Whatever it takes

Moving at devastating speed Kurrent launched himself at his worst enemy Gambler. Close to an inch before he made impact the Living Legend began to display movements that came to him as natural as walking. A timing miscalculation on his part lead to the kick that Kurrent had thrown to cause a  gruesome burn on his face from the electricity that was surrounding the foot. It seemed the burn would not distract the Cajun and right before Kurrent's feet could touch the turf of the field Gambler had already began a series of acrobatic movements making a proverbial gap between the two.

With the completion of his movement Gambler took a stance that was unfamiliar to Kurrent. With distance to work with Kurrent then assumed an Escrima stance with his Kali sticks in hand. The Veritas Leader was confidant in his own fighting style of Levis Tratcus a style that has yet to be master by anyone else and even thought his opponent was in positioned to preformed a style that was foreign to him Kurrent would be ready.

Before they could engage, news crews began to storm the two combatants as thier tension grew. Kurrent would make the mistake of of looking at the news crews and yelling towards them "LEAVE NOW IT'S TOO DANGEROUS". That small fraction of time was all the opportunistic villain needed to attack. As soon as the hero turned his eyes back to his foes location his attention went to two flying daggers that were only a few feet away from ending the battle and blood feud permanently. Out of instinct Kurrent raised his hands up over his face like a boxer would to defend himself. The daggers would soon meet the vibranium lining of Kurrents wrist guards and ricochet off of them. Soon after The Electric One began to adjust his arms and put them in a combative position when he suddenly felt a staggering pain in his lower ribs. Before he knew what hit him he was hit with an elbow that first grazed his shrapnel wound and finished at the bottom of his chin. Perhaps his chest wound was taking even more of a toll on him because Gambler had come in with such speed and intensity that Kurrent could not project his movements.

After the elbow Kurrent staggered back in a wobble catching himself from falling, right as he was going plant his foot to lead into a desperation attack a helpless feeling came over him. In an instant he was airborne and his body was spinning uncontrollably only to be stopped by his back hitting a concrete wall. The Cajun was fighting like a man possessed, it would seem that Kurrent's act of taking justice in his own hands had their own consequences. As Kurrent laid their a bloody mess fighting through the pain he began to look at his surroundings and slightly move his legs proving to himself that he would be able to move when needed. Then like a whisper in the wind that was full of hatred Gambler began to speak.....

“I’m going to destroy everything you hold most dear. Your team, dee innocent people of dis world, anyone you have ever called friend will suffer a fait worse dhen death. But it starts with you”

As he spoke Kurrent plotted and as he was about to speak his last word Kurrent had a plan. Like Gambler and his telekenisis Kurrent had electrokenisis. That meant that anything that had a conducive property attached to it Kurrent could use a stream of electricity to manipulate it. Looking at the goal net that was closest to him Kurrent rapidly sent a wave of electricity around it. The wave attached to the metal bar around the net and Kurrent then motioned with his hand towards Gambler so that the entire net would fly towards him. His hopes were to have the Cajun get sideswiped by the metal part or to at least get caught up by the net. He stood quickly and began to make his way towards Gambler as fast as his body would let him. His ribs hurt with every step and Kurrent would surely lose a hand to hand contest at this point so  he stopped and planted his feet. Extending his right leg back and keeping both hands parallel about 8 inches away from each other. Kurrent began to focus electricity from his body into a concentrated ball that he called a Special K. Not waiting to see the result of of his previous attack Kurrent extended his hands forward and watched as the cannon like ball of electricity soared to Gamblers location.

It was apparent that the  Akira Overdrive of this world was a disease and The Superman would have to be the cure. With the hole that brought him to this new world that he and his team will call home somehow closed now Superman knew that he was the only one in this part of the world. He looked upon him before he asked the first question and stopped when a transmission came in from the Justice Lords Watchtower. It was from Mr. Terrific would had taken his post as monitor from above in the Justice Lords HQ. The transmission said “, this is Watchtower, Batman and Zatanna need reinforcements. Nightwing is on his way but you can get there faster. Watchtower out.”  Since his Lois was gone the Lords have become Clark's family and he would not heistate to help them. In a strong tone he said to Akira Overdrive "This is the only time you will get mercy from any of the Justice Lords, quit now and stay out of our way or you are a dead man walking, consider yourself warned"

Qucikly Superman took to the air plotting a cousre to Gotham City the only place The Batman would be at a time like this. Something continued to bug him though. As he spoke to Overdrive he heard a man with an unfamiliar voice call the Justice Lords. Over the years The Superman had trained his ears to hear key words. Justice Lords being one of them. It came from England and a quick change of direction put him on course there. It didn't take long flying a super speed to reach Big Ben the place where the sound had originated. While flying at super speed that man of steel saw a man dress in some sort of assassin garb rattling off about how he was goign to unleash hell. Superman flew towards him in a blur  with a balled fist trailing him. When he reached him moving at the high rate of speed The Superman punched downward towards The Drifters face so hard that the momentum spun him forward. He continued to roll with it until his body was back to its orginal posture and the he took off again faster then a speeding bullet towards Gotham.

Alpha Guard wasn't too surprised that Zatanna hadn't been totally overcome by Wondering Spider's attack, but was glad to see that Spider's webs had at least tripped her up. It made it easier for his bull construct to have effect.

When Zatanna noticed the energy construct, the cast some sort of spell that started to shrink it. Alpha Guard knew that it would be pointless to try and make it grow again, the conflict between his powers and Zatanna's would render the construct useless. But the Guardian of Good was able to at least slow the shrinking process and increase the speed his energy bull was moving at enough to still have it collide with Zatanna.

The witch fell to the ground; Alpha Guard could see that his attack had made some effect, though Zatanna was far from defeated yet. Casting another spell, she animated some trees and used them to attack Alpha Guard and Wondering Spider. Oh great, I never thought I'd be a lumberjack. The Wondering Spider then turned to Alpha. I’ll get em! Surprise attacks seem to work, you get miss Houdini while I take care of the Ents wannabes.

The Guardian of Good nodded in acknowledgement, then returned his attention to Zatanna. She had cast a spell around herself that shrouded her in mist. Hmm, she must be trying to take some time to recover and come up with a good spell. Well, I really don't want that to happen, if it does we could lose an advantage. The King of Creaton materealized a large fan which blasted out powerful winds and blew away the mists. Ah, and now that I've found her, time to turn offensive. Alpha Guard connected with the Prergrine Falcon construct he had formed earlier and brought it into a steep dive, aiming right for Zatanna. The falcon dived at fantastic speed, but Alpha Guard wasn't sure if it would have enough effect. When he saw Wondering Spider, he motioned to him to get behind Zatanna, figuring that if his attack failed Spider might be able to get in a good one.

Alpha Guard heard a quiet beep coming from his pocket. At frist he had no idea what it was, then remembered the probe he had created back in Russia. He pulled out a gadget that was designed to alert him to anything that might have changed in Russia, and when he checked out what the gadget had to show he saw a change that was happening much to soon. It seemed Superman had abandoned his battle with Akria and was heading towards Gotham. Alpha Guard hoped it woud take him a little while, but he sent out an alert to his fellow members that reinforcements would be very welcome.

The clanking sounds of metal on metal rang out as Kurrent covered up using his vibrinium lined wrist guards to deflect Gambler’s deadly projectiles. However his defensive adjustment had left his lower body exposed. But even though he had been caught slightly off guard, the electric ace was able to subtle shift his weight allowing his midsection to distribute some of the kick’s force. True to form the Cajun continued his offensive onslaught landing an elbow flush on the heroes chin before blasting him backwards with a telekinetic push.

Kurrent’s body slammed against the unforgiving stadium wall. Immediately his battle tested mind started formulating a counter offensive. Kurrent was one of the most resourceful tacticians and his superb control over his abilities made him one of the most powerful people on Earth. The Cajun’s eyes squinted in a look of confusion as Kurrent suddenly motioned with his hand.

From his peripheral Gambler caught a glimpse of what the hero had done. He turned just as the steel enforced net crashed into him, the upper bar crushing his check bone instantly. Unbearable pain shot through the assassins face as he was leveled to the ground. Then in a scene eerily seemlier to that of the White House battle, Kurrent circled his hands down to his side while flashes of electricity danced around his fingers. The electric currents began to take shape and grow before the Excellence of Execution  unleashed a medicine ball sized orb of pure electricity.

As blood ran down under the mask of the King of Kings he gathered himself before launching into a no handed kip up. It was a costly mistake. His feet had barely touched the ground before he was struck full on by the electric blast. Instantly the electricity engulfed his body as it was flung through the air. Crashing through the stadium walls and skipping along the street outside. Shocked and dismayed the survivors of the earlier explosion looked on in disbelief. Gambler eventual rolled to a stop, small sparks of energy still hopping around his motionless body.

Some began to clap and cheer at the sight of the downed killer. But as a low groan resonated from the body they became silent and once again overtaken with fear. Slowly the Living Legend tried to get to his feet. His mask had been ripped and burned open on one side reveling a gruesome site. Scorched black the entire left side of the Cajun’s face was charred. Small bloody cracks ran the length of his face oozing cooked flesh and muscle tissue. His left eye was now useless seared shut. Still the vengeful assassin managed to stand, his hatred and need for revenge fueling his every move.

Gambler began walking over the large concrete blocks that lay scattered around the area. As he passed them making his way back towards the stadium they levitated and followed closely behind creating an entourage of debris. With a quick side arm motion Gambler sent half the blocks hurly towards Kurrent before repeating the motion sending the rest. Both men where pushing past the limits of a normal man. Neither rival had spoken more then two sentences to one another yet they had a fued that was quickly becoming legendary. With each fight, each exchange, their hatred grew. Yet neither one could deny the respect they had for eachothers skills and determination. Gambler’s body began to sway as it started to feel the effects of Kurrent’s electric barrage, causing the Cajun to drop to one knee. As blood dripped from his shattered and disfigured face the ever confidant Legend smirked,

“Avez obtenu vous aint ce qu'il prend”{translated: You aint got what it takes}

Slinger waited for a few minutes, but it became apparent that the Bat wasn't coming after him. He breathed a heavy sigh, and the pain in his right knee became suddenly excruciating now that he had the time to acknowledge it. The white knight looked around making sure that there wasn't anybody looking, then began silently meditating. He held his hand up in front of his face focusing on it intensely. His spirit was being channeled into his fingers, and they began to glow slightly. The radiant glow intensified slowly, until it was finally at its full blinding brilliance. He touched his injured knee with his hand, transferring the spiritual energy into it. It tingled slightly as he felt the tendons, guided by the positive energy, knitting themselves back into place. Before long his injury was completely gone. It was a new trick that the hero picked up, but had been hesitant to use openly, he wasn't completely in control of the power yet.

Better get outside and help out. Slinger thought as he again carefully stalked the halls of the converted cathedral. This place must have another exit less conspicuous than the front doors. He made his way through the labyrinth of books, searching carefully for a means of escape that might let him sneak up on the combat happening outside. After a moments search he managed to find a steel door labeled security. A library with  security office? Slinger thought it a bit strange at first, but this was a building that was hundreds of years old, and it was practically a museum, it housed many old and down right ancient first edition books.

He opened the door which the guard must have forgotten to lock in the rush to evacuate the facility. Yes! On the far side of the office there was another large steel door with the word 'exit' emblazoned on it in red. Slinger also found that the security cameras were still running, they were monitoring every inch of the library, inside and out. He could see the battle unfold before his eyes as the Wondering Spider and Alpha Guard squared off against the wizardess and what looked like some animated trees. There was no sign of the Batman, but Slinger knew it would only be a matter of time, he was probably looking for a good opportunity for a sneak attack too.

Out of nowhere there suddenly came this loud screeching noise followed by a sonic boom, similar to when fighter jets fly over head. The screens that were following the melee outside went completely static. I better get out there and see what just happened. Slinger opened the door carefully trying to be as quiet as possible. It lead out into a small parking area for the library staff, connected to the street by a tiny alleyway. The knight errant crept his way out to where the alley met the main road. He found himself behind the police barracade, but it looked like the police had left the scene in a hurry, as there were none left. The civilians had gone too. Good less chance of any innocents being hurt in this struggle. Slinger looked down the street and finally saw what must have sent the people running. Crap, it's him. The cause of the sonic boom, he had arrived, it wasn't a pane, it was Superman.

Zatanna was slightly taken aback when the mist she had summoned was blown away by a fan construct, but she didn't show it. Her goal had been to have a moment to regain her composure and she had. Looking up, she saw the falcon diving down, headed in her direction. Unlike the previous time, Zee was ready and she raised her hands very quickly, channeling her powers into one word.

"Pots!" The bird construct froze in place, surrounded by a violet halo, sign of the witch's magic. Quickly thinking up of a plan, Zatanna aimed at the falcon once more and decided it was time to get offensive. "Drib skcatta eht redips-nam!" The violet halo around the falcon intensified, glowing brightly, then disappeared as the energy construct was reanimated. It suddenly changed direction abruptly and flew rapidly towards the Wondering Spider who had placed himself behind the sorceress after dealing with the trees. Zatanna hoped the falcon would occupy the spider-hero for some time, letting her deal with Alpha Guard. The energy-manipulator was a fairly dangerous threat to the witch and she needed to deal with him quickly. His powers granted him good offense as well as defense, however, and Zee wasn't sure quite how to really get him. Deciding she would need some more time to come up with an ultimate attack, she decided to distract him with a spell that would hopefully weaken his defenses.

"Erif sdnuorrus naidraug!" As the witch watched the column of fire that she summoned surround Alpha Guard and swirl around him rapidly, she heard Mr. Terrific's message to Superman. Knowing that reinforcementd would soon come, Zee's hopes went up and so she decided to add another touch of magic to this fight. Mumbling a few words to herself, she was suddenly surrounded by a bright light of every color. Seconds later, nine other Zatannas appeared around the original. None of them attempted to fight, for, after all, this was not an offensive tactic so much as a simple way to buy more time. Satisfied, Zee used her enemies' moment of confusion to catch her breath. Hopefully, this would be over with very soon...

The wondering spider after been maul almost to death by Zatanna’s trees he headed back into the field. Zatanna was been surrounded by mist in some kind of spell. His teammate Alpha guard then created a giant working fan. The fan seems to work the mist is been blown away from the Magician by the wind gust. Alpha Guard connected with the Peregrine Falcon construct he had formed earlier and brought it into a steep dive, aiming right for Zatanna.  The Alpha guard was moving the pieces he signal Adam to move behind the Houdini girl. Adam signals in approval and leaps into the wall ad crawls to the roof. Making sure he was not visible he then he runs on the rooftop and jumps to the next building. WS was already in position,  behind Zatanna he was pretty sure he had the element of surprise to his favor.

The wondering spider was on the attack he leap from the building and landed not to far from Zatanna he was sure that whit his enhance strength he could knock her out. Running at Zatanna the spider  holding a balled up fist he was to attack the witch, but Zatanna seem to have seen him coming.  “Pots!” The bird that was coming for her seem to have been frozen right in front of her surounded by a purple halo.  Adam stopped his attack, “What the hell!?” Zatanna aimed the energy bird at the wonder spider,  "Drib skcatta eht redips-nam!” the dang bird suddenly is cast in favor of the witch attacking Adam, performing a back flip landing kneel on the pavement using his power webbing the Wonder Spider creates a Webbing shield and holds it tight. The bird then crash against the webbing shield. Adam drops the web shield. “What a witch!”

The magician had cast a spell around Alpha guard, walls of raging fire raise around him. Adam then notice that the woman did not speak and yet another spell was release, the spell caster created clones of herself nine to be exact “Are they real?” ask the wondering spider to himself then he added “only one way to find out.”  Adam then aims his arms to the clones, By shooting balls of power web at each one of them he would know if they are real or just images . “which one do I slam?” Adam then shot a webbing net intended to get one of the Zatannas, if he manage to grab Zatanna his next move would be to swing her around him and then slam her to a building wall.    

He stepped out of the darkness, as if the shadows themselves spawned him.  The man know as Rune had been watching as the dimensional rifts where opening.  He even steered a few into a select few locations he had wished, and this place was one of them.  As Rune watched the citizens of run from the rift he had helped created he smiled.  Rune was the lord of chaos the 1 of the four horsemen and strife was what he did best.  He was not the originator of these portals but he was not one to let an opportunity to go by.  A smile spread across he visages as he felt the oncoming presence of his true enemy. The man was a walking god much like himself the opposite to him in everyway.  His name was Dormath and he was the leader of the four elements and Runes biggest headache. 

“the fool still has not learned to keep his power sealed off from me”  Rune thought as his chaos touch aloud him to see the ripple of the air as Dormath approached.  As Dormath got in sight of the portal his enemy sprung out from it and lashed out at him. “A green lantern who would have seen this coming” Rune said out loud as he started to laugh.  His blood was running as it always did when Dormath was so close around.  Rune needed Dormath dead and although he believed that he would survive this coming battle the surprise attack after, well that would be a different thing entirely.

Alpha Guard was glad to see that Wondering Spider had understood his signal to get  behind Zatanna, a strategic move, which was what the two heroes needed right now considering Alpha's falcon attack didn't go as planned. Zatanna used one of her magic tricks to stop his construct in mid-air, and then used another spell to turn it against the Wondering Spider. Oh great, just what we need. Thinking quickly Spider managed to flip out of the way, and snared the Peregrine Falcon with his webbing. Alpha Guard dissapitated the falcon construct, and truned to confer with Wondering Spider and tell him his new plan, only to find himself surrounded by fire.

Does she really think this can defeat me? the Guardian of Good wondered as he started to radiate blue energy. But he figured that the walls of fire weren't intended to destroy him, if Zatanna based her moves similar to the way he did, the fire was only something to try and keep him busy. The blue energy concentrated itself in Alpha Guard's fist; he then punched the ground, releasing a wave of energy that destroyed the flames.

He was faced with not one Zatanna, but nine. Wondering Spider was doing his best to uncover the real one, but that didn't mean he couldn't use a little help. Thanks Zatanna, I've been wanting a little target practice. Borrowing a trick from Andes herdsmen, the King of Creation conjured eight bolas and sent them flying at eight of the Zatanna's.

Alpha Guard took this moment to communicate his plan to the Wonderint Spider. Spider, listen. I'm not sure just one of us is strong enough to overcome in a decent ammount of time, not to mention that Superman's left Russia and is heading here. I put out a call for help, but the sooner we can take down Zatanna the better. I figure if we combine the power of our attacks, Zatanna will have a harder time stopping them. Try incasing her in webbing, I'll enhance it with a web of my own. If we're lucky, the combined power will be to much for her to stop. Hoping his teammate would agree, Alpha Guard started forming the web he would enhance Spider's with. To keep Zatanna busy he sent a series on energy balls at the witch and waited for Spider's move.

She stood at the crossing overlooking the area and placed bold hands on her waist and looked out across the road before her. Her silver bracelets glistened in the sunlight. She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder, and, startled she took a guarded stance, blocking any movements the man clad in blue might emit suddenly.

“Excuse me Miss,  you seem lost, perhaps I can show you around?”

Wonder Woman grimaced slightly in confusion. This person did not look to her to be like any of the other citizens passing to and fro along the city streets. The individual seemed to be dressed in the same colors she wore; red, white and blue. She stared at him in confusion and slowly let her arms down to her waist. He did not look like her…he was a man.

Living on Themyscera, Diana would admit she had never before seen a man, and he was the first she had ever encountered. Men weren’t allowed on Themyscera…

“You want to help me citizen? What is in it for you? Why should I trust you?! I have come to save you people from yourselves…I was told that sacrifices would be made but I am up for the challenge. Who are you citizen? What do you want with me? As far as I am concerned my mission is for myself…why do you approach me in this way?”

Diana looked the man up and down. Something in her warned her about him. Why would he approach her so suddenly; seemingly out of nowhere? She was a warrior, and she could sense when a person was not to be trusted…

For a moment, all of the ten Zatannas seemed to engage in some sort of obscure choreography. Indeed, they tried their best to dodge all of the balls of web, bolas and energy balls. Not all of them were successful, however, as six of them were hit, shimmered and disappeared. This left four Zatannas, the original and three clones. Unsure what course of action to choose, the real Zatanna listened intently as Alpha Guard exposed his plan to his teammate. Although she missed some bits and pieces due to her dodging the flurry of attacks, Zee understood that they intended to combine their power for a power attack. She could not let this happen. The mistress of magic may be an expert in her field, but so strong a physical attack would surely  knock her out. She had to do something. Thinking quickly, she spoke up instantly as an idea formed within her mind.

"Foop!" she spoke, herself and two of her three dupes vanishing in a swirl of mauve smoke. The third copy of herself, sadly, was caught in a net of webbing thrown by the spirder-man, and she diappeared in a shimmer. Each of the two other clones appeared on the roof of surrounding buildings, bringing attention to themselves by screaming at the heroes. Meanwhile, the original Zatanna was hidden, crouched, behind a big truck parked about 50 meters from there. Where was Superman? She and, presumably, Batman would need the reinforcements soon, especially if the heroes had called for backup. And where was Nightwing? He was supposed to meet them at the library ages ago. Zee hoped he hadn't gotten into trouble, even more trouble than they were all already in. Biting her lower lip, the sorceress worried...

Snapping out of it, she realized she needed to do something. She couldn't let the heroes destroy the clones one by one and unveil her masquarade. Ignoring her fatigue, Zatanna raised both hands towards the sky above the heroes and whispered: "Skrowerif!" Magical fireworks blew up all over the sky near the heroes, their flashes of bright light blinding and their explosion projecting waves of heat. Through this Zatanna hoped to fulfill two goals: slowing down the heroes and their search for her and signal her position to Nightwing and Superman. Hopefully all of this won't have been done in vain, she thought...

Memories, They're a funny thing....

Flashbacks into our past that we either accept and realize or we suppress them, Burying them into the darkest corners of our mind until a situation arises, in which we ourselves are hit by them. Perhaps these Memories are our greatest weapon.....
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Big Ben, the great Clock Tower located within the Palace of Westminster, 1823......Fire engulfed it, and bricks and mortar reigned from the heavens themselves and the Clock Tower was gone, Tonight, a similar situation was about to happen.

A man draped in his assassin gear, a white hooded man standing there, shrouded within the darkness of his heart, underneath his cowl, those piercing blue oceanic eyes shining in the dull moon light that stretched across the raven black backdrop of England. His insanity, his power, his skill.....quickly he climbed that ladder, he was'nt considered the best nor the worst...he was Drifter.  But he needed a name for himself, He needed to prove his worth, and so he wanted a challenge. Into the heavens themselves, he screamed, crying out for a fight and apparently, that cry was heard.  Faster than a speeding bullet, The man of steel flew by, all his power and all his force sent into one massive punch, his body swung with his fist as blood and gore and loose teeth flew out, before the man flew off headed for the city they called Gotham. Five Fingers....Fingers that impacted him, that crushed not only his jaw but his spirit, his confidence, and everything...Shattered like glass. As his foot slipped, and that punch sent him backward, blood not only spilled in mid-air from his mouth but also from the gaping wounds on his chest, the letters LaS....

Descending, in pain, broken, and confidence gone, he fell....barely able to breath, in a final attempt to save himself with no other options, his white gloved hand dug into his belt and revealed the once concealed Grappling Hook. Shot forth was his hook and wrapped itself around the very tip of that clock tower, swinging foward, his legs pushed foward and his white pale bleeding face flew across the ebony sky barely visible from his caped head and yet those who saw it would never be the same again.

Slowly, a bomb was planted onto the Clock Tower by the Dark one, The ticking of Big Ben sychronized with the beating of a bomb....

Tick.....Tick.......Tick..........

BOOOM!

With the release of the Special K attack. The Living Battery went to his knees form the strain already caused to his body. Breathing heavily and losing blood all through out  his battered body he could see that Gambler had been sent outside of the stadium by the blast. An uproar from the spectators outside flooded out  all the other noise in the surrounding area. It was quickly silenced by a display of heart and resilience shown by the King of Kings. Kurrent and his relationship was one of pure hatred they were complete opposites Kurrent  was humble, selfless and a hero while Gambler was proud, greedy and the epitome of evil. One thing that these men did share above all else was the respect they had for each others combat ethic.

As the villain stood and began to progress towards Kurrent again he used his telekenetic powers to manipulate debris. With a swipe of his hand the debris came towards Kurrent like a swarm of bees. Out of the corner of his eyes he had seen what the Wanderer was doing  and with Gamblers full attention on him Wanderer was able to complete his task and assist.

The debris came sailing quickly. It was hard for Kurrent to move at this point so all he could do was put out his hand. From it came a large electrical blast that neutralized the oncoming traffic of projectiles. Unbeknown to him a second wave was coming and with no time or energy to preform the same shielding technique Kurrent tried to stand and evade the blocks. It would have been a simple task if he was 100% but with the beating he had received by the hands of Gambler his timing was completely off. One by one the blocks bounced off Kurrent's body until he was left on the ground flat on his stomach even more of a bloody mess then before. He looked up slowly to see Gambler on one knee smiling saying his trademark line.

Knowing that he had beaten by Gambler bothered  him perhaps more then it should but he was now fighting for something bigger and his rivalry could not cloud his desicion. A smile of his own came across his face when he heard "Gambler .....catch" The Wanderer had launched a spear towards the Cajun and after a quick thought knowing that he was physically useless Kurrent spoke into his watch and said. "POINT ALL GUNS TO GAMBLER FIR ON MY COMMAND" in a flash the jet that had brought Veritas there began to point all the weapon systems at Gambler. With Kurrent's consciousness fading he looked at Gamblers direction and said "You have beat me now, Surrender"

Adam using his webbing along with the Alpha guard’s assistance they manage to destroy several Zatanna clones. Six out of nine leaving four Zatannas. Adam then manage to capture one of the Zatanna and slammed her against the wall but it was a clone “Damn!” shouted Adam at his failure. Adam’s teammate the Alpha Guard spoke to him about the upcoming threat.

  “Spider, listen. I'm not sure just one of us is strong enough to overcome in a decent amount of time, not to mention that Superman's left Russia and is heading here. I put out a call for help, but the sooner we can take down Zatanna the better. I figure if we combine the power of our attacks, Zatanna will have a harder time stopping them. Try encasing her in webbing, I'll enhance it with a web of my own. If we're lucky, the combined power will be to much for her to stop.”  After hearing the terrible news that Alpha guard just revealed Adam knew this couldn’t take any longer.”

 “Steroid cocktail man is coming, we have to end this.” Adam gave the Alpha guard the thumbs up approving the Alpha guard's plan. By creating a giant web Alpha would re enforce the already powerful Spider webs that are created by Adam this would ensure the lady magician's capture, Zatanna would have no chance of escaping. but the magician seem to have overheard the Alpha guard’s plan and she was in the move. “Foop!” the clones vanished from their location and re appeared in the building screaming in order to create a distraction. Zatanna had also disappeared “Where the hell she went to now?”  the Alpha guard had already prepare his own web enforcer but miss Houdini escape the Wondering spider’s sight.  Using his webbing Adam scarlet shot one of the clones on the roof. At that moment Adam’s spider sense activated “what now?!” a explosion is heard in the sky then several explosions fallowed the first. Adam’s senses help him feel the danger as it approach, the heat waves were detected as well as well as the magic source's location. Creating a second webbing shield Adam manage to protect himself from the heat wave and the constant blinding lights.

Adam looks at his teammate and signal him intending to let him know that Zatanna was still on the ground. Adam’s spider sense detected the source of the threat first. Then it detected the actual threat that were the blinding lights and heat waves. The woman was neither of the ones in the roof she was in the ground to the west. The street had several vehicles, cars, trucks Etc. Adam’s danger sense activated as he could feel something coming in the distance at great speed, his fear was that the man of steel was closer that they thought. Adam looks at the Alpha guard been worried about the incoming powerhouse it was obvious that he woudn't be friendly and with Zatanna on his side it would be even worse. Adam thinks of only one choice, tilting his head down he speaks to his teammate. “Look man I know we are suppose to be moderated about this since we are the good guys, but I am not taking no beating because of miss Houdini deciding to play hide and seek... I‘m doing what I must do.”


 Adam then leaps on the air and swung on his web to the edge of the nearby building. The last lead he had of Zatanna after she conjured her latest spell came from the west at the bottom of the street. But her location was not exact and by this time she could have moved. Squatting on the edge of the building looking down at the location Adam calculates the possible escape routs and obstacles. There were two possible options ether she was still hiding between the vehicles cars, trucks etc. or she could have ran away from the fight. Nether way Adam was going to try and finish her before the Superman arrived even if he has to brake his boundaries. The sonic waves of a incoming threat already were activating the spider sense it was now or never. “Time to call for backup.” Adam then used his ability called the Arachnid sense, using a sonic screech only able to be heard by arachnids creatures Spiders, etc. Adam had sent a order to search for a woman on the area. Spiders of different kinds were now visible crawling on the streets, walls and surfaces. There were hundreds of them creawling headed to a same spot to the truck that was park not to far away. “I got ya” Adam signal Alpha waving his fingers pointing to the truck like saying “Fallow me” It was obvious that Adam had to do with the spiders been around Alpha must have realize it was Adam who brought them.

The spiders all were surrounding Zatanna they were hundreds of them most of them poisonous. Adam then order the spiders to attack her. All the spiders would jump on her and try to stun her injecting poisons and paralyze toxins into her if they manage to sting her. Adam ran on the buildings carefully he squat on the edge. the building was right next to the truck the spiders had crawled to. He was getting ready to attack. Knowing that hundreds of spiders would probably alarm her, specially all of them surrounding her. Adam calculates that she would have no choice but to come out. That is when Adam plans to use his lethal weapon.  “there is no escaping the venomous spider-man Missy” Adam’s finger nails grow into five claws, a liquid was dripping from them it was nothing more than Adam’s deadly poison. He was forbidden to use this lethal skill by his Silverland sponsors the ones who created his suit and gadgets, but he was not forbidden to use it by Veritas Inc, not yet at least. Adam awaits for the lady Houdini to ether be driven out by the spiders or by the Alpha guard ether way he would be waiting ready to make his next move.

A sinister smile ran the length of the Cajun’s face as he watched pieces of debris shred his enemy with unforgiving brutality. A warrior to the end Kurrent had managed to obliterate the first wave of deadly projectiles. But his battered body was unable to react to the second wave. Forcing the Electrical  Enigma to the ground bloodied, but not broken. Gambler himself had collapsed to one knee his vengeance and hatred the only thing keeping him going. Gathering what energy he could the Living Legend rose while still wearing the confidant smile of a conquering king.

Time seemed to stand still as onlookers and media crews crowded the small stadium entrance. Children clutched to their parents arms and bodies burying their face’s deep unable to watch as their hero lie seemingly defeated. There where others however who had not given up hope, who had heard the triumphant tales of Kurrent and his legendary Mobb Deep. Who know that no matter what, he would find a way to perceiver. But as Gambler gathered himself and began making his way towards the fallen Veritas leader their collective hearts sank.

With a quick motion off to the side the Cajun summoned his blade to his hand. Then all at once the teamwork and tactical excellence of the newly formed Vertias was put on display. So focused on revenge and retribution Gambler never noticed the Wanderer nor the spear he had hurled so accurately across the field. It drove itself through the right side of the assassin’s waste and into the ground pinning him in place. Blood spat from Gambler’s mouth as he yelled out in pain. The blade was instantly dropped as both hands grabbed hold of the spear preventing his own body from sliding down the shaft of the weapon. Without hesitation Kurrent barked out an order to the teams state of the art jet.

“Point all guns on Gambler. FIRE ON MY COMMAND!”

The crowd’s eyes grew in disbelief and their hands clasped together as they witnessed their champion’s grit and determination prevail. Even as Gambler’s lips curled with rage, he knew he was beaten. Outnumbered and outgunned he had failed. A sloppily thrown forearm busted the top half the spear allowing the Cajun to pull himself off before dropping to his knees. His head slowly moved back as he faced the sky and closed his eyes. Crimson soaked tears streamed down his face. Not from the pain of his wounds but from the pain of failure. He was somewhere else for a brief glimpse in time allowing him to drop his ever present guard, and smile.

But he was soon brought back from whatever peace he had found in those few moments as he heard his mortal enemy say,

"You have beat me now, Surrender"

The words sunk in deep like salt on an open wound. And once again the King of Kings mustered what strength he could and rose to his feet.

“Beat you? No no no, I don’t want to beat you. You owe more dhen dat. I WANT MORE DHEN DAT!!”

With hate in his eyes and blackness in his heart the Cajun charged. Immediately the Veritas’ jet opened fire cutting the former LaS commander down. Laid out on his back, the lights growing ever dimmer in his eyes, the legend, the killer, the husband and father, faded away.

Unfortunately, despite the constant barrage of attacks, not all of Zatanna's clones were destroyed. Three of them remained, plus the original Zatanna. However, Zatanna made a mistake in using a spell that made her and her duplicates disappear. One of the clones was caught by Wondering Spider's webbing, and the other two appeared on top of rooftops, trying to make a scene and distract the two heroes. Well now we know which one is the real Zatanna, no one in their right mind would make themselves sitting ducks like that. Wondering Spider blasted one of the clones with webbing and Alpha Guard destroyed the other one by conjuring an anvil over it and releasing his hold.

Zatanna's next attack was to create dozens of fireworks in an effort to blind the heroes. Alpha Guard created an opaque shield that protected him from the light. Look man I know we are suppose to be moderated about this since we are the good guys, but I am not taking no beating because of miss Houdini deciding to play hide and seek... I‘m doing what I must do. Alpha Guard could hear someone coming, likely one of the Lords, so he quickly replied to his teammate. You think I've got a problem with that?

Wondering Spider used his powers to summon all sorts of venomus spiders to the scene, a move the Guardian of Good had half epected. Spider also grew claws, each one dripping venom. Alpha Guard started to move into a position where he could attack Zatanna if she escaped, but was distracted by the arrival of Batman.

The Dark Knight dropped a cable down to Zatanna, and also released some cans of insect repellent, the use of which was obvious. Sorry Bat, but I'm afraid I don't like the idea of you doing that. Alpha Guard created a saw blade that cut the cable and at the same time rotated fast enough to blow away the spray. But the unexpected happened when Batman shot several missles at the Guardian of Good. Really, does he think those can stop me? Figuring they posed him to threat, Alpha Guard formed a net to catch the missles, and was surprised when the missles weren't compleatly stopped. Alpha Guard realized that the missles were meant to stop power's like those of Green Lantern, it made sense that Batman would try something like that, so while the net slowed the missles down because his power's weren't identicial to a Green Lantern's, they were similar enough that the missles were able to stretch the net. The net didn't break, but it was acting like a rubber band, stretching so much that the missles were still heading towards him. Changing his tactics, the Guardian of Good flew behind the missles and dissapitated the net. The missles crashed into the ground, but Alpha Guard remained unharmed.

Turning back to Batman, defending against the missles had taken very little time, Alpha Guard materealized a battering ram and launched it at the Bat Wing. Zatanna could prove a threat, but Alpha Guard wasn't too worried about Batman. If they could keep him from pulling any tricks he and Wondering Spider should be able to take him out. It was Superman Alpha was worried about, he would prove a problem. Fourtnetly he hadn't come yet, and Alpha Guard hoped it would stay that way for a while. If he did come soon, then plans would have to be reconsidered.

The venomous Spider was still awaiting by for his pray to emerge from under the truck, stalking the magical lady like a fat kid on cake. “C’mon lady.” Adam waited inpatient but then his Spider sense activated a engine was approaching the location. “The Bat?! Where the hell is Slinger?!” Adam ask himself worried about his teammate at tthe presence of the batwing then he adds in a interrogative tone, “Did he.... beat him?!” the batwing was set hovering on top of the spider-man 2.0. A line is thrown down along whit what it seems to be insecticide. Adam could not believe his eyes, what Bats was willing to do, “Is he out of his freaking mind?! He could intoxicate his own teammate, not to mention my spiders!” Adam was about to make his move against the Bat but then, “Sorry Bat, but I'm afraid I don't like the idea of you doing that.” the Alpha Guard intercept the bat’s plan by creating a saw blade snapping the batwing line and got rid of the insecticide. Seen that the bat was intended to help Zatanna whit the line. A plan pops in the Spider’s head, Adam was a smart man. Before the line dropped to the ground he quickly shot his webs and caught the line in mid air and then pulled it  to him holding it on hands.

 Now Adam was concentrated in his game, he had the Advantage. in his mind he calculated three ways of a outcome. ether Zatanna would be stun by the spiders, she would come out fleeing or she would try to grab the cable, in all three Adam was controlling the chest game all he needed was a bit of motivation, but he could miscalculate whit someone like Zatanna everything is possible. The batwing had launch several missiles at the Alpha guard. Then the voice of the Bat could be heard loud out the plane speaker. “Zatanna, move your @$$!” Batman yells over the loud speaker. It was Batman did not notice Alpha guard cutting the rope. The Venomous spider then looks up at the Batwing "Sorry Bats but I don't like your intentions." Adam then shot a huge Acid net over to the Batwing, the acid can easily chew through metallic surfaces consuming anything at contact. this would probably keep the dark knight busy. The game is set. “Perfect this be interesting, like fishing whit dynamite.” stated Adam, the wondering spider awaited while holding the cable on hands.  

The next few events happened very quickly, as in some sort of blur. The two remaining clones were dissipated by attacks from the heroes and the real Zatanna was left hiding behind a truck. The spidery hero summoned dozens and dozens of poisonous spiders which surrounded the truck. Suddenly, the Batwing appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and a cable came out of it, offering Zee the chance to climb in. As the techologically-advanced jet dropped some insect-repellent on the numerous spiders, the Alpha Guard lost no time in cutting the cable with a blade that also blew the gas away. The hero also launched a battering ram at the Batwing while his partner caught the falling cable in a tactical move and fired acid at the jet.

“Zatanna, move your @$$!” the Batman screamed over the jet's speakers.

"I already have," said the sorceress as she appeared on the other side of the street. While the heroes had been busy dealing with the arrival of the Batwing, Zee had opted for subtlelty and had magically made herself invisible. She avoided the circle of spiders while they suffered from the insect repellent just before Alpha blew it away, and she then walked in a large circle outside of the action, reappearing about a dozen meters away from the heroes. The mistress of magic looked more confident than ever when she cast her latest spell:

"Dica si dezilartuen!" she yelled, and saw with satisfaction that the acid that was starting to melt the jet's metal glowed and stopped acting. Now the only thing Batman had to worry about was the battering ram aimed at his plane. However, the witch was not done, far from that. She was starting to tire of this fight and now that she was not alone, she was more than ready to put an end to this all. Aiming both hands at Alpha Guard, she screamed "Rewop egatrohs!", knowing full well that even if the spell didn't completely short-circuit the Guardian's powers, his ability to summon constructs should weaken. Zatanna prayed that the Batman would know that this was his cue to fire all he had at Alpha. Changing target, Zee turned towards the Wondering Spider.

"Oreh seog dnilb!" she said, pausing to see if her spell would take effect. If it did, this should be over it very quickly. She would make sure of that.

   Slinger was preparing to charge over the abandoned police barricade and into battle to join his comrades against the legendary Superman when he received an urgent communication from the Veritas command ship in England. He listened carefully to the news that a NATO officer frantically relayed. it was stunning, like a swift sucker-punch, square in the gut.

    He put his hand on his forehead and pushed his hair back trying physically to clear his mind and figure out what to do next, "I can't believe it! Both of them are down?" He spoke with a calmed sense of urgency back into the wrist watch, reacting to the news that their leader had been gravely injured in combat with Gambler, who, until now, Slinger had no idea was even on scene. "Administer first aid, stabilize Kurrent, and be gentle with Gambler's body. I may be able to help them both." Slinger then cut off the ship's staff and opened a private channel to the Wander, "Wanderer, this is Slinger. You can use magic, right? Is it possible for you to create a portal to get me where you are? I might be able to help with the injured. If you can't, you need to get Kurrent and Gambler and get them back to base as soon as possible, and I'll meet you there" Time was of the essence, luckily Slinger's battle with the Batman hadn't been so rough that it left him depleted. He had never tried anything on the scale of what he had planned, and was worried he might not pull it off. As a second thought he sent one more message through communicator watch, "Oh, and Wanderer? Be careful. If Gambler's there, there's no telling who else from the Silent Assassins or the Hellfire Club might be. Be on the lookout."

   Slinger prepared to be mobilized once again, whether by magic or not. He made the sign of the cross with his right hand and silently prayed as he moved, not just for himself at first, but for the rest of the team. He asked God for the Spider and Alpha Guardian to have the fortitude to be able to fight the worlds most dangerous superhuman. He asked for the Wanderer to have the strength of spirit to be able to make the globe spanning leap. For Kurrent to be resilient enough to hang on for just a moment longer. He even prayed for their mortal enemy, Gambler, that he would have the strength of soul to rage against the coming darkness. Then after a moments respite, he again began to channel his spirit into his hands and finally prayed for himself, that he would have enough power to be able to pull off a miracle.

There was nothing to say anymore. She looked around the room discretely, heavy strain on her neck permeated through every nerve in her being. She stared out the window, then down to her legs. Her eyes wandered throughout the room, locking on every memory her mind would allow and she began to sob, softly at first. Tears welled up in her eyes, her body was stiff and sore. Her legs could not move. How did this happen? He was a formidable opponent, a sick and twisted individual. It seemed that this time she really did manage to play the role of the hero. Unbeknowngst to her at this point, as she watched the sun rise in the early morning, her thoughts rested upon Jean, his whereabouts and how she got here. She stared out the window of the bedroom and tucked the soft white fleece blanket around her legs tightly, squinting as the rays of the sun reflected off the water below her and blinded her vision briefly as it rose up into the morning sky. She leaned her head onto the back of the mobile chair and the salty tears ran down her rosy cheeks. Her chest began to heave and her adrenaline shot higher. She hung her head. Gripping her neck with both hands she squeezed tightly, fighting back the tears. They kept on. Emanating through her she began to sigh and heave softly as she watched through blurry eyes; her hands shaking. Never before had she lost control the way she did now. Her emotions were constantly contained, but not; they seemed unbridled and abashing. Like a wild animal with a desire to roam free but stranded and forced down. She was never not in control of herself and her capacity, until now.

Her eyes scanned the room as she looked from one glass encasement to the next. Leather gloves, hatori hanzo katanas, bushido blades, all lining the perimeter of the room. Weapons, she feared, she would never utilize again. She would never use the years of training and dedication that had taken to get her to this point, never again feel the cold steel of the sword graze an enemy's skin, not another day where she could blindfold herself and move like a crane with graceful and steady footwork moving fast. Eyes closed and body gliding across a room to a steady target until-

She gasped for air suddenly. Her mind stopped. She felt a deep pain shooting through her as though an array of bullets pierced and penetrated through her already limp body. Her mind suddenly went black. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach as she gripped the sides of the wheelchair and held on as the pain slowly subsided. She could feel the connection between them slowly dissipate and fade in the darkest area of her mind. She clutched her throat and watched as the tears fell slowly onto the blanket. The tiny dots of water clustered on the blanket below as Esther felt her husband's life fade into nothingness.

"No....." She whispered.
The silence of the room was deafening. Utter anguish coursed through her. She was weak. Disappointment warped to encompass her pain and gradually became anger. She was enraged. It was like a quiet storm first developing within her mind, then moving through every vein in her body. He had taken her mobility, and now, she could feel through her mind that her husband's life hung by a single thread, and that the fate's must be stopped if he was to survive. Kurrent had treated her like a dog, dragging and beating her...and now...as her husband stood to face him in defense of her honor, he had been taken down shot after merciless shot...
She knew in the depths of her mind, as her heart was breaking that his life was ending. Summoning all the strength she had left in her mind, pushing away the emotional turmoil that had plagued her she called out to him telepathically. She waited for him to reply. She could sense his waning energy slowly fading, like a low light flickering in the wind.
She wheeled herself over to the speaker system and hit the button on the desk:

"Division 287 rapportez pour le devoir"
____________________________________
The black hawk helicopter hovered over the arena. A single ladder was dropped from above as 4 men dressed in black slid down quickly. They surrounded Gambler's fallen body from all four angles and the leader held up one hand, motioning for Kurrent and WS to stop in their tracks. It was a symbol of surrender. This battle was not with these Assassins. Their actions were clear. Collect the body of the former Les Assassins Silencieux leader, and depart the premises peacefully.

Esther sat in the helicopter and watched as two of the LAS members strapped Gambler's half conscious body to the harness and attached it to a magnetic grappling hook. He slowly ascended upward as the last two assassins stood down below. Both men pointed a pair of AK 47's at the Veritas leader and his partner.
Esther lowered her body as far as she could and pulled Gambler upward by his arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she slowly grazed her hand over the bullet wounds. She looked down, her hand blood stained. As the helicopter lifted off and onward toward the LAS mansion, Esther unstrapped herself from the seat she sat in and allowed her body to fall out of the chair. She went limp over him, burying her head in his chest deeply, gripping the edges of his shirt with her hands; trying to convince herself that this was not the end...
As the helicopter door opened, the four assassins stood guard, their heads hung low as they watched the Queen of the Assassins crying over her King of Kings.

Nightwolf was floored. Minutes ago it had been a normal night, he had been sent by Babs on a simple assignment, to kill a wealthy New York business man. Babs sent Nightwolf on most of the New York missions because his days as a vigilante there left him with an intimate knowledge of the streets. Then it happened, the call that would change every member of the LaS' lives. The super-computer Oracle, was calling and when Nightwolf picked up he heard. "This is an urgant message to all LaS members, Gambler is dead" This was the worst thing that could've happened, the man Nightwolf looked up to the man who helped him create his new suit, was dead. Then Nightwolf had an even worse thought. What of Esther, recently she had lost use of her legs, and now she lost her husband, would she be OK, would she be able to get through this...

LaS Chatuex, just outside of Paris

Nightwolf returned to the Chatuex, successful in his mission, but reeling at Gamblers death. Today there would be no joking with Drifter, or training with Light, today was a day of sadness and mourning, Nightwolf wanted only one thing, revenge. After talking to Light, Nightwolf had discovered that it had been the hero Kurrent who had killed Gambler, and his new team Veritas Inc. who had helped him. Nightwolf personally promised himself that he would lead LaS against Kurrent and his heroes and slaughter Kurrent. For Esther, for Gambler, and for the LaS....

Tall was the man that carried his stride as he walked away from the large explosion that had just set-off.  Big Ben.......renowned for it's size, it's structure, Its.......majesty.  And now, it was a pile of smoking rubble,  like Zero Squad before it,  it had fallen. A white cloak flowing behind him, his face cowled by the darkness within him and his eyes glowing with red. A fetish for Violence, a fetish for death, a fetish for decapitation, A fetish for pain. He loved it all....and he wanted to die. For so long, he'd been an assassin, he'd been a killer, he'd even walked the line of a hero once ago, but where does he belong? Fitting into the big picture, where does Drift fall? No where. The soft breeze of england brushing across his skin as he kneeled down beside the rock and mortar that once was the Clock Tower, His white gloved fingers shoved into his holster and there was a gun. Silver and shining in the dim lit ebony skies, those skies.....Oh how he knew them. Decorated with the cosmos and embroderied with the stars, he had stared at them too long and now....The Drifter was going to die. For too long he'd listened to the whines and moans of those who hated him, the constant b!tching of the men and women who loathed him. The gun barreled rolled as he checked to make sure it was full of bullets, slowly he raised the colt upto his fore-head, pressing the cold steel against him, only reminding him of the things he'd suffered through.

The trigger pulled, a bullet flying through his skull, pieces of brain and crimson red fluids sprayed outward. The Drifter was nothing but a corpse now......

A cold hand hit the street corner and the gun rolled foward.....He was gone.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

War, No one wins. No one walks away just right, Someone gets injured, someone dies and sh!t just does'nt go as planned.....

Alls fair in Love and War - Willaim Shakespeare

The Man of Steel flew in ferocious speed to reach the City of Gotham. In a short time it had become the main stage of a battle that was being fought by the power hungry Justice Lords and the Heroes of Veritas Inc. who had vowed under that laws of this world to bring the Lords into custody. Even with the Batman present in his own backyard the Heroes could not be stopped. It was not going to be the walk in the park that they had expected. In their world these heroes were regular citizens with some sort of fame. Slinger was personal guard to the Pope while The Wondering Spider was a world famous geneticist and Alpha Guard was a child genius that was on his way to graduating Harvard.

In The Superman's world they were not a large but here they are much more then that. They protect this world with all their being but still in The Superman's eyes it is not worth protecting it is not perfect. They pose a large threat to the Lords but like Superman had learned by monitoring for only a few moments they would not fall so easily. It was time to regroup and formulate a plan that will give the Lords ultimate control. Making a command decision that would not sit well with Bruce Superman spoke into his Justice Lords communication piece.

"Mr. Terrific this is Superman, if you have made the jump into our new world teleport all Justice Lords members to the Watchtower...........even The Batman, I will deal with him myself when he confronts me like we all know he is going to"

In the blink of an eye members of the Justice Lords began to vanish leaving the battle to make a plan that will one day defeat the Heroes that stood in their way. This was merely a taste of what was in store for those that stood in the way of the JL's will. The Heroes did in fact fight hard and they leave the battle with thier lives. What  they don't know is that this was only the beginning.