Justice League III: Shattered

Chapter Six: Gotham

Gotham, 12/9/15, 1:43 AM

Black Canary breathed in deeply as she stopped in her tracks.  She looked around at the area in the slums of the city she was in, nothing.  The Red Hood had evaded her yet again.

"DAMMIT!"  She yelled kicking a trashcan into the wall.  The group had been tracing the vigilante for hours upon hours, and he had escaped them, and had nearly killed them all too.

"Black Canary come in."  A voice came in over the radio and as Black Canary began to answer, she heard someone behind her.  She whipped around with her bo-staff ready, but widened her hands as she watched Oliver walk out from the darkness.

"I'm here to talk Dinah."  Oliver raised his hands, "It's me."

"Ollie..."  Dinah widened her eyes lowering her weapon, she believed him greatly she just wanted her husband back, "I missed you..."

"I've missed you too."  Oliver smiled walking forward with his bow on his back, "I'm sorry all of this is happening."

"I just want you back..."  Dinah said softly moving towards him, she only wanted to run into his arms and let him take her away to someplace safe.  She moved forward slowly, but suddenly the air before her shifted and Oliver was knocked aside into the wall.

"Oliver!"  She yelled reaching out, but a hand caught hers.

"He's not the same, Dinah."  The voice said and suddenly an arrow appeared heading straight for her forehead.  Her hero caught the arrow mid-air and sped at Oliver knocking him away.

"Barry?"  Dinah asked widening her eyes, "But you...Wally..."

"I'm right here!"  Wally yelled grabbing her hand, "Come on!  We need to get out of here before-!"

"Me?"  A voice said from behind them and Wally sped them aside as bullets rained into the alleyway.

"Him."  Wally snarled as he moved Dinah to cover, "We need to stop him!"

"Here I can contact the-!"

The wall behind her cracked as bullets sped through and Dinah felt one pierce her thigh.  She let out a yelp of pain as she collapsed to her knees.  Wally grabbed her communicator yelling into it.

"HELP!  THE RED HOOD HAS US CORNERED IN THE SLUMS!"  Wally yelled as the bullets sprayed at them.  With a sudden ominous sound, the bullets stopped.  Wally began to peer out from behind the wall when a fist slammed into his jaw knocking him down.

Dinah widened her eyes raising her staff, but the Red Hood caught her hand and kicked her back taking her staff away.  He raised the staff in proper form and slammed into her chest with it.

"Too bad I myself am very proficient at wielding most weapons."  The Red Hood taunted her knocking her down again, "Oliver get the two speedsters!"  The Hood yelled looking back and then back to Dinah, "I have the Canary."

Dinah watched helplessly as the Hood slammed his foot into her forehead knocking her out.

Metropolis, 12/9/15, 12:10 AM

Aquaman leaped down as the group gathered around.  Slade stood in the middle with his arms crossed and looking down at the ground.  Aquaman held a body in his hands, Artemis.  She was alive.  Barely though.

"Where is Dick?"  Kaldur asked moving through the others.

"He's gone."  Slade sighed, "He must have ran off.  What is she doing still alive?"

"She is still my friend."  Kaldur replied defiantly, "I don't take orders from you either."

"Well, now you've lost a trained ally with a great vengeance to fulfill against the both of you now."  Slade chuckled as though Kaldur were a child making a grave mistake, "You have done well tonight, a new enemy to add to the ever growing list, Kaldur'ahm."

"Shut up."  Kaldur looked away as he set Artemis down.

"I do not understand."  Hawkgirl shook her head, "I thought Artemis was dead!  How is she alive?  Why has she been with the League of Assassins and Wyvern?"

"She killed Roy!"  Cyborg yelled moving up to Kaldur, "What gives you the right-!"

"She was resurrected by Ra's Al Ghul in his Lazarus Pits."  Kaldur butt in moving up to Cyborg toe-to-toe, "She has not been in the right mind.  The Pits... affected her negatively.  But she is not too far gone, she can still come back."

"She tried to kill him!"  Black Lightning shook his head, "I doubt she's that close to being back."

"She has made mistakes, but we all have!"  Kaldur yelled back, "Nightwing was going to kill her!  I had to stop him!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have."  Cyborg turned around, "Maybe it would have been better."

"Do you hear yourself?"  Kaldur scoffed, "You're becoming as bad as people like him!"  Kaldur pointed at Slade whom simply laughed again.

"Me?  I'm flattered."  Slade chuckled.

"YOU!  Shut up!"  Kaldur yelled turning back to him, "The only reason you are still here is because you claim to know the Red Hood's identity!"

"Precisely."  Slade nodded, "I'm guessing you'd like to know it."

"We would."  Hawkgirl nodded, "But don't think this will excuse the things you've done, the people you've killed."  She clenched her hand in a fist, "Ray Palmer is dead because of your friends."

"Look, lets head somewhere safer.  I will tell you everything there."  Slade sighed moving towards the stairs, "This is going to be a bit hard for you all to comprehend." 

Mount Justice II, 12/9/15, 12:09 PM

"Move it in here!"  Shazam yelled as he lifted the creature with Metamorpho and they placed it into a containment pod, "There we go!"

The Team crowded around watching as the League members placed the creature into the pod.  Shazam sighed as they sealed the pod and moved it into the center of the chamber.  Whatever this creature was, he just hoped there were not more of it.  Then they would be in trouble.

"What do you think it is?"  Superman asked breathing in heavily as Miss Martian moved to his side.

"I'm not sure.  I don't recognize it from any of the martian databases back on Mars."  Miss Martian shook her head, "Maybe Uncle John knows, but whatever it is, it was bred to kill."

"Lets just hope it stays in there."  Blue Devil let out a sigh as he moved to the kitchen, "Any word from the others?"

"Wonderwoman's group is still in pursuit of Green Arrow and the Red Hood.  No word from Nightwing's group."  Miss Martian replied, "But I'm guessing they have their hands full."

The group began to disperse when suddenly the main chamber began to rumble.  Not a low rumble either, but something like an earthquake.

"WHAT THE HELL?"  Superman yelled as he struggled to stay standing in the shaking.  The group watched as a blue orb began to form in the middle of the chamber.

"WHAT IS THAT?"  Shazam yelled watching in fear, he raised his fists ready to fight though.

Suddenly, the orb expanded and let out a pulse of energy.  Then, it began to die down as a figure stood up in the middle of the blue mist.

"Who the hell are you?"  Kyle asked raising his ring to the stranger, but the man walked forward.

"My name is John Constantine, and I need your help."