The Pig Lantern aims a boxing glove at Mirror Master, who reflects it back, knocking Pig Lantern out. Then Mirror Master rotates his mirror ninety degrees, causing Vina's wings to bend back on themselves as though seen through a kaleidoscope.
"Aye, well, that's th'Hawk lady done," says Mirror Master. "Whence ye've fought th'Flash, nabbody else pains a dagde in June."
Atrocitus turns to Sinestro, ignoring Vina.
"Green Reject!" he jeers. "Changed your mind about our gang? Well, you didn't do any of the work, so you don't get any of the reward. In fact, we might just take you out for desertion ..."
"You're not so frightening as you appear," Sinestro sneers back. "But I think you're frightening enough for my purposes ..."
"Not in here!" snaps Libra. "Sinestro, welcome. No one wishes you harm, apart from Atrocitus, who wishes everyone harm. But leave your forcefield up, if it makes you comfortable."
Vina, meanwhile, unbuckles her weirdly warped wings and slips out of them.
"As I suspected," Libra continues, "the Superman icon is not damaged, merely .. incomplete. Some of its patterning has been imposed on someone already, but that person was not able to completely embrace the pattern. Perhaps none of us can."
He sets the Superman icon on the stage of the big machine, along with the computer-head icon and a golden lasso icon.
"So it were better," Libra continues, "if no one else made use of them, either. I was planning to wait for Scarecrow to return with the last piece, but if he doesn't arrive soon ... wait! What's this? My Facebook feed is exploding with on-scene reports of superheroes in Metropolis, fighting Scarecrow and Bizarro!"
"There's video ... it seems Scarecrow and Bizarro have won. No heroes are visible. But I can't tell if they have the icon ..."
"Hey!" bellows Atrocitus. "That Ladyhawk's gone! We tore her wings off!"
"Th'wings're just a costume, big man," says Mirror Master. "Aye many of 'em up in space, whir yir from. Dinnae ye see any, whin ye were there? They are pleece, aft'r all."
"Space is not a room we all gather in when we're not on Earth, Terran worm!" Atrocitus yells. "I have never fought the Hawk Police of Thanagar, if that's who you mean. But this is not one of them -- she wears a cowl and elf boots! They never did that."
"That's it," decides Libra. "I'm starting up the machine. Scarecrow and Bizarro will just have to catch up to the rest of us ..."
And he throws a final switch, causing the two spinning golden globes to spin much much faster, making a rising eerie engine-whine!
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
We Am Imperfect Duplicates of Justice League. No, Really.
Quinn gets up shivering, but trying not to show it. He turns to JimBob. "So you want to tag team Bizarro, or what?"
"Thanks for the catch, I think," Ian replies, turning just a little paler at the sight of an angry Bizarro in pursuit.
"...Or we could triple team him, maybe. I mean, I can do some things." Ian changes his form then and there to become the spitting image of the Scarecrow, hoping that will give the (easily confused?) supervillain a moment's pause.
JimBob turns to Quinn. "You're got the strongest punch of all of us. Ian and I will distract him as long as we can, and you... I dunno... sneak up behind him and drop a piano on him, or something!"
He looks at Ian and says in a loud, whiny voice "But SCARE-CROWWW, I was gonna go to the Tashi station to pick up some POWER converters!!!"
"You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done," Quinn says in a gruff voice and a smile. "And by chores, I mean getting Bizarro over here while I hide up there, and get the drop on him. Literally." He points to the roof of the building behind them.
Bizarro is REAL DARN fast. Super-fast, you might say.
So Quinn, the Peltast, is not yet hidden when Bizarro bursts into their midst, slamming Quinn right in the shield with a big white crumbly fist!
WHONG! Quinn shoots across the street like a cueball, caroming off a mailbox and into the front of a jewelry store ... tragically, not into the display windows, but the sturdy masonry standing between the windows. He falls flat on his face, stunned, but thanks to the golden shield, not totally ausgekilled.
Bizarro also sprays Jimbob with freeze vision, again. Jimbob discovers to his horror that his flexible tissues lose their flexibility when frozen! He can't move!
And as for Ian ...
"Scary-Crow!" Bizarro gushes. "A delivery man stole your special thing but I got it back. And you have it now!"
Bizarro puts his hand to his chin.
"But you didn't have it ... and now you do ..."
Then he snaps his fingers.
"Superman have super-brain! He could figure this out easy."
His face clears.
"Me never get this in a million years," he concludes. "Too hard for Bizarro! Okay. What Libra want us to do now, Scary?"
"Thanks for the catch, I think," Ian replies, turning just a little paler at the sight of an angry Bizarro in pursuit.
"...Or we could triple team him, maybe. I mean, I can do some things." Ian changes his form then and there to become the spitting image of the Scarecrow, hoping that will give the (easily confused?) supervillain a moment's pause.
JimBob turns to Quinn. "You're got the strongest punch of all of us. Ian and I will distract him as long as we can, and you... I dunno... sneak up behind him and drop a piano on him, or something!"
He looks at Ian and says in a loud, whiny voice "But SCARE-CROWWW, I was gonna go to the Tashi station to pick up some POWER converters!!!"
"You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done," Quinn says in a gruff voice and a smile. "And by chores, I mean getting Bizarro over here while I hide up there, and get the drop on him. Literally." He points to the roof of the building behind them.
Bizarro is REAL DARN fast. Super-fast, you might say.
So Quinn, the Peltast, is not yet hidden when Bizarro bursts into their midst, slamming Quinn right in the shield with a big white crumbly fist!
WHONG! Quinn shoots across the street like a cueball, caroming off a mailbox and into the front of a jewelry store ... tragically, not into the display windows, but the sturdy masonry standing between the windows. He falls flat on his face, stunned, but thanks to the golden shield, not totally ausgekilled.
Bizarro also sprays Jimbob with freeze vision, again. Jimbob discovers to his horror that his flexible tissues lose their flexibility when frozen! He can't move!
And as for Ian ...
"Scary-Crow!" Bizarro gushes. "A delivery man stole your special thing but I got it back. And you have it now!"
Bizarro puts his hand to his chin.
"But you didn't have it ... and now you do ..."
Then he snaps his fingers.
"Superman have super-brain! He could figure this out easy."
His face clears.
"Me never get this in a million years," he concludes. "Too hard for Bizarro! Okay. What Libra want us to do now, Scary?"
LadyHawk vs. the Injustice League!
Vina, dodging cannonballs and saw blades, starts shooting arrows at her assailants.
ATROCITUS does not dodge, but allows the arrow to strike him in the shoulder. It makes him madder, and his red flame roars brighter. This causes Vina to collapse, seared by the flame saws even though they missed her.
THE TATTOOED MAN touches a tattoo of a fisherman's net, which is scant defense vs. arrows. He, too, goes down.
LIBRA is not hit by an arrow.
MIRROR MASTER uses his yellow mirror to warp Vina's wings so they are facing backward! So she falls to the floor, in addition to being scorched by Atrocitus.
Vina will no doubt rally and be back on her feet in a moment, if the encroaching villains give her that moment ...
ATROCITUS does not dodge, but allows the arrow to strike him in the shoulder. It makes him madder, and his red flame roars brighter. This causes Vina to collapse, seared by the flame saws even though they missed her.
THE TATTOOED MAN touches a tattoo of a fisherman's net, which is scant defense vs. arrows. He, too, goes down.
LIBRA is not hit by an arrow.
MIRROR MASTER uses his yellow mirror to warp Vina's wings so they are facing backward! So she falls to the floor, in addition to being scorched by Atrocitus.
Vina will no doubt rally and be back on her feet in a moment, if the encroaching villains give her that moment ...
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Within the Injustice League's Garage of Injustice
Vina appears out of the Ghost Zone and immediately clobbers Atrocitus with the space-mace.
Because her Ancient Weapons skill is good, but not superhuman, Atrocitus is knocked back, but not down. He responds by breathing red flame which shapes itself into a row of spinning saw blades ... of flame! These then attempt to bisect Vina.
(Hey, he isn't called Teapartius or Have-A-Nice-Day-Us.)
Sinestro throws up a yellow forcefield shield, while Pig Lantern leaps free, and, flying in a green aura, projects a big green fist to slam Mirror Master into the wall.
But Mirror Master raises his left arm, whose green mirror reflects the fist back at him! Pig Lantern drops, stunned.
Libra jumps to the machine to pull levers and adjust dials, while the Tattooed Man touches a tattoo of an old-timey naval cannon, which suddenly becomes real, leaping off his arm to become a full-sized cannon which fires a cannonball at Vina!
Flash, outside, hears the whining of saw blades and the boom of the cannon.
Because her Ancient Weapons skill is good, but not superhuman, Atrocitus is knocked back, but not down. He responds by breathing red flame which shapes itself into a row of spinning saw blades ... of flame! These then attempt to bisect Vina.
(Hey, he isn't called Teapartius or Have-A-Nice-Day-Us.)
Sinestro throws up a yellow forcefield shield, while Pig Lantern leaps free, and, flying in a green aura, projects a big green fist to slam Mirror Master into the wall.
But Mirror Master raises his left arm, whose green mirror reflects the fist back at him! Pig Lantern drops, stunned.
Libra jumps to the machine to pull levers and adjust dials, while the Tattooed Man touches a tattoo of an old-timey naval cannon, which suddenly becomes real, leaping off his arm to become a full-sized cannon which fires a cannonball at Vina!
Flash, outside, hears the whining of saw blades and the boom of the cannon.
Saturday, December 2, 2017
The Injustice League Prepares A Welcome
Meanwhile, watching the visible rays from Bizarro scanning the city, Flash tracks his movements and follows at the blink of an eye. When Bizarro lands on the top of the building, Flash zips up and hides behind some of the roof structure. When he hears Bizarro give an address, Flash types it in his google maps app on his phone to get directions, and even though the ETA is several hours, Flash is there in just a few moments.
The address is a two-acre walled estate in a secluded suburb, with a low, wide ranch-style house and a massive three-story garage. No lights are on, but Greg does hear a voice inside the garage.
"Well done, my associates. The Injustice League has indeed vindicated the effort I expended on its formation. As soon as our teams in Opal City and Metropolis return, we can begin ... although I am not at all certain this Superman icon is in useable condition. Mirror Master, will you please hand me that pair of golden tongs .. yes, on the red wall ... excellent. And Atrocitus, can your red ring provide some illumination, so we may pierce the secrets of Superman's powers?"
Meanwhile, in the Ghost Zone:
Vina says,
"Of course, the logical thing to do is see if we can determine if certain routes are commonly used. There might be a displacement of molecules..." she pulls out some sort of Thanagarian scanning device, hoping she "remembers" a setting for this. She maintains contact with Roy and her erstwhile prisoner while doing so.
"Scanning..." and she does.
"Yes, I think it's right over here ..." and she floats left with a slight effort of her wings, pulling Sinestro and Roy along with her.
Meanwhile, in suburbia:
"Libra! One of our troops requires a pickup," snarls a voice like a Gorn with a sore throat.
"Bring him in, then, Atrocitus," says the voice of the leader. "Use your ring to duplicate the effect I showed you earlier."
FWASSSH!
Vina, Pig Roy, Sinestro, and the Tattooed Man emerge in a fountain of white light from the Ghost Zone (or Louisiana, where the Tattooed Man was).
They are in a cavernous three-story space with a massive machine, surrounded by two golden orbs orbiting slowly around it. One orb is flickering with silver and red lights, while the other is clear.
Below the machine are three people:
A guy in an orange leotard with green mirrors strapped to his ankles, legs, arms and shoulders, with a mirror-faceted helmet and goggles;
A guy in a blue leotard with high orange boots, a short orange cape, and an orange stylized scale-design (scales as in weight measurement, not fish armor) on his chest and mask;
and a tall, shark-lean red alien with fangs on the OUTSIDE of his face, red fire flickering out of his mouth, and a red ring glowing on his finger.
At the time of emergence, the mirror guy has his hands in his pockets, the scale guy is examining a red metal Superman symbol with a microscope, and the red fire guy is shielding his eyes from the light, having just opened a portal into Opal City by way of the Ghost Zone.
The address is a two-acre walled estate in a secluded suburb, with a low, wide ranch-style house and a massive three-story garage. No lights are on, but Greg does hear a voice inside the garage.
"Well done, my associates. The Injustice League has indeed vindicated the effort I expended on its formation. As soon as our teams in Opal City and Metropolis return, we can begin ... although I am not at all certain this Superman icon is in useable condition. Mirror Master, will you please hand me that pair of golden tongs .. yes, on the red wall ... excellent. And Atrocitus, can your red ring provide some illumination, so we may pierce the secrets of Superman's powers?"
Meanwhile, in the Ghost Zone:
Vina says,
"Of course, the logical thing to do is see if we can determine if certain routes are commonly used. There might be a displacement of molecules..." she pulls out some sort of Thanagarian scanning device, hoping she "remembers" a setting for this. She maintains contact with Roy and her erstwhile prisoner while doing so.
"Scanning..." and she does.
"Yes, I think it's right over here ..." and she floats left with a slight effort of her wings, pulling Sinestro and Roy along with her.
Meanwhile, in suburbia:
"Libra! One of our troops requires a pickup," snarls a voice like a Gorn with a sore throat.
"Bring him in, then, Atrocitus," says the voice of the leader. "Use your ring to duplicate the effect I showed you earlier."
FWASSSH!
Vina, Pig Roy, Sinestro, and the Tattooed Man emerge in a fountain of white light from the Ghost Zone (or Louisiana, where the Tattooed Man was).
They are in a cavernous three-story space with a massive machine, surrounded by two golden orbs orbiting slowly around it. One orb is flickering with silver and red lights, while the other is clear.
Below the machine are three people:
A guy in an orange leotard with green mirrors strapped to his ankles, legs, arms and shoulders, with a mirror-faceted helmet and goggles;
A guy in a blue leotard with high orange boots, a short orange cape, and an orange stylized scale-design (scales as in weight measurement, not fish armor) on his chest and mask;
and a tall, shark-lean red alien with fangs on the OUTSIDE of his face, red fire flickering out of his mouth, and a red ring glowing on his finger.
At the time of emergence, the mirror guy has his hands in his pockets, the scale guy is examining a red metal Superman symbol with a microscope, and the red fire guy is shielding his eyes from the light, having just opened a portal into Opal City by way of the Ghost Zone.
Bizarro Deceived is Bizarro Enraged
Ian has no idea if Bizarro can see him or not, but he changes into civilian garb and 'appears' from behind some sort of rooftop object nearby.
"Oh no, Bizarro! Where is Superman? He could be anywhere... well, anywhere except sitting on top of the Daily Planet building patiently waiting for Chinese Take-Out. We know he's not there doing that, but he could be anywhere doing anything else!"
"Goodbye, Rooftop Man! Me am Bizarro. Give me your Chinese take-out."
"Um, goodbye! I'll... go check on your order and see what the hold-up is. D-Do you want extra fortune cookies?" Ian walks over to pick up both the Scarecrow and the (Aquaman?) icon, then hops over the side, using his flight ability to float safely to the ground.
JimBob, seeing an apparent civilian fall helplessly off the roof of a building, stretches his arms all the way over to him (without moving his legs) to catch him.
This results in Ian being caught by a stretchy guy in a Chin-Su costume.
Bizarro, looking over the edge of the building, uses his Z-Ray Vision. Ian, the Scarecrow, and Jimbob's arms become transparent, almost but not quite invisible, and their bones glow clearly.
"Hey! You am not giving mystery thing to Scarecrow! Bizarro not destroy you now!"
Bizarro flies after Ian and Jimbob (and Scarecrow), intent on mayhem.
Quinn can't see or hear any of this, of course, but in the meantime he will try to rock back and forth, hoping to shatter or weaken the ice when it hits the ground. It's gettin' a little cold in there.
SKISSH! He breaks the ice by falling backwards. And sees the aerial battle about to unfold.
"Oh no, Bizarro! Where is Superman? He could be anywhere... well, anywhere except sitting on top of the Daily Planet building patiently waiting for Chinese Take-Out. We know he's not there doing that, but he could be anywhere doing anything else!"
"Goodbye, Rooftop Man! Me am Bizarro. Give me your Chinese take-out."
"Um, goodbye! I'll... go check on your order and see what the hold-up is. D-Do you want extra fortune cookies?" Ian walks over to pick up both the Scarecrow and the (Aquaman?) icon, then hops over the side, using his flight ability to float safely to the ground.
JimBob, seeing an apparent civilian fall helplessly off the roof of a building, stretches his arms all the way over to him (without moving his legs) to catch him.
This results in Ian being caught by a stretchy guy in a Chin-Su costume.
Bizarro, looking over the edge of the building, uses his Z-Ray Vision. Ian, the Scarecrow, and Jimbob's arms become transparent, almost but not quite invisible, and their bones glow clearly.
"Hey! You am not giving mystery thing to Scarecrow! Bizarro not destroy you now!"
Bizarro flies after Ian and Jimbob (and Scarecrow), intent on mayhem.
Quinn can't see or hear any of this, of course, but in the meantime he will try to rock back and forth, hoping to shatter or weaken the ice when it hits the ground. It's gettin' a little cold in there.
SKISSH! He breaks the ice by falling backwards. And sees the aerial battle about to unfold.
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