Metropolis. Known throughout the world as a shining beacon of truth and justice, a city of tomorrow where the citizens utilize the most cutting edge of technology. Much of it supplied by LexCorp's founder and CEO, Lex Luthor. Which, of course, meant Metropolis, in all its magnificence, owed a great debt to Luthor's underground criminal empire. It had served as both a bane and a boon to the great city and it was an irony that was not lost on the city's champion.

A red cape flowed in the wind, catching the current and moving elegantly as its bearer flew through the night sky. Unlike its sister city, Gotham, Metropolis was every bit as beautiful at night as it was during the day, the twinkling lights of the city keeping it bright twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Red boots that matched the hue of the cape touched down on a rooftop. Superman held a device in his hand, a small, gold badge with no characters or designs on it. A Justice League communicator and signal. He had been inactive from the JLA ever since a dimension-spanning incident resulted in the death of Kyle Rayner, Earth's Green Lantern. So to suddenly get a summons from the League's current chairman was something of a shock to the Man of Steel.

"Glad you could make it."

The voice that spoke was deep and seemed to come from nowhere. To the naked eye, Superman was alone on the rooftop, but his senses told him otherwise. The form of a green-skinned man dressed in blue flickered into view. His red eyes locked on Superman's own crystal blue ones, an image that would frighten most people. But for the Last Son of Krypton, those eyes were associated with a very old and very loyal friend and colleague.

"Your message sounded urgent," said Superman. "I have to admit, I was a bit surprised you contacted me. You know I'm no longer on active duty with the League, J'onn. I have pressing matters here in Metropolis."

"I know, and believe me, I wouldn't have contacted you if the matter were not urgent," said the Martian Manhunter. "We have an incident with Zauriel."

"Zauriel?" asked Superman. "The angel?"

"Yes. He fell to Earth in a city called Vanity, pursued by Blaze and Satanus," said J'onn. "Black Lightning and I tried to intervene and we were assisted by Vanity's hero, a young man named Aztek. But ultimately, it proved futile and Zauriel was taken by them."

"Any idea what they want with him?" asked Superman.

J'onn shook his head. "Zauriel said they were under the control of another, someone from within Hell. The battle with Blaze and Satanus weakened me and by Lightning's own admission, he isn't properly equipped to take on a pair of demons. We need some extra firepower, especially since you've clashed with Satanus in the past."

"He's no pushover, I can see why you called me," said Superman. "What about the rest of the League?"

"Kal... Lightning and I are the League," said the Martian Manhunter with a tinge of sadness in his voice. 

"What?" asked Superman. "I thought you had assembled a new team."

"I had, but the team has largely dissolved," said J'onn. "Hawkman suffered serious injuries in our last battle and Fire had a crisis of self-confidence."

Superman sighed. Joining the League again had been the least of his priorities but he recognized the danger J'onn spoke of and it made his decision an easy one. "Okay, I'm in. At least until we take care of Blaze and Satanus. I can't make any promises about my future with the League."

"I expected nothing more or less, my friend," said the Martian Manhunter. "Welcome back to the Justice League, Superman."

	The World's Greatest Superheroes! PARADISE LOST Part III: At the Gates of Hell
JLA #44 November, Year Six	by Dino Pollard

MARTIAN MANHUNTER	SUPERMAN	BLACK LIGHTNING	AZTEK
THE FLASH	ATOM	ZATANNA	JADE

Keystone City, known as the blue collar capital of the United States and a massive center of industry. Like many cities in the country, it also maintains a heroic legacy, that of the Flash dating back to Jay Garrick, the first man to bear the mantle. It's a tradition continued by Wally West, the present Flash.

Clad in a bodysuit of a dark red with gold lightning bolts adorning it, the Flash speeds through his home. Over the powerlines, he is followed by someone else, but he either doesn't notice it or chooses to ignore the new presence. Once this presence finds an opening, electricity arcs from the lines and strikes the road right before the Flash. It forms into a middle aged man with black skin and dressed in a blue bodysuit with lightning bolts adorning it.

"Hello Flash, I hoped we could have a moment to talk," said Black Lightning.

"About what?" asked the Flash.

"Did you get J'onn's message?"

"I did."

"Yet you chose not to respond."

"Like I told you guys after the Zard fiasco, I'm not interested in rejoining the League," said the Flash. "Too many bad memories."

"So this is still about Green Lantern."

"No, it's about Kyle," said the Flash, indignation rising in his voice. "He wasn't just a Green Lantern, you got it? He was a nobody when he got that ring and everyone doubted him, including me. But in the end, he proved he was more than worthy of it, he proved he could handle the responsibility, probably better than anyone else who ever had that ring. And it was all taken away from him."

"I understand your frustration and anger," said Black Lightning. "And I'm here to tell you that it's time to suck it up."

The Flash glared daggers at Black Lightning, trying hard to keep his cool. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Me, I'm nobody, just someone who was lucky--or unlucky, depending on how you look at it--enough to be given powers and I'm using them to do what Rayner did," said the Black Lightning. "I'm making the world a better place."

"You're questioning my responsibility?" asked the Flash. "Listen Pierce, I've been doing this almost my entire life. No one knows more about responsibility than I do."

"And you're doing a fine job of it," said Black Lightning. "Putting on a darker costume, running around your city while ignoring what's happening in the world outside Keystone's borders. Kyle would be ashamed. So would your uncle."

The Flash doesn't possess superhuman strength. But a punch traveling at the speed of light doesn't need any additional strength, the momentum alone is enough to send Jefferson Pierce reeling. He regains his composure, his eyes and hands crackling with electricity. 

"So what now? We have one of those misunderstandings where two superheroes duke it out for an hour?" asked Black Lightning.

"There's no misunderstanding, you're just a jackass," said the Flash.

"I know, and that's why I told J'onn I would come talk to you," said Black Lightning. "He's a good man, but he was close to Kyle as well. He doesn't understand that you need someone to put a boot up your ass. So if you want to stay here and sulk, that's fine. If you want a brawl, I promise you I'll give you one of the toughest you've ever had."

"You're not worth it," said the Flash, turning his back on Pierce.

"That's the right attitude, just walk away."

"Son of a... you don't know when to quit, do you?"

"No, but you sure do," said Black Lightning. "You think I don't get it? I've lost friends in this business, too. I've seen my fair share of tragedies. We both have. But the important thing to remember is we don't let it take us down. There's a crisis that could possibly be a planetary-level threat, the kind of crisis the League was formed to stop. Do you miss Rayner so much that you're prepared to join him in the afterlife alongwith the rest of the world?"

The Flash clenches his fists as he turns to face the Black Lightning. But he makes no move to actually utilize them. After a few deep breaths, his hands loosen and his body relaxes a little. "Okay fine. But I'm doing this as a favor to J'onn, got it?"

"Whatever you say, kid."

The Atom dodges an attack from the giant worm-like creature. He wears a clear mask over his mouth and nose hooked up to an oxygen tank on his back. The creature swims in the water and turns, preparing for another strike.

C'mon then, the Atom thinks to himself. The creature's massive jaw opens as it springs through the water and the Atom braces himself. He manipulates the dwarf matter that powers his body and increases his own density, holding open the creature's jaw. The Atom holds his ground but the creature has none of it, trying to clamp down on him. He can feel the teeth piercing his costume and his skin, but just barely. He allows the creature to close its mouth just a bit, forcing the Atom to his knees. Then he springs up, tearing the creature's jaw open and thus, tearing its head loose, killing it.

The Atom breathes the oxygen deeply, giving himself a moment to recover. That's when he hears something in his head.

"Ray?"

The Atom swims to the surface, his size beginning to increase. He springs from the petrii dish and as he does, he grows to his full size an instant before his feet touch the floor of his lab. Standing before him is J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars.

"Sorry about that, J'onn, had a parasite to take care of," said Ray, pulling off both his oxygen mask and the blue skullcap that conceals his face. "I got your message, sorry I couldn't respond quicker, but I had some things to take care of."

"That's okay, my friend," said J'onn. 

"So what's this crisis?" asked Ray, grabbing a towel and wiping the fluid from his body. 

"Zauriel's been kidnapped."

"I'm in," said Ray.

J'onn seemed taken aback. "So quickly? Don't you want to hear more?"

"Not necessary," said Ray. "There are a lot of things I remember that you guys probably don't, things I'm not sure were real or just a dream. But I do know Zauriel was involved with them and if there's something I can do to help him, I will."

Aztek stood on the observation deck of the Watchtower, looking out over the lunar surface and in the distance was Earth. It reminded him of a photo taken in 1968 by the Apollo 8, several months before the first expedition to the moon. The photo was called Earthrise. It was a thing of beauty, that couldn't be denied, but more than that, Aztek found it difficult to believe he was actually here. On the moon, at the headquarters of the Justice League.

"Nice view, huh?"

Aztek turned at the sound of the new voice. He had been so lost in his thoughts his senses didn't even pick up her presence. Her skin and hair were both green and she wore a uniform similar to the one worn by the Green Lanterns, but of a slightly different design. Especially because the emblem on her chest was not the familar one of the Green Lantern Corps.

"I'm Jade," she said. "You must be Aztek, J'onn told me about you."

"Yeah, that's me," he said. "Are you one of the--"

"Green Lanterns? Not quite," she said. "I've got similar powers and my father was the first, but... well, it's just a long story."

"I guess you're part of the team J'onn assembled to rescue Zauriel, huh?" asked Aztek.

Jade nodded. "Kind of weirded out to be here, though. Never expected I'd be asked for something like this, but after Kyle... well, I guess the team needed some kind of Green Lantern."

"You knew him?" asked Aztek.

She nodded. "Another long story."

"Jade."

The Flash appeared suddenly by their sides. "Zatanna's ready and J'onn wants us to move out as soon as possible."

"Hi," said Aztek, but the Flash was gone as quick as his namesake.

"He's been under some stress lately," said Jade. "We'll talk later, I guess."

"Yeah, sure," said Aztek. He watched as Jade left the room, a green aura surrounding her as she flew after the Flash. Just as well, anyway. Aztek had other matters to attend to, and he didn't want the League to know about it until the time was right.

"You've all been briefed on the basics before you got here," said the Martian Manhunter. "Blaze and her brother Satanus captured Zauriel, who claims to be an angel of the Pax Dei."

"Which alone is very suspect," said Black Lightning. 

"Either way, Zauriel's been something of an ally in the past," said J'onn. "He needs our help and the League will answer the call. But more than that, I'm worried about who is controlling Blaze and Satanus and what they want with an angel. Zatanna?"

"The magicks that govern Heaven and Hell and those who reside are slightly different from the ones I wield, but I'll do what I can," said the young woman. She waved her hands, etheral energy appearing around her fingertips. "Lieruaz legna eht em dnif!"

At first, nothing happened. But then, the entire team found themselves surrounded by the same energy that encircled Zatanna's hands. The image took the form of several stone-like shapes all around them arranged in a unique configuration.

"Stonehenge?" asked the Atom. "Why would they take him there?"

"No idea, but if that's where he is, then that's where we're going," said J'onn.

Once the League departed for Stonehenge, Aztek was left alone in the Watchtower. Through the stored memories in his helmet, he was able to divine a specific ritual. One that he felt could help turn the tide of Zauriel's fate. Aztek removed his gauntlets and cut the palm of his hand with a dagger. In the center of the room, he used his blood to create a circle and inside, a pentagram. Once it was finished, Aztek deactivated all but the emergency power in the Watchtower and sat in the center of the pentagram.

The language he uttered was a dead one, not used in thousands of years. He himself did not clearly comprehend the meaning of the words he spoke, but all he really cared about was the outcome.

Large columns of flame suddenly erupted at each point of the pentagram. The already-darkened room seemed to darken even more. The flames arced over Aztek's head and met at a point in the middle. Once they did, a sixth column fell towards him, engulfing him in the fires. Although he felt searing pain, the flames left no sort of physical sign.

"Who...?"

Aztek opened his eyes at the sound of the voice that seemed to echo with the tone of voices screaming out in agony. Before him sat a throne of skulls and a man dressed in green armor holding a broken wine glass filled with a red liquid. On closer inspection, Aztek could see what appeared to be bodies inside the liquid. The man's skin was white, his hair flowing and blond. He looked on Aztek with a sinister smile.

"Who summons Neron?"