c23.2

(Komand'r)

30 minutes later…

Mars' orbit, L2

Space station Odyssey

Hangar 01

My Tamaranean spaceship constructed with my power ring touched down in the hangar, passing through the permeable magnetic containment field keeping the atmosphere inside. Galaxor was with me in the small cockpit, he looked like a little kid who had been given a ride on an attraction. He had been surprised to see me wielding a green lantern ring and I had to reassure him that I wasn't affiliated with the Justice League.

I turned the small ship into a bubble of will energy and made us land on the deck plates further into the Hangar and declared, "Welcome to space station Odyssey, Mister Davies."

Galaxor looked around in the hangar, there were some drones working on a Kryptonian scout ship in a NG (Null Gravity) construction berth. His eyes came back to me while I shifted from my Green Lantern uniform back to my soft-suit.

"Ya got your own bloody space station in Mars' Orbit?!" Galaxor asked enthusiastically as he realized where I brought him when he looked outside the hangar's entrance where the red planet was visible.

I laughed as I pulled him out of the way of a drone bringing more material with an Anti-Gravity sled. "Bloody oath we do, my group and I- we needed somewhere away from Earth to not be constantly on guard because of the crooks in the JL."

Galaxor seemed a bit lost as he looked at the technology being displayed and from realizing how far he was from mother Earth. "I need a cold one…"

"I'm going to give ya one, mate. Just follow me." Hand in hand, we flew toward the nearest teleporter.

In the cabin, I chose to go to Deck 149, where the medical sector was located. This was the deck just before the R&D lab two decks, with a flash of blue light they went from the hangar to the middle of the station. Already I was thinking of which augment to give Galaxor, maybe the standard package, then maybe an upgrade to what his armor could do.

We walked out of the teleporter and found ourselves in a deck with a simulated sky and urban environment. It reminded me of a futuristic Miami; as I looked up, I saw that the ceiling was a hundred meters high. This was good work from MACHINA. Pamela has gone to work it seems and replicated seeds to be planted and speed grown everything with her power over the green. The scanners on my power ring passively scanned the plants for any genetic modification and… Phew no killer plants just just standards change for cold resistance and a boost in oxygen production and photosynthesis.

That's good, I had thought that I needed to have words with the good Doctor.

We started flying to get to the Hospital, avoiding all the platforms available and climbed up to the highest one where the hospital was located. We ended up in front of a big white building, surrounded by trees and a garden. Galaxor followed me and we landed thirty meters from the entrance.

"Looks square…" Galaxor remarked as he took in the medical facility.

There were many windows and a large dome on top of the building. The lawn wasn't yet grown on this platform, showing that Pamela hadn't been there yet. "Aye it does."

They entered the hospital, the automatic doors opening for them, they ended up in a large hall lightened by a giant skylight in the ceiling. It was obviously empty, there was no one to receive them, the benches were also folded, and the little interior garden was only full of soil. But there was a vending machine filled with drinks in the welcome hall. It was easy to find an unlabelled beer can, so I asked myself how MACHINA did it.

The synthesizer exists, Mom.

*So it does.* I snarked back.

I bent over and snatched the can out of the machine; feeling a spike of lust from Galaxor as he watched my posterior, I slowly stood back up and threw the beer can at the man. "Here, give it a burl."

He caught it, smiled and said, "Ripper. It's at the best temp."

You're welcome, Handsome. MACHINA purred in my mind.

*No way, I forbid you to manifest or contact Galaxor.*

But Mom! Look, he is so hot!

I ignored her as she gushed about the human; I sure hope she won't be interested for long. Galaxor opened the can and raised it to his mouth and took a swig of it. He sighed with a happy expression. "That's the best amber I've ever had."

"Glad you like it." I said with a big smile.

I let him finish his beer, then he threw the can into the recycler nearby. It was a simple square device that repurposed the metal from the can used to hold the beverage inside them. Littering in the station was forbidden, you see. I guided him further inside the hospital second level by flying. We faced a room made for deep diagnosis; the door opened and without Galaxor knowing we got scanned by a myriad of sensors.

"Where are we?" Galaxor looked into the empty room.

"We're taking the scenic route, don't worry." I pointed at the other door on the other side.

Galaxor nodded and followed after me while floating. He looked somewhat emaciated, staying on the bed must not have been good for his muscles at all. On the other side was the space with all the medical tanks and computers monitoring the place.

"This is the Medical sector's regeneration chamber." I found myself saying and MACHINA showed me that Pamela was done with Harley and had injected her with the Super Widow Serum. I liked that name, it was in dedication to the first redhead I liked from Earth.

Harley was out of the tank, wow it hadn't taken her a lot of time to bulk and curve up. She reminded me of Kara Zor L in a Harley Quinn outfit. This had potential, I might sample the poor girl… I'm sure she wouldn't resist. Maybe if I brought Pamela to bed too, it could be a good experience.

With a sigh, I centered myself and tried to diminish my lust. It's been a year since I had any good nookie time. I missed Darcy, I missed my wife and her squishy bottom and her snores when we slept or holding her in her true sized body. Loneliness wasn't good for a Tamaranean, it made them crazy…

"My friend just finished receiving her augment package, the same thing we're going to give to you, Mister Davies." I commented as we passed through the new door.

The man grumbled at me still using his family name. "Call me Mitchell, please."

I giggled. "Alright, Mitchell."

When we passed through the door we were automatically teleported to the R&D section of the station on Deck 150. That's how strange this place was, taking the space station interior wasn't going to be easy for an invasion force. Some places led to others. Teleportation technology was such a cheat. There were plants everywhere, I was gone for five days and Pamela already turned the R&D decks into her personal haven.

The flexible pipes connected to each tank in which the plant floated, Pamela was using water-based mineral nutrient solutions in aqueous solvents to grow them. It was simple Hydroponics system technology, not even Kryptonian. The plants grew with their roots exposed to the nutritious liquid. At the base of each tank were solar lamps to use for photosynthesis.

Pamela and Harly's voice could be heard further in the lab's space, a taller and amazon-looking Harley stood in a red and black soft-suit. "Hey, Kom you're here!"

She was faster than before, but to me it was as if she was moving in a sea of molasse. I let her hug me and lift me in the air. I hugged her too, threading my fingers in her hair. "You look even more ravishing than usual, Harley."

Harly let me go and began to flex her muscles to me. "I feel so… awesome right now, I didn't even realize I was in a bad way before."

I believed her. Her body must have been riddled with badly set bones and chemical damage; my eyes turned to Pamela who nodded to me, I smiled at her. Putting a hand on Harly's bicep, it was rock solid.

I said, "Yeah, how is it to be back in your prime now?"

"I feel like a teenager." Her hand fell onto my flanks and she did things that raised my temperature. I batted away her hand and smiled at her playfully.

Galaxor coughed to show that he was still present and interrupted our flirting. I laughed and showed the man, Pamela immediately became distrustful, while Harly waved at him with a big smile. "I will leave you with Pam and Harley, Mitchell. They will take care of your accommodations. I have another recruit to go fetch."

I kissed Harley on the right cheek and simply vanished, leaving Galaxor with the other two women. While I left, I was still observing them thanks to MACHINA who showed me what was happening. Harly looked at Mitchel's body, he looked like a skinny guy. "Pammy, are you going to give him the special?"

Galaxor flinched when he saw the clinical way Pamela looked at him with. "Yes, Harley. Time to make a better him."

Harley was quick to catch Galaxor and toss him on her shoulder. They followed Pamela who walked toward the regeneration tank's room. Galaxor, who didn't know how to react to how they manhandled him realized, "Wait, I know who you two are. Aren't you…"

I smiled and cut the feed; I hoped that he saw that this hero and villain bullshit wasn't going to play here. I walked toward the nearest teleportation station; entered the room and climbed on the pedestal. And I was transported back on the Tempest that was orbiting Earth, missing the rest of the conversation Mitchell was having with the ex-villainesses.

~/.\~

(Courtney Whitmore)

March 10th, 2010

Canada

Manitoba

Municipality of Emerson

Dominion City

10:00 PM

Courtney didn't like the move they had to make. But there was no way her stepfather was going to let them return to the League after what they've been doing; they decided to go into hiding in another country. There was no more heroing to be done, Pat told Courtney to focus on her studies despite the world burning around them.

Everything had gone wrong, people were afraid, the economy was in shambles as the people's rights and freedom were trampled on. Superman had gone crazy with grief and Wonder Woman took advantage of it to exacerbate his condition; Green Arrow is dead and this caused the hero society to be split. Only the believers stayed with Superman and the JL, the others who've seen what the man of steel was about, have all gone to ground and are in hiding.

Courtney felt that she abandoned her friends and ideals. But her mother Barbara was fine with her giving up the cowl, her stepfather wasn't going to be able to protect her from the Kryptonian's depredations. The blonde girl was on her computer right now and passing the time; she had finished the school assignment for her new class. It was an interestingly boring life in Canada for Courtney, but they still had the super soldiers developed by superman coming in.

It was for complete control and there was nothing heroic about it. Superman was a tyrant and he would die like one; he should have understood that, you can't keep humanity under foot for long. They always rose up; already forces were arraying against him.

Courtney sat before her computer, putting aside a bag of snacks she brought with her. It was as if living in that space station had taken away the heroes common sense, they didn't think like the little guys anymore.

She looked at the Cosmic staff lying on a display next to her, she never took off the conveyor belt in case of emergency. After finishing 'A Rising Thunder' she decided to discuss the new book, on the usual forum she was on. But life wasn't so easy as the past seemed to catch up to her.

It all started on a literature forum, where she was discussing the last Honor Harrington spin-off and then her computer's screen froze. A translucent blue woman with thick curves and long dark blue hair made out of electronic patterns moving along all over her body appeared on screen. She looked straight at Courtney, who noticed the webcam she had installed turning On.

The being waved at Courtney. "Good evening, Miss Whitmore."

This wasn't good, they were found! And the villain knew her identity! "Oh no."

The electronic woman smirked and instantly replied childishly, "Oh, yes."

*Great, was she one those sassy villains who always played with their food?* Courtney thought as she reached for her cosmic staff, ready for a fight.

But when she turned back, with her costume on after it appeared with her handling the staff. The supposed electronic villain had an expectant expression on her face. "So, interested in getting your planet back to normal?"

Instead of a fight, Courtney was now offered something she deeply desired: Action. The younger woman was craving it, wanting to go back to it; for everything to go back to normal. Her stepfather and her had connected over it and without the action he was just a controlling man. She was young and didn't know better, so she decided to listen, this action may have saved her family in the end. "What do you mean by that?"

MACHINA took advantage of this, simulation had shown her that the girl would appreciate a straight answer. "The JL has gone astray, and my Mother and I are here to set things right."

"But aren't you a villain, why would you care about the world?" She felt childish to say something so black and white despite knowing that life had layers, shades of gray that she wasn't happy to have discovered growing up.

MACHINA said with a smile. "You assume that I am a villain, well I do work freelance and the ultimate authority I answer to is my mother." Ah, she was a fellow from a super family. "Who could be considered a villain, but she's not from this universe and only cares about you humans because it's her job to do good and fix wrongs." Ah now people from other universes and dimensions were getting into this; this was beyond Courtneys paygrade! She was into the street stuff.

Lowering her staff, she let the villain talk; it always was informative to let them talk, they always gave you information about their plan and let slip up things into what they're doing. She wasn't disappointed, "Not every hero can do palatable things. Look how that turned out for Batman and Superman. Justice can be a red river and Batman couldn't handle finding it. No, he refused to. Now everyone on Earth has to deal with cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censorship and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission." They were into this feud because Batman refused to kill the Joker and do what needed to be done.

"But that's not… our fault!" Courtney asked herself how this happened, why did they give the League so much power again? Metropolis got destroyed and people were afraid that they were next.

"Well certainly there are those who are more at fault than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror."

The blue girl continued to say. "You were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now recently widowed superhero, Superman aka Clark Kent. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent."

"And those who caused all this are still running free, unaffected by the plight of your fellow humans." The electronic teenager crossed her digital arms, emphasizing her sizable breast. "I can't say any more, you'll need to join the club if you want to know how far the rabbit hole goes. Sweetheart."

MACHINA knew that she got Courtney the moment she said, "Can you speak to my dad? Before I decide anything?"

This Civil War amongst the heroes was taking its toll on Courtney's nerves; she was taking a side, Superman had done a lot of heroic things but what he was doing to her people was beyond the pale. She had read about people like him in history; it never ended well for the local population, she meant those monsters Stallin and Hitler, who wanted everyone to feel pain. Superman wanted the world to suffer because he couldn't cope with his loss.

The blue girl smirked at Courtney, She herself wanted for Courtney to join them because she reminded her of Captain America. "Certainly. Bring him in. In the meantime, why don't you listen to some music?" Some awesome good music resounded from her speakers. A piano plays some rock…

Voices joined will never tire

Brothers all are we

Streets they run with blood and fire

The price of Liberty

My Revolution carries me

In a moment lost in time

My Revolution sets me free

I will flow across the lines

…

Well, at least the villains had some rather interesting musical taste. She didn't know such a group existed…

~/.\~

(MACHINA)

…

Révolution dans les rues

Je vois le chaos en dessous

La justice est une rivière rouge

Je te cherche, où es-tu?

The song had the time to finish before Pat Dugan came up, MACHINA had the time to look for her other target and download the internet from this Earth to look for differences with the original one from her mom's universe. The internet was MACHINA's domain, and she was without a doubt the strongest AI in existence, well if she didn't count Amazo, but they were past this point in the history of DC.

*Let's not borrow trouble and invoke the devil.*

So many things were different and similar here, the cape community of DC was similar to Worm's. But was crushed when Superman became a despotic tyrant wearing his underwear over his suit crazy Mofos; no more forums or chat rooms where people could debate about the actions of the heroes. He didn't like seeing people arguing about his choices.

Even the Homelander wasn't this underhanded in "The Boys", he knew his limits. Superman had become tainted, evil; there was no way to redeem him after he took Green Arrow's life. The nuclear options were already taken, a gold Kryptonite dagger was already fabricated in the depth of Odyssey; MACHINA could just reproduce the structure with the power ring that her Mother was always wearing.

This universe was vastly more dangerous than the Marvel one they had come from. They had the same traditions, and morals; but their sense of good and bad was completely fucked off. It must be because of the influence of those Chaos and Order entities.

As a result, some people who were important to history weren't born. There was a massive divergence in media culture. MACHINA could trace these divergences back before World War 2. A lot of people died who shouldn't have. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was at fault for this, a hero team preceding the Justice Society.

Still it was strange that the Matrix never came up in this reality, everything touching to reality not being real seemed to be absent. It was as if someone didn't want to give the reality warpers any ideas; MACHINA could guess who might have done it, Either Luthor or the cabal of magi all over the world. Same with movies showing different power sets existing. In essence DC was boring, no wonder they were so unimaginative and devoid of common sense. Maybe MACHINA should introduce The Very Complete, Very Extended, Printer Friendly, Evil Overlord List (plus other evil stuff).

*Just to fuck with the Justice League. Teehee.*

"Good morning, Mister STRIPE." MACHINA said in a cheery manner.

"Who are you, how did you find us?" He rudely went to the point right away. He was wearing some kind of undersuit with circuitry embedded into it, it must mean the human male was ready to fight. MACHINA could detect the mecha he used outside the house with satellite imaging.

"You think that you were thorough in erasing your digital footsteps? You're joking, with this Brother Eye in the sky, it's so easy to hack. The Fucking Batman sold you out of course." It wasn't even a lie Brother Eye followed everyone of interest to Batman.

This wasn't the first time Batman got hacked and the secret identity of the entire League roster got leaked. Mister Dugan's face became darker. "Bruce, again."

The first time was when he had made countless plans to take down everyone, he got his computer hacked and the plan almost killed everyone because they were adapted by villains for maximum destruction. To this day, Vandal Savage was still running free and no one knew what he was doing.

"Fate, it Seems, is not Without a sense of irony." Mister Dugan, looked at her with hatred, he didn't seem that formidable when MACHINA faced a being that collected worlds and destroyed them. But she has seen at what length some men could go to protect their loved ones and turn them into monsters.

MACHINA was happy to have conversed with Stargirl first… For the first time since she started speaking to those people she became serious. "What I want sir is a bit of your time, I don't trust any of the JL members nor the resistance. I came to you because you're neutral." While speaking with Pat Dugan, MACHINA analyzed the mecha the man used.

Primitive, yet innovative; but nothing compared to the Iron Man armor and its derivatives armors. The material used was common titanium, not even a molecular bonded shell; he should have had access to promethium and alien technology. Was it a lack of resources? Couldn't Stargirl start mining asteroids and make them rich? How dumb were those humans?

Dugan must still think that he was being in control of this conversation, despite being shown the contrary. "How can we believe you? You approached us like a thief, tracking us down and putting eyes on us."

This amused MACHINA, now she knew why she liked playing with her inferiors and educating them. "Oh, all I did was follow the breadcrumbs that Cyborg left when he hacked Batman. I didn't do any of the hunting myself, the League already knows where you are, sir. So please can you stop the hostility it is unbecoming of you."

Courtney put a calming hand on her stepfather's left shoulder. "Dad, please calm down."

"Remember, Sir… I came in good faith to give you advanced warning. All I want to offer you is the Truth. Nothing More." The electronic entity didn't want to say more, keep it cryptic and then interested.

"What truth? That the world is slowly descending into a dark time? News flash I've seen it. I'd anticipated it." Dugan boasted.

MACHINA chuckled. "Truly, none of your preparation shows this Mister Dugan. You've let yourself go with the flow with the League, you should have taken advantage of your membership. Your piece of junk in the garden is seriously outdated by my standard."

*Was it only Batman who had balls on this Earth?*

The man looked angry when I insulted his knock off mecha armor. I shrugged, and showed him stuff he could have, I showed him Iron Man armor Mark 1 on screen. "If you join us we intend to change this. You should be able to take down any of the League with your intelligence."

Yeah your piece of junk can't hold a candle to Iron Man Armor Mark 1, Tony would humiliate you for still using your prototype dude. Dugan's eyes shone as he saw the new piece of tech I showed him, I took it away. "At what price? There's always a catch."

MACHINA nodded, at least this guy wasn't so stupid. Meatspace was very boring; she was lucky Komand'r could think at the same speed as her. "Yes, fortunately. I've come to give you a choice. Join us for the freedom your people sorely need, bring your family. You have Four hours to decide. I can only show you the Door Mister Dugan, Miss Whitmore. You're the ones that have to walk through it."

She realized that this should be a family decision for Courtney, Barbara and Pat, so the electronic intelligence gave him enough time to come to a decision. Dugan seemed to be interested in seeing where this was going, or if it was a way to work inside there and take them, he would be sorely surprised that he can't do anything with Komand'r and possibly Ace on their team."If we join you, will you give us full disclosure of what you're about?"

MACHINA put an offended expression on her face. "Who do you take us for, Batman? No, we offer you protection, and peace, none of that bullshit the resistance would give you."

"So your choices are limited to: you and your family take the Red Pill - You Stay In Wonderland; And the blue Pill - I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." Two orbs showed themselves on screen and then she left a text on Courtney's phone telling her that she can contact her easily like this, that she would monitor her.

MACHINA disappeared from the screen, her electronic tendrils focusing on Ohio where one Ashley Nakamura, a Cadmus experiment, was hiding. Someone Komand'r wished to save.

~/.\~

(ACE)

Ohio

Lincoln village

Disused playground

Same time

Ace had gone far in her quest to escape the gestapo of Superman. She could read their minds, and knew for sure that they couldn't spell the word justice. She had to go to a little town with not a lot of people, it was barely enough for her to quiet her mind from those around her..

Lincoln Village was excellent, an unassuming little town where people were simple, still she surrounded herself with nature. The sheriff had tried to call CPS because she was a street rat and even offered her lunch. But she didn't go with the agent, she knew CADMUS was still looking for her.

Too many of their secrets had ended up in her mind, Ace knew more about how the USA ran themselves than Batman did. Her telepathy caught an alien mind coming toward her, their feeling passionate and full of vengeance.

Kom's hope was to remind this world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words - they are perspectives. And they were robbed of it.

Ace was scared this person was strong, she kept seeing flashes of what they did. There was so much blood, so much suffering caused by them. But she calmed down when she noticed that what she was seeing was war. The mind of this person was ruthless, cold, methodical, focused and honed to be sharp, like a blade.

The rest was coated by sugar and rainbows, it was hard to describe the soft side that hid the destroyer beneath. The Joker didn't feel like that, he just wanted to see the world burn; Superman hid his pain and resented people, Batman was just crazy like his son and spread his brand of paranoia.

Komand'r, she was a dangerous person and Ace was now aware that she was made to understand who was coming for her. She didn't leave the abandoned playground she was in, running wouldn't help. After all she was already dying, she could feel it.

Kom wanted to help Ace, to make her happy. She showed her life on her planet and how she could sympathize with Ace.

Komand'r has always been alone, ate alone, and slept alone since she was a baby infant. Her parents always acted as if she didn't exist and was starved for love. Despite her disability she survived and became a harsh and cold warrior outwardly. She enrolled in the Tamaranean military and thrived here and eventually became a general of her army, a hero or more precisely a butcher, someone who won the war for her people.

Descending from the sky was a Tamaranean woman in a purple, silver and black soft-suit who landed at her side. She spoke in an Australian accent. "G'day, little Miss."

Ace sighed, swinging a bit on the swing. "How did you find me?"

She looked down at her feet, not daring to look into the glowing green eyes of the orange skinned woman.

"Easily, this planet is primitive and has no artificial intelligence dedicated to data protection. I first looked into CADMUS, and leaked all their research after subverting their computer systems. I destroyed them, the public is outraged by what they did to their citizens." Was the woman's answer, to Ace, that fit the style she saw in the alien's memories.

"The League is going to take care of them and take all the credit. Why have you come to me?" This woman was a true hero, she succeeded in her story. She wasn't like the idealized modern hero from Earth, Komand'r was more like the heroes of old who knew war. Like Odysseus or Achilles.

Ace felt bad when she said, "I've come to save you, Ace."

Because she was too late, Ace felt herself dying. She had come here because she wanted to die here surrounded by nature and be reminded of the childhood stolen from her. "No one can."

Already she felt herself fading, her mind going places unknown. "You're too late… But… thank you… for what you did."

"Ring!" Komand'r's fist glowed with white and green light; her mind stayed in place frozen, she gasped in sudden relief. Ace felt herself revitalized somehow.

Rapid cerebral degeneration, coping… Administrating palliatives cures.

"I won't let you die, not on my watch. Who told you that you couldn't be saved? Batman? He is just human, flawed. He may be hot shit on Earth, but I am the first princess of Tamaran, General Komand'r, Captain of the Hyperdimension. Nothing is impossible. "

To Ace the woman was blazing with hope and determination, then the teenage girl realized that the Princess was emitting those feelings to her. She had a form of empathy that was telepathy as well, beside the obvious other super powers. "You're like me, you can speak to my mind."

"You deserve to be happy." The princess insisted.

Ace understood completely why; Komand'r was seeing herself in the teenage girl position. "You're projecting your childhood onto mine."

In Ace's mind she didn't think that she would ever be rescued by a charming prince, even more so by a princess. She had been a villain, a bad girl who felt that she didn't deserve this. "I'm opening a link between us to show you how truthful I am."

The alien princess took Ace in her arms in a princess carry position. "Your Earth doesn't have the technology to save you, but my universe does. Join me and I will make you happy, you'll not have to fear yourself anymore."

Even with all her power, Ace couldn't resist, Komand'r's mind was more powerful than hers. "Come with me if you want to live. Please, don't resist."

She couldn't do that anyway, Ace was literally sustained by the princess' power. "I… okay."

Komand'r smiled, and she wrapped Ace with warmth. As a green forcefield manifested around them. "Hang in tight, Ace. Mama Kom will save you."

Ace for the first time felt something akin to motherly love and fierce protective instinct rather than apathy.

~/.\~

(Victor Fries aka Mister Freeze)

Arctic circle

Canada

Bunker 021

2 days later

Victor Fries was a man of focus and full of determination. His life of crime was to complete his research to save his wife; he didn't wallow or enjoy it. Now he couldn't even go gather funds for his research, because of the Regime Super Soldiers. He was running out of power to feed the cryogenic tank his wife was in.

He looked at the pistol in the transparent lock box on his desk. If his wife died, he would soon follow her. But it wasn't his time to die it seems as a woman phased into existence leaning against a lab table. "Hello Doctor Fries."

She has platinum blonde hair, looked to be in her twenties and wore a blue sundress with heels; it seemed that the cold in the bunker didn't bother her in any way. She created a chair made of ice with a snap of her fingers. Before she could speak though, Victor said, "Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying it."

The woman closed her mouth, took out something out of her silly blue handbag; a glowing blue solution in a vial. "You don't want this serum to cure yourself and your wife?"

Then she took out a piece of paper, no it was better to call this parchment. "And this offer to become my exclusive researcher?"

Victor was desperate, a mage was offering to save him and his wife. He would at least listen to what he has to say. "I will at least listen to you..."

~/.\~

(Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot)

USA

Louisiana

Belle Reve Penitentiary

One day later

Originally the site of a former plantation. The Prison had slowly started to be filled with Metahumans. Deadshot is a hired assassin and the world's greatest marksman. Having been a super-villain and anti-hero, he'll commit any murder for the right price because of a notorious suicidal death wish. Despite this, he works very hard to protect his estranged ex-wife Susan Lawton and his daughter Zoe Lawton.

He was still part of the normal in the prison, but he wasn't allowed any knives or forks, anything that could be thrown was a weapon, even rocks. He was located in the high security block. He had killed some guards that had been bullying him, and men paid to make his life miserable. Floyed was on death row.

Floyd wasn't ready for a woman in a blue sundress to come meet him. "G'day, mister Lawton."

Her accent was aussie? A fucking aussie woman was here and how did she get past the guards? Did she fake a conjugal visit?

"Who the hell are you?" Floyd sat on his cot, facing the woman behind the bars.

She smiled, it was like sunshine and rainbows shining. "Call me Lady Miracle, I want to hire you."

Floyd looked at his surroundings and said, "I'm retired and… in prison and about to get the gas chamber in a few days actually."

The woman grinned. "I offer you freedom and a clean slate."

"How much pull do you have, Ma'am." This sounded like a Waller Plot but Floyd wanted to give Lady Miracle the benefit of the doubt.

She snapped her finger and a portal appeared in the cell. Floyd wasn't courageous enough to pass through it right now, hell may be waiting for him. "The otherworldly kind."

"Get me my daughters and ex and I will follow you wherever." Floyd asked, he didn't care about himself, his family was everything to him. He couldn't help them in prison, but maybe just maybe this was a second chance.

"Deal." The woman passed through the bars and Floyd jumped into the portal.

It wouldn't be found out that he disappeared until curfew. Sucks to be the guards..

~/.\~

(Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold)

Central City

Lisa Snart's hospital room

Same day

The Weather Wizard was dead, killed by Superman. He shouldn't have tagged along with Mirror Master after he kidnapped the Kents. His tech was taken by some goons from the government. He promised his friend to take care of Lisa and the stuff he had left around. As if he had to ask…

Lisa was in the hospital though, brain tumor. He was sitting at his sister's sleeping side, it was strange to see her without hair, she was a meticulous woman, at least about her presentation. Everything changed when a portal opened and a brown haired man in a gray three piece suit was launched out of it. He landed on the hospital tiles with a oof sounds.

Leonard recognized the man, he was the one that he had coerced into working with him before. "Doctor Elias? What are you doing here?"

His answer was given by a powerful and cold voice coming out of the portal. "I brought him of course!"

Passing through, a woman in a blue sundress, sunglasses and a little blue handbag appeared before him. Doctor Elias turned on his back and looked at the woman with great fear. "Please let me go, Lady Miracle."

The smile she had given the scientist gave Leonard chills and he was called Captain Cold… "No, you're too dangerous and useful to leave alone, Herr doctor."

Snart sighed, and guessed that this woman was one of those dangerous women that took what she wanted, when she wanted. A bit like his sister… he looked down at doctor Elias. "Please tell me she's not really German."

Before the scientist could answer, the woman did. "Ah, no I'm not, I come from the outback, junger Mann."

She kicked the scientist with her dainty foot. "I just had to kiss that beauty he was with, a certain German spy putting the moves on him. He wanted protection from Villains like you who keep kidnapping him to get superpowers."

That's it! Leonard threw a blast of cold ice at the woman from his hand. With a giggle, the woman turned the frost into water that immediately turned into vapor. The water wrapped itself around Leonard and it froze on his body turning him into a snowman. "The cold never bothered me."

The frost slid off Leonard like snow and fell heavily on the ground, his eyes shone with frozen light, the atmosphere in the room getting colder and colder. The woman's skin began to sizzle with heat, surprising Doctor Elias and Leonard. Once again, the woman dismissed the cold with her… magic. Leonard hated magic.

She provoked him by blasting him in the wall with a blast of force. She walked toward him and said, "Let it go, Herr Snart. You don't want to fight with the Fraulein in the room."

Leonard stayed stuck to the wall, something kept pinning him there; he tried to call on his power, make some ice constructs… but nothing worked. She sauntered toward Lisa's bed and put a hand on her cheek and said as if she was speaking about the weather, "Hmm, cancer? It can easily be cured."

Leonard whipped his head toward the German crazy and said, "You can do that?!"

She nodded and replied, "But it won't be for free."

Lady Miracle, if this was her name, snapped her finger and Doctor Elias, who had tried to flee by using the door, found himself bound and gagged with restraints made of light beams. "Where do you think you're going, Herr Doctor? You're not going to see Earth for a long while you know? You should take advantage of this, I'm going to offer you the protection you deserve."

"What?" Leonard shouted, he didn't like this. This woman had too much power and willingness to show it off.

"Sleep, Herr Doctor." Another snap and Elias fell on the ground; the gag disappeared and Leonard heard a loud snore.

The woman sauntered back to Leonard. She lowered her sunglasses and Leonard saw the ice cold blue eyes of this beauty boring into his own. "I've got an offer for you and the Rogues, Herr Snart. But to force the issue, I'm going to abscond with your sister and Doctor Elias."

"No!"

"Yes! Es gibt nichts, was du tun kannst, um mich aufzuhalten. (There is nothing you can do to stop me.)"

Snap. And the leader of the Rogues found himself landing in the icy water of the central city park's pool. When he got back to the hospital it was to find his sister's room to be empty and with a note written in perfect cursive saying: Give in to me and find me in the mirror palace with your team. Any act of violence will be crushed mercilessly.

~/.\~

(Komand'r)

Mirror palace

Half a day later…

"This is getting boring." I've been waiting for half a day here.

Fortunately, I've called back up if anything goes badly for me, this was DC and this universe was dangerous, even more so than my own. The mirror palace was somewhere Mirror Master, one of the Rogues working under Leonard Snart, had rigged to become a maze and a base for his own criminal activities.

In the middle of the maze, I was sitting on a chair and having a glass of Kryptonian wine, it was a glowing blue solution from a fruit able to use bioluminescence to grow in a cave, the people in the shrunken city of Kandor exchanged it for resources that MACHINA has been synthesizing for them.

My Smart AI was in contact with a certain Alura Zor-El, the emergent leader of the city of Kandor. She was what remained of the Science council of Krypton. The council of Kandor said that they won't forget that it was a Tamaranean Royal who took them back from Brainiac's clutch.

A sound pulled me out of my contemplation of space politics. I wasn't surprised to see Captain Cold surrounded by different costumed men coming toward me, I dismissed the crystal glass, stood back up gracefully and the chair disappeared into motes of blue light.

"Hello, jungs!" I straightened my blue sundress, my handbag dismissed in motes of light and a leather umbrella appeared in my hand. It was the Skysword disguised as an everyday tool.

A tall bald man wearing a gray suit and red goggles spoke, "Guys, you didn't tell me that we would fight a Playboy centerfold?"

With a smile, I appreciated the compliment. All the men fanned around me in the room and Captain Cold said with a cold gun pointed at me, "Give Lisa back or we're going to make you regret ever coming to this country."

Interesting, I'd told him that violence was going to make me become merciless and he came with his team, believing that he could intimidate me. The man with the green suit with the hood and cloak and the big later A on it; he was trying to keep Captain Cold from attacking me. "Leo, man… calm down. Attacking the magic user won't help."

I recognized Captain Boomerang on my left. "YEAH! I don't wanna get cursed for life."

Cocking my head and taking leverage on my umbrella, I asked, "Herren (Gentlemen), have you decided to give in, I offer an excellent health plan and monetary rewards to my minions, the food in the MESS is to die for as well."

Mirror Master, the man in red and silver outfit laughed at my offer. "Dude, these are some good terms. Too bad she's squatting in my digs!"

Meanwhile, the man in a gray suit and goggles, Heat Wave, asked me, "Do you have an R&D lab at your base, Ma'am?"

I felt some strange energy coming from him, centered around his head; it was dimensional in nature. I asked MACHINA and TALI to analyze in the background. I started bringing the mirror palace into the mirror dimension through sheer concentration. "We have excellent facilities for test firing Herr Rory."

The weapon of Captain Cold started humming with threatening sounds, as if it was charging. "I just want Lisa back…"

I just couldn't tell him that his sister was awake and hitting it off with Harley, so I fibbed the truth a bit. "Fraulein Snart is currently recovering from the removal of the cancerous tumor in her brain, and just for your information, Doctor Elias is under my protection, he no longer wishes to work for anyone who isn't me."

He seemed to have forgotten the good Doctor, the guy who gave the Rogues their super powers. I twirled my umbrella and it turned back into the crystal bladed Skysword. "But if it's a fight you want… I will give you one, Kapitän."

Alchemy's shoulders sank. "And it was going so well…"

"For the honor of the All-Father!" There was a flash of light and I started transforming like the original She-Ra with glittering light surrounding me.

Captain Boomerang was the first to react and enter into an attack pose. "Fuck, she's a fucking magical girl!" He looked around and said, "Look for the mascot! It's generally their weak point!"

Heat Wave turned into a giant of fire covered in blue flames, while my transformation finished and my Asgardian Armor finished materializing. He threw a blast of fire at me, making me laugh. Captain Cold shot his cold gun at me, bathing me in below zero cold blast. Hmm, space was colder and hotter…

Skysword sucked in the heat and the cold, not caring for the type of energy it absorbed. I floated thirty centimeters from the ground before Doctor Alchemy turned it into molasses. I raised my hand and threw a ball of stunning light at Alchemy, he was actually the most dangerous man here.

"Aaaagh!" It must have been painful, the momentum and kinetic energy of the magic was still felt for him.

"Sorry, Herr Doctor!" He fell on the ground, face first, then he disappeared. Focusing my senses, I saw that Top, the speedster had evacuated the man. I followed him out of the palace and found him putting the Doctor Alchemy on the ground.

I ran toward Top, faster than he could perceive and poked him with a finger and did the astral form trick of the Ancient One. His soul exited his body, still tethered by a light cord. "Stay there and don't do anything. Am I clear?"

He looked around himself, touched his astral body; noticed his flesh and blood body on the ground and unmoving, he must have been thinking at super speed because he raised his hands in surrender. "Huh, yes ma'am!"

"Good!" I disappeared back inside the palace, using the mirror dimension to pave the way to the center of the maze for me. My arms moved counter clockwise, the world rippled into waves and inverted up and down.

Mirror master was nowhere to be found, I focused on his astral signature and… found him stuck between two non reflective structures. He wasn't the master of reflection of this dimension, whatever he used to teleport and move it had shorted out. *Was this a mirror gun he had at his belt?*

I astralized him as well when I reached him, then knocked him out with a dimensional magic covered finger. I brought his soul back into his body, then I floated toward the center where Heat Wave and the rest of my gallery of Rogues was waiting for me. Putting Mirror Beginner down on the ground, I choose who to start with.

My eyes fell on the elephant in the room; Heat Wave was the first to go, I simply blew on him and his flame monster form simply dissipated. I moved at super speed and astralized him as well. Then I shut down his soul by poking at it with magic like I did Mirror Beginner. The only ones left were Captain Boomerang and Cold, and Trickster…

I stopped moving for a second and that gave time for the three men to see their biggest hitter down at my feet.

"You win." The Australian criminal raised his hands in surrender, throwing his weapons that clattered on the concrete ground.

With a neutral expression I commanded, "Lay down on the ground, don't move, don't do anything Kapitän Koala."

The man nodded vehemently. "Aye, ma'am. And it's Boomerang!"

"Sure, Kapitän Kangaroo." I smiled at him and flipped my hair and pointed my sword at the two men who didn't give up yet. "Giving up too, jungs?"

Trickster undid his utility belt and threw it far from him, then he raised his arms in the air. "I am, Leo, sorry man but I just have a prosthetic for my missing arm. I can't be a match for her. Even with my gadgets."

"On the ground, kneel before Lady Miracle."

The man fell on his knee, obeying my orders. My eyes fell on Captain Cold who looked ready to attack me, he must have noticed that I didn't try to kill any of his friends. Because he lowered his gun. I rolled my eyes at the meaningless gesture, even if he attacked me it wouldn't do anything for him. "Your sister hasn't even been harmed, Herr Snart, she's just having Strawberry sundaes and watching movies with my teammates. Are you still willing to fight?"

The man still glared at me. "That might change if I don't join you."

He didn't have a choice, so I lowered my sword. The men who had given up were all listening raptly to me. "You can't stay free, the One Earth Regime is already after you. Join me, we have cookies and decent contracts, you can even bring your families; I will protect them from the JL and the Übermensch."

Those were the best terms that I could give them, I still had the recipe Pepper had given me. It was the best Irish cookie recipe.

"Say yes, Snart!" Trickster shouted. "She's like a frigging Norse looking Wonder Woman, you can't win."

The blade of Skysword started to glow purple, drinking in my stellar energy. I smiled at Captain Cold. He stepped back away from me, with fright on his face. I don't know what he saw on my face but he shouted in panic, "Fine, just FINE. I WILL."

Lowering my sword and sheathing it, I dismissed the mirror dimension. The palace began returning to normal and they all looked at me in silence. "Welcome to the club, jungs."