to face Green Lantern instead. "Does your ring know anything about whether or not Desaad had children?"

"My ring doesn't keep track of everyone in the universe, you know," the cocky young man complained.

"So in other words you don't know anything either," Batman quickly surmised.

A grin spread across Green Lantern's face and he said, rather mischievously, "I wouldn't say that, Bats. For instance I do know that he seems to like locking lips with everyone that he thanks."

"Glad he didn't thank me," Shazam muttered, Cyborg and Flash nodding in agreement.

"He also appears to be a hypnotist of some sort, judging by what happened at every place he's been so far," Batman began punching buttons on the computer then growled softly when the screen began flickering. "I despise government technology," he muttered.

"You would think that if they could afford to build us a Hall of Justice that the computer systems would function properly," Wonder Woman agreed.

"I have a question," Shazam looked slightly puzzled about something.

"What is it?" Superman asked warily. Shazam was a pretty good fighter that was for sure but acted rather immature for his age.

"Well why did he let the Rogues Gallery go in Central? For that matter why did he confront Batman on the roof a police station but you in public in front of several dozen witnesses?"

"I have access to every computer on the planet," Cyborg said lamely when Batman turned the full force of his glare on the hapless teens.

"I'm not sure," Batman frowned. "If he really is from Apokolips the likelihood of him having ever been to Earth before is slim. And if Desaad truly was his father he should be attempting to seek revenge instead of thanking us."

"Perhaps he did not want us to anticipate his next move so he changed his tactics?" Wonder Woman suggested. "He challenged each of you on your home territory in the places where you feel most comfortable. He was proving that he can take you on in any setting. He is truly a great warrior," her tone sounded slightly respectful.

"If he shows up again, call for backup," Batman ordered. "Or else get that flute away from him; it seems to be the source of his power."

"Got it," Flash nodded then sped back to Central. He had a lot to do, namely analyzing the crime scene once more to see if they had missed anything the first time.

For some strange, unfathomable reason Piper found himself back in Central City. Too tired at the moment to wonder why he found himself strangely drawn to this city he simply began looking for a place to sleep. He was considering just curling up in the alleyway with his rats when he spotted a sign for a 'motel'. Limited though as his Earth knowledge was, he did know that a 'motel' was a place where he could get a bed for the night. So he turned and entered through the front door then walked straight to the counter. "A room," he ordered.

"How long?" the man behind the counter didn't even bother to look up, something that angered Piper.

"Two months," he answered.

Then the man did look up, his eyes widening minutely when he saw the rats perched on Piper's shoulder. "We don't book rooms that far in advance and no vermin!"

Piper's eyes narrowed in anger and he pulled out his flute. "I was going to actually pay you for your room but now I don't think so. I am the Pied Piper, the son of Desaad, advisor to Lord Darkseid himself and I will not tolerate being treated with such disrespect," he hissed and began to play.

The man jerked then shuddered before bowing his head. "Your wish is my command, o great one."

Piper smirked and tucked the flute back into his cloak. "I will take your best room, indefinitely. You will wash my sheets and clean the room daily. You will also keep me apprised of the Justice League's activities and no harm is to come to my rats or any rats in this building. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master," the man said obediently then removed a key from the wall. "This way please."

"Much better," Piper smiled smugly then picked up his bag and followed.

Once the man had left Piper looked around the room with no small amount of disdain. The carpet was coming up in several places, the thick curtain that blocked the window was dirty but at least the bed looked slightly better. And…there was color; the entire room was filled with it. He yawned and all other thoughts were pushed out of his head as he lay down on the bed and succumbed to sleep. His last thought was; this bed's actually soft.

After investigating the crime scene once more Flash was forced to admit defeat. There were no other clues to be found; the hypnotist had simply vanished into thin air, leaving behind no energy signature that the speedster could find. There were no hairs or fibers, nothing that he could take to the lab and run an analysis on. If he had really come from Apokolips then he obviously had a ship or something of the sort as Cyborg would have sensed a boom tube. And the Rogues Gallery? Shazam had had a good point earlier; if the hypnotist had never met the Rogues before why would he let them go? What could he possibly gain by it? Flash shook his head abruptly; he had definitely been hanging around Batman too much. He was a scientist, not a detective but the next time he ran into the Rogues he would ask them about their mysterious friend.

The very next day the Rogues Gallery struck again; the very same bank they had been in the middle of robbing when they were distracted. Flash had just arrived when music washed over them once more. Flash wanted to scream in frustration but found himself frozen as well as the other patrons.

"Who are you?" the figure demanded as he stopped in front of Captain Cold.

"I could be asking you the same thing," Cold replied evenly. "My men and I were in the middle of trying to rob this bank when you showed up. You seem to like inconveniencing us."

"I let you go yesterday," he protested.

"But why did you do that?" Weather Wizard asked.

The figure shrugged. "I don't really know," he admitted. "You just seemed so…familiar that I couldn't help myself."

"So what do you want from us?" Trickster wanted to know as he floated down.

"How about a trade?" he suggested. "I do not know much about your Earth culture and in exchange I will make sure that the Flash doesn't bother you anymore."

"You can really do that?" Heatwave questioned.

The boy stiffened. "Of course I can!" he sounded indignant. "I am the Pied Piper; I can make people do whatever I want. Just watch this." He walked over to Flash and played a different song on his flute. "You will never come after the Rogues Gallery again and you will discourage all others from doing so."

"Yes, Master," Flash was beyond furious now; he really, really wanted to deck this guy but was still unable to move.

"Done," the Pied Piper announced and crossed his arms, looking expectantly at Captain Cold.

"Sam, we're leaving," Cold called.

"Sure thing," Mirror Master grabbed two bags of loot and stepped through the mirror.

"Let's go," Cold ordered and the Rogues, including the Pied Piper, grabbed their bags and they all disappeared through the mirror.

Back at the Rogues hideout they all turned to look at the Pied Piper who was gazing around the room. "Your world is very colorful," he said at last.

"What's it like where you come from?" James asked.

"Dark," Piper answered automatically. "Very dark and gloomy even when the fires are burning which is all the time."

"Really?" Mick's eyes lit up.

"Yes and there's usually blood running through the streets," Piper sat down on the couch cautiously.

"Blood?" Sam repeated, feeling slightly queasy.

"Of course, why wouldn't there be blood? And a lot of the time there's tortured screams…your planet is very weird."

"Kid, just where the hell are you from?" Mark demanded. He was normally more eloquent than this but the description of Piper's home was creeping him out just a little bit.

"Apokolips," Piper said matter-of-factly.

"Apokolips?!" all of the Rogues said at the same time, their minds flying back to the alien invasion that had taken place just a few short days ago.

"I would have preferred Flash come after us," Mick moaned as he sat down on the floor heavily.

Piper looked startled as he took in their angry expressions then he threw back his head and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Cold growled.

"I'm sorry," Piper managed to say. "I really am. I'm not part of the invasion. Yet. Lord Darkseid sent me here to destroy all of the superheroes but I must say, I'm really starting to enjoy this planet so I might not do it."

"So you're saying that if we can convince you that Earth is worth saving you won't hand us over to Darkseid?" Sam confirmed.

"Yes," Piper nodded.

"Earth is doomed," James said wisely.

"That is a very curious thing to say about your planet," Piper said and pushed back his cowl, revealing himself to be a teenager. Long red hair framed his slender face and green eyes regarded them with no small amount of curiosity. "Do you despise your home?"

"No, we don't," Cold stepped forward. "We love our planet and we'll do our best to convince you not to destroy it."

"Okay," Piper smiled.

"You look very human," Mark observed.

"Oh I'm not really from Apokolips," Piper explained. "Father stole me from a small, backwater planet when I was a baby and raised on Apokolips."

"So for all you know you could be from Earth, right?" Mick asked.

"Perhaps," Piper said begrudgingly. "But until that is confirmed you will not say it. That is a very bad insult on Apokolips."

"Fair enough," Cold sighed.

They stood in awkward silence for several minutes, Piper looking back and forth between each Rogue as though searching for something. At last he spoke, "I have a question; both Batman and Superman got upset when I attempted to thank them for killing my father. Why did they react so strangely?"

"Probably because you kissed Superman on public television?" Len hazarded a guess.

"But is that not how one expresses their gratitude?" Piper tilted his head to one side, looking very confused.

"Who told you that?" Sam asked.

"My Father," Piper replied promptly.

"I'm not even going to touch that subject with a ten-foot-pole," Cold declared then sighed heavily. "On Earth we say 'thank you' by simply saying the words. Occasionally we'll shake hands and, on very rare occasions involving the opposite sex, we hug but we try not to kiss each other."

"Why must you only do those things with a member of the opposite sex? There are many females on Apokolips but they all despise males and prefer to hug and kiss each other. I myself have never had any inclination to do it with them; I have always been drawn to the males on my planet."

"And on that note it's time for me to go," Mark decided.

"Wow look at the time, Sam and I are late for that meeting," Mick made a big show of looking at his watch.

"We definitely need to go," Sam agreed, grabbing his two fellow Rogues and pulling them into the mirror.

"Wait for me!" James cried.

"Piper, how old are you?" Len asked wearily.

"Sixteen," Piper blinked.

"James, sit down. I might as well have this talk with both of you," Len sighed and pondered just how to approach the subject.

"That was a close one," Mark sighed in relief as they resurfaced in the park.

"You guys do know that Len's going to kill us, right?" Mick pointed out.

"Would you rather have stayed and listened to him give James and that other kid 'the talk'?" Sam raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Totally worth it," the three Rogues said in unison after a moment's consideration.

"Hey, guys," Mark spotted something in the distance. "I think we've got bigger problems."

Flash flew through the air, landing hard on a pile of bricks. "Ow," he whimpered. "That hurt."

"Pathetic human," Gorilla Grodd growled as he stepped closer. Originally born in Africa in a small village that had been hidden from humans for thousands of years Grodd had broken the sacred laws of his people and revealed the existence of the sentient gorillas. A gorilla that could think was scary enough but add to that mind reading abilities and even slight mind control? All of that equaled bad news and, unfortunately for Flash, Grodd had declared the speedster his personal enemy and vowed to return to Gorilla City with his body where he planned to eat Flash's brains for supper. Flash had every intention of staying off the menu.

"I'm not beaten yet," Flash somehow managed to stand up, ignoring the pain that ran down his spine, indicating that something was either broken or twisted but, in any case, didn't like moving around.

"No but you look pretty close to it," Mirror Master observed as he appeared in a nearby window. "Want a hand?"

Flash considered the villain's offer. It wasn't like he really had any other choice and unless the Justice League unexpectedly showed up he stood very little chance of actually winning "Sure," he wheezed out then promptly fainted.

"Lightweight," Mirror Master sighed then yanked Flash back into the mirror just as Grodd's fist smashed into the space where the speedster's head had been.

"How do you suggest we take him down?" Weather Wizard called from his position in the sky.

"Roast him?" Heatwave suggested.

"What on Earth is that thing?" Piper asked as he, Trickster and Captain Cold ran to the other Rogues.

"Gorilla Grodd," Trickster replied. "He wants to rule the world."

"That pathetic creature?" Piper burst out laughing. "Let me handle this."

"Dessert approaches," Grodd said as Piper walked up to him.

"Do you honestly think that you can take me down?" Piper sounded highly amused as he looked up at the giant behemoth. "I highly doubt it."

Piper took a deep breath then ran forward. He ducked Grodd's fists as he approached the gorilla's legs then leaped into the air. He put all of his strength into his leg as he kicked Grodd right in the groin. The gorilla shrieked in agony as Piper nimbly climbed up his hairy arm then leapt into the air one more time as he pulled out his flute.

"Get off of me, filthy human!" Grodd roared, trying to no avail to hit the teenager.

"This is for threatening my new friends," Piper pressed something on the flute and it turned into a sword. He swung it downwards then landed on the ground in a crouch, the flute returning to its natural state. A second later Grodd's head rolled off, landing at the feet of the horrified Rogues and now conscious Flash who had been watching. "How exactly did you humans manage to defeat Lord Darkseid, anyways?"

"You with the flute, stop!" Superman ordered as he landed in the square. Wonder Woman, Shazam and Cyborg landed next to him while Green Lantern arrived a second later, carrying Batman in a green bubble.

"Crap it's the Justice League," Heatwave hissed.

"I can see that now shut up," Captain Cold ordered.

"I am the Pied Piper, son of Desaad, the late advisor to the great Lord Darkseid," Piper said. "Just who do you think you are to be ordering me about?"

"We're the Justice League," Superman replied. "And we're here to put a stop to your evil ways."

"What evil ways?" Piper countered. "I haven't done anything yet except for take down this pathetic excuse for a 'gorilla'. What is a gorilla anyways?"

"You stopped me from capturing the Rogues," Flash snapped as he limped over to Green Lantern who quickly wrapped him in a green body cast.

"But they weren't doing anything wrong," Piper protested.

"Um I hate to agree with the heroes on this one but we were stealing," Trickster pointed out then let out a frightened shriek and hid behind Mirror Master once all eyes turned to him.

"So? Your world's fate is inevitable and your lives short; you should be living together in harmony, not fighting amongst yourselves," Piper sounded very sure of himself.

"Now wait just a minute, you promised not to destroy Earth if we could convince you that it was worth saving," Cold argued.

Piper shrugged. "Sooner or later someone will destroy it; it doesn't necessarily have to be me. Besides, all Lord Darkseid has to do is kill me and your planet will be doomed."

Cold looked ready to demand more clarification but Batman stepped forward. "You're obviously human so why would you want to destroy this planet? We're probably the only people that would accept you; I imagine the people of Apokolips weren't very tolerant of having a human live among them."

Piper's eyes flashed and he said, "I am not human!" His shout echoed throughout the streets and the buildings, his voice calling to them. The rats heard and they responded to the anger in that tone. They followed it and they swarmed by the thousands toward their Master. "I am the Pied Piper; champion of Apokolips, the only one that Lord Darkseid fears and you dare to call me human?! I shall slay you and then melt your bones in a stew!"

And for a second, just a second, as they looked at the Pied Piper, his green cloak swirling around him and the thousands of rats behind him, their eyes glowing and teeth gnashing, the Justice League felt just a tiniest hint of fear. For just a moment they didn't see another human but a god instead. Then the moment passed and the Pied Piper was standing in front of them, holding out a bare hand. "Go on then, take my blood and you shall see that I am not a mere human."

Batman didn't even hesitate, he pulled a small tube from his utility belt and with a blade that he kept hidden up his arm, made a tiny incision on Piper's wrist. He waited until the tube was filled with blood then placed back in his belt for safe-keeping.

"If you need me I shall be here in Central City," Piper declared as he turned and walked off, the rats following.

Mirror Master grabbed Piper by the wrist as he passed by them and the Rogues all disappeared through a store window.

"Let's get back to the Hall of Justice," Batman decided. "I really need to get this blood analyzed right away."

"Sure thing," Green Lantern said as he picked up both Batman and Flash and they all took off once more.

"So instead of just Flash we've got the entire Justice League after us now," Mick groaned as he sat down on their couch.

"Shut up," Len ordered then turned to Piper. "You're causing us an awful lot of trouble, kid," he observed.

"Not anymore," Piper smiled. "After the Justice League tests my blood they won't be able to bother us again; I guarantee it."

"How?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Because the Green Lantern Corp will no doubt place me under their protection," Piper said calmly. "What are these?" he held up a bag of potato chips. "They are quite delicious."

"But why would-never mind," Mark sighed heavily.

"They're called chips," James explained. "What do you guys eat on Apokolips anyways?"

Piper just looked at the resident prankster. "Do you really want to know?"

James considered then shook his head earnestly. "Not really," he admitted.

"He's definitely human," Batman said as he turned away from the computer screen to face the other Leaguers. "His real name is Hartley Rathaway and he was kidnapped the day after he was born sixteen years ago. But there's something strange about his blood that I can't place. It's like there's a chemical compound in it but I can't isolate it," he frowned.

"Want me to analyze it?" Green Lantern offered.

"It certainly can't hurt," Batman shrugged and handed the blood sample over.

"Ring, analyze," Green Lantern ordered.

"Analyzing," the ring said as it ran a wide shaft of green light over the blood. "Warning: Anti-Life Equation detected."

"Anti-Life?" Shazam looked worried. "I'm going to assume that's bad."

"Ring, clarify."

"The Anti-Life Equation is the end of all things. It is the most powerful thing in the entire universe. If used correctly it could destroy this planet and all life on it. This human's blood shows a never before heard of genetic compatibility with the Anti-Life Equation."

"Can it be removed?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Negative. It has bonded with the human and cannot be released until his death."

"And what will happen then?" Superman was only slightly curious; he still wanted to hit someone.

"If he is killed before mastering the Anti-Life Equation then it will be released into the atmosphere, causing the Earth to implode."

"That's definitely not good," Cyborg said as his human eye grew wide.

"Affirmative. Not even Darkseid himself could survive the full power of the Anti-Life."

"So that's how he intends to conquer Earth," Batman mused. "Just send in the Pied Piper, threaten to kill him and everyone would surrender."

"The boy must not be killed. The Guardians of Oa must be alerted to the situation."

"That's not good," Green Lantern sighed.

"So what is the purpose of robbing a bank?" Piper asked as he looked at the bank across the street from where they were parked.

"To make money," Cold replied.

"Is that not the purpose of getting a job?" Piper frowned.

"Jobs are for squares like Flasher," Trickster declared as he tied his shoelaces.

"You're confusing him," Mirror Master scolded.

"You're confusing me," Heatwave huffed.

"Mark, you in position yet?" Cold asked via walkie-talkie.

"Yes just waiting for you now," Weather Wizard replied.

"We're going in," Cold decided. "Piper, just please no stupid questions while we're in there. You can always wait until we get back to the hideout."

"You're no fun," Piper sulked.

"You're going to be announcing us," Cold reminded.

"Yay!" Piper clapped his hands together joyfully.

Inside the bank business was going on as usual; tellers were counting out money and trying to deal with irate customers while little kids tugged at their parents' hands, impatient to get outside. But all activity in the bank came to a complete stop when the door opened and a mysterious figure in a green cloak entered, playing on a flute. After making sure that everyone was frozen he lowered the flute and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce the Rogues Gallery!"

"Thanks, Piper," Captain Cold sighed as he entered. "Maybe a little less dramatic next time though."

"Sure thing," Piper grinned then quickly turned serious once more. "What should I order them to do?"

The Rogues let out a collective groan and Heatwave facepalmed.

"Tell them to give us the money," Trickster advised.

"Give us all your money," Piper ordered.

Strangely enough not only the tellers but the customers found themselves compelled to pull out their wallets or open cash drawers and hand over their bills and loose change.

Cold whispered something in Piper's ear and he said, "Tellers only. The customers can keep their money."

Once all of the cash in the front had been placed in duffel bags which Mirror Master deposited into a small mirror he carried just for such occasions then the Rogues decided to press their luck and try the bank vault. The bank manager was located and told that if he didn't open the bank vault for them Weather Wizard would unleash a tornado inside his belly. The bank manager highly doubted that they would but didn't think it wise to press his luck so he led them to the back where the vault was located.

"Open it," Captain Cold ordered.

"I'll do it," Piper offered as he began playing on his flute once more and, seconds later, the hinges on the door blew off.

"Nice," Mirror Master grinned as he and Heatwave went inside.

"Am I still too much trouble?" Piper asked.

"You might actually be pulling your weight, kid," Cold admitted.

"Sir?" the servant knelt, his entire body trembling with fear.

"What is it?" Darkseid asked. "Why do you disturb me?"

"We are receiving reports from Earth, my lord, the Pied Piper has failed."

"His two months are not up yet," Darkseid observed.

"No my lord, they are not but he helped to save the life of the Flash instead of letting him die. He also came face-to-face with the Justice League and could have killed them had he so chosen," the servant spoke quickly then fell silent, praying that Darkseid wouldn't kill him.

"So he has turned on me," Darkseid mused. "I should have known this would happen; humans are very fickle after all. But that does leave me with a problem; who should I send to kill him? He is more than capable of defeating the Female Furies and the Parademons are no match for him. I shall go," he decided. "It will be a simple matter to slay him then leave before the Anti-Life is released. Prepare a boom-tube."

"Yes, my lord," the servant bowed then ran out as quickly as he could.

"How ironic that Earth shall be felled by one of its own people," Darkseid threw back his head and laughed. "Prepare to face your defeat, Justice League, at the hands of the Pied Piper!"

"Batman, we've got a problem," Cyborg said urgently. "A boom-tube is opening in Central and I can't close it."

Batman frowned. "Why would Darkseid send someone else if the Pied Piper is already here?"

"How should we know?" Shazam snapped. "Why don't you go and ask him yourself?"

Batman picked up his League communicator and pressed a button. "Flash? We have a situation."

"I know, Batman, I'm staring at it right now," Flash's voice was tense as he and several curious onlookers gazed at the boom-tube that was currently opening in front of the Flash museum.

"You should find your friend the Pied Piper. I have a feeling this situation just went critical. The rest of the Justice League should be there shortly. Batman out."

Flash glared at the communicator then began racking his brains on what to do. He couldn't search for the Rogues; Piper's little hypnosis trick had taken care of that so what to do? His eyes fell on the billboard advertising the local news station and he smiled. Perhaps there was a way after all…

James had been in the middle of teaching Piper knock-knock jokes when Mark rushed in, his face pale. "There's another invasion," he gasped.

"But that makes no sense," Piper frowned. "Why would Lord Darkseid send in reinforcements unless…he knows that I intend to betray him," his green eyes widened in realization. "Oh dear. He's obviously sent someone to try and kill me."

"Oh great," Mick groaned. "More of those Parademon things."

"I can defeat those quite easily," Piper denied, shaking his head. "No one on Apokolips can possibly hope to defeat me; no one that is except for Lord Darkseid himself!"

"Darkseid's coming back?" Len entered the room just in time to hear Piper's last sentence.

"That's really not good," Sam frowned.

"It certainly isn't," Piper agreed with a frown. "I'm not sure if I can defeat him or not. I mean, I have been preparing to do so my entire life but I was hoping to get some more training beforehand."

"So what are we going to do?" James looked scared.

Piper looked around at the Rogues and then smiled. "Why I'm going to kill Darkseid and then you're going to teach me how to surf the web."

"Get your gear ready, men," Len ordered. "We've got an alien to slay."

"This is not your battle," Piper said calmly. "You are ill-equipped to deal with a situation of this magnitude."

"You're a Rogue and Rogues stick together," Len said simply.

"All right then," Piper smiled.

Meanwhile, in the shadows cast by the Flash statue, a cloaked figure stood. He too carried a flute but no one else heard his song as he played. No one else saw the images flashing before his eyes and no one saw the smile that spread across his lips as he lowered the flute, tucking it into his belt. "It has begun," he murmured then took a step back, fully immersing himself in the darkness. "The destruction of Earth is at hand."

Darkseid stepped of the boom-tube and looked around himself in distaste. Everything was so bright; the air was clean and, worst of all, the people looked happy. They had smiles on their faces as they talked and laughed amongst themselves, the exact opposite of the people on Apokolips. Oh well, all of this happiness meant that he would just get more satisfaction out of watching them die. Although, he couldn't actually be on the planet when that happened unless he wanted to die as well. The next time someone suggested hiding the Anti-Life Equation inside of a human he was going to behead them then and there. Humans were, without a shadow of a doubt, the weakest species he had ever met.

"Darkseid, what do you want here?" the human (his name was Flash wasn't it?) faced him.

Darkseid could practically smell the fear radiating from the human as he said, "I am here for my subordinate the Pied Piper. Perhaps you've heard of him?"

"I have," Flash's words were brave but his voice wasn't. It wobbled and cracked ever slightly, just like his knees. Apparently these humans weren't very brave when they were facing him one-on-one.

"Tell me where he is and I might let you live." It was a lie and they both knew it.

"I don't know where he is," Flash replied, eyeing the sky with no small amount of longing.

"That is a shame, for you," Darkseid smiled and his eyes began to glow.

"Hello, Lord Darkseid," a voice said from behind him.

Slightly startled, even though he would never admit it, Darkseid turned to see Piper standing behind him along with five other Earthlings all attired in silly costumes. "I heard the most interesting rumors about you, Piper," Darkseid said conversationally. "The general opinion is that you've betrayed me and intend to save this planet."

"It's an interesting planet," Piper said neutrally.

"I told your Father that it wasn't a good idea to hide the Anti-Life inside of a mere human and I was right. It's time for you to die." Red beams shot from his eyes, straight towards Piper.

One of the humans grabbed a mirror and quickly held it in front of Piper, causing the beams to bounce back at him. Darkseid cursed and leaped out of the way just in time.

"Nice trick," he laughed, already planning to compensate for it.

"I am no mere human, Darkseid, and it is time that you realize that," Piper pulled out his flute but Darkseid was quicker. He flew straight at Piper, intent on putting his fist through the teenager's stomach but found himself being barraged by yo-yos of all things.

"Leave Piper alone," an enraged voice shouted. "He's our friend; you can't have him back."

"I think you only made him even madder," another voice observed even as searing hot flames surrounded Darkseid.

Darkseid gritted his teeth and continued flying. Pathetic humans; didn't they realize that he was the ruler of a planet that was always on fire? This was nothing more than a slight tickle to him. However, when his fist hit something it wasn't Piper but rather something very cold. He pulled back and glared at the wall of ice which was rapidly being covered by cracks before it shattered into a thousand tiny fragments. "Is this the best you can do?" he laughed. "I have faced the Justice League; compared to them you are nothing."

"Have you ever faced the full might of an electrical storm?" another one of the freaks asked.

He did feel some pain that time but it still didn't affect him as much as that magical lightning had. "Your friends are going to die, Piper, and it will be on your head!"

"No it won't," Piper said softly. "I won't let you hurt them, Darkseid." He put the flute to his lips and Darkseid felt something behind him. He turned his head just in time to see a boom-tube open then someone rammed into him and the two fell into the swirling portal.

"Piper!" James yelled in anguish as the portal closed behind his friend. "We've got to go after him, Len."

"I don't know where he went," Len hissed. "Sam, can you locate him?"

"I'll do my best," Mirror Master promised then dove into one of his mirrors.

"It's already too late," a voice said as a man stepped into view. He was dressed just like Piper and also had rats following him.

"Who are you?" Len demanded, aiming his cold gun at the man.

"I am the Pied Piper but not the one that you know. I come from a different universe and I have seen your planet's future. Both your world and Piper are doomed."

"We're never going to give up on him, no matter what you say," Len snarled. "He's a Rogue, damn it. We take care of our own."

"He would have been a great Rogue," the alternate Piper agreed. "But his death is inevitable as is your own. With Darkseid's death the armies of Apokolips will attack your planet in retaliation and none shall survive."

"Where are we?" Darkseid demanded as he looked around.

Piper didn't answer but then he had no need to. He lifted his flute to his lips and began to play. He had never heard the song before but that made no difference to him. Somehow he already knew the words and the tune and they flowed naturally from him. And as he played he thought of the Rogues and the strange connection he had felt to them immediately upon his arrival. He thought of his Father and all the cruelties he had suffered at his hands. He thought of the Rogues and how they were hopelessly outnumbered but had still stood with him. He would not allow them to sacrifice themselves just for him; their show must go on. And with that final thought the planet that they were standing on exploded and Piper watched in satisfaction as Darkseid's body was consumed by the flames.

But destroying Darkseid had come at a price; for now Piper found himself floating in space with no planet to stand on. There was no more oxygen to breathe, no wind to carry his tune or give voice to his song but he found that he didn't care. He had done it; Darkseid was dead and the Rogues would live. It was getting difficult to think now; words and ideas weren't connecting the way that they should. But he did feel relief wash over him as, just before his eyes closed, he saw a pair of hands reach out of his flute then everything went black.

Len was not a very patient man; anyone who knew him could testify to that. So the fact that he and his fellow Rogues were being forced to sit there, glaring daggers at the Justice League as they anxiously awaited Sam's return was not going very well. The air was tense; Batman had tried to arrest the Rogues only to be stopped by Flash who pointed out that one of the Rogues Gallery had just scarified himself to save Earth. The remainder of the Justice League backed Flash up, leaving Batman with no choice but to not arrest them. There's no telling who would have been the first to snap if Sam hadn't chosen that exact moment to pop out of Cyborg's armor, holding Piper in his arms.

"I found him floating next to what I assume used to be Pluto," Sam explained tersely as he gently sat the teenager on the ground, pushing back his cowl. Piper's entire face was blue and his chest wasn't moving up and down like it was supposed to.

"What are we supposed to do?" James sounded terrified, his voice shaking as he turned to Len for guidance.

"Mark, when I give the signal I want you to zap him," Len ordered. "Mick, chest compressions."

Mick nodded then he and Len began performing CPR. After a few seconds Len nodded and Mark hit Piper with as much electricity as he could muster but Piper still didn't move. James and Sam stood awkwardly to the side, their faces pale as they watched their fallen teammate, a person who had given his life for them, just lie there and they couldn't do anything to save him. Neither the heroes or the villains had ever felt so helpless in their entire lives.

"One more time, Mark," Len said quietly.

Mark nodded and unleashed more electricity. He wasn't expecting anything to happen this time; they had already been at this for the past ten minutes and nothing had changed. But, to his eternal surprise and gratitude, Piper's chest began moving again and color returned to his face as he took deep, shuddering breaths and slowly sat up.

"What-what happened?" Piper asked groggily as he blinked at them.

"You're alive!" James yelled happily then promptly hugged Piper.

"I thought we weren't supposed to hug," Piper looked at Len in confusion even as he returned James's embrace.

"It's okay just this once," Len replied.

"Where's Darkseid?" Batman asked.

"He's dead," Piper replied. "I'm afraid that I had to blow up one of the planets surrounding this one, however, but it was a necessary sacrifice."

"Excuse me, Pied Piper, but I'm Iris West and I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me," the reporter's smile was friendly as she thrust a microphone into his face.

"Sure," Piper replied as he stood, with no small amount of help from James.

"Since you killed Darkseid doesn't that make you the new ruler of Apokolips?"

Piper blinked. "Actually it does," he said. "You may tell your world this; I, the Pied Piper and ruler of Apokolips, am now placing the planet Earth under my protection so long as the Rogues Gallery lives. Should any harm befall them then you will taste the full fury of my wrath."

Iris looked slightly startled but she did smile at him once more. "Well on behalf of the world I thank you. Will you be staying here on Earth or are you going to return to Apokolips?"

"I haven't decided yet," Piper admitted sheepishly.

"He's going to be staying on Earth," Len told the reporter. "He'll be ruling Apokolips by proxy but as a member of the Rogues Gallery his first duty is here on Earth."

"I suppose it won't be that bad staying on Earth," Piper sighed heavily but the smile on his face said otherwise. And, for the first time in his life, as he stood there surrounded by the Rogues Gallery he finally felt like he had come home.

"So why did you do that?"

Piper didn't look up from the flute he was polishing even as he replied, "Do what exactly?"

The reproach could be heard in the other's voice as he said, "You know what. Why did you tell the Rogues that their Earth and Piper were doomed? You deliberately lied to them."

"I just felt like it," Piper sat down his flute. "Besides, why do you care? It all worked out in the end; Piper is back with the Rogues just like he was supposed to be."

"Yes but don't think I didn't know that you were the one behind his growing up on Apokolips. He was supposed to grow up on Earth."

"But if he had then Earth would have been destroyed during the first invasion," Piper argued. "And your other self would have died."

"I don't really care," Shazam stepped forward. "Unlike you I'm not obsessed with finding out the fates of all my alternate selves. And I certainly don't meddle in their lives."

"I'm not going to apologize," Piper stated calmly as he picked up the rat that had been trying to climb up his leg and placed it in his lap.

"I didn't expect you to," Shazam sighed. "But I'm not that surprised; after all this is one of the few Earths that has a James Jesse."

Piper scowled. "Do not mention James again if you wish to continue living," he threatened.

Shazam just looked at him in disbelief as he came closer. "You cannot harm me besides I suppose I do feel sorry for you after all. James died and you spent three days handcuffed to his corpse then just when you were about to steal his soul back from Neron Flash re-wrote your world's timeline, erasing James and yourself in the process. I suppose I should just be grateful that you didn't kill Flash."

"I do not want your pity," Piper said after a moment's silence. "You know I will do whatever it takes to ensure that James continues living, no matter where he is. Besides, I gave my Earth a Pied Piper. Granted he's just a musical double but still, he gets the job done."

"You never answered my earlier question; why did you tell the Rogues that they were doomed?" Shazam repeated.

Piper fell quiet once more as he stared into space then he said, "I'm not sure really. I suppose I just wanted to remind them about their rules or maybe it was just because I wanted to see my handiwork for myself."

"You're a very troublesome meddler," Shazam sighed. "But a useful one I suppose. So what will happen to them now?"

"Now? Nothing. Piper has mastered the Anti-Life Equation and can no longer be killed. He will keep watch over the Rogues until they die and their descendants. He'll probably destroy Earth eventually but for now they're safe."

"As safe as they can be," Shazam muttered. "No more meddling on that planet, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Piper fired off a fake salute, fooling neither one of them with his sarcasm.

"I hate Rogues," Shazam sighed heavily then turned and walked away, disappearing through a swirling vortex.

"And I hate magicians," Piper said to his retreating back even though he knew perfectly well that Shazam could no longer hear him. "So I guess that makes us even."

And as he sat there on his throne, surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of rats the Pied Piper played yet another song and as he did his thoughts drifted to another place and another time; a time of innocence and silly costumes; a time of happiness. Tears streamed down his face as he conjured up the image of a silly man dressed in an even sillier costume of blue and orange but who was not to be underestimated.

I will find you, James, Piper thought to himself. No matter how long it takes I will find you and then we'll be together forever and no one can take you away from me ever again. So swears the Pied Piper!

Written for the Roguesbang challenge on Livejournal! Check it out!