"She was a hero of the highest order...a shining example to all of us who walk the path of valor and righteousness."

The crowd was silent save for the sounds of weeping. Dozens of mourners sat in the marble chapel, each here to remember the life of one of the Earth’s greatest heroes. Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, who served as Wonder Woman in World War II and as a member of the Justice Society of America...was dead.

Phillipus, Captain of the Amazon Honor Guard, officiated the proceedings. Earth’s best and brightest were in attendance at this very personal ceremony. There had been a similar ceremony held in Washington, D.C. where world leaders and dignitaries had been in attendance. This ceremony, however, was only for close friends and loyal subjects. The Justice League of America, The Titans, The JSA...all of Hippolyta’s closest friends and allies were present.

Phillipus motioned to the assembled mourners. "We will now hear from several of our Queen’s allies and friends from Man’s World."

Superman was the first to approach the ornate podium. "I...I had the pleasure of serving with Hippolyta in the Justice League for a brief time. I was immediately struck by the similarities between her and her daughter...both possess a firm resolve to do what is right and just. And both have a sense of honor rivaled by so very few. She was a very capable warrior, but an even finer human being. My heart, and those of my allies in the superhuman community, goes out to all who knew her as a friend. She will be missed."

J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, approached the podium next. As he spoke, Jay Garrick, the original Flash, turned and walked away from the gathered crowd. The ceremony was being held at the Coast City Memorial Gardens, near the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Hal Jordan and the Corps to keep any media and other paparazzi out of the area so as to retain the privacy of the moment had erected an invisible field around the Memorial. Superman and the Creeper had been unable to cross the barrier when they first arrived...Jay supposed that even the Corps weren’t perfect with their ring constructs all the time. Of course, lack of perfection wasn’t necessarily a virtue in this line of work.

But it was going to be.

Jay walked down one of the many paths leading from the main gathering area of the Memorial Gardens. Any other time, he would be admiring the lush and beautiful growth around him, but not today. He’d attended more funerals in his lifetime than he would have liked...but when it was for someone as close as Hippolyta was, it was almost too much.

He and his friends in the Justice Society had faced countless threats over the years, defeating each one in turn. It was to the point that they felt almost infallible. They had outlived many of their enemies, and even some of their children. Now, they were starting to fall to the frailties of the human condition. Johnny Thunder with his Alzheimer’s, Star-Spangled Kid dead at the hands of Solomon Grundy, Mr. Terrific, Hourman, Dr. Mid-Nite, The Atom...

Jay Garrick had had enough.

And he was going to do something about it.

Faux-DC Proudly Presents

No. 7

"Meaning From Loss"

By Mike Hintze

Edited by Clay "Mighty Miry" Arceneaux and "Rollickin’" Ralph Angelo, Jr.

Alan Scott, The Sentinel, floated in the air above and to the rear of the assembled crowd. His emerald cloak billowed around him, and he reached to draw it closer to himself. Despite the pleasant temperature, he still felt a chill run down his spine. He had confronted death numerous times throughout the years since he had first called himself Green Lantern. He had always won. He had even been rejuvenated back to his youth during his travails...but none of that mattered now. Hippolyta was gone. Killed at the hands of the creature known as the Anti-Monitor, working with the demonlord Neron.

"Hey, Alan...I’m sorry about Hippolyta." Kyle Rayner, the newest bearer of the title of Green Lantern, alighted beside Alan. "For what it’s worth, if there’s anything I can do..."

Alan put a reassuring hand on Kyle’s shoulder. "Thanks, Kyle. I mean that."

"I can’t believe she’s gone," said Kyle. "It didn’t seem like anything could hurt her...kinda like Superman or Diana. Even Batman, in that spooky way of his. They’re supposed to be unstoppable. I mean, she was one of the JSA...you’re all the big guns, you know? You guys aren’t supposed to die."

Alan looked at Kyle. "Don’t be fooled. Everyone you mentioned have had to deal with hardship and death. Superman and Diana both died, remember?"

Kyle’s face turned even more somber. "Yeah...but Batman hasn’t, although if looks could kill, y’know..."

"I know," replied Alan.

Ted Grant, a.k.a. Wildcat watched as J’onn J’onzz finished his speech. The voices were droning on into one mass of sound. Ted was numb. He still had trouble adjusting to the events that happened after the return of the JSA to their orbiting headquarters, the Higher Authority.

He had dealt with an intruder aboard the station masquerading as his deceased teammate Dr. Mid-Nite. The faux Mid-Nite had attempted to sabotage the station and pilfer captured alien Khund technology, and would have succeeded if it wasn’t for his quick thinking and the use of the station’s onboard Defensive Integrated Network and Administrative Housekeeping program, D.I.N.A.H. Ted had been aged after a run-in with the time criminals Extant and Per Degaton, and in his greatly advanced state of age, still managed to stop the Faux Mid-Nite cold. He was caught in what was later determined to be some kind of chronal grenade, which reversed the aging effects of the attack he sustained from Degaton and Extant. At the same time, he managed to use the defenses of the Higher Authority to aid in repulsing the alien invasion led by the warlord Mongul.

He had been trying to question the faux Mid-Nite, until the imposter had erupted in flames from some kind of suicide device secreted on his person. Before he had died, the imposter had hinted at something...something he found as hard to believe as much as he wanted to believe it...that Charles McNider, the original Dr. Mid-Nite, who had been murdered at the hands of the time killer Extant...was still alive.

The shock of that possibility was abruptly blunted upon the return of his teammates several hours later. Wildcat had tried to contact the JLA Watchtower after the faux Mid-Nite died, but they had been unreachable. He had found out later that they had been under attack during the alien invasion, and unable to make contact. Ultimately, the heroes of Earth prevailed against Mongul... which was more than his teammates had accomplished when they materialized on the Higher Authority with Hippolyta’s body enveloped in Sentinel’s mystical emerald flame.

Wildcat was speechless. Everyone was bruised and bloody. No one said anything. Sentinel asked for D.I.N.A.H. to transport Hippolyta’s body to a stasis unit, and then they all stood there, speechless. It took a few moments for Wildcat to notice that there were more people present than there should have been. Jack Knight, known as Starman, was standing several feet away, his cosmic rod in hand. Beside him, Mikaal Tomas, the blue-skinned alien who had taken the name of Starman in the 1970’s, stood, his sonic crystal emitting a glowing pulse. Wildcat was taken aback when he saw who was beside Mikaal; a glowing, translucent holographic image of Ted Knight, the original Starman and former member of the JSA in its heyday. Rick Tyler, Hourman, approached Wildcat and explained the events he and his teammates had just experienced. The last day’s events had been full of change for the team, more than any other in years.

Wildcat shook his head, bringing him out of his reverie. He looked around the crowd, seeing many familiar faces in the superhuman community. The crowd was getting younger. He wasn’t. He had often thought about what he would have done in his youth if the events that led to his identity as Wildcat hadn’t occurred. He had often wondered where he would have been now if he had instead pursued medical school those many years ago. But that was then. This was now.

The Spectre floated unseen by all below. Speakers continued to come to the podium and tell their experiences of Hippolyta. He couldn’t help but feel responsible for what happened to her. He and Dr. Fate were the ones who had brought the Justice Society into the conflict with Neron and the Anti-Monitor, a conflict which led to the death of a friend. He had thought his time on Earth was over...until the Presence spoke to him, telling him that he was needed for the defense of Earth, and all life in existence.

Jim Corrigan had been the previous host of the Spectre until several years ago. For 50 years Corrigan had been possessed by the Wrath of God, until he had been offered the rest he had long hoped for by the Presence. The Spectre-Force was devoid of a host, and wandered aimlessly for a time...until an evil thought long dead returned.

The Anti-Monitor had been responsible for countless billions of deaths in what was now called the Crisis. Infinite worlds had been destroyed, and it took the greatest heroes of the surviving parallel universes to bring the Monitor down at the dawn of time in a cataclysmic final battle. The heroes won. But history was changed...

Now, there was only one Earth. History was reordered due to the events of the battle at the dawn of time. A new universe was created, replacing the old one. But the Anti-Monitor wasn’t dead. In the new order of the universe, the Presence imprisoned the Monitor deep in the bowels of what would eventually become Hell, predating even Lucifer Morningstar’s fall from grace. The Presence knew that the Monitor was more evil than anything else in existence, and eventually, a pact was formed. Ganthet of the Guardians of the Universe, Highfather of New Genesis, Nabu of the Lords of Order and the Presence Himself agreed to do what was necessary if the Monitor returned. When Neron found the Monitor in Hell, the call went out. The Monitor killed the current wearer of the mantle of Fate, forcing Nabu the Wise to head to the Armaghetto of Apokolips. There, he selected the New God from New Genesis known as Myrmidon as the emergency host for the Pact. Myrmidon was undercover on Apokolips performing reconnaissance. Now, Fate was born anew, and had headed for Oa.

The Guardians were thought dead, and the planet Oa had been reduced to a mass of emerald energy. Fate tapped into that energy, strengthening his power for the coming conflict. Now, the Presence had to play His part.

Why the current bearer of the wrath of God had been chosen as the Spectre’s newest host, he didn’t know. Now he was to be His hand in the battle with the Monitor. Fate and he had chosen the Justice Society as their main allies in this battle, and they had fought valiantly. The new Spectre had been particularly close to the JSA in his previous life, and to fight beside them again, even as a ghost, was more than he could have hoped for.

He wanted to tell them who he really was...but he couldn’t. Not yet.

But soon...

Elsewhere

He floated, weightless in the expanse of space. He had been floating here for ages in the inky, cold blackness. One thing occupied his thoughts in this seemingly endless time.

His hate for Green Lantern.

He had conquered entire star systems. Ruled billions. His father had left him with power undreamed of, power he used to his full advantage. Until he had run into the legendary Green Lantern. After the destruction of the Green Lantern Corps by one of their own, he had thought them a useless worry in his path of conquest. He had been proven wrong. He had destroyed the Darkstars, beaten Adam Strange...but found himself facing Green Lantern from Earth. A Zeta Beam had transported him away, transportation being the only way Green Lantern could best him.

He had faced Green Lantern one more time since then...and found himself transported away once again. He didn’t know if the Lantern had survived their last encounter...but if he had, he swore revenge. His father would be next.

Suddenly, he noticed a red light in the distance. It approached him at great speed, getting brighter and brighter. Finally, it was all he could do to keep his eyes open amidst the light’s glare.

The red light overwhelmed him.

The next instant, he was gone.

Hourman stood with Jack Knight off to the side of the crowd. The last speeches had been made, and everyone present was now mingling and visiting. Rick Tyler had been Hourman only for a short while, and still found himself in awe of the community he was now a part of. He had taken the role of Hourman once before in the now defunct Infinity, Inc. Circumstances had dictated him to give that role up, not least of which was the fact his father, Rex Tyler, the original Hourman, had not yet decided to get into full retirement yet. Now, however, the identity felt right. He felt he was carrying on a worthy legacy, and upholding the tradition his father had started. He was even the first chairperson of this new JSA.

Now, he had already lost one teammate.

He doubted the decision that the senior members had made when they had wanted Rick to take the chairmanship. He thought he was still too inexperienced, despite what the others thought.

He knew they all realized the risks this lifestyle demanded. But it still bothered him. He had lost one of those he was responsible for.

"Not quite the way I imagined coming home."

Rick came back to the here and now. Jack had spoken to him.

"Yeah, I guess. Did you ever meet that other Starman you were looking for in space? What’s his name...Payton?", replied Rick.

"Will Payton. No, I haven’t. I thought he might be here with the rest of the super crowd, but I haven’t seen him yet. Superman said he’d introduce us if he saw him."

Rick looked seriously at Jack. "Have you talked to Sadie yet? Or your dad?"

Jack smiled. "I called Dad as soon as I got back. He said he’d be here, but in this crowd, that might be a challenge." His face grew somber. "I’ve called Sadie, too...but no answer yet. I don’t know where she is. Hopefully if Will comes here today, I’ll get to ask him."

"Hey guys," said Todd Rice, the shadow powered Obsidian. "Jack, seen Payton yet?"

"Not yet," replied Jack.

"Looks like Mikaal met J’onn J’onzz way back when," said Obsidian. "They’re catching up on some old times."

Obsidian noticed Hourman’s demeanor. "How are you doing, bud? Keeping up okay?"

Hourman looked away. "I don’t know. I know it’s not the truth of it all, but I can’t help but feel responsible. I’m JSA Chairperson. The team is my responsibility. I failed. I’m...I’m thinking of resigning."

"Now that is one of the biggest loads of bull I’ve ever heard you say," replied Obsidian. "There was nothing more you could have done. Nothing."

"I could have used my time-shifting power to reverse her death...but it was too late. I was too late."

Obsidian put his hand on Hourman’s shoulder. "You did all you could. Leave it at that. We were fighting Neron and the Anti-friggin-Monitor for crying out loud!"

"I didn’t have enough control over my time power to save her. But let me tell you this, Todd." Hourman gave Obsidian the most serious look he had ever seen. "That’s going to change. I promise you that."

1 Week Later

"Things are going to change around here."

Hourman stood at the head of the conference table in the main meeting chamber of the Higher Authority. Seated around him were the Flash, Sentinel, Obsidian, Wildcat, Jack Knight, Ted Knight and Mikaal Tomas. The room had a muted emerald glow from the energies used to construct the orbiting space station.

Hourman continued. "Since we got together after the mess with Per Degaton and Extant, we’ve been fairly rudderless. We’ve been reacting to threats as they come to us. We’ve got this lofty space station high up in the sky, but really, why are we here? What’s our purpose? Are we just another superhero club who thinks of themselves above and beyond the people we’re trying to save...or are we something more?"

Flash held his silver helmet in his hands, looking at his reflection. He stood at his seat, facing his fellow teammates. "I want us to be something more. Back in the day, the Justice Society stood for something. We stood for freedom in a time when freedom was threatened. Now, what do we stand for? Earth’s protectors? The JLA, Bad Blood and the Titans fit that bill admirably. Does the world need another super team? I think it does...but not in our current form."

"Hippolyta’s death has brought home some serious concerns for me. We went guns blazing into Hell on the word of Nabu and the Spectre, and lost one of our own. If we had been better prepared, we could have avoided that. But we were so wise in our advanced age and experience, we thought we could handle a threat that almost destroyed Earth ten years ago. We were brash and impulsive." Jay sat down again.

Sentinel began to speak. "We have the resources and wherewithal to become a focal point for the safety of the world. The JLA is largely reactive in nature, as are the other teams. I’m not saying that its wrong...but maybe its time for older, wiser people to take a more proactive approach. If the pact Nabu, God and Ganthet had made to contain the Anti-Monitor situation had been mentioned to us by Nabu earlier, we may have been able to take a more earlier stance to stop him. Just letting Nabu take us at the last second was successful, but barely. Simply letting Neron stay hidden in his region of Hell doesn’t cut it for me. We should take him out...or at least neutralize him."

Obsidian leaned forward. "Dad, that’s great and all, but we’re talking about a Lord of Hell here. Hell, Captain Marvel, Flash and Wonder Woman couldn’t take him out forever. I don’t even know if Neron CAN be killed. Besides, when did we become all bloodthirsty? We’re supposed to be an example to others, right? Not a pile of raving mercenaries!"

"Whoa there, kid," said Wildcat. "I don’t think that’s what Alan is talking about at all. First of all, we aren’t talking about killing anyone. I think we can be proactive without being like some all powerful authority."

"Well," said Obsidian. "It’s obvious that you, Alan, Rick and Jay have been discussing this at length. What do you propose?"

Jay leaned back in his chair. "If we inspired the JLA and others to do what they do...maybe we can do that again. We should be a training ground for the next generation. We should be teaching this generation and the next how to handle threats before they happen."

"So how do we do that...become psychic?" said Obsidian, a small grin on his face.

"In an nutshell...yes," replied Sentinel. "Ted Knight, Alan and I have been working with John Henry Irons since the funeral to enhance D.I.N.A.H.’s intuitive subroutines. As you all know, she is patched into all communications networks on the planet, and thanks to our partnership with Oracle and the JLA, some networks not of this planet. The light structure of the Higher Authority allows for a more enhanced computing power than even the Watchtower is capable of. We feel that these enhancements can allow D.I.N.A.H. to run a predictor program based on current events and extrapolate probabilities to allow us to become more proactive."

"Kinda like a crystal ball, huh?", said Obsidian. "Well, I guess that sounds all right...kinda above my grasp of technology, but if you guys say it’ll work, I’m all for it."

"But that’s not all," said Hourman. "The predictor will only work on large scale threats. Someone getting mugged in Gotham City wouldn’t show up on D.I.N.A.H.’s radar screen. But the idea is that Darkseid invading from Apokolips would. But if that threat ever came about, the few of us there are wouldn’t be able to handle it. Hippolyta’s death showed us what going in underpowered can do to us. That’s why, effective immediately...the JSA is recruiting. And our first new member...is Mikaal Tomas."

Obsidian’s face held momentary surprise. "Hey, not that I’m unhappy to see Mikaal on the team, but Jack, you’re not joining?"

Jack’s face looked grim. "I just got back from a long space voyage. I want to see my Dad for a bit, find Sadie...find my son. The Mist has him somewhere, and this talk of proactivity has got me thinking that I’ve got to bring the fight to her, not the other way around. After that...we’ll see. But I have total faith in Mikaal’s abilities."

Ted Knight walked forward, having been silent since the meeting began. "Mikaal held the Starman mantle in the 1970’s for a time, and in the short while I’ve known him, I’ve come to respect him and his ability. Jack and I wholeheartedly endorse Mikaal’s membership, barring approval from our esteemed chairman and the membership."

Everyone gave their approval, moving towards Mikaal and shaking his hand in congratulations. "Thank you," said Mikaal. "I hope I can live up to the ideal that Ted and Jack speak so highly of."

Hourman was the last to shake Mikaal’s hand. "I’m sure you will, Mikaal. Welcome to the Justice Society of America."

Hourman continued. "We’ve scheduled a meeting with the JLA in a few weeks to discuss our new position. In the meantime, we’ll see how D.I.N.A.H. handles the new predictor and also see how our membership drive goes. If we’re going to handle the big threats, we need to amp up our powerbase. With that, let’s move on to the next order of business. Namely, Wildcat’s tussle with a false Dr. Mid-Nite. Ted?"

Wildcat went over the details of the events he experienced during Cold Armageddon. When he was finished, everyone was silent. They had heard small portions of this tale, but with Hippolyta’s death, the entire tale hadn’t been told until now.

"We had D.I.N.A.H. run tests on the ashes left from the faux Mid-Nite’s demise, but nothing conclusive except that he was human. Not much to go on, but there you have it", said Sentinel.

Hourman spoke. "So someone was able to copy Dr. Mid-Nite’s genetic profile enough to get aboard the Higher Authority and try to steal some alien technology. This implies a higher organization than just one person. A group or organization is trying to gain access to this station, and until we find out why, we’ll have to institute higher security precautions. This may be something the predictor can shed some light on. Sentinel, Wildcat, I’d like you two to handle the input of the predictor with this particular case as well as working with D.I.N.A.H. to upgrade our security. Let us know what happens."

"You got it, Mr. Chairman," said Wildcat. Sentinel also gave an affirmative nod.

"Good. Until we know more from that, we’ll table that current business. Now, if there’s no more business to discuss, I’d like everyone to take a moment to look behind me. D.I.N.A.H., if you please?"

"AS YOU REQUEST, HOURMAN," came the female voice of the Higher Authority’s artificial intelligence operating system. Suddenly the wall behind Hourman rippled and reformed, until an image of a woman holding a battleaxe and a shield could be seen. The figure was green and translucent, but it was obvious to all that it was an homage to Hippolyta.

"Let this stand as a memorial to her heroism and friendship. She was a shining example to us all. And here, she always will be."

"Hear, hear, Mister Chairman" said Jay. "We couldn’t have said it better ourselves."

Several hours later, Hourman was in his quarters reviewing lists that his teammates had given regarding candidates for membership. Everyone from Firestorm to Ambush Bug (one of Obsidian’s more original submissions) had been on the lists, and as Chairman, he was to go through them to whittle out less likely candidates. D.I.N.A.H. was on monitor duty standby, ready to alert Hourman should something arise. It was late in the evening, and his eyes were getting gritty from his tiredness. His uniform hung in the closet, with him wearing shorts and a t-shirt with the JSA logo emblazoned on it. He had decided he would be sleeping aboard the Higher Authority tonight so he could get through his work more efficiently. But after the events of the past week, he was ready to sleep for days.

He toggled off the display in his quarters and proceeded to climb into his bed. When he had taken on Chairmanship of the JSA, he hadn’t realized the amount of work involved outside of their normal activities. Still, he was determined now to do the best he could. Resigning would change nothing. He needed to use Hippolyta’s sacrifice to go forward, not stay static in the past.

"You have potential. More than you realize, Rick Tyler."

Rick spun around to see the source of the voice, dropping the pen he had been holding. It sounded like gravel running over broken glass. He could see no one, however. Had he imagined it? Was he that overtired?

"Who’s there? D.I.N.A.H., give me a listing of all people aboard the station."

Nothing. Rick looked over at his desk, and stopped. The pen he had dropped was hanging in mid-air, unmoving. He thought the gravity had been shut down on the station, but realized he was still moving with no difficulty. Then, the voice came again.

"I can teach you ways to use your power, Rick Tyler. In ways you can scarcely imagine."

Now, Rick could see a dark robed figure come out of the shadows. His robes were tattered and frayed, with a hood over his face enveloping it in total blackness. A feeling of menace came off the figure in waves. Rick decided not to take any chances. He leaped at the figure, using his Miraclo enhanced strength and reflexes to overtake the intruder. But no sooner had he moved, and he saw his hands and arms were suddenly old and frail. He collapsed onto the floor, pain wracking his body. His throat was dry and cracked, but he managed to get out a small whimper as he lay on the floor.

The figure stood over him, his face still wrapped in darkness. "You now know what it is like to be 120 years old, Rick Tyler. Not a pleasant feeling, is it? But I can make it all go away. And even more, I can teach you how to do this yourself." The robed intruder waved his tattered hand and suddenly, Rick felt himself regaining his strength. He saw his hands and arms grow younger again, until they were back to their well muscled original state.

He got up slowly. This intruder obviously had time powers, and from the way he had just used them, he could have killed Rick anytime he wanted. But he didn’t. That meant he wanted something.

"What do you want?", he asked as he faced the robed figure.

"It’s not what I want, Rick Tyler...but what I can do for you. You have latent temporal ability that you have no concept of. I can teach you to tap into it. You will be able to do anything...go anywhere, anytime...even bring the dead back to life."

The figure stood there before Rick, waiting for a response. Those last words haunted Rick. He could bring back Hippolyta back. Dr. Mid-Nite...the Atom...Hector Hall...his father.

"All right...I’m listening. Who the hell are you?"

"I have been called many names...but the one I answer to at the moment is...The Time Trapper."

Next Issue: What does the Time Trapper really want with Hourman? The answers begin to come into place, and the results may not be positive for the JSA. Plus: The JLA guest-stars, new candidates are brought forward for membership...and the first results of the Predictor are revealed! All this...and Intergang! All in JSA #8!