The world’s greatest heroes maintain a vigilant guardianship of Earth from their base on the moon. When the planet is threatened they are immediately dispatched to deal with whoever their enemy might be. When villains see the approach of these men and women their blood freezes and their limbs go numb with fear, for these are no ordinary heroes they face! No, for this group consists of the best of the best! It is the one, the only, Justice League of America! And within its ranks are the greatest heroes the universe has ever seen!

"The substitute Justice League"

Issue #284

By Ralph L. Angelo, Jr.

Warning! Read Superman #30 before reading this story!

"Superman! Answer me please! Hello! Is anybody there?" Gold’n continues to plead into her JLA communicator from atop the Strombolt building in Futura City, a city still in the construction phase in the Adirondack mountain region of New York State.

"Superman please..." She trails off and begins pressing the communicator to be transported back to the Watchtower on the moon. She sets her jaw determinedly, trying not to become upset.

"I was just offered membership in the league. I will not cry." She thinks to herself as she tries to activate the transporter.

"Now I know something’s wrong, the transporter’s not working."

"Hello, d-does anyone hear me? Hello, Justice League come in, please!" She implores.

Only silence greets her ears. She stares down at the communicator, while standing silently on the brisk wind whipped rooftop of the circular dome of the Strombolt building. She breathes a sigh of resigned exasperation, finally admitting to herself she doesn’t know what to do. Then she sees the small red button on the side of the communicator. She presses it and speaks "Hello, is anyone there? Hello?"

Immediately a female voice replies. "Yes, who is this please?"

"Umm, this is Superman’s friend, Gold’n. I’m tryin’ to get in touch with the Justice League, I was just on the moon with them and then I think something happened to them. I was coming home in their transporter an’ they, well it kinda looked like they disappeared."

Silence for a moment, then a reply "Are you sure it was not the transporter effect that confused you?"

"N-no I’m not confused. They disappeared, an’ it looked like they were in pain."

"Please hold. I’m going to try to contact them."

A moment passes and nothing. Gold’n begins to pace on the rooftop, holding the communicator tightly. Then the voice replies, "I’ve got no response from them as well. Come to Gotham City. I’ve heard you are fast. The communicator will lead you directly to me."

"Wait, who are you?

"You can call me Oracle." The voice replies.

Moments later, Gold’n flies into a window on the top floor of a building at Gotham’s center. Inside a young woman with red hair tied back in a bun awaits her. She is wheel chair bound, but a grim determination etches her pretty features.

"Hi." Gold’n states simply. Not sure what else to say.

"Hello Gold’n, I’m Oracle." She turns back to her monitors, which are spread across several desks. "I’ve tried repeatedly to contact the ‘Watchtower’ but I’ve had no response from them at all. I’ve called in a friend, and we’ll decide from there what to do."

Gold’n nods silently, her stomach tying into more of a knot with each passing minute.

"What happened?" a male voice questions from the same window Gold’n flew through a few minutes earlier. She turns her head and sees a man in his early twenties dressed in blue and black perched there.

"Welcome, Nightwing." Oracle states flatly. "I’m glad you got here as fast as you did.

"We’re both lucky I happened to be in town. What’s the situation?" He stares at them both seeking answers. "You must be Gold’n, Superman’s protégé. Nice to meet you." He extends his hand and she takes it. "Now what happened? Oracle gave me the Readers Digest version, fill in the blanks, please."

"Wow, at least you said please, Batman would have just ordered me I think."

"I’m not Batman, but he did train me well. We can chitchat after we figure this out, for now lets be as efficient as possible okay? Our friends lives may be in hanging in the balance."

She nods and relates the events of the evening* to Nightwing, who nods and paces while listening, hands either behind his back or stroking his chin in thought.

*Again see Superman #30.

"All right we have to get up to that moonbase." Nightwing states simply. "Transporters are all off line, so we have a problem. Gold’n can you fly in space? I know you’re fast."

"I-I don’t know. I n-never tried."

"Now would be a good time to find out. Do you breathe?"

"W-what? Of course I breathe."

"No, I meant do you have to breathe?"

"I-I never tried not breathing so I guess yeah I do."

"I was hoping your aura would support your life functions but I guess it was too much to ask for."

"I-I really don’t know. I could try, I guess."

"Never mind, save it for later. Let’s be smart about this. We need to get up there and fast. We’ll need some former leaguers. The Titans are scattered all over the place now so I can’t rely on them to get here quickly. Oracle, can you bring up a roster of Leaguers who are on planet? We’ll need powerhouses, we have no idea what we’ll be facing, we’ll also need a few who can survive in space unaided."

"Working on it Di- Nightwing." She replies, while staring at her computer monitors. "Gold’n there’s coffee over there and other assorted drinks in the refrigerator. Make yourself at home."

Gold’n nods and grabs a soda out of the fridge before continuing to pace nervously. Meanwhile Nightwing and Oracle confer quietly with soft voices and nodded heads at the monitor station. Gold’n watches, her anxiety written all over her face, until finally she blurts out "Well? What are we doing? We have to get there fast! They could be dying, or dead already!"

"Calm down, Gold’n. We’re doing everything we can given the circumstances. You’ll be on the moon soon enough." Nightwing replies, as he turns back towards the monitor.

"We’ll meet them at the old JLA embassy here in Gotham. Maxwell Lord had embassies set up in all the major cities at one time. Send out the word." Nightwing orders, "C’mon Gold’n lets go." Then he turns back to Oracle, "Barbara, thank you." Oracle nods smiling sadly. Then he turns and leaps out the window, and swings away into the night!

"Wow he really moves when he wants to."

"Yes, and you better go Gold’n before he gets out of sight."

"Okay thanks for everything Oracle."

Gold’n’s aura ignites and she leaps out the window rocketing after the swinging Nightwing. They both land at the darkened JLA embassy.

"Doors are locked." Nightwing states.

"I’ll open ‘em." Gold’n replies, as she grasps the door handles and pulls hard, snapping the locks easily.

"You know," he begins, "We could have just waited out here."

"S-sorry. I’m a little nervous is all." She replies meekly.

"We’ve all been there. You should be proud of yourself. Not many people can say they beat Batman in a fight, especially their first time against him."

"Well, uhh, I didn’t really beat him, I just stopped the fight before it got out of hand."*

*Again Superman #30

"Believe me beautiful, that’s beating him." Nightwing replies while they stand in the darkened embassy, Gold’n’s aura the only thing illuminating the once vibrant lobby.

"What about you and Oracle? I’m not tryin’ to pry or anything, but was there somethin’ between you two?" she asks innocently.

"Maybe in another place or another time there might have been. Now there’s just-, well I’d rather not talk about it." He ends the discussion moving away into the darkness. "I’m going to try to find a circuit breaker box and see if I can get these lights working."

"Sorry." She whispers.

"What about gorgeous?" an unfamiliar voice questions from the doorway, amid the sound of fire.

"Whoa! I know you, you’re Firestorm!" Gold’n stares wide eyed as the red and yellow clad nuclear man lands next to her, after flying in the door.

"Yep, that’s me. I received a call about a big JLA emergency. I’m kinda surprised they remembered to call me after all this time." He muses offhandedly.

"You’re not the only one." Another unfamiliar voice replies from the door as the silver metallic form of Captain Atom flies in through the open entryway.

"Captain Atom, it figures it’d be you." Firestorm sighs and shakes his head in a mixture of anger and disgust.

"Wow!" Gold’n exclaims.

"Hey! Save some a that awe for someone who REALLY deserves it babe!"A black leather and blue jean clad man offers as he flies in behind Atom.

"Gardner." Captain Atom states, obviously annoyed by the former Green Lantern, and current Qwardian ring bearer Guy Gardner’s appearance.

"Relax Atom, I was invited same as you were."

The lights suddenly blaze to life, illuminating the former embassy.

"I guess Nightwing found the breaker box." Gold’n offers.

"The bat’s kid is here? Neat. Let’s hope he can keep up."

"Stow it Guy. Nightwing’s been in the business longer then you, and he’s led a great team without anyone’s help in the Titans."

"Yeah, yeah I heard it all before Captain Ahab. Let’s get down to brass tacks. What are we all doing here?"

"That is something I would like to know as well."

Everyone turns towards the door and a plume of rising smoke, which congeals into a figure, the figure of Zatanna, the sorceress.

"What we’re doing Zee, is rescuing our friends." Everyone turns towards the sound of Nightwing’s voice as he appears at the end of the hallway and heads towards them.

"Rescuin’ them from what?" Guy asks.

"We’ll find out now that you’re here Guy. We need you to wrap us in a ring made bubble and get us all to the moon ASAP."

"All right then lets get goin’. If the JLA needs us, ol’ Guy Gardner is ready ta lend a hand."

Instantly yellow energy erupts from Gardner’s Qwardian ring and the group is enveloped by it.

"Hey! Wait up!" A voice trails after them as the power ring created bubble leaves the embassy entrance and takes to the sky, towed behind the quickly rising Green Lantern.

"Who the heck?" Gardner asks while looking towards the blue skinned figure flying towards them on a trident spewing jet exhaust.

"I got here as fast as I could."

"I know him!" Gold’n excitedly offers.

"Yes I do too, Gold’n." Captain Atom replies, "That’s the Blue Devil."

Guy opens the bubble allowing The Blue Devil to fly in and join the rest of the crew. "Heya Gold’n." Dan Cassidy greets the golden girl. "We’re not going to fight today are we?" He laughs.

"No, not today Blue Devil." Gold’n replies sheepishly, remembering when she mistook the Blue Devil for a villain and her subsequent dumping of him a hundred miles offshore in the Atlantic.*

*See Superman 13-15

"Lets get going, heroes. Too much time is wasting as it is." Nightwing orders.

"Who elected you boss, kid?"

"He rounded us all up, Gardner. Even though he never served in the JLA, lets let him run the show, for now." Captain Atom replies.

Guy nods his acceptance.

"Quickly then, we must hurry to the moon, for the Justice Leagues sake." Zatanna prods.

The green bubble with Guy outside of it blasts into space and then really accelerates, arriving at the moon in less then two seconds, leaving them all in awe.

"Wow, I could use one of those rings, it would really save on cab fare." Blue Devil jokes.

"You seem to do just fine with your Trident, Blue." Nightwing replies.

"Yeah, but man that was fast!"

"Agreed, but let’s get down to business people. Firestorm you and Guy take the lead. Cap, look out for any incoming. Get us inside The Watchtower. The rest of you keep your eyes open. Something took down the League, We don’t want the same fate.”."

Firestorm phases himself through the bubble then with the yellow ring powered bubble pressed against the wall of the Watchtower he dematerializes the wall itself. Guy opens the bubble’s end, everyone walks in and Firestorm recreates the wall, not losing a single molecule of atmosphere.

"Good work." Nightwing praises.

"Hey what’d ya expect? We’re professionals." Replies Guy.

"Enough, let’s find out what happened here." Captain Atom orders.

The group moves inside the darkened Watchtower.

"This place was so well lit a few hours ago."

"Looks different in the dark, huh Gold’n?"

"Yes, Blue Devil, it does."

They continue through hallways only lit by emergency lighting.

Nothing moves, save for themselves. Silence greets their questing ears. The Watchtower seems more like an ancient tomb then a prosperous meeting hall of the world’s greatest heroes.

"I don’t like this." Zatanna voices her thoughts, "Not at all. It’s like no one has been here or ever was. The place is dark and empty."

"Zee, can you show us what happened here?"

"I can try Nightwing, we’ll be watching things from a backwards perspective, meaning time will flow in reverse before our eyes."

"That’s fine, just do it."

She nods and begins to conjure "Tel s‘emit drawkcab wolf wohs ruo s’dneirf etaf" *

*Zatanna speaks her spells backwards to use her magic.

Before their stunned eyes, time seems to flow in reverse, showing themselves walking out of the room in reverse, then exiting the Watchtower through the hole Firestorm made, then the yellow bubble bearing them all flies away towards Earth in reverse.

"Okay, that was weird." Firestorm comments.

"Shh, do not break the spell." Zatanna chides him, with an annoyed look.

Time flows quickly now as a digital clock on a computer display rolls backwards in the empty room till there is a great flash of light, Then they see the two Green Lantern’s who were present (Hal and Kyle) as well as Red Tornado, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, and Batman all suddenly appear before their eyes, spasming in pain, then walking backwards normally.

Zatanna stops the flow of the time image there.

"This is where they were taken from. This moment in time."

"What can we learn from this?" Blue Devil asks, uncharacteristically serious.

"I’m not sure, but there HAS To be a clue somewhere to all of this." Nightwing replies.

"Uhhh, Nightwing?" Gold’n asks

"Yes Gold’n?"

"I think I saw something, just before that bright light, kinda with it actually. It was a reflection in the monitor here." She points at a monitor on one of the many stations throughout the rotund command center.

"What did you see?" Captain Atom asks.

"A face, but I can’t be sure. Zatanna, can you, I dunno, make things go forward again to that great big flash of light?"

Zatanna smiles, "Yes I believe so, and like a digital image I can even slow it down."

She conjures and time begins to unroll again before their eyes, this time slowly and going forward.

"There!" Yells Gold’n, pointing at the monitor.

"What? I don’t see anything?" Firestorm professes.

"Look again, I see it." Nightwing replies, his chin set sternly.

Zatanna conjures more and this time stops the image at the instant of the white flash.

"Who is that?" Blue Devil asks.

"I know that helmeted face. He’s a bad guy. Real bad. His name’s ‘Catalyst’. He’s been battling Superman an’ me on and off for months. Last time I saw him I kicked his butt in Futura City an’ he hightailed it outta there."*

*Superman 24

They all stare at the reflection in the monitor, looking at the distorted image and ingraining it in their minds. Armored and green with a darkened helmet that can not be seen through.

"Uhhh guys? I don’t think Catalyst was alone." Firestorm excitedly implores.

"Oh my God!" Gold’n exclaims in shock as the floor itself suddenly convulses and becomes hundreds of black, flat, razor teethed flying creatures, all aiming teeth and claws at the astonished heroes!

To be continued!

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