AMU: The Gathering Storm

[johnreiter902]

The Gathering Storm
By aarnathx


SPACE, MID-WAY BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE MOON
The sleek, silvery ship knifed through space, the blue-white flames from its engines lighting the darkness.
Onboard, seated in the command chair, Alexander Luthor closely examined the controls, insuring that there were no errors. Entering the final few commands into the ship’s controls, Alex turned to the group of colorfully garbed figures seated behind him.
“I’d like to thank you all for accepting my invitation to this meeting,” the scientist said. “I know it’s quite a strain on you all, asking you to not only trust each other, but someone- namely ME- that you only know by what the media tells you.” Leaning forward, his face turned earnest. “I WILL repay your trust in me.”
The brown-haired man seated closest to Alex smiled humorlessly, the dark blue ring on his hand glowing ominously as he tugged down on his navy blue vest. “We never doubted you would for a minute, Luthor.”
A redheaded woman beside him snorted in derision. “Speak for YOURSELF, Blacklight,” she growled, tightening her grip on a massive warhammer she held across her lap.
“I did, Valkyra,” Blacklight retorted hotly. “Believe me, the LAST thing I’d do is speak for someone like you.”
“What do you mean someone like me?” Valkyra’s words escaped as a threatening hiss.
Blacklight chuckled derisively. “What do you think I meant? I mean, look at you!” Motioning to the hammer she held, Hal laughed again. “That’s not even a REAL weapon. What’re you going to do, threaten the Syndicate with poor carpentry work?”
As he continued to talk, small tendrils of electricity danced across the hammer’s head, its energy reflected in the woman’s eyes.
The cabin’s remaining passengers began to surreptitiously edge away from the two, putting as much distance as possible between them.
Professor Zoom shook his head sadly. “I don’t believe this,” he muttered under his breath.
“Beware of how you speak to me, mortal,” Valkyra said in a deceptively soft voice, her eyes fixed on Blacklight. “I might take offense to your words.”
Behind them, seated in the back of the ship’s cabin, Vigilante glanced over to his dark-haired companion. “This might not have been such a good idea, Shiva.”
The woman nodded her agreement, her eyes never leaving the quarreling pair as she lightly fingered her battle-staff.
Beside Shiva, an intense looking man began to stand up from his seat, the cabin’s light causing his white uniform to fairly glow. The crimson flame on his chest stood out in stark contrast.
“Wait a moment, Adam,” a voice beside him cautioned, a restraining hand lightly dropping onto his arm. “Let’s see how this plays out.”
Turning to the speaker, Adam nodded curtly. “As you wish, Thadeus Sivana.”
“And if the two of you continue to posture and preen like schoolchildren, I might take offense,” a new voice interjected. The speaker’s strong, even tone snapped both Blacklight and Valkyra out of their standoff. Leaning over the back of their seat, the overhead lights in the cabin illuminating his crimson uniform and dark blue cape, Optimus smiled cordially at them both. “And that wouldn’t be pleasant. No, not at ALL pleasant.”
Blacklight smiled uneasily, holding his hands up. “Hey, no problem, man.”
Valkyra snorted. “Whoever you are, human, I fear you not. You are like all the others.”
Optimus’s smile widened in joy. “And that would be your first mistake.”
Before anything else could occur between them, Alex stood up in the ship, his hands raised like conductor. “People, please! We’re not here to fight amongst ourselves! Remember why we’re all here!”
As the various heroes returned to their seats, Sivana slowly made his way up into the co-pilot’s seat beside Alex. Casting an amused expression at his ally, Thadeus chuckled.
“Close one, eh?”
Alex nodded, kneading his forehead with his fingertips. “Yeah. I just hope it doesn’t get any CLOSER than that.” Jerking his head at the view through the canopy, the scientist returned Thadeus’s chuckle. “At least not out HERE.”
“You won’t get any argument from me,” Thadeus added. After another long pause, he cleared his throat self-consciously. “Um, about what happened in Faucet City-”
Alex raised a hand, cutting off Sivana. “That was mostly MY fault, Thadeus. I should have kept a tighter rein on things, and not allowed them to get so far out of hand.”
“Again, no argument from me,” Thadeus replied. At Alex’s shocked and hurt expression, Thadeus softened the rebuke with another chuckle. “Hey, don’t worry about it, Alex. In our profession, things like that are bound to happen. Nothing broken that couldn’t be repaired or replaced.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Alex said.
Jerking his head back to the cabin behind them, Thadeus indicated the assembled group. “Is this everyone you need?”
Optimus joined the two men, standing behind the pilot’s chair as the ship neared a massive asteroid.
“The final two members of our group will be meeting us at our destination,” Alex stated.
“And who might they be?”
With a smile, Alex pointed out the window of the ship. “He’s one of them.”
Hovering above the massive asteroid, his crimson cape motionless in the airless void, a figure dressed in black patiently waited. The running lights of the ship gently reflected off the upward-sweeping golden lightning bolt on the front of his uniform.
“Titan,” Sivana whispered, his voice awestruck. Turning towards Alex, the elder scientist clapped the younger one on the back. “How in the world did you get HIM to join? For that fact, how did you even FIND him?”
Alex exchanged an uneasy look with Optimus. “It’s… a long story. And not a very pleasant one, either.”
As they fell silent, the ship began slowing, preparing to dock.
As the ship came to rest inside the vast hangar, Alex switched off the final few active systems, sending the ship’s interior into darkness. Almost immediately, the hatch hummed open, spilling the hangar’s light into the ship.
Briskly striding down the ramp extending from the ship’s hatch, Alex’s eyebrow raised slightly as he realized he wasn’t being followed. Turning his head, the scientist motioned for the ship’s other occupants to join him.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Alex said, greeting the colorfully garbed individuals as they cautiously exited the craft. “My name is Alexander Luthor, and you are ALL my guests here on Asteroid L.”
“You’ll understand, of course, if we’re a little cautious?” Blacklight motioned to the vastness of space just beyond the transparent dome high above. “After all, not everyone would be able to survive an… accident out here.”
Hal’s words caused several of the assembled group to cast nervous glances towards the ceiling.
“Oh, for the love of-!” Shouldering his way past the assembled individuals, Titan snorted as he stomped down the ramp. “I can’t BELIEVE I’ve agreed to team up with a bunch of skittish CHILDREN!”
“And WHOM exactly are you calling a child, mortal?” Valkyra’s words rang through the hangar. “I’ve lived for-”
“I don’t particularly CARE how old you are, lady,” Titan said, interrupting her as he continued to walk away, brushing past Alex. “The second you decided to put on that uniform, you started all over again at the bottom of the ladder. And if you have a problem with that…?” Titan left the remainder of his comment unspoken; his meaning was all-too clear.
“Of all the arrogant, insolent-”
“I don’t know,” Blacklight chuckled, cutting off Valkyra. “I kind of like the way he thinks.”
Gently nudging the group down the ramp, Optimus smiled broadly. “It’s impolite to keep our host waiting, Ladies and Gentlemen. Shall we go?”
Alex smiled as the last few heroes left the ramp. Motioning towards a door at the far end of the hangar, Alex began walking towards it.
Slowly, the group followed behind.
Glancing around at the bare rock walls and empty hangar floor, Optimus’s brow dipped down into a scowl. “Y’know, for supposedly being a super-scientist and all, I’m surprised at the apparent lack of… ANYTHING, really.”
Alex glanced back over his shoulder. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I figured you’d have this place packed to the rafters with all types of gadgetry and such.”
Alex merely smiled and shrugged.
As Alex neared the hangar’s exit door, it obediently slid open, revealing several short, diamond-shaped robots waiting patiently. The scientist turned to the group.
“These robot helpers of mine will escort you to your rooms,” he said. “Once you’ve had a chance to freshen up, they’ll bring you all to the conference room in about two hours. Once we’ve all convened there, we’ll begin to make our plans.”
“Why don’t we just go to the conference room now and get on with this?” Motioning to the rest of the group, Vigilante shrugged. “Why waste time?”
Professor Zoom smiled and stretched. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could sure use a chance to stretch my legs for a little bit, before we sit down and start talking.”
Optimus snorted a brief chuckle.
Vigilante shot the massive man a scowl. “What’s so funny?”
“The team’s resident speedster, and HE’S the one saying ‘be patient.’” Shrugging, Optimus chuckled again. “Just struck me as funny, that’s all.”
“Look,” Alex pleaded. “We ALL have our reasons for wanting revenge against the Syndicate. After all, that’s why we’re here! Please,” he added. “All I ask is for your indulgence just a LITTLE longer.”
As the group split off, each following one of Alex’s diminutive robots, the scientist snagged Thadeus’s sleeve.
“Hang on a second, Thad.” Meeting Thadeus’s eyes, Alex motioned towards a separate hallway. “I need your help on a little project of mine.”

***************

The two men stood on opposite sides of the table, unconsciously symbolizing their differences of opinion.
On the table between them, two figures lay immobile. One was a gaunt, jade-hued being, its bald head criss-crossed with wires. The other was slate-gray, its body adorned with a blue bodysuit and crimson cape. Its chest was opened, revealing nearly organic looking wiring and circuits within. Glossy black cables connected to the heads of both figures linked them to a massive computer console above the table.
Slowly pacing around the table, Sivana scowled at Alex. “Y’know, this might not be exactly the best idea you’ve ever had.”
“I know,” Alex conceded. “But for this to work, Thad, we NEED him. You know that.”
“And if he should decide to turn on us? What then?”
“It’s all been taken care of,” Luthor replied, motioning to the deactivated Ultrabot. “I’ve installed several safety features in the android.” Alex broke into a grin. “Did you think I’d put Brainiac in that thing without having SOME way of controlling him?”
Sivana nodded. “Honestly? Yes I did.”
Alex clutched his chest, mimicking pain. “Why, Thadeus, you wound me.”
Rolling his eyes in a ‘why me’ expression, the other scientist sighed.
As the two men began to work, Sivana would periodically glanced across the deactivated android at Alex and begin to open his mouth before suddenly closing it and returning to work.
After the third time the smaller scientist rethought his actions, Alex sighed deeply.
“What is it, Thaddeus?”
“Umm… about Blacklight?” Sivana asked. “Isn’t he…?”
Alex nodded. “Yes, he is.”
Sivana’s eyes shot open wide. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to have him here? With what we’re planning on doing?”
Luthor sighed faintly. “Do you have another suggestion?”
Frowning, Sivana shook his head.
“Then let’s get back to the matter at hand, shall we?”
Alex finished connecting several cables in the Ultrabot’s chest before closing the chestplate. Inside the machine, a deep humming began to build, and then faded. The eyes of the android lit with crimson light.
“WHERE… AM I?” Turning its head slightly, the Ultrabot gazed at Alex. “WHAT HAPPENED?”
“The download was a success, Brainiac,” Alex said. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”
Lifting his hand above his face, Brainiac’s eyes glowed with satisfaction. “EXCELLENT.”
Noticing a disquiet look on his partner’s face, Alex looked at him expectantly. “Well, Thad? What’s wrong?”
“His voice,” Sivana replied. “Even with that slightly hollow sound, it’s entirely TOO much like Ultraman’s. Gives me the willies.”
“I think we can tolerate it, though. Don’t you think?”
Sivana merely shrugged.
“ARE YOU CERTAIN THAT THE DOWNLOAD WAS COMPLETE, ALEXANDER LUTHOR? NO FILES WERE CORRUPTED?” Turning its head, Brainiac fixed his gaze on Alex. “THERE CAN BE NO MARGIN FOR ERROR, YOU UNDERSTAND.”
Alex sighed, sitting down at his worktable across the room. “YES, Brainiac, the download was a complete success. There was NO lost data, or data corruption.”
“THEN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR VALUABLE ASSISTANCE, ALEXANDER LUTHOR,” Brainiac said. Swiftly disconnecting the cables from his head, he hopped up off the table to face Alex. “BUT I AM AFRAID THAT, AT THIS TIME, I MUST SEVER OUR PARTNERSHIP.” Turning to face Sivana, Brainiac nodded at him. “UNFORTUNATELY, SINCE YOU HAVE WITNESSED MY REBIRTH IN THIS FORM, YOU MUST PERISH AS WELL.”
“WHAT?” Sivana shouted.
“Really?” Alex replied, glancing unconcernedly up from his work.
Brainiac nodded, drawing his fist back. “IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR ASSISTANCE TO ME, I SHALL MAKE YOUR DEATHS AS PAINLESS AS POSSIBLE.” His hand poised to strike, Brainiac’s expression became slightly puzzled. Faintly, the whine of servomotors could be heard, straining to move his arm. “WHY AM I UNABLE TO MOVE?”
Alex smiled, putting down his tools. “You ever heard of ‘Asimov’s Laws of Robotics,’ Brainiac?”
The robot, still trying to move its hand, shook its head. “NO, I HAVE NOT.”
Alex shrugged. “Small wonder- he was executed in THIS universe for being ‘subversive to the National Good,’ or some nonsense like that. On the positive-matter Earth, though, he was an extremely prolific writer.” Motioning to the books lining the wall behind him, the scientist shrugged. “I brought back a small sample of his work, if you’re interested.”
“YOUR WORDS ARE MEANINGLESS, ALEXANDER LUTHOR. WHAT ARE THESE ‘LAWS OF ROBOTICS’ YOU MENTION?” Brainiac asked.
Alex smiled. “In his stories, they were certain rules of operation that robots were required to followed. Now, as to what those rules are exactly? Ah, but that would be telling, wouldn’t it? Suffice to say that the number one rule is you CANNOT harm, or by omission of action, ALLOW to be harmed another human being.” With another shrug, Alex turned back to his worktable. “Granted, though, with what we plan to do I had to modify that one a little. There are a few other Laws I programmed into your brain, but I don’t think you need to know about those, right?”
Slowly, lowering his fist, Brainiac stared at Alex, his inhuman eyes pulsing with red light. “I SHALL REMEMBER THIS, ALEXANDER LUTHOR, AND I SHALL… REPAY YOU FOR IT AS WELL.”
Glancing back to the android, Alex’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Why don’t you go and wait for the rest of us in the conference room, Brainiac?”
As the android left the room, Thadeus approached Alex, an expression of bemused anger on his face.
“Y’know, next time you want to do something like that, maybe you could TELL ME ahead of time?”
Alex chuckled. “Sorry about that, Thadeus.”
“I know you and he have had your differences, but don’t you think, though, maybe you should treat him a little better?” Jerking a thumb at the now lifeless jade-green figure, Thadeus shrugged. “After all, isn’t he supposed to be our ally?”
His eyes fixed on the now closed door, Alex shook his head. “He’s only our ally by necessity- he said it himself.” Meeting Thadeus’s eyes, Alex leaned forward. “As soon as he got what he wanted, he was MORE than willing to dispose of us. Not too long ago, he was willing to destroy two entire worlds to achieve his goals.” Shaking his head once more, Alex’s expression darkened. “No, I don’t intend on treating him ‘a little better.’ As a matter of fact, I intend on keeping a VERY close eye on him. He does something I don’t like…?” Drawing a thumb across his throat, Alex left the remainder of his statement unspoken.
“And AFTER you’ve accomplished your goals? What then?”
“I don’t know,” Alex replied. “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
Sivana laughed. “Bull! You just don’t want to say it out loud.” Shaking his head, a scowl creasing his face, Thadeus planted his fists on his hips. “You were planning on getting rid of him, weren’t you?”
Alex’s eyes narrowed in irritation. “What, you think I should keep him around?”
Sivana leaned closer, his voice lowering. “And YOUR getting rid of Brainiac differs from him getting rid of YOU how, exactly?” Straightening up, Thadeus turned to the door, stopping on the threshold. “If I were you, I’d keep in mind that we’re the GOOD guys, Alex. What you were planning on doing? That’s something that the Crime Syndicate would do.”
As the door shut behind the departing scientist, Alex was left alone with his troubled thoughts.

**********

Standing at the head of the table, Alexander Luthor let his gaze travel around the assembled group, mentally reviewing what he planned to say. Beside him, Brainiac patiently waited, his face devoid of expression.
>Maybe Thadeus was right about me needing to take it easy on Brainiac, < Alex mused. >At this point in time, I can ill afford any attempt at retribution by him. < Glancing over to where his empty armor stood in a shadowed corner, Alex grimaced as he forced himself to focus on the room’s other occupants.
Pacing up to stand beside him, Optimus smiled as he whispered. “Nice touch, Alex. Leaving your armor off for the meeting.”
“If this is to work, we have to trust each other,” Alex replied under his breath. “And if we’re going to trust one another, it might as well start with me.”
“Once again, I’d like to thank you all for accepting my invitation to this summit meeting,” Alex said.
“Summit meeting?” Waving a hand to the assembled group, Professor Zoom chuckled. “You talk as if we’re all world powers or something.”
Alex’s eyebrows rose. “Well, aren’t we?” Meeting each person’s eyes in turn, Alex held his hands out to the group. “Aren’t we ALL some of the most powerful individuals walking the Earth right now? If that doesn’t fit the bill for defining ‘world power,’ then I don’t know what does.”
“As world powers, then, what do you propose?” Valkyra asked.
“Individually, no matter how powerful we might be, we are ALL at the mercy of the Crime Syndicate of Amerika,” Alex stated. With the press of a button on the arm of his chair, a three-dimensional hologram of the Syndicate members sprang into existence in the center of the table. “They have the advantage of numbers, resources and time.”
“Time?” Blacklight glanced around in puzzlement. “What do you mean time?”
“I mean that the longer any confrontation goes on, the more the odds tip in THEIR favor,” Alex explained, waving to the holographic images.
“So how do you plan on changing this?”
Alex leaned on the table, his smile growing. “By forming an alliance of our own. Doing this, we counter their numbers as well as their resources advantage. Take this asteroid for example.” Motioning to the walls around them, the scientist beamed like a proud father.
“The asteroid is cloaked in the most advanced stealth technology,” Alex informed the group. “Poised in space at the Lagrange Point between the Earth and the Moon, we are COMPLETELY undetectable by both.”
“How is that accomplished?” Thadeus Sivana asked.
“By a dual-layer holographic matrix,” Alex replied. “From the Earth, this section of space looks exactly like that- just another section of space. From the side facing the moon, this station looks like whatever section of the Earth it happens to be over at the time.”
“Amazing,” Valkyra gasped.
“Aside from the state-of-the-art stealth abilities, what does this place have by way of armament?” Glancing around, Vigilante folded his arms expectantly. “After all, someone as careful as you MUST have some contingency planned?”
Alex nodded. “Scattered across the surface of the asteroid are various weapons emplacements- lasers, photonic cannons, missiles and more. Beneath the holographic field there is a force-field, and beneath the force-field there is a SECOND shield which, when penetrated, disrupts sources of radiation. Believe me, anyone trying to attack this station is in for a rude surprise.”
“And by ‘anyone’ you mean Ultraman,” Titan stated, his voice rumbling through the room.
Turning, Alex nodded once more. “I do consider him to be the most prominent threat, aside from Captain Terror.”
“And speaking of Captain Terror, what do we do about him and his associates?” Adam’s expectant gaze fixed on Alex. “I trust that, whatever plans you might have, he will NOT find them to his liking. What if he tries to intercede?”
“Please, ONE problem at a time,” Alex replied. “The first- and possibly the GREATEST- threat we face is the Crime Syndicate. Once they’ve been dealt with, then we turn our attentions towards the rest of our enemies.”
“So why don’t you start explaining this grand scheme of yours, then?” Titan glanced around at the rest of the assembled individuals before directing a scowl at Alex. “I know that I for one am just DYING to hear what you’ve got to say.”
“While I was in the positive-matter universe, I took the liberty of… ‘borrowing’ the schematics for the Justice League Watchtower, as well as a number of their case files,” Alex said. “And, in the examination of those files and comparing them to events in OUR world, I think I’ve discovered our opportunity.”
“What’ve you found?” Optimus asked.
“Recently, when the Justice League re-formed, they were attacked by a group of white Martians.” Sensing D’Allena’s imminent objection, Alex held his hands up in a placating gesture. “And I remind everyone again of the polar opposites of our universes. In the positive-matter universe, with the exception of Valkyra, we- or rather our doppelgangers- are all criminals.” His eyes briefly resting on Blacklight, Alex repressed a shudder. “Or worse.”
“Why am I not included in that?” the Asgardian goddess asked.
“Because, as near as I can tell, you don’t exist in the other universe. Or at least, if you DO exist, there’s no record of you.” Glancing around the table, Alex’s eyebrow rose. “May I continue?”
Everyone nodded.
“When the white Martians were defeated, the ship they came to Earth in was confiscated by the League and placed in a realm called the ‘Ghost Zone.’ It’s a realm very similar to the Phantom Zone- actually, I personally believe that it’s one and the same- and that’s where they stored the ship. Once in the Zone, the League established a doorway to the ship, linking one of their own Watchtower hatches PHYSICALLY to a hatch on the Martian’s ship.” Tapping a command into a keyboard, the image of the Crime Syndicate winked out as a hologram of the Justice League Watchtower sprang into being above the table. “From the outside, this is what the Tower looks like. But from the inside…” Another command was tapped in. Flickering into life beside the Tower, a slightly flattened disk touched the lower side of the structure. The ship was nearly half again as large as the Tower. “As you can see, from the INSIDE of the Tower, the available space is MUCH more pronounced.”
“How does this help US?” Professor Zoom asked.
Alex held his hand up once more. “I’m getting to that. A little while later, a group of criminals calling themselves ‘The Injustice Gang’ attacked the League by accessing the Ghost Zone, entering the Martian’s ship, and used its physical link to the Watchtower to get in through the backdoor, so-to-speak.”
“So?”
Alex leaned his knuckles on the table. “So that’s what brings me to THIS universe. D’Allena and her two brothers came to this world in a ship, much the same as those other Martians. After their initial encounter with Ultraman, they fled into the population of the world, leaving their ship behind.”
Zoom sighed impatiently. “And once again I repeat: SO?”
Optimus smiled knowingly, interrupting Alex’s reply. “We all know of Ultraman’s penchant for collecting trophies, Professor. What makes you think he’d pass up the opportunity to acquire THIS one?”
Zoom leaned back in his chair, his expression dubious. “And you think he’s got D’Allena’s ship in this ‘Ghost Zone,’ linked to the Panopticon like the League has their Martian ship linked to the Watchtower in their own universe?”
Alex grinned. “As a matter of fact, I’m COUNTING on it.” Tapping the table with his finger, Alex stared intently as the hologram morphed into a representation of the Syndicate’s Panopticon Tower. “It’s there. I KNOW it is.”
“And this certainty comes from what, exactly?”
Brainiac stood. “FROM AVAILABLE HARD DATA- I HAVE HAD ACCESS TO THE PANOPTICON’S COMPUTERS IN THE PAST AND, GIVEN THE PHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF THE STRUCTURE, THE AIR VOLUME OF THE PANOPTICON IS OF A MUCH LARGER AMOUNT THAN CAN BE ADEQUATELY ACCOUNTED FOR.”
“And THAT, Ladies and Gentlemen, means the ship is there,” Alex chimed in.
“If you had access to the computes as you say, Brainiac,” Adam chimed in. “Then are there no records of the ship being there?”
“NEGATIVE,” Brainiac answered. “THAT INFORMATION WAS RESTRICTED FROM THIS UNIT.”
“You know, that STILL doesn’t really help us,” Valkyra stated. Waving at the hologram, the Asgardian goddess met Alex’s gaze. “Even if it IS there, how does that benefit us?”
“Because,” Alex explained. “I’ve got a way into the Ghost Zone.”
“You have a Phantom Zone projector?” Valkyra asked, one eyebrow rising in surprise.
“No,” Optimus corrected, clearing his throat. “Actually, he has ME.” At everyone’s puzzled expression, the hero shrugged uncomfortably. “Well, I AM a genetic duplicate of Ultraman. Memories and all, remember?”
Vigilante’s eyes narrowed in thought. “And you can build a Zone projector, correct?”
Optimus nodded. “Not a problem. All I need are the proper materials.”
“Then WHAT are we waiting for?” Titan’s question rumbled through the room like distant thunder. Clenching his fist, the elder hero’s bicep bulged massively. “Let’s go get them.”
Amid the chorus of agreements, one man stood, raising his hands for attention.
“Just WAIT a blasted minute,” Sivana interrupted. As the assembled group turned to him, he looked to Alex. “Before I agree to ANYTHING, I think I want to hear the rest of this ‘plan’ of yours, Alex. It’s one thing to just go off and attack them, but once we have them, what then?”
“My plan is simple,” Alex stated. “The primary architects of this world’s misery are the members of the Crime Syndicate, correct?” At the nods of assent around the table, Alex spread his hands. “Then what we need to do is obvious. We need to replace the Syndicate.”
“Replace them? Replace them with whom?” Professor Zoom asked.
“No, you misheard me,” Alex corrected. “What I said was WE need to replace them.”
The room was silent for several minutes. Then, slowly, the chuckling started.
“I’m serious,” Alex said, raising his voice over the laughter. “We can do it!”
“Alex,” Blacklight chided. “Be serious. How do you expect…”
“I AM serious, dammit!” Alex’s fist slammed down onto the table in frustration. “We can do this! Look,” he asked, motioning to them all. “Optimus is an obvious choice for taking Ultraman’s place. D’Allena can shape-shift into Superwoman. Vigilante can effectively stand in for Owlman. Professor Zoom can be Johnny Quick. Blacklight, with a little work, can be a… convincing Power Ring.” Hoping his momentary pause went unnoticed, he plunged onward, spreading his hands and shaking his head in wonder. “What MORE do you think we need?”
“And that’s it?” Lifting his eyebrow, Sivana leaned back in his chair. “Replace them- that’s all we have to do?”
“Yes,” Alex agreed. “The Justice League of America, when they came here, tried to do too much too soon. What WE have to do is be smarter. Not change the world outright, just gradually help it along in a new direction.” Spreading his hands, the scientist smiled. “It’s not so much as taking several giant steps, as taking dozens of smaller ones.”
“And what of the nature of this universe?” Adam asked. “Did you not say that it is the very nature of this universe to allow evil to be ascendant?”
“We don’t need to change the nature of the universe entirely,” Alex explained. “We merely need to… ALTER it, slightly. Work WITHIN the system to change it, so to speak.”
“We have to figure, though, eventually someone WILL discover what we’re doing,” Optimus interjected. “What do we do then?”
Alex shook his head. “By then it’ll be too late for them to do anything. And if they try…?” Alex left the sentence unfinished, his meaning obvious.
“If they try, they’ll have the entire lot of us to deal with,” Zoom finished, smiling. Glancing around the room, the speedster nodded. “I like it.”
Alex glanced around the table. “Are there any other questions? If not, then-”
“Unfortunately, I must respectfully decline your offer of active membership,” Adam said, bowing slightly. “The Terror Family and… the wizard occupy the majority of my time. Should you need me, though, you have but to call.”
Standing up from his own chair, Thadeus shoved his hands into his pockets. “And I’m afraid I must turn it down as well, for much the same reason. Faucet City needs me.”
Rising to his feet, Alex smiled warmly as he held out his hand. “I understand, both of you. I appreciate everything you’ve done for us. If you would, however, please monitor Captain Terror’s activities. When we set our plan into motion, watch to see if he becomes suspicious.”
“No problem,” Sivana replied.
As the two men departed the room, Alex glanced around. “Anyone else plan on declining my offer?” When no-one replied, Alex nodded. “Good.”
“One question, though,” Optimus inquired. “Assuming that we manage to defeat them, what then? Do we imprison them? Kill them? What?”
Alex shook his head firmly. “No, we most assuredly do NOT kill them.”
“Then what do we do with them?” Leaning back in his chair, Optimus raised his eyebrows as he smiled. “They’re not exactly just going to behave themselves, Alex.”
Alex nodded once more. “I’m aware of that, Optimus.”
“Then what do we do with them?” Optimus repeated.
“We imprison them all in Ultraman’s arctic Fortress.”
“Bad idea, Alex.”
The entire room turned at Titan’s rumbled words.
“Why do you say that, Titan?” Alex folded his arms across his chest.
“Why tempt fate by grouping them all in one location?” Pointing at the hologram, Titan shrugged. “I say we incarcerate the four lesser-powered Syndicate members in D’Allena’s ship and cast it adrift in the Ghost Zone.”
Alex leaned back in his chair, an air of caution around him as he considered his next words. “And what of… Ultraman?”
If the name of the monster that had killed most of his family affected Titan in any way, the elder hero hid it well. With an almost casual shrug, Titan motioned to Alex. “Your idea of using Ultraman’s arctic fortress as a prison would be rather fitting for Ultraman himself, don’t you think?”
At David’s nonchalant words, Alex feeling of foreboding grew as an icy chill coursed through his veins. In the pit of his stomach, the scientist could practically FEEL Titan’s unvoiced fury mounting.
>I’ll need to keep an eye on him, < Alex thought to himself. >This has the potential to be even MORE threatening than the Syndicate themselves. <
Beside him, D’Allena glanced over to Alex, a curious look in her eye.
Glancing around the table at the assembled people, Alex nodded. “Then, if we are all in agreement, why don’t we adjourn for now? We’ll gather again in a few hours and begin our preparations.”
As they filed out of the room, Alex’s unease intensified as he noted Titan remaining behind.
“Can I help you with something, David?”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Titan warned.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean having them play-act at being the Crime Syndicate,” Titan explained. “In order to pull this off, we’re going to have to pose as the Syndicate for quite a while- doing EVERYTHING that the Syndicate would do.”
“And?”
Titan tapped the table with his finger. “What happens if one of them decides that they LIKE their new role?” Glancing towards the door, David shrugged. “We already know that, at one time, one of them DID.”
Alex turned away with a shrug, moving towards his armor. “I hadn’t really thought about that. As to Hal’s allegiances, I have it on good authority that we have nothing to worry about.”
Titan’s mocking laughter rang through the room. “Bull.”
Shooting an irritated glare over his shoulder, Alex began donning his armor once more. “It’s NOT going to happen, David.”
“And if it does?” Leaning forward, Titan’s smile sent a chill through Alex. “C’mon, Alex. Let me hear it. Say the magic words.”
The scientist’s frown deepened as he locked his armor’s final piece in place. He knew what Titan was trying to do- since the elder hero had come aboard his station, Alex had felt the sheer animosity towards him radiating from Titan. Since their last tragic encounter, every attempt on Alex’s part at making restitution had been thoroughly rebuffed in no uncertain terms. Titan had made it perfectly clear that, until Alex was ready to launch his plan against the Syndicate, David would have NOTHING to do with the scientist. And now that he WAS here, situations weren’t improving whatsoever.
Taking a deep breath, Alex waved away Titan’s words. “I don’t have time for this, David. I really-”
Springing to his feet, Titan’s palms slapped against the tabletop like thunder. “You’d better damn well MAKE time for me, Alex!”
“What is it you want to hear?” Spreading his arms wide, Alex nodded, his own gaze heating with his anger. “You want to hear that I have contingency plans for if that should happen? Is that what you want to hear?” Leaning across the table, his face twisted with anger and frustration, Alex nodded. “Well I do. I DO have plans in place should any of them get out of line. And it’s a doozie.”
Titan’s smile turned mockingly triumphant. “That’s what I wanted to hear, Alex. Thank you for showing me that my… faith in you hasn’t been misplaced.” The elder hero’s last words fairly dripped with sarcasm.

***************

GOTHAM CITY

Leisurely swinging from rooftop to rooftop, his youthful partner Raven matching his movements close-by, Owlman sighed inwardly.
>This is boring, < the cowled criminal mused in frustration. >The Commissioner hasn’t even been TRYING to move against me of late. It’s like he’s waiting for something. But what? < Shaking his head as he unerringly launched another grappling line, Owlman growled deep within his throat. >This has GOT to end! <
Mid-way through his swing, a shimmering coalesced in the air before him.
>That looks like a- <
“WHUUFF!!”
The air exploded out of Owlman’s lungs in a violent rush as a figure emerging from the shimmering door viciously drove his booted feet into Owlman’s midsection. Gasping for air, Owlman’s grip on the cable slipped, sending him plummeting to the rooftop below. Instinctively, he tucked his body into a roll moments before he collided with the hard surface, neatly springing to his feet to stop his momentum. Thumbing on his cowl’s microphone, the super-criminal began searching for his attacker.
“Raven, Owlman here. Unknown attacker in area. Rendezvous at the Gotham Towers.”
Across the street, on another roof, Raven saluted in reply.
As Owlman turned to leave the rooftop, a line of burning pain slashed across his back, causing him to snarl in surprise. Pivoting around to face his attacker, Owlman’s eyes narrowed behind his goggles.
Vigilante, a bloody knife clutched in his hand, smiled back at him. “And just WHERE do you think you’re going?” Waving the weapon from side to side, he shook his head. “We’re not done with this little dance, Owlman. Not by a longshot.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Owlman saw Raven squaring off against Shiva in the distance.
A sneer lifting the corners of his mouth, Owlman shook his head at Vigilante.
“Y’know, I’d heard of Gordon’s little ‘super-soldier’ project, but I didn’t think he was dumb enough to think it’d actually WORK against me.” Motioning towards his adversary, Owlman snickered. “You MUST know you don’t stand a chance against me? With my super-intelligence, I’ve already run through every possible scenario concerning this battle. I’ve already planned out my every move to counter anything you might throw against me. You’ve already LOST.” Dropping into a fighting stance, Owlman smiled. “You just don’t know it yet.”
A sudden blow to the back of Owlman’s head sent the super-criminal sprawling across the rooftop, unconscious.
Softly setting down onto the roof, Optimus smiled. “You’d think that, with all his intelligence, he’d know better than to become cocky.”

***************

ASTEROID L

In the central command room of his asteroid, Alex listened intently to the incoming report. The table before him displayed individual holographic representations of each of the Syndicate members. Beside him, Titan’s eyebrow rose in expectation.
Reaching over to the display board, Alex switched off Owlman’s display.
“One down.”

***************

CENTROPOLIS

Superwoman was frustrated.
After her encounter with the hammer wielding, red-haired woman several days ago, she’d dispatched her best investigative reporters to find out more about the mysterious woman, and why she’d attacked her. As of yet, though, her sources had failed to turn up even the slightest shred of a lead.
The fact that there existed in the world a woman that could physically stand against the mightiest of the Amazon race both intrigued and frustrated her.
Her reporters’ lack of progress merely added more fuel to her fire.
“I don’t CARE if your wife is ready to deliver your mewling brat into the world,” Lois bellowed into her phone. The light from the afternoon sun streamed in through her office window, highlighting her coal-black hair in its golden rays. “You stay out on this story until I decide you’re done! Is that clear?” As she listened intently to the reply, the phone receiver began to crack under the pressure her fingers were exerting.
“Now you look here,” she hissed, her voice arctic cold. “If I say you continue your investigations, you’d better damn well believe you’re going to continue your investigations. Let me ALSO remind you that there’s more at stake here than ‘just a simple story,’ as you so delicately put it.” Listening for a few more seconds, Lois rubbed her forehead tiredly. “Let me make it even MORE clear for you, then. YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON THIS!”
Slamming the phone down into its cradle, the abused machine shattered under the impact of the blow, sending pieces of it flying across the room.
“Temper, temper,” a soft feminine voice chided from behind.
Spinning in her chair to face the speaker, Lois sprang to her feet and was about to launch into a tirade about her privacy when she felt the words die in her throat.
Standing between Lois and the door was Valkyra.
The Asgardian goddess smiled, holding her hammer at the ready in front of her.
“Going somewhere, Medea?”
Superwoman’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How’d you get in here without me hearing you?”
Waving the hammer for emphasis, Valkyra smiled. “Don’t you think you’ve got more URGENT matters to be concerned with right now?”
A cruel smile playing across her lips, Superwoman stepped forward, her fist cocked back to strike. Before she could carry through with her attack, however, several voices drifted to her ears from beyond her closed office door. Her subordinates, blissfully unaware of the brewing conflict that threatened their lives, continued their daily work.
Shaking her head sharply, Superwoman motioned towards the window.
“Not in here. Outside.”
With a smile to match Superwoman’s own, Valkyra nodded her assent. “After you.”
Shooting out of the office like a rocket, Lois immediately pivoted in mid-air, readying to strike Valkyra the moment she emerged.
It was at that moment she felt feather soft fingers touch the back of her head.
Pain lanced through her skull, like a white-hot knife, clouding her vision. Her back arching in agony, a thin scream worked its way through her clenched teeth before she collapsed, her body falling to the ground far below where it lay in a senseless heap.
Like a ghost, D’Allena shimmered into solidity, her eyes burning in undisguised contempt at the unconscious Syndicate member.

***************

ASTEROID L

In the central command room of his asteroid, Alex listened intently to the incoming report, a small smile tugging at his lips. Beside him, Titan’s eyebrow rose in expectation.
Reaching over to the display board, Alex switched off Superwoman’s display.
“That’s two.”
Jerking a thumb at the remaining displays, Titan leaned back in his chair. “So, who’s next?”
“That depends on where the last three are at,” Alex replied.
Entering the room, a wide smile on his face, Optimus handed Alex a sheet of paper.
“I finished hacking into the Syndicate’s signal device network.” Tapping the top of the page with a finger, Optimus smiled even wider. “Both Power Ring AND Johnny Quick are in the Panopticon.”
“And Ultraman?” Titan asked.
“He’s apparently in his floating Fortress,” Alex said, swiftly scanning over the information.
“Good,” Titan rumbled, rising from his chair. “Then those two idiots in the Panopticon are next.”

***************

THE PANOPTICON

Racing down the nearly endless corridors of the Panopticon, Johnny Quick clenched his teeth in frustration.
“Thisain’tfairain’tfairain’tfairatall!”
“I know, Johnny,” Power Ring replied, his voice drifting up from Johnny Quick’s signal transmitter.
“Howcomewealwaysgetstuckwithdoingmonitordutyandtheothersneverdo?”
“Easy, man- ‘cause in the long run, we’re just the little fish in this pond,” Joseph answered, turning the page in his newest porno magazine.
“MaybeyouthinksobutIdon’t,” Johnny retorted. “Ithinktheyjustdon’twanttodothecrapwork!”
Power Ring snorted a chuckle. “It’s all the same thing, man. Regardless of that, even though they won’t admit it, the rest of them NEED us, Johnny.”
“DamnstraighttheydoJoseph! It’dbeworthittoseetheirfacesifweeverdecidedtosaynotothemthough!”
As Johnny Quick rounded the corner, he barely came to a stop before he would have run face first into the midnight-blue wall of energy that stretched from wall to wall. Nonchalantly leaning against it, Professor Zoom tossed the hovering figure of Blacklight a jaunty salute.
“Thanks, man. I can take it from here.”
“Just let me know when you’re done, Zoom,” Blacklight replied, flying away into the depths of the Panopticon.
Badly shaken, his nerves tattered by both his near-miss with Blacklight’s energy wall as well as being confronted with a seeming ghost from his past, for nearly the first time in years, Quick was absolutely still. Behind his helmet’s visor, his glazed, bloodshot eyes never left the yellow and red figure standing before him.
“C-Chambers?” Johnny’s voice was a bare whisper.
Zoom shook his head sadly. “Still hooked on the Juice, huh?”
Johnny Quick said nothing, sweat streaming down his face.
“What’s the matter, Jerry?” Taking a menacing step forward, Professor Zoom cracked his knuckles loudly. “Aren’t you happy to see your old friend?”
“Nonononononononono!” Backing away, Johnny Quick held his hands up in a warding gesture. “Youcan’tbehereyou’redeadandgonedamnit!”
“Oh, but I AM here, ‘Johnny,’” Zoom sneered. “I’m alive and well and ready to kick your ass! Tell me something- doesn’t it ever bother you to be posing as someone you’re not?”
Without waiting for a reply, Zoom shot forward towards the petrified speedster, dipping his fingers into the top of Quick’s right boot before returning to his origin point on the other side of the room. Holding his hand up, Zoom twirled a syringe around in his fingers.
“Just as predictable as ever, Quick,” Zoom sneered. “You STILL carry that spare dosage of Juice in your boot.”
“IbeatyouonceChambersandIcandoitagain,” Quick snarled.
“Then quit flapping your jaws and get to it,” Zoom retorted. “Or do you need to Juice-Up first, junkie?”
Dropping the syringe to the floor, Zoom’s booted foot came down hard, crushing it. Giving Johnny Quick the finger, he vanished in a blur of motion, his laughter trailing behind him.
With an inarticulate scream, Johnny Quick raced after the receding figure of Professor Zoom.

***************

ASTEROID L

Switching off his receiver, Alex smiled. Reaching over to the table, he switched off Johnny Quick’s hologram.
“Three down, two to go.”

***************
THE PANOPTICON

Tossing the porno magazine onto the console, Power Ring stifled a bored yawn as he stretched. Pulling monitor duty had to be one of the LEAST exciting jobs he’d ever done in his life as a member of the Crime Syndicate, but that fact didn’t stop him from volunteering for it whenever he had the chance. Oh, he made a show of objecting to the ‘indignity’ of being ‘forced’ to pull the monotonous duty, but he secretly looked forward to it. Here, in the Panopticon, with no-one around, he was free to experiment with his ring to his heart’s content, increasing his control over his ring-generated creations.
“All right,” Power Ring mused to himself. “Back to work.”
With a flash of emerald light, the room held another occupant.
Hovering in the air before him, a ten-foot-tall monstrosity brandished medieval weapons in each of its dozen brawny arms. The chain-mail draping the figure’s shoulders and chest glittered in the light cast by the huge monitor screen.
Power Ring’s upper lip glistened with sweat as he added layer upon layer of detail to his creation: tiny hairs on the figure’s arms, bloodshot eyes, cracked fingernails, tusks jutting up from the lower jaw of the creature.
As the ring-generated creature became more and more complex, Joseph felt the throbbing in his head likewise increase.
“Gotta… keep working,” he grunted. “Gotta increase… control.”
“Like that’ll help,” a voice interrupted from behind.
With a popping noise, the multi-armed monster vanished from existence as the startled Power Ring lost his concentration.
Spinning around, Power Ring searched for the intruder.
Standing in the doorway, his ring blazing like a dark blue sun, Blacklight smiled back before fixing his eyes on Power Ring’s ring.
“And there it is,” the hero murmured.
Glancing around in momentary panic, Joseph realized with a start what the man was referring to.
“What, this?” Power Ring asked, holding up his own shining ring.
“WARNING,” Joseph’s ring interjected. “ENTITY VOLTHOOM HAS DETERMINED THAT OPPONENT’S RING IS CHARGED WITH SOURCE OF ENERGY UNKNOWN TO THIS ENTITY, BUT SUGGESTS AVOIDANCE OF PROLONGED CONTACT TO AVOID POSSIBLE DAMAGING FEEDBACK. FAILURE TO COMPLY COULD RESULT IN …”
“Shut the Heaven up!” Power Ring bellowed. “You’re giving me a damn headache!”
At the ring’s words, however, Blacklight’s face had gone ashen.
“I-I’d forgotten…” he whispered in awestruck horror.
“’Forgotten?’” Frowning slightly, Joseph stared intently at the newcomer, alarms ringing in his mind as he studied him. Slowly, like the approach of the dawning sun, Power Ring’s face grew pale. “Oh, sweet Lord below! It’s YOU!”
Shaking off his shock, the ringed warrior smiled darkly. “Yeah it’s me, Joseph,” Hal growled, his ring pulsing brighter.
Power Ring laughed uneasily. “What the Heaven are you doing here? What’s this all about?”
“It’s about justice,” Hal grated. “It’s about justice… and retribution. And the opportunity to put right what’s wrong.” Holding his hand up, his ring flashed. “And all I need is THIS ring!”
“So you don’t like what’s happened in the past, eh? Don’t like the part you played in its making? Well, ain’t that just TOO bad?” Power Ring sneered.
Falling silent, the twin ringed warriors faced each other, mentally preparing themselves for the coming conflict.
“THIS IS THE ENTITY VOLTHOOM,” Power Ring’s ring interrupted. “SUGGEST THAT THE CONFLICT BE MOVED OUTSIDE CURRENT LOCATION TO PREVENT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.”
Power Ring nodded. “Good idea.”
“I agree,” Blacklight added.
Phasing through the walls, they came to rest on the moon’s surface.
Outside the Panopticon, Power Ring faced Blacklight.
“You’re just a pawn in all of this, Joseph,” Hal snarled. “We DON’T have to do this!”
“This ring MAKES me somebody,” Power Ring angrily retorted, his ring blazing like an emerald sun. “If you want to take it from me so badly, why don’t we just see if you’ve still got what it takes to get the job done?”

***************

ASTEROID L

The piercing whine of an alarm cut through the air of the control room, startling all the occupants. Glancing up from his work, Alex’s eyes widened as every surveillance monitor trained on the moon suddenly flashed with brilliant light and went dark.
“What happened?” Valkyra asked.
Massaging his temples in a vain attempt to rid himself of the headache which now plagued him, Alex sighed.
“So much for at least TRYING to be subtle.”
Seeing Valkyra’s puzzled expression, Titan shrugged. “It means that those two arrogant jackasses have really cut loose up there.”
“What does that mean for US?” D’Allena asked.
“It means that, if Ultraman saw it as well, we’re pretty well screwed,” Titan finished.

***************

THE SURFACE OF THE MOON

Gritting his teeth with effort, Power Ring snarled soundlessly in the airless vacuum of space as he redoubled his attack against his foe.
Jade-hued, multi-armed creatures from the nightmarish depths of Power Ring’s mind battled ferociously with knights of cobalt-blue energy from Blacklight’s imagination.
Despite how hard-pressed he was, Blacklight smiled viciously as he increased his own efforts.
>Hal, < a smooth, feminine voice said in the hero’s mind. >This is D’Allena, communicating with you via telepathy. Alex wants you to lure Power Ring to the dark side of the moon. <
>Why? < came Blacklight’s terse mental reply.
>He’s worried- we’re ALL worried- that your battle might draw Ultraman’s attention to our plans, < D’Allena replied. >We’re not ready for him yet. <
>Well I suggest you GET ready! < Blacklight angrily retorted. >And I suggest you get the Heaven out of my head, lady! <

***************

In Alex’s command center, D’Allena straightened up in her chair, rubbing her temples. “Well, THAT didn’t go over quite as well as I’d have liked.”
“I take it he ISN’T going to do as we asked?” Alex asked, handing the Martian woman a glass of water.
“Thanks, and no,” D’Allena replied, sipping the water. “He’s not going to move the fight to the dark side of the moon.”
“So, O Fearless Leader,” Titan chuckled. “What now?”
“We get ready for Ultraman,” Alex replied matter-of-factly. Then, in a lower voice: “Whether we want to or not.”

***************

ULTRAMAN’S FLYING FORTRESS

The sounds of Bach’s ‘Toccata and Fugue in D-’ resounded through the cavernous room like a choral thunder, drowning out the various machine noises. Darting from console to console at varying heights throughout the titanic room, weaving around conduits and other assorted mechanical devices, Ultraman was engrossed in monitoring nearly a dozen experiments at once. Far below, several Brainiac units used output ports to record the resulting information.
“What of the Ultrabot upgrades, Brainiac?” Tapping the display screen, Ultraman’s eyebrows dipped slightly in irritation as he called down to his major-domo. “Your reports indicate that their positronic neuro-network is having problems adapting to their programming?”
“AFFERMATIVE,” one Brainiac unit replied. “ALL BUT ONE OF THE UNITS HAVE MALFUNCTIONED AND BEEN TAKEN OFF-LINE.”
Ultraman kneaded his lower lip in thought.
“Very well, Brainiac. Return all the malfunctioning units back to their original configuration and return them into service.”
“AND THE UNIT WHICH WAS SUCCESSFULLY UPGRADED?”
“Once the remaining upgrades to its systems have been completed, send it to me for assignment,” Ultraman replied, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I have a special task in mind for it.”
“MASTER, ORBITAL SATELLITES HAVE RECORDED A MASSIVE ENERGY FLUCTUATION ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON,” another Brainiac unit chimed in.
Ultraman’s brow drew down into a deeper scowl. “What was the location of this energy flux?”
“APPROXIMATELY ONE KILOMETER FROM THE PANOPTICON.”
“And its duration?”
“TWELVE MINUTES.”
“Contact that useless moron Power Ring,” Ultraman growled from between clenched teeth. “He’s got monitor duty- find out WHY he didn’t let the rest of us know about this energy spike.”
As that Brainiac unit began its work, another turned to face its master.
“FURTHER ANALYSIS OF THE ENERGY DISCHARGE INDICATES THAT IT WAS IN FACT TWO SEPARATE ENERGY SIGNATURES: THE FIRST IS UNKNOWN, BUT THE SECOND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THAT OF SYNDICATE MEMBER POWER RING.”
“AND POWER RING FAILS TO RESPOND TO OUR COMMUNICATIONS,” the first Brainiac unit finished.
“He’s not responding?” Ultraman’s voice was deathly quiet.
“NEGATIVE,” the Brainiac unit replied.
Ultraman scowled. “Contact Superwoman, tell her to respond to the Panopticon and find out what’s going on.”
“SUPERWOMAN’S SIGNAL DEVICE IS OFF-LINE,” Brainiac said in his dull, monotone voice.
“What?” Ultraman couldn’t believe his ears.
“SUPERWOMAN’S SIGNAL DEVI-”
“I heard you the first time,” Ultraman barked irritably, a cold thought worming its way through his thoughts. “Brainiac, try to contact Owlman and Johnny Quick.”
Seconds ticked by.
“THEIR SIGNAL DEVICES ARE LIKEWISE INOPERATIVE.”
Ultraman’s fist clenched in anger as a growl rose in his chest.
“Luthor.”

***************

THE PANOPTICON

Stepping out of the teleport chamber, Alex scowled at the waiting Blacklight.
“That battle with Power Ring was a little more visible than I would have liked,” Alex chastised.
“Yeah, well he WASN’T going to come easy, you know,” Blacklight countered. “You expected him to just give up or something?”
As Alex was about to make another angry retort, a restraining hand fell on his arm. Glancing over, the scientist’s eyes met Optimus’.
“We don’t have time for this, Alex,” the doppelganger of Ultraman gently reminded him.
With a calming sigh, Alex turned back to Blacklight. “And the access codes?”
“Worked like a charm,” Hal confirmed. “Zoom and me had the run of the place, with no-one the wiser.”
“Excellent. Take the teleporter back to Asteroid L and help Valkyra bring Superwoman, Owlman and Raven back here. Once you’ve returned, disable the teleporters. Brainiac,” Alex said. “Take all of the Panopticon’s Brainiac units off-line, and then plug yourself into the system and warm up the Martian ship. Our guests will be departing shortly.”

***************

Sitting before the giant monitor in the central meeting room, the assembled Alliance gazed in pleased silence at the displayed image.
On the screen, its blue and red garbed figure miniscule by comparison, Brainiac v2 finished checking the final section of the Martian ship’s hull. Turning to the hovering camera, it nodded.
“ALL CHECKS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED,” the android said. “THE SHIP’S LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEM IS FUNCTIONING AT OPTIMAL LEVELS. WE ARE READY TO PROCEED.”
“Very good,” Alex replied. “Initiate separation procedures.”
Through the massive bulk of the station, several muted thuds vibrated the floor. On the screen, where the ship’s hatch was mated to the Panopticon, a brief puff of frozen vapor escaped from the seal as the ship slowly drifted apart from its dock.
Moving into position beside it, Brainiac v2 leaned his shoulder against the side of the ship and pushed, sending the ship drifting away at an accelerated speed. Within minutes, the massive ship and its four occupants was little more than a dwindling black speck against the white background of the Ghost Zone. When the ship was lost to sight, Alex released a breath he’d not even been aware he had been holding.
“At least THAT’S over,” the scientist muttered.
“I’ll second that feeling,” Titan added.
Alex spun his chair around to face Titan and Optimus, a wide smile on his face.
“And now?” Optimus asked.
“Now we go after the biggest bastard of them all,” Titan interjected. “We go after Ultraman.”
“And then?”
“That’s simple,” Alex answered. “Then we change the world.”

***************

CENTROPOLIS, ULTRAMAN’S FLYING FORTRESS

Striding through the fortress, two Brainiac units scurrying behind him, Ultraman swore once more.
“I can’t believe he’s gotten control of the Panopticon! How the Heaven did he manage that?”
“UNKNOWN, SIR,” one of the Brainiac units responded. “ACCORDING TO OUR LAST FILE UPDATE, ALL SECURITY MEASURES ARE STILL INTACT.”
“Which means they found a way around them,” Ultraman rumbled. After several more frustrated curses, the massive titan shook his head. “Brainiac, remind me to not kill Alex until AFTER he tells me how he did it.”
“WILL YOU BE UTILIZING THE ULTRABOTS TO STAGE A COUNTER-ATTACK?”
“Possibly. How many are ready?” Ultraman asked.
“FIVE.”
Ultraman nodded after several minutes of thought. “Send them all through the teleporters to the Panopticon. Order them to disable any and all intruders they find. Also, Brainiac, deploy Neutro to the arctic Fortress. Inform me when he arrives.”
“SIR,” Brainiac said. “PANOPTICON TELEPORTERS ARE OFF-LINE.”
Repressing another growl, Ultraman nodded tersely as he headed for the observation deck. “Fine. We do this the hard way.”

***************

THE PANOPTICON

“Come on, move it!” Alex’s barked order rang through the room. “By now, Ultraman knows the teleporters are off-line, so he’ll be flying here under his own power. That gives us about twenty minutes, at most!”
Standing beside the scientist, his eyes narrowed in concentration looking out the overhead skylight, Titan hissed faintly. “Make that about TEN minutes, Alex. Ultraman just lifted off from the Fortress’s observation deck, and he’s moving fast. VERY fast.”
Alex nodded at the new information. “Keep an eye on him. Let me know when he’s about two minutes out.” Turning to face Optimus, Alex’s eyebrow rose in question. “You ready?”
Optimus smiled as he cracked his knuckles. “Oh yeah.”

***************

THE GHOST ZONE, ABOARD THE MARTIAN SHIP

Sitting up with a start, Superwoman collapsed back onto the floor with a groan as the world spun around her in a drunken weave. Clenching her eyes shut, she had to bite back the bile rising in her throat. Beside her, Owlman placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.
“Easy there, Superwoman. You’ve been out of it for several days,” Owlman explained. “D’Allena, that white Martian bitch, put a pretty serious mental whammy on you.”
Vainly attempting to focus her eyes on him, something odd about the situation began tickling her in the back of her mind. The lights from above cast their harsh white illumination on his dark brown hair. A faint, light-pink scar wound its way down his temple.
“Owlman,” she began, and then hesitated as it all clicked into place. “Thomas, where’s the rest of your uniform?”
“They stripped me bare,” Owlman admitted grudgingly. “My utility belt, my boots and gloves, my cowl- everything’s been taken. The only thing they left me was my uniform itself.”
Reaching up a shaking hand, she patted her upper chest. Owlman nodded in reply.
“Yeah, they took your amulet as well.”
Blinking rapidly, Lois sighed in relief as the world around her began to calm its spinning. Carefully lifting herself onto her elbow, the Amazon ran her fingers through her hair. “So, what’s our situation?”
“As of right now?” With a shrug, Owlman barked a harsh laugh. “We’re screwed.”
Stifling an irritated sigh, Superwoman took a deep breath. “I’m being serious, Owlman-”
“And I am too!” Owlman yelled viciously. “I’ve spent the entire time I’ve been here doing nothing but THINKING about how to get out! And you know what I’ve come up with?” Without waiting for a reply, the vigilante slashed his hand through the air. “NOTHING!”
In a blur of motion, Superwoman’s hand shot out, slapping Owlman hard. The sharp crack of the impact echoed eerily through the room.
His eyes widening in surprise, Owlman stared in shock at her. “Wh-what was that for?”
“To get your attention,” Superwoman answered. “The absolute LAST thing we need right now is you going hysterical. You once told me ‘there is a way out of every trap- you only have to look for it.’”
“Yeah, so?” Owlman growled, nursing his sore cheek.
“So LOOK for it,” Superwoman replied harshly. “Go over EVERYTHING again. What’s our current situation?”
Sitting back, Thomas scratched his cheek in thought as he forced himself to calm down. “As it stands right now, four of the Crime Syndicate’s members- or FIVE, if you count Raven- have been defeated by forces under the direction of Alexander Luthor. These same Syndicators have been subsequently imprisoned in the Martian ship Ultraman had docked to the Panopticon. About five minutes ago, the ship was disconnected from the Panopticon and, I can assume, cast adrift in the Ghost Zone.”
“FOUR of us?” Superwoman’s eyes snapped open wider at Owlman’s comments. Hurriedly glancing around the rest of the room, she caught a brief glimpse of a red-clad arm, before it disappeared out of her sight atop a table. Struggling to her feet, a part of her glad that Owlman offered no help, Lois’s breath caught in her throat as she saw Johnny Quick lying prone atop a table on the other side of the room. Occasional spasms wracked the speedster’s body, causing a low moan to escape his clenched teeth. She turned back to Owlman.
“What’s HIS problem?”
“Johnny Chambers- or Professor Zoom, as we all better know him- apparently stole our little Johnny’s helmet.” Seeing Lois’s uncomprehending look, Owlman leaned back against the side of the table. “When Johnny’s hyped up on the Speed4S serum, he needs that helmet to maintain his equilibrium.” Jerking a thumb at the tormented man, Owlman laughed harshly. “Without it? He moves even an inch at super-speed, and he’ll puke his guts up.”
“I didn’t know that,” Superwoman confessed.
“Johnny’s taken pretty extreme measures to conceal that fact,” Owlman admitted. “But when you’re dealing with someone like me?” Owlman trailed off, a smile lifting his lips.
“So he’s useless?” Superwoman asked.
Owlman nodded. “And when his serum wears off, he’ll be LESS than useless.”
“Fffffuuuuggggh… yyyoouuu,” a weak, quavering voice said from across the room.
Owlman barked a short laugh in reply. “And it looks like it wore off.”
“Where’s Power Ring?”
“Over there,” Owlman replied, pointing towards the opposite end of the chamber where a pair of green booted feet stuck out from behind a low partition.
“What part of the ship are we in?” Superwoman asked, moving towards the other Syndicate member. “It looks like the cafeteria.”
“It is,” Owlman confirmed. “For a ship that’s nearly a mile across, the medical lab is absolutely TINY.”
“That matches Ultraman’s deductions about the nature of this ship,” Superwoman replied. “He thinks it’s a green Martian cruiser; a military ship.” Shrugging almost to herself, Superwoman motioned to their surroundings. “And, by what we’ve seen of J’Onn J’Onzz’s attitudes and such, it proves that the Martian soldiers don’t really care so much about healing their comrades as killing their opponents.”
“And not to mention that it’s damn hard to kill a shape-shifter,” Owlman added.
“Yeah, it is,” Superwoman said. “It’s…” Approaching the Syndicate member, Superwoman was once more stunned into silence as she saw his condition.
“What… what is on his head?”
Sitting on the floor, his arms limp at his sides, Power Ring’s muffled sobs emerged from the coal-black sphere encasing his head. On his hand, wisps of emerald energy wafted from his ring into the air, dissipating overhead.
“What it is, Superwoman, is a little present from Alex,” Owlman said. “Even though it feels solid, food can pass through it.” Owlman snorted derisively. “Quite considerate of them, no?”
“We’ve got to get that off of him,” Superwoman stated, hefting the metal bar. “He’s our only chance to get out of here!”
“That’s a kinetic-energy bubble,” Owlman cautioned, placing his hand on her arm. “If you were to hit it with anything, Superwoman, it would transfer the force of your blow to Power Ring’s head beneath it. And if you use THAT, it’d be like hitting a watermelon with a sledge-hammer.”
The metal bar fell to the floor with a loud clanging noise.

***************

INSIDE THE PANOPTICON

Glancing over the display screen, Alex’s fingers danced over the controls, bringing the weapons emplacements of the Crime Syndicate’s fortress on-line.
“Is everyone in place?” Meeting D’Allena’s eyes, Alex’s own eyes mirrored his question.
D’Allena nodded. “Everyone is standing by.”
A low chuckle rumbled through the room, drawing both Alex’s and D’Allena’s attention.
A fierce smile on his face, Titan cracked his knuckles as he turned to face Alex. “He’s here.”

***************

OUTSIDE THE PANOPTICON

Approaching the moon like a living comet, Ultraman sent his ultra-vision ahead of him, scouting out his target. A chuckle rumbled through his chest as he witnessed several costumed individuals hurriedly exiting the central command room, leaving one lone man behind.
>Titan, < Ultraman snarled to himself, anticipation tingling through his body.
Angling his body downward, Ultraman didn’t even slow as he plowed into the side of the Panopticon. Bursting through the exterior wall in a shower of twisted metal, wiring and debris, a fierce smile lifted the Centropolis Tyrant’s lips as explosive decompression emptied the room of everything that wasn’t fastened down.
Across the room, Titan stood rock-still, his arms folded across his chest as the wind howled around him.
Scant seconds later, an emergency force-field sealed the breach and life-giving air repressurized the room.
“Titan.” Ultraman spoke the name slowly, appearing to savor the sound of it rolling off his tongue. “You have NO idea how long I’ve waited for this moment. You have to admit, our last little… encounter was rather unsatisfying. It’s rather gratifying to know that I now have an opportunity to rectify that.”
Titan said nothing. His eyes, however, glittered with hatred.
Looking around, Ultraman scratched his head in mock puzzlement. “So where’s that sweet little daughter of yours at? I was looking forward to having some fun with her.” With a knowing smile, the villain winked at Titan. “If she grows up into even HALF the woman her Mom was, she’s gonna be quite the piece of-”
With an ear-splitting roar and a blur of super-speed, Titan shot across the room, driving his fist into Ultraman’s midsection. As the villain doubled over, the enraged hero followed up his attack by driving his elbow into the back of Ultraman’s head. The room shook violently with the force of the blows. Reaching down, grasping the stunned Crime Syndicate member by his cape, Titan swung him around his head, building up speed with each rotation. As he released his opponent, sending Ultraman crashing through the wall and into the depths of the Panopticon, Titan followed close behind.

***************

Picking himself up from off the floor, Alex glared at Optimus as the hero chuckled deep within his chest.
“I TOLD you, Alex,” Optimus softly chided. “Sending Titan after Ultraman was just INVITING catastrophe.”
“Damn it all!” Luthor’s explosive curse rang through the room as he dusted himself off. “He was supposed to keep Ultraman OUT of the Panopticon!”
Peering down at the floor on his right, Optimus’s eyes narrowed in concentration. “Not that I’m defending him, but at least it looks like Titan’s trying to angle the battle towards the central auditorium.” Optimus shrugged. “That should at least minimize the damage.”
With one final curse, Alex faced Brainiac v2. “Brainiac, I need you to take over the Panopticon’s damage control systems. Whatever happens, do NOT let the battle compromise our life support.”
“UNDERSTOOD.”
“But before you leave,” Alex added, before the android could move. Holding out his armored hand, the scientist nodded. “I’ll need Specimen 17.”
A small panel slid aside in the android’s side, revealing a small metal box. Withdrawing it and handing it to Alex, Brainiac v2 barely hesitated as he strode out of the room.
As the android vanished into the outer corridor, Alex raised an eyebrow at Optimus.
“Well? Shall we go join the party?”

***************

In the Panopticon’s massive auditorium, the battle was not going well for Titan.
Though he had originally held his own against the leader of the Crime Syndicate, Titan’s younger opponent had gradually begun regaining the advantage. Ultraman swiftly countered every attack the elder man mounted, and now the villain had begun pressing his advantage.
With a booming laugh, Ultraman ducked under Titan’s punch, a sneer creasing his face.
“What’s the matter, old man? Can’t keep up with me?”
Slowly, Titan was driven to the floor beneath a punishing hail of ultra-fast blows. Drops of blood splattered across the floor as a particularly sharp blow from Ultraman opened a gash above Titan’s left eye.
“Hold it, Ultraman!”
Pausing in mid-swing, Ultraman glanced over his shoulder at the speaker.
Entering the room at a run, the overhead lights glinting off his green and purple armor, Luthor’s eyes sparkled with rage.
“Leave him alone!”
Straightening to his full height, the Kryptonian hybrid smiled wickedly as he delivered a kick to the ribs of the prone Titan. “I was wondering when you’d decide to show yourself, Alex.”
“Well, I’m here now,” Luthor snarled. “So leave him alone.”
“But why?” Snapping another kick into Titan’s ribs, Ultraman chuckled. “Titan and I were just STARTING to get reacquainted. After all, our last encounter all those years ago was SO unsatisfying.”
Alex’s grip on the small metal box tightened. “I’m warning you, Ultraman. Back off.”
Ultraman’s eyes widened in disbelief as he turned away from the fallen hero. “You’re warning me, Luthor? YOU are warning ME?”
Alex solemnly nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched with satisfaction as a pair of ghostly-white hands emerged from the floor behind Ultraman, grasping the downed Titan. Almost immediately, the injured man’s body became insubstantial and disappeared into the floor.
Ultraman smiled, cracking his knuckles as another unpleasant chuckle rumbled from within his chest. “I’m going to enjoy this, Luthor.”
“Not half as much as I am,” Alex retorted.
As the lid of the metal box swung open, allowing a crimson light to escape, Ultraman’s scream of agony thundered through the entire complex.
“What’s the matter, Ultraman?” Stepping closer to the violently twitching form of his foe, Luthor’s smile chilled. “After all this time of dancing around one another, you FINALLY have me right in front of you. Right in your very grasp. So why don’t you do something about it?”
Ultraman’s only reply was another gasp of agony. His hands grasped in futility at the floor as he desperately tried to drag himself away from the source of his pain.
“Where do you think YOU’RE going?” Luthor bore down on him relentlessly, the glowing red rock held before him like a talisman. Alex’s booted foot crashed down on Ultraman’s back, pinning him to the floor. With the toe of that same boot, he flipped the tortured villain over onto his back. “We’re not done yet, Kent.”
Gritting his teeth against the pain flooding through his body, Ultraman could only glare in hatred at Alex as the sweat poured off his face. Meeting his enemy’s gaze above the crimson rock, Ultraman wished he had the strength to spit.
“It seems like we’ve been at each other’s throats for ages,” Alex continued in a deceptively soft voice. “I can’t even count the number of times we’ve been at each other’s mercy, only to escape at the last moment.” His eyes hardened. “But all that changes NOW.”
Ultraman’s eyes briefly flickered with uncertainty.
Seeing this, Alex shook his head. “No, Kent. I’m not going to kill you. Despite everything you’ve done over the years- both to me and to the world- I still can’t cross that line. Now, whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I’ll let YOU decide.” Reaching out with his free hand, Alex brutally ripped the metal half spheres off the uniform at Ultraman’s waist and forearms before crushing them into a tiny ball. Coming to his feet, Alex keyed his armor’s communicator as he snapped the lid of the lead box shut.
“All right, Optimus. He’s all yours.”

***************
THE PANOPTICON, SEVERAL HOURS LATER

Sitting at the head of the Crime Syndicate’s meeting table, the rest of the Alliance members spread around its perimeter, Alex’s eyes absently focused on the motto emblazoned in its center- ‘Cui Bono.’
“’Who Profits?’” Alex chuckled to himself. “WE do.”
The door on the far end of the room sliding open interrupted his thought. Stepping into the room, a wide smile on his face, Optimus nodded at Luthor before acknowledging the rest of the group’s expectant gazes.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Optimus announced. “At this time, I’d like to inform you that Ultraman is safely locked away in his own arctic Fortress. Ironically, he’s secured in what used to be MY old cell, guarded heavily by every available Ultrabot. Ultrabots that, I might add, have been freshly reprogrammed by our own Brainiac v2.”
Loud applause rolled around the room, as well as several cheers.
Taking his place on Alex’s right side, Optimus waited for the rejoicing to die off before turning to their leader.
“I thought you said there was Kryptonite in that case,” Optimus said. Jerking a thumb at the metal box holding the crimson glowing rock, his eyes narrowed accusingly. “What the Heaven is THAT?”
“It IS Kryptonite,” Alex replied. “RED Kryptonite.”
Vigilante crossed his arms expectantly. “I take it that you’ll explain this?”
“Knowing kryptonite’s effects on Ultraman, it was only logical to deduce that those POSITIVE effects could also possibly be turned into negative ones,” Alex explained. “By experimenting on a piece of green kryptonite, I changed it on the atomic level, managing to increase its radioactive half-life.”
“And by doing that, you also changed its radioactive wavelength,” Optimus added, a note of grudging admiration in his voice.
“And by changing its radioactive wavelength, I completely altered its predictable effects on Ultraman,” Alex finished. Holding the metal box aloft, he smiled. “And the end result? Red Kryptonite.”
“So, how’d you know what it’d do to him?” D’Allena asked.
“Actually, I had NO idea what it’d do to Ultraman,” Alex admitted.
Both Titan and Optimus paled at the scientist’s words. A breath of air hissed through Blacklight’s teeth in an irritated sigh, and beside him, D’Allena shook her head slowly.
“For all I knew it might have supercharged him, or given him new powers,” Alex continued, pointedly ignoring his fellow heroes’ discomfort. “It might even have killed him outright.”
“And what exactly gave you the right to make that kind of gamble?” Motioning to the remaining heroes, Professor Zoom’s eyes cooled slightly. “Don’t you think the rest of us DESERVED to know what kind of game you were playing?”
“And what made you so certain that you could alter kryptonite in the first place?” Blacklight added.
Facing Zoom, Alex’s face hardened. “My position as team leader GAVE me the right to make that gamble. And I didn’t have enough time to brief everyone.” When no further comment was forthcoming from Professor Zoom, Alex turned to face Hal. “For your information, Hal, ALL kryptonite is artificially made.”
Blacklight’s own eyes widened in surprise.
“That’s right,” Alex continued. Leaning back in his chair, he scratched his chin in thought. “My studies have shown that, under normal circumstances, a Kryptonian receives their power from their red sun. Or rather, the specific solar radiation emitted by a red sun. Once they’re away from that source?” Alex made a waving gesture in the air. “Bye-bye powers.”
With all attention focused on Alex, almost no-one noticed as Brainiac surreptitiously slipped from his place at the back of the room and into the corridor, disappearing into the shadows beyond.
Beside Alex, Optimus’ eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he watched the android leave.
“To prevent this from happening, one of Krypton’s preeminent scientists discovered that, when irradiated, a certain Kryptonian mineral provided an adequate substitute for their powers,” Alex continued. “This radioactive element came to be known as ‘kryptonite.’”
“The green stuff, right?” Vigilante asked.
“Right. The green stuff,” Alex confirmed.
“So what about him?” Professor Zoom asked, jerking his chin towards Optimus.
“Kryptonite weakens me,” Optimus absently replied, his attention still focused elsewhere.
“Optimus gets his powers from our yellow sun,” Alex continued. “Much like the alternate-Earth Superman does.”
As the group continued their discussions, Optimus casually stood up from his chair and swiftly departed the room.
Across the conference room, Titan’s eyes followed Optimus’ every movement.

***************

In the Panopticon’s Central Monitoring room, Brainiac v2 was finishing unplugging himself from the main console when Optimus entered the room.
“GREETINGS, OPTIMUS,” Brainiac v2 said. “I TRUST THAT EVENTS ARE PROCEEDING TO YOUR LIKING?”
The crimson-garbed man nodded. “Very much so.”
“THEN WE MAY BEGIN THE SECOND PHASE?”
Optimus darted a brief, panicky glance around the room. “Careful, you metallic ass! You don’t know who might be listening!”
“I GIVE YOU MY ASSURANCE, OPTIMUS,” Brainiac v2 intoned. “WE ARE QUITE SECURE FROM MONITORING IN THIS LOCATION. I HAVE DEACTIVATED ALL RECORDING DEVICES IN THE VICINITY, AS WELL AS BLANKETED THE ROOM WITH WHITE-NOISE GENERATORS.”
“While I appreciate your efforts, Brainiac, I trust no-one but ME,” Optimus countered. “We have too much riding on this to let it all fall apart by a few overheard words.”
Brainiac nodded. “NOTED.”
“You’ve finished making the alterations, then?” Motioning to the vast computer array, Optimus raised an eyebrow. “Everything’s in place?”
Once again, Brainiac nodded. “AFFERMITIVE.”
“Excellent,” Optimus replied. Pacing towards the monitors, the hero’s eyes glittered. “Then, when everything begins to fall apart on Luthor, the way will be clear for me to step in and do what’s necessary.” As an orbital picture of the Earth flickered into life on the screen, Optimus’ hand reached out, caressing the image.
“I’m going to save the world, Brainiac.” Glancing over his shoulder at the android, Optimus’ face hardened. “Even if I have to kill the Crime Syndicate to do it, I WILL free this world from their tyranny.”

***************

In the meeting room, Alex leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile lifting his face as he watched the last of the Alliance members filing out.
“We did it,” Alex said, a note of disbelief in his voice. “We actually did it.”
“We beat the Crime Syndicate,” D’Allena chimed in.
“And we’ve convinced everyone to act as a group,” Alex added. “Amazing.”
“Everyone?”
The deep, rumbling words snapped Luthor out of his revere. Glancing behind him to the left, his eyes met Titan’s own dark ones.
“What, David?”
“You got EVERYONE to cooperate as a group?” Titan repeated, one eyebrow lifting faintly.
Frowning, his joyful demeanor deteriorating, Luthor thought for a second before nodding.
“Ah.” Titan’s reply, coupled with a fleeting smile, reflected his true idea on the matter.
“Why? Do you know something I don’t?” Alex pressed, leaning towards the elder hero.
Titan’s laugh rumbled like soft thunder. “Alex, I know a LOT that you don’t know. I could fill entire LIBRARIES with what you’re blissfully unaware of.”
“Then why don’t you share?” Alex countered, motioning for him to join them at the table.
Lowering his head slightly, Titan chuckled softly, almost to himself. “Alex, my father had a saying: ‘Knowledge LEARNED is knowledge EARNED.’ If I just simply GAVE you the information you wanted, you’d learn nothing.” Standing up from his seat, David’s intense stare fixed on Alex. “Let’s just hope you’re a quick study. I’d hate for anyone ELSE to die because of you.”
Stalking out of the room, his crimson cape flowing behind him, Titan’s words echoed in Alex’s ears for quite a while.

Alexander Luthor was not a happy man. Neither was the powerfully built man sitting across the table from him. Titan's eyes blazed like caged suns. "We've done things your way now for three months, Alex. And all we've managed to do is find out your methods don't work! They are antiquated, archaic relics of a bygone era! They don't even belong in this UNIVERSE! What's the use of holding ourselves accountable to rules that your opponents don't recognize?" Alex's own temper flared. "I thought that if ANYONE would understand my viewpoint, it'd be YOU, Titan!" "I DO understand your viewpoint!" Titan's shout echoed through the room, causing several of the Alliance members to cover their ears against the noise. "The Justice Legion had those same ideals, Alex, and those ideals got them all killed!" Taking a deep
breath, the elder hero forced himself to calm down. "I'm the only family my daughter has left, Alex, and I'll be DAMNED if I let something as outmoded as `fairness' or `justice' deprive her of me." Looking around the room at the other heroes, Blacklight nodded. "We're ALL pretty tired of playing by the rules, Alex. It's time-" Alex slashed his hand through the air, cutting off Blacklight in mid-sentence. "I will NOT authorize killing our opponents! Nor will I sanction killing Ultraman!" "And I don't recall ASKING you for permission," Titan snarled, rising from his seat and taking a menacing step towards Alex. The movement was barely started when the massive elder hero collided with an equally massive, crimson-clad figure. "Back off, Titan," Optimus whispered, a humorless grin etched on his lips. "RIGHT now."
"Or?" Titan countered defiantly. "Or that last beating Ultraman gave you will PALE in comparison to the one I'll give you." With the grin still in place, Optimus cocked an eyebrow. "Guys, come ON," Shiva pleaded, shaking her head. "Not AGAIN." "No, Honey," Vigilante interrupted, placing a hand on her
arm. "Let them get it out of their systems." Beside Vigilante, Reverse-Quick watched the scene unfold, a
smile creasing his face. "You can't SERIOUSLY expect to see noticeable results in only three months," Alex retorted, raising his voice to be heard over the rest of them. "I told you that it would take time…"
"And time is what we DON'T have a great supply of," Titan retorted, cutting off the scientist. Pointing a finger in the general direction of Earth, David leaned over the table. "The longer we have to keep this charade up, the more chance of us being discovered." Casting his gaze around the table, his eyes narrowed meaningfully. "And who here has NOT noticed the Martian Manslayer popping up more and more often?" Slowly, as a whole, the assembled heroes' faces grew troubled. "Coincidence," Alex snapped. "Nothing more." "Coincidence? Or suspicion?" Turning his gaze towards Vigilante, Titan shook his head. "You should have killed that mob underling when you found him skimming the profits from that Gotham casino so blatantly." "Well I DID break his jaw," Vigilante protested. "OWLMAN would have killed him," Titan countered. "And YOU were posing as Owlman. It's mistakes like that which threaten our plan." Vigilante's face reddened. "I will NOT kill unless absolutely necessary!" The corner of Titan's mouth twitched upward into a smirk. "Luckily not everyone has such scruples." Across the table, R-Quick's eyes flashed in anger. "That was an accident, Titan!" Titan answered Reverse-Quick's anger with a smile. "Perhaps. But regardless of that…" "Don't you DARE say that Barry Allen's death was a good
thing," D'Allena cried out, coming to her feet. "I'm saying that it served a purpose," Titan replied unflinchingly. D'Allena's mouth dropped open in horror. "How?" "It gave the impression that he really WAS Johnny Quick," Blacklight added in a low voice. Titan nodded. "Precisely." Leaning closer to her lover, Shiva's eyes grew troubled. "R-Quick killed someone?" Vigilante nodded. "Barry Allen," he whispered. "A corrupt cop from Central City." "What happened?" "He developed a new form of Speed4S lately," Vigilante continued in a hushed voice, his eyes never leaving the heated debate raging across the table. "It's called Static-X. It's not quite as powerful as Speed4S, but it's also not quite as addictive. Calling himself `Chained Lightning, he decided to try and carve out a power-base for himself in Central City. He also challenged Johnny Quick- or Reverse-Quick, actually- to a fight." Dropping his voice even lower, Vigilante's eyes flickered towards R-Quick. "They fought for hours. Finally, Allen was about to run through a crowded mall when R-Quick caught up to him. R-Quick wrapped his arm around Allen's neck and tried to stop him by quickly slowing down." Shiva's eyes involuntarily darted to R-Quick. "Barry's neck snapped," Vigilante finished.

THE PHANTOM ZONE
"He's coming around for another pass!" The words were scarcely out of Superwoman's mouth when the ship violently shuddered beneath several heavy impacts. Across the cabin, sparks and billowing smoke erupted from a control panel, adding an acrid stench of burning insulation to the air. Through the forward viewscreen, the Amazon warrior caught sight of the smaller ship darting past, its main guns blazing. "What'd we just lose?" Owlman bit out, his fingers dancing across the ship's flight controls, sending the ship through several gut-wrenching turns. "Starboard shield generator," Johnny Quick answered, reading the flickering monitor. "Port and aft generators are compensating. Shields are down by five percent." "I've got a missile lock!" Superwoman shouted triumphantly. Without hesitation, she fired. Glancing up at the screen, Owlman smiled coldly as the smaller ship rocked violently under their assault. In a spectacular
display, one of the enemy ship's engines consumed itself in a fireball. Trailing smoke and debris, the crippled ship began to drift, its interior lights flickering. Nodding to himself, Owlman slid over to another console. As his hands moved across the controls, his eyes narrowed. "Sensors show one lifeform aboard that ship. VERY powerful life-signs. It almost looks…" Owlman's voice died off abruptly. Her brow dipping in irritation, Superwoman turned to her teammate. "Looks like WHAT?" she sighed impatiently.
Owlman slowly sat back in his chair. "Kryptonian." "Kryptonian?" Superwoman's hushed whisper cut through the cabin's silence like a knife. "That's what this says," Owlman confirmed. Tapping another series of commands into the sensors, the vigilante's eyes swiftly read over the results. "With only a few notable differences, the baseline DNA reads as Kryptonian. Or at least DAMN close to it." "Differences?" Sliding over to him, Superwoman gazed over his shoulder. "Like what?" "Here and here," Owlman replied, tracing over several portions of the readout. "Other than that, the readings are all within two to three percent of Kryptonian norms." "What do you think it means?" Superwoman asked, her own fingers dancing across the controls. Outside the massive Martian ship, the smaller craft was enveloped in a blue shimmer, slowly drawing it into one of the Martian ship's cavernous docking bays. "I don't know," Owlman said quietly. Superwoman's eyes shifted to Owlman, narrowing in suspicion. She'd worked with him for long enough to know he was lying. Forcing herself to nod in understanding, she turned back to her screen. "Well, we'll know soon enough. The ship's secured in Bay 13, security protocols are in place."
"Right," Owlman grunted. Rising to his feet, he glanced at Johnny as he and Superwoman left the room. "Keep an eye on the sensors, Johnny. Anything larger than a fart comes towards us, don't bother to wait for my order. Take us IMMEDIATELY to the hideaway." Striding down the corridor, their footfalls echoing ahead of them, Owlman unholstered his sidearm. "Same drill as before," Thomas said, almost absently. Checking his weapon, he slowed as they neared the entryway to the hangar. Superwoman merely nodded, her mind fixed on Owlman's words spoken a few moments ago: `It almost looks… Kryptonian.' With a hiss of hydraulics, the massive doors slid open. Peering into the shadowed room, Owlman grunted softly. "What I wouldn't give for my night-vision goggles right about now." >Or me my medallion, < Superwoman thought to herself ruefully. Slowly entering the room, Owlman began to turn to his companion when he suddenly spun in place, firing into the left-hand corner of the room. In the harsh strobe of the blast, Superwoman caught a brief, distant glimpse of a tall, dark-haired man clutching his right shoulder. Owlman smiled coldly. "That was just a small sample of my capabilities, stranger. Step out into the light." Silence filled the room. Owlman's brow dipped in irritation. "When I talk to you, I expect an answer. And when I TELL you to do something, you'd better damn well do it!" Slowly, the stranger moved out of the shadows. Owlman nodded. "Good. Now, I suggest you tell us who you are and what you're doing off of Krypton." "I'm NOT from Krypton." Despite the pain he was obviously suffering, the man's eyes glittered defiantly as he returned Owlman's stare. "I'm from Daxam." As Owlman's own eyes sparkled at the name, Superwoman recoiled in shock. "My name's Arl Gand."

"Three months." Glancing up from his newspaper, Optimus frowned briefly. "You say something, Alex?"
On the far end of the conference table, staring into the shadowed corner, Alexander Luthor's frown deepened. "Three months." Optimus set his paper down with a tiny sigh. "What about it?" Pivoting his chair around to face Ultraman's doppelganger, Alex tapped his fingertip on the tabletop. "I had EVERYTHING meticulously planned out- timetables, strategies, food allocation programs, urban renewal blueprints, political reforms! Everything set to a three-year timetable…" His voice dying off, the scientist
snorted derisively. "And it took exactly three MONTHS for it to all get flushed down the sewer." "C'mon, Alex," Optimus said. "With a plan this big, you've got to expect at least SOME setbacks." "Setbacks?" Alex repeated incredulously. "SETBACKS? In order to experience a setback, Optimus, you have to make PROGRESS first! Show me where this group's made any progress at all!" Sweeping a hand at the wall, Alex laughed bitterly. "I've got Vigilante and Shiva ready to go back to Gotham and HELP Commissioner Wayne secede Gotham City from the country, Blacklight's so paranoid about losing control that he's recharging his ring every few hours or so, Reverse-Quick is so depressed over killing Barry Allen that he's almost ready to turn himself over to the Police, Titan wants me dead…" Alex's eyebrow rose. "Want me to continue?" "I see your point," Optimus said, shrugging. "But that still doesn't change things- at the heart of it, your plan is GOOD. It's just the execution that needs a little work." As Alex opened his mouth to question the crimson-garbed man further, an insistent chiming sounded from the console beside him.
Thumbing a switch, Brainiac's face filled the far viewscreen. "What is it, Brainiac?" "I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE, ALEXANDER LUTHOR." Brainiac's hollow, monotone words echoed eerily through the room. "What is it, Brainiac?" Alex asked calmly. "SENSORS HAVE DETECTED A MINOR FLUCTUATION IN THE ENERGY READINGS OF THE FORCEFIELDS IMPRISONING ULTRAMAN." Alex's mouth tightened in irritation. "ANOTHER fluctuation?" Brainiac nodded. Rising to his feet, Alex rubbed a hand across his face tiredly. "All right. I'll check it out." The screen went dark.
"Before you go, I want you to think about this," Optimus called as Alex neared the door. As the scientist turned back, Optimus' eyes turned thoughtful. "As much as Titan may hate you, he hates HIMSELF all the more." "What're you talking about?" Alex sighed. "Titan," Optimus repeated. "He may hate you for finding him, he may hate Ultraman for killing his family, but that all pales in comparison with how much he hates HIMSELF." "What makes you say that?" Optimus pointed vaguely into the distance. "Because HE'S the one who agreed to going with you. HE'S the one who feels as though he abandoned his family. And no matter what he does, that's a feeling that's not likely to fade any time soon."

"Look at all this stuff!" Stifling an irritated sigh, Titan turned from his work and glanced over to his companion. "What is it now, Blacklight?" Eyes alight with glee, Hal motioned to their surroundings. "All this stuff! Have you ever seen things like this before?" Quelling yet another exasperated sigh, Titan nodded. "As a matter of fact I-" "What do you think this does?" Hal interrupted, absorbed in his own world. Reaching out a hand towards a particularly complex looking device, he was about to touch it when a hand closed around his wrist painfully. "Do you WANT to die?" Titan hissed angrily. Hal's eyes widened in fear as he looked to the machine. "It's THAT dangerous?" "As a matter of fact, yes!" Titan's hand clenched faintly, bringing a gasp of pain from Blacklight. "Hal, while I appreciate your offer of help in cataloging all of Ultraman's equipment, I will throw you out of this place myself if you don't keep your hands to yourself!" With one final stern glare, Titan released Blacklight's wrist and turned back to his work. Just as he began to pick up where he left off, though, another awed gasp interrupted him. "What is THAT?" Blacklight asked. His rage mounting, Titan whirled around to face Blacklight, a scathing rebuke forming on his lips. As he caught sight of the latest focus of Hal's attention, however, the words died on his lips. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, the elder hero slowly turned away. "That's a portal into Hypertime." "And how do you know that?" "Because it's mine," Titan whispered.

THE PHANTOM ZONE
Sitting patiently in his chair, Arl Gand's eyes ranged over the ship's controls as Owlman and Superwoman conversed quietly in the corner of the cabin. Nearby, Johnny Quick stared intently at their captive, the barrel of his weapon pointed unwaveringly at Arl's chest. "What's YOUR take on this?" Owlman whispered. Superwoman shook her head. "I don't know. He COULD be from Daxam, but without proper DNA samples to compare with…?" She shook her head, her black mane of hair cascading around her face. "I don't know." Scratching at his stubbled chin, Owlman's eyes turned distant. "Ultraman managed to gather partial records of Daxamite energy readings from that fiasco we had with them a while ago. But there's one thing MORE pressing for us to answer, though: what's he doing in the Phantom Zone?" "I was exiled." Both Syndicate members' eyes snapped open in surprise at the new voice. Looking across the cabin, Owlman glared. "What did you say?" "You were wondering what I was doing in the… `Phantom Zone,' you call it?" Arl shrugged. "I was exiled here." Seeing the puzzled look on Superwoman's face, Arl smiled. "It's a small cabin, and you weren't talking as softly as you thought you were." Slowly, Owlman nodded. "All right, then. That settles HOW you got here. Now WHY were you exiled?" Returning his gaze to the controls, Arl shrugged. "Made the wrong kind of enemies, slept with the wrong woman, trusted the wrong people." Another shrug. "Take your pick." "This is getting us nowhere," Johnny Quick snorted derisively. "I say we toss him out the airlock. Let the Zone have him back." Arl's face turned thoughtful, as if he were considering Johnny's words. "Yeah, you could do that." A shark's smile slowly crept across his face. "But if you do that, you'll NEVER get out of the Zone." Superwoman took an eager step forward. "You know how to get out of the Zone?" Arl nodded slowly. "But I take it that this information comes with a price?" Owlman asked, folding his arms across his chest expectantly. Once more, Arl nodded. "And that price is…?" Arl leaned back in the chair. "You take me with you." "Done."
Both Superwoman and Johnny Quick shot surprised glances towards Owlman. As the Amazon was about to speak up, the Terror of Gotham made a silencing gesture at her. "What do you need in order for us to escape this dimension?" Raising an eyebrow, Owlman waited patiently. "This ship is capable of interstellar travel, correct? And its power core is fully functional?" At Owlman's nod of assent, Arl continued. "Then that's all we need." "How so?" "Like any other dimensional plane, there are places in the
Zone where the dimensional walls are weakened," Arl explained. "The problem though is that these `bridges' are EXTREMELY volatile: energy discharges, special currents, the works. Most ships are torn apart before they've even come close to the rips, let alone make the transition between dimensions. THIS ship, however, can probably make it. We can use this ship's power core to reinforce the shields while we take shelter in MY ship. Then, should this ship begin to break up, we finish the transition in my ship." Long moments passed as Owlman mulled over Arl's plan. Finally, the vigilante nodded. "Agreed."

ULTRAMAN'S ARCTIC FORTRESS
>ANOTHER power surge, < Alex thought to himself. >This makes how many in the past three months? Five? Seven? And then, not ONLY do I have to try and find the source of the problem, but to ALSO have to put up with Ultraman's continuous tirades? < Shaking his head ruefully, the scientist sighed. >Next time I bring earplugs. < As Alex stepped out of the elevator and into the lower depths of the complex, the sight that greeted him sent a brief jolt of surprise through him, stealing the words from his mouth. There, reclined nonchalantly on the couch in the cell, casually dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, Ultraman calmly sat. Reading. "Well, well, well," Ultraman chuckled, marking his place in the book as he closed it. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this little visit, Alex?" "Ultraman… I… You…" Seeing the flustered condition of his captor, Ultraman placed the book on the couch and stood up, pacing over to the forcefield. "You know, Luthor, you're usually more well-spoken than this. Something wrong?" Snapping his fingers, Ultraman's face lit with understanding. "Ah, I get it. You expected me to be pacing the cell, ranting and raving and promising vengeance the whole time, right?" Shaking his head, Ultraman returned to the couch, picking up his book once more. "I don't think so." "Might I ask why the change of heart?" Alex inquired. The Kryptonian-hybrid shrugged. "I guess I'm just not in the mood." Clasping his hands behind his head, a slow smile spread across Ultraman's face as he chuckled, a wicked gleam in his eye. "Things going badly at the clubhouse?" Alex blinked several times in puzzlement. "What makes you say
that?" "Because you seem awfully distracted, Luthor," Ultraman replied. "I'm just curious as to why. Near as I can figure, things are probably beginning to fall apart between you and your group of heroes." "Please," Alex scoffed. "The day that we COULDN'T pose as a bunch of blood-thirsty, greedy…" "You think it's EASY being us?" Cutting off the scientist, Ultraman sprang to his feet. Motioning to the outside world, the villain shook his head. "Why don't you ask the rest of your group how EASY it is filling in for the Crime Syndicate? See what they say." As the scientist opened his mouth for a retort, he realized suddenly that he had no idea what to say. Turning his head away, Alex fumed silently. "While I've got your attention, Alex, tell me something," Ultraman sneered, a twisted grin on his face. "You bangin' that sweet little piece of white Martian booty? And if you are, do you have her shape-shift into Lana while you're doing it?" Alex fled the room, his eyes smoldering with hatred.

STAR CITY
The insistent beeping of the communicator drew Black Arrow's attention from his work. With a frustrated sigh, he thumbed the viewscreen on without looking. "Yeah? What is it?" "Greetings, Black Arrow," a deep, smooth voice said. Recognition of the voice dawned in the archer's as his eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you want, Martian?" J'onn's smile never wavered. "I have news concerning the
Crime Syndicate that you might like." "And what could you know that might be of interest to ME?"
With a wave of his hand and a derisive snort, Black Arrow began to turn away, puffing on his cigar. "Don't ever bother me again, Martian, or I'll napalm your ass back to Mars." "Those AREN'T the real Syndicate members," J'onn replied nonchalantly. Arrow's finger froze millimeters above the cutoff switch. The Martian chuckled. "THAT got your attention, didn't it?" Slowly exhaling a lungful of smoke, the archer's eyebrow rose fractionally. "You have proof of this?" The green Martian nodded, his eyes unblinking. "You have three minutes," Black Arrow said. "Make them good."

Switching off the communicator, Black Arrow's eyes narrowed as he mulled over the information the Martian Manslayer had provided him. A steady wisp of smoke curled up from his cigar as he absently puffed on it. Pulling on a sheer negligee, White Canary strolled into the room. "You coming to bed, Baby?" Rubbing her hand suggestively on his chest, the blonde bombshell pursed her lips into a seductive
pout. "Or are you going to make me start without you?" Snapping out of his revere, Black Arrow smiled. "Would I do that to you?" Nodding at the viewscreen, White Canary tilted her head. "Who was that?"
"J'onn." Canary's brow dipped in irritation. "Manslayer? What the Heaven did he want?" "To let me know that opportunity's knocking," the archer replied, drawing her into his arms. "And I intend to answer the door."

ULTRAMAN'S ARCTIC FORTRESS
With a sigh, Ultraman smiled, closing the book. "You can come out of the shadows, old man," the villain announced. Stepping into the light, Titan glowered at the captive Syndicate member. "I figured it was only a matter of time before you showed up here, Titan." Tossing the book onto the floor, Ultraman stood
up. "Actually, I figured Optimus would have beaten you here; he DOES love to gloat." He shrugged faintly. "Maybe he and I aren't so different after all?" "You are NEVER going to leave here, Ultraman."
The Kryptonian-hybrid barked a harsh laugh. "So he DOES speak!" He shook his head in mock sadness. "You should NEVER have come out of retirement, Titan. I've been waiting for years to get my hands on you again." Titan leaned towards the forcefield separating the two men. "This from the man in the cage?"
"Things change," Ultraman growled. "You'd be surprised at how fast the tables can turn. As long as I'm alive-" Titan's laugh cut off the villain's tirade. "The ONLY reason you're still alive, Ultraman, is because Alex wants it like that." Shrugging, Titan looked away. "If it were up to me, you'd be dead already." Ultraman leaned against the wall of his cell. "Really?" Titan nodded. "Well hooray for Alex," Ultraman said sarcastically. "He always WAS too sentimental. Speaking of that, though…" Leaning closer to the crackling energy field, Ultraman's eyes sparkled evilly. "Hey, Titan," Ultraman chuckled. "How's the family?" Ultraman's mocking laughter followed Titan as he stormed out of the fortress.

CENTROPOLIS, ULTRAMAN'S FLYING FORTRESS
With a deep sigh, Optimus sat back from the computer screen, idly pushing back the keyboard. "It's done." Beside him, Brainiac observed him with cold, glowing red eyes. "MAY I INQUIRE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU HAVE COMPLETED?" "I just copied the last of Ultraman's files over to MY computer system," Optimus replied. His eyebrow rose. "Speaking of which, how's the material and equipment transfer going?" "I HAVE TASKED FOUR ULTRABOTS TO CARRY OUT YOUR REQUEST," Brainiac informed him. "THEY WILL BE FINISHED WITH THE TRANSFER WITHIN THE SPECIFIED TIME-FRAME. ALL MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT WILL BE INSTALLED IN YOUR MOUNTAIN HEADQUARTERS TO YOUR SPECIFICATIONS." Optimus nodded. "Good."
"Will SOMEONE please be kind enough to tell me what I'm doing here?" Stepping into the shadowed room, Mordru folded his arms across his chest. "Or must I guess?" Standing up from his chair, a slight smile played across Optimus' mouth. "Welcome, Mordru. I was hoping you'd come." The sorcerer shrugged. "So, WHY have I come?" "Years ago, you and Alexander Luthor played equal roles in my
creation," Optimus said. Smiling genuinely, the massive hero spread his hands. "I was hoping you might be willing to reprise that role once more." Mordru's eyes narrowed in thought. "And what does Luthor
have to say about this?" Waving his hand, the sorcerer chuckled lightly. "I thought that HE was the one running things around here." "He IS," Optimus hastily confirmed. "This, though, is a little… side project I'm working on." Stepping forward, Ultraman's doppelganger lowered his voice, gently placing a hand on Mordru's shoulder. "I NEED your help, Mordru. Without you, I have absolutely NO hope of success." Long moments passed as the wizard considered Optimus' words. Finally, he nodded faintly. "Very well. But on one condition." Optimus nodded. "Anything." "You must tell me EXACTLY what you need my assistance for," Mordru replied. "Hold NOTHING back. If I sense any deception on your part, I will leave." Optimus smiled. "No problem."

DEEP-SPACE
"I don't EVER want to go through that again!" Owlman's bellow of outrage rang through the room like a thunderclap. Picking himself up off the floor, the vigilante's lip curled up in disgust as he examined the mess surrounding the group. "Man, I think I barfed up stuff I haven't even eaten," Johnny Quick moaned, clutching his stomach. "All I want to know is who the Heaven landed on my head!" Flailing around blindly, his hands slapping against the ebon sphere encasing his head, Power Ring shook his fist at nothing. "I swear, if I EVER find out who-" "Oh be quiet!" Owlman shouted. "I am so SICK of hearing you-" "Everybody- SHUT UP!!" Pointing eagerly at the viewscreen, a joyous expression stole onto Superwoman's face. "Look!" All eyes turned where she pointed. "Stars," Owlman breathed. Meeting Superwoman's eyes, Thomas' own glittered with barely suppressed anticipation. "We're back!" "Was there ever any doubt?" Arl scoffed. Scanning over the various monitors, the Daxamite nodded faintly. "Structural integrity is holding, all systems are in the green." Slowly turning to face Owlman, Arl's face hardened. "Remember our deal, Thomas: I'll help you get rid of your enemies in exchange for this ship."
Owlman nodded. "Agreed." Striding towards the door, Arl glanced over his shoulder. "I'll let you set course for your homeworld. If I'm to be of any use to you, I need to go prepare a dose of lead serum."
His fingers flying over the controls, Owlman merely grunted. As the door closed, Superwoman moved up beside the vigilante. "I don't trust him, Thomas," she whispered. "Once he's got that lead serum flowing through his system, he'll be on a power level equal with Ultraman. What's to say he won't turn on us?"
Owlman shrugged, his eyes never leaving the controls. "OnceI've got my gear back, he WON'T be any problem to get rid of, should the need arise." He flashed her a smile. "Besides, considering the odds against us, who's to say he'll even LIVE through the coming battle?" "So what's our next step?" Johnny asked, moving up next to Thomas. "First thing's first," Owlman replied. "As soon as Arl returns, we set course for Earth. Once we've arrived, we go to one of my hidden lairs and get you juiced up." Seeing Johnny about to object, Thomas shook his head. "Don't worry. I can make a temporary adjustment to your inner-ear to prevent any complications. Once you're back up to speed, you get your helmet and Superwoman's medallion back." Johnny's eyes widened. "But that'd mean going into the Panopticon by myself. How am I supposed to fight off all those bastards at once?" Owlman turned a stern gaze on the younger man. "You DON'T fight, Johnny. You get sneaky." Johnny shook his head. "But I-" "Listen to me," Owlman hissed menacingly. "When you're juiced-up, you're the fastest thing on the planet. Nobody sees you unless you WANT to be seen. Understand?" Tapping him on the chest with a finger, Thomas smiled coldly. "You've just got to start using your powers smarter, that's all." "Fast as I might be, that still won't keep R-Quick off my back," Johnny countered. "And THAT'S where our little Daxamite comes into play," Owlman replied. "We send him into the fight ahead of us, let him draw the big players after him, then we follow." He shrugged. "If he dies, fine. If he lives, he'll be weak enough for us to finish him off afterwards."

ULTRAMAN'S ARCTIC FORTRESS
Reclining on his couch, Ultraman hummed softly to himself as he turned the page of his book. Periodically, with a slight frown, the imprisoned villain would cast a suspicious eye at the room beyond his cell where two Ultrabots monitored him. Finally, closing the book once more, Ultraman glared at the area outside the forcefield. "All right, you can come on out now." Ghost-like, an emerald wraith rose from beneath the stone floor. J'onn J'onzz smiled. "Greetings, Ultraman." No sooner had the words left the Martian's mouth when the twin android sentinels leapt for him. "INTRUDER ALERT!" "SUBDUE / INCAPACITATE PROGRAM ON-LINE AND- >SQUAARK<" The Ultrabot sentinels both dropped to the floor in a loud crash of metal at a harshly barked command from Ultraman. Twitching spasmodically, the robots spat sparks across the floor as their command programs shorted them out. Ultraman's face twisted into a grimace of loathing. "Manslayer," he spat. The green Martian rapidly looked from the Ultrabots to the imprisoned Ultraman and back again. "I-I don't understand…?" "Did you think I wouldn't take into account the possibility of someone imprisoning me in my own prison?" Ultraman's voice bordered on incredulous. "I could have been free within an hour of Luthor and the others first putting me here if I'd chosen to! Being rescued by YOU was the LAST thing I needed!" Manslayer's face paled. "But how-" "Luthor used MY OWN security systems to hold me here," Ultraman rumbled. "Systems that I installed to hold Optimus. The only thing extra he added was those two Ultrabots. Their destruction, by
the way, will undoubtedly have set off who knows how many alarms in the Panopticon, thank-you-very-much." Ultraman's words dripped with disgust as he folded his arms across his massive chest. "So how were you planning on getting out of the forcefield?" Ultraman smiled. "Look behind you." As the green Martian slowly turned, a low growling filled the air. Standing behind J'onn, its lips pulled back in a snarl, Neutro stared intently at the Martian. J'onn's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "If you could have been freed at any time, then why didn't you?" "I have my reasons," Ultraman replied brusquely. Glancing back at the small pile of books scattered across the floor he nodded to himself. "But I've learned everything I need to know. Following the villain's gaze, J'onn's puzzled expression grew as he read the titles. "Since when have you been interested in politics?" Ultraman merely smiled.

THE PANOPTICON
>Even as intelligent as I am, it's nice to know that even I can still be in awe! < Wiping a grease-covered hand across his forehead and gusting a frustrated sigh, Alexander Luthor still couldn't help but smile to
himself as he plunged back up to his elbows into the chest of the prone android. Peering deeply into the machine, the scientist marveled at the complexity of the circuitry. >An android with the powers of the ENTIRE Crime Syndicate! Ivar was a genius, < Alex mused. >Pity the Syndicate killed him. What we couldn't have learned from that man… < The door behind Alex swished open as Titan strode into the
room, mouth open to speak, only to jerk to a stop as he witnessed what Alex was working on. "What are you doing?" Titan bellowed, rushing across the room. Grabbing Alex by the back of his collar, the hero yanked the scientist back, eliciting a surprised yelp from him. Swinging back and forth, suspended from Titan's hand, Alex scowled fiercely. "What I WAS doing before being so rudely interrupted was trying to fix Ultima by re-activating his self-repair mode." Jerking his head towards the partially disassembled android, Alex's frown deepened. "NOT that it's any business of yours." Titan took a deep, patient breath. As he was about to begin questioning Alex's sanity, a thought occurred to him. "Ultima," he murmured. "HE'S your contingency plan, right?" Alex nodded. Lowering the scientist back to the floor, Titan shook his head in disbelief. "You know, I knew you had a plan in case the Alliance members went bad, but THIS?" Pointing at the deactivated android, David's face twisted with mounting fury. "Since you've
apparently gone off the deep-end, why stop at just Ultima? Why not just dig up Armageddon while you're at it?" Alex recoiled from the name, as if he'd been slapped. "Hell below, Titan. I must admit my methods can sometimes be… questionable. But THAT? Revive Armageddon? Do you REALLY think me that crazy?" The blaring of an alarm cut off Titan's reply. Shooting Alex a final glare, Titan strode over to the nearby console. As he read the screen, his face hardened. "What is it?" Alex asked, moving up beside the muscular hero. "Ultraman's escaped," Titan replied softly.

ULTRAMAN'S ARCTIC FORTRESS
Tucking the edges of his cape into the collar of his uniform, Ultraman checked to make certain the tiny samples of kryptonite were secured in their metal half-spheres. With a contented sigh, the villain smiled as he felt his full powers beginning to return to him. "I feel better already." Taking a step forward, Manslayer smiled easily. "I'm glad to hear-." The Martian's words were quickly silenced by a vicious
snarling. Seated between Ultraman and Manslayer, its eyes never leaving the green Martian, Neutro bared his teeth in a warning growl. "I'd stand still if I were you, J'Onn," Ultraman chuckled, casting a brief glance across the room. "As you can see, Neutro is rather protective of me. Make any sudden movements, and he'll more than likely rip your throat out." Manslayer slowly edged back a step, his own eyes fixed on the guard-dog. "Shouldn't we get out of here, Ultraman? I'd imagine that Alex and his bunch will be along soon." Ultraman smiled cruelly. "Not just yet. I still have a few loose ends to tie up here first."

THE PANOPTICON
Sprinting into the control room, Alex immediately headed for the console, moving up beside Reverse-Quick. "What's the situation?" His hands a blur across various consoles around the room, R-Quick shook his head in puzzlement. "Ultraman's free, but I can't find out HOW he got free." "And the Ultrabot sentries outside his cell?" Optimus asked, entering the room. "Apparently off-line," Alex muttered, his brow creasing in displeasure. "Blacklight was nearby, so he's headed in to check things out," R-Quick added. "He should be able to at least delay Ultraman long enough for the rest of us to get down there."
Luthor nodded, chewing on the tip of his thumb. "All right. You, Optimus and I will link up with Blacklight. Call Vigilante to take over monitor duty, and have Valkyra put on stand-by." As Luthor spoke the words, R-Quick's fingers were already dancing over the controls. Spinning around, his steel-shod feet ringing across the floor, Luthor's face grew grim. "And whatever you do, do NOT let Titan find out Ultraman's loose."

ULTRAMAN'S ARCTIC FORTRESS
Arriving at the snow-covered landing, Blacklight intently examined the surroundings, his every sense alert. Sweeping the area with his ring, he relaxed fractionally as the ring informed him Ultraman was still in the depths of the fortress. "Hal," a tiny voice crackled from his earpiece. "Stay where you are. Reinforcements are on the way to you. Do NOT engage Ultraman on your own." "Understood, Alex," Hal replied, relaxing even more. Blacklight's words hadn't even faded in the air when the ground before him erupted in a shower of stone, dirt and snow. Like a creature from the depths of Hades, Ultraman's eyes blazed crimson as his hand swiftly closed around Blacklight's fist. "You must be Hal Jordan," Ultraman chuckled cruelly. "Pleased to meet you." Blacklight desperately tried to blast the villain with his ring, only to find the weapon unresponsive. Ultraman's eyes glittered. "Something the matter?" "My… ring," Hal grunted, sweat trickling down his forehead as he redoubled his efforts. "Not… responding." "You see, that's the problem with having a weapon controlled by willpower," Ultraman sneered, tightening his hand around Blacklight's own fist. "But when someone else comes along with GREATER will power…?" Hal's eyes widened in terror as small tendrils of blue energy coalesced around Ultraman's hand, gradually growing in size and strength until they finally solidified into a deep-blue ring resting on the Syndicate leader's finger. "…you're kind of out of luck," Ultraman finished.

THE PANOPTICON
Silence filled the Panopticon's teleportation chamber as Alex nervously paced. Against the far wall, Optimus stared at the ceiling, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Periodically, Alex glanced over
to him, a questioning look on his face. Slowly, without looking away, Optimus shook his head. "It's
not going well. Blacklight's down, and… the Martian Manslayer's standing beside Ultraman. Wait," he added, narrowing his eyes further. "Manslayer just left." As the room's door opened, a golden blur rushed
in. "Valkyra's on her way," R-Quick said, entering the teleport tube. "She'll be here in about five minutes." Alex nodded grudgingly, entering his own tube. "Is that the best she said she could do?" "Hey Alex," Optimus chided. "Relax. What can happen in five minutes?" As the trio faded into a sparkling column of energy, unseen by all a warning light began flashing on the main control console of the Monitor Room. On the colossal viewscreen, a massive, disk-shaped ship smoothly entered onto orbit on the far side of the moon before fading from view.

Aboard the Martian ship, Owlman smiled in satisfaction as he examined the readouts scrolling across his computer screen. "Perfect." "What's perfect?" Superwoman asked. "My sensors just caught the activation of three teleport tubes," Thomas explained. "And, according to my readings, the Panopticon is empty."
"So let's get down there," she urged, turning to leave. Without looking, Owlman shot his hand out behind him, grabbing her arm. He could feel the muscles tense beneath her skin at his halting her. "We do this MY way, Superwoman," Owlman said evenly. "And we take NOTHING for granted." "So what DO we do?" "Alex probably has another member of his group on the way up to the Panopticon to man the monitor station. That means we have only a few minutes to get down there." Superwoman's eyebrow rose slightly. "So let's stop WASTING time and get going."

Stepping out of the airlock, Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick and Arl Gand paused a moment.
"We're home," Superwoman sighed, a smile on her lips. "And now to see if there's any more unwanted visitors," Owlman added, moving towards an access panel. Arl sighed in exasperation. "I already TOLD you no-one is here, Owlman. The place is empty." "With all the shielding in here?" Owlman snorted in
reply. "There's NO way you could have seen everywhere." Arl's face darkened in anger, but he remained silent. After examining several readings from the control panel, Owlman nodded to himself before turning to Johnny Quick. Holding a syringe up in front of Johnny's eyes, Owlman stared evenly at the man. "Remember, Johnny," he softly cautioned. "This isn't PURE Speed4S. It'll only give you about two minutes of super-speed." The vigilante smiled. "But two minutes for you is MORE than enough time."
Swiftly stabbing the needle into Johnny's arm, Owlman smoothly depressed the plunger. Almost instantly, Johnny Quick's eyes lit up like a child's. "OhyeahmanthisiswhatIneededallright!" Dancing at almost invisible speed, Johnny Quick smiled triumphantly. "WatchoutworldJohnnyQuickisbackinthegame!"
"Johnny," Owlman said. "Remember- Superwoman's amulet, your speed juice and helmet. IN-THAT-ORDER." Johnny Quick vanished in a red blur. "What now?" Arl asked. Glancing at his watch, Owlman shrugged. "We wait and hope that Johnny can get all the stuff before company comes calling."

OUTSIDE ULTRAMAN'S ARCTIC FORTRESS
Stretching, Ultraman smiled as he glanced at the cobalt-blue ring adorning his finger. >Amazing how much power this tiny little thing can contain, < he mused. >Should've gotten ahold of one of these a long time ago! < Ultraman's train of thought was interrupted by a warning tingle from the ring. The villain suddenly stiffened in anticipation, looking into the distance. >They're here. < Across the plateau, in the distance, the cold air began to shimmer in the sunlight, quickly forming into Alex and his companions. Casting a swift eye around them, Alex motioned to Optimus and R-Quick. "All right, I want-" Alex's words were drowned out by several blue beams of energy tearing into the ground, throwing massive amounts of snow, ice, dirt and rock into the air. The shock of the impact threw the surprised scientist to the ground hard, momentarily stunning him. Shaking his head to clear it, Alex witnessed Optimus vanish in a blur of ultra-speed as he launched his own counterattack. Bending down beside Alex, R-Quick helped the scientist to his feet. "What in Heaven's name was THAT?" Alex asked the speedster. "Looked like an energy attack from Blacklight," R-Quick answered reluctantly. "But I don't see how that could be-"
Accompanied by a thunderclap which deafened them, the ground shook once more, throwing both men sprawling onto their backs. Biting out a short curse, R-Quick sprang to his feet once more. Alex, climbing to his feet more slowly, checked his armor's sensors to try and get an idea of what was happening. The readings they gave back to him chilled his blood. "R-Quick, we've got to-!" "Welcome to my humble abode, Alex," a sneering voice interrupted from above. Looking skyward, Alex felt the blood drain from his face as he witnessed Optimus hanging limply by his cape from Ultraman's left hand. Blazing like a small star on his clenched right hand, Blacklight's ring cast the villain's face in cold blue light. "Alex?" R-Quick's soft voice shook faintly. With a snort of derision, Ultraman casually tossed the unconscious hero to Alex's feet. "Take him." "What?" Kneeling down to check Optimus' pulse, Alex watched Ultraman through narrowed eyes. "What's the deal, Ultraman? Not like you to pass up the opportunity to kill a foe."
"I want you to go back to the Panopticon," Ultraman rumbled. "I want you to get ready for me." R-Quick's eyes widened in shock. "You're letting us GO?" Ultraman shook his head, his smile making the arctic wind seem warm in comparison. "No- merely giving you a temporary reprieve."

THE PANOPTICON
Walking carefully through the corridors, Owlman's eyes were constantly moving, examining everything for possible dangers. "Will you relax," Arl said. "I told you I scanned the entire complex before we came in here. There's NOTHING-!" "Quiet," Owlman hissed. The light from overhead glinted off the goggles of his newly acquired uniform as he canted his head to the side. "Something's coming." At the far end of the corridor behind them, a green glow slowly built in intensity until, with a gleeful laugh, Power Ring
came barreling around the corner. "Hey, everybody!" Running a hand through his hair, the blond ring-wielder laughed again. "It's gone! The sphere is gone!" Superwoman, fingering the amulet hanging between her breasts, carefully looked at the still tense Owlman. "Is that what you heard, Thomas?"
Owlman shook his head, still staring ahead of them. "No. Whatever I hear, it's ahead of us." Gradually, the faint sounds of metal-on-metal reached Superwoman's ears. "That sounds like… marching," Johnny Quick said. Before any more could be said, nearly two dozen Ultrabots marched in unison around the bend, crimson points of light burning deep in their mechanical eyes. "I AM ULTRABOT DESIGNATE ALPHA-1," the lead android intoned in a flat, hollow voice. "YOU HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS INTRUDERS IN THIS FACILITY. YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY SUBMIT TO OUR CUSTODY, OR YOU WILL BE SUBDUED USING WHATEVER FORCE IS DEEMED NECESSARY. RESISTANCE
IS FUTILE." "Oh crap," Power Ring whimpered.

ELSWHERE IN THE PANOPTICON
Stepping off the teleport pad, R-Quick looked closely at Optimus. "You feeling better?" Optimus, looking away, nodded sullenly. "Yeah." "Don't feel bad," R-Quick said, slapping the hero on the back. "With that ring on his hand, I'd bet he packs one Heaven of a punch!" "I didn't even see it coming," Optimus said softly, massaging his chin. "One minute I was flying towards him. The next?" He shook his head once more. "Lights out." Moving for the door, Alex 's eyes bulged in shocked disbelief. "He's got Blacklight's ring? How the Heaven did that happen?" Spinning around, the scientist glared accusingly at Optimus. "Before we went down there, you'd been monitoring him CONSTANTLY. How the HEAVEN did you miss seeing him wearing that thing?" Optimus shrugged. "He must've been hiding it," the hero replied. "Using it to bend lightwaves around it or something." "Let's move PAST this right now, okay?" R-Quick urged. "Ultraman is probably on his way up here right now, and we need to get ready for him. And what are we going to do about Blacklight? He's still down there." "We have to take care of the most immediate threat first. Call in everyone, R-Quick," Alex said. "Get the entire group here. It's going to take our entire combined power to subdue Ultraman since he's got that ring." "No." As one, the three men whirled around to face the new speaker. Like stepping out of a dream, Mordru faded into view, his eyes ablaze.
"You leave him to ME."

ELSEWHERE IN THE PANOPTICON
Looking with disdain at the pile of broken machinery at his feet, Arl Gand snorted in disgust. "And this was supposed to present some kind of threat?" he asked, sweeping a hand at the remains of the androids.
On the far side of the room, their eyes wide with shock, Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick and Power Ring could only stare in mute silence at the Daxamite warrior. "Twenty-four Ultrabots," Superwoman whispered in a strained voice, her eyes darting back and forth between Arl and his handiwork. "By HIMSELF," Power Ring added in an equally quiet voice, his own face pale with fear. "Ohmanohmanohmanohmanohmanohcrap!" Johnny Quick fidgeted back and forth, his body a red blur.
"We don't have time for this," Owlman rumbled, wading through the machine parts. "We'll go on ahead, Arl. I need you to ditch all this junk into space." Seeing the Daxamite beginning to form an objection, the vigilante sighed in frustration. "If one of the Alliance members sees this crap, they'll know something's up. Despite your… more than adequate performance, I'm not ready to give up the element of surprise just yet." Motioning his companions to follow, Thomas marched off around the corner, slipping a hand down to his belt as he walked. As soon as they'd left Arl's line of sight, Owlman thumbed a small switch.
Seeing the motion, Superwoman's brow wrinkled in puzzlement. "White-noise generator," Owlman explained in a low voice. "Keeps ultra-sensitive ears from overhearing us." Power Ring let out a nervous chuckle. "Did you SEE what he did? He trashed the lot of them all by himself!" "I know," Owlman agreed. "That's why I'm bumping up the timetable." "Meaning?" Owlman's face grew determined. "Meaning that, after he cleans up all that junk, he's going BACK to the Phantom Zone."

ULTRAMAN'S ARCTIC FORTRESS
Breathing deeply in the cold air, Ultraman's laughter thundered across the plateau. Holding his fist above his head, the villain's eyes danced with pleasure as he felt the incredible power throbbing through the ring.
A short distance away, J'Onn J'Onzz silently rolled his eyes at the display. "We're wasting time, Ultraman," the Martian sighed. "The longer you delay here, the longer-" "The longer they get to live," Ultraman interrupted, turning slightly to face the Manslayer. His brow dipped in irritation. "I thought you'd left." "Just getting out of the way," J'Onn corrected. "Didn't want to get caught up in any unpleasantness." "Then I'd suggest you leave again," another voice chimed in. Whirling around, the ring on his finger blazing, Ultraman's face twisted into a sneer as he saw who the new arrival was. "Mordru," he spat. "In the flesh," the wizard answered, bowing fractionally. Mordru's eyes hardened as he caught sight of the stolen ring. "You've got something that belongs to me." Ultraman smiled cruelly. "Then why don't you try and take-" The Crime Syndicate leader's retort was abruptly cut off as,with a hand flourish from Mordru, the ring vanished from his finger. Smiling like a Cheshire Cat, Mordru faded away, taking a
moment to wave mockingly at Ultraman. Standing on the snow-covered plateau, the wind howling around
him, Ultraman's eyes seethed with hatred. "SON-OF-A-BITCH!"

THE PANOPTICON
"Y'know, Alex, I don't CARE what you think," Optimus rumbled. "It's STILL my decision, Optimus!" Matching the larger man's stride, Alex glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "As long as I lead this team, I will be the one to decide on Ultraman's fate. I didn't give in to Titan's wishes, and I'm certainly not going to give in to YOU!" Coming to an abrupt halt, the scientist snatched Optimus' arm, dragging him to a stop. Ignoring the hero's outraged expression, Alex stared intently at him. "What's with the sudden change of heart, Optimus?" "What're you talking about?" Optimus asked, firmly removing Alex's hand from his arm. "First you side WITH me in stopping Titan from killing Ultraman," Alex snarled. "And now you WANT him dead." "You saw what happened down there," Optimus heatedly replied. "He got free!" Alex sighed. "The Manslayer-" "FORGET THE MANSLAYER!" Optimus' bellow washed over Alex like a wave. "It wasn't the Manslayer that freed him! It was Neutro!" Seeing Alex's uncomprehending expression, Optimus sagged exhaustedly against the nearby wall. "When I realized Ultraman had gotten free, I scanned his cell area. Neutro was there, patiently waiting to serve his master. Don't you see? Even if Manslayer hadn't been there, Neutro STILL would have freed him from prison. Every plan we put into action against him he's already thought of and countered. We HAVE to kill him."
"Now THERE'S a phrase I've been waiting to hear," a new voice chuckled. Stepping out of the nearby room, Titan's eyes danced with dangerous light. Groaning with frustration, Alex met the elder hero's
gaze. "What the Heaven do YOU want?" "Just to say goodbye," Titan replied evenly. "What're you talking about?" "I'm leaving," Titan said slowly, as if to a child. Nonchalantly turning his back to Alex, he moved towards the teleportation tubes. "Wait a minute," Alex retorted, jogging after him. Catching
up to Titan as the older man stepped into a tube, Alex placed his mhand over the activation panel. "Would you at least tell me WHY you're leaving?" Evenly staring at the scientist, David shook his head. "My reasons are my own, Alex." With a nearly deafening howl, alarm sirens filled the air. "What's going on?" Glancing between Optimus and Titan, Alex's eyes widened in confusion. "That would be Ultraman arriving to beat you to a bloody pulp," Titan replied. "Either that or it's Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny
Quick and Power Ring regaining control over the Panopticon's operating systems." A slow smile spread over Titan's face. "Or it's BOTH." "And you're LEAVING?" "Alex," Optimus interrupted. "Let him go. We don't need him." Titan's eyes shifted to Ultraman's doppelganger. "Hold onto that belief, Optimus. Maybe it'll help keep you warm when Ultraman and that Daxamite slam-dunk your hide back into that arctic cell." At Titan's words, Optimus' face paled. Biting out an explosive curse, the hero sped into the shadowed corridor and was gone. "Daxamite? What Daxamite?" Stepping forward, Alex's eyes pleaded with Titan. "David, please tell me what you mean." "Don't worry about the Daxamite," Titan said softly. "Owlman's already planning on dealing with him." As Alex opened his mouth to talk, Titan raised a hand, forestalling him. "Let's just say that Owlman's gear isn't as effective as he likes to think." "But you're still leaving?" Titan nodded. "I have… other plans I need to tend to, Alex." "But if what you said about the Daxamite is true, then…" "I'm leaving, Alex," David interrupted, holding up a hand to forestall any objections. As he stared at the scientist, Titan sighed. "I finished the repairs to Ultima, by the way. All you need do is initialize his control matrix and he's ready to go." Faintly, a shudder shook the room. Stepping into the teleport tube, Titan smiled at Alex. "You'd better get going."

Racing down the dark corridor, his armor's sensors feeding him readouts on the distant battle, Alex's thoughts were a chaotic mess. > How could everything have fallen apart so quickly on me? I did everything right, everything as it SHOULD have been done! < Rounding a final corner, the scientist barely slowed as he burst into his workroom. Lying prone on the huge platform in the center of the room, the android's massive body was still. "Ultima!" Alex's voice rang through the room, echoing from the walls. Tapping out a swift code on his armor's control interface, the scientist stared intently at the massive robot. Slowly, Ultima opened his eyes; crimson light flickered to life deep within, steadily growing in intensity. "Wake up, Ultima! We need your help!" Reaching over to the body, Alex gently nudged it. "Do you hear me, Ultima? We need-" The scientist's voice cut off with a squawk as a massive hand closed around his throat, nearly cutting off his air. The emerald glow from Ultima's power ring filled Alex's vision, casting a green tint on everything. "Alexander Luthor." Ultima's deep voice resonated through the
air. "You will now reap the rewards for your betrayal of me." "It… wasn't… me," Alex gasped, desperately clawing at the fingers that cut off the life-giving oxygen to his lungs. "Martian… Manslayer… was… posing as… me! HE… betrayed… you! Not… me!" "And why should I believe you?" Faintly, the fingers tightened even more. "If… I had… be-betrayed… you… why… would… I wake… you?" Alex's last words escaped as little more than a sigh. Just as his vision began to dim, the scientist felt Ultima's hand withdraw from his neck. Gasping in deep lungfuls of air, Alex collapsed to the floor, massaging his bruised neck. "Your argument is logical," Ultima conceded. "I will therefore spare you." "Thanks," Alex coughed, continuing to massage his throat. Slowly, the huge android rose to his feet, stretching his thick arms skyward as he tilted his head back, a look of ecstatic joy on his face. "Before you get TOO involved with celebrating your newfound freedom, don't you think it'd be best if you get rid of the Crime Syndicate first?" Motioning to the outer corridor, Alex shook his head. "Once he finds out that you're active again, you know Ultraman won't rest until you've been deactivated once more, Ultima." "I will deal with Ultraman in my own time," Ultima corrected Alex in a cold voice. "As I will deal with the entire Crime Syndicate as well." "They're here NOW," Alex continued. Seeing Ultima's puzzled expression, Alex motioned to the room around them. "This isn't MY lab, Ultima. This is Ultraman's lab in the Panopticon." Ultima's puzzled expression was quickly replaced with one of mounting fury. "You have awakened me in the lair of my enemies?" "I didn't have a choice, Ultima," Alex explained. "I had to…" "This bears a striking resemblance to manipulation, Alexander Luthor," Ultima rumbled, taking a threatening step closer to the scientist. Holding his ground, Alex gazed defiantly at the angry android. "If you don't believe me, then copy my mind into your own. See if I'm telling the truth." Holding Alex's gaze with his own for several long seconds, Ultima slowly nodded. "You tell the truth, Alexander Luthor." Releasing a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding, Alex wiped the perspiration from his brow. "Then you'll do it?" "Yes," Ultima confirmed, turning his attention to the distant wall. "Although my victory is not certain. It appears that Owlman has acquired outside assistance."
"The Daxamite," Alex confirmed. Ultima nodded, his attention still on things only he could see. "With the current level of power arrayed against me, it is uncertain whether or not I will emerge victorious." "Then perhaps I can be of some assistance?" a soft feminine voice said from behind Alex. Glancing behind him, the scientist smiled broadly. "D'Allena."

Side-stepping another blow from the Daxamite, Optimus quickly retaliated with a punch of his own, sending Arl careening wildly across the room. As the hero advanced on his stunned opponent, several bright flashes burst in front of his face, causing him to snarl a brief curse. A short distance away, Owlman's fingers were dipping into a pouch on his belt once more, his other arm wrapped around the waist of an unconscious Superwoman as he quickly dove to the side in order to avoid a blast of heat-vision from Optimus. As he avoided the attack, however, he stumbled over the prone form of Johnny Quick who wailed faintly at the impact. "Wait your turn, Owlman," Optimus growled. "I'll get to you
soon enough." Crouching down next to the speedster, Owlman's eyes remained fixed on Optimus. "Can you move, Johnny?" "SatandamnedbastardbrokemylegOwlman," Johnny replied, clutching his right thigh. "Icantrunnowhereuntilitheals." "Fine," Owlman said. Carefully lowering Superwoman to the floor beside the injured Syndicate member, Thomas fished out several more explosive pellets from his belt. "Take Superwoman. Vibrate the two of you through the floor and meet up with Power Ring. See if he's managed to move his ring to the hand of his unbroken arm yet." The words had barely been spoken before Johnny Quick faded through the floor like a ghost, carrying Superwoman with him. Straightening up into a fighting stance, his eyes following the continuing battle between Optimus and Arl Gand, Owlman snorted
wryly. "Trust the Universe to actually create a situation where I WANT Ultraman to show up." "Ask and ye shall receive," a deep voice replied from behind the vigilante. Despite himself, Owlman felt a smile creep across his lips. "Hey, Boss." Stepping around Owlman, his crimson cape billowing with the movement, Ultraman cracked his knuckles loudly as he smiled fiercely. Taking in the ongoing battle with a raised eyebrow, he turned his head slightly back towards Owlman. "The Daxamite. Friend or foe?"
"Necessary to get us here from the Zone," Owlman softly replied, taking a few steps backwards. "But now expendable." "Good," Ultraman said with a nod. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," another voice said from the chamber's doorway. Both Ultraman and Owlman turned to see who the speaker was. Across the room, Optimus and Arl Gand continued their conflict. Standing in the doorway, D'Allena by his side, Alexander Luthor regarded the Syndicate members with hostile eyes. "Well, well, well," Ultraman chuckled. "This just keeps getting better and better." "You don't know the half of it," Alex retorted, stepping aside slightly. Making his way past the scientist and into the room, standing nearly a foot taller than Ultraman, Ultima fixed his cold metallic gaze on Ultraman. Watching helplessly, Owlman felt his heart skip a beat as Ultima's skin slowly turned a chalk-white. "HE'S ADAPTING!" Owlman's roar of outrage cut through the din of battle like a knife. "He's duplicating the white Martian's powers into himself!" Dropping into a fighting stance, Ultima smiled coldly, the ring on his hand glowing a brilliant jade-green against his ghost-white skin. After a moments hesitation, Ultraman launched himself across
the room, arms outstretched towards Ultima, a furious snarl on his face. Stepping towards the oncoming Syndicate member, Ultima drove his fist into Ultraman's face, stopping him dead in his tracks. Without missing a beat, Ultima followed up his attack with a rapid succession of punches, sending the Syndicate's leader reeling. Ultraman fell beneath the massive android's hammering blows. "Damn it, Ultraman! Back off!" Owlman roared. "He's nearly TWICE as strong as you now! And he's using the ring to boost his
attack strength even higher!" "He ain't listening, Owlman," Power Ring said, his right arm cradled in a glowing jade-hued sling. On his left hand, his ring softly pulsed in time with Ultima's ring-enhanced attacks, as if it recognized a kindred spirit in Ultima's own ring. Beside him, Superwoman helped a limping Johnny Quick. "Boss-man's gonna get his head handed to him if he's not careful." "Yeah, I know," Owlman retorted sullenly. "And if he goes, we're next." Out of the corner of his eye, Owlman spotted Arl Gand standing over an unconscious Optimus. "Well don't just stand there," Owlman growled, glaring at Arl. Pointing at Ultima, the vigilante bared his teeth in a grimace. "HELP ULTRAMAN!"
Darting across the room, Arl tackled the android. The three immensely powerful beings then became a jumble of arms, legs and fists as they continued their war. Watching the on-going battle, Owlman finally had enough. "Screw this!" Pulling a bulky, vaguely weapon-shaped device from beneath his cape, Owlman pointed it at Ultima. "This bastard's going on a one-way trip to the Phantom Zone!" Simultaneously, as Owlman pressed the activation switch, Ultima lashed out with a booted foot, knocking Ultraman across the room to collide heavily with the far wall. As Ultima continued to struggle with Arl, the Phantom Zone projector's beam struck them both. Ultima's roar of outrage echoed through the room as the Phantom Zone portal swallowed both him and Arl Gand, casting them both into white nothingness.
For several long moments, silence reigned in the room as each of the Crime Syndicate fought to catch their breaths. Ultraman spun around to face Owlman, the heat of his fury radiating from his body.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Taking a step forward, the enraged Kryptonian's eyes blazed. "How dare you interfere with my fight!" Rather than backing off, Owlman stepped towards Ultraman, meeting his heated glare with one of his own. "And you'd better be DAMN glad I did," Owlman hissed. "Otherwise we'd probably be in a whole lot of trouble right now." "What the Heaven do you mean?" Superwoman asked.
Pointing at where the android had stood mere moments before, Owlman canted his head to the side. "I mean Ultima would probably be pounding the whole lot of us into paste right about now." Superwoman sighed in exasperation. "I still don't see why-" "He's got all our powers," Owlman interrupted. "Well, THAT statement qualifies as a `duh!' Tell us something we DON'T know!" Power Ring's angry retort echoed harshly through the cavernous room. Slowly, Owlman turned to face Power Ring. Though the goggles masked his eyes, Joseph could feel their coldness boring into him. Hastily raising his hand in a surrendering gesture, the ringed warrior backed off several paces. "Sorry, man. I-" Growling deep within his throat in frustration, the vigilante turned back to Superwoman and Ultraman. "Are ALL of you incapable of coherent thought today? Just imagine HIS power ring," he snapped, pointing at the cowering ring-wielder. "Focused by MY intelligence and willpower. Would any of you REALLY want to face something like that?" At Owlman's words, Superwoman slowly paled. Beside her, Ultraman's own face turned thoughtful. "I… see what you mean," Ultraman grudgingly conceded. "Maybe it was for the best that you acted as you did." "Oh, do you think so?" Owlman's sarcastic remark rang through the air like a thunderclap. Ultraman glared at the vigilante. "Someday, Thomas, that mouth of yours is going to get you into a LOT of trouble." Spinning away, Ultraman glanced pointedly over his shoulder as he walked. "Probably KILLED." "Anyway, before they wake up let's get…" Superwoman's words died in her mouth as she glanced around the room. As her eyes darted from one side to the other, the Amazon's face turned livid with fury. "Where the HEAVEN did Luthor and his gang go?" "I don't know where the rest of them went, but I DO know where one of them DIDN'T go," a new voice rumbled from the doorway. As one, the Syndicate turned to face the newcomer. Stepping into the room, a wide smile on his face, the Martian
Manslayer held up a pale, unconscious figure by her long hair. "Look what I found." "D'Allena," Ultraman said, a cruel smile coming to his lips. "The last of the white Martians on Earth." Taking the unconscious woman from Manslayer, Ultraman strode off into the darkness. "If anyone wants me, I'll be in my lab," the Kryptonian chuckled over his shoulder.

THE PANOPTICON
Entering the observation deck, Owlman was brought up short by the sight of Superwoman gazing out the window at the Earth below. "Penny for your thoughts, First Lady Kent?" Scratching his chin, Owlman smiled. "How DOES one address the wife of the President, anyway? Madam President?" "Screw off, Thomas," Superwoman growled, her eyes not moving from the scene before her. "The election isn't over yet."Owlman snorted. "Do you REALLY think he'll lose?" Seeing Superwoman's troubled expression, Owlman leaned his hip against the windowsill, folding his arms across his broad chest. "Seriously,
Lois. What's up?" Superwoman leaned closer. "Did you see the expression on Ultraman's face? When he saw Ultima?" Owlman nodded carefully. "Yeah." "He was afraid," Superwoman whispered, her own eyes widening slightly. "For just an instant, Ultraman- probably the most powerful ultra-human on the face of the planet- was AFRAID." Owlman took a deep breath as he nodded his head again. Leaning back, Superwoman slowly shook her head. "At least that android bastard is safely tucked away in the Zone, now." "I wouldn't be so sure of that," Owlman replied softly. "What do you mean?" "As I said before, Ultima's got a power ring at his disposal," Owlman explained. "Couple that with MY intelligence and…"
Tapering off into a shrug, Owlman grimaced. "If I can think of how to use it to get out of the Zone, so can he. And he eventually WILL." "And then the object of Ultraman's fear will be out there, somewhere. Satan help us all," the Amazon whispered into the dark. Suddenly feeling very cold, she wrapped her cape around her shoulders as she stared out the window at the blue-green sphere rotating far below.

LUTHOR'S ASTEROID
"I've got to hand it to you, Brainiac," Luthor said. "These teleport chips worked like a charm." Rolling the tiny microchip around on his palm, the scientist's smile faltered. "I just wish they ALL would have worked." "MY APOLOGIES, ALEXANDER LUTHOR," Brainiac replied. "AT THIS TIME IT IS UNKNOWN WHY D'ALLENA'S TRANSPORTER CHIP MALFUNCTIONED." Glancing around the room at the assembled Alliance, Luthor slowly nodded. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that we've failed. Well, you're wrong." Optimus barked a harsh laugh. "You call this a VICTORY?"
"Yes, I do." "Mind explaining that?" Leaning back against the wall, R-Quick raised an eyebrow expectantly. "We've proved that it IS possible to defeat the all-powerful Crime Syndicate," Luthor replied. Raising a hand to forestall any objections, the scientist sighed. "Granted, it was only a temporary victory, but it WAS a victory nonetheless." "And now we've stirred up the hornet's nest," Valkyra retorted. "They'll be after us in no-time." "Which is why we have to go to ground," Luthor said. "Each
of us will go our separate ways for now. Lose yourselves in the population below," he added, pointing in the direction of the planet they orbited. "I'll remain visible, to provide them with a target to focus on."
"And if they finally get you?" Optimus asked. "Then it'll be up to each and every one of YOU to carry on," Alex answered. "You expect US to-" "You all answered my call to come here because you ALL have the same desire burning in you: to make this world a better place," Alex interrupted. "If you didn't feel that way, you'd never have come here in the first place." Pacing across the room, stopping in front of the scientist, Blacklight's face turned grave. "You be careful, Alex. The world needs you."

THE PANOPTICON, SEVERAL DAYS LATER
Slowly walking into the meeting room, Owlman continued to stare at the newspaper he held in his hands.
"What is it, Thomas?" Leaning back in her chair, Superwoman took another sip from her drink and smiled. "You look like somebody kicked you in the nuts." Without reply, Owlman tossed the paper onto the tabletop. Superwoman scanned over the headline- `CAPTAIN CLARK KENT FOR PRESIDENT!'
The Amazon's gaze shot up to meet Owlman's. "What the Heaven is this?" "I don't know," Thomas replied, shrugging. "You tell me." Superwoman shook her head. "He didn't tell me anything about THIS," she said, stabbing at the paper with her finger. Owlman chewed on his lower lip. "The most recent polls put him as a shoo-in for election." "So, what's it mean?" Power Ring asked. "Yeahmanthatbastard'salreadythemostpowerfulbastardonthefaceoftheEarthwhattheHeavendoesheneedmorepowerfor?" Owlman stared evenly at Superwoman. "Yes indeed- what DOES it mean?" the caped vigilante murmured.