Faux DC! - Titles - the Justice Society of America #10

Rick Tyler, aka Hourman, tensed as Bruce Wayne aimed his weapon at him. It was only hours ago that he had been taken from the JSA's Higher Authority satellite headquarters by a being calling himself the Time Trapper. The Trapper took him back in time and murdered a man in an attempt to teach Rick a lesson about manipulating time. The Trapper seemed to think that Rick had an untapped potential for time control. No sooner had the Trapper murdered the man in the guise of Rick himself, than Rick found himself back in his own time…but history was dramatically altered. The Earth was now ruled by a dictator named Monarch. The superhuman community had been killed, neutralized or recruited to Monarch's cause. Crime was nonexistent, mostly due to humanity being controlled by Monarch's iron grip. Rick's first encounter with one of Monarch's minions had nearly cost him his life. In this new timeline, one of Monarch's chief lieutenants was an insane and murderous Superman. Only quick thinking and Rick finding a new use for his time shifting powers saved his life. No sooner had he avoided Superman's clutches when he found himself transported away…to the headquarters of this new timeline's Justice Society of America. The team was now made up of John Constantine, Adam Strange (with an odd yellow ring on his finger), SteelHammer, Wayne…and Rick's father, Rex Tyler aka the first Hourman. Rick was barely introduced to this new JSA when Wayne recognized him as the murderer of his former friend, butler and guardian, Alfred Pennyworth.

"I didn't kill Alfred, Mr. Wayne, I swear. It was the Time Trapper…he assumed my appearance…and killed him." Rick stood motionless. Wayne's trigger finger was looking too tight for his liking.

"Bruce, stand down," said Rex Tyler as he stood in between Rick and Wayne. "You've learned to trust me these past months…and we've learned to trust you, despite what happened before. I'm telling you, I believe this is my son. This is Rick. If what he has said is true, he could be the key to stopping Monarch."

Wayne didn't flinch. The weapon never wavered. "I swore he would pay. I swore it."

Suddenly, Wayne found himself thrown against the far wall by a giant yellow hand. His weapon was encased in a yellow globe, suspended in the air. Seconds later, the globe popped like a soap bubble, the weapon dropping to the ground. Adam Strange had his right hand aimed, the yellow ring sparking momentarily then fizzling out. Adam was visibly exhausted from the effort of using the ring. Rick's first thought of a weird Green Lantern power ring was now more certain than ever. Adam slid down the wall, nearly passing out.

"Dammit, Wayne! We can't afford to waste time squabbling like this!" yelled Natasha Irons, aka SteelHammer. Her silver armor shone with the reflected light in the room. As Wayne got up, SteelHammer grabbed him and slammed him against the wall again. "If Rex says its so, then it is. We're here to stop Monarch, not each other."

SteelHammer let Wayne go. His eyes never left Rick, but his intensity seemed to be abated, at least for now. Wayne gathered himself together, and then left the room without a word. The tension in the air was electric.

"Son, come with me," said Rex. "We need to give Bruce some time. Truth be told, we wouldn't be as informed of Monarch's activities and methods if it weren't for him."

Rick followed his father as they left the room. A door slid open before him and Rick found himself awash in bright light. His eyes adjusted as he walked out. He found himself on a large outdoor stone patio with alien greenery around him. There were twin suns in the sky. As far as he could see, buildings were demolished. There had once been a city here, but no more.

FDC Presents

Issue 10

Time's Shadow - Conclusion

"Beat the Clock"

By Mike Hintze

Edited by Dave Marshall

Monarch stood looking over his empire from his monitor womb. All around him, holographic displays showed each of the re-education camps he had created around the world, with their status codes below each visual. Currently, he was in discussion with one of his lieutenants currently located in Gotham City.

Kal-El, known in another time as Superman, nodded. "Yes, milord. I hesitate to admit this but…he was faster than me. I would have to say maybe as fast as Garrick, Allen or West. He didn't go very far, though. His movement at fast speeds was limited to several hundred yards at the most."

"Yet," Monarch replied, "Despite your enhanced senses, he left you without a trace, correct? When I last observed you with him, it seemed despite his 'speed', if that is truly what it is, that you would still prevail. How is it possible for a man who can hear a pin drop hundreds of miles away cannot find a desperate and running man in black and red tights? Add this to your failure to find the Justice Society's base of operations, and I'm beginning to think you may be outliving your usefulness, Kal-El."

Kal-El paused. "Milord, I beg of you, please forgive me these failures. I have looked everywhere on the planet and found no trace of the traitors. I have looked dozens of times. I tell you, they are not on Earth."

"That," said Monarch, "Is impossible. The only way they could arrive on Earth would be by spacecraft or teleportation. My defense screens ensure nothing or no one leaves the planet without my being aware of it. They must be here."

"Yes, milord," said Kal-El. "What is your theory about the new arrival, then? How would a costumed superhuman just show up here after all these years? Outside of the Justice Society, there is no one left outside of myself and your other lieutenants."

"I suspect it is an incursion of time travel," said Monarch thoughtfully. "I had thought my temporal screens were impenetrable, but it seems I was misled." Monarch turned his head as he brought up another holographic display, this time of the Penitentiary. He brought up a specific prisoner. "I am going to get to the bottom of this momentarily. In the meantime, co-ordinate with young Ms. Chambers and Mr. Allen to search everywhere in Gotham City. If this stranger is still there and hidden, having three of you search at super-speed might yield better results. I'll contact you after I've spoken with someone."

Rex gave a small smile as he allowed his son to adjust. "Yes, son, we're on Rann. Adam's home. His wife and child were from here."

"Yes," Rex replied. "Monarch's reach has gone out as far as this star system. Rann was one of many planets that he has bespoiled in his campaign to rule over everything. When Monarch unleashed his forces here, everything was leveled. Nearly everyone was killed, including Adam's family. Its taken us a while to rebuild a workable space here, but with Natasha's help and Adam's ring, we got it done. Adam had an underground lab right at this location which we've been able to use for several new advances in technology that has come in handy in our fight against Monarch. One example is how we got you here."

"Modified Zeta Beam," said Adam Strange as he walked out onto the patio. He looked a little better than he had moments before, but Rick still thought he could use sleep for a day or two straight. "Monarch has a security field around Earth prohibiting teleportation. With Bruce's help, I was able to modify the teleportation beam I used to get to and from Earth to make it accessible without Monarch's knowledge. Bruce says Monarch has no idea about it, and I believe him. We're able to target the Zeta Beam pretty well, as in your case."

"One of the things Monarch has done is erected some kind of 'Iron Curtain of Time' to prevent any time travel to this era. I've been trying to punch through it with science and even Constantine's magic, but so far nothing. It was luck that our chronal scanners were on when you arrived, or we might not have found you. As far as those scanners are concerned, you're lit up like Las Vegas."

Rex put his hand on Rick's shoulder. "We had to move fast. We decided anything that could punch through Monarch's shields was something we needed to have. Luckily, it was you." Tears were beginning to form in Rex's eyes. "It's so good to see you, son."

Desaad giggled as he calibrated his machines. The master had requested his services with a very special prisoner. This particular prisoner had been a pleasure to torture over the years. Now, the master wanted to speak with him again.

A door slid open, allowing Monarch to enter. Desaad cowered appropriately as he approached. "The prisoner awaits your interrogation, master." The cell before them slid open. Illumination was minimal. The floor was stained with blood. On a gurney, with various tubes and wires coming out of him, was the prisoner in question.

Querl Dox, also known as Brainiac 5 of the Legion of SuperHeroes, stared fiercely at his captors. "I've already told you everything…leave me be."

"Oh, but I disagree, Querl," said Monarch. "Due to your machinations, I was able to seal off this time codex from any incursion…until today. Someone made it to this time, and I did not allow it. I want to know how he did so. Now."

"You may call yourself Monarch…but I know who you really are." Dox coughed up a small amount of blood.

Instantly, Dox screamed. Energy washed over him as his body convulsed. "I'LL….TELL…YOU…NOTHING!!!", he screamed.

"Yes, master," replied Desaad. Smiling, Desaad pulled out a scalpel and approached Dox.

"So, how did everything get this way?", asked Rick. "Obviously Alfred's death led to all this, but how did Monarch get control of the Earth? How did he stop all of the heroes? The Justice League? The JSA? How?"

Rex sat across the table from Rick, a hot drink in each of their hands. Rick had seen much in his short days as a superhero and chairman of his JSA, but he was still struggling with the concept of time, at least as it pertained to his current situation.

"Rick," said Rex, "None of us saw it coming, least of all Bruce. After witnessing the death of his parents in a mugging, Bruce's faith in society and the legal system was shattered. His innocence was lost. Alfred was his legal guardian and surrogate parent. Imagine the loss from losing not only two parents, but another one as well, and apparently from a costumed killer, even if it wasn't who he thought. Bruce drove himself to become a fighter of crime, training himself to become an expert in all different fields of criminology. Eventually, he became the costumed hero, Batman."

Bruce Wayne is Batman?, thought Rick, What's next, Donald Trump as the leader of Bad Blood?

Rex continued. "Batman was extremely proactive in his work and was by far the most effective in the superhuman community at his job, although many of us didn't want to admit it. Eventually, Bruce took on a protégé, Dick Grayson, who eventually became Robin. They were an amazing team, Rick…and Bruce loved him like a son. Eventually, as he got older, Dick came to disagree with Bruce's methods and left to continue the fight on his own. Bruce then took in another young boy named Jason Todd. Jason was much more eager to fight than Dick. He had a mean streak that Bruce thought he could tame and use to make Jason a crimefighter even better than he or Dick had been. Jason became a new Robin...and that's when things went wrong."

"Jason was involved in a search for his birth mother that took him to Africa. He found his mother, but not before she was murdered by the Joker. Jason snapped…and murdered the Joker himself, breaking his neck. Bruce found him moments after."

"Bruce used his resources to cover up the murder and took Jason home. Something had changed in him after the Joker's murder, though. He took an even more proactive stance in stopping crime and proposed a plan to Bruce to take their fight against injustice to a level no one had ever dared before. Bruce agreed to it and formulated the basis of the plan."

"Bruce created a computer virus called Oracle that brought total control of the world's computer systems under his purview. He assumed the identity of Monarch to move suspicion from himself or Batman. Together, Jason and Bruce began their plan to unite the nations of Earth under one rule…the rule of Monarch."

"Using a synthetic form of Red Kryptonite, Bruce turned Superman under his control. Together, they either convinced their allies to support them, or managed to neutralize them. Bruce devised a way to rob superhumans of their powers permanently, through a variation of something he called Gold Kryptonite. Soon, there was no opposition. The Earth fell under the rule of Monarch and his police state. Interesting thing was, no one died. Bruce managed it as a bloodless coup. Economies were strengthened, a worldwide currency was introduced. Crime was stopped using a variation of a program the Justice Society devised, called the Predictor. It was improved so much it predicted almost all forms of illegal activity through implants that were put into every man, woman and child. Pollution was reduced and practically eliminated by energy efficient alternative power sources. It was virtually a paradise, with no crime or corruption allowed to go unfettered. It was drastic, but it seemed to work. Bruce retired to oversee the new system he had created."

"That wasn't enough for Jason. He went after any and all threats to Earth, starting with Darkseid. He wore a suit of battle armor Bruce had invented and confronted the Apokoliptian lord directly as Monarch. In the ensuing fight, Apokolips was destroyed, but so was Darkseid. Something happened then. Jason lost control, went crazy…we don't know. He attacked and destroyed New Genesis and all other New Gods. He then returned to Earth and attacked Bruce. Bruce barely escaped with his life. Others weren't so fortunate. Millions were killed when New York was teleported by a giant boom tube into the sun. Other cities were taken out, even other planets that were known to possibly be allied with Earth, like Rann. Jason was insane."

"Of course, we didn't know it was Jason. We all thought it was Bruce. The JLA and JSA went after Monarch. Imagine our surprise when most of both teams were killed. It was a bloodbath. The JLA, formerly an ally of Monarch's intentions, were utterly destroyed. The Justice Society was sadistically murdered. Son…you were one of Monarch's first victims that day."

Rex choked back tears as he continued on. "I was retired by then. I trusted the others to make sure nothing went horribly wrong with Monarch's initial plan. After I heard about what happened to you and the others, I decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, Monarch had sent agents out to take out any remaining opposition. Superman came to kill me, driven insane by Monarch's manipulations. Your mother was killed. I managed to escape, only because of a new form of Miraclo I had invented. It put me on par with Superman for sixty seconds…enough time to knock him out and escape. The strain it put on me, though…"

"So," said Rick, "This Jason Todd, who didn't sound too stable to begin with, took over Wayne's plans and resources and took over the world. How did Wayne get involved with all of you?"

Rex continued, his voice still wavering. "I actually ran into Constantine first, in England. He was in a battle with Princess Diana, who had become some sort of psychotic dominatrix. He killed her…but not before sustaining severe injuries. I took him to safety, barely avoiding Monarch's patrols. We fled to Russia, where we made contact with Natasha Irons, who by then was a resistance leader named SteelHammer. She led the Steel Legion, which was made up of normal people outfitted in various prototypes of her Uncle's armor designs. Superman and Animal Man ended up slaughtering them, but again in a cruel twist of fate, we escaped again. We began spreading the word of a Justice Society of America rising up to stop Monarch and his Monarchy. It was more lip service than anything else, but it stuck in Monarch's craw. We later were surprised to find that Adam Strange, who was part of an underground network of agents, had contacted SteelHammer with a location and a time. We went there on Natasha's word, and found Strange there with Wayne. The location and time were for a Zeta Beam, which would transport us to Rann. We escaped Earth with Monarch none the wiser. Wayne explained to us what had happened and how Strange and he had been working to sabotage Monarch's plans. They barely escaped with their lives, with Strange leaving with broken bones, contusions…and a yellow ring from Monarch's central chamber. I suspect it once belonged to Sinestro, an enemy of the Green Lantern Corps. Of course, it had next to no charge on it, but it seems with an extreme amount of concentration and will, it can be used for moments at a time, as you saw earlier. We haven't been able to figure out how to recharge it…but we have a theory."

"Wait," said Rick, "When I first showed up here, I could have sworn I saw six people standing around me…but I've only met five: you, Wayne, Constantine, Adam, and Natasha. Where's number six?"

Rex looked confused. "I don't know what you're talking about, son. There's only five of us here. Six counting yourself."

Rick sat silently…had he imagined that? The Zeta Beam transport had been rather rough and disorienting…

"But," said Rex, "Now we have an edge on Monarch. We know he's erected a time field around this era and that he's appropriated all time travel tech under his control. You, however, were put here despite all that. If you can manage that again, we can go back in time and stop Alfred's murder, setting the timeline right."

Rick looked down, frowning. "I was put here by the Time Trapper, dad. I don't know how to go back yet. The Trapper seemed to think I had the power to do all sorts of things with time, but so far I can only shift time a few seconds, maybe a minute at the most. That's all, and even that takes a lot of effort."

"Then we get into his weapons facility and take a time machine," said SteelHammer, who had just walked out to them. She had changed into a different armor, this one adorned in spikes with a long hammer/axe in her hand. Her dreadlocks were encased in armor individually, each ended in a sharp spike. Her faceplate was up. The "S" logo on her chest shone in the early evening light. "Before, we never knew when to go back, or even if we could, simply because we could be making the timeline worse. Now, we know there is a point that can avoid all this. We can go back and change things."

Rick was quiet. He knew that his own timeline was better than this one…but here his father was alive. His father was alive. If things went back to the way they were supposed to, then Rex Tyler would be dead. He would die at the hands of Extant. Rick would lose his father…again. Was he willing to sacrifice his father to save an entire universe from an insane despot?

Monarch looked down at the body of Querl Dox in disgust. The Coluan had finally expired, even Desaad was unable to sustain him further. He gave up nothing, thought Monarch.

Now he had an unauthorized time traveler in his domain, one who may be capable of any kind of chaos in his system. The resources he had at his disposal were unmatched, yet this strange visitor worried him. Not that he got into this time…but rather that he could get out and undo everything he had done.

Monarch left the penal chamber and teleported to his monitor womb. It was nearly time for the Thanagarians and others to capitulate to his demands. He was angry enough with the incursion of the stranger that he wanted to destroy something. Then he smiled.

He activated a panel of holographic controls and brought up the set to control the payload he had cloaked in orbit over Khundia. He engaged the payload. Immediately, his remote sensors showed him the payload rupturing, uncloaking itself. Inside it was a creature of unimaginable power. It made its way towards the central star of the Khund system. It was called the Sun-Eater by some. The Khunds would call it Death.

The Justice Society convened in their central meeting chamber once again. Bruce Wayne had calmed down considerably, but remained on the opposite side of the room from Rick nonetheless.

"All right," said Rex. "We're all agreed, then. We make an attack on Monarch's weapons facility and do whatever it takes to get to a time machine after Adam secures his objective. Natasha, that's where you come in. Its your objective to get Adam to his target at any cost. Immediately, we'll make our way to the time machine, activate one and go from there. We all know the time coordinates required, so whoever makes it first, goes. Alfred Pennyworth needs to be saved at any cost."

SteelHammer spoke. "I've got smaller armor units we can all wear to offer some protection from Monarch's forces, but if Superman arrives, they won't offer more protection than a can does to a sardine."

"Leave that bloke to me," said Constantine. "I hear he has a bit of an Achille's Heel when it comes to magic." He gave an evil grin and a wink.

Wayne leaned forward. "I know where a weak spot may be to gain access, but its still going to be risky. The local environment will be hostile, but we should manage all right with Natasha's armor provisions. The good point here is that Jason thinks I'm dead. He won't have any reason to have changed the location of the weapons facility."

"This all hinges on Adam getting his objective fulfilled," reiterated Rex. "If that doesn't happen…then we'll need a miracle."

Monarch sat in his personal chambers, looking at a mirror. He disengaged his helmet security suite and took it off. His face looked so foreign to him, even after all this time. He was always amazed at how…human he looked.

His gauntlet beeped. He replaced his helmet and answered the incoming message. "Yes?"

Desaad was on the other end. "Milord, I just wanted to report that the Khund homeworld has just lost its sun. In several days to a week, the homeworld will be uninhabitable."

"Excellent," said Monarch. "I would expect communications from the other races very soon now. Leave me be."

It was ironic that his stranglehold on the universe would be so close to fruition as a human and not as his true self. If he had known of Wayne's resourcefulness earlier, he could have saved himself the effort.

Monarch sat back in his chair. Wires and cables extended out as he reclined, performing routine maintenance. He slept.

The desolate landscape looked as unforgiving as the wasteland that was now Rann. Snow blew constantly, with the temperature far below freezing and visibility nearly zero. But if one was able to see through the stormy weather, one would see a yellow marker pointing towards a huge construct made of ice. Once called a Fortress, this was now Monarch's weapons storage facility.

A beam of light flashed momentarily, practically invisible through the blowing snow. In its place, stood six individuals…the last of the Justice Society America.

"All right, everyone activate their cloaking devices and move in. The west side is just two hundred yards to our right. SteelHammer, take Adam and take your position. Wait for our signal," said Bruce Wayne. His armor he wore was emblazoned with a bat-logo, his helmet stylized with his trademark long ears. A laser cannon was slung over his shoulder.

Rick, his father, Wayne and Constantine began their trek through the snow. SteelHammer picked up Adam Strange and went to her position, bootjets flaring.

The four men finally hit the wall. "John, do your stuff," said Rex. Constantine's eyes flared with energy and he waved his hands.

"Eloh ni llaw raeppa!", said John. Moments later, a man-sized hole appeared. The men entered quickly. As they entered, alarms began to blare. "Smrala esaec!", said John. The alarms stopped.

"That won't buy us much time," said Wayne. "Jason will know something is wrong because he didn't personally deactivate the alarms. This way!" As they ran, Wayne pressed a button on his gauntlet.

On the other side of the facility, SteelHammer's armor chimed with a signal. They're in, she thought, time to rock the house. She brought out her long hammer and swung it at the wall. An explosion sounded as the wall blew apart. The dust and rock hadn't finished settling when SteelHammer and Adam were flying into the facility, making their way to Wayne's pre-established coordinates.

The four men made their way down corridors until they came to an enormous metal door. Constantine looked visibly tired from the effort of using Zatanna's magical methods. Wayne saw this and turned to the Hourmen. "We need to keep John fresh for when Clark attacks. You two should be able to break down this door."

Rex popped a Miraclo pill, while Rick concentrated, bringing forward the Miraclo-induced strength his metabolism had internalized. Their muscles flexed and strained.

Together, they cocked back their fists and punched the door together. They did this several times, the metal visibly buckling as they did so. Finally, on the fifth punch, the door crashed inward, popping off its hinges.

"Still got it, eh, son?" said Rex. Despite the seriousness of their situation, he still found the wherewithal to make a joke. Rick's heart cringed.

They entered the new chamber they had opened, and saw an elevator leading down. "Get in," said Wayne. "We're going to sub-level 16."

They punched in the floor selection and Wayne put his eye to the retinal scanner. A voice sounded. "PASSWORD PLEASE." Wayne spoke into a microphone.

SteelHammer and Adam Strange came to another corridor and stopped. Adam couldn't see any reason for stopping.

"Something's coming, and fast," she replied. "I think its Superman." She looked down the corridor. "Keep going. I'm going to stop him."

"Dammit, Adam, you get going! You're the vital part of this plan, not me! GO!", she yelled. Adam hesitated a second and then, without a word, left, running as fast as he could. They shouldn't be far now. He had to get his objective. If he didn't, everything was lost.

SteelHammer headed back to the entrance she had created. She stood off to the side of the hole and cocked her hammer like a baseball bat. Spikes shot out of her feet into the floor to anchor her body. Her onboard readouts showed something moving to her position…three hundred miles…two hundred…one hundred…Now.

She swung her hammer and a deafening boom was heard that reverberated throughout the fortress. The impact still threw her through four walls. As she got up, her readouts showed that whatever she had hit had been knocked back sixteen miles. It was already getting up, though. She looked at her hammer. It was bent and cracked…useless. SteelHammer then took a fighting stance, her knuckles extending spikes. Come on, you son of a bitch…

A blur snapped past her vision and before she could react, she was being held up by impossibly strong hands. Superman had her, murder in his eyes and steel in his grip.

Adam Strange ran faster than he ever had in his life. He crossed corridor after corridor, even shooting down several Bat-Sentries as he made his way closer to his target. Finally, he was there. An energy field was surrounding a small canister 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall. This is it, he thought.

He concentrated…and willed his Qwardian power ring to work. Sweat came off his brow as he focused everything into his ring. It began to glow…then get brighter…then a massive beam fired out and destroyed the energy field. The wall surrounding it was gone as well. Shaken, Adam staggered to the canister. He focused again on the container, and another smaller energy beam shot out, cutting the top of it off. Adam collapsed from exhaustion. Using the ring with no power in it but his own will was like running a marathon in seconds. Struggling not to pass out, he reached for the canister. It tipped over and its contents spilled out onto the floor. A Green Lantern Power Battery…and a severed hand. Adam's eyes widened at what he saw on the hand.

SteelHammer activated her armor's defense measures. Spikes began to protrude everywhere, causing Kal-El to drop her. As soon as he did, she punched him as hard as her armor could manage. Kal-El went flying across the room. She gave him no quarter, fighting as fast and ferociously as she could. The servos in her armor were straining to keep up as she hit him with a flurry of punches that would have collapsed a city block.

Kal-El his heat vision and lasered SteelHammer's right arm off. The wound, smoking but cauterized, immediately put her into shock. She struggled to keep hitting. Her other arm was lasered off. Natasha Irons, SteelHammer, fell to her knees, her gaze never leaving Kal-El. The pain was surprisingly absent.

Kal-El smiled. "Not you. Not ever." He reached out and twisted her head around backwards. She fell back to the floor.

Suddenly, Kal-El found himself encased in a yellow hand and thrown out of the fortress. He landed a mile away and sped back. He stopped before he reached the fortress, stunned. Floating in front of the fortress, was a man. On one hand, he wore a yellow power ring, coruscating wildly with energy. On the other hand…was a Green Lantern Power Ring, itself glowing powerfully.

Adam Strange looked like a man possessed. Energy whirled around him in a steady pulse.

The remaining four members of the JSA found their way to Level 16. As they left the elevator, Constantine paused and motioned for them to stop.

"What is it?", asked Rick. He looked around in the gloomy darkness. Lights were dim this far down, making it hard to see.

"I don't-" Constantine was cut off as his head exploded with a loud boom. His body collapsed to the floor. The JSA turned to see where the attack had come from.

Adam Strange grabbed Kal-El with a yellow hand and threw him into the air, then he hit him with an emerald baseball bat. Kal-El went flying into the stratosphere. Strange went to pursue…then remembered his other mission. He willed the Green Lantern ring to find the power source of the time travel restrictor. Immediately, the ring spoke to him: "The source is located on Earth's moon."

Adam had barely had time to comprehend Natasha's death and now he was one of the most powerful men on Earth. He forced himself to concentrate and willed the ring to take him to the moon.

Monarch laughed at Bruce Wayne's pleas. "So you still live, eh? The great and mighty Batman lives! Its really unfortunate your former protégé is not here to listen to your pleas."

Wayne was stunned. "You're not Jason?! Where is he! What did you do to him!" Rick was surprised at Wayne's sudden loss of control. Wayne brought out his laser cannon and fired at Monarch.

Monarch's energy shield deflected the shot back at Wayne, who would have been killed himself were it not for Rex grabbing him out of the way. Rick took advantage of the situation and leaped at Monarch. Monarch grabbed Rick and tossed him against the far wall. Landing on his feet, Rick reached out and snapped a support beam from the floor and swung it at Monarch. He was momentarily shaken, allowing Rex to come in and lay an upper cut into the despot. The two kept hammering on Monarch, never giving him a second to recover.

Wayne collected himself and aimed his cannon into the fray. He couldn't get a clear shot through the melee of Hourmen hammering on Monarch. He kept his aim steady, waiting for an opening. He's not Jason, he thought, but then who is he?

Adam Strange sped toward the moon at the speed of light. As he left the planet, he tore a hole in the ozone layer. The source of the time restriction was close…and then he saw it.

The Justice League Watchtower had been converted into a massive antennae array. He could feel the temporal distortions through the power rings he wore. As he approached, a fleet of ships rushed to intercept him. He aimed his ring to counter them when he was slammed so hard he hit the moon's surface at Mach 5.

The rings supplied some protection, but he was still shaken. Dazed, he saw Kal-El land above him in the small crater he lay in. He willed the Green Lantern ring with two last commands, then allowed it to leave his hand. It sped away. Before Kal-El could sense the speeding ring, Adam fired a yellow blast at him. Kal-El was encased in a yellow coffin. He thundered against the prison, Adam visibly shaken under the resistance to his will. Finally, Kal-El broke free. The shock and feedback hit Adam like a freight train. Blood ran down his nose. He was seeing double. Kal-El reached over to Adam and punched him. He broke through his shield that protected him from the rigors of space and into Adam's chest. He ripped out his heart. Adam dropped to the ground, moon dust rising around him.

Kal-El knelt to remove the yellow power ring when everything went white. The Green Lantern Power Ring had gone into orbit over the Watchtower array and proceeded to annihilate it. Energy poured from the ring as it vaporized hundreds of miles of lunar surface. People on Earth could see the green luminescence across the night sky.

The array was destroyed. As per its instructions, the Power Ring then disappeared.

Monarch let loose an energy pulse that scattered the Hourmen attacking him. Wayne took his chance and fired his shot. The Hourmen had weakened Monarch's shield enough that the blast knocked him off balance. He kept firing, never letting up. Monarch fell to the ground, trying to get his bearings. Finally, Wayne brought out a small device. He leaped at Monarch, slapping the device onto Monarch's chest. Rolling away, Wayne covered his head as the device detonated. There was no force, but a momentary flash of light. Monarch ceased to move. Wayne discarded his helmet and reached down to Monarch's own helm. He pressed several areas around the neck and the security seals released with a hiss of air. He removed the helmet and was stunned by who he saw.

The EM Pulse had scrambled Monarch's armor systems, temporarily rendering it inoperable. He knew backup systems were activating even now…he only had moments to act.

…and was himself hit with a blast of purple energy. Wayne writhed on the ground in immense pain. He looked as he lay on the ground and saw Desaad walk towards him with a device in his own hand. It crackled with the same purple energy.

"The master cannot be killed by the likes of you, not while Desaad is there to serve him," said the master torturer.

Rex rose and grabbed Desaad, slamming him into the wall. Desaad dropped his torture machine and howled in pain as his right arm broke from the impact. Rex then punched Desaad in the jaw, dislocating it as he fell unconscious.

Rick moved to Wayne, who was beginning to recover from the attack. Wayne motioned to Monarch. "Kill him, now, before…"

A woosh of air filled the corridor and suddenly they were facing Kal-El, his uniform badly burned and his face scarred. His hair was mostly gone, as was his right ear. He had Wayne's head in his hand. Without a word, he squeezed, crushing Wayne's skull.

Monarch stood up. His armor restored to full power, he activated an energy gauntlet and aimed it at the Hourmen. Rex, unseen behind Rick, reached into his own gauntlet and took out a pill. He swallowed it. His body coursed with strength he had only felt once before. His muscles expanded.

"Rick, run! Get to the objective! I'll hold them off!" Rex leaped at Monarch and Kal-El. Monarch fired a blast at Rex, but it did no damage. "Run, Rick! Its all up to you!"

Rick Tyler, the second Hourman, left his father for the last time to die…again.

Rex grabbed Kal-El and punched him up the elevator shaft. Kal-El ricocheted from side to side as he flew up, eventually breaking through into the main level of the fortress. Rex then reached out to Monarch, who still had not replaced his helmet. Rex grabbed Monarch's gauntlets and crushed them. Monarch screamed.

"You've killed your last, do you hear me?? No More!" He ripped Monarch's armor off like tin foil. Energy discharges wracked Rex from the armor, to no avail. He felt no pain. He was on the last sixty seconds of his life, and he knew it.

Monarch's body was now naked, lying on the ground. Yes, it was Jason Todd. It was always him. But what had driven him insane? Why had he spoken like he wasn't Jason?

Monarch smiled despite the pain of his mangled arms and bruised body. "Darkseid never surrenders. You've lost. All of you."

Rex was stunned. In that battle with Darkseid, Jason had won…yet he had also lost. Darkseid had possessed him and perverted Wayne's plans into an obscenity…using Jason's memories, he had almost taken the universe.

Rex's heart suddenly exploded in intense pain. His sixty seconds was up. Now he had a price to pay. He knew it was likely to happen, after the first time he had taken the amped up Miraclo. His heart couldn't handle the strain. He was dying.

Kal-El returned and picked up Rex. His face was full of fury. Rex knew he was dying and wasn't afraid. "It's over, Superman. It's all over." Kal-El pulled his fist back to deliver the killing blow, then hesitated.

Rick found the time travel storage chamber. He ripped the door of its hinges and found dozens of machines…a cosmic treadmill, a round ship-like device, a wrist gauntlet…where was the one he wanted? He looked frantically, then saw it.

A square, flat object with the label "Von Doom" on it. That was it. He went to the control panel beside it and entered the date he wanted.

Rick slowly turned to see Kal-El, holding his father in one hand. "You bastard," said Rick, "You killed him!"

"It matters little what I did," said Kal-El. "Step away from the machine and I'll be merciful." He dropped Rex with a sickening thud.

"I'm not stopping, so come and get me," said Rick. He was angry and sad. His father was dead…there was no way to get the time machine fully activated before Superman could speed to him and kill him. He had one choice.

"Come on then," said Rick, "Come and get it, you son of a bitch." He assumed a fighting stance and motioned for Kal-El to come.

Kal-El growled and then sped towards Rick. Rick concentrated and time began to slow…but not slow enough. Kal-El still approached at an amazing speed…Rick cocked his fist back…it began to shimmer and blur…he brought it forward…the fist still shimmered as if it were in a heat haze…and Rick made contact with Kal-El's jaw.

Kal-El's body crashed to the floor, convulsing. Blood was everywhere. His head hit the far wall and crumbled as if it were made of ash.

Rick's perception of time snapped back to normal. He looked at his fist. It still shimmered, then returned to normal. He looked at Kal-El's head. What was left looked ancient, like a mummy's corpse. I just killed Superman with one punch…

Rick went to his father and cradled his body. He was dead. Tears welled up in Rick's eyes as he embraced his father. He removed his father's mask. He never had a chance to say goodbye before…it broke his heart to have the chance to do it now.

"I'll make it right, dad…I swear." He kissed his father's brow and laid him down, using his father's cloak to cover him.

Rick made his way to the time platform and finished activating it as per Wayne's instructions. Once it was done, he activated it.

The platform began to move upwards, Rick disappearing within it. Within seconds, he was gone.

The Time Trapper moved out of the treed area they were in, Hourman floating behind him as he went. Hourman could see a huge mansion ahead of them, with a Rolls Royce car parked out front. Rick thought the mansion looked familiar, but couldn't place it in his memory.

The Trapper continued to approach the car, where Rick could see a man leaving the driver's seat of the car. He was wearing a kind of tuxedo, with a receding hairline and a finely trimmed mustache. The man seemed to be a servant of some kind, and he quickly went around the passenger door on the opposite side of the car to open it. As he did, a young boy got out of the car, and made his way to the large front doors of the mansion. Hourman had never seen a child that looked so…intense. He couldn't be more than 12 or 14 years old. Any innocence had been driven out of this child long ago.

Suddenly, the Trapper produced a knife in his hand, and his form changed into that of Hourman. He reached out…and time stopped.

The Trapper looked around and saw Hourman still suspended, but motionless. Time had stopped, the manservant had stopped moving, the boy had stopped moving…

The Time Trapper resumed his normal form and saw another Hourman, this one looking much the worse for wear. Hourman walked towards him and grabbed the Trapper's purple robes. "You've done enough," said Hourman, "I get your point. I've made it back here to stop you and stop you I will. You have one chance…get me back to my own time, or I kill you right here and now." Hourman cocked his fist back and it began to shimmer. "This fist just killed Superman, I wonder what it will do to you?"

The Time Trapper laughed. "Very good, young Tyler…very good. You've already learned well." The Trapper raised his hands in supplication. "You win. Perhaps we will meet again?"

Everything shifted around them and Rick found himself back in the Higher Authority headquarters of his JSA, back in his quarters. The Time Trapper became immaterial, causing Rick to lose his grip. "There are great things ahead for you, Young Tyler. I will be watching with great interest." The Trapper disappeared.

Rick stood tensed for several seconds, then relaxed. "D.I.N.A.H., who is onboard the station?"

The Higher Authority's housekeeping A.I. responded. "HOURMAN IS THE ONLY ONE ABOARD THE HIGHER AUTHORITY."

"THE MAJORITY OF THE JSA IS CURRENTLY ASSEMBLED IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA FACING AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL THREAT. JLA FILES MATCH ID TO GRAYVEN, SELF-PROCLAIMED SON OF DARKSEID."

Flash, Obsidian and Starman surrounded Grayven as he picked up a car, threatening to use it as a weapon. His eyes showed his insanity and ruthlessness. "Bring me Green Lantern!" He slung the car towards Starman. Starman fired a bolt of cosmic energy from his sonic crystal and the car disintegrated.

Grayven fired another blast of energy from his eyes at Flash. Even with super-speed, Jay barely managed to avoid the death beam.

Grayven whirled to see who had dared speak to him. Hourman stood there, shimmering fist pulled back. He nailed Grayven in the jaw, knocking him back several hundred feet. Grayven slowly got up, wobbled on his feet…and collapsed.

"Holy Crap", said Obsidian, "I knew you were strong, but man, he was too much for us to contain. Been monkeying with the ol' Miraclo?"

Hourman looked at his fist, which had again stopped shimmering. "Something like that, Todd," he said.

Not far away, the man would had been calling himself the Time Trapper watched. His purple robes disappeared as he assumed his true appearance. He is learning, thought the man, Yet he still has much to do before he's truly ready. Soon, Rick…soon.

Rick stood in front of his father's grave. He was wearing his civilian clothing, flowers in hand.

"Hi, Dad," he said. "I just wanted to say…I'm proud of you. I never really told you this, but…you were always my hero. I always wanted to be you and follow in your footsteps. I know I'll never be half the hero you are, but I'm never going to stop trying. You gave your life twice to save everyone. I have to honor that. I want to honor that. I swear, I'll give everything I have to honoring that and you." He set the flowers by the gravestone.