Post by redsycorax on Feb 27, 2021 2:22:15 GMT
On Earth-629, events took an unexpected turn in 1962, when French Army Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Bastein Thiry assassinated French President Charles de Gaulle on 22 August 1962, before de Gaulle could sign the Evian Accords and end the Algerian War. Here, the Vieil Etat-Major and Organisation Armee Secret anti-independence paramilitary groups held a clandestine joint meeting in Algiers in 1961 to co-ordinate their plans against Algerian independence through the demise of President de Gaulle, whom they considered a traitor to Algeria's French colonists. And so, in the southwestern Parisian suburb of Petit Clamart, on the day in question, de Gaulle's presidential Citroen DS and several surrounding shops were raked with gunfire. Here, President de Gaulle did not escape, due to the severity of the co-ordinated attack and one of the chance variations of history. An assassin's bullet found his head and de Gaulle died instantly, along with his wife Yvonne, In an escalating terrorist campaign, the OAS/VEM overthrew the French Fourth Republic in a coup d'etat, tore up the Evian Accords and bloodily suppressed Algeria's FLN independence movement.
MARCH 2021:
This is GalliaVision, with today's news. The Silvermen, our national squadron of metahumans, suffered another fatality today- the sapient gorilla, M. Mallah. While attempting to apprehend the dissident Marie the Razor, the terrorist was responsible for a simian immunodeficiency virus of unknown origin. Marechal Le Pen blamed the British and Americans for fostering this perfidy, holding off criticism of the Soviet Union under President Putin. As to why that might be the case, President Hillary Clinton tartly replied: "The United States was not responsible for the incursion of Mademoiselle Marie Duval into French sovereign territory. Of course the United States is a sanctuary for many who resist the neofascist tyranny of the French dictatorship that has blighted that country for almost sixty years." Madame Clinton went on to make derogatory comments about Marechal Jean-Marie Le Pen and insinuations about the leadership of our nation-"
Warp motioned to the holovision: "Turn it off, Ductile. We are not interested in their turgid propaganda against La Patrie."
The former Madame Rouge nodded, lighting an vaperette at the end of her repurposed holder: "It has given us much, Emile, has it not? Poor Mallah. He did not deserve that fate. How is Mentation taking it?"
"As one might expect, ma cherie. He is deep in grief and mourning for his companion."
"After all, it is not our fault that the Silvermen are loyal adherents to the Nationalist philosophy. Ah, Capucine. How are you?"
"Monsieur Le Presidente grilled me over what went wrong with the mission. Given that Mallah was a cousin to Grodd, the Chancellor of the Cite des Singes, and an ally of the French Nation, what would one expect?"
"So many gone now. Andre, Homme de Fer. Fleur de Lys."
"At least we still have Lady Liberty, Inconnue, Phantasme and Pierrot within our ranks. They are a match for the infernal Justice League and the New Round Table. And at least we have our nuclear force de frappe as well, should either Russia, Britain or the Americans try anything."
Which they wouldn't. Buttressed by its iron grip on its colonial territories and ruthlessness in holding them, France had become a third global superpower, in between the United States and England on one hand, and the isolationist Soviet Union on the other- although after the early death of Brezhnev and the consequent instability that ensued throughout the seventies and eighties, it had lost the whole of its former Warsaw Pact allies and the former Baltic Soviet republics. It was only through the coup that overthrew Gorbachev that the Communist Party continued to hold power at all. No, the world was better this way- with France restored to its former greatness, a major power in its own right.
JUSTICE LEAGUE SATELLITE:
Batwoman looked around the table wearily. So many old faces gone, so many other changed. Her own days as Batgirl seemed so long ago- and how she missed Bruce. Dinah's face was stony and intent- but then, that had been the case since Phantasme had murdered Oliver and she had assumed his bow and arrows as Black Arrow. Green Lantern- now Katma Tui of Korugar - was gazing at the photograph of John Stewart on the memorial wall, with tears in her own eyes. Wally was probably the only one here who had peacefully succeeded to the position that his mentor and predecessor had occupied, after Barry Allen had lost his speedster abilities, settled down with Iris and finally started a family. Thankfully, there were J'onn J'onnz, Superman and Wonder Woman, providing continuity with the past. But times had changed from the optimistic ages of gold and silver that had made them legends:
"Are we all here? Good. Diana?"
"Clark. You may remember the raid on Jamaica from the French Imperial Garrison on Martinique."
"Considering it was responsible for the death of my husband, yes." Katma said quietly. Dinah reached over and gripped her hand.
"We all miss John, honey." Batwoman said softly
"Damn Silvermen." Dinah growled.
"Their country considers them heroes."
"I know, J'onn, but they don't deserve the title. Heroes do not undertake the actions of their country without question. Heroes do not kill other humans or sentient beings." Wonder Woman said levelly.
"How's Steve doing, Diana?"
"As well as can be expected, Clark. That nerve gas attack on Jamaica almost killed him. We've been living on borrowed time ever since. And Clark, thank Lois for that beautiful article on him in the Daily Planet magazine. I very much appreciated it."
"What are friends for?" Superman replied.
"The problem is, given France has withdrawn from the United Nations, no-one can police their metahumans. I cannot believe that that verminous oaf Le Pen has pardoned scores of supervillains because they agreed to kowtow to him. I remember Charles de Gaulle from my wartime days. A great man. One sorely missed." Diana said.
"Yeah, well as far as I'm concerned, they're less culpable than the so-called 'heroes' that signed up for those pennyante fascist bastards." Dinah snarled, gritting her teeth.
"I fought against fascists in one war. Now I'm starting to wonder if it's going to happen all over again." Diana glanced at the geopolitical map, which showed the worrying strategic situation in Europe now. Particularly the French garrisons on the border with Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Italy. At any moment, given Le Pen's growing madness and melancholia, the powderkeg could erupt. Could this world survive? For how much longer?
METROPOLIS:
When he alighted near Clark Kent's apartment, now shared with Lois Lane, Superman was startled to see an old friend: "Mon-El?"
"Clark. I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"What about? Hey, how's Tasmia... Lar. What is it?"
With tears in his eyes, the Daxamite swallowed, before continuing: "It's...the Legion of Super Heroes, Clark. It doesn't exist any longer. Nor does thirtieth century Earth, not the way we remember it."
"Rao, Lar, I'm sorry. What happened? A war with the Khunds, or the Dominators?"
Mon-El shook his head: "Something worse than that, Clark. Infinitely worse. When I said didn't exist, I should have said never existed. Fortunately, I can replicate Brainiac 5's anti-lead serum, so that isn't a problem. A massive historical change has occurred and it took place in the late twentieth or early twenty first century. When I arrived here, and found that the USSR still existed, albeit in reduced circumstances, and that France was a fascist dictatorship, I realised something was deeply wrong. This isn't the way things should have turned out."
"What do you mean? That history somehow shifted? But Lar, that's impossible. I've tried it. It never works..."
"I saw it happen, Clark. But I still have memories of the Legion."
"Tell him the rest, Mon-El." Lois interjected.
'In the thirtieth century as it exists now, Earth is uninhabitable...because of a Franco-American nuclear war in 2021."
"Thank you for telling me. I'll let the rest of the League know...what?"
"The change is indelible, Clark. The rest of the League, apart from Diana, J'onn and yourself, die trying to mitigate its effects, but it's useless. Take Kandor and Lois, and anyone else you care about. Evacuate the Fortress of Solitude and relocate."
"Is there nothing we can do to prevent this? Nothing at all?"
"Clark, the French and US militaries both have antimatter weapons. No matter that they shouldn't have been developed until the 22nd Century, they exist now."
Superman did some rapid calculations: "But that would require all kinds of electromagnetic containment technologies... blazes. Lar, can I destroy them? Can I throw them into space before they detonate?"
Mon-El looked away: "No, Clark. It won't happen that way. Their devices contain 2.5 kiltons of antimatter. That's 100.000 gigatons. You'd be incinerated."
"So what are you saying? I should save myself?"
"It's already too late, Clark. In fifteen minutes, the French army will fire on a British naval vessel and try to occupy the Channel Islands. That's how it begins. By ten o'clock tomorrow morning, they'll attack Germany and trigger NATO intervention."
"Damn it, why didn't you arrive earlier? We could have prevented this somehow."
"I couldn't, for the very reason I told you. These events are indelible. They are a fixed point in time. They must happen. They will happen, despite any attempt to forestall it. I know, because when I realised what had happened, I headed downtime to Sainte-Clemerte, Paris, on August 22, 1962. to prevent French President de Gaulle's assassination. I couldn't. The event was timelocked. It couldn't be changed."
"So he wasn't assassinated in the original course of events?"
"No, Clark. He dies later and France remains a democratic nation, and the nuclear arms race effectively ended in 1991, when the USSR became post-communist. But for some reason, this didn't happen in the current course of events and now they've spiralled out of control."
A minute later, Katma Tui joined them:
"Clark, Lois. The Guardians told me to abandon Earth, that there was going to be a war here."
"Kat, this is Lar Gand, Mon-El of the thirtieth century Legion of Super-Heroes. Or should I say, formerly."
"What do you mean? Is this war inevitable?"
"Worse than that, Kat. It involves antimatter weapons."
But with this world's current standard of technology, that won't be poss- no, you're right. My power ring confirms it."
"So, will you-"
"No, of course not. My husband is buried here. This is his homeworld. I'll do the best I can to save everyone."
With that, Katma Tui accelerated away into the night sky.
"Actually, Mon-El is lying. You will be able to avert this catastrophe. At the loss of your own life." The Spectre had materialised in the middle of the room.
"Damn it, Corrigan, don't interfere in this. The sacrifice would be too great. Far too great for Lois, personally, and for the planet as a whole."
Superman nodded: "All right. I really have no choice."
Tears streaming down her face, Lois embraced her husband:
"Come back safely, if you can. If not... Clark, I'm pregnant. So there won't be a void left if...if the worst happens."
"I love you, Lois Lane."
"I love you, Clark Kent. I will always love you."
History records what happened then. Many heroes fell averting the Third World War, intercepting the ICBMs as they arced over the Atlantic Ocean both ways. Katma Tui prevented at least one hundred and fifty weapons from impact and detonation on Earth, but perished from the antimatter bleedthrough radiation, too strong even for her power ring to screen out. Barry Allen and Wally West both laid down their lives, using their superspeed to redirect missiles away from Earth, into cislunar space. Batwoman used her formidable computer skills to plot the most probable trajectories and send the major League members over to intercept them in time. Superman crisscrossed the Atlantic, doing his part, until a more rapid ICBM passed him:
"Clark! That's not an ordinary antimatter weapon, it's normal matter! But it's a cobalt bomb. If it goes off, it will destroy all human life on this world."
"Why is it so damned fast, Barbara?"
"It...it looks like it was reverse-engineered from your infant starship, Clark. It...it contains kryptonite, too. Enough to kill you."
"Then I really have no option. Barbara? Tell Lois I love her."
Eyes brimming over with tears, Batwoman whispered: "Of course."
As he neared the prodigally fast missile, Superman was startled to see a companion closing in on him:
"Diana? Get away from here! If it goes, you'll be obliterated-"
"If it goes off despite your efforts, Clark, it'll kill everyone else. Including Steve."
"Diana, it was a privilege being in the League alongside you."
"We always knew this moment would come, Clark. Come on. We have a world to save."
And thus, an Amazon Warrior and the Last Son of Krypton used their unworldly strength to intercept the Doomsday Bomb and guide it into space. But it was also running on a far shorter detonation sequence than the other nuclear and antimatter weapons that had been deployed that day. As they soared past the Moon's orbit, the chain reaction ignited. And in the silence of cislunar space, two living legends met their end.
EPILOGUE:
Many years later, Lois Lane stood on a knoll, looking up into the sky. There was a whisper as her son, now grown to manhood, landed beside her:
"Mom?"
"Hard to believe it's been twenty years. And that everything's changed so much."
"Secretary-General Gordon wants to know when she can expect you at the UN Commemoration Ceremony."
"I don't think I'll ever get used to Barbara Gordon in that role, Jonathon. I wish you could have met your father. How proud he would be to see you, now."
"She wants you to footnote the War Crimes Anniversary ceremony too."
And that had been one of the core consequences of the thwarted holocaust. When the French citizenry heard that they had almost been annihilated by their insane leader's megalomania and paranoia, they rose up and overpowered his paramilitary groups. Across France, its inhabitants bloodily reclaimed their liberty from those who had usurped it and poisoned their country. The regime's hireling Silvermen were divided. Some of the less fanatical silently filed away into the shadows, abandoning their metahuman careers. To their credit, some turned on their fellows. Some, disgracefully, fell preserving the dictatorship. But at the end of a long, bloody week, France was a democratic nation once more. As with the surviving warmongers of another global conflict, an international war crimes tribunal was instituted and the offenders sentenced to life imprisonment for their crimes against humanity.
Mentored by J'onn J'onnz, there was a new generation of Justice Leaguers who fought alongside Superman II when he reached maturity. But there were some sad omissions. When Barbara Gordon retired from her Batwoman role, the serrated cape flew no more over Gotham. General Steve Trevor lapsed into a coma and never knew of his wife's death and on distant Themiscyra, Queen Hippolyta grieved her daughter and selected another Amazon to serve in Man's World. But there were more speedsters, like Quick and Scintilla and Blur, children of Barry Allen and Wally West. After a while, another Green Lantern joined the League, in commemoration of Katma Tui's sacrifice. Dinah Queen took over Batwoman's responsibilities in Gotham and never remarried.
At times, then, there are last minute reprieves, but sometimes, they are at extraordinary costs. But there will always been those willing to make them.
THE END
MARCH 2021:
This is GalliaVision, with today's news. The Silvermen, our national squadron of metahumans, suffered another fatality today- the sapient gorilla, M. Mallah. While attempting to apprehend the dissident Marie the Razor, the terrorist was responsible for a simian immunodeficiency virus of unknown origin. Marechal Le Pen blamed the British and Americans for fostering this perfidy, holding off criticism of the Soviet Union under President Putin. As to why that might be the case, President Hillary Clinton tartly replied: "The United States was not responsible for the incursion of Mademoiselle Marie Duval into French sovereign territory. Of course the United States is a sanctuary for many who resist the neofascist tyranny of the French dictatorship that has blighted that country for almost sixty years." Madame Clinton went on to make derogatory comments about Marechal Jean-Marie Le Pen and insinuations about the leadership of our nation-"
Warp motioned to the holovision: "Turn it off, Ductile. We are not interested in their turgid propaganda against La Patrie."
The former Madame Rouge nodded, lighting an vaperette at the end of her repurposed holder: "It has given us much, Emile, has it not? Poor Mallah. He did not deserve that fate. How is Mentation taking it?"
"As one might expect, ma cherie. He is deep in grief and mourning for his companion."
"After all, it is not our fault that the Silvermen are loyal adherents to the Nationalist philosophy. Ah, Capucine. How are you?"
"Monsieur Le Presidente grilled me over what went wrong with the mission. Given that Mallah was a cousin to Grodd, the Chancellor of the Cite des Singes, and an ally of the French Nation, what would one expect?"
"So many gone now. Andre, Homme de Fer. Fleur de Lys."
"At least we still have Lady Liberty, Inconnue, Phantasme and Pierrot within our ranks. They are a match for the infernal Justice League and the New Round Table. And at least we have our nuclear force de frappe as well, should either Russia, Britain or the Americans try anything."
Which they wouldn't. Buttressed by its iron grip on its colonial territories and ruthlessness in holding them, France had become a third global superpower, in between the United States and England on one hand, and the isolationist Soviet Union on the other- although after the early death of Brezhnev and the consequent instability that ensued throughout the seventies and eighties, it had lost the whole of its former Warsaw Pact allies and the former Baltic Soviet republics. It was only through the coup that overthrew Gorbachev that the Communist Party continued to hold power at all. No, the world was better this way- with France restored to its former greatness, a major power in its own right.
JUSTICE LEAGUE SATELLITE:
Batwoman looked around the table wearily. So many old faces gone, so many other changed. Her own days as Batgirl seemed so long ago- and how she missed Bruce. Dinah's face was stony and intent- but then, that had been the case since Phantasme had murdered Oliver and she had assumed his bow and arrows as Black Arrow. Green Lantern- now Katma Tui of Korugar - was gazing at the photograph of John Stewart on the memorial wall, with tears in her own eyes. Wally was probably the only one here who had peacefully succeeded to the position that his mentor and predecessor had occupied, after Barry Allen had lost his speedster abilities, settled down with Iris and finally started a family. Thankfully, there were J'onn J'onnz, Superman and Wonder Woman, providing continuity with the past. But times had changed from the optimistic ages of gold and silver that had made them legends:
"Are we all here? Good. Diana?"
"Clark. You may remember the raid on Jamaica from the French Imperial Garrison on Martinique."
"Considering it was responsible for the death of my husband, yes." Katma said quietly. Dinah reached over and gripped her hand.
"We all miss John, honey." Batwoman said softly
"Damn Silvermen." Dinah growled.
"Their country considers them heroes."
"I know, J'onn, but they don't deserve the title. Heroes do not undertake the actions of their country without question. Heroes do not kill other humans or sentient beings." Wonder Woman said levelly.
"How's Steve doing, Diana?"
"As well as can be expected, Clark. That nerve gas attack on Jamaica almost killed him. We've been living on borrowed time ever since. And Clark, thank Lois for that beautiful article on him in the Daily Planet magazine. I very much appreciated it."
"What are friends for?" Superman replied.
"The problem is, given France has withdrawn from the United Nations, no-one can police their metahumans. I cannot believe that that verminous oaf Le Pen has pardoned scores of supervillains because they agreed to kowtow to him. I remember Charles de Gaulle from my wartime days. A great man. One sorely missed." Diana said.
"Yeah, well as far as I'm concerned, they're less culpable than the so-called 'heroes' that signed up for those pennyante fascist bastards." Dinah snarled, gritting her teeth.
"I fought against fascists in one war. Now I'm starting to wonder if it's going to happen all over again." Diana glanced at the geopolitical map, which showed the worrying strategic situation in Europe now. Particularly the French garrisons on the border with Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Italy. At any moment, given Le Pen's growing madness and melancholia, the powderkeg could erupt. Could this world survive? For how much longer?
METROPOLIS:
When he alighted near Clark Kent's apartment, now shared with Lois Lane, Superman was startled to see an old friend: "Mon-El?"
"Clark. I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"What about? Hey, how's Tasmia... Lar. What is it?"
With tears in his eyes, the Daxamite swallowed, before continuing: "It's...the Legion of Super Heroes, Clark. It doesn't exist any longer. Nor does thirtieth century Earth, not the way we remember it."
"Rao, Lar, I'm sorry. What happened? A war with the Khunds, or the Dominators?"
Mon-El shook his head: "Something worse than that, Clark. Infinitely worse. When I said didn't exist, I should have said never existed. Fortunately, I can replicate Brainiac 5's anti-lead serum, so that isn't a problem. A massive historical change has occurred and it took place in the late twentieth or early twenty first century. When I arrived here, and found that the USSR still existed, albeit in reduced circumstances, and that France was a fascist dictatorship, I realised something was deeply wrong. This isn't the way things should have turned out."
"What do you mean? That history somehow shifted? But Lar, that's impossible. I've tried it. It never works..."
"I saw it happen, Clark. But I still have memories of the Legion."
"Tell him the rest, Mon-El." Lois interjected.
'In the thirtieth century as it exists now, Earth is uninhabitable...because of a Franco-American nuclear war in 2021."
"Thank you for telling me. I'll let the rest of the League know...what?"
"The change is indelible, Clark. The rest of the League, apart from Diana, J'onn and yourself, die trying to mitigate its effects, but it's useless. Take Kandor and Lois, and anyone else you care about. Evacuate the Fortress of Solitude and relocate."
"Is there nothing we can do to prevent this? Nothing at all?"
"Clark, the French and US militaries both have antimatter weapons. No matter that they shouldn't have been developed until the 22nd Century, they exist now."
Superman did some rapid calculations: "But that would require all kinds of electromagnetic containment technologies... blazes. Lar, can I destroy them? Can I throw them into space before they detonate?"
Mon-El looked away: "No, Clark. It won't happen that way. Their devices contain 2.5 kiltons of antimatter. That's 100.000 gigatons. You'd be incinerated."
"So what are you saying? I should save myself?"
"It's already too late, Clark. In fifteen minutes, the French army will fire on a British naval vessel and try to occupy the Channel Islands. That's how it begins. By ten o'clock tomorrow morning, they'll attack Germany and trigger NATO intervention."
"Damn it, why didn't you arrive earlier? We could have prevented this somehow."
"I couldn't, for the very reason I told you. These events are indelible. They are a fixed point in time. They must happen. They will happen, despite any attempt to forestall it. I know, because when I realised what had happened, I headed downtime to Sainte-Clemerte, Paris, on August 22, 1962. to prevent French President de Gaulle's assassination. I couldn't. The event was timelocked. It couldn't be changed."
"So he wasn't assassinated in the original course of events?"
"No, Clark. He dies later and France remains a democratic nation, and the nuclear arms race effectively ended in 1991, when the USSR became post-communist. But for some reason, this didn't happen in the current course of events and now they've spiralled out of control."
A minute later, Katma Tui joined them:
"Clark, Lois. The Guardians told me to abandon Earth, that there was going to be a war here."
"Kat, this is Lar Gand, Mon-El of the thirtieth century Legion of Super-Heroes. Or should I say, formerly."
"What do you mean? Is this war inevitable?"
"Worse than that, Kat. It involves antimatter weapons."
But with this world's current standard of technology, that won't be poss- no, you're right. My power ring confirms it."
"So, will you-"
"No, of course not. My husband is buried here. This is his homeworld. I'll do the best I can to save everyone."
With that, Katma Tui accelerated away into the night sky.
"Actually, Mon-El is lying. You will be able to avert this catastrophe. At the loss of your own life." The Spectre had materialised in the middle of the room.
"Damn it, Corrigan, don't interfere in this. The sacrifice would be too great. Far too great for Lois, personally, and for the planet as a whole."
Superman nodded: "All right. I really have no choice."
Tears streaming down her face, Lois embraced her husband:
"Come back safely, if you can. If not... Clark, I'm pregnant. So there won't be a void left if...if the worst happens."
"I love you, Lois Lane."
"I love you, Clark Kent. I will always love you."
History records what happened then. Many heroes fell averting the Third World War, intercepting the ICBMs as they arced over the Atlantic Ocean both ways. Katma Tui prevented at least one hundred and fifty weapons from impact and detonation on Earth, but perished from the antimatter bleedthrough radiation, too strong even for her power ring to screen out. Barry Allen and Wally West both laid down their lives, using their superspeed to redirect missiles away from Earth, into cislunar space. Batwoman used her formidable computer skills to plot the most probable trajectories and send the major League members over to intercept them in time. Superman crisscrossed the Atlantic, doing his part, until a more rapid ICBM passed him:
"Clark! That's not an ordinary antimatter weapon, it's normal matter! But it's a cobalt bomb. If it goes off, it will destroy all human life on this world."
"Why is it so damned fast, Barbara?"
"It...it looks like it was reverse-engineered from your infant starship, Clark. It...it contains kryptonite, too. Enough to kill you."
"Then I really have no option. Barbara? Tell Lois I love her."
Eyes brimming over with tears, Batwoman whispered: "Of course."
As he neared the prodigally fast missile, Superman was startled to see a companion closing in on him:
"Diana? Get away from here! If it goes, you'll be obliterated-"
"If it goes off despite your efforts, Clark, it'll kill everyone else. Including Steve."
"Diana, it was a privilege being in the League alongside you."
"We always knew this moment would come, Clark. Come on. We have a world to save."
And thus, an Amazon Warrior and the Last Son of Krypton used their unworldly strength to intercept the Doomsday Bomb and guide it into space. But it was also running on a far shorter detonation sequence than the other nuclear and antimatter weapons that had been deployed that day. As they soared past the Moon's orbit, the chain reaction ignited. And in the silence of cislunar space, two living legends met their end.
EPILOGUE:
Many years later, Lois Lane stood on a knoll, looking up into the sky. There was a whisper as her son, now grown to manhood, landed beside her:
"Mom?"
"Hard to believe it's been twenty years. And that everything's changed so much."
"Secretary-General Gordon wants to know when she can expect you at the UN Commemoration Ceremony."
"I don't think I'll ever get used to Barbara Gordon in that role, Jonathon. I wish you could have met your father. How proud he would be to see you, now."
"She wants you to footnote the War Crimes Anniversary ceremony too."
And that had been one of the core consequences of the thwarted holocaust. When the French citizenry heard that they had almost been annihilated by their insane leader's megalomania and paranoia, they rose up and overpowered his paramilitary groups. Across France, its inhabitants bloodily reclaimed their liberty from those who had usurped it and poisoned their country. The regime's hireling Silvermen were divided. Some of the less fanatical silently filed away into the shadows, abandoning their metahuman careers. To their credit, some turned on their fellows. Some, disgracefully, fell preserving the dictatorship. But at the end of a long, bloody week, France was a democratic nation once more. As with the surviving warmongers of another global conflict, an international war crimes tribunal was instituted and the offenders sentenced to life imprisonment for their crimes against humanity.
Mentored by J'onn J'onnz, there was a new generation of Justice Leaguers who fought alongside Superman II when he reached maturity. But there were some sad omissions. When Barbara Gordon retired from her Batwoman role, the serrated cape flew no more over Gotham. General Steve Trevor lapsed into a coma and never knew of his wife's death and on distant Themiscyra, Queen Hippolyta grieved her daughter and selected another Amazon to serve in Man's World. But there were more speedsters, like Quick and Scintilla and Blur, children of Barry Allen and Wally West. After a while, another Green Lantern joined the League, in commemoration of Katma Tui's sacrifice. Dinah Queen took over Batwoman's responsibilities in Gotham and never remarried.
At times, then, there are last minute reprieves, but sometimes, they are at extraordinary costs. But there will always been those willing to make them.
THE END