30 MINUTES TO CONFRONTATION
"We have a problem." Superman announced. "Starbreaker
is one of the most
dangerous beings we have ever faced. However this is the sort
of crisis
that we were formed to counter. I can see that some of the newer
members
are visibly nervous and probably a little afraid. I can re-assure
you
that almost all of us are scared too. You were picked to be in
the
league for a reason, because you are the best there is at what
you do. I
speak for all of us when we say that we trust you with our lives.
We can
only ask you to do your best, and we are all sure that your best
is
enough to defeat this problem. If you believe in yourself then
there is
nothing you cannot do, nothing you can not overcome. Now, the
team will
be as follows. Myself, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash,
Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Aquaman and Steel. J'onn will be joining
us
when we land. Supergirl has volunteered to stay here and monitor
communications. Supergirl, we also need your power up here incase
the
Watchtower is attacked while we are gone. Sensors have shown that
Starbreaker will land somewhere in the China area. Lets go people."
10 MINUTES TO CONFRONTATION
Minutes later the eleven superheroes streaked across the skies
over
Europe. Those who could not fly, being held by those who could.
"Reports of widespread devastation coming in from all over
the former
Soviet Union." Batman reported from his Bat Wing. "Have
to take a look
at that computer when we get back." he mumbled to himself.
"We've got another problem." Steel announced. "Reports
coming in from
Metropolis, I'm getting a report of Superman trashing the Suicide
Slum
area."
"I can confirm that." Flash agreed. "My ear pieces
just picked up an
APB."
"A Bizarro!" Superman explained. "We can't just
ignore this, lives are
at stake. We'll have to split up. Flash, take Red Tornado and
Steel and
head for Metropolis. Supergirl will meet you there."
"Understood Superman." Steel replied as he changed course.
"You get that Supergirl?" Superman checked.
"Yes. On my way." came the conformation over the intercom.
"And then there was eight." Aquaman muttered from beneath
Green Lantern.
1 MINUTE TO CONFRONTATION
"More power!" screamed Starbreaker as he made his way
towards the third
nuclear power station in the area. "I need more power. Then
I can push
this miserable planet into the sun and feed like never before.
Then I
shall be master of the universe once again."
"No more power Starbreaker." a commanding voice boomed
from above.
"Kal-El?" Starbreaker asked rhetorically. "At last,
a fitting opponent,
and a fitting power source. Come closer so I can drain you dry
once
more."
"I don't think so creep." came the voice of Kyle Rayner.
Before
Starbreaker knew it, a speeding green locomotive had erupted out
of
no-where and was hurtling towards him.
Starbreaker casually side stepped out of harms way and began to
mock
Kyle. "I have always respected the Green Lanterns, but you
are no Green
Lantern, just a boy with a ring."
"We'll see about that you lousy, good for nothing....."
Green Lantern
retaliated before Superman held him back.
"Don't get near him." Superman whispered into the intercom
so
Starbreaker couldn't overhear, "You've all read the files,
you know what
he can do, one touch and he'll drain you dry. Plastic Man, draw
his
fire, everyone else, use long range attacks. Once he's weakened
we can
move in to finish him off. Batman, any ideas on how to contain
him?"
"I'm working on it." came the grim reply. By this time
Plastic Man had
assumed a position between Starbreaker and the remaining heroes.
He
pumped up his biceps and flexed them to get Starbreaker's attention.
The
ploy succeeded as several energy bolts flew past his constantly
moving
body. Making taunting sounds, Plastic Man drew Starbreaker's attention
away from the rest of the JLA.
"Now." whispered Superman. Almost immediately Starbreaker
was struck by
various ballistic and energy attacks, heat vision, Martian vision,
harpoons, rockets and more. Starbreaker quickly realized what
was going
on and turned his attention back to his aggressors. The few bolts
he
managed to fire were deflected by Wonder Woman's unbreakable bracelets.
Starbreaker was pushed back, and back until finally Batman gave
the
word.
"I got it! Knock him back a few more inches and he'll be
in position."
Batman informed, "Then I'll drop a trap." A final energy
shot from one
of Kyle's many guns forced Starbreaker back the one more step
they
needed. The sky exploded with a tremendous roar as Batman flicked
on the
afterburners. "Five seconds." Batman muttered to himself.
"Five, four,
three, two....." Suddenly there was an explosion and Starbreaker
was
pushed out of the Batwing's trajectory. "Abort, abort."
he screamed at
the computers, but it was too late, the trap was released and
fell where
Starbreaker had been standing just moments earlier. Not sensing
anything
there the trap did not activate.
"Who the hell." Kyle blurted while he arced his head,
looking for the
source of the explosion. The Russian Militia had arrived. Five
soldiers
in a jeep firing everything they had at Starbreaker. Another grenade
flew through the air and exploded next to him, to no effect. The
soldiers muttered something in Russian before they disembarked
from
their jeep and ran for their lives. As quickly as they had appeared,
they disappeared. Distracted, Wonder Woman didn't see the energy
blast.
The impact threw her four feet in the air, before she landed painfully,
several meters away.
"Diana!" Aquaman yelled before running over to her prone
form to assist
her.
"Don't break rank damn it." Batman reprimanded from
overhead. "You've
got to force him back onto the trap." Sure enough, as if
on cue, Aquaman
befell the same fate as Wonder Woman as he too was knocked unconscience.
Everything was unravelling. Batman went into a steep nose dive
to try
and buy the team some breathing room. ‘We're the Justice League,'
he
thought. ‘These things aren't supposed to happen.' He readied
a missile
and prepared to fire. Starbreaker saw it coming. An energy double
leaped
up and intercepted the missle barely seconds after it had left
the
launch tube, the rusulting turbulence from the explosion sent
the
Batwing out of control. Batman ejected but was an easy target
as he
drifted down. Green Lantern was the next to fall, his impulsiveness
being his undoing. Firehawk succumbed to the exact opposite, a
moments
hesitation and she was down. In unison the Martian Manhunter and
Superman gathered themselves for another assault. As one they
attacked,
up close and personal. The unified blows of the two heavy hitters
pummelled Starbreaker, while all the time they avoiding his flaying
arms. However just when victory seemed in their grasps, Starbreaker
caught hold of J'onn's ankle. Despite all his efforts, J'onn could
not
break free and was slowly drained of all his power.
"Now I have the power of the Martian Manhunter, not even
you can stop me
Kal-El." Starbreaker gloated.
"I can try." Superman blandly replied. Superman threw
everything into
the fight. However in the end there could be only one victor and
eight
minutes later Starbreaker stood victorious.
"Now there is no-one who can stop me." Starbreaker shouted,
"With no
Justice League and no Guardians I am free to rule the universe."
"I wouldn't bet on it pard'ner." came a familiar voice,
a voice from a
figure that had been forgotten in the melee. Like a lighting bolt
a
spherical object raced towards Starbreaker at high speeds. "Plastic
Power!" The rolled up form of Plastic Man hit Starbreaker
square on the
chest, knocking him back a few inches. Immediately Plastic Man
unwound
himself and started delivering a variety of punches and kicks,
his long
limbs keeping him away from Starbreaker. Starbreaker didn't know
whether
to laugh or cry at this new ‘threat'. However, nether the less,
he was
being forced backwards.
"Let us end this game." Starbreaker demanded as he tried
to grab Plastic
Man, but when ever he got a hold of him, he would stretch and
escape
Starbreaker's clutches.
"Slippery as an eel ain't I." Plastic Man taunted, "Guess
those nun's
wern't crazy after all." By now Starbreaker was incredibly
annoyed and
irritated. Realizing he couldn't keep Plastic Man still long enough
to
drain anything from him, he punched him. The blow struck Plastic
Man in
the chest and knocked him back a few yards.
Feeling victorious once more, Starbreaker once again began to
gloat.
Unbeknownst to him, Plastic Man was down, but not out. Using all
his
remaining strength, Plastic Man pulled himself towards the one
object in
sight that might be of some use. The only warning Starbreaker
had was
the sound of a revving engine. He turned quickly, but it was too
late,
the Russian jeep hit him at approximately 60 m.p.h. Its momentum
carried
over to Starbreaker and before he knew it, he was suspended in
the air
above Batman's trap. The battle was over, and once again good
had
prevailed. Plastic Man untied the arm he was using for a seat
belt and
stood up. He barely had time to cheer before he collapsed from
exhaustion.
1 DAY SINCE CONFRONTATION
The recovered members of the JLA stood outside the famous Watchtower
and prepared to end the menace of Starbreaker once and for all.
In the
middle of the group Starbreaker lay, suspended in Batman's trap,
surrounded by an energy field. The group stood conversing, waiting
for
Superman to arrive. Wonder Woman, Firehawk and Supergirl stood
talking
about various things, Batman stood with Steel explaining how the
trap he
devised worked, and the rest stood in another group discussing
the
battle that had just occurred. J'onn stood alone, watching the
stars.
"So really all it is, is a regular force field." Batman
explained, "Except I managed to recalibrate it to use Starbreaker
as the energy source. It like an infinity loop, the field drains
him, so he must drain the field, neither will ever get any weaker."
"Genius." Steel enthusiastically proclaimed. "How
did you....."
"Yeah, so we had the Bizarro on the verge of defeat, we were
about to go
in for the kill and then suddenly, he spontaneously combusts.
Totally
weird." Flash revealed. "Bart once told me about spontaneous
human
combustion....."
"So I said, look," Firehawk gossiped, "Either you
just come out with it
and tell me you don't want me in the League or you shut up whining.
Okay? That shut him up. Did I ever tell you about the time....."
Suddenly all the conversations were stopped dead as Superman appeared.
He hadn't said anything yet everyone knew he was there by his
presence
alone.
"It is time." Superman announced as he lifted the energy
field that
imprisoned Starbreaker. "J'onn, have you calculated the co-ordinates."
"Yes." J'onn simply answered. He approached Superman
and lined him up.
"This trajectory will take Starbreaker on a course that will
orbit the
Universe forever. The exact same course that the Guardians of
the
Universe once sent the renegade Green Lantern, Sinestro on. Never
again
will Starbreaker come into contact with another living thing."
Superman took off and flew out of the moon's thin atmosphere.
"I do not
like being the executioner." he made clear to Starbreaker,
even though
he knew he could not hear him through the sound proof energy field.
"But
you have left us no choice. We do not have the right to kill you,
but we
can make sure you do not kill anyone else, ever again." Superman
said,
to reassured himself more than anything. With a final heave Superman
carried out the sentence. If light could penetrate Starbreaker's
prison
Superman would have seen him mouth four words as he spiralled
away:- "I
know what's coming!"
NEXT ISSUE : A small team of Leaguers
investigate a disturbance in
Midway City, uncovering an ancient evil that may spell the world's
doom!
