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Issue Five
By Barry Reese
"The Justice League?"
"No... They are too powerful and too well-organized. Besides, the Bat would sense our manipulations too quickly to suit our purposes."
"The Titans, then! They are nearly as powerful as their mentors...."
"Intriguing, but if we are to exclude the League because of the Bat, we should keep in mind that his pupil leads the Titans...."
"Agreed. Then who is left? The Doom Patrol? The Justice Society?"
"Both are adequate possibilities, but I had another option in mind. A group founded by the Bat, but left directionless without his leadership. They have the power and the experience that we crave... and they could prove easily manipulated. Even if the Bat should return to their ranks, his attentions would be divided between this group and the League."
"Who?"
"The Outsiders, my old friend."
"They are scattered, are they not? Metamorpho is dead, Geo-Force is ruling the nation of Markovia, Looker has been cursed with vampirism, Hal is--"
"All things which can be easily rectified, I assure you. In fact, my sources indicate that a reunion of sorts is taking place even now."
"Very well... if this is the course you think best...."
"I do."
"Then let us begin -- and may the heavens have mercy upon us if we fail in our goal."
DC LEGENDS PRESENTS
Part One
"All Together Now...."
MARKOVIA
"Thank you for coming, Jeff. I am certain that Rex would appreciate the time and effort."
Jefferson Pierce, former Olympic gold medalist, strode through the halls of the Markovian palace, feeling strangely out of place in his old Black Lightning garb. These walls spoke of history and great deeds, whereas his attire seemed gaudy and full of pretension. With an easy shrug, Jefferson shook his head. "No great effort, Brion. I'm just glad you managed to get ahold of Rex's body -- I should be able to jumpstart him again with no problem. I mean, it worked twice before when he went inert."
Brion Markov, too, had dispensed with his normal working clothes, preferring to drape his massive form in the yellow and green uniform of Geo-Force. When Rex Mason, Metamorpho, returned from beyond the grave, he wanted the Element Man to be surrounded by familiar forms and faces. "The League was gracious enough to provide me with Rex's body, once Sapphire had granted her permission."
"How is Sapphire?"
"Doing well -- she and Rex's child have been staying with Mr. Stagg these past few months. She wanted to be here today but she wasn't sure she could face the possibility of our little experiment failing. She's lost Rex too many times to count, I'm afraid. Denise has been very fearful for me ever since Rex's accident -- she's terrified that that I'll try to cheat death once too often."
The two old friends stepped into the lab, Jefferson's face parting into a broad grin. "Gaby and Tatsu! I didn't know you were going to be here!"
Gabrielle Doe rushed forward, a small glow about her youthful form. She bounded into Jefferson's grip, hugging him so tightly that she forced all the air out of his lungs. "Jeff! It's soooooooooooooooo great to see you! It's like the whole gang is here again!"
"Heh. Almost." Jeff nodded at Tatsu, who wore her Katana garb with distinction. The samurai maintained a neutral expression, but her eyes shone with amusement. "Tatsu. Always a pleasure."
"The same, Jefferson." Katana cast a glance at the silent form which lay on a lab table nearby, covered by a thin white sheet. "It will be good to see Rex again, as well."
Gaby flared a little brighter as her auras shifted. Her Halo costume, black with swirls of color across the side, formed in place of her jeans and sweater. "Where's Lia, Brion? Is she gonna make it too? And what about Faust? Or Windfall? Or--"
"Gabrielle! Give Brion time to answer," Tatsu sided, chidingly.
With downcast eyes, Halo nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry, Brion."
"It's alright, Gaby. I called everyone, but most of the others either didn't respond or were busy. The Eradicator, for instance, is currently in the custody of Steel, who is seeking a way to restore his humanity." Geo-Force placed a hand on top of the covering sheet and slowly drew it away from Rex's inert form. Metamorpho's skin was a dusky gray in color, with cracks and breaks over most of his body. Brion forced himself to look away, hearing Halo gasp in horror behind him. "Are you ready, Jeff?"
Black Lightning grinned and cracked his knuckles. "As I'll ever be." Spreading his fingers out above the inert form of his old friend, Jeff began summoning the electrical energy that coursed through him. The lights in the room dimmed noticeably and a smell of ozone gave fair warning that something awe-inspiring was about to occur. Two jagged bolts of lightning leapt from his fingertips, jumping through the air and smashing into Metamorpho's form. The body jerked and danced like a puppet on strings, Rex's head flopping back and forth quickly.
In seconds, it was done.
Metamorpho slowly opened his eyes, bolting upright as soon as his head began to clear. "Holy Hannah! What happened? Where's Icemaiden and the gang?"
Jeff leaned close, studying his friend's face. "They're safe, Rex. You brought down the League safe and sound... but you've been out cold for awhile now, my friend."
"Jeff?" Metamorpho stared around the room in shock, his concern mounting. "I'm in Markovia?"
Geo-Force nodded, answering before Jeff could do so. "Indeed. You're safe and sound -- and amongst your friends once more."
Rex Mason started to stammer out more questions, but he was suddenly aware of Halo's arms around his neck, her tears tickling down his elemental body. "Shiny! It's okay -- I'm good as new!"
Katana cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention. "I am very happy that you are alive and well, Rex -- but I came here not only to take part in your resurrection, but also because Halo and I want to see the Outsiders reformed."
Halo agreed, nodding with mounting excitement. "It'll be great, you guys! Tatsu's been miserable without all of you!" Gaby paused, seeing Katana's frown. "Um... Well, okay... I've missed all of you too."
"I'm in." Black Lightning's sudden agreement seemed to shock everyone. With a sheepish grin, he explained "Look... I admit it. Some of the best days of my life were with you guys. We may not have the firepower of the JLA or the legacy of the JSA but, damn it, we've got the coolest threads on the block and we look even better together than apart."
Easy, familiar laughter filled the room, reminding all that Jeff's words were true -- the best days had been spent together.
Jeff looked at Geo-Force. "Brion?"
The muscular hero looked extremely pleased. "Is there any doubt that I would be interested in a rebirth of the team? It was one of my secret goals when I invited everyone here! And since the rest of us are in agreement, that just leaves you, Rex...."
Metamorpho rubbed his chin. "Well... I want to, guys, but I'm not sure about it all. I mean -- I just came back from the dead for the, what, fourth time? I have a wife and kid to think about...."
"Very important concerns to think about, Metamorpho. But one should always realize that the war against crime is never-ending."
The gruff, deep voice that interrupted the group's discussion made almost everyone jump. Geo-Force felt a moment of anger that his palace's defenses could be breached so utterly, but the identity of the man lurking in the shadows made such anger seem silly and misplaced. No one could stop this man for long. "Batman?"
Like a wraith, the Dark Knight Detective appeared from one of the corners of the room. "I hope I'm not an unwelcome guest."
For a moment, the room was silent. It was Rex who answered first. "Nah, Bats. You're always welcome. If it weren't for you, there never woulda been an Outsiders in the first place!"
With an enigmatic smile, Batman moved into the center of the room. "Good. Because I have an offer that you might find intriguing."
LOS ANGELES
Lia Briggs shuddered a bit, the cold air making goosebumps appear on her naked flesh. She was secured tightly to the table, her eyes filled with blood-red tears. Since becoming a vampire, Lia had suffered much, her hunger growing ever stronger. In the end, she'd fled from her only friends, the Outsiders, lest she eventually turn upon them. "When do you start?" she whispered, forcing herself to speak. Talking made the fear subside somewhat.
From the shadows, the bespectacled man grinned. "In a moment, Ms. Briggs. This is a very delicate, and unusual, procedure. Curing you of vampirism is not as easy as performing some kind of simple surgery." The criminal genius known as Dr. Moon came into view, pushing a tray of medical instruments before him. "You made the right decision in seeking me out, however. Many in the medical profession would not be willing to go to the lengths that I have."
Looker stared at him, using her powers to sense his motives. Touching his mind was revolting, as he was filled with lustful and sadistic thoughts. But he's not planning on hurting me, she thought. He knows I can kill him, bonds or no bonds. All it would take is a simple thought... No, he's genuinely interested -- excited -- to have the opportunity to experiment on me like this.
Moon ran his hands over some of the equipment, his thoughts racing. His many criminal experiments had brought him into clashes with Batman again and again over the years, but not even death itself could stem his insatiable curiosity. And now -- to face such a challenge! The joy he felt was almost orgasmic in its intensity!
"You may feel a bit of pain in the initial stages," he began. Moon placed a circular object between her breasts, securing it with tape. "Are you sure you do not wish for anesthetic?"
"No... I want to be clearheaded enough to stop you if you go too far," Lia warned with a glare.
Moon began to nod when he heard a strange sound behind him. "Is someone there?"
"Only a specter of the past, my friend -- one whose time on this Earth should have ended long ago." A shadowy shape loomed forward, suddenly rising up above Dr. Moon. The scientist screamed, thinking it his old foe, the Batman. But it was not....
Looker didn't have time to react, instead caught off-guard as a strangely handsome man with a long white streak down the middle of his otherwise dark hair lunged for Dr. Moon. The dim lights in the room glinted off the stranger's canines as he ripped into Moon's throat. The vampire didn't drink from him, however, instead tossing him aside, gurgling away his own life's blood.
Warm blood splashed down onto Looker's face, making her own hunger rise to the fore. She extended her tongue to lick away at a drop on her lips. "Who are you?"
The vampire smiled, though his eyes failed to show any sign of happiness. Instead, Looker saw only sadness and despair in his visage. "I am Andrew Bennett... and I am here to stop you from making a very tragic mistake."
MARKOVIA
"Organized crime has long since outgrown mere cities -- the mobs of old are now replaced by multinational cartels with cells in almost every major country. The JLA... the Titans... the Justice Squadron... the JSA... All of them deal with large-scale problems very effectively -- but in the real war they are nothing more than passing concerns for most of these cartels." The Batman stood before a round meeting table in the bowels of the Markovian palace. Cups of coffee and steaming hot chocolate sat before most of the Outsiders, but only Halo was actually drinking at the moment. The others were lost in the commanding presence of the Dark Knight.
Katana leaned across the table, her eyes showing an intensity that would have frightened all but the most hardened of men. The Batman didn't even flinch under her gaze. "You speak the truth. Even the Yakuza's influence now extends far beyond the shores of Japan. In recent months, Gabrielle and I have fought them at every turn, but to no avail."
"That's because they're so well funded and so well hidden that it's nearly impossible to see how deep their roots go, Katana." The Batman scanned the room, noting that no one seemed to have any reservations so far. That was good -- this was a talented, capable group of people but they had a headstrong streak in them that sometimes made them difficult to lead. They'd left him twice in the past, because of it. Don't press too hard, he reminded himself. Let their natural instincts to see justice done carry the day. "What I'm proposing is that the Outsiders become a covert extension of my own war in Gotham. You'll be based primarily in Markovia, but I'll be financing your missions to other countries and overseas. There are several groups I'd like to target first, starting with those affiliated with Ra's Al Ghul. I think you'll find, Katana, that many Yakuza operations are in fact financed by Ra's...."
"We have to be free to pick and choose our own missions... and should a conflict arise between what the majority wishes us to do and what you wish us to do, you will have to accept our decisions." Geo-Force tapped the table for emphasis.
To his surprise, the Batman merely nodded. "Agreed."
"Will you be coming along on our missions, Bats?" Metamorpho sat back, transforming his left hand into a pinwheel that slowly turned in the air.
"From time to time. For the most part, however, you'll be on your own."
"I think it sounds great!" Halo beamed. "I can get a private tutor and -- oh, crap." Halo's face fell. "I just got a new boyfriend back in L.A.!"
"You can fly back and forth frequently, Gaby. I have a private jet that you can use when necessary."
"Gee, thanks Brion! I'm cool with it, then."
Tatsu sighed. She didn't want Gaby taking advantage of Brion's thoughtfulness, but she could talk to her young ward later. "I am in agreement, also."
Black Lightning and Geo-Force found themselves nodding as well, leaving only the Element Man undecided. He shrugged. "Why not? As long as you guys know that my first priority is making up all this lost time to Sapph and the baby."
The Batman allowed himself a rare smile. "Then it's settled. I'll be in touch within the next few days -- be ready. Ra's Al Ghul isn't an enemy to be taken lightly."
Jeff Pierce sat back and placed his feet on the table. "A few days, huh? What about it, Brion -- You think this kingdom of yours can throw us a celebratory party to last until then?"
Brion stood up, laughing. "I'm sure that Denise and I can put something together, Jeff. Come, my friends -- let us celebrate the return of the Outsiders!"
NEXT ISSUE: The Outsiders journey outside Markovia at the behest of the Batman, where they come face-to-face with some old foes they thought gone forever! Plus: Looker's vampirism takes a decidedly horrific turn.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Welcome to the first issue of an excitement (I hope) new adventure. The past few months have been busy ones for me, with graduate school and work piling up. As a result, I haven't written very much -- but this was a story I've been aching to tell. The next couple of issues deal with the mysteries regarding our opening and feature more information about Looker's fate.
Don't look for a whole lot of action (i.e. four-color style fisticuffs) in this series -- I'm writing this primarily as escapism for myself and I make no apologies for that. I like characterization and that's what I'll be focusing on.
If you enjoyed this, come back for more next issue.
If you hated it, better luck elsewhere, my friend.
Remember -- Life's short, don't be a jerk.
Barry Reese
01/07/01