Singapore

[planetaryguide]

Jenny Quantum was born in Singapore, and knows its streets and alleys on a subatomic level. She can feel the city's pulse and flow in her blood, even when she's away. It's why she always returns here, when all of the universe is theoretically open to her. Singapore is home. It's where she feels safe. which for all her power is a feeling that comes seldom.

But now she's being chased through the alleys by a dozen or so identical looking men. She knows who they are, of course, but can't believe they'd pursue her here.  "What were they thinking?" she muses to herself, and then turns and scatters them with an explosion of energy. She doesn't want to hurt them. Not really. Even at her young age, she's seen enough death to be tired of it. But she won't let them hurt her, anyway.

Her pursuers delayed, she turns again and runs. Again, she tries to summon a door, and again, it doesn't come.

That's when the sonic attack hits, throwing her off her guard. And that's when the arrow tip grazes her arm, and she can feel the paralytic, interfering with her ability to access her powers. She can feel them in the shadows, closing in on her.

She won't die here. She knows that. But there are fates worse than death, and the Spirit of the 21st Century falling into their hands is one of them.  

Comments

[lexcorpunlimited]

At the speeds he and his ... compatriots ... travel, they are at center of the reported conflict with seconds. Lex sees Jenny Quantum disperse her seemingly indistinguishable assailants, but he can see from above there are more.

He swoops in first, to come to her aid, and is struck from below by a bolt of energy that sends him reeling.

He looks back to see none other than August General in Iron in the alley below, his staff still crackling with energy.

"I do not know why you are here, Luthor," he says. "But this is no American's business. Leave."

[mars_my_destination]

J'onn dropped into view, guarded, but not yet aggressive.

He spoke flawless Mandarin. "General," he said, "we cannot permit you to take the girl. We would prefer to resolve this peacefully, but if not..."

[planetaryguide]

"You have no standing here, Manhunter," replies the General. "The Justice League has no standing in this matter. I respect you from my brief time in the Justice League International, but my nation's future is at stake her."

And with a nod, J'onn is assaulted from a distance by the unerring, energy charged arrows of the Celestial Archer.

Jenny Quantum, still reeling from the paralytic agent in the archer's last arrow, tries to struggle to her feet, but she is forced down again by a hooded woman.

"Stay down," says the Ghost Fox Killer. "Our orders are to bring you in alive, but I believe even the spirit of the century will fall to my deadly touch."

[metropolismarvel]

"Well. Now I KNOW you're the bad guys."

Ghost Fox Killer's hands get...hot. Really hot. So hot she can't touch a thing; not enough to blister, but certainly enough to keep her from using said deadly touch on any teenaged girls.

And then there's a flash of red and blue smashing into the pavement, and a lightning fast fist closes around the collar of the Ghost Fox Killer's hood, hefting her up in the air as though she were as light as a bag of marshmallows.

The Superman's looking right at the woman, and he's unamused. "There'll be no killing children on my watch, thanks. I'll assume it was just bluster, General, and maybe you and your creepy backup can explain to us just what the heck is going on here. You were happy to leave Miss Quantum alone before while you and Black Adam were playing nation builder with the middle east."

[lexcorpunlimited]

"Was that before you became teammates with that wáng bā Lex Luthor," smirks the General.

Then, a number of things happen at once. The General swings to fire in Superman's general direction, although he certainly must know that's a useless gambit. Unless it's some sort of distraction ...

Luthor doesn't chance it, and projects a deflector shield to rebound the ray back at the Chinese super-functionary, blasting him off his feet.

But while that's happening, Superman is attacked from behind and above, a fierce burst of atomic energy that can only come from one person ... Socialist Red Guardsman.

"Superman," he says. "It has been a long time. We have fought before, haven't we? Years ago. My comrades say it couldn't have been, but I remember it so clearly."

He swoops in for another attack.

[mars_my_destination]

The first blast takes J'onn by surprise, knocking him down. But he's quick to get up, seeking the source of it. He might not be Superman, but his super-senses are more than on par with his Kryptonian friend.

There. Several stories up. Far below the maximum range, if reports of the Archer's capabilities were to be believed, but such a shot would have been quite the challenge for Oliver.

He lifted off the ground like a shot, crossing the distance in an instant.

"Do not press this conflict," he growled. "We will not allow you to take or kill the girl."

[metropolismarvel]

Superman blinks, because he knew Fang was relentless but-oh, yeah, distraction. But from...Superman feels the change in temperature. "Hold on to me." He orders Ghost Fox Killer, pulling her in and wrapping his cape around her as his back is lit up by Socialist Red Guardsman's atomic fire.

"Ghh." It can't damage the Man of Steel, but the Red Guardsman's atomic power runs so hot even Superman can feel it; he puffs out a blast of Super-breath, hoping it'll cool enough of the atomic fire to keep Ghost Fox Killer's strange biology from developing anything unpleasant in the future.

"Still into...shooting your own men, eh Gu Lao?" Superman confirms their relation, feeling trapped. He needs to take to the air before Socialist Red Guardsman stops caring about collateral damage, but with J'onn intercepting Celestial Archer that leaves Quantum massively undefended. Just as the General planned, probably. "You remember how the last time you ticked me off ended, or is it still fuzzy?"

And then a giant jade lion dog jumps at Clark, biting at his arm and trying to force Superman to let go of his mistress. "Seriously?!"

[lexcorpunlimited]

"You put a cape on a dog," says Ghost Fox Killer levelly. But the jade lion isn't the only assailant, as the air around them swirls with ghosts. They don't seem able to make physical contact, but they're cold, unnerving and distracting.

Then, in the confusion, Ghost Fox Killer turns intangible, and slips through Superman's grasp. Guardsman takes the moment to press his attack with another blast directed at the Kryptonian.

"I remember," he says, bitterly. "I have suffered greatly under the weight of the dishonor for years."

Meanwhile, the Archer weighs his chances against the Manhunter, and seems to opt for the impossible, firing explosive arrows at the Martian.

"The Great Ten have never been killers," says Luthor, lunging toward the General. They've never been big on wonton property damage, and they've always been meticulous about international boundaries. What's really happening here, Fang Zhifu?"

The General responds with a fist to Luthor's armored torso.

"Nothing you can easily understand, Luthor. This girl holds our nation's fate in her hands."

Behind the general, the nearly identical soldiers -- clearly Mother of Champions' latest brood -- descend on the paralyzed Jenny Quantum, and begin to make off with her.

And from above, a shadow appears in the sky, as the signature black jet of Immortal Man in Darkness appears, and begins a strafing fire at the Martian Manhunter.

[mars_my_destination]

The explosive arrows rock him, disorient him long enough to be nearly knocked from the sky by the strafing run.

He focused his energies, unleashing a powerful blast of Martian Vision at the attacking plane.

At the same time, his arm lanced out, growing and stretching to ensnare the Archer.

And, because he is Martian and multitasking is of little effort to him, he also reached out with his mind, trying to nudge Jenny Quantum back towards wakefulness and action.

[sixgodstories]

J'onn's multitasking is impressive, but not as well known. Especially to one as "hasty" as Shazam's youngest champion.

King Marvel darts from the craft they'd been traveling in, almost bursting to use off some of his powers. The target in question? Immortal-Man-in-Darkness and the stream of firepower aimed at Martian Manhunter.

Fists forward, he sets his jaw and attempts a mid-air collision with the flyer, going for either a crash or a game of super-powered "chicken".

[planetaryguide]

While King Marvel engages Immortal Man in Darkness, J'onn's telepathy has begun to stir Jenny Quantum. She shudders and shakes, and then in a fit, a burst of energy blasts the Champions away from her.

But another combatant is faster than the others. First there is one of him, and then seven, and they converge on the girl, restraining her. One of them has a syringe, and appears ready to apply another does of paralytic, but suddenly his hand is encased in ice.

But then, a white haired stranger in a crisp, white suit appears at the end of the alley.

"Everyone here needs to step away from the girl, he says in perfect Mandarin. To punctuate his point, the air grows icy, and the ice freezes most of the combatants in place. But the Seven Deadly Brothers persist, slowed by the ice, but converging on the stranger.

[metropolismarvel]

Okay so things get a little busy. The ghosts distract Superman for a crucial second, but ultimately can't do much. Only EVIL men fear the touch of the Ghost Fox Killer's slaves.

Superman has to deal with the horror of 'undead slaves' for a second before realizing he still has a dog on his arm and Guardsman is getting exponentially crazier. "You know, lady, that's a fine point." He gives a whistle.

There's a CRACK in the air, and what's that in the sky! Something moving terribly, terribly fast, blasting past any defenses the Great Ten have set up in the sky.

It's a dog in a cape, landing by Jenny Quantum. Krypto the Super-Dog doesn't look thrilled by any of this, hackles raised, and a growl in his throat.

Meanwhile, Superman looks at the Jade Lion Dog, hopes the thing is tougher than it looks, and hurls it at Socialist Red Guardsman, leaping in the air just after it in order to land on Gao Lu's back. "Hey." Superman says, winking, "The ice guy in the suit one of yours?"

[planetaryguide]

For a second, it looks like Guardsman is willing to blast the dog out of the sky, but instead he catches it, looking terribly annoyed.

"No," he says, to Superman's question, and as if to punctuate the question, the Seven Immortal Brothers converge on the white-suited stranger, but find themselves encased in ice. The man in white begins to move toward Jenny, but seems wary of getting too near the dog.

"Good puppy," he says, not expecting it to be at all useful.

Meanwhile, in the skies, Immortal Man in Darkness seems dead set on colliding with Freeman, but changes his mind and veers of course, upward and away from the field of combat, almost inevitably set to return for a strafing run.

[mars_my_destination]

For J'onn, loosening the cohesion between his molecules and passing through the ice is... harder than it ought to have been. Whoever the stranger is, he clearly outclasses any temperature manipulator the League has encountered before.

"The choice ultimately belongs to Miss Quantum," he said.

[lexcorpunlimited]

The General disengages from Luthor to face the Manhunter.

"She is a criminal, J'onzz. We have to bring her to justice."

"Bull," shouts Luthor, trailing after the General and getting in his face. "Partway through the fight, I started monitoring radio transmissions. Here's a good one from my own Lexcorp News."

He adjusts a control on his gauntlet, and a radio report plays:

... we take you live now to Singapore, where Lexcorp CEO Lex Luthor and members of the Justice League seem to be on combat with Chinese super functionaries, The Great Ten. A spokesperson for China's Superhuman Ministry has denied that the team had been authorized to enter Singapore's airspace ...

Luthor sneers at the General.

"J'onn," he says. "They're acting out of character, they're not authorized, and who's missing here? Accomplished Perfect Physician? Shaolin Robot? Thundermind? What do those three have in common?"

[metropolismarvel]

Krypto is set in 'guard' position, not engaging with the man in white but keeping his hackles up and his body placed between anyone and Jenny Quantum. If any ice starts creeping up on the Super-Dog, he'll start melting it with his heat vision.

Clark was about ready for a surprise attack from Thundermind when Luthor points out that, yes, the psychically powerful of the Great Ten...Ghost Fox Killer aside...are missing. This makes him rethink a certain strategy; Gao Lu would absolutely back off thinking straight, but he might not be, and instead Superman switches weight on the Soldier's back a little.

"Sorry about this, pal, but we can settle things properly another time." Superman winks, and starts spinning, building up speed to simply HURL the Guardsman over the horizon!

[planetaryguide]

The Guardsman is thrown, screaming Chinese epithets all the way, but Superman knowns that will only deter him for a while but it may be enough. Or will it?

The General -- in the center of the standoff below -- looks up at Superman and seems to smirk, as much as he's capable.

"Superman," he says, almost conversationally. "I have seen other worlds. Worlds that once were. In one of them, we were each other's first real enemies. Our war began legends."

He glances toward Luthor.

"And you. I was you once. A giant surrounded by feeble-minded fools. You think you've changed, but I can see the darkness in your heart still, Luthor. I know where you'll fall when the reckoning comes."

He looks as though he has more taunting to do, but he's interrupted as a wave of psionic energy pulses from the young woman named Jenny Quantum, who has risen shakily to her feet.

Only J'onn J'onnz remains totally immune to what comes next. For most ... even Superman and Shazam ... the wave takes the form of a sudden ice cream headache. Annoying, but nothing more. To the members of the great 10, though, it appears to be utter agony, a psychic dissonance that seems to be interrupting the signal of whatever's controlling them.

The Great 10 fall, unconscious, where they stand or, in the case of Guardsmen and Immortal Man In Darkness, where they fly.

[metropolismarvel]

"Rrrr." Krypto is still by Jenny's side. He is the best dog in the universe, and even the pain in his head won't keep him from doing his job.

Superman stumbles for a second because psychic powers ugh why did anyone ever invent those, but also because of the speech. Another of his old enemies, crawling out of the woodwork? Could it be another prisoner of the vile Mister Oz?

"Whoever you are." Superman says, holding his hand into a fist, "If you won't face me, then I've beaten you before. This won't be any different."

Then everyone starts FALLING and the first thing Superman does is fly over to try and catch Immortal Man in Darkness. "Marvel!" Superman barks an order, despite him maybe being on the other side?, "Help me catch the others!"

[mars_my_destination]

Curse him for a novice..! He should have sensed that the others were being controlled far more quickly than this.

His eyes glow for a moment as he reaches out his own psychic senses. Perhaps he can trace whomever it might be...

[planetaryguide]

J'onn's mind expands to touch the mind with in the Great Ten, and at first, there's almost a recoil, the force is so strong ... stronger than any human psychic he's encountered. The work is flawless. The Chinese warriors have almost full control of their mental faculties, except they cannot perceive they are being pushed.

And there's a memory, repressed ... they're fighting. It's hard to see whom ... then it's clear, they're fighting each other. August General in Iron blasts the Shaolin robot. The Seven Brothers converge on the Accomplished Perfect Physician. Those that are left standing then converge on Thundermind, who stands his ground. They move toward him in formation ... and then it fades to black, and there's a bellowing, manic laugh that echoes through their brains.

[sixgodstories]

Ice Cream wasn't the half of it. The mental trauma fired from Shazam's forehead through his entire spine, stopping him in midair.

He collected himself before falling to the ground and shook his head, squinting at the battlefield and the skirmish. The shout from the Man of Steel jolted him from the daze, and forced his focus. Darting from Immortal Man in Darkness, to two of the Seven Brothers, he ensured they were at least soft landings. TheSpeed of Mercury can only go so far, but when coupled with Hercules' body control and Solomon's calculations for an easy landing, it went controlled.

[metropolismarvel]

Superman struggles to hold the ship itself up for a moment.

SHEESH this is heavy.

"Anything J'onn?" Superman shouts because he doesn't have time to be subtle, the Great Ten are infighting and he's benching a freaking spaceship. At least Guardsman's out of the way.

Clark tries to get Immortal Man in Darkness's ship down safely so it can't do any damage; this leaves him exposed if any controlled Great Ten members want to take a swing at the Man of Steel!

[mars_my_destination]

"I have encountered a powerful mind influencing there's," J'onn reports. "It feels... not entirely human."

But nor did he feel alien. If this was the work of Starro or Despero, or perhaps Doctor Destiny, he would have recognized their handiwork instantly. But this was not them.

"I am attempting to repulse it."

He concentrated, forcing his own will against the one dominating the Great Ten. "By the gods of Mars, their minds shall be free!"

[planetaryguide]

As J'onn struggles to free the Chinese heroes, he feels a hand gently grasp his, and suddenly he feels a swell of energy ... clean and powerful, it boosts his own considerable psychic powers without overwhelming.

Jenny ... a little tired and battered looking ... smiles at him like an old friend.

[lexcorpunlimited]

Luthor is kneeling beside the General now, scanning his vital signs.

"I don't know exactly what's happening here, J'onnz," he says, "but his heart rate's suddenly elevated. Something's fighting you, and it might push them into cardiac arrest."

[sixgodstories]

"Luthor, I might be able to help you!" He paused, scratching that from the increasingly short list of things I will never say as Super hero. To be fair, with King Kull, a Venutian mind-worm and four Sivanas in his rogues gallery, its never that long.

He lands near Lex and August General In-Iron, with his hands channeling the magic lightning. "Its not a huge dose, but just enough to help keep his body steady. I'll trust your check up."

Another scratch.

[planetaryguide]

There's a sudden chill in the air as Elijah steps forward.

"I can keep the others in cryogenic stasis," he says. "We can keep them alive while you free them."

He looks at Jenny, who meets his eyes with something that resembles recognition.

"And then we need to talk."

He smiles broadly then, and crooks his head toward Freeman.

"Shazam will vouch for me."

[metropolismarvel]

Clark feels a little helpless, unable to fight this new threat psychically or do much more than keep track of the Great Ten's collective heart rates.

He looks at Shazam, expecting said vouch. Krypto keeps to his last set of orders, not leaving Jenny Quantum's side.

"Lives are the priority. If you can, do it." Superman says; it's not an order but it doesn't really have to be.

[mars_my_destination]

J'onn spares a moment to give Jenny a smile and her hand a squeeze, before focusing all his energies against the telepathic presence.

YOU WILL RELEASE THEM! THIS, I DO SWEAR!

[planetaryguide]

The Singapore air grows cold at Elijah's bidding, and Jenny squeezes J'onn's hand tighter, and then there's a shift in the psychic bandwidth ... sharper and clearer than ever before. Psychic connection as quantum computing. Information transpositioning instantaneously between minds.

J'onn sees the Great Ten's memories again. Shaolin Robot fights bravely, but is disabled quickly by the Guardsmen. Accomplished Perfect Physician whistles, and tries to break the hold of whatever's controlling his allies, but a kick to the head from Ghost Fox Killer takes him down.

Only Thundermind is left. Thundermind, who was called the Superman of China until they actuaLLY GOT a Super-man of their own. He's still the most beloved of the country's superfucntionaries, and still the most valiant. He stands his ground against his friends, his mind pushing into theirs, but he can't fight them all.

"I see you, Yama," he says. "I see you lurking behind their eyes. I see your agent, too, the beast whom you are feeding power, but I SEE you god of death. Though I fall here, others will rise against you."

Thundermind pushes, and for a moment, it looks like his teammates might break free, but then the General blasts him, and then the Guardsman, and then the Archer, and finally he falls.

"Keep him alive," says a low, growling voice. He will be of use to us when the Old Gods rise."

And with that, Thundermind falls into unconsciousness, and the memory ends.

There's a shriek of psychic pain that flashes from the Great Ten to J'onn and Jenny and even to those gathered to stop the assault. It's like a migraine spike through the head, but when it passes, J'onn can sense that the Ten, while unconscious, are free.

But for a second, the General stirs.

"Justice," he sputters. "Need ... Justice ..." before finally succumbing to unconsciousness.