Post by redsycorax on Jul 2, 2019 1:22:53 GMT
Many worlds are confronted with the real existence of immortal haemolagnids ("blood drinkers" or "vampires"). Some deal with the problem through institutionalised "vampire slayers", whether male or female (such as Earth-97, home to a particularly effective vampire slayer named Elizabeth ("Buffy") Summers and her entourage.) On Earth-43, the Batman was sired by Dracula, an immortal haemolagnid from Transylvania and went on to infect the rest of the "Blood League"- Ultraman, Wonder Woman, Green Lamp and Cyborg. But on Earth-187, events were graver still. It began in a coastal Californian community called "Santa Carla", otherwise known as the "Murder Capital of the United States." Thirty years before the events of this story took place, a thirty five year old divorced woman, Lucy Emerson, resettled in the community with her two teenage sons, Sam and Michael. It was Michael Emerson who would prove the pivot of the tragedy that would unfold, as he made the acquaintance of a young woman named Star and a teenage punk gang who named themselves "The Lost Boys." But these were no mere teenagers. They were haemolagnids and battle royale ensued within Santa Carla for the lives and souls of Star and Michael Emerson. But something went wrong and at the end of the day, Michael stood over the bodies of his brother Sam, his new friends the Frog Brothers, and watched as the vampire sire Max took away his mother to become his mate as he started a new coven. The Lost Boys haunted Santa Carla for another decade until new visitors arrived and tried to uproot them...
1997:
Douglas Mercer stepped off his Kawasaki and did a psi-sweep around the area, wards on full. For a seventeen year old, he was tall, muscular and yet not overconfident. He'd been tasked with finding out why there were so many deaths in Santa Carla, despite the fact that it only housed around 65,000 souls. He felt he was being watched, probably by the same assailants that had been tentatively identified as the murderers. At which point, the guitarist on the makeshift stage finished his gig, to more than usual applause. And no wonder, the little bloke was damned good. And damned hot. And probably damned straight, with his luck. With reluctance, Doug turned his scrutiny on the crowd. And then he felt it- the discord in the surrounding area, like a miscue in the musician's routine that had just ended. He powered his ward up to maximum, checked the state of his concealed crossbow and focused.
Around fifteen metres away, six apparent adolescents were similarly just as intent on the newcomer:
"Trouble?" asked Michael Emerson.
"Yeah. The big dude there is packing. He knows we're here, and when he does detect us, he'll try and lure us away from here."
"I don't see a pistol anywhere on him." Michael observed.
David Powers grinned and tousled his hair: "Pistols don't hurt us, Mikey. Nah, probably a crossbow. If we're really unlucky, he's loaded with stakes."
Marko whistled: "Man, that is one cool steed he's riding. After we wipe him off the map, then do I get that?"
"Why don't we turn him instead?" Michael asked.
Dwayne rolled his eyes: "Are you serious, Mike? He's a whitewicca. He can't become a vampire- he's too damned dangerous."
"So why are we stalking him, then? And giving him time to get a bead on us?" Paul rejoindered.
"He's young, he's overconfident. He'll be a pushover." Marko sneered.
However. none of the vampires were aware that there was an additional registration of interest and that their newly initiated pursuit of Douglas Mercer had not gone undetected.
Doug sighed in relief and rezipped his leather trousers, feeling the weight of the pocket crossbow in his hand and the whisper as the vampires alighted on the sandhill top above him:
"What took you so long?"
"You're quite confident you can take us all down, dude?"
Michael looked levelly at the newcomer: "Look, leave and we can forget this ever happened."
"No way, mate. You leeches have been contributing to the local death toll for far too long. It ends here, tonight."
Dwayne blazed: "Where the hell d'you get off callin' us leeches, broomstick jockey?"
"Because bats are far too good a metaphor for the likes of you?" Doug said, as he silently targeted the vampire ensemble on the hill, preparing for combat.
Marko snapped first. He leapt from the hill and sped toward the newcomer, who watched him come. Halfway down the hill, he realised that it shouldn't be this easy, and tried to slide to a halt. Seconds later, a high-speed wooden projectile hit his charcoal, inert heart and he erupted into heat and light and energy before he had time to scream in terror or pain. As the smoke from his immolation cleared, Dwayne rose in the air and then arced down toward him- only to be surprised as Doug levitated to meet him in midair and loosed a crossbow bolt at him. Before he could evade it, a second Lost Boy was lost to eternity. Paul swallowed: "Two of us, man, in as many minutes."
"Try three," said a gravelly deep voice behind him, as a hairy hand stabbed him through the ribcage and out through his heart,"and that's for Will."
Doug raised an eyebrow: "Redhaired muso guy. Help gratefully received. Look out, he's got a knife!" Doug teleported himself and started grappling with Michael as the werewolf snarled and threw himself at the fleeing David: "You're not getting away. I lost someone very dear to me because of a visit you bastards made up the coast to Sunnyvale."
"You're no match for me, dogboy."
"Emerson... Michael... you don't have to do this. He's not worth ending your existence for."
"I don't have anywhere else to go. And I'm a vampire. I need to do this to survive."
At that point, a familiar blue clad figure made contact. Doug yelled: "No, Superman! Stop! Keep back! I can handle this!"
"What do you mean? He looks easy enough to deal with."
"They're vampires. Their abilities are thauma- oh hell!" In a matter of seconds, David Powers broke from the werewolf and sank his fangs deep into Superman's neck. The Kryptonian blood coursed through the vampire as he snarled in pleasure, clinging onto the rapidly succumbing alien. Before Doug and Daniel could reach him, Superman slumped to the ground as David Powers eyes glowed. Gathering Star and Michael in his arms, David accelerated away. Doug cushioned his landing with telekinesis as Daniel pressed down on the Justice League communication device. Batman, Wonder Woman and the Flash materialised nearby:
"Superman. He's been badly hurt, drained by a vampire whose power basis is magical."
Batman knelt by his supine friend and glanced upward at the two newcomers:
"The neck punctures and shape of the incisions indicate what you're saying is valid. Diana, we need to get him to Kandor. Wally, we need to get Clark to the Fortress and down into Kandor if we're to have any hope of rescuing him."
"Look, I can provide you with intel and physiological details of his assailants. Just please, tell me he's going to be okay."
"We'll handle that while Clark's being operated on. And look...thanks for your help. Much appreciated. Are either of you metahuman?"
"I'm a lycanthrope, and Douglas here is a mage."
"Can you help teleport Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen to the Fortress of Solitude if I can give you the coordinates?"
"Of course."
Twenty minutes later, Doug arrived in Kandor with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. As they watched the medical staff busily labouring to save the wounded Kryptonian's life, Doug and Batman liased over the exchange of information. Lois was ashen and pale, as one might expect from the shock of seeing the man she loved more than anything else on this world lying severely injured and comatose, while Jimmy summoned Supergirl to the stricken hero's bedside. As the operation dragged on, Lois Lane's professionalism and poise as a journalist reasserted themselves. She stepped across to Doug, clasping the young man's shoulder:
"Thank you. You may have saved his life. I need to know, what did this to him?"
"His name is David Powers. He's an experienced vampire and as you're aware, Ms. Lane, the basis of those abilities is magickal. Superman...stopped to help out Daniel and I. I work for a vampire interdiction group as a field agent. I don't think Superman...expected...what happened next. I'm sorry. I wasn't...able to get to him in time."
"After everything we've been through together, for this to happen. Do you have clearance to release any details about your mission?"
"Sure. I work for Department V within the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, which is tasked with containing vampire insurgent activity. Their numbers tend to peak in times of high unemployment, social instability, epidemic disease, famine or political polarisation. They take advantage of the unrest to prey on unsuspecting humans. Powers belonged to a Californian outfit based in Santa Carla, a small coastal community of around 65,000 people, which called itself "The Lost Boys." However, these characters were nowhere near as innocuous as their namesakes in J.M.Barrie's childrens classic Peter Pan. They might look like goth teenagers with bad attitude problems, but they're a vampire coven. As near as we can make out, their sire was one Max Grier, who got staked in 1987. Unfortunately, that didn't stop his fledgelings from striking out on their own. Ten years later, they were entrenched, which is when we decided to intervene. Ms Lane, I am truly sorry. if we'd done this soon, that brave and courageous man in there wouldn't be fighting for his life..." Doug broke off as the medical equipment in the adjacent surgery let out a piercing pulse, followed minutes after by the doctors. As they removed their sanitary visors, their faces were grim. In the frozen tableau that Jimmy Olsen immortalised, Lois Lane sobbed into Doug Mercer's arms as Batman looked away and the Flash blinked, unbelieving, in what the times had wrought. The greatest giant redwood on this world had fallen and an age of innocence had ended forever.
2004:
"Oh no, you don't..." Redwolf said as he barelled into the vampire that had tried to ambush President Schwarzenegger,"even if I didn't vote for Arn-Nuld here, you don't get to red-pencil him. That's up to the electorate later this year. Darkmercy applauded his partner as he stood over the Renfeld servitor and snarled:
"Okay, leechfood. Who ordered this assassination? Powers? Emerson?"
"You bastards ain't gonna make me talk-" Darkmercy shook his head, and placed his hands on the supine would-be assassin's temples:
"Darkman, is that wise?"
"I'm not going to go full power on this one, Red, he's obviously a lackey of the main chance. But this is a presidential assassination attempt and we need to find out who ordered this. Darkmercy to base. Looks like the tip-up was a valid one. The assassination attempt was real and we managed to prevent it. As for the leech involved, he's not one of the Lost Boy trio of dominant vampires. I'm teleporting up to the satellite while Red and I keep the president safe and do forensics on the attempted crime scene."
"Okay, Darkmercy. Well done." Doug (Darkmercy) Mercer-Osborne turned to face his husband, Daniel (Redwolf) Mercer-Osborne:
"It's all right, Mr President. We'll stay around until we've cleared up how they were able to locate your escort detail's route and you're back in the safely warded White House."
"Did you really not vote for me, Redwolf?"
"Nope, sorry, sir, genetically based Democrat."
"Damn it. Sat surveillance. It got placed here in microfiche form in one of the rose bushes. Well, that's out of commission now. Magically warded, so Kara couldn't spot it with telescopic vision either."
"Just as well, otherwise the Lost World would have claimed another presidential scalp. George W. Bush, Al Gore, John McCain...looks like we'll have to be on guard at the next election too."
Superwoman felt empty as she flew the skies alone. Before that dark day seven years ago, she would have sighted her cousin if he'd been onworld and accelerated off to greet him. She hadn't wanted this. She'd wanted Clark and Lois to marry one another, have children, build a life with one another. But Lois had gone cold and hard after David Powers had murdered the only man she could ever love. She asked Batman to train her and assumed a new secret identity herself, Huntress- because that was what she did to vampires now. The old Justice League of America was replaced with Justice League Nova and it was targeted exclusively on the burgeoning predatory vampire community as it fought for global domination. Nothing else mattered now. The crime rate had spiralled downward when vampires took over the night, meaning that nocturnal criminals were caught in the crossfire, and the same happened to illegal narcotics traffickers. Fuelled by his murder of Superman, David Powers soon also branched out into political assassination, targeting anyone who he saw as a threat to his shadowy authority. Entire nations had fallen. It was probably inevitable that Transylvania was the first and that the depth of its vampire infiltration meant that it was able to quickly secede from Romania and Hungary, massacring any troops sent in from their former overlords against their rebellious former subjects. Eastern Europe was soon riddled with satellite governments, buttressed by the wealth of the vampire aristocracy and their Swiss bank accounts. Africa also became easy prey as its warlords and miltary dictators had no hesitation in sacrificing their more quotidian citizens to vampire newcomers. Added to which, these vampires were centuries old and had been fledged in the ancient empires of Mali, Songhay, Dahomey and Ethiopia, so they were indigenous to that continent. Overnight, figures like Muamarr Qadhafi, Saddam Hussein, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Berlusconi, Nikolas Sarkozy, Australia's John Howard, New Zealand Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash and other, more obscure political leaders vanihsed into the night as Powers, Emerson and Star "took care of business" and ended threats to their dominion. The United Kingdom was relatively impregnable, but then it had learnt its lesson when Dracula and Orlok had visited it in 1897 and 1922, and successive British Prime Ministers had been informed about the need for continued protection against the very real nocturnal threat from haemolagnids.
2008:
Now you know that you are real,
Show your friends that you and me
Belong to the same world,
Turned on to the same word,
Have you heard?
As Nightwing rose from the bath, he heard the tunnel at the back of the Nightcave open. A familiar rosy glow filled it and a beautiful orange-skinned woman alighted. Dick Grayson and padded over to embrace Koriand'r as she returned from her latest circumorbital mission. As the embrace grew more passionate, the towel dropped to the concrete floor of the cave. At least one of Batman's JLN associates had time for love. Their bond could not be shattered and it was one of the mainstays of the increasingly uncertain world.
Now you know that you are free,
Living all your life at ease.
Each day has its always,
A look down life's hallways, doorways,
To lead you there.
In the Metropolis City Cemetary, one golden statue stood above all the others. Lois Lane shut her eyes and a single tear squeezed out, followed by a single sob. But that was all she allowed herself. One day, she vowed to herself, she would track down Superman's murderer and end his existence forever. Until then, she was a Huntress of the revenants that stalked the night, dispatching them to hell before they could claim additional lives. Batman had trained her well. She was cold, disciplined, wholly dedicated to her task and definitely the daughter of a military man. Superman's widow, Lois Lane, would make David Powers pay, even if it had been eleven years. No matter how long it took.
Now you know how nice it feels,
Scatter good seed in the fields.
Life's ours for the making,
Eternity's waiting, waiting,
For you and me.
In their New York lair, the Lost Boys lay at rest. Emerson and Star clung to one another, grabbing a moment of tenderness with each other until David returned. When he did, he would have sex with them both and they didn't welcome that. But they had nowhere else to go, and even if they did escape, one or another of the deadlier members of Justice League Nova would track them down, extract information from them and then put them to death. For them, there could be no redemption. They should have broken their ties with him before he'd drunken Superman's blood and strengthened his haemovoric abilities infinitely. Now, eleven years after the world changed forever, it was too late.
Now you know that you are real,
Show your friends that you and me
Belong to the same world,
Turned on to the same word,
Have you heard?
On Remembrabce Day, they assembled in the JLN satellite to remember those who had passed away in the turmoil of the vampire apocalypse:
Hawkwoman lit the first candle:
"For Ray and Katar."
Batman stepped forward next:
"For Alfred Pennyworth and Kathy Kane."
Catwoman followed next: "For Holly Robinson."
Oracle pushed her wheelchair forward: "For Commissioner James Gordon and Chief O'Hara. I miss you, Dad."
Batwoman continued the tribute: "For Toby Raynes."
Nightwing added his candle flame: "For Roy Harper, Gar Dayton, Lilith."
Starfire clasped her husband's hand: "For Donna Troy."
Redwolf was sobbing as, supported by his husband, he whispered: "Willow Rosenberg."
Darkmercy joined the man he loved: "My dad, Rupert Giles."
The Flash added her candle: "My husband, Barry Allen."
Green Lantern lit his: "Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Tom Kamalku, Carol Ferris. Tawny Young. I will always love you, sweetheart."
Black Arrow nodded as she added hers: "Oliver Queen, my brave, handsome archer."
John Constantine finished the ceremony: "Zatanna. There'll never be another like you, Zed, love."
Have you heard?
Have you heard?
Have you heard?
Have you heard?
Moody Blues (C) "Have you heard?" [Used for nonprofit commentary purposes here]
2010:
But there were some successes too. Harley Quinn was inducted into JLN when she escaped from her abusive relationship with the Joker. She bonded with Oracle who had been thrown off the Gotham City Police Building as Batgirl after the Joker had been turned into a vampire and laid waste to much of Gotham City, including subsequently tearing the throat out of Commissioner James Gordon as the crippled Barbara watched helplessly from the adjacent street. One day, Harley's contacts enabled her to locate the Joker and as a consequence, the two took the JLN teleport down into the turmoil of Bludhaven, where the Joker was fruitlessly hunting for Dick Grayson. The duo ambushed him in a darkened alleyway. In a battlesuit coated with garlic juice and with perimeter sunstrength arclights coordinated from Barbara's end at the alleyway, Oracle stood point as Harley plunged a stake into the Joker's blackened charcoal heart. The insane psychopath gazed at the sight of his impending death then laughed maniacally. Then the laugh choked into a rising scream as thin threads of fire and heat began to course across him, turning him to ash and dust. The two knocked fists and returned victorious to the satellite. A reception committee awaited them. Nightwing embraced Oracle:
"Hey, you did it, Babs! Awesome! Closure at last."
"Yeah, at least Dad and the other GCPD officers the Joker murdered can rest in peace now. Sorry, Bruce."
"Don't apologise, Barbara. He was bad enough as a human, but given what he did after the "Lost Boys" turned him...you destroyed one of their chief lieutenants. Strategically neccessary and also personally fulfilling. I won't shed any tears."
Redwolf and Darkmercy were on hand for Quinzel:
"You did it, Quinzel! How did it feel to send that grinning woman-beating piranha where he belongs?"
"Cathartic. Was it like this for you when you staked Bloody William in London back in '07?"
"Yeah, exactly. Now you know what it's like counting coup. Good, eh?"
"I feel like celebratin'. What are you two studs doin' now you're off shift?"
2013:
And inevitably, there were setbacks too. Some of them were attributable to popular prejudices, as occurred when Darkmercy and Redwolf guested on the Larry King Now show on Hulu. Unfortunately, station management had been strongarmed into accepting a certain controversial televangelist as 'balance.':
"And tonight, we have two special guests- the witch Darkmercy and werewolf Redwolf from Justice League Nova. And on the other side of the table, Reverend Richard Stryker, television evangelist and host of That Old Iron Cross. Gentleman."
"I'm glad for this opportunity to speak."
"Yeah, I'll bet you are, mate. Why do you think it's ethical or just to kill werewolves in cold blood?"
"Please, Mr Mercer..."
"That's Mercer-Osborne, sport. We're married."
"Not in the eyes of God."
"Good thing I'm a practisin' Wiccan, then, and Obergefell v Hodges went our way. Answer my question."
"Because werewolves transform into ravening beasts during the hours of darkness, slaughter animals and have been known to kill human beings."
"Yet there has not been one documented case of Redwolf here doing so. In fact, over the last sixteen years, as a member of Justice League Nova, he has defended hundreds of American citizens and others from vampire attacks."
"That is a ploy to try to obtain greater tolerance and acceptance for his kind."
"My husband is in full control of his abilities." Doug snapped.
"Answer my question, please, Reverend Stryker. On what basis do you argue that Redwolf and lycanthropes like him are injurious to the public good?"
"And here's another question while you're ponderin' that, Stryker. Most of the month, apart from the hours of the full moon, lycos are human beings. Are you implying some sort of pre-emptive strike against known werewolves is justifiable homicide, in some sick perverted way?"
"That's a legitimate question, Darkmercy. Reverend?"
"I am not responsible for vigilante actions against potential threats to the public good. Can you blame ordinary Americans for feeling threatened?"
Doug snorted: "Oh, very equivocal. Denial of personal responsibility on the one hand, stigmatisation and encouragement of anti-lycanthrope hate crimes on the other."
"Can you deny that there have been instances where lycanthropes have attacked ordinary decent Americans?"
"Why haven't you mentioned vampires once during this interview, Stryker?"
"That's a seperate issue."
"Because, while werewolves are predominantly human, as Darkmercy has correctly stated, vampires are not, and one of them killed Superman sixteen years ago. Since then, both of my metahuman guests here have been repeatedly injured and put their lives on the line trying to protect your 'ordinary, decent Americans', Reverend Stryker. There are no such limitations on vampire nocturnal activity and predation, unless preventative steps are taken." Larry King stated.
"Yes, and how convenient for the lycanthrope agenda that that is the case."
"Except there is no lycanthrope agenda, unless you mean the one for human rights and civil liberties akin to other Americans." Daniel replied.
"My partner repeatedly risks his life for other Americans, yet lycos have no employment security, accomodation safety and can be denied services, as well as being victims of hate crimes themselves when they have committed no wrong. And most lycos take steps to insure when they wolfside, they pose no harm to non-lyco Americans."
"Why should potentially dangerous predators have any human rights? They're not normal, baseline humans."
"Prove it. All you've been sayin' tonight, Stryker, is based on anecdotes and your own propaganda, not mainstream scientific or medical evidence. And what's even more dangerous, you're providing a distraction from the real, clear and present danger posed by vampire incursions. Whether that's deliberate or not, I'll leave for your viewers to decide, Larry."
"And we'll have to leave it there. Thank you, Darkmercy and Redwolf, members of Justice League Nova. Our other guest-" Stryker stalked from the studio, glowering at Doug and Daniel.
"Sorry, guys, the network forced him on us due to law suit threats from the right reverend."
"No worries, Larry. At least we know you're diligent, fair and balanced. Thanks for the help."
2015:
At long last, after too many fatalities and losses, the tide started to turn. It began when Star was ambushed coming out of a wine shop. She didn't detect the female JLN posse on her trail until it was too late. As she tried to rise into the air above the alleyway, Superwoman swept down and plunged a stake into her heart. The deceptively young looking woman's face did not reflect shock; if anything, it showed peace and contentment at her fate, and her long release. She whispered: "Thank you." Then she collapsed into fragments of dust and dead skin, flying away on the breeze.
A mile away, Michael Emerson felt the shock of his lover's sudden passing. He called to Powers:
"David, there's a mob of metas. T-they've killed Star."
Powers swore: "The reckless little fool! She had to have her precious freedom, didn't she? Well, it's too late now. Take a patrol of the V Guard downtown and make an example of them, Mikey."
But as the Vampire Guard escorted David Powers second in command into the alleyway, red tracer light appeared on their chests, above their hearts. Then there were multiple points. The Vampire Guard had been recruited from the ranks of Earth's more tractable supervillain community, but they'd gone too long without combat experience against their former enemies. The Cheetah snarled as she leapt at Wonder Woman, slapping away a stake as she engaged the Amazon, but Captain Cold was less lucky as Iris Allen sped by, taking her revenge on the rogues gallery member who had murdered her beloved Barry, plunging a stake into his chest before he could draw his icergun. Sonar tried to focus his sonic targeting on the incoming form of Green Lantern, but was unprepared as a sleek black arrow stabbed into his heart. Dinah Lance Queen smiled to herself- vengeance for her beloved Ollie, after all these years. Hawkwoman rose up like an apparition behind Michael Emerson, as he turned:
"I won't beg."
"Why? Why didn't you back down and defect, Emerson? There was a time when you could."
"I did it for Star. I was afraid of what he might to do to her if... and there was nowhere to go. He killed my whole family back in Santa Carla. Here. I won't make it difficult for you. I've killed too many people. I know there's no redemption for me, nor do I expect any. I'm tired of this existence. So, go ahead. Use that crossbow on me."
Darkmercy nodded: "Believe it or not, we're genuinely sorry to have to do this, Michael. You deserved better than a precarious existence with that leech Powers. And yeah, you killed- but far fewer people than he did, and none of us or those we loved. But you're his lieutenant. Is there anything you might want to tell us before you go into the dark?"
A hesitant smile lit up Michael Emerson's face: "That, I can do. Gladly. He did this to me against my will. Okay. You want a list of his kills while I was part of the Lost Boys?..."
An hour later, he finished betraying his sire. Doug handed him a stake: "Here. You get to do it yourself, on your own terms, your way. I wish we could do more for you, Michael, but thank you for what you've just told us."
'That's no problem, Darkmercy. I'm thankful for this small grace at least. Goodbye." With that, Michael Emerson plunged the sharpened point of the wooden stake into the dense pathway of necrotic nerves that was his vampire remnant of a heart. He closed his eyes and smiled for a moment before cracks of fire and light emerged from his form as he erupted into a cloud of dust and debris.
"So what now, Bruce?" Batwoman asked.
"We prepare for the final battle. It'll take time, but David Powers will fall."
2017:
Twenty years after Superman's death, Justice League Nova invaded the mountain fortress that was to be David Powers mausoleum. Batman led the way with razorrangs and arclights as the younger, more suicidal and more reckless vampire fledgelings hurled themself at the invaders. Batwoman plunged a garlic-impregnated rope around Alice's throat and pulled it hard, as the younger vampire screamed before she combusted. Nightwing and Starfire worked as a team, decapitating more, incinerating others. Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner James Gordon were further avenged. Cheetah tried to maul her Amazon assailant, but even her enhanced theriomorphic vampire abilities were no match in the end for a determined, disciplined Amazon warrior bent on avenging the deaths of Steve Trevor and Donna Troy. In the end, Wonder Woman took her opponent's head off, as the battle raged around her.
But inevitably, there were casualties. Harley Quinn fought valiantly and bravely, but all it took was a poisonous mauling at the teeth of one intruder. While Superwoman incinerated her attacker, the ailing gaudily clad woman lay cradled in Darkmercy's arms:
"Harley, don't talk. We'll get you back to Barbara on the satellite. You'll get through this."
"Nah, Dougie, I won't. We both know that. Hell, I ain't afraid to die. Not like this, not when I'm part of the final effort against that bastard Powers. It'll end tonight."
"Damn it, Harley, of all of us, you deserved most to come out the other side."
"I'm cool with this. I get to see my Pammy again. When Lois hits the big man, I hope she remembers me."
The Huntress nodded: "That I will, old friend. That I certainly will. Rest in peace, Harley. Justice League Nova, with me! Powers, you murdering scum! I'm coming for you!! I'm coming for you, now!!!"
It is estimated that during the tenure of the Vampire War, David Powers either supervised or directly participated in the killing of one point eight million people, as commander of his revanant army. He was no longer a Lost Boy of any manner or sort as he sought to bloodily wrest power from human authorities on his Earth. He killed metahumans and political leaders, but he also ended the lives of vulnerable defenceless children and elderly, blinded by his bloodlust. But propelled by her love for her fallen husband, rage and grief and outrage at the injustices that he perpetrated against defenceless others, Lois Lane finally rounded on her husband's murderer. She stalked toward him as blood red heat vision scorched out toward her, only to be deflected by her battle armour. He laughed:
"So it ends like this. Superman's bit of tail against someone who is impervious to sunlight, who has her husbands abilities, who cannot be killed by mere wood and whose skin is invulnerable to decapitation. Not an even handed match."
"Shut up, braggart. You don't get to say his name. You don't get to crow about the day you murdered the man I love twenty years ago. Above all, you don't get to walk away from this." With that, she pummelled him in his midriff. To his shock, he felt it:
"Kryptonite?! Nah, I'm vulnerable to that. Whatever, $!^@#. Whatever you did, you won't get another-" Her clawed gloves raked his face. He tried to rise above the ground, but she dashed a gravity grenade, duplicating Krypton's gravitational conditions.
Redemption can take many forms. Had Powers been able to register the technology within Huntress' battle armour which gave her her competitive edge, he might have recognised the provenance of the circuitry, diodes and motherboards that he saw before him. But he didn't have time. Kilometres away, in Metropolis, a weary figure sat in his office, a man alone with his thoughts. Lex Luthor had been Superman's mortal enemy- until that day when the source of his enmity and hatred was suddenly removed from his life. For Luthor, it was as if a period of prolonged blindness suddenly ended. Without that blinding rage and obsession, at last he realised what he had foregone in pursuit of his all-consuming vengeance. As he watched the vampire apocalypse steadily engorge to consume much of what he cherished and held dear, Luthor called for a meeting with Justice League Nova- and placed his technology at the core of the anti-vampire war effort. And imperceptibly at first, and then with growing momentum, the blood-stained banner tottered and fell as human resistance rallied and the pendulum began to swing the other way.
Huntress smashed her fist into him, repeatedly, and although he landed several blows, her armour held as firm as her indomitable will, not even showing stresslines. She continued to land blows on him, as he bled, felt pain and bewilderment:
"No! It can't end like this! Not at your hands, not under the fists of a weak w-" He became aware of the sudden stillness in his fortress as the last cries from his troops faded into silence. One by one, the metahumans of Justice League Nova filed into the cavernous hall as Superman's widow continued her relentless assault. Darkmercy whispered:"Bruce, do we...?"
Batman shook his head: "Nope. She earned this. It's her right. And she can definitely take care of herself."
"Thanks for the offer, Doug." Huntress called as Powers slumped to the floor, reaching out a quavering hand to try to grip her ankle. She stepped back and produced a violet hued shard of crystal:
"With baneful wishes from a brilliant man and good friend. Superleech, meet violet kryptonite, specifically created to end the existence of enhanced haemolagnids. In other words, scum like you. Now die." She held the unearthly crystal close to him as his skin began to blister and he screamed a long, ululating cry of despair and torture. He then became blinded by the incandescence before him and laboured to draw breath. Still the radiation coursed into him, like the hellfire that he long defied and denied. He felt his very cells begin to go apoptosis and his body jerked once as it flared into light and heat. At long last, the self-styled 'king vampire', apex predator, David Powers was dead.
After twenty years, Earth 187's Vampire War was over. That Earth had not fallen to an abortive vampire apocalypse, nor had it become a lost world. But those who had once called themselves "the Lost Boys" were forever lost, defeated by human tenacity, resistance and ingenuity. And for the first time in over twenty years, Lois Lane- a Huntress indeed- began to cry, without restraint, deeply and with grief finally unburdened for the man she had loved more than anything else on this world.
THE END
1997:
Douglas Mercer stepped off his Kawasaki and did a psi-sweep around the area, wards on full. For a seventeen year old, he was tall, muscular and yet not overconfident. He'd been tasked with finding out why there were so many deaths in Santa Carla, despite the fact that it only housed around 65,000 souls. He felt he was being watched, probably by the same assailants that had been tentatively identified as the murderers. At which point, the guitarist on the makeshift stage finished his gig, to more than usual applause. And no wonder, the little bloke was damned good. And damned hot. And probably damned straight, with his luck. With reluctance, Doug turned his scrutiny on the crowd. And then he felt it- the discord in the surrounding area, like a miscue in the musician's routine that had just ended. He powered his ward up to maximum, checked the state of his concealed crossbow and focused.
Around fifteen metres away, six apparent adolescents were similarly just as intent on the newcomer:
"Trouble?" asked Michael Emerson.
"Yeah. The big dude there is packing. He knows we're here, and when he does detect us, he'll try and lure us away from here."
"I don't see a pistol anywhere on him." Michael observed.
David Powers grinned and tousled his hair: "Pistols don't hurt us, Mikey. Nah, probably a crossbow. If we're really unlucky, he's loaded with stakes."
Marko whistled: "Man, that is one cool steed he's riding. After we wipe him off the map, then do I get that?"
"Why don't we turn him instead?" Michael asked.
Dwayne rolled his eyes: "Are you serious, Mike? He's a whitewicca. He can't become a vampire- he's too damned dangerous."
"So why are we stalking him, then? And giving him time to get a bead on us?" Paul rejoindered.
"He's young, he's overconfident. He'll be a pushover." Marko sneered.
However. none of the vampires were aware that there was an additional registration of interest and that their newly initiated pursuit of Douglas Mercer had not gone undetected.
Doug sighed in relief and rezipped his leather trousers, feeling the weight of the pocket crossbow in his hand and the whisper as the vampires alighted on the sandhill top above him:
"What took you so long?"
"You're quite confident you can take us all down, dude?"
Michael looked levelly at the newcomer: "Look, leave and we can forget this ever happened."
"No way, mate. You leeches have been contributing to the local death toll for far too long. It ends here, tonight."
Dwayne blazed: "Where the hell d'you get off callin' us leeches, broomstick jockey?"
"Because bats are far too good a metaphor for the likes of you?" Doug said, as he silently targeted the vampire ensemble on the hill, preparing for combat.
Marko snapped first. He leapt from the hill and sped toward the newcomer, who watched him come. Halfway down the hill, he realised that it shouldn't be this easy, and tried to slide to a halt. Seconds later, a high-speed wooden projectile hit his charcoal, inert heart and he erupted into heat and light and energy before he had time to scream in terror or pain. As the smoke from his immolation cleared, Dwayne rose in the air and then arced down toward him- only to be surprised as Doug levitated to meet him in midair and loosed a crossbow bolt at him. Before he could evade it, a second Lost Boy was lost to eternity. Paul swallowed: "Two of us, man, in as many minutes."
"Try three," said a gravelly deep voice behind him, as a hairy hand stabbed him through the ribcage and out through his heart,"and that's for Will."
Doug raised an eyebrow: "Redhaired muso guy. Help gratefully received. Look out, he's got a knife!" Doug teleported himself and started grappling with Michael as the werewolf snarled and threw himself at the fleeing David: "You're not getting away. I lost someone very dear to me because of a visit you bastards made up the coast to Sunnyvale."
"You're no match for me, dogboy."
"Emerson... Michael... you don't have to do this. He's not worth ending your existence for."
"I don't have anywhere else to go. And I'm a vampire. I need to do this to survive."
At that point, a familiar blue clad figure made contact. Doug yelled: "No, Superman! Stop! Keep back! I can handle this!"
"What do you mean? He looks easy enough to deal with."
"They're vampires. Their abilities are thauma- oh hell!" In a matter of seconds, David Powers broke from the werewolf and sank his fangs deep into Superman's neck. The Kryptonian blood coursed through the vampire as he snarled in pleasure, clinging onto the rapidly succumbing alien. Before Doug and Daniel could reach him, Superman slumped to the ground as David Powers eyes glowed. Gathering Star and Michael in his arms, David accelerated away. Doug cushioned his landing with telekinesis as Daniel pressed down on the Justice League communication device. Batman, Wonder Woman and the Flash materialised nearby:
"Superman. He's been badly hurt, drained by a vampire whose power basis is magical."
Batman knelt by his supine friend and glanced upward at the two newcomers:
"The neck punctures and shape of the incisions indicate what you're saying is valid. Diana, we need to get him to Kandor. Wally, we need to get Clark to the Fortress and down into Kandor if we're to have any hope of rescuing him."
"Look, I can provide you with intel and physiological details of his assailants. Just please, tell me he's going to be okay."
"We'll handle that while Clark's being operated on. And look...thanks for your help. Much appreciated. Are either of you metahuman?"
"I'm a lycanthrope, and Douglas here is a mage."
"Can you help teleport Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen to the Fortress of Solitude if I can give you the coordinates?"
"Of course."
Twenty minutes later, Doug arrived in Kandor with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. As they watched the medical staff busily labouring to save the wounded Kryptonian's life, Doug and Batman liased over the exchange of information. Lois was ashen and pale, as one might expect from the shock of seeing the man she loved more than anything else on this world lying severely injured and comatose, while Jimmy summoned Supergirl to the stricken hero's bedside. As the operation dragged on, Lois Lane's professionalism and poise as a journalist reasserted themselves. She stepped across to Doug, clasping the young man's shoulder:
"Thank you. You may have saved his life. I need to know, what did this to him?"
"His name is David Powers. He's an experienced vampire and as you're aware, Ms. Lane, the basis of those abilities is magickal. Superman...stopped to help out Daniel and I. I work for a vampire interdiction group as a field agent. I don't think Superman...expected...what happened next. I'm sorry. I wasn't...able to get to him in time."
"After everything we've been through together, for this to happen. Do you have clearance to release any details about your mission?"
"Sure. I work for Department V within the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, which is tasked with containing vampire insurgent activity. Their numbers tend to peak in times of high unemployment, social instability, epidemic disease, famine or political polarisation. They take advantage of the unrest to prey on unsuspecting humans. Powers belonged to a Californian outfit based in Santa Carla, a small coastal community of around 65,000 people, which called itself "The Lost Boys." However, these characters were nowhere near as innocuous as their namesakes in J.M.Barrie's childrens classic Peter Pan. They might look like goth teenagers with bad attitude problems, but they're a vampire coven. As near as we can make out, their sire was one Max Grier, who got staked in 1987. Unfortunately, that didn't stop his fledgelings from striking out on their own. Ten years later, they were entrenched, which is when we decided to intervene. Ms Lane, I am truly sorry. if we'd done this soon, that brave and courageous man in there wouldn't be fighting for his life..." Doug broke off as the medical equipment in the adjacent surgery let out a piercing pulse, followed minutes after by the doctors. As they removed their sanitary visors, their faces were grim. In the frozen tableau that Jimmy Olsen immortalised, Lois Lane sobbed into Doug Mercer's arms as Batman looked away and the Flash blinked, unbelieving, in what the times had wrought. The greatest giant redwood on this world had fallen and an age of innocence had ended forever.
2004:
"Oh no, you don't..." Redwolf said as he barelled into the vampire that had tried to ambush President Schwarzenegger,"even if I didn't vote for Arn-Nuld here, you don't get to red-pencil him. That's up to the electorate later this year. Darkmercy applauded his partner as he stood over the Renfeld servitor and snarled:
"Okay, leechfood. Who ordered this assassination? Powers? Emerson?"
"You bastards ain't gonna make me talk-" Darkmercy shook his head, and placed his hands on the supine would-be assassin's temples:
"Darkman, is that wise?"
"I'm not going to go full power on this one, Red, he's obviously a lackey of the main chance. But this is a presidential assassination attempt and we need to find out who ordered this. Darkmercy to base. Looks like the tip-up was a valid one. The assassination attempt was real and we managed to prevent it. As for the leech involved, he's not one of the Lost Boy trio of dominant vampires. I'm teleporting up to the satellite while Red and I keep the president safe and do forensics on the attempted crime scene."
"Okay, Darkmercy. Well done." Doug (Darkmercy) Mercer-Osborne turned to face his husband, Daniel (Redwolf) Mercer-Osborne:
"It's all right, Mr President. We'll stay around until we've cleared up how they were able to locate your escort detail's route and you're back in the safely warded White House."
"Did you really not vote for me, Redwolf?"
"Nope, sorry, sir, genetically based Democrat."
"Damn it. Sat surveillance. It got placed here in microfiche form in one of the rose bushes. Well, that's out of commission now. Magically warded, so Kara couldn't spot it with telescopic vision either."
"Just as well, otherwise the Lost World would have claimed another presidential scalp. George W. Bush, Al Gore, John McCain...looks like we'll have to be on guard at the next election too."
Superwoman felt empty as she flew the skies alone. Before that dark day seven years ago, she would have sighted her cousin if he'd been onworld and accelerated off to greet him. She hadn't wanted this. She'd wanted Clark and Lois to marry one another, have children, build a life with one another. But Lois had gone cold and hard after David Powers had murdered the only man she could ever love. She asked Batman to train her and assumed a new secret identity herself, Huntress- because that was what she did to vampires now. The old Justice League of America was replaced with Justice League Nova and it was targeted exclusively on the burgeoning predatory vampire community as it fought for global domination. Nothing else mattered now. The crime rate had spiralled downward when vampires took over the night, meaning that nocturnal criminals were caught in the crossfire, and the same happened to illegal narcotics traffickers. Fuelled by his murder of Superman, David Powers soon also branched out into political assassination, targeting anyone who he saw as a threat to his shadowy authority. Entire nations had fallen. It was probably inevitable that Transylvania was the first and that the depth of its vampire infiltration meant that it was able to quickly secede from Romania and Hungary, massacring any troops sent in from their former overlords against their rebellious former subjects. Eastern Europe was soon riddled with satellite governments, buttressed by the wealth of the vampire aristocracy and their Swiss bank accounts. Africa also became easy prey as its warlords and miltary dictators had no hesitation in sacrificing their more quotidian citizens to vampire newcomers. Added to which, these vampires were centuries old and had been fledged in the ancient empires of Mali, Songhay, Dahomey and Ethiopia, so they were indigenous to that continent. Overnight, figures like Muamarr Qadhafi, Saddam Hussein, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Berlusconi, Nikolas Sarkozy, Australia's John Howard, New Zealand Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash and other, more obscure political leaders vanihsed into the night as Powers, Emerson and Star "took care of business" and ended threats to their dominion. The United Kingdom was relatively impregnable, but then it had learnt its lesson when Dracula and Orlok had visited it in 1897 and 1922, and successive British Prime Ministers had been informed about the need for continued protection against the very real nocturnal threat from haemolagnids.
2008:
Now you know that you are real,
Show your friends that you and me
Belong to the same world,
Turned on to the same word,
Have you heard?
As Nightwing rose from the bath, he heard the tunnel at the back of the Nightcave open. A familiar rosy glow filled it and a beautiful orange-skinned woman alighted. Dick Grayson and padded over to embrace Koriand'r as she returned from her latest circumorbital mission. As the embrace grew more passionate, the towel dropped to the concrete floor of the cave. At least one of Batman's JLN associates had time for love. Their bond could not be shattered and it was one of the mainstays of the increasingly uncertain world.
Now you know that you are free,
Living all your life at ease.
Each day has its always,
A look down life's hallways, doorways,
To lead you there.
In the Metropolis City Cemetary, one golden statue stood above all the others. Lois Lane shut her eyes and a single tear squeezed out, followed by a single sob. But that was all she allowed herself. One day, she vowed to herself, she would track down Superman's murderer and end his existence forever. Until then, she was a Huntress of the revenants that stalked the night, dispatching them to hell before they could claim additional lives. Batman had trained her well. She was cold, disciplined, wholly dedicated to her task and definitely the daughter of a military man. Superman's widow, Lois Lane, would make David Powers pay, even if it had been eleven years. No matter how long it took.
Now you know how nice it feels,
Scatter good seed in the fields.
Life's ours for the making,
Eternity's waiting, waiting,
For you and me.
In their New York lair, the Lost Boys lay at rest. Emerson and Star clung to one another, grabbing a moment of tenderness with each other until David returned. When he did, he would have sex with them both and they didn't welcome that. But they had nowhere else to go, and even if they did escape, one or another of the deadlier members of Justice League Nova would track them down, extract information from them and then put them to death. For them, there could be no redemption. They should have broken their ties with him before he'd drunken Superman's blood and strengthened his haemovoric abilities infinitely. Now, eleven years after the world changed forever, it was too late.
Now you know that you are real,
Show your friends that you and me
Belong to the same world,
Turned on to the same word,
Have you heard?
On Remembrabce Day, they assembled in the JLN satellite to remember those who had passed away in the turmoil of the vampire apocalypse:
Hawkwoman lit the first candle:
"For Ray and Katar."
Batman stepped forward next:
"For Alfred Pennyworth and Kathy Kane."
Catwoman followed next: "For Holly Robinson."
Oracle pushed her wheelchair forward: "For Commissioner James Gordon and Chief O'Hara. I miss you, Dad."
Batwoman continued the tribute: "For Toby Raynes."
Nightwing added his candle flame: "For Roy Harper, Gar Dayton, Lilith."
Starfire clasped her husband's hand: "For Donna Troy."
Redwolf was sobbing as, supported by his husband, he whispered: "Willow Rosenberg."
Darkmercy joined the man he loved: "My dad, Rupert Giles."
The Flash added her candle: "My husband, Barry Allen."
Green Lantern lit his: "Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Tom Kamalku, Carol Ferris. Tawny Young. I will always love you, sweetheart."
Black Arrow nodded as she added hers: "Oliver Queen, my brave, handsome archer."
John Constantine finished the ceremony: "Zatanna. There'll never be another like you, Zed, love."
Have you heard?
Have you heard?
Have you heard?
Have you heard?
Moody Blues (C) "Have you heard?" [Used for nonprofit commentary purposes here]
2010:
But there were some successes too. Harley Quinn was inducted into JLN when she escaped from her abusive relationship with the Joker. She bonded with Oracle who had been thrown off the Gotham City Police Building as Batgirl after the Joker had been turned into a vampire and laid waste to much of Gotham City, including subsequently tearing the throat out of Commissioner James Gordon as the crippled Barbara watched helplessly from the adjacent street. One day, Harley's contacts enabled her to locate the Joker and as a consequence, the two took the JLN teleport down into the turmoil of Bludhaven, where the Joker was fruitlessly hunting for Dick Grayson. The duo ambushed him in a darkened alleyway. In a battlesuit coated with garlic juice and with perimeter sunstrength arclights coordinated from Barbara's end at the alleyway, Oracle stood point as Harley plunged a stake into the Joker's blackened charcoal heart. The insane psychopath gazed at the sight of his impending death then laughed maniacally. Then the laugh choked into a rising scream as thin threads of fire and heat began to course across him, turning him to ash and dust. The two knocked fists and returned victorious to the satellite. A reception committee awaited them. Nightwing embraced Oracle:
"Hey, you did it, Babs! Awesome! Closure at last."
"Yeah, at least Dad and the other GCPD officers the Joker murdered can rest in peace now. Sorry, Bruce."
"Don't apologise, Barbara. He was bad enough as a human, but given what he did after the "Lost Boys" turned him...you destroyed one of their chief lieutenants. Strategically neccessary and also personally fulfilling. I won't shed any tears."
Redwolf and Darkmercy were on hand for Quinzel:
"You did it, Quinzel! How did it feel to send that grinning woman-beating piranha where he belongs?"
"Cathartic. Was it like this for you when you staked Bloody William in London back in '07?"
"Yeah, exactly. Now you know what it's like counting coup. Good, eh?"
"I feel like celebratin'. What are you two studs doin' now you're off shift?"
2013:
And inevitably, there were setbacks too. Some of them were attributable to popular prejudices, as occurred when Darkmercy and Redwolf guested on the Larry King Now show on Hulu. Unfortunately, station management had been strongarmed into accepting a certain controversial televangelist as 'balance.':
"And tonight, we have two special guests- the witch Darkmercy and werewolf Redwolf from Justice League Nova. And on the other side of the table, Reverend Richard Stryker, television evangelist and host of That Old Iron Cross. Gentleman."
"I'm glad for this opportunity to speak."
"Yeah, I'll bet you are, mate. Why do you think it's ethical or just to kill werewolves in cold blood?"
"Please, Mr Mercer..."
"That's Mercer-Osborne, sport. We're married."
"Not in the eyes of God."
"Good thing I'm a practisin' Wiccan, then, and Obergefell v Hodges went our way. Answer my question."
"Because werewolves transform into ravening beasts during the hours of darkness, slaughter animals and have been known to kill human beings."
"Yet there has not been one documented case of Redwolf here doing so. In fact, over the last sixteen years, as a member of Justice League Nova, he has defended hundreds of American citizens and others from vampire attacks."
"That is a ploy to try to obtain greater tolerance and acceptance for his kind."
"My husband is in full control of his abilities." Doug snapped.
"Answer my question, please, Reverend Stryker. On what basis do you argue that Redwolf and lycanthropes like him are injurious to the public good?"
"And here's another question while you're ponderin' that, Stryker. Most of the month, apart from the hours of the full moon, lycos are human beings. Are you implying some sort of pre-emptive strike against known werewolves is justifiable homicide, in some sick perverted way?"
"That's a legitimate question, Darkmercy. Reverend?"
"I am not responsible for vigilante actions against potential threats to the public good. Can you blame ordinary Americans for feeling threatened?"
Doug snorted: "Oh, very equivocal. Denial of personal responsibility on the one hand, stigmatisation and encouragement of anti-lycanthrope hate crimes on the other."
"Can you deny that there have been instances where lycanthropes have attacked ordinary decent Americans?"
"Why haven't you mentioned vampires once during this interview, Stryker?"
"That's a seperate issue."
"Because, while werewolves are predominantly human, as Darkmercy has correctly stated, vampires are not, and one of them killed Superman sixteen years ago. Since then, both of my metahuman guests here have been repeatedly injured and put their lives on the line trying to protect your 'ordinary, decent Americans', Reverend Stryker. There are no such limitations on vampire nocturnal activity and predation, unless preventative steps are taken." Larry King stated.
"Yes, and how convenient for the lycanthrope agenda that that is the case."
"Except there is no lycanthrope agenda, unless you mean the one for human rights and civil liberties akin to other Americans." Daniel replied.
"My partner repeatedly risks his life for other Americans, yet lycos have no employment security, accomodation safety and can be denied services, as well as being victims of hate crimes themselves when they have committed no wrong. And most lycos take steps to insure when they wolfside, they pose no harm to non-lyco Americans."
"Why should potentially dangerous predators have any human rights? They're not normal, baseline humans."
"Prove it. All you've been sayin' tonight, Stryker, is based on anecdotes and your own propaganda, not mainstream scientific or medical evidence. And what's even more dangerous, you're providing a distraction from the real, clear and present danger posed by vampire incursions. Whether that's deliberate or not, I'll leave for your viewers to decide, Larry."
"And we'll have to leave it there. Thank you, Darkmercy and Redwolf, members of Justice League Nova. Our other guest-" Stryker stalked from the studio, glowering at Doug and Daniel.
"Sorry, guys, the network forced him on us due to law suit threats from the right reverend."
"No worries, Larry. At least we know you're diligent, fair and balanced. Thanks for the help."
2015:
At long last, after too many fatalities and losses, the tide started to turn. It began when Star was ambushed coming out of a wine shop. She didn't detect the female JLN posse on her trail until it was too late. As she tried to rise into the air above the alleyway, Superwoman swept down and plunged a stake into her heart. The deceptively young looking woman's face did not reflect shock; if anything, it showed peace and contentment at her fate, and her long release. She whispered: "Thank you." Then she collapsed into fragments of dust and dead skin, flying away on the breeze.
A mile away, Michael Emerson felt the shock of his lover's sudden passing. He called to Powers:
"David, there's a mob of metas. T-they've killed Star."
Powers swore: "The reckless little fool! She had to have her precious freedom, didn't she? Well, it's too late now. Take a patrol of the V Guard downtown and make an example of them, Mikey."
But as the Vampire Guard escorted David Powers second in command into the alleyway, red tracer light appeared on their chests, above their hearts. Then there were multiple points. The Vampire Guard had been recruited from the ranks of Earth's more tractable supervillain community, but they'd gone too long without combat experience against their former enemies. The Cheetah snarled as she leapt at Wonder Woman, slapping away a stake as she engaged the Amazon, but Captain Cold was less lucky as Iris Allen sped by, taking her revenge on the rogues gallery member who had murdered her beloved Barry, plunging a stake into his chest before he could draw his icergun. Sonar tried to focus his sonic targeting on the incoming form of Green Lantern, but was unprepared as a sleek black arrow stabbed into his heart. Dinah Lance Queen smiled to herself- vengeance for her beloved Ollie, after all these years. Hawkwoman rose up like an apparition behind Michael Emerson, as he turned:
"I won't beg."
"Why? Why didn't you back down and defect, Emerson? There was a time when you could."
"I did it for Star. I was afraid of what he might to do to her if... and there was nowhere to go. He killed my whole family back in Santa Carla. Here. I won't make it difficult for you. I've killed too many people. I know there's no redemption for me, nor do I expect any. I'm tired of this existence. So, go ahead. Use that crossbow on me."
Darkmercy nodded: "Believe it or not, we're genuinely sorry to have to do this, Michael. You deserved better than a precarious existence with that leech Powers. And yeah, you killed- but far fewer people than he did, and none of us or those we loved. But you're his lieutenant. Is there anything you might want to tell us before you go into the dark?"
A hesitant smile lit up Michael Emerson's face: "That, I can do. Gladly. He did this to me against my will. Okay. You want a list of his kills while I was part of the Lost Boys?..."
An hour later, he finished betraying his sire. Doug handed him a stake: "Here. You get to do it yourself, on your own terms, your way. I wish we could do more for you, Michael, but thank you for what you've just told us."
'That's no problem, Darkmercy. I'm thankful for this small grace at least. Goodbye." With that, Michael Emerson plunged the sharpened point of the wooden stake into the dense pathway of necrotic nerves that was his vampire remnant of a heart. He closed his eyes and smiled for a moment before cracks of fire and light emerged from his form as he erupted into a cloud of dust and debris.
"So what now, Bruce?" Batwoman asked.
"We prepare for the final battle. It'll take time, but David Powers will fall."
2017:
Twenty years after Superman's death, Justice League Nova invaded the mountain fortress that was to be David Powers mausoleum. Batman led the way with razorrangs and arclights as the younger, more suicidal and more reckless vampire fledgelings hurled themself at the invaders. Batwoman plunged a garlic-impregnated rope around Alice's throat and pulled it hard, as the younger vampire screamed before she combusted. Nightwing and Starfire worked as a team, decapitating more, incinerating others. Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner James Gordon were further avenged. Cheetah tried to maul her Amazon assailant, but even her enhanced theriomorphic vampire abilities were no match in the end for a determined, disciplined Amazon warrior bent on avenging the deaths of Steve Trevor and Donna Troy. In the end, Wonder Woman took her opponent's head off, as the battle raged around her.
But inevitably, there were casualties. Harley Quinn fought valiantly and bravely, but all it took was a poisonous mauling at the teeth of one intruder. While Superwoman incinerated her attacker, the ailing gaudily clad woman lay cradled in Darkmercy's arms:
"Harley, don't talk. We'll get you back to Barbara on the satellite. You'll get through this."
"Nah, Dougie, I won't. We both know that. Hell, I ain't afraid to die. Not like this, not when I'm part of the final effort against that bastard Powers. It'll end tonight."
"Damn it, Harley, of all of us, you deserved most to come out the other side."
"I'm cool with this. I get to see my Pammy again. When Lois hits the big man, I hope she remembers me."
The Huntress nodded: "That I will, old friend. That I certainly will. Rest in peace, Harley. Justice League Nova, with me! Powers, you murdering scum! I'm coming for you!! I'm coming for you, now!!!"
It is estimated that during the tenure of the Vampire War, David Powers either supervised or directly participated in the killing of one point eight million people, as commander of his revanant army. He was no longer a Lost Boy of any manner or sort as he sought to bloodily wrest power from human authorities on his Earth. He killed metahumans and political leaders, but he also ended the lives of vulnerable defenceless children and elderly, blinded by his bloodlust. But propelled by her love for her fallen husband, rage and grief and outrage at the injustices that he perpetrated against defenceless others, Lois Lane finally rounded on her husband's murderer. She stalked toward him as blood red heat vision scorched out toward her, only to be deflected by her battle armour. He laughed:
"So it ends like this. Superman's bit of tail against someone who is impervious to sunlight, who has her husbands abilities, who cannot be killed by mere wood and whose skin is invulnerable to decapitation. Not an even handed match."
"Shut up, braggart. You don't get to say his name. You don't get to crow about the day you murdered the man I love twenty years ago. Above all, you don't get to walk away from this." With that, she pummelled him in his midriff. To his shock, he felt it:
"Kryptonite?! Nah, I'm vulnerable to that. Whatever, $!^@#. Whatever you did, you won't get another-" Her clawed gloves raked his face. He tried to rise above the ground, but she dashed a gravity grenade, duplicating Krypton's gravitational conditions.
Redemption can take many forms. Had Powers been able to register the technology within Huntress' battle armour which gave her her competitive edge, he might have recognised the provenance of the circuitry, diodes and motherboards that he saw before him. But he didn't have time. Kilometres away, in Metropolis, a weary figure sat in his office, a man alone with his thoughts. Lex Luthor had been Superman's mortal enemy- until that day when the source of his enmity and hatred was suddenly removed from his life. For Luthor, it was as if a period of prolonged blindness suddenly ended. Without that blinding rage and obsession, at last he realised what he had foregone in pursuit of his all-consuming vengeance. As he watched the vampire apocalypse steadily engorge to consume much of what he cherished and held dear, Luthor called for a meeting with Justice League Nova- and placed his technology at the core of the anti-vampire war effort. And imperceptibly at first, and then with growing momentum, the blood-stained banner tottered and fell as human resistance rallied and the pendulum began to swing the other way.
Huntress smashed her fist into him, repeatedly, and although he landed several blows, her armour held as firm as her indomitable will, not even showing stresslines. She continued to land blows on him, as he bled, felt pain and bewilderment:
"No! It can't end like this! Not at your hands, not under the fists of a weak w-" He became aware of the sudden stillness in his fortress as the last cries from his troops faded into silence. One by one, the metahumans of Justice League Nova filed into the cavernous hall as Superman's widow continued her relentless assault. Darkmercy whispered:"Bruce, do we...?"
Batman shook his head: "Nope. She earned this. It's her right. And she can definitely take care of herself."
"Thanks for the offer, Doug." Huntress called as Powers slumped to the floor, reaching out a quavering hand to try to grip her ankle. She stepped back and produced a violet hued shard of crystal:
"With baneful wishes from a brilliant man and good friend. Superleech, meet violet kryptonite, specifically created to end the existence of enhanced haemolagnids. In other words, scum like you. Now die." She held the unearthly crystal close to him as his skin began to blister and he screamed a long, ululating cry of despair and torture. He then became blinded by the incandescence before him and laboured to draw breath. Still the radiation coursed into him, like the hellfire that he long defied and denied. He felt his very cells begin to go apoptosis and his body jerked once as it flared into light and heat. At long last, the self-styled 'king vampire', apex predator, David Powers was dead.
After twenty years, Earth 187's Vampire War was over. That Earth had not fallen to an abortive vampire apocalypse, nor had it become a lost world. But those who had once called themselves "the Lost Boys" were forever lost, defeated by human tenacity, resistance and ingenuity. And for the first time in over twenty years, Lois Lane- a Huntress indeed- began to cry, without restraint, deeply and with grief finally unburdened for the man she had loved more than anything else on this world.
THE END