The World's Greatest Superheroes..... IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME
JLA #24- January, Year 3	by Curt Fernlund

 

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AquaMan	Atom	Batman	Black Canary	Firestorm	Flash
Green Lantern	Martian Manhunter	Red Tornado	Superman	Wonder Woman	Plastic Man

Sitting endlessly on his decaying throne within the vast empty halls of the decrepit city at the end of all that ever was the final being in existence turned the final page in the great ancient book settled in his lap and laughed. There were few lines left to read on the fading parchment; the last chapter in the age-old tale that had started with an explosion so long ago.

It would end it seemed with a whimper…

“You doing okay, Wally?”

The Flash glanced up at his friend, Kyle Rayner and nodded. He was worried, almost terrified, more so with every step he took closer to the dark fortress far in the distance. He tried to hide it, but he knew that his friends could tell how he was feeling. He would have broken if not for the Batman earlier. As it was he was barely hanging on.

They were speeding along the broken, blasted land, the Flash slowing his usual blinding speed to keep pace with his slower allies. The Green Lantern flew overhead, a reassuring glow surrounding him and his passenger, Dinah Laurel Lance- the Black Canary. Kyle Rayner had an eerie look of calm on his face as he returned his gaze to the edifice and the glowing green light that flickered atop the lone tower that scraped at the dull black sky. There was a thin green line trailing from his power ring, leading back to where they had come- back through time. It was a link to Alan Scott standing sentinel in the past, their ticket back home through the Time Stream after they had beaten the Time Trapper and saved Superman. If…

The Black Canary was frowning, but she too seemed to have come to grips with the situation. She had fought down whatever fears that had sprung up when the League had first appeared here at the End of Everything. She looked ready to bite through nails, a look of grim determination on her face. The Flash had to give her credit. She was probably one of the greatest martial artists on the face of the planet, and she had her Canary Cry, but they were about to face a force stronger than Darkseid. Stronger than a god! What good was a karate chop going to be against that? She shifted in the glowing green ‘swing’ that Kyle had created for her to ride on and pointed into the distance-

“What’s that?”

Wally West turned his attention to the fore once again and felt something turn in his stomach. There was a swirl of light in the distance, blocking their path. He could see three figures taking shape in the flickering glow- three shapes that were all too familiar-

“Oh, shit…”

There were only a few ghosts from Wally West’s past that he would have rather not seen; Professor Zoom, Sinestro. Any number that he could have dealt with. But not these three, and especially not him-

Barry Allen, the second and arguably greatest Flash stood flanked on one side by Hal Jordan- Earth’s first Green Lantern, and on the other by the world’s greatest archer, Oliver Queen- the Green Arrow! They were all three dark and grim- in fact the Flash’s costume was a shining jet black and gold. Green lantern appeared younger than Wally remembered, only the slightest tinge of gray at his temples, his ring crackling with energy. The Green Arrow had his bow fully drawn, an arrow aimed at them, ready to fight. Wally West pulled up short, his feet sliding in the gravely dirt, his friends following his lead. Wonderful-

Barry Allen stared at him, his eyes steely and cold. A smile slowly twisted his lips as he looked his young protégé up and down with derision. He chuckled-

“Let’s dance, you and I…” and he was gone.

Wally West cursed, watching the black streak as it vanished over the horizon. It would be back all too soon. Barry Allen could beat the three of them alone. Hell, any of those three could. Wally knew that he had to keep his mentor- his dead mentor out of the picture, at least until Kyle and Dinah could deal with the other two. He had to beat the Fastest Man Alive…

There was no hesitation at all in the Black Canary as she leapt from the chair construct that the Green Lantern had been carrying her in. She spiraled through the chill, windy air to land softly in the dirt. She crouched, ready to spring, watching her chosen foe, the man she had once loved- the Green Arrow.

As expected he had followed her movements, keeping his arrow trained on her. She knew that he would not fire until he was ready. He was an arrogant son of a bitch, a swaggering braggart- one of the things that she had loved in him. She smiled coolly, sizing him up and Oliver Queen laughed. She had loved that laugh-

“Love the new look, Pretty Bird.” Her heart almost melted to hear his voice again. Her world had fallen apart with his death, exploded into chaos as he had done over the skies of Metropolis. It had been a long hard road getting over him, and she was not totally sure that she had. She had turned grim and angry that he had deserted her, taking out her frustrations on whoever got in her way; her opponents, her teammates, her friends. That all ended here and now…

“Take a good long look, asshole,” the Canary said with a grin. She stood, taking a defensive stance, “’cuz it’s the last thing you’re gonna see today!”

“And just who the hell are you supposed to be?”

Hal Jordan flew up into the air, squaring off before Kyle Rayner a few yards distant. Kyle stared at the semblance of the man that he appeared to be, but he was not sure. He seemed different. Rayner had met Hal Jordan before, most recently during the Final Night, after he had become Parallax, after stealing the powers of the members of the Green Lantern Corp that he had murdered. That Hal Jordan scared the spit out of him. This man before him was not that man- plucked out of time from sometime before that? It made sense in an odd way. A doppelganger like the bogus Superman then? That made it all the easier-

“I’m Green Lantern, bub. The Green Lantern, as you’re about to find out- the hard way!”

“There’s something happening with the Flash’s group. They’re being attacked!”

Wonder Woman squinted into the eerie light, trying to see what was happening with her friends. She adjusted her grip on the coffin held between her and the Martian Manhunter, wishing that she was closer-

“Should we go and help them?”

J’onn J’onzz frowned, following her gaze for a moment, then returning his attention to their own path. She could hear the Martian in her head, his telepathic link keeping them in contact, but she could not hear the others beyond. There was a dull droning static where the mental voices of the others should have been.

“I fear we are about to have problems of our own.”

Princess Diana of Thymscira looked ahead in the direction that the Martian had indicated. She adjusted her grip on the containment casing that held the unconscious form of the bogus Superman, biting down on her lip as she watched the dark air shimmer and swirl. Something… someone was appearing in their path-

“Who?” she asked, trying to focus on the face of the young, muscular form. He was dressed in red, wearing a blue cloak and boots and golden bracers on his wrists. He was handsome enough, with long dark hair blowing in the wind. His eyes were glowing red, glowing brighter.

“Valor, I think. The Daxamite-“

Diana was confused. He was a friend.

“What’s he doing he-Ahhh!”

Wonder Woman screamed as the air about her suddenly got very, very hot…

Firestorm, Aquaman and Zatanna…

“Whoa! What was that?”

Firestorm pulled up short, shifting his gaze to the sudden bright flare of red in the distance. He could see the still and smoldering forms of the Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman falling. He could see the agitated, heated molecules of the air surrounding them, the casket that they had been carrying tumbling end over end, all crashing into the sand. He could see the other figure, cape flapping in the wind hovering over them, ready to strike. It almost looked like Superman-

“Valor!” Aquaman said, squinting into the distance. His sight was probably better than anyone in the League, except for Superman, or maybe Wonder Woman. Or the Martian’s-

“It’s Valor,” he repeated. “What’s he doing here?”

“It can’t be good, Arthur, if he attacked our friends!” Zatanna said over the wind. She was sitting in a chair that Firestorm had created out of the very molecules of the air. He was carrying her, and Aquaman as well though the King of Atlantis was held in a transparent globe filled with water transformed by the Nuclear Man. “Get us over there, Firestorm! We have to help our friends!”

“Right!”

Firestorm started out, arching off towards the battle, but in truth he did not get far…

There was a blast of energy, light and heat, radiation that cut through the very bonds of the molecules that he had altered to support his friends. Aquaman’s bubble exploded, the water that the Nuclear Man had created evaporating in a burst of steam as the Sea King fell. Too, Zatanna’s chair disappeared and it was only the quick actions of both that allowed them to grasp hands, preventing her fall. She swung wildly, dangling at the length of Firestorm’s arm, one of her high-heeled pumps slipping off of her foot as she kicked her long legs wildly. Far below, Aquaman hit the ground with a sickening thump-

Firestorm looked up, wondering where the sudden blast of energy had come from and gasped. Not so far away he saw a man hovering in mid-air. Energy erupted from the bottoms of his boots, spewing smoke and radioactive fire into the air. His colors were red and orange- a space suit of sorts, complete with an all-encompassing helmet and a dark, bubble visor. There was a red star emblem on his chest, flanked by wide, red wings. His voice echoed and crackled when he spoke-

“Howdy folks! Name’s ERG! That’s Energy Release Generator for the slow pokes in your group. I really gotta suggest that you surrender now. I don’t give a flyin’ frak about you, firehair, but the lady’s got a fine pair a’ legs! I’d hate ta have ta burn ‘em off!”

Firestorm grimaced, shifting Zatanna in his grip. He wished that he had time to set her down, but he knew that as soon as he moved this arrogant freak would blow them both away. He had never seen the man before, but he could see the radiation oozing out of the containment suit. He was pure energy…

“Try it, hotshot!” Firestorm spat, trying to sound braver than he felt. “Let me put the woman down, then we can rock!”

The man, ERG shrugged, holding up his hands as though willing to wait. Firestorm concentrated, creating a platform of solidified helium beneath Zatanna, letting her fall slowly away-

“Ronnie! No!”

“Sucker!”

Firestorm looked up as the world exploded around him…

Batman, Plastic Man and the Red Tornado…

“Sheeoot! There’s something goin’ on back there, Bats! Should we go help?”

“Ignore it. We have to get inside.”

Plastic Man shrugged, trying his best not to jostle the Caped Crusader. He had stretched his body out into the shape of a parasail and was carrying the Dark Knight along in the slipstream behind the Red Tornado. Not his first choice of teammates to be sure as they were the two least talkative members of the League this side of Aquaman. Still, he felt confident to be in the Batman’s company, despite the growing feeling of dread that crept up on him the closer that they got to the fortress. They were almost over the walls, and so far all was well-

“Any last words of wisdom, boss?”

“Concentrate…” was all that the Batman said. Sound words.

Plastic Man watched in apprehension as the Red Tornado arched up and over the high stone walls. There was a central structure that grew up within, a small city it seemed made of the same dark and archaic stone as the rest of the structure. The tower soared overhead, and Plastic Man found it harder and harder to see the top the closer they got. It was weird. He could see the limits of the place plain as day, but it all seemed to stretch on forever. It made his head hurt if he looked too long.

“Where to?”

Batman pointed to the only apparent door in the whole place. It was huge, wide enough to walk an army through, and there was an eerie light spewing out.

“You da' boss…”

Plastic Man shifted his weight, adjusting his flight as he morphed from a parasail into a hang-glider and angled towards the door. He glanced up at the Red Tornado and suddenly felt the air grow dead calm.

“I sense…”

Whatever the Red Tornado was about to say was cut off as his robotic body stiffened and suddenly froze in mid-air. Without a thought Plastic Man changed into a parachute and started to drift towards the ground, glancing up at his usually stoic friend. He saw the Tornado’s body shake and tremble for a moment, then it shattered, pieces of the robot scattering in a quiet explosion-

“What the-“

“The same thing that cut off Zatanna’s power. There’s no wind here. No air! There’s an alien atmosphere cutting the Tornado’s elemental abilities. A fully self-contained environment. Concentrate, O’Brian!”

Plastic Man shook his head, gathering his thoughts. He aimed for a wide spot in the floor just off to the side of the great door, hoping there were no more surprises waiting. He dropped the Batman just short of the ground and reverted to his human form, landing softly. Batman was already peering into the doorway-

“What about the others?”

“Forget them, O’Brian. We’re on our own for now.”

Eel O’Brian blinked. He was not the greatest humanitarian- far from it. He had done things in his past- necessary things- things that he regretted, but he had never been so callous as the Batman-

“You cold-hearted son of a bitch! Those are our friends out there! They need our help!” He grabbed the Batman’s shoulder, trying to turn him about, but the detective deflected his hand away.

“They know their duty, O’Brian! Do you? Now is not the time for you to start caring. We have a job-“

“I care, Batman! I always care, which is more than I can say for-“

“Ain’t this sweet?”

The two men turned at the sound of the youthful voice. They both recognized the costume immediately, but only the Batman seemed to recognize the young man wearing it.

“Jason…”

Bells and whistles went off in Plastic Man’s head. It was Robin, sure enough, but it was a Robin that was supposed to be dead. Jason Todd had been beaten to death by the Joker years before. Yet here he stood, apparently alive and well and with a definite hard-on for the Batman. Join the club, kid!

“This your new partner, Batman? My replacement? Little old for you ain’t he?”

The Batman seemed almost stunned as he stood motionless, staring at the kid who was supposed to be dead. Plastic Man however had never met the boy and simply did not care. He had no grief over the kid, so he saw as the boy eased forward, his hand slipping behind him, doing that sleight of hand that the Batman did so much better. He was going for something in his Utility Belt-

Plastic Man lunged forward, stretching, expanding his body…

Superman…

The doppelganger woke with a start. He felt the heat even in his confinement and he wondered where he was and what was happening. He felt the confining cord wrapped about his body and started to struggle even as he surveyed the insides of the container that held him. It looked like a coffin…

Was he dead then?

Doubtful. He hurt too much, and not enough to be dead.

He wiggled in his bonds- the Magical Golden Lasso of Wonder Woman wrapped about him from head to toe. The binding was loose, and it would take some effort, but he strained and flexed and eventually it fell away enough that he could remove it. Wonder Woman was obviously no longer in contact with the rope or that would never have worked, at least as best as he could recall.

Free of the cord he reached up, testing the confines and strength of his prison. It seemed solid, dense, but nothing that he could not break. He placed his hands firmly on the lid above him and started to push.

He strained, gritting his teeth.

He grunted from the effort. It was thicker than he had first thought.

Finally it cracked, and with a mighty heave he shattered the lid, tossing it away and to the side. Superman sat up, tired and weak, but free.

He stepped out of the box- it was a coffin- and winced, blinking at the eerie light. Shielding his eyes he could see a battle raging overhead- Wonder Woman and…Mon-El? Younger and different, but definitely the Daxamite- his brother of old. Should he help?

Wonder Woman had shown her loyalties, and Mon-El could hold his own. Besides, he was too weak. He felt drained. Perhaps his time in the coffin had cut him off from the rays of the yellow sun for too long. Maybe it was the strange piece of Kryptonite that he had taken from the Batman and stuck in his pocket- the radiations finally taking some toll, or maybe some draining after-affect of the Parasite’s leeching powers. Perhaps it was this strangely familiar place that he had awakened in…

Superman stared at the blasted lands, the devastation that surrounded him. He stared at the citadel in the distance. It all seemed vaguely familiar. He took a step, then another, staggering. He felt weak and glanced at his hands. He seemed to be dissolving…

It looked like he was leaking sand!

Superman leapt into the sky, angling towards the fortress on the horizon. The answers were there he knew, somehow. He had to put a stop to this. Had to end this, once and for all…

The Flash, the Green Lantern and the Black Canary…

Wally West ran for all that he was worth. He ran as though his very life depended on it, and it did. But not only his life perhaps, but the lives of all of his friends in the Justice League.

It was easy actually; far easier than it had been just a short time before. The air was thin, but he did not really breathe. The gravity was heavier than he was used to, but he was light as air. He was light- he was lightning! He was speed personified.

Fast as he was however, there was one faster. The black streak that bolted past him chuckled coldly, lashing out in passing. Wally West felt the sharp pinch of pain over a thousand miles later, felt the dampness of blood streaming from his broken nose another thousand leagues beyond that. He blinked, a grayness draping across his eyes like a blanket. He felt the ground tremble underfoot and danced madly, trying to stay conscious and to keep his footing. He vibrated wildly, trying to ease the sudden pressure on his legs. He did not fall.

He would not fall…

He heard Barry Allen’s cruel laugh as the black-garbed Flash sped past and spun about. Barry Allen ran casually backwards, matching pace easily to Wally West who was running full out as fast as he normally could. The older Flash was mocking him, pacing him step for step-

“Is that it, Wally?” he smirked. “Is that all you’ve got? Pretty pathetic, boy!”

Barry Allen turned and sped away, lightning arching in his wake. Faster than Wally could watch he vanished over the horizon, and even before the younger Flash could formulate a plan he was coming back. Wally could see him vibrating, his hands a whirling dervish in front of him. Wally knew the maneuver; he had used it on Zoom...

Barry was going to kill him!

But then, it wasn’t really Barry, was it? Barry Allen was kind, gentle. He had only killed Professor Zoom after he had been pushed over the edge, after months of torture and hell! This man relished the evil and the horror! He lived for the kill! His costume was as black as his corrupted heart.

He was faster too. Way faster than Barry ever was. Faster than Wally could ever hope to be. He was as fast as the Superman doppelganger, an unimaginable level of power. For all that power though, he was still a part of the Speed Force. Wally could see it, see the energy crackling and leaping off of the man as he sped forward for the kill. And that was all that Wally West needed to know.

Wally reached out, watching as the man that looked like Barry Allen charged forward. With just the slightest thought he grabbed hold, tugging through his own link to the Speed Force, caressing the aura surrounding the man in black, then digging in. He ripped, tearing the very speed away from the killer, sucking the Speed Force from him and adding that energy to his own. He got faster as the other slowed, slowly, surely…

He saw the sudden look of surprise in Barry’s blue eyes. He saw the panic as he realized what was happening, but not knowing how to counter it. He was the Barry Allen of old; the Flash before he had discovered the truth who thought he just ran very fast.

Lightning sparked between them.

Thunder crashed…

Wally West turned, arching off to the side suddenly, vibrating the extra speed he had gathered away, creating a solid wall of force and energy in his wake. He heard Barry Allen scream as he ran head long into that wall, unable to stop so suddenly.

Wally West- the Flash, the Fastest Man Alive ran on, tears streaming down his face. He had heard Barry’s scream once before, and this was no different. It was horrible.

It would stay with him forever…

The big green boxing glove slammed against Kyle Rayner’s robotic armor again with tremendous force. Again, the armor held though it rattled and shook from the impact. Hal Jordan’s will power was far and away superior to Kyle Rayner’s, but Kyle’s imagination was greater than that of his predecessor. No matter what Jordan had envisioned and brought to life with the energies of his ring, Kyle Rayner had thought up a defense that was more than adequate.

Still, it was hard. Jordan did not seem to tire, despite the flurry of solid images that he conjured up; jackhammer, baseball bat, sword. Each construct too seemed as strong as the last, and any time that Kyle went on the offensive, Jordan was there blocking him with a simple shield. It was ridiculous, and infuriating to say the least.

Kyle swept up and away, trying to gain some room to breathe and think but he heard Hal hot on his trail, mocking him-

“Running away, kid? The Guardians would love that! What kind of hero are you anyway?”

“The best kind, old man! The kind who wins!” Kyle shouted back!

Kyle arched up and around, a plan already forming in his mind. He had been so caught up in the actual battle with Jordan that he had missed the obvious solution, at least until just then. Old was the key! Jordan was old, and so was his ring!

Kyle Rayner enveloped himself in a suit of futuristic battle armor. He ignored the fancy ring play and cute tricks and simply bore down on his foe. He extended his arm and blasted, a pure and solid beam of energy that- as expected- exploded in a shower of light off of Hal Jordan’s hastily erected shield.

“You’re weak kid! Worthless! Bring it here and I’ll make it quick!”

There was an arrogance in Jordan’s voice, a bravado that was even worse than Parallax! At least then Jordan had a purpose in his own demented way. This man just sounded petty and vindictive. Just as well…

Kyle split his energy beam as it burst off of Jordan’s shield. He directed the thin second beam out and behind the other Green Lantern, arching it down to the ground where he created a small steam shovel to scoop up into the dirt. He remembered the one thing that could defeat an old Green Lantern. It was so simple. He sifted through the dirt, pressing his two-pronged attack to keep Hal Jordan busy. Hal Jordan, the greatest Green Lantern.

It took some time, but Kyle found that he was not tiring. He could do this all day he knew as he looked up to the flaring light crackling from the tower window in the citadel. He recognized the ancient Green Flame at last. He knew just where he was.

He found the chunk of stone, solid gold it was from deep beneath the surface of the planet. He brought it up and out of the dirt, and with no fanfare he shot it at his opponent like a bullet. The rock slipped easily through Hal Jordan’s defenses, striking the man in the temple with a resounding ‘crack’! Kyle watched as the man’s eyes rolled up into his head, blood staining the prissy white gloves as he touched a hand to the wound. He had a stupid look on his face just before he fell from the sky.

Yellow…

Simple as that! The original rings of the Green Lantern Corp did not work against the color yellow. It was a stupid weakness that thankfully did not hamper his own ring. Kyle Rayner had to wonder just how Hal Jordan had survived so long with something like that dragging him down.

Maybe he had been better than Kyle ever gave him credit for…

Arrows littered the ground all around the Black Canary. She danced and dodged, poetry in motion as she deflected more arrows away, slapping them from their flight. She was using the abilities taught her by Queen Hippolyta when she was younger, skills refined through countless hours of training with the Amazon Queen’s daughter, Diana. It was a game to the Amazons; Bullets and Bracelets! Arrows worked just as well.

Dinah Laurel Lance deflected another shaft into the dirt and rolled into a crouch. She stared at the man that she had loved so much and had to smile. Sweat was rolling down Oliver Queen’s grim face. His usually stiff goatee was drooping, his muscles straining and trembling from the stress as he drew back on his bow. He was breathing harder than she was.

“Damn, Pretty Bird! Where’d you learn moves like that?”

“I’ve been busy the last few months, Ollie. I had a lot of frustration to burn off. Why are you trying to kill me?”

Green Arrow relaxed the tension on his bow and smiled. “I’m not. Not really. Hell, Lady, you know that if I wanted you dead you would be. You know that better’n anyone.”

“Maybe…” Dinah shrugged, “Maybe not. I do know that if you fire at me again, I’ll kill you.”

Oliver Queen chuckled. “I doubt that, Bird Lady. You don’t got the balls.”

“Try me lover.” Dinah smiled.

Queen smirked in return, drawing back on his bow once more. He felt the pull, the tension of the string as he held it taut, taking careful aim. She would move, and he had to aim where he thought she would be, rather than where she was…

Dinah knew what he was thinking, adjusting her stance accordingly. She would have to think past her ex-dead-lover. Imagine what he was seeing. It was hard. He looked very much like the Oliver that she had loved. The Oliver Queen that she remembered- but she had seen the one discrepancy that shattered the illusion. This was not her archer reincarnated. This was not Green Arrow plucked from somewhere in time. This was a dream; a construct of Destiny made real. Doctor Dee and his dream world. She had spotted the shield on his chest; red, white and blue with a lightning bolt through it. Diana would have remembered, or J’onn, or the Atom. They were the only ones left when the Justice League took over the world…

Dinah blinked, seeing the flicker of motion, hearing the slice of the bowstring as it cut through the air. She arched back, flipping onto her hands and stepping over, reaching up in a sweep as soon as her feet touched the ground again. She clawed the air blindly, sweeping the air until she felt the slap in the palm of her gloved hand. She spun, curling on the ball of her foot, winding up as she twisted the shaft in her grip. She leapt to the side, feeling the breeze of the second arrow as it sliced the skin of her leg, even as she threw the first back at the man that had fired it. The man that had just tried to kill her!

There was no one faster than the Green Arrow. Not the Flash! Not Superman! No one! He could draw, notch, aim and fire an arrow in the space between heartbeats. He hardly ever missed, and when he did it was measured in millimeters. He was the greatest archer to ever live.

Still, he was pretty slow. Slow on the uptake. He had fired two arrows and thought that that would do the job. Oliver Queen was smiling conceitedly, waiting for the blood when he noticed the arrow streaking at him. He did not even try to dodge…

Dinah Laurel Lance walked across the blasted land and stood over the body of her ex-lover. It was not really Oliver Queen, rather a twisted dream made real. Still, watching him writhing on the ground, gasping for breath as the blood pulsed from the gash in his throat- it was close enough…

Her demons were dead at last…

Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter…

Wonder Woman moaned, forcing herself up off of the ground to her hands and knees. She shook her head, trying to clear it, trying to focus on what was happening around her. Her skin was pink, stinging with the burn of intense solar radiation- the after effect of Heat Vision. She had felt it before. It still hurt, even worse than she recalled.

She saw J’onn, smoldering in the sand, writhing in agony, again. Victim of fire, a Martian’s greatest enemy. She felt she should pity her friend, and wanted to comfort him, but he had been beaten again- by fire once more and she did not have the time. Time was a luxury now that she did not have. A commodity she could not squander. She saw the shadow of the Daxamite pass over her and she scrambled to the side watching the sand where she had been kneeling turn to steaming glass.

If it really was Valor- and she supposed that it could be with a bit of imagination- then she could not imagine why he might be attacking them. Valor was a friend. Superman had had nothing but praise for the boy and his abilities. True he was young and inexperienced, a bit naïve. But he was a hero! She looked up, trying to sight the youth in the eerie light. He was a fleeting shadow against the starless sky.

“Burn, woman!” he shouted, announcing his attack. Diana raised her arms, her bracers glowing red hot as she reflected his heat beams back at him. Her reflected blow struck him square in the chest and he just laughed-

“I’d be pretty pathetic if I could be beaten with my own powers, don’t you think?” Diana had to agree, but it was worth a shot.

She watched as he shot up even higher into the sky, then arched down again, angling into a power dive directed right where she was crouched. He was traveling at a speed that rivaled the Flash, and only the Speed of Mercury, one of her gifts from the Gods allowed her to follow his attack. She heard the successive slamming of thunder as he broke the sound barrier again and again.

Diana raised her arms before her and braced for the impact that she knew might kill her…

Firestorm, Aquaman and Zatanna…

The sky erupted with energy! Radiation spewed as Firestorm the Nuclear Man traded blow for blow with ERG, the Energy Release Generator! It was a stupid name, but Aquaman had to admit that the being was powerful. Firestorm was no lightweight himself, but against that…

“Arthur!” Zatanna grabbed at the Sea King’s arm, terror in her voice. “We have to help him. That thing will kill Firestorm!”

Zatanna was probably right. Aquaman watched in growing horror as the ERG swooped up and around, leading Firestorm a merry chase until he swept back and opened the dark faceplate of his helmet. He seemed to vomit an unending stream of devastating energy from the sudden opening. There was a deafening roar and smoke billowed into the sky as the very air seemed to fry under the fierce onslaught. Firestorm was hit full on, the force of the intense blast washing him across the sky as though he were caught in the grip of a tidal wave, a torrent of water. How Firestorm remained conscious after that was beyond the Sea King, but the hero managed to remain floating, hanging limply, almost waiting to be hit again-

“He’s buying us time to get away.”

Aquaman scowled realizing that Zatanna had the right of it. The boy was sacrificing himself that they might escape. Idiot!

Enough of that then. He glanced at Zatanna-

“No magic?”

Zatanna shook her head, tears welling in her eyes as she looked back to Firestorm. ERG was swooping up and around, coming in for the kill…

Aquaman raised his arm, aiming his prosthetic harpoon at the energy being. He seemed to be an inexhaustive source of radioactive energy trapped within that suit. No human could discharge that much power and survive. That meant that the suit was probably the only thing holding him together. It was a gamble. A one in a million shot from so far away, and in the wind to boot. Still, he had to try. Firestorm did not have a second chance.

“Arthur?”

Aquaman held his breath. He aimed…

Fired!

His harpoon was created from metals lost to the surface world for millennia. It was designed and crafted by the greatest artificers in Atlantis. It was a perfect balance of weight and aero-dynamics, or hydro-dynamics as the case may be. Arthur Curry was fairly certain that he struck the energy being square in the chest, piercing his containment suit.

The sky erupted in an explosion of light and heat. Aquaman saw Firestorm washed away in the energy that swept across the sky just before the force of the blast reached the ground and slammed him down into the dirt. He could hear Zatanna’s screams, and he could imagine the agony she was enduring as even he could feel the heat of the blast through his super-thick skin. He was frying in the radiation. Burning to death…

A fish out of water…

Firestorm barely saw Aquaman’s harpoon appendage as it shot into the ERG’s chest. He barely raised his arms as he saw the first flash of light and energy escape through the tiny hole in the thick fabric of the man’s containment suit. Firestorm had reasoned out what the being truly was as well, though a second later, and a second too late. He heard the man curse-

And the world blew up around him!

He was rolling through the dark sky when his head started to clear and the stars stopped dancing through his eyes. He righted himself, hovering unsteadily in midair, trying to get his bearings- for a second. Then he started to fall…

He stared stupidly at his hands as the ground quickly rushed up at him. His hands- no gloves. He had reverted back to Ronnie Raymond. Somehow the explosion of ERG had caused the transformation in his body, sending the Firestorm persona back to wherever it went when Ronnie was out and about.

Ronnie Raymond stared down and saw the ground getting closer. Something rocketed past him, buffeting him about in a slipstream. Thunder slammed into his ears and he screamed.

He saw the retreating form through teary eyes, shooting towards the planet- heading straight at Wonder Woman…

No! The colors were wrong- backwards.

He recognized the costume from the JLA files that Batman had made him read. Valor the Daxamite! He had helped save the Earth during the Alien Invasion a few years ago. Now he was attacking Wonder Woman!

Ronnie did not know why. He did not understand, but he knew that he had just a fraction of a second to act before Wonder Woman became a splatter on an alien world at the end of time. A fraction of a heartbeat later and he would be street pizza right beside her. He wracked his brain, trying to think, to remember…

Valor! Daxamite! Lead!

Lead like Kryptonite!

Lead he could do-

Ronnie raised his hands, directed them at the retreating form. He concentrated, trying to will the change, to revert back to Firestorm. He thought of lead, its elemental composition and the air; hydrogen, oxygen, helium. He knew the basics, but his head was slamming, screaming…

“C’mon…” he pleaded through gritted teeth.

And the air billowed gray…

Valor screamed and writhed, twisting in midair and spiraling away. He smashed into the ground like a meteorite, spewing rock and ash in the thunderous impact creating a crater miles wide. Firestorm felt the wave of force, heard the explosion even over the ringing still in his ears from the last. He tumbled back up, end over end, and when he finally righted himself he realized that he was back in costume once again. He scanned the ground and quickly spotted Valor’s unconscious form half buried in the dirt. He saw Wonder Woman too not so far away, standing over J’onn and waving up at him. She was fine.

“Hunh!” Firestorm smiled, adjusting his flight to drop down- slowly this time- and join his friends. “How about that,” he smiled. “I beat Valor!”

Batman, Plastic Man and the Red Tornado…

Plastic Man’s body billowed out like a sheet, draping over the boy as he looked up, bat-grenade in hand. The look of shock on the kid’s face was priceless, and Plastic Man just had to laugh-

“Plastic Man! Don’t!”

Batman was shouting, got his voice back apparently. Giving orders again. Plastic Man ignored him this time, wrapping around the kid as tightly as he could, enveloping him, trying to keep him from moving. Hoping that he had acted in-

He felt the pain. Felt his body ripping as it billowed out again. Beams of light burst through his thin skin, shining in every direction. The sound was muffled, but it rattled his body, shaking his bones. He heard the kid scream before everything went black…

The Batman stared down at the torn and tattered body of the Plastic Man. He was not moving, and the Batman knew better than to check for a pulse. There never was one even under the best of circumstances.

He could see the body of the boy as well, Jason Todd wrapped in the remnants of the Plastic Man sheet. He was dead again, ironically in almost the same manner as before. He thought that he should feel something for the boy; pity, remorse…

There was nothing though. He had made peace with that failure long ago. And as for Plastic Man-

He was a survivor. If he was meant to survive this time, he would. He had survived worse.

Batman turned towards the great door. Light was streaming out. The way was clear. He started forward…

He had a job to do…

The Superman staggered forward feeling weaker with every step. It had taken almost all of his waning energy to leap over the walls of the citadel in a single bound. He almost had not made it, and he had crashed in a heap trying to land on the far side of the wall. It had hurt, and there was a pile of sand beneath him when he had wearily clawed his way back to his feet.

He was losing his color, growing pale. His powers were fading, his special sights already gone. He could barely stand let alone fly. He stumbled, slamming into the hard cold wall of the citadel in a shower of sand.

He was changing back. Back to what he had been before. He was losing cohesion, but with every grain of sand that eroded away from his body he remembered. He remembered who he was and how he came to be…

The Batman had had the right of it, to a point. He was not the real Superman, but a doppelganger, though not from the ‘pocket dimension’ of the Time Trapper’s creation. He was Quarrmer, from the realm of Quarrm- a place where neither things nor men exist, only unformed, shapeless beings…

Quarrmer entered the light, walking along the wall for support. He saw the Batman up ahead doing likewise on the far wall of the wide entryway. He was skulking along, staying in what shadows there were in the strange unearthly light, his attention focused on whatever lay ahead. Quarrmer wanted to cry out- to help, but he was tired. Tired and weak…

So weak…

It was strangely silent within the great hall. There was little sound; the faint whisper of the whistling winds without, a dim crackle of a far away flame. There was no echo for a chamber so huge. There was light as without, an eerie glow that swirled and shifted casting little shadow and seeming everywhere at once coming from nowhere. There was no smell within the walls, and there was a warmth though the Batman still shivered with chills.

The main chamber was vast. It seemed to stretch for miles, though at the same time he felt almost claustrophobic, as though the walls were closing in on him. The ceiling was lost to shadows, the flickering of the green flame that they had all seen from without far and away above him. The walls seemed to stretch up forever, and columns sporadically dotted the vast, checkerboard floor.

There was a chair at the far end of the chamber. It seemed miles distant, but he could see it clearly as though he were standing before it. It was huge and gilded, then fragile and ancient, a pile of decaying bone, then wood, a simple throne. It seemed to alter shape and size with every step he took, every heartbeat. Behind the throne he could see a huge fire pit, with that same flicker of green flame. The source of the light in the tower Batman surmised, reflected somehow. Behind that was a wide, dark velveteen curtain draping across the farthest wall- hiding something. What, the Batman could not imagine.

There was a being seated on the ever-changing throne. He was tall and frail-looking, swathed in tattered and torn purple robes with a thick hood pulled over his head. He held a thick book in his lap, and Batman saw a length of rusting chain dangling from the tome’s binding, an open, broken manacle dangling from that. It was the Time Trapper. It had to be.

The Batman had reached his goal. He was alone of course, but he had expected as much. The League had its purpose to serve, and the Batman had his. They had done their job. Now it was up to him. It was time to end this insanity…

Green Lantern had flown them all over the wall. Those that remained at least; Wonder Woman, Flash, Black Canary and Firestorm. They had left the others back at the treadmill, Firestorm placing Aquaman in a bubble of water and J’onn in a healing solution that he had memorized and created out of thin air. They would heal eventually. Zatanna had not been so lucky.

They felt nothing as they stormed over the wall. Where they should have been remorseful or angry over the loss of their friend they felt only an overwhelming emptiness. Apathy. Batman had said that the Time Trapper was the personification of apathy, the total void of emotion and emptiness at the end of everything. They believed…

They found the body of Plastic Man before the doorway. He was alive, his pliable form slowly pulling back into a humanesque shape and healing. He was coherent, barely, but he would be some time yet. They saw too the charred and twisted body that had to have been Jason Todd and they could imagine the hell that the Batman had gone through. Or not. He was the Batman…

“Plas?” the Canary whispered, leaning down next to the hero. “Where’s Batman and Reddy?”

Plastic Man grinned with a wince. He was still in pain. “Reddy blowed up real good!” he chuckled. “He’s everywhere!”

“Where’s Batman, Plas?” she asked again, trying to get him to concentrate. Plastic Man glanced at the huge doorway-

“Where d’ya think?”

Dinah frowned, standing as the Plastic Man passed mercifully out. As one the assembled League turned towards the doorway as a muted explosion rolled past them. A scream cut through the silence, angry and hysterical.

They had found Batman…

There was no place to hide along the great expanse of floor so the Batman threw caution to the wind and strode boldly forward. This Time Trapper was akin to a god, at least as powerful as Darkseid, and the Batman figured that stealth would do little to help in this case. He pulled a batarang from his belt, trying to keep his hand hidden within the folds of his cape none the less. Sometimes the old tricks were the best.

The Time Trapper watched his approach and the Batman could see the gaunt body tremble occasionally- laughing at him. That was fine. Batman had been laughed at before by some of the best. It meant that his foe was overconfident, and that meant that he would make mistakes. Batman continued forward-

The Time Trapper raised a spindly arm and suddenly the Batman froze in midstep. He was off balance, but oddly did not fall. His cloak was caught in flutter, frozen. He was trapped in time he surmised. He could not move.

The Time Trapper stood and stepped from his throne of silver, cradling the ancient book in his arm. Batman could hear the chain rattling as he walked and he could see the decay of the man’s body; the scaly gray skin, the mottled, twisted visage as the shadows parted and he drew near. His eyes seemed to glow, sparkling with an insanity to rival the Joker’s.

The great Detective! The Batman! Hail to thee Lord of the Night! I should have known that you would be the first to arrive. He chuckled, cold and empty, patting his book. But then I did! I had to stop you though! I am too close to ending my vile, lonely existence to let one such as you stop me now.

Batman listened to the madman’s ravings. He knew what was coming- the truth behind it all, the master plan! Fine. It gave him time to think.

Batman listened as the Time Trapper rambled on, talking of alien dimensions without form. J’onzz had tapped into those memories in the doppelganger earlier- the Quarrm. It did not matter now.

Batman watched as the great curtain parted in the background. There was some bizarre form of machinery hidden there, metallic and organic all at once. There was a sparkling glow of green pulsing at the center- the true Green Flame of the Guardians of the Universe if they were truly on Oa, the first world as the Trapper had boasted. That was the source of the power for the Trapper’s mad scheme to recreate the Universe in his image. Too, Batman could see several pulsing cylinders, no doubt holding the captured Superman, Lois Lane and the Kents. They would be the basis of the new humanity, apparently. Adam and Eve instilled with the Kent’s good morals. It made a twisted kind of sense. There was no one better suited to repopulate Creation than Superman. If the Batman let him, that is. How to get free?

He heard the whistle of wind first, an all too familiar sound. A pale golden blur streaked past suddenly, slamming into the decrepit body of the Time Trapper and sending him sprawling, his book flying from decayed, grasping fingers. Batman suddenly stumbled forward, let loose into the flow of time once more. He was numb and cold as he collapsed, barely able to move as he craned his neck to watch.

The golden blur that had to be the Quarrm flew forward, unerring, smashing finally into the machinery at the far end of the grand hall. His body vanished into the green flame and for a moment there was silence…

The room erupted in a dazzling green glow as the Flame of the Guardians flared, enveloping everything. Batman winced at the brilliance, tears welling in his eyes as he struggled to gain his footing. He could hear the Time Trapper screaming in rage-

The machinery started to explode. The very citadel trembled as the floor cracked and the ceiling started to crumble. It was all coming to an end!

No! the Time Trapper shouted, scrambling to his feet and charging forward. This is not how it was supposed to be! It was written!

“Batman?”

Batman turned his head, finally on his knees. He focused on the batarang still gripped tightly in his fist- focused on the pain as it cut through his glove and into his flesh. He saw the League, the five who were left rushing forward-

“Flash! Lantern! Superman…In the fire! Others!”

“On it!” The Flash darted forward, a crimson blur with the Green Lantern just a heartbeat behind. He was glowing brightly, bathed in the source of his powers. Wonder Woman and Firestorm flew past, heading for the raging madman that was the Time Trapper while the Black Canary stopped at the Batman’s side-

“Batman?” she asked, her eyes wide as the fortress began to crumble about them. They could see the Great Maw yawning above them now as the ceiling went spiraling up and away. “What’s happening?”

“It’s the end, Canary. The end of everything. We have to get out of here.”

They heard the Time Trapper’s rage as Wonder Woman and Firestorm attacked. The Trapper waved his hand-

Ronnie Raymond appeared where Firestorm had been and quickly slammed to the floor unconscious. The Time Trapper turned to Wonder Woman-

He waved his hand once more and Wonder Woman froze. Her skin faded to a dull brown, crumbling as the building vibrated her apart. Within moments she was dust, blowing on the wind.

Black Canary cursed, leaping. She almost soared over the floor, her leg extended in a kick that would have taken the Trapper’s head off had it connected. The Time Trapper waved his hand again and the Batman watched as the Black Canary aged years in a second, withering, dead! The Time Trapper turned to the Batman then-

Batman threw his batarang with all the force that his stiff limbs could muster. He did not really expect to do any damage, but he hoped to buy just a little more time. His eyes widened as he watched, unbelieving-

The Atom sprang from the batarang, growing from microscopic size to almost full height in a flash. He had been hiding within the Batman as planned, and had apparently been trapped in stasis until now. He had been the one element of surprise as the Batman had hoped, the Mighty Mite’s own retained knowledge of what had been before the Crisis making him apparently invisible to the Trapper. The Atom slammed into the surprised Time Trapper, using the momentum of the batarang and his own growth, striking with all of his might. The Trapper stumbled back, stunned and grasping until he latched onto Palmer’s wrist. Ray Palmer tried to cry out, but whatever death the Time Trapper had planned for the Dark Knight was visited on the Atom. Palmer simply faded away.

Still, he had done his duty. The Batman stood, ready to face his foe-

The Time Trapper shook his head, then glared at the Batman. Batman licked his lips, stood his ground as he reached for an explosive. He would fight until the last, hope that the Flash and the Lantern were freeing Superman. They could still win. The Trapper paused then, looking about-

The Book. Where…

Batman heard the clack of heels on the cold marble floor. There was another explosion, but the Batman ignored it, turning to see which of the JLA had joined him. There was still a chance. He heard the Time Trapper gasp.

It was a woman, a girl really. Her skin was the color of chalk, tribal markings etched into her face. Her hair was black and wild, and her clothes were black as well; boots, jeans, a tank top. A golden Ankh dangled on a chain between her breasts. She was beautiful and oddly looked familiar. She was paging through the Time Trapper’s book as she strolled forward uncaring of the carnage and upheaval about her.

No… The Time Trapper whimpered, backing away. He seemed suddenly terrified.

Hullo, Big Brother. The girl smiled, winking at the Batman as she passed him by. I see you’ve been busy.

No! the Trapper shouted again, backing away. I was so close! We- We can live again, sister! You and I- We-

She smiled, shaking her head. No, Brother. Time to close up shop. The new owner wants to move in.

The girl reached out, grabbing the Trapper’s robes and drew him in close. She embraced him, holding him tightly. He thrashed about in her grip for a moment, unable to break away, then stilled. He whimpered and sighed, and Batman saw the robes grow slack and empty after a moment. The girl dropped them to the floor.

She glanced at the far end of the chamber then, the raging green inferno. There was another explosion. Batman had not seen any of his friends come out. The girl smiled again and opened the great book, and after reading for a moment fingered a page and ripped it out. The page crumbled to dust even as the conflagration disappeared, fading away as though it had never happened, leaving a great gaping hole in the back of the citadel. She turned-

Time to go, Bruce. Your friends are waiting. Except for the Red Tornado. He’s an Elemental, a bit beyond my influence. Take his armor. He’ll come home when he’s ready. The girl laughed at something, a sound of crystal, a joke that passed the Batman by.

“Who are you?” the Batman asked, confused. He had no idea what had happened, and the memories were already starting to fade.

He remembered a misty dream. She had been a nurse. She had been a police officer when Jason had died. She had always been there, off to the side in the shadows. There had been a funeral-

The citadel rumbled again and the walls started to collapse. The girl glanced up, then back to him.

She shooed him away, and against his better judgement the Batman turned and ran. He did not look back as he heard the citadel collapsing about him, crumbling with age. He could feel the tug of the great black hole up above, but he struggled on, all too human. It was what he did best.

He saw the Cosmic Treadmill there in the distance and ran all the faster. The ground shook and cracked underfoot as he ran, great gouts of green flame exploding from the soil, arching into the sky. A crimson blur shot out, grabbed him up and hurried him along.

“We were about to give you up for lost, Bats.” Wally West smiled, dropping him into position on the platform before going himself to the treadmill. “What kept you?”

Batman looked about. They were all there. All his… friends; Zatanna, Aquaman and J’onn fully healed, Wonder Woman, the Black Canary- all alive. Superman sat to one side looking weak, his wife and parents blissfully asleep, oblivious to the collapsing of reality about them. The Man of Steel smiled, nodding his thanks. Batman turned away.

He saw two people walking calmly through the starless void; a man dressed mostly in white and a small boy. The boy pointed at them, but the man hurried him along. Batman sighed-

“The end, Flash- Wally. Let’s go home…”

The girl watched as the Cosmic Treadmill began to glow, then faded from sight. The world was crumbling as she turned, the citadel all but gone. The Silver City but a fading dream…

She opened the book, turning to the final page and seemed to think for a moment before jotting something down. She then tossed the book into the dark sky, watching as it spiraled upward, soon lost to sight within the Great Maw.

The Green Flame vanished, snuffed and smoldering like a candle…

The planet ripped away under her feet…

She spoke to the last two, briefly, before sending them on their way. It had not gone exactly right, but close enough. Close enough for rock and roll…

Then Death locked the final door and turned off the last light. It was after all…

Next Issue: (if there is a next issue) will the JLA return home? Their adventure is not quite over, but that’s another story. There will be a short intermission while I get back on track after my computer troubles, but JLA will continue soon…

Be here then, when Fate comes a callin’…