As Hal slowly advanced towards the engine room, his ring lighting the way and giving everything a green hue, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on down on Earth. He hadn't heard from Sinestro for a little bit. "Sinestro, buddy, you there?" He asked into his ring.

"I am here, Green Lantern. What information do you require?" the ring responded.

"Nothing at the moment, i just like a familiar voice with me." He replied, hugging a corner, he quickly rounded it, the staff weapon extended, pointing it at anything that had the potential to move. "I fly jets for a living, i'm not used to having nobody right behind me at any given time. We call it Tooth to Tail. For every guy out there fighting, there's usually at least 5 guys supporting us. Plus, i don't know how your people are, but we humans are very social creatures. We like to hear others talking to us."

"We on Korugar aren't so much different." He responded. "Although we are far more united in our beliefs."

"Really?" A creak of the ships superstructure had Hal quickly whip around to check that the arm wasn't sneaking up from behind. Every dust particle, every bit of debris, every single errant twitch of movement setting Hal's fight reflex into overdrive. "I did NOT sign up for this haunted house BS" He growled under his breath.

"My people understand that the only way to get anything done is by putting our entire trust in our strongest leader, to give him the power to protect us from harm." Sinestro responded.

"Wait a second..." Hal stopped. "You guys are Fascists?"

"You misunderstand, Green Lantern. We believe that the will of people is strong, but they require a leader to embody that will and act as our guiding hand. The will of the people is done through him." Sinestro calmly explained.

"Buddy that's..." Hal bit his tongue at this, he needed to concentrate on not dying, not get into a political debate with an alien... But he couldn't help himself entirely. "How do you ensure that your leader is doing the ACTUAL will of the people? Not just going 'I know you can't afford food, but that's because this bunch of people are the REAL problem, lo i have solved the problem by deporting and killing all of them. Doesn't matter that you can afford even less food, trust me the problem is solved.' like every other guy in my planets history in that position has ever done."

"Because my people aren't savages that have barely graduated from banging rocks together as their greatest scientific achievement." There was a twinge of anger in Sinestro's voice, he was hiding it well, but Hal could pick up on it.

"Alright, this is a conversation that can only end in a gunshot. Let's focus on the mission." Hal replied. "Weak Spots of a Manhunter, where do i aim? Neck? Arm Joints? Legs?" Sinestro gave a long exhale.

"None, really. The Guardians built them to take down warlords. No obvious, glaring weaknesses. Any that they may have had, they fixed long ago." Sinestro explained. Hal picked up on the change of tone in his voice.

"So you believe that these Guardians exist?" He asked. "You must be a very spiritual man." He replied, finally getting to the engine room.

"I believe my own eyes. I met one once... Or at least, someone who claimed to be one. Ganthet was his name." Hal looked over the door, pressing the panel next to it. He quickly tried all 3 buttons.

"Oh yeah, did he have a bridge to sell you?" Hal asked, before putting the staff weapon down against the wall and gripping ahold of the door, trying to pull it open, but the lock was far too secure for him to move with just his human strangth. Maybe Dex would be able to get through it, but he couldn't.

"No. Just an idea. That all will be well." Hal looked at the staff, before picking it up and taking aim.

"You said that was the Blue Lantern's saying." Hal replied. "Was he a Blue Lantern?" He then shot at the door, the Manhunter weapon blasting a hole through the physical locking mechanism, Hal then put the staff back down and grabbed the door and beginning to pull again.

"No. If he was, we would have been working together." As the door finally slid open, Hal would hear the sounds of hissing and then faint humming sounds. He quickly grabbed the staff again. "He was a strange one. Nothing like the... What i imagined the others to be like." He replied. Hal may have picked up on the hesitation if he wasn't completely surrounded by what looked like something out of a 1950's Sci-Fi serial.

"By the power of Greyskull..." Hal grunted under his breath.

"I'm not familiar with your Greyskull religious figure. Another like that flying pasta creature?" He asked.

"Never mind." Hal replied, looking around. As he rounded a corner, he came face to face with the advancing Manhunter, completely rebuilt now. CRAP!" He stumbled back and fired a blast from the staff, taking it's left arm off, the manhunter's advance not slowing.

"NO MAN ESCAPES THE MANHUNTERS!" It responded, reaching out with the other hand, but Hal blasted that as well, the hand exploding into pieces. The Manhunter looked down at its lack of limbs, before smashing it's blasted stump into a nearby computer console, the parts of the computer quickly bending and reshaping into a new hand as green energy flowed from it into the bot. Hal blasted it another 3 times, taking massive chunks out, but it seemed to be repairing faster than Hal could destroy it.

"WILL YOU JUST DIE ALREADY!?" He screamed at it in a voice a little less manly than he would have liked, firing a few more times to at least keep it busy. "SINESTRO, HOW DO I STOP IT DOING THAT!?"

"It's channelling Willpower from he ship into itself, try to absorb the willpower in the consoles into your ring instead."

"OK, how?" He asked.

"Same way you always do it. Try thinking for once." Sinestro scolded him, sounding more annoyed that he wasn't thinking logically at a time when a killer robot was trying to rip his spine out and play his ribs like a xylophone. Hal smashed his ring hand into a console

"INBRIGHTESTDAYINBLACKESTNIGHTNOEVILSHALLESCAPEMYSIGHTLETTHOSEWHOWORSHIPEVILSMIGHTBEWAREMYPOWERGREENLANTERNSLIGHT!" He screamed into the computer as green energy began glowing out of the control consoles in the room and into his ring, his aura glowing brighter, at that point, though, the Manhunter realized what was going on and lunged for Hal again, knocking the Staff weapon out of his hand and grabbing him by the once again reformed hands, grasping both of his wrists and holding him up, attempting to pull him in half long-ways. As the green energy flowed from Hal into the Manhunter, the only green sources in the room now being the two of them, Hal breathed hard and, with all of his might placed both boots in the Manhunters face and began pushing. The Green ring glowing brighter as Hal desperately tried to push away, there was a creak of metal tearing and the pair of them quickly became a veritable supernova of green energies. Hal needed to get to that staff weapon and nothing this Manhunter could do would stop him. Finally, with one last roar of defiance from Hal's lungs, the armjoints couldn't take it anymore and Hal fell back onto the floor as he launched himself away from the Robot, its forearms and hands still hanging onto Hal. The Manhunter stopped for a second, seemingly trying to understand how this human had just done that, but Hal quickly pulled the hands off of him, rolled to grab the staff and blasted the Manhunters head off. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Hal screamed at the top of his lungs as he systematically began advancing around the engine room, blasting anything and everything that looked vaguely to be a piece of the Manhunter using the staff weapon. Finally reaching the head. "NO MAN ESCAPES HIGHBALL YOU METAL SONOVA-" One last shot from the staff and the head was vaporized. Hal stood panting heavily "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" He cried out. He then collapsed onto his back and let out a sigh. At that point, an alarm went off, shortly before he heard a few pops and bangs from the ships superstructure. Then, a sound of suction that was quickly cut off. "What the hell now?" Hal sighed, before rolling over and pushing himself to his feet. He looked over at the door to realize there was a green barrier over the door. He raised his ring, only to realize he was back in his S.W.O.R.D. jumpsuit. "Oh, it is just one thing after another." He looked down at his ring and shook it, trying to do anything with it, before tapping the headset he had. "Sinestro, you there?"

"Yes, i am here. Dexter says that the ship has depressurized. You'll need to get out and back to earth as soon as possible to get him out as well."

"No problem, i'm out of juice, but let me recharge." He pressed his ring into the console "In bri-"

"YOU RAN DRY?" Sinestro asked.

"That's a problem?" He replied.

"Big problem, you'll need the Battery to recharge from flat." Hal groaned under his breath again as he slapped both palms onto his face and gripped great handfuls of his eyelids and cheeks, before pulling in frustration.

"Break... Universe... Please... Give."

"The universe can neither be bartered nor reasoned with. Madness is the only result of trying." Sinestro replied. Hal slammed his fist on the console, before something popped up. He read over it. Engine efficiency, fuel reserves, thrust capacity.

"Wait, maybe i can fly the ship down somewhere to be picked up?" He asked, before pressing a few buttons, trying to figure out how to get things working. "Then again, i'm a pilot, not an Astronaut, always wanted to be one, but after that... Yeah, not allowed to talk about that. But i'll need some help."

"I'm afraid that without being able to see what you are seeing, i'll be of little help." Sinestro responded "I don't even know the make and model of the ship." Hal thought for a second and then the lightbulb in his brain lit up.

"Well, i do happen to know an expert on both Aeronautics as well as Astronautics. And i owe her 500 years salary"

---

Metropolis
Christmas Eve
_{Tags: @ThatDeercat @Azure Bubbles @Cyrania}

The Toyman was surprised how easy it was to pilot a reindeer drawn sleigh through the night sky. The reindeer almost moved on instinct alone. He had to stop them from wanting to follow their normal route. When he arrived in US Air Space he managed to avoid their fighter jets. He thought about blasting them out of the sky, but he didn't want anything prolonging his arrival in Metropolis. He knew that his archnemesis was waiting for him and didn't want to give him too much time to prepare.

When Toyman arrived in Metropolis everything was normal at first until he saw a snowstorm raging over only one part of the city. "I see Thor has rolled out the red carpet for me. Good. Saves me the trouble of having to look for you." He flicked the reins against the reindeer urging them to fly faster. As they flew he reached into his bag of goodies to take out some presents for Thor. He pulled back on the reins once they reached the center of the snowstorm. He couldn't really see much in front of him or below him, but he figured that Thor had to be at the center of the snowfall. "Bombs away!" He yelled to no one as he dropped Present Bombs below.

He leaned over the side of the sleigh to see how well his bombs did. Beneath the explosions he noticed a small dome of lightning. He was annoyed by his persistence to stay alive, but there was no way he'd be able to keep that up forever. He continued to drop bombs down to weaken or nullify the barrier and didn't notice when Starfire flew up from the ground. But he did notice a light overhead thinking it was another one of those jets that followed him here. He stopped dropping bombs and reached into his bag to pull out a toy gun made of nth metal and was about to fire it at the persistent jet when the sleigh was shot by bolts of energy. He jerked to the side of the sleigh and the reindeer kept it stable in the air.

That clearly wasn't a fighter jet and Toyman knew that wasn't Thor's own energy. It was a completely different color. Then he remembered the arrival of an alien on the news that Thor discovered and helped. Great. It was already frustrating to have to fight one super being, now he had to worry about another. He stood up and aimed his gun at the flying lite brite and fired a beam of energy fueled by the nth metal in the gun.

Meanwhile on the ground Thor noticed that the presents stopped falling. "Starfire must have been successful at distracting him." He said as he turned to Zach. "You can drop the decoys for now. We can't be having you pass out." Thor dissipated the dome of lightning over them and wondered what he should do next. If he left Zach alone on the ground he worried about what'd happen to him from a stray attack, but he also wasn't sure if he should leave Starfire up there by herself. He looked up and focused through the snow and saw a beam of energy blasting through the air. On instinct he launched himself in the air to block the beam from hitting Starfire.

Thor flew directly in the path of the beam before it could reach her. He planned to smack it aside with Mjolnir, but was only fast enough to place himself in between the two. He was shot directly in the chest and felt a pain similar but different to that of the Destroyer Armor. Thor felt weakened as if his power itself was being drained from the attack. He fell to the ground like a meteorite creating a small crater in Centennial Park. As he fell the snowstorm faded to leave clear skies above Metropolis once again.

Toyman jumped and yelled with glee. "I did it! I defeated Thor! This is the best Christmas ever!"

M A R T I A N M A N H U N T E R
M A R T I A N M A N H U N T E R

CENTENNIAL PARK
Manhattan, New York City
Christmas Eve
Mention: _{@ThatDeercat @Azure Bubbles @King Kindred}

The exploding packages fell, lighting up the area with sound and flame! J'onn couldn't help it. He immediately dived to the ground and covered his head, the screams of his wife mixed in with the screams of the innocents as they were set ablaze. Did he scream himself? He wasn't sure. If he did, the falling explosions seemed to have covered it. But then the bombs stopped, and for a moment, the ringing died away as J'onn finally started to come back to the present. Only in time to hear a sound like a laser bolt, then the thud of a body on the ground. He jerked up. What had he missed?! Then there in the snow was Thor, far too still.

The man overhead laughed with glee. "I did it! I defeated Thor! This is the best Christmas ever!"

J'onn then looked up in the air at the one within the flying sled. And his eyes blazed red as his true form rippled out. How dare he...How dare he?!

In a blink, the Manhunter shot up towards his prey, tackling him to the bottom of the sleigh, snarling like some wild thing. "You have much to answer for, Mr. Toyman. The thought intruded into the Toymaker's mind, a sudden mental punch seeking to distract as the Manhunter wrestled to grab his hands. "Or should I say...? He dug around deeper, letting the pain build as he went. "Winslow Schott"

Atop the New York skyline, something was stirring. The cocoon than had been woven previously of ethereal webbings was finally finishing its gestation. From the shadows, the compound eyes stared at it. "Part 1 of the plan finally comes to fruition..." The crackling voice giggled in excitement. Curious exactly what kind of response the Web of Life would send to this unknown intruder. "Yes, little antibody. Target that which you cannot comprehend. Focus all your efforts on it." It giggled. Suddenly, a clawed hand lashed from the webbing, followed by 4, hairy, spider-like legs "Oh... Wasn't expecting that." It laughed.

Bailey, Christina and Simm sat as Bailey had just finished explaining his run in with Banjo. "When i saw the news segments, i put some people to work on him. But if he can really track every time you transform, then we've got to be ready for him any time. You may want to step back on the transforming to deal with the little stuff for the time being, let the other heroes deal with the street stuff." He waved his hand and a holographic keyboard appeared. Pressing in a few commands, a dossier appeared "Kurt Filpot. Luckily, he said his name outloud, so it wasn't exactly hard. Seems like a nobody, frankly. Had a band, it failed to lift off, so he did what any other sane, rational failed musician would do.

"Join the freakin' KKK! Because of course you do!" Christina replied. Simm pressed a few more buttons and his actual list of associates appeared.

"Not quite, but close enough. Apparently he got kicked out of the new Silver Legion for idea's far too radical. Even the Friends of Humanity rejected this guy. Apparently, Mutant Xenophobia and Racial Xenophobia don't quite mix."

"You mean this guy was too nuts for the racists?" Christina asked.

"Guys..." Bailey quietly mumbled. He was feeling a little ill. Something was happening and he didn't quite understand what. Like, it felt like he was walking through the middle of Times Square when suddenly all traffic and pedestrians had suddenly come to a halt and everyone was staring at him, no matter where he walked, no matter what he did, they just stood there staring.

"It's not uncommon. Most groups like this are full of all-talk, but when someone with any actual ambition comes along, they shun him." Simm responded, before suddenly, he felt it too. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Ok, so we make a trap for him. What do we have that counters magical banjo's? Magical Harpcicord? Magical Harmonica? No, that'd resonate. Oh, Magical Bagpipes, that'll show him..." Christina then noticed the other two were seemingly motionless. Simm suddenly stared directly at Bailey.

"Oh... That cannot be good..." He grunted. Christina shook Bailey's shoulder.

"What? What can't be good? Bail, you good?" Simm slowly collapsed back into his chair. "Oh great, is this some kind of Spider-thing? Because i cannot deal with you two if you suddenly go rabid on me."

"You may have to." Simm responded. Bailey suddenly jumped to his feet. As the bolt of lightning hit him, he stood up. Simm grabbed the side of his head.

"Bailey... I don't want to alarm you... But i suddenly have this overwhelming urge to kill you." He growled. "Something deep down in my subconscious... It tells me that you are a threat to everyone and everything... That you must..." He raised his fist and slammed it into the console, before getting up, walking with jerking movements over to the desk and pulling out something. "Find whatever's doing this to us..." He growled, before riffling through the drawer. Bailey was about to approach, before the hand shot up. "IF YOU COME OVER HERE, I WILL TRY TO KILL YOU!" He roared in a voice Bailey had NEVER heard from him before. He took a step back. "FIND WHATEVER'S DOING THIS AND SHUT IT DOWN!" He then pulled on a strange glove and grabbed his own face, electricity flowing directly into him, he then fell flat across the desk. Bailey rushed over to him and put fingers on his neck. He still had a pulse, not dead. He had knocked himself out.

"What in the heck?" He asked. He then looked over at Christina to see she was gone. "CHRISTINA!!!" He yelled. "ALRIGHT, BANJO, SHOW YOURSELF! IF YOU HARM A HAIR ON HER HEAD, YOU WON'T NEED TO MAKE AN ILLUSION TO SEE ME RIP YOUR SPINE OUT!" He roared. His ears then picked up the muffled cries of someone, shooting up through the open ceiling, he landed on the roof to see Christina had been almost entirely cocooned in webbing, attached to the door to the roof. Bailey zipped towards her and removed the webbing from her mouth.

"I AM SICK OF BEING WEBBED!" She screamed in frustration. "IT'S NOT FU-BAILEY LOOK OUT!" Bailey turned to see nothing. "ABO-" His eyes shot up to see something descending towards him having just jumped out of view. Crashing into him, the pair tumbled towards the edge of the roof, Bailey delivered a hard kick, sending it flying, but not before webbing attacked to his leg and he was dragged with his own inertia. flying several blocks before the pair of them landed on the tracks of the over-street Metro system, just as a train was passing on the opposite track. The live-rail seemed to conduct with the yellow lightning bolt on his chest, sparks and arcs moving between them and the rail, but apart from a mild tingling sensation, it didn't really hurt him all that much. He looked over at the assailant, only to see it having slung a web to grapple to the side of the train and use its speed as a catapult to launch it straight at Captain Marvel. Marvel put his hands up to block, but was sent flying by the kick and landed further down the track, ahead of the train. He was quickly back to his feet and flew up high, seeing the creature for what it was as it got to the roof of the train. It was a humanoid-spider-like creature. With 2 clawed hands, 2 clawed feet and 4 large, spider-like legs coming from its back. It shot out the clawed hands and webs flew at him again. He tried to fly away, but the 4 spider-like legs from the creatures back dug into the solid metal train and the web connected anyway. As Bailey flew up high, he didn't realize that the trains rear wheels were coming with him, until he heard the grinding of metal, turning back, he saw that the train was continuing to go, but with him now holding the back carriage with it's bogey having completely derailed. He quickly stopped trying to fly away and tried desperately to manuever himself to maneuver the train back onto the track without any problems, but the creature was trying to reel him in like a fish on a hook and the constant movement meant he wasn't able to keep balance. With one particularly hard jerk of him being yanked towards the creature, the back carriage swung wide and began taking out the line-side signals and railings. Screams could be heard from within.

As the screams rang out, Marvel saw the creatures face change entirely, it seemed to ignore him for the moment, before letting go of the webbing and jumping in through one of the windows of the train about to smash into a lamp-post and crashing out the other-side with a woman and her baby in its arms, landing safely on the street bellow in one swift movement. That was one of the moves Simm had taught Bailey. Unfortunately, with the letting go of the web and the Spider-monster no longer serving as an anchor, the back-half of the train began to pull the second to last car off the tracks. "NONONONONONONONONO!!!" Marvel shot down to the street to catch the train underneath as it tried to pull the second car off the tracks, the train feeling not particularly heavy for him, but at this point he was used to it. But this was a domino effect, the inertia had already kicked in and this whole train was coming down. Now was the time for a magic spell if he knew one. Spells flooding his mind, but none of them he had the immediate ingredients for, but suddenly, the second, car began righting itself as the whole train seemed to grind to a halt. Flying upwards to put the train back on the tracks, he looked ahead to see the Spider-creature had webbed the entire train to one of the adjacent buildings, which had stopped it and prevented the others from falling. He looked at the Spider-creature as it finished securing the last load of webs. He put the two fingers to the tip of his brow as the two fingered salute of respect... Only for a second later to realize that last web that was securing the train, wasn't actually securing the train, but launching another attack directly at him. As it licked into him again, sending him smashing through the windows of the building behind him, through a lift-shaft and out the other side, before he saw the creature after him again.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" He yelled at it. The clawed hands swiped, scratching his face, he then punched it hard across its mandible-filled jaws, sending it spiralling away, but using the inertia, it spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick to Marvel, sending him against another wall. People in the streets were running away, or grabbing their phones to record. The creature then spun and kicked him again, throwing him away from the wall and into the middle of the street where a car slammed into him. This didn't hurt him, but the cars front crumpled into a perfect Captain Marvel shaped dent. The creature speared him across the chest and forced him to the ground, webbing shooting to pin his fists and then feet to the ground. He attempted to pull free, but the webbing was strong... Too strong for even Hercules It crawled atop him, slashing at the lightning bolt on his chest, but gold lightning zapped its hand, it recoiled in pain.

"SAY MY NAME BOY!" A voice called out. But he was in the middle of the street, he wasn't wearing his mask when he transformed. "SAY MY NAME!" The voice again, it was that of the Wizard. The spider-creature clawed his face, he screamed out in pain. He was expecting to revert to his child-form, being much smaller, it would be out of the bonds... But that's not what happened. As the lightning bolt slammed into the Spider, he saw glimpses of beyond the infinite. A vast spider-web, millions of faces, so many people, so many faces and then the compound eyes. Then, a split second later, he was back in the street. The lightning had burned away the webbing and now the creature was slumped across him. Picking it up, he flew it back towards the labs. Securing it in a specimen holding cell, he got Christina down and then woke up Simm, before he transformed back into Bailey.

As the trio stood staring at the creature on the other side of the glass. "WHAT IN THE... FUDGE MUFFINS IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE!?!?!?" He screamed at Simm. "IT MADE YOU WANT TO KILL ME, IT TRIED TO KILL ME, THEN IT SAVED A BUNCH OF PEOPLE THAT IT PUT IN DANGER. WHAT THE HELL?"

"Come on, you're the one with the Spider-Science-Magics thing, you tell us." Christina joined in.

"I want to know too..." Simm replied. He leaned into the glass and looked at the sleeping creature. "What the hell could make me react like that?" He asked. "Leave him with me, i'm gonna get some of my people to do some genetics testing." As the creature suddenly began to stir, Simm grabbed the glove and pulled it to his face again, in case it happened again. The creature seemed to look around, no aggressive movements from it. Simm slowly lowed the glove. "My senses aren't telling me it has any aggressive intent..." He whispered. The Spider slowly approached the glass and looked directly at Bailey. It then extended a finger and scratched a lightning bolt into the glass across where his chest was from his point of view.

"Yeah, i'm that guy you tried to kill." Bailey replied. The Spider then hunched over, its body seemed to flex, crack, change, bones appearing and disappearing, the 4 legs retracting into its back with sickening crunching, its head changing to be more human, shaped, ginger locks growing out at an alarming rate, until suddenly it stood there. Some kind of bastardization of Bailey's form. It's eyes were more spider-like, 2 small white orbs, hits fingers looking more like a spiders with the hooked claws sticking out, its ears were also longer, almost elf-like. They reminded him of something that he had seen in the Fate's Weeve. it was completely naked and raised a hand to wave. to Bailey.

"OH MY GOD IT'S A BODY SNATCHER! IT'S A BOY BODY SNATCHER! IT'S A... IT'S A BOYDY SNATCHER!!!" Christina screamed. "WHERE'S THE CAN OF RAID! WE NEED TO KILL IT BEFORE IT MULTIPLIES!!!" Christina searched around, frantically. Meanwhile, Bailey slowly approached the glass, putting his own hand up, the creature putting its hand to meet his through the glass.

"I don't think so... When i zapped it, i got a look at... Something that was... in its memories, probably. I think it probably got a look at mine too." The creature opened its mouth to reveal sharp rows of shark-like teeth, much like his own extended canine. It then looked at the frantically searching Christina as their eyes met.

"B... Boyd...y..." It said, sort of sounding like Bailey's voice, but almost as if he wasn't used to using words. "Boyd... Me... I... Am... Boyd..."

---

Gotham City
December 20th

Klaus Weber walked through the dark and cold streets of downtown Gotham. The holidays were always a sad time in the city. Crime was always more rampant this time of the year, reminding the citizens just how much poor and desperate most of the citizens were compared to the one percent who had everything. Klaus was someone who had lost everything over a year ago when he became a victim of the Joker's venom. He survived the attack, but he wished that he hadn't. His medical bills put him in so much debt and made him fall so behind in his bills. He lost his home and his sanity followed shortly after. As he lived on the streets he couldn't stop hearing voices and seeing what felt like memories, but weren't his own.

He turned to drinking to drown out the constant noise, but after a while even that stopped working. Tonight he was at his wit's end. He drank the last dregs of his Olde English and grunted in annoyance. "Worthless piece of shit." He muttered to himself, unsure if he was talking about the liquor or himself. The sound of a bell's chime caught his attention. He looked up to see a Salvation Army Santa ringing that stupid bell. It felt louder in his head than it actually was. "Hey," he said. "Stop that incessant ringing." He was ignored and this angered him even more. He was about to yell at him to stop when he felt another attack coming on. He saw another memory. This one was the most disturbing one yet. He saw an innocent child having that innocence snatched from them. Why was he seeing this? The memory skipped forward as if responding to his own thoughts and revealed a man looking in a bathroom mirror as he washed his hands. He recognized that face... The memory faded and Klaus was able to focus again. He looked at the fake Santa in front of him. "You..."

Klaus ran up to him and smashed his Olde English bottle over his head. "You filthy bastard." He cursed as he spat on him and pulled into the alley he just passed.

---

Christmas Eve

For the past four days bodies have been dropping all around downtown Gotham with the word, "Naughty" carved into their chests with a knife. Witnesses reported seeing a man dressed in a Santa suit fleeing from the bodies. Because of this news outlets began calling him Killer Santa. Batman had been investigating the murders trying to find a connection between the victims, but there was none. They were all strangers, but then he found out one victim was an ex-convict who served time for second-degree murder and was recently released. That couldn't have been a coincidence so he decided to dive deeper into the other victims. The first victim was volunteering with the Salvation Army when he was killed but after hacking into his computer Thomas found some disturbing things. But how did the killer know about this? Everything that he investigated about the murder showed that it was an unplanned crime of opportunity.

He thought about the uptick of people with powers in Gotham lately and came up with a theory. The killer could be a mutant with the power to read people's minds and see the crimes they committed. That was a dangerous power to have in downtown Gotham and use as a vigilante of justice. If this Killer Santa continued down this path even the reformed or those who made a terrible mistake that they regret and changed from wouldn't make it under his watchful eye. Had he not killed someone who served his time and was on a path of bettering himself Thomas might have left him alone, but he couldn't sit back while the city was living in fear and kids were losing hope in good.

Batman and Robin were patrolling in the Batmobile when they noticed man in a Santa suit walking like he was on a mission. On closer inspection they noticed the white of his suit was stained with blood.



"Batman! It's him." Robin called out just before the Batmobile came to an abrupt stop. The roof of the car opened and pulled back allowing the Dynamic Duo to jump out and confront Santa.

"Hey, friend." Batman said calmly as they approached.

Klaus turned and smiled when he noticed the two heroes. "Oh wow. I never imagined I'd get to team-up with the Batman and Robin. You two like my work? I've been cleaning the streets of all these naughty and filthy people."

Batman paused. Was this what he was inspiring? Until now he never questioned his methods. He had even forsaken his oath as a doctor. He knew he was getting rid of the worst of the worst, but was what he doing actually making Gotham better? Now wasn't the time to have a crisis of conscience. "I'm sorry, but that's not what we're here for. We're here to put an end to your killing spree."

Klaus was confused. "But... we're doing the same thing."

"We're not." Batman retorted. "You killed a man who had already served his time and was working to be better. I kill those who the justice system doesn't hold accountable. Those who control the city with money and power. Those who destroy lives with no thought of remorse or change. Your crusade started righteously, but now you're just killing everyone you deem to be guilty."

"But... I see them. I see the things that they hide from the world. Their dark sins. I see you too, Batman. Thomas Wayne. I see you, your wife, and your boy in that alley. I see the moment you started down your dark path. You saved me, Batman. I would have died if it wasn't for you. Now I save others by erasing the evil of this city."

Batman realized he was right about his powers. He was a telepath and it unnerved him that he was able to peer into his mind like that. But what struck him more was that he saved him. He looked closer at his face underneath the lamplight. He recognized his face. He was a victim of the Joker. He got him to a hospital before her venom killed him. He felt responsible for him. He didn't want to kill him. He meant well, but it was clear that the venom broke him. He wondered if it even triggered his powers, but that wasn't important right now.

"I'm glad I could save you. That's all I want to do. To save the people of this city, but you need help, Klaus. You're not well. Put down the knife and let me help you."

"You--- you know my name?" Klaus had almost forgotten his name this past year. He was just a wandering soul lost in this big city. His mind was drowning in liquor and in the memories of others that it was hard to remember which ones were his. Klaus looked down at the knife and then at Batman. "No. You don't want to help me. You want to lock me up." He charged forward with his knife aiming to slash the Batman's throat.

Batman was unphased and didn't move. He didn't need to. Robin noticed earlier how Klaus's focus was entirely on Batman and used the opportunity to sneak around and behind him. The moment that Klaus moved to attack Robin knocked him out with a double hammer fist to the back of his head. "Are you okay?" Robin asked Batman.

"I'm... I'm not sure, Robin. Help me get him into the car."

H O L I D A Y S P E C I A L #002
H O L I D A Y S P E C I A L #002

Starfire had trained for this for most of her life. Aerial combat was her bread-and-butter, so to speak. She was fast and capable on the ground, of course, but the sky was her home turf. Star bolts charged in her fists, ready to shoot down the Toyman as he whipped around to point a weapon at her. At this distance in the dark, she couldn’t tell much besides the fact it was a gun, and beyond that it didn’t really matter. Starfire was prepared to fire her own bolts in response, already twisting her body to make an evasive manoeuvre as the weapon flashed with a bright light.
Time seemed to slow impossibly, fractions of a second stretching into minutes as the energy beam didn’t graze past her like she’d expected. It didn’t hit her either. Something got in the way, something Thor-sized. The realisation hit her too slow as she watched him drop to the ground like dead weight. He’d taken the hit, not realising she was already prepared for it.
”THOR!” she screamed after him.

Dragging her attention back to Toyman as he loudly celebrated his triumph, she unleashed a barrage of star bolts hoping to distract him long enough to get to Thor on the ground. Not only was he vulnerable, but so was Zach now that Thor was down.

Starfire turned and dove toward the ground, only slowing right as she touched down to avoid risking any more harm to Thor as she landed right next to him. Settling to her knees, she quickly looked him over in search of obvious injuries - blood, broken bones, anything that would indicate the damage done by Toyman’s weapon.
”That was beyond the realm of stupidity!” she berated, though there was no bite to her words.

The Toyman still needed to be stopped, and as much as she wished she could put this battle on pause to take Thor to a doctor, that wasn’t in the cards. Someone needed to take control of that sleigh and bring him down to the ground so he could be arrested.

Turning to look for Zach, she called him over, ”Zach! Can you look after him? Toyman must be stopped here. He’s too dangerous.”

She stood again, she looked to the sky and could see the sleigh wasn’t flying in the same clear, smooth arc it had been. Something was disrupting them above, but she wasn’t going to assume it would be enough to ground him.

Pushing off the ground again, this time she aimed for the lead reindeer. Surely Toyman wouldn’t be stupid enough to shoot near the reindeer and risk killing one. Starfire slowed as she approached the first, it’s eyes looking wild and panicked. They followed their training and obeyed the pull of the reins, but they were spooked by being off course in the middle of a snowstorm. Starfire made soothing sounds, gently cooing as she took hold of the lead reindeer’s halter and started to tug, redirecting them to bring the sleigh down to ground where perhaps she’d be able to get control of the situation much easier than in the sky.

ᛒ ᛟ ᚲ # 0 0 2
ᛒ ᛟ ᚲ # 0 0 2

The police station was pretty much as quiet as one might expect from a small town. Keyboards were clacking as officers typed up reports and there were a couple of kids waiting to be booked in for what looked to be a minor shoplifting incident. He felt kind of bad for them - they were barely teenagers - but there wasn’t much he could do for them, and as the old adage goes, ‘Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.’ Sometimes it took a minor run-in with the cops to shake a kid straight again.

Walking confidently up to the front desk, he took a moment to peek at the receptionist’s name on the display plaque, “Hi, Lisa! Quiet day?”

Looking up from her monitor, she puzzled over his face as if trying to decipher if she knew him, “It was real busy here this morning. Can I help you with something?”

Vilhelm nodded and slid his press pass across the desk, “I’m looking for some press release packets for the recent disappearances in Olympic Forest. Can you get me hooked up with your PR team?”

Lisa gave him a small laugh, “We don’t have a PR department. I can see if the detective on the case is in right now, or at least get you his phone number so you can give him a call if he’s not.”

“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks, Lisa,” Vilhelm nodded, flashing her a friendly smile as she stepped away from the desk.

Vilhelm shifted his weight slightly as he waited, pulling his phone out to flip through the existing articles about the missing persons cases. All of them the same - last spotted with a woman with long blonde hair entering Olympic National Forest. None of the articles shared enough information about the victims to formulate a connection between them, but Vilhelm was fairly certain he was dealing with a Huldra. The only thing that didn’t make sense was why she was disappearing men - Huldra were generally kind and would even watch over those who lived in or near the forests. He couldn’t fathom what would turn one so violently against humans.

Beside him, a door opened and a tired-looking man stepped through, his gaze falling onto Vilhelm, “Jackson?”

Vilhelm shoved his phone back into his pocket, “Yeah, that’s me!” He offered his hand to the detective to shake, “Jackson Wells, The Whatcom Weekly Record.”

“Jeez, kid, you made one hell of a drive to come out here in person,” the detective took his hand and gave it a good shake before stepping aside to let him into the back. “I’m Detective Collins. Been on the case from day 1. I hear you’re looking for the press release?”

“I don’t mind the drive honestly,” Vilhelm lied with a shrug, “My editor recently put me on an assignment to cover a monthly crimes report and given the popularity of Olympic, it seemed worth checking it out.”
“Seems a little morbid, but what do I know?” Detective Collins sighed. “I think I’ve got a few more copies here at my desk I can give you.”

“Anything new you can tell me? Do you have a suspect in custody?” Vilhelm pressed.

The detective shook his head disappointedly, “I wish. The suspect has been elusive - we haven’t been able to get a clear look at her face, and all of the leads so far have turned up nothing. It’s like we’re chasing a spirit, or something…”

Vilhelm had to stifle a chuckle because he was pretty sure they were, but police weren’t equipped to deal with the mythical. Detective Collins wasn’t looking at him, though, and didn’t notice the mask almost slip as he rifled through tall stacks of case files and reports and a to-go box that looked old enough to vote.

Rising triumphantly with a fistful of papers, the detective offered them to Vilhelm, “This should be everything we’ve released so far on the three missing persons.”

“Thanks, detective. I really appreciate it. Any chance I could get your card in case I have any questions? I don’t want to keep you,” Vilhelm asked as he took the packets, already flipping through the details. Nothing he didn’t already know, honestly, but he hoped to find something buried that would help him connect the dots.

“Sure, kid,” he said, pulling out a card wallet and handing him one. “Let me walk you out.”

“Thanks. Hey, have you guys found any connections between the victims?” Vilhelm asked as they walked back toward the front door.

“Nothing super solid, but they’d all worked in the lumber industry at some point in the last five years.”

Bingo.

Huldra’s were protective of their forests, and commercial lumber would feel like a threat to them even if it was done ethically. Who wouldn’t turn rabid if their home was in danger? And spirits were incredibly volatile, so it wasn’t surprising she had escalated so quickly.

“Huh. Interesting,” he said noncommittally. “Thanks for the help, detective. I appreciate it.”

Next stop? Heading out to the forest to see if he could draw the Huldra out to confront her.

---

Gotham City
Christmas Eve
_{Collab With: @ThatDeercat}

The drive home from the Asylum was mostly quiet. Thomas found himself deep in thought and Dick could tell. He could tell that Klaus's words were eating away at him. No one had caused him to question his path or ideals like he did. Not even the police. If Dick were being honest, he was glad that Thomas was starting to question who the Batman was or was becoming. It's the whole reason he became Robin. He wanted to show him there was another way.

As they entered the cave Dick broke the silence by asking Thomas, “So… Do you think they took down the fake Santa and saved the real one, yet?”

“Hmm?” Thomas asked as he was brought back to reality. “Maybe. You'll have to go to sleep if you want to find out.”

“Awww, man. This early?” Dick groaned.

“You do need to start adjusting your sleep schedule back for school.” Thomas answered as they parked.

“Ugh. Fine. You're right.” He relented as he hopped out of the Batmobile.

In the back, tucked behind the seats carefully out of the line of sight from the rear view mirror, Jason almost felt bad for eavesdropping. The guilty feeling quickly faded, though, when he reminded himself how long he’d been waiting for this opportunity. What better way to prove himself to the Batman than sneak up on the stealthiest guy in Gotham? It certainly wasn’t easy, but after one failed attempt that sent him scurrying for the shadows before he got caught, he’d learned the Batmobile’s security system had only been tuned to recognise adults as a threat and not kids. Probably a safety measure meant to keep it from reacting to Robin, but a flaw was a flaw. Exploiting said flaw while Batman and Robin were thoroughly occupied by Evil Santa Claus was a piece of cake now that he knew how to avoid triggering any of the security measures.

As Robin opened up and hopped out, Jason finally stretched out from his hiding spot, “Jeez- It took ya long enough. Hey, you guys know there’s a major security flaw in the Batmobile, right?”

Thomas whipped his neck around so fast that he almost snapped it. He couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed the kid this whole time. How long had he been hiding back there? Was he near the Asylum or had he been hiding ever since they confronted Klaus? Was he that out of it tonight? He was about to yell at the kid when he recognized his face, but mostly that red head of hair. His name was… Jason. Selina had been watching him for a while. He remembered saving his mom from her abusive drug dealer.

Dick did a one-eighty twirl upon hearing a new voice coming from the Batmobile. It was a kid a few years younger than him by the looks of it. He was scrawny and looked like he was in need of a good meal and some new clothes. He glanced up at Thomas to see what he was going to do or say.

“I do now.” Batman finally answered. “I hope you enjoyed your ride. I'm taking you back home.”

“So…couple of flaws in that plan: 1) I know the streets of Gotham like the back of my hand. There’s no route you could drive me that I wouldn’t be able to find my way back here, and 2) gotta have a home to take me to. I’m kinda your problem now,” Jason shrugged, already climbing out of the car and into the cave. He looked around, eyes wide as he took it all in. “Wow….Cool!”

Turning on his heel, he looked at Robin who seemed thoroughly puzzled by the situation and at a loss for what to do. Jason stuck out his hand in a friendly offer to shake, “Jason Todd, street rat extraordinaire.”

Dick looked at Jason's hand and then at Jason's face. He was a nice kid at least. He extended his hand and shook his. “Dick Grayson of the Flying Graysons. Nice to meet you, Aladdin.”

“Robin!” Batman called out in a deep voice to intimidate both boys in this situation.

“What? You heard him. He probably knows who we are already. Plus, I've always wanted a little brother.”

Thomas sighed. Both boys were unfortunately right. It'd be a lot more trouble playing the game Jason undoubtedly was willing to play of sneaking his way back here every time he was dropped off. The streets of New Jersey were also cold this Christmas and he didn't feel comfortable leaving him to fend for himself in this kind of weather. “Fine.” He relented. “You can stay here for now. It's Christmas after all. Dick, can you take him upstairs and show him to a room and bathroom so he can get cleaned up and ready for bed? Also, send Alfred down, please.”

Dick nodded. “You got it. Come on, Jason!”

If Jason was being honest, he did not expect it to be this easy, but apparently bullying the Batman and making friends with his kid sidekick was all it took. Jason did a little fist pump, hissing triumphantly, “Yes!” And then, thinking better of it, “Thank you, Mr. Batman.”

Admittedly he didn’t actually know their secret identities already, but he decided that was probably a fact better kept to himself for now. As he followed Dick upstairs, his head was on a swivel the entire time. The cave was jam packed with gadgets and gizmos and training equipment, but the upstairs was more opulent than anything he’d ever seen before. Most of all, it was warm. He shuddered, relieved to be off the Gotham streets for at least a night, but hopefully more. He felt a little bad that his mom was still out there, probably sprawled out on a dirty mattress in some run down old drug den out of her mind. But maybe, just maybe, he could better his own circumstances and, in turn, do something to better hers.

Thomas watched the two run upstairs and sighed before finally getting out of the Batmobile. He walked over to the Batcomputer and called out to it. “Batcomputer. Call Selina Kyle.”

Dick watched Jason as they entered the mansion. He remembered his first time in the mansion. It was a huge culture shock for him as well, having only lived in a trailer at Haly's. But Jason had even less than that. He hoped that Thomas would let him stay for good. They were meant to save lives and make sure the people of Gotham were safe and happy. He knew it was unrealistic for them to adopt every kid who lived on the streets, but not every kid could sneak around and catch Batman and Robin off guard.

He saw Alfred before they reached the stairs leading to the second floor and introduced him to Jason before telling him that Thomas wanted to see him down in the cave.

Alfred was surprised at the sight of Jason and that Dick was still running around in his costume in front of him. It looked like he was going to have one more mouth to feed and that left him warm inside. He missed cooking for a family of three, but no matter how many joined their family he still missed having Martha and Bruce at the dinner table. Before he could get dragged down memory lane he made his way to the Batcave.

---

"Alright, Selina, but if he ends up putting himself or identities at risk I'm dropping him off with you." Thomas said before hanging up with a sigh. He was not planning to adopt another kid, but having known Jason's situation he felt like he had no other choice. He didn't want to feel like he was using these boys as a replacement for Bruce. It was already hard enough trying to convince Dick that that wasn't the case.

Alfred came from behind him and placed a saucer and a cup of tea on the desk next to Thomas. "Planning to get rid of him already, Master Thomas?"

Thomas picked up the cup of tea and turned around in his chair. "No, I don't know. I just wasn't expecting to adopt another kid for Christmas. But he has no one. His mom... His mom's not suitable to raise him and Selina informed me that he's run away from every home that's taken him in since the state took him in. Plus, Dick's already treating him like his little brother. I just don't want to bring another kid into this war. I already struggle with letting Dick be Robin."

"No one says that you have to let him take part of your war on crime. Just let him enjoy the life of luxury."

Thomas gave Alfred a look before sipping his tea. "No kid raised by the Batman would want to just sit out. Look at how persistent Dick was."

"You're the adult, yes? Your say goes. Don't give in until you believe that he's ready."

"That'd probably be easier said than done, but you're right. Can you get him a fresh tootbrush and a pair of Bruce's old pajamas? I'll see to getting him some more clothes later."

Alfred nodded before turning to head back upstairs.

---

Dick led Jason upstairs until he reached his room. “This is my room. You can take the one next to it. There's a bathroom with a bathtub and shower that connects the two. I'm not always home so you'll have it to yourself mostly if you end up staying. You'll probably find a fresh pair of clothes in your room once you get out of the shower. So, what do you think so far?”

There were so many doors to so many rooms that Jason was honestly glad Dick gave him the one next door to his. This was the kind of place he thought he could get lost looking for the bathroom. The concept of this much wealth was virtually unfathomable to Jason - they even had a butler, something that seemed so impossibly out of reach to him.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Jason spoke candidly, “Honestly? Didn’t really think I’d get this far. This place is a little overwhelming; I dunno what I was expecting, but I don’t think it was this.”

Curiously, he peeked into the bathroom and his eyes almost fell out of his head. It was so clean. It was nothing like the showers at the shelters - sparkling white tiles, two sinks, and a completely separate shower and bath.

“Whoa. You live like this…every day?!” He tried not to sound so starstruck, but he couldn’t help himself. Never in his wildest imagination did he think he’d step foot in a place like this. And then shame kicked in. Sure, he played the proud street rat with all the bravado of Aladdin, but there was a level at which he knew he was dirty and dressed in rags that made him undesirable to most people. He didn’t belong in a place like this, but he’d come too far to turn back now. “I’m kinda a mess - you sure it’s okay I use this bathroom?” he asked sheepishly.

Dick shook his head. “Not every day. When I'm not out patrolling or on break, I stay at Gotham Academy. But of course it's okay for you to use the bathroom. You heard the big man downstairs. When he adopted me I still smelled of elephant poop and blood. You're not judged on how you look or where you come from here.” He understood Jason's reservations. This was all overwhelming to him when he got here as well. He hadn't expected to live anywhere besides the circus and then he was thrust into a mansion in the wealthiest part of town. It was a huge adjustment.

Damn, Jason thought to himself, a private prep school, too? Dick really has landed on his feet after the massacre at Haly’s Circus. Jason wasn’t expecting any of that from Thomas, but he wanted to help the Batman just like he’d helped Jason’s mom. Returning the favour, as it were, or maybe just trying to do something more worthwhile with his life than scrounging for scraps.

“Right, yeah, duh,” Jason laughed dryly. He opened the bathroom door a little more and stepped halfway in, “I guess I’ll see you in the morning?"

Closing the door behind him, he took a moment to get his bearings before grabbing a fresh towel from the shelf and making a beeline for the shower. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel rushed. He took his time scrubbing the dirt from under his nails and actually getting his hair clean. He felt a little bad for having to use what he presumed were Dick’s toiletries, but it’s not like he’d brought his own.

By the time he stepped out of the shower, the bathroom was full of warm steam. On the counter, someone had sneakily left out a fresh toothbrush for him; he hadn’t even noticed anyone entering, he was so caught up in how good the hot water felt. In the bedroom, Jason found a set of what had to be the nicest pyjamas he’d ever seen. He traced his fingers over the plaid pattern of soft flannel before getting dressed for bed. He was honestly grateful the bed was just a regular twin and not some grand canopy bed or something - that might have been too much to be swimming in a sea of plush.

Jason yawned as he crawled under the thick comforter, immediately settling into a calming sense of safety. Years of exhaustion from hypervigilance seemed to come crashing in on him like one giant tidal wave, sending him straight to dreamland where visions of hot showers and fresh clothes danced in his head.

Zach barely registered Starfire’s voice at first. His ears were still ringing from the impact, from Toyman’s shouting, the sight of Thor dropping out of the sky. For one second he just stood there, frozen. Then Starfire said his name. That did it.

“Oh… yeah. Yep. I got him. Totally got him,” Zach blurted, already jogging toward the crater Thor had made. The bravado in his voice sounded fake even to him, but he kept talking anyway. Talking helped him not panic.

Thor looked… not dead. Which was a very low bar, but Zach was clinging to it. “Okay, okay, step one, don’t panic. Step two, remember literally anything useful about magic beyond party tricks,” he muttered as he dropped to one knee beside him. Zach swallowed hard. “You are absolutely not allowed to die on my first night doing hero-adjacent things,” he told Thor, voice quieter now. “That would be… phenomenally bad PR.”

He hovered a shaky hand over Thor’s chest, then pointed the wand carefully.

[color=darkviolet]“elbats...” A pause. Then more confidently: “elbats yats...”

Violet light spilled from the tip. It settled over Thor like a faint aura, sinking into him in slow pulses. Zach didn’t fully know what the spell was doing. Stabilize, stay, hold together, that was the intent, and magic seemed to care a lot about intent.

Thor’s breathing evened slightly.

Zach exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Okay. Good. That’s good. We like breathing. Breathing is festive.”

But there was still the matter of murder Santa to deal with. “Still a supervillain with explosives. Forgot that part for half a second.” He stood, planted his feet, and aimed the wand skyward. “Snoitcartsid etaerc!”

The air above the park fractured into flashes of violet lightning. Not real bolts, not Thor-level divine weather, but convincing enough. They crackled loudly, bending light so Toyman would see movement everywhere at once. At the same time, faint duplicates of Thor, glowing, upright, very much not cratered.. flickered into existence at the edges of the sky. Illusions again. Imperfect, slightly translucent, but in the chaos of night combat? Good enough to force hesitation.

Zach swayed when the spell locked in. “Okay… wow… multitasking magic? Extremely overrated,” he panted, steadying himself with a hand on his knee.

He glanced back at Thor, making sure he was still ok. “Alright,” Zach muttered. “Everyone stay alive. Especially me. I am way too pretty to become a tragic origin story… Also my parents would kill me. Which feels redundant.”

---

Metropolis
Christmas Eve
_{Mentions: @ThatDeercat @Azure Bubbles @Cyrania}

Toyman's parade of victory was short lived. Everything was happening so fast. Before he knew it he was tackled to the floor of the sleigh by a large green monster. If that wasn't already frightening enough the man started to dig into his mind. Winslow was no longer hearing his own thoughts. He couldn't concentrate long enough to keep his grip on the gun and it fell out of his hand and into the snow below. He groaned and yelled in pain as the green man dug deeper into his mind. If that wasn't enough he could feel the sleigh being pulled to the ground. This wasn't fair at all. They were ganging up on little old him. This was supposed to be a battle between he and Thor. Not some kind of super hero squad.

He opened his eyes through the pain and saw what looked like an army of Thors in the sky. No. That couldn't be him. He defeated him. He killed him. That thought helped him push back against the mental torture. He held onto it and a wicked grin crossed his face. "Yes, my green friend. I'm Winslow Schott. The man who killed the world's most powerful hero. When I'm free you'll be next." He projected back through his mind before falling unconscious.

---

Thor opened his eyes and saw the walls and ceilings of a cave. There was a fire in the corner and snow fell outside the cave's mouth. Where was he? He looked up and saw a large white beard? Santa? Why was Santa holding him? Wait. Why was he so small? Was this a dream? No... It felt more like a memory. He didn't remember this at all. Before he could fully process what was going on the bearded man spoke.

"It pains me to do this, but Laufey won't stop until our son is dead, Gaea. I want to watch him grow up. I want to teach him how to be a warrior. But I've seen a world. A future where he will thrive. He'll have friends. He'll find love. He'll be a hero. Most importantly, he'll be safe." The man paused as a tear fell from one of his eyes onto Donald's cheek.

The scene changed as soon as the tear touched his cheek. The world was bright. A contrast from the darkness of the cave only lit with a flame. There was something familiar about this place. He was on the steps of a townhouse and still in the arms of Santa Claus. He placed him in a basket that seemingly came from nowhere in front of the door. He could see the old man's face more clearly now. He was no longer sure that he was Santa. He wasn't wearing a red suit or black leather boots and one of his eyes was covered with a golden eyepatch. He rung the doorbell and said, "Please take care of our son." before disappearing in a flash of light.

The door opened and he heard a voice so familiar. "Oliver, come quick! A baby! There's a baby at our door!" He knew exactly where and when this memory had taken him. This was Metropolis and the day that his parents had found him. He always thought they were his actual parents, but he was literally left at their doorstep. He always wondered why he never saw pictures or videos from his mom's pregnancy or his birth. He didn't care that he was their own so he never asked. As far as he knew and cared about they were his parents. But now he had so many questions, but finally one true answer. He was Thor.

---

Thor woke up in the present to see Zach standing above him. "Did anyone get the license plate of that sleigh?" He asked before slowly standing up. He didn't know what kind of gun he was shot with but it felt like it drained something from him. Besides that he felt fine. There were no holes in his body and his armor was still surprisingly intact. He looked around to see Starfire landing the sleigh and saw the same green man from New York. He was glad they were all okay and that they were able to handle the Toyman without him.

"Thank you for looking after me," Thor said as he turned back to Zach. "For your first superhero outing you did pretty good."

He trudged through the snow over to the sleigh, heading straight for Starfire. Without thinking he hugged her and pulled her in close. "I'm glad you're okay." When he realized what he was doing he blushed and let her go before turning to their green friend. "Thank you for helping us out. What do we call you? I don't like calling you the green man in my head."

It had been a fairly uneventful day for Carol Ferris. Plenty of weird things had happened in these last few weeks, meteors in Metropolis, lost a multi-million dollar plane to what some government agent had said was "A Freak Weather Event" and now all sorts of weirdo's with capes and costumes were crawling out of the woodworks. Now Ferris Industries were facing a combination of good and bad. Good in that the US government was increasing their defense spending like no man's business to reassure the public that they would be prepared for anything. But, on the other hand, if all humans would soon be able to fly... Then why would they they need planes. Well, hopefully that was a few generations down the line's problem.

As she sat down at her desk for stamping a few more approval forms before going home, then suddenly, the phone began ringing. She rolled her eyes before looking at her phone. Caller ID: Flyboy Dumbass. She stared at it for a solid minute, deciding whether she wanted to be hit on by the guy who lawndarted her plane, before finally deciding that his desperate attempts to pick her up would be a nice amusing distraction before getting back to work. She picked up and pressed accept. "Would you kindly remind me remind me why i agreed to give you this number?" She asked.

"Ok, normally, i'd say something charming, but right now, i REALLY need your help." He said to her.

"Yeah, and i needed some dumb flyboy to not lawndart my prototype into the desert, but you decided that was too big an ask, so would you like to explain to me why i shouldn't hang up on you right now?" She asked.

"Because i'm out in space and require the assistance of an expert in space travel." He replied. She took a few seconds think.

"Well..." She scratched the back of her head. "I'll admit, i've never heard of that one before. 10/10 for originality, minus several million points for plausibility." She groaned.

"Ok, what if i were to tell you what REALLY happened on that night?" Hal asked.

"I'd say, don't you dare. TSA are no doubt listening to this conversation and we are both being thrown into a hole and then they throw away the hole." She replied dryly. Frankly, this was only half kidding. But in any case, if he was mixed up in some Government Cover-Up BS, then she ABSOLUTELY didn't want to know.

"Oh, don't worry, we are WAY above TSA's paygrade. If anything, whoever's listening is the one getting thrown in the hole." He laughed, before there was a loud bang in the background.

"Are you being shot at?" She asked.

"Was, but he's dead now, don't worry. Point is, i need to know how to safely de-orbit a space-ship and you're the only person i have the number for that might know how to do that." He replied, tapping buttons on the control panel and trying to make anything in English happen.

"I am the president of an Aerospace engineering corporation. Why do you think i know that?" She asked.

"Because you're smart and are the head of an aerospace engineering corporation. You should know this. He demanded.

"Well, it's your lucky day, flyboy, because i do." She rubbed her brow in mild frustration. "Alright, give me the specifications of the craft." She brought up a calculator and note-pad to do some quick calculations on her computer.

"Ummm... I mean, it's big... Probably about 5 times the size of the old Shuttles." He said.

"Probably or actually? This is Rocket Science, it is an exact science. One KG off is the difference between you landing safely in the Gulf of Mexico and you plowing into a tree in Siberia." She scolded. There was more button presses.

"Ok, so, according to this, the ship is... 12,000 Velvoodles in weight... Whatever the hell a Velvoodle is." At this point, Carol was more humouring him than taking him seriously.

"Alright. Let's make the assumption that a Velvoodle is a Ton, so, yeah, about 5ish times the size of a Space Shuttle... Wait, why didn't you phone your ground crew, they would actually know this stuff?" She asked.

"I barely tollerate these people, socially, let alone have them on speed dial. The only one i do have... Well, she may know, but she may also just break my thumbs." Carol shook her head.

"Alright, fuel, what do we have?" She asked. There was more tapping.

"Ok, don't hate me, but 14,000 Subnaks in combustible fuel and 10,000,000 wills of electricity- Oh for crying out loud. DEXTER SHUT UP! THERE'S NO POWER TO THE DOOR, I CAN'T LET YOU IN!!!"

"An interesting smell is coming from the room, cultist. Investigation is required." the dark, forboding voice came through the phone.

"IT'S A SEALED AND PREASSURIZED BULKHEAD! SMELL LITERALLY CANNOT GO THROUGH IT!"

"Do not toy with me, human. I require access." The rhythmic scratching continued.

IF THAT DOOR OPENS, I WILL DIE OF VIOLENT DECOMPRESSION!"

"Sacrifices must be made, cultist..."

"Alright, i'm guessing this is being recorded for America's Dumbest Pranks, so i'm hanging up now." She replied.

NONONONONONO! Please, i need your help to not die. Please..." She could hear the growing desperation in his voice. She quickly did the maths in her head.

"Fine, but if i end up on TV, please note that i'm suing you for that jet you killed. Legal told me to. I have every right." She quickly checked the maths on the calculator. Alright, making some educated guesses, i'm thinking you have about 1000 m/s of Delta-V. That's good, that's way more than you need to de-orbit a ship and land safely. Right, do you know how far you are from your Apoapsis? She asked.

"Ummm..." He pressed several buttons. "I'm working on it... While i do, care to tell me what any of that means?" He asked. Carol rubbed her brow in frustration.

"Wow, NASA really is sending any old idiot to space these days." She grunted. "Ok, crash course in how to de-orbit a vehicle and i will use simple terms your monkey brain can understand. You are in Orbit. This means that you are falling sideways faster than earths gravity is pulling you down, so you never actually hit it. Your orbit is registered in speed which denotes how far about the Earths surface you are. You have what's called an Apoapsis and a Periapsis. Your Apoapsis is when your ship is at its slowest, this is when it is furthest away from Earth. Your Periapsis is when your ship is at its fastest, that's when it's closest to Earth."

"Can't i just point the nose at Earth and fly towards it?" He asked.

"If you want to die horrifically, then absolutely. You have about enough Delta-V to hard burn into Earths Atmosphere, where your shuttle will be torn to pieces."

"Alright, bad plan." Hal replied.

"Look, your not just sat there still and Earth is also sat there still. You need to compete with the fact that, literally, everything is moving. Now, the easiest way to de-orbit is, when you reach your Apoapsis, you perform a retrograde burn that... When you are at the furthest point, you turn the ship around and point the engines AGAINST your velocity. You then perform a burn that is enough to drop you just into Earth's Atmosphere."

"But won't that get me ripped apart?" He asked.

"So long as the ship is in good condition, no. The atmosphere will absorb a considerable chunk of your speed, but you don't want to be too far into it, just on the outskirts. It'll take a few passes, but eventually your ship will lose so much speed that your orbit will decay and you'll no longer escape the atmosphere. Space Travel isn't like it is in the movies, it's actually a lot of waiting around for perfect conditions." Hal pressed a bunch of buttons, trying to figure out exactly how to translate this into english. He then remembered his resident alien sidekick and pressed the earpiece. "Sinestro? You there?" He asked. Nothing. Alright, he was on his own with a woman who didn't believe him and a at who didn't care. All things considered, not his most promising hour. He finally punched the console in frustration. A flash of green from his ring zapped the console and suddenly everything was readable.

"Oh... I did it. Alright, Apoapsis is 1231km, Periapsis is 400km. Current velocity is 7.11km/s He replied. Carol quickly went to work on the calculator.

"Is your velocity increasing or decreasing?" She asked. Hal looked at the number, watching the margins slowly counting down.

"Decreasing." He replied, before waiting for her to calculate the answer.

"Ok, that's good. You're approaching Apoapsis. Your job now is to orient the ship with your propulsion to make a retrograde burn." She said, before remembering Hal was an idiot. "Uuuuuugh... Turn the ship so the propulsion is alligned against your velocity." Hal went to use the engines. "Ok, so that will be... Reaction Thrusters offline. Dammit..." He groaned, before suddenly remembering the scratching at the door. "Dex!" He cried, running to the door. "Dex, i need your help to save us!"

"And i need to investigate the smell, we cannot all get as we wish, cultist." The cat replied.

"No, but if you were to turn the ship around so it's pointing back to front from where it currently is... I'll... I'll investigate the smell for you?" He asked, trying to think what this stubborn animal might reasonably want.

"Insufficient. Your feeble human nose cannot comprehend the complexities of an investigation of this kind." The cat replied.

"I'll... Get you some halibut from that place your Cultist usually gets it for you."

"AND YOU WILL ADD EXACTLY 250 GRAMS OF KIBBLE TO IT. NO MORE, NO LESS! FOR EVERY GRAM OVER OR UNDER, I SHALL REND YOUR FLESH FROM YOUR BONES, AND IF YOU ARE LUCKY, I MAY DEEM TO KILL YOU FIRST!!!" It roared. Hal sighed as he was reminded of the looney land he was living in.

"Yeah sure, bud."

"THE EXACT MEET TO KIBBLE RATIO IS AN IMPORTANT BALANCE!" He then heard him scurry off.

"Alright, i've got someone working on that." Hal replied, going back to the phone.

"Well, nothing to do now but wait." Carol replied. It was true, with everything Sinestro had told him, there was a good chance S.W.O.R.D. wouldn't approach in case there was more Manhunters aboard. And even if they could, they weren't getting through the shielding. His only option now was to land this thing on Earth and hope that the re-entry proceedure bled enough power off that the shields collapsed... No, wait. He ran over to the console, it was in English now, he could actually use stuff. Ok, communications still down, his headset still not working. He could lower the shields if he wanted... Why was the phone to Carol the only thing working?

"This doesn't make any sense." He said to the phone.

"You're telling me." Carol replied. "So, Spaceman, how is space?" She asked.

"Well, we have artificial gravity, so i am NOT floating in a most peculiar way." He replied.

"I love Bowie's music." She replied.

"Who doesn't?"

The pair quickly devolved into a conversation of their history with music and favourites. Heated discussions of preferences. It looked as if their date was now happening over the phone, one in a multi-billion dollar office, the other in an ancient alien craft.

C H R I S T M A S S P E C I A L # 0 0 3
C H R I S T M A S S P E C I A L # 0 0 3

As Starfire guided the reindeer down, a new illusion illuminated the sky above with hundreds of fake Thor projections. It would have been disorienting if she hadn't been so keenly focused on safely landing the sleigh. With the stacks of presumably more present bombs still teetering around in the back, Starfire was concerned a rough landing could set them all off at once with disastrous results.

As hooves touched down into the now-thick blanket of snow on the ground without further incident, she stroked the velvety red nose of the lead deer with quiet praise, "Well done. Very well done."

Before she could turn to address the green being of (presumably) extraterrestrial origins that had targeted the Toyman directly, Thor pulled her so tightly into a hug that her feet were lifted out of the snow. Starfire laughed with delighted relief, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend, "Thor! You are unharmed! Christmas is not cancelled!"

It was a Christmas miracle. She knew she shouldn't be surprised - he was quite strong, and from what she'd seen when she checked on him after his fall, his armour seemed to take the brunt of the shot. Still, she worried there was more damage than met the eye, but he seemed full of life still. As she touched the ground again, one hand went back to the halter of the lead reindeer to keep them all grounded. They would still need to track down the original owner of these magical creatures - presumably Santa, though she was under the impression that the figure was a fictional adoption to represent the spirit of the season. Starfire followed Thor's gaze to their unnamed ally in the sleigh who had disarmed the Toyman and rendered him unconscious. He certainly seemed to be on their side, but a part of her remained vigilant for signs of aggression.

"I concur," Starfire added with a friendly smile, "Your assistance is much appreciated. It would be good to know whom we may credit with this success. I am Starfire, and my companions are Thor and Zach." She paused to look back at Zach who seemed to be doing alright given all the action, but he looked tired.

Excusing herself with a quick bow of her head, her feet floated up from the snowy ground and she zipped over to their young friend. Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder with a proud smile, "You have done very well, Zach. You should be proud. You have certainly impressed me. How are you feeling?"

"Look... For the last time, who are you?" Bailey asked. He stared into the containment room.

"I keep telling you, i'm Boyd Briggs. My mom is Tabitha Briggs. We live together at F.E.A.S.T. and i'm really a superhero called Captain... Capt... Captain..." He looked confused, before grabbing his ginger locks and pulling, scrunching up his face, before beaming a shark-like smile as he got the sudden realization. "Captain Spider-Boy!"

"Why Captain Spider-Boy? The double pronoun just leaves a weird taste in the mouth." Christina replied.

"Oh yeah, you're right, i'm Boy-Spider Captain. That rolls way better." The innocent face smiled.

"NO! I'M SPIDER-BOY!" Bailey slammed a fist on the glass. Christina walked up behind him and crossed her arms across his chest.

"Bail, calm down. Remember what Ahma says" She soothed.

"Breathin' out. Freak it out!" Boyd replied. Christina immediately broke out laughing as she heard that.

"Yeah, let's just smash a couple of things. I imagine there's a few things in here that's less than a couple of million." She looked around. "Maybe that pencil?" She said, pointing at the desk.

"Ummm..." Boyd raised his hand nervously. "Why do you look like me?" He asked. "Are we, like... Brothers?" Bailey looked at him with a confused face. "Or are you my dad? Mommy said dad was a... Dead... Deadbeat Sonofabi-"

"Wow, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Christina asked. Boyd stopped and pondered for a second, before nodding excitedly. At that point, Ezekiel walked in.

"Are you kids still poking him?" He asked. Bailey turned to Simm.

"He's... He's just wrong." Bailey replied. "Like a weird mirror." Ezekiel stared at Bailey. "Ok, so now i know how you feel."

"Never mind what i feel." He pressed a few buttons on a holographic keypad that came up on his wrist and a holographic video appeared. "Something that you may want to look out for. There's been a break in at a military base up in Maine." He said, before pressing a few other buttons. "Government is keeping shtum about it, but, from the looks of things-" An image showed 5 very muscular men wearing loin-cloths and scraps of metal as armour running away, 3 of them were holding handfuls of pistols, rifles, grenade launchers and other weapons, one was holding a medium sized crate, one of them holding a large box. Ezekiel pressed a few more buttons and the camera zoomed and enhanced on the box, labelled "M.I.R.V." Christina went pale. Bailey... Didn't quite understand.

"What the heck does MIRV mean?" He asked, looking up at Ezekiel.

"Multi Independantly-Targettable re-entry vehicle. Pretty much a nuclear cluster-bomb!" Christina replied. Ezekiel raised an eyebrow at her. "Broken Arrow, True Lies, Thunderball, Peacemaker, Sum of All Fears! I've seen the movies!" She cried out.

"I wanted to read the Jack Ryan novels, but the only one i found in F.E.A.S.T.'s library was Hunt for Red October." Bailey sighed. "So, these guys have stolen a nuclear weapon? But they don't look like the typical terrorist bad guys..." Ezekiel nodded

"Not even wearing any kind of tactical gear. From what the reports so far says, the men they killed at the base were with arrows, swords and other weapons like that. A few beaten to death and a few snapped necks. No guns... Yet they left with a bunch..." Ezekiel shook his head and hunkered down into a squat, before leaping and catching his feet on a lower part of the ceiling, hanging upside down. "I just don't get it..."

"Maybe they stole those weapons specifically because they didn't have any?" Christina asked.

"This is America, apart from the nuke, those guns are really easy to get in a much less pronounced way. Now every agency in the country is gonna be hunting them. The thing that really gets me, is that a MIRV weighs upwards of 600kg. You'd need a forklift to carry one and that guy's just running with it over his shoulder? These guys are super strong." Simm replied. "That's why i brought it to you, Bailey. Maybe this is a job for Captain Marvel." He asked.

"Yeah, why not see what Solomon knows?" Christina asked.

"Sure." Boyd joined in. Throwing his fists wide and his head back, "MAZAHS!!!" He yelled... Nothing happening. He looked around. "Wait... Where're my powers?" He asked, the others gathering around to look at him as he began to hyperventilate. Bailey knew that look all to well. It was the same look he had when he first arrived in this new world and found his own spider-powers were gone. He watched Boyd back into the corner, then up the walls and into the top corner like he was a Cellar Spider in the corner of the bathroom. He curled up into a ball.

"Hey, Boyd, calm it down." Christina said into the glass, reassuringly. "Look, you've still got your spider powers. You can walk on the walls." At that point, Boyd seemed to uncurl, looking around, as if shocked to find out he was a Spider-person.

"OMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSH!!!" He screamed excitedly, before beginning to run laps around the ceiling of his cell, the look of pure excitement and elation at this fact was enough to put a smile on even Bailey's face. "I'M A SPIDER AGAIN!!!" He yelled. Bailey approached the glass and put a hand on it.

Well, that makes one of us..." Bailey sighed. At that point, Christina looked at Bailey, then at Boyd, then back to Bailey.

"You don't think...?" She asked, before looking at Simm. "Yo, Zeke, you don't by any chance read manga do you?" She asked him. Ezekiel sighed and pointed an outstretched hand at her.

"If you're about to dump the plot of some stupid Japanese comic book at me, i'm gonna web your mouth again to save us." He growled.

"Alright, but there was this one story, where a bunch of guys got their powers ripped out and those powers then took on a physical form based on what they do... Any chance that's what Boyd here is? Just a physical manifestation of Bailey's spider-powers? It explains why it looks like him and why it saves people?" She asked. Ezekiel cautiously retracted his hand and put it on his chin.

"Well, apart from the fact that that's literally nothing but speculation... Well, we are dealing with a boy who turns into a man when he says magical words, so i suppose it's possible... Also practically impossible to prove. I mean, i don't have any equipment to test for that. I wouldn't even know where to start...?" Ezekiel pondered. "Alright, turn into the big guy, Bailey, let's see if Solomon has any knowledge of this. I know about science, he'll know about Magic." Bailey nodded and ran to the middle of the room under the skylight.

"SHAZAM!"

Captain Marvel stood for a second, before looking over to Boyd who was stood on the ceiling staring with total awe at him. "You ok, Boyd?" He asked. Boyd wiped a tear away.

"I remember how i used to feel, doing that." He snorted with sadness. Bailey shook his head.

"Ok, Solomon, what have we got?" He asked. Well, with the realms of magic, anything is possible. Granting limited sentience to an inanimate object wasn't terribly hard, but creating a whole creature? Well, obviously, there were Homunculus, but they tended to be smaller creatures. Wait a second. Bailey approached the image. One of the men had a symbol on his bracer that he recognized. A Y with a cross in the tail... "Vulcan...?" He asked.

"Mr Spock has a nuke?" Christina asked, watching him.

"No, Vulcan the planet."

"Exactly, where Mr Spock is from!" Christina replied, matter of factly.

"No, Vulcan, the god. Wait, no, his name is Hephaestus." Bailey replied. "I recognize that symbol, it's Hephaestus." He said.

"Speaking of crazier things. Now the Greek Gods are stealing from us. Well, after Prometheus, i suppose turnabout is fair play. But we only stole regular fire, they're stealing nuclear. I suppose Hercules, Atlas, Zeus and Mercury give you parts of their power, it was only a matter of time before we had to deal with them." He said. Bailey smiled. He liked it when Ezekiel used the plural, made him sound as if he's in for the long haul. Frankly, with the amount he had lost, he was glad that anyone was still here for him. Right, Hephaestus. Where did he live? Mount Etna, obviously. Deep in the bowls where he used the heat for his forge, forging weapons of the gods.

"Mount Etna." He replied.

"I thought it was Olympus?" Christina replied. "That's where the gods live."

"No, silly!" Boyd laughed. "Hephaestus is the malformed son of Zeus and Hera. He spends his days in the pits of Mount Etna where he creates weapons for the gods, as well as trading with the Amazons in return for their sons, whom he trains to work the forge with him. He is standoffish, a genius at the forge and married to Aglaia, Goddess of Splendor, Brilliance and Brightness. Come on, dummy, everyone knows that." Boyd beamed a big, shark-like smile. The three looked at each other.

"You... Think that Bolt infused some of the Wisdom into his head?" Christina asked.

"Can you say something that ISN'T from a terrible TV show?" Simm replied. He then rolled his eyes. "Alright... You go to Etna, we'll keep an eye on Boyd."

"I'll come with you." Christina replied, grabbing her coat.

"Absolutely not! No!"

"YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT WE FINALLY HAVE THE ADVENTURE WHERE WE GET TO INTERROGATE HOT, BUFF, OILED, WARRIOR GODS FROM OLYMPUS AND YOU WANT ME TO SIT IT OUT!?!?!? NO!!! NO WAY!!!" Ezekiel raised an eyebrow.

"I... Thought you were-" Ezekiel began, before Christina raised a finger without looking away from Bailey.

"Y'all sit around playing with the label maker if you want, i'm just gonna do what i know is good." She replied.

"Alright, but you sit RIGHT next to me." Bailey said. He centered himself and pictured in his minds eye the image of Hephaestus' forge. Slowly rotating his hands in a circle, suddenly, a portal began sparking and crackling into being. "I'll go through first and check it's good, do not come through till i fetch you."

“…Okay good,” Zach breathed a sigh of relief after Thor started talking. “You’re talking. Huge fan of that development.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face, adrenaline finally crashing now that the immediate crisis seemed… mostly handled. The illusions above flickered once, then slowly dissolved into harmless violet sparks? “License plate? Yeah, uh…” Zach glanced at the sleigh, the unconscious Toyman, the reindeer, the green telepathic mystery guest, then back to Thor. “Pretty sure it said ‘Ho-Ho-Homicide,’ but I could be misremembering.”

When Thor thanked him, Zach’s posture straightened. “For the record,” he said, “I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. That was like… ninety percent panic magic, ten percent sheer dumb luck.”

Then Starfire was suddenly there, warm hand on his shoulder, smiling like he’d actually done something heroic instead of barely holding it together. Zach swallowed, some of the bravado slipping. “I’m… okay,” he admitted. “Kinda fried. This much magic takes a lot out of a person… But I’m standing. Nobody exploded because of me. That feels like a win.” His gaze drifted back toward Thor, then the sleigh, then the sky where the fake lightning had been.

“…This is gonna sound weird,” he added quietly, “but not that long ago, my biggest concern was whether my livestream lighting made me look washed out. Now I’m the influencer who saved Christmas!” He let out a shaky laugh. “But hey. If this is the new normal? I guess I’m in.” He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing between Thor, Starfire, and the unconscious Toyman. “Soooo… What? Are we like a team now? Do we high-five? Call the authorities? Get hot chocolate? I feel like all three are appropriate.”

M A R T I A N M A N H U N T E R
M A R T I A N M A N H U N T E R

CENTENNIAL PARK
Manhattan, New York City
Christmas Eve
Mention: _{@ThatDeercat @Azure Bubbles @King Kindred}

Time seemed to stand still within the battle of minds. J'onn was only slightly aware of the sleigh landing beneath them. But right before the end, the Toyman pushed back, a wicked grin crossing his face. "Yes, my green friend. I'm Winslow Schott. The man who killed the world's most powerful hero. When I'm free you'll be next." Then he fell unconscious.

J'onn then slowly stood up, looking at his hands as he came back to awareness to himself. What had he done? But then he shook himself out of his thoughts and rummaged within the sleigh for rope to restrain Mr. Schott. Even if he should make good on his threat, it would not be for quite some time. The death of Thor along with impersonating Santa for murder would only add to his sentence.

"Did anyone get the license plate of that sleigh?"

That stopped J'onn in his tracks as he suddenly looked up to see Thor, getting up? But no, he had been still. He had been dead! Hadn't he? Yet there Thor was, talking with the newcomer and hugging Starfire. With a quick brush, J'onn felt Thor's mind, enough that Thor could barely sense it, before retreating back. Thor really was alive.

Then Thor turned towards him. "Thank you for helping us out. What do we call you? I don't like calling you the green man in my head."

"I concur," Starfire added with a friendly smile, "Your assistance is much appreciated. It would be good to know whom we may credit with this success. I am Starfire, and my companions are Thor and Zach."

J'onn swallowed, hesitantly. "I am truly not opposed to being seen as the 'Green Man'. It is a rather appropriate descriptor after all. I am simply glad to have been of assistance before and now."

Then the newcomer, Zach, chimed in. “Soooo… What? Are we like a team now? Do we high-five? Call the authorities? Get hot chocolate? I feel like all three are appropriate.”

J'onn softly chuckled. "I suppose we could consider ourselves a team..." Then he started tying Schott's wrist. "I would propose that we turn him into the proper authorities then seek out where he is keeping the true Santa Claus. Then perhaps afterwards, we could take part in high-fives and hot chocolate."

"-So, when i get back to base, i see the bastard stood there and i'm just about holding it together. Just about ready to walk away... That's when he says it... "All you had to do was follow your damn orders." And i'll be honest, all i remember is flashes until the other guys are dragging me off of him. That's not an excuse, if i had had my full wits about me, i still would have gone for him. I'm just upset i don't remember." Hal said, sitting by the console.

"No wonder they bumped you to the desk job." Carrol replied. "I... I never knew..."

"Of course not. BIG cover-up. That's why i wasn't court-martialled, i'd have had to tell the truth on the stand and the truth was... We were doing some stuff that the ICC would be very interested to know about..." He then coughed loudly "Of course, this is just something that happened in a novel i'm writing. The USAF has never done anything along those lines in REAL life. That would be preposterous." He laughed.

"Oh yeah, that's a great work of fiction that has absolutely no baring on real events that may have taken place. Make sure you write that disclaimer in." She replied. "So, i've always wanted to go to space. What's it like up there?" She asked.

"Smells bad, the laws of physics make no sense and it's not too dissimilar to my last deployment to the Gerald Ford." He answered.

"Laws of physics make perfect sense, you just don't understand them." Carol corrected him. "This is why the only people we send into space are the people who understand them and monkeys. Nice to see the rules haven't changed."

"OoOoOh, bitchy." He replied. At that point, the console started beeping. Hal got up and looked at it. "Ok, looks like we're just hitting the atmosphere." At that point, there was a clunk sound and the console began screaming with warning alarms. "Oh, oh that's not an everything's ok sound." He pressed a few buttons. Trajectory has changed. We were supposed to go down just off Canaveral... Oh, that's... We're going to fall much shorter... Much much shorter..." He gasped.

"Projected landing site?" She asked, pulling up a map.

"Looks like... It's gonna be south asia." He replied.

"That clunk may have been an aileron stripping off, it'll mess with your aerodynamics. You're coming in much steeper now. You're gonna have to engage the thrusters again. You're going to need a Radial burn. If you can aim further north, you can aim for Krasnoyarsk. Remove, less likely to hit someone or be spotted." She replied.

"Do we REALLY care about being spotted? I mean, the amount of weird and wonderful things going on in the world at the moment. Those Rock Golems invading New York? All the costumed kooks? I think a spaceship dropping out the sky is the least of peoples worries." He replied.

"Ok... If you have enough DeltaV then you may be able to make a Normal burn that will give you enough height to get to the Pacific."

"And then we sink and i'll get crushed under the pressure. I think a soft landing in Siberia is the best bet. Ok, how do i make a Radial burn?" He pressed some buttons, before he was thrown across the room by the ship violently shaking. He smashed into a machine and managed to get up, quickly checking his side. Bruised rib. Luckily the ring would fix him in a day or two. "Oh, that's not good." He rushed back to the console. "DeltaV 0, nonononono, we had PLENTY!"

"That may have been a fuel-tank igniting." She replied. "I'm... I'm sorry Hal... Without any fuel or means of slowing... You're just going to..."

"Lawndart... No parachutes, no..." He looked up with the sudden realization. "I'm gonna die..." He looked down at the ring. "Well... That sucks..." He walked over to the bulkhead. "Dex! You're gonna have to get out of here." He called.

"I cannot get through the green shielding." Dexter replied.

"Well then... Looks like we're both going to die." He sighed. At that point, he noticed the bulkhead beginning to glow, before he quickly got out of the way, seeing Dexter melting through the with lava belching from his mouth. Walking through the cat door he created, he looked up at Hal.

"If we are to die, Cultist... Then we die as is intended..." He then rolled onto his back. "With you giving me the worship i deserve." Hal sat down next to Dexter and slowly, cautiously reached out his hand for the fur on Dex's tummy. As he reached in, he noticed the claws slowly extending, before he pulled his hand away.

"You're taking this well." Carol replied.

"I fly planes for a living, i've come to terms with my mortality long ago. I'm not afraid. Just... Eh, just a little disappointed i'm not going to be here for the big showdown with Despairo."

"Need me to relay a message to anyone?" She asked.

"If you can get ahold of Jack and Jimmy, my brothers... Can you tell them that i'm sorry i wasn't there for Mom at the end... I... Tell Jack i know he doesn't believe that, but i'm not upset that he doesn't believe me. I deserved that... I just wish it could have been different."

"Jack Jordan and Jimmy Jordan. Lot's of alliteration in your family..." She replied. "I'm sorry, but i can't get over how calm you are!!!" She yelled at him.

"Well, what's the point? Is me getting all up in arms, shouting, screaming, throwing a bitchfit going to change anything? No, i'm gonna meet Adoni with some damn dignity." he replied. "Plus i don't get emotional in front of chicks. No offense."

"You're the one about to die horribly and you're afraid of offending me?" She asked.

"Horribly?" He asked. "We're about to smash into the earth at Mach-Damn, i don't imagine that's going to last long. He then slowly reached another hand out to Dexter's belly. He was going to die in a few seconds, may as well go for it. And at that point, he heard something he never expected to hear.

"Prrrrrrrrrrrr..." He looked down at the cat. He was doing what no man had ever dared do before... And it's because he was about to die that he might get away with it. He looked at the computer screen, seeing the map and everything completely overloaded with warning signs.

"Dex, Carol, see you on the other side." He said, closing his eyes and waiting for the end... And waiting... And waiting... Then suddenly the shaking stopped. He opened his eyes. "Dex... Are we dead?" He asked, looking around. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" He wrenched his hand out of the sharp embrace of the cat.

"Your pain receptors appear to be intact." Hal ran over to the console, blood pouring from his hand.

"Flyboy, you ok?" She asked. Hal checked it. They were just over Bangladesh and had just stopped.

"We're... We're alive... And we're stopped... Sinestro?" He asked.

"I do not smell the fear that surrounds the human... It smells more like..." Dex replied, before taking a great sniff. The walls suddenly began to turn blue. "Hope..." As the blue seeped in through the walls, Hal watched the blue energy beginning to force the green from the computer into his ring, his costume reappearing.

"-ntern are you there? Captain Jordan respond!" Hal looked at the ring.

"Sinestro, you can hear me?" Hal asked.

"Yes, we saw the craft crashing towards Earth, i was going to intercept, but i was... Delayed by something else. The Blue Lantern appears to have-"

"Yeah, i kinda guessed." Hal looked down at Dex. "Dex, buddy, we get to live!" He smiled. Dex gave him that same sour look he gave everyone.

"If you speak about what happened when we were going to die, i will rip out your tongue and use it to line my litter box." Dex growled.

"Hey, man, we all do crazy things when we think we're going to die. It's all good. Sinestro, how far out are you?" Hal asked.

"A few minutes, why?" He replied.

"Good, see you in a sec." He picked up the phone. "So, any chance we can have a "Nobody Died" date where i thank you for saving my life?" He asked into the phone. There was a few seconds of silence.

"I'll let you know..." At that point the phone hung up.

"Oh yeah, she's into me." Hal replied. In any case, he needed to go meet the Blue Lantern. Flying out of the ship with Dex in tow, he noticed that they seemed to be in a heavily jungled area. Above the ship, there seemed to be a bright blue light. "Hello!!!" Hal waved, floating towards the blue light. "Thanks for the catch... You play for the Coast City Sharks? We've been looking for a good receiver this season!" The Blue light seemed to flash and suddenly he saw the face... Just as the kid in Japan had said, his face was that of an elephant and he looked immensely strong.

"Greetings, Sainik." The creature bowed in greeting. "I am glad to meet some of the others."

"Look, i have to tell you about what's going on, see, there's this guy-" One of the hands raised to indicate silence.

"I am well aware of Despairo... But fear not, Hal Jordan of Coast City. All will be well." He replied.

"Then you'll join us?" He asked. The elephant man shook his head.

"I am sorry, Sainik. But i am not at liberty to join you now. You see, i am not the true owner of this ring. I am simply allowing it to guide me until the true Champion of Hope appears." Hal raised an eyebrow, then looked at Dex. Dex looked back, asking what he expected him to do.

"So, why aren't you-"

"Hope is the one incorruptible force of this universe. Even if i am not the true Champion of Hope, it cannot lead me to attack and destroy. Nor would it ever ask me to." He said, looking down at the ring. "It will join you for the final battle. But for the moment, i must help keep the others in check."

"Can you tell me your name, at least?" Hal asked.

"My name is Warth... And i will help you when you need it. But until then, hold your hope tight and allow it to galvanize your will." In a flash of blue, he disappeared. A few seconds later, Sinestro appeared.

"Green Lantern. It is good to see that you have survived." He looked at the ship. "S.W.O.R.D. is obsessed with getting their hands on these things. I just had to find one myself." He sighed. "Get back to The Bus and charge your ring properly. I'll take this to S.W.O.R.D. HQ."

---

Metropolis
Christmas Eve
_{Mentions: @ThatDeercat @Azure Bubbles @Cyrania}

Thor laughed at Zach's jokes and honesty. "That's how it is for all of us when we start out. You have the makings of a great hero. Trust me." Zach reminded him when he first started out secretly patrolling Metropolis in a hoodie. Not exactly sure what he was doing, but knowing that he wanted to help people. Things were a lot simpler then. He wondered how differently things would be had he not been the one to save the plane. Would he have ever received Mjolnir? Would he have met so many other great heroes? He didn't want to think about what his life would have been like. He just knew that he liked where it was heading.

Thor was feeling like he was slowly becoming part of something greater than himself. He had been working as a hero by himself for so long, but working with others truly did something for him. It was like he finally had friends that could understand him. This was his second time doing a team-up and it was thankfully less chaotic than the first time. His attention was mostly on the Green Man. This was their second time working together and he still wasn't keen on introducing himself. He wondered why that was and what he might have been hiding. He felt him touching his mind, but he didn't linger so Thor decided to ignore it for now. From their interactions he didn't seem like an enemy or someone that he'd have to worry about.

When the others mentioned bringing the Toyman to the authorities, Thor shivered as if he were being hit by the night's cold air. He turned to the Green Man. "I love the idea of us being a team, but can you take him into the authorities? I'm still not their best friend right now. I can take the reindeer back to Santa. Before he came here we know Toyman was in the UK. I can get there the fastest and have the reindeer retrace their steps when I get there." He then turned to Starfire and Zach before continuing. "We can meet up at Ace O'Clubs in Hobs Bay when I get back. It's a bar run by my biggest fan and he makes the best hot chocolate. Tell him Thor sent you."

Thor waited for their response before walking over to the sleigh and pulled the Toyman out, dropping him into the snow. He reached out his hand to called for Mjolnir and the trusty weapon flew back into his hand without hesitation. He aimed it at the space in front of the reindeer and opened a portal leading to the UK. He put the hammer next to him on the seat and reached for the reins. "On Rudolph! On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen, on Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen! Let's fly!" He flicked the reins and smiled as the reindeer dashed forward into the portal and pulled him and the sleigh with them. He couldn't believe he was flying Santa's reindeer. Jackee was not going to believe the night he was having.

---

The United States of America,
A Memory of a Town

---

“Not a huge amount out this way.”

Fields stretched almost impossibly far into the distance, barely observable undulations rising and falling that darkened as the sun dipped lower. Narrow dirt roads cut through and between the fields, occasionally passing the remains of abandoned farmhouses that had long since surrendered their straight lines to the roots of the trees. The air was cool and heavy with the scent of damp earth and curing hay, as the afternoon light turned a pale, dusty gold. In the distance, a few white and red farmhouses could be picked out, their windows catching the last of the glare, while the massive silhouettes of silos stood motionless against the darkening horizon.

“I thought you might appreciate the quiet, after your last few duties.”

It wasn’t an entirely wrong suggestion from the team, ever since her return to Earth Carol had been kept as busy as she had ever remembered being with key appearances around the US. Most were actual missions of importance, she just no longer had instructions to remain subtle in her actions, in fact, quite the opposite. Now that the President was fully, if not entirely comfortably, on board with the Project, they wanted to flood the public with the positive actions of the Warbird, a counterpoint to the rise of vigilante action. Some, however, were simple photo-ops, showing up at key locations just before, or even during, cultural events, stamping her mark on the country she was now the official protector of.

“Just so long as I make it home before the morning, it wouldn’t be very upstanding citizen of me to start missing my final year.”

---

The farmstead sat at the end of a gravel track that had long since been choked out by ragweed and yellowing stalks of volunteer corn. From the road, the house appeared abandoned, its white paint stripped away by seasons of prairie wind until only the grey, thirsty wood remained. The porch had buckled toward the earth, and the windows were nothing more than dark, jagged holes that stared blankly across the flat expanse of the plains. To anyone passing, it would look like a dozen other casualties of the regional drought, a hollow shell left to rot in the heat.

The exterior had been a perfect picture of neglect, a casualty of the heartland's long-term decline, but the official intelligence had been adamant: several of the administration’s private most wanted had been traced to this region before going dark.

She stepped over a missing floorboard, the wood groaning a tired protest beneath her boot. The air inside was thicker, stale and chemical-laced, a sharp, sterile scent completely at odds with the decay of the house. Her enhanced senses immediately registered it, residual ozone, faint traces of heavy metals, and a tell-tale spike of exotic radiation that only accompanied high-energy particle work.

She didn’t bother with the main rooms, which were choked with dust and broken furniture arranged in convincing disarray. Instead, she followed the trail of the radiation signature to the back of the house. There, hidden behind a false pantry wall, was a modern steel door, incongruous and tightly sealed against the chaos of the farmhouse. The lock was high-grade, but no match for a controlled burst of energy from her knuckles. The door hissed inward.

The space beyond was a cramped, brightly lit laboratory dug into the earth. It was a hurried evacuation; consoles were smashed, vials were scattered, and equipment lay toppled, but the evidence was irrefutable. She ran a hand over a scorched workstation.[color=#1f1f1f] [/color]

On the one intact monitor, a repeating loop of text flashed: PHASE 3 COMPLETE. SUBJECT 004 STABLE. EXTRACTION TO ALPHA-SITE PENDING.

Carol blink-activated the recording cameras set into the otherwise unnecessary contacts she wore, the tiniest spark of her power enough to bring them online.

“Thought you might want to take a look at this.” Carol kept her vision on the repeating text for a few moments longer, before drifting around the ruins of the lab. Unlike the farmstead-proper, this was very clearly a rushed destruction rather than the ravages of time. That anything was left behind at all suggested even that effort had been interrupted. She would no doubt have noticed the signs of movement had it been her presence which had caused such, but then, there were plenty of other agencies that might have moved in without altering the Pentagon. Plenty of other bad guys as well, it wasn’t like they were all buddy-buddy in their plans to destroy and/or dominate. There wasn’t much else to be seen, but what she had glimpsed was still a chilling confirmation. At least for her handlers, she had little fear for herself.

“That should do, Warbird. Stand down, any further updates we will let you know.”

“Ace, catch you on the flip.” With a surge of motion Carol propelled herself out of the concealed doorway and through the spindly frame of the farmhouse, briefly trailing that would be harmful for almost any other living creature, the chemical detritus of a destroyed lab of little note to the Warbird.

---

The air up high was a clean, sharp cold that scoured the chemical scent of the lab from her suit. It was a long flight, a silent, solitary burn through the night sky, and the speed and altitude were the first steps in shedding the day’s grime.

She arrived without fanfare, a controlled drop that killed all forward momentum a hundred feet above the familiar, oversized shed in the backyard. She lowered herself soundlessly onto the wet grass, the dew sizzling at the heat of her post-descent touch. The house was dark and quiet, a sure sign her dad would already be passed out somewhere.

Her boots were off before she even made it to the mudroom door. She phased her hand through the lock and slipped inside, moving like a ghost. The floorboards of the old house were mapped in her memory; she knew which ones to avoid to prevent the slightest creak.

The fridge light was a blinding beacon in the dark kitchen. She eased the door open and bypassed the organic juice and the sensible low-fat milk, her target the back corner, one of the crisp and cold bottles she had stocked for her dad that had already shown significant thinning in their numbers.

For whatever reason she avoided hovering in the house, it helped prevent her from accidentally doing so while out and about in public, even if it would have made moving around quietly easier. Not that it would really matter, her dad may as well have been dead to the world at this hour.

The bathroom door closed with the softest of pulls. She shed the Warbird suit quickly. Under the spray, the heat was a physical release, the jets of water drumming away the final tension in her shoulders. She’d barely had a chance to stop and breathe over the last week. Catching up to her normallife was going to be an additional effort the next day. She leaned her head back, letting the water rush over her face, and finally, she allowed herself a long, slow swallow of the beer. The taste, even if it was about as cheap as you could get, was about as comforting a sense of familiarity as Carol had left.

By the time she had made it out of the shower and into her room, she was on her second, allowing herself to slump down onto the comforting hold of her bed sheets as she pondered the ceiling of her room, as if it would hold any answers to the cascade of thoughts springing around her head. She didn’t really ‘need’ to sleep, apparently, but eventually it claimed her all the same.

As Bailey and Christina stepped through into Etna, Christina looked around. "Gonna be honest, i thought it'd be hotter in the middle of a volcano." She said, before her jaw dropped. Around her were was something out of her secret video collection she kept hidden on the F.E.A.S.T. computers. The men straight out of the footage Simm had shown them. Carrying around large ingots, bundles of weapons, barrows of slag and other smelting byproduct. The men didn't seem to pay the pair of them much mind, Chrisitna especailly. Bailey leaned down to her.

"They probably aren't going to be best pleased to see you." He whispered. She scowled at him.

"Why are they blind or just insane?" She asked. "I can work with either, i just need to know." One of the men gave Christina a look of disgust as he walked past her. She blew him a kiss in response.

"These are the sons of the Amazons. Their mothers would have killed them for being male, if Hephaestus hadn't traded them for weapons." Bailey explained. Another walked past, looking Bailey up and down, more confused than anything. He hadn't seen anyone with ginger hair before, not exactly a common trait on Themyscira.

"That's alright. I'll be their momma." She grinned sinisterly, transfixed on every man who walked past her, specifically on their glisteningly sweaty pectorals. "If we weren't in a volcano, i'd ask if it was hot in here or just me." She grunted, watching one of the men hammering a sword on an anvil. The pair of them began walking through the crowded forge, for the most part being ignored, except the odd glance of curiosity at the ginger hair on Bailey's head. up a flight of stairs they saw the shadow of a giant, and the earthshattering booms of hammer-blow after hammer-blow. Making their way to the stairs, they were stopped by a trio of the men.

"Where do you think you are going?" One of them asked. Bailey psyched himself up.

"I am Captain Marvel. Holder of the Power of Zeus himself. I demand an audience with Hephaestus." He ordered.

"And why do you bring that thing with you?" He asked, pointing at Christina.

"Hey, steady on. That's no way to talk to-" Bailey put a hand over her mouth to shut her up and gave her a stern look. They really needed to not start a fight here.

"She is my closest ally." He replied. "A warrior of unparalleled bravery, cunning and compassion. Not like those who so callously threw you aside." Bailey crossed his arms. "I weild the Strength of Hercules, the Speed of Mercury and the stamina of Atlas. The gods have blessed me and you would find me a difficult enemy." He said. He never really talked like this, but Solomon was telling him it was the best way to not start an argument. He was getting flashbacks to those nativity plays he had to perform in preschool. The warrior looked him up and down again.

"I will... Ask our father if he wishes to speak to you." The man replied, Bailey bowed to show respect.

"That's all i ask." He replied. The man walked up the steps towards Hephaestus' forge. All the while, other men who were resting slowly gathered around them. Christina smiled, before putting on her best game face.

"Look, fella's. I get it. Lots of guys hold a grudge against women who reject them. I know a whole website you can go to, dedicated to it. That being said, those guys are what i like to call "Neckbeards" Now, you guys are clearly not Neckbeards as you clearly look after your bodies and don't just ply them with round after round of cheeseburger and milkshake..." She looked to see they were all wearing thick beards, some even on their necks. "Now, granted, some of you do have beards on your necks, but m-y point is that i am not a fussy woman and i am looking for about 7 or 8 men who would be interested in something long-term, maybe long walks on the beach, maybe going to get some ice-cream... My point is that not ALL women are evil baby-traders and i don't care how many... Hot... Rippling... Muscular men i need to take on a date to prove that. So, any takers?" She asked. "Conversely. If you are looking for a woman to serve as a mediator, who can go to the island of hot, buff warrior ladies in order to discuss an end to the Misandry, i am willing to be that envoy, on the proviso that you tell me exactly where the island is." She looked around at the sea of uninterested faces. "P... Please, i need that location..." She huffed a little. One of the men approached her, Bailey got up, ready to fight in case they had taken offense. He brushed the hair from her face.

"My name is Jason. Son of Hephaestus..." He began, but Christina looked over at Bailey.

"Upupupupupup!" She put a finger over his mouth. "Whisper in my ear, some of us aren't of the age of consent." She looked at Bailey. Jason then whispered in Christina's ear. She quickly turned bright red, smiled, giggled a little, before blood began to stream from her nose, her eyes rolled up and she collapsed like a bag of sand. Jason looked at her, rather confused. Bailey immediately leapt over to Christina who was gibbering on the floor.

"What did you do?" He asked. Jason looked at him, just as confused as to her reaction.

"I did nothing, cast no spell. But she seemed to react that way after telling her that i would stable and ride her as tenderly as mine own Kanga and she reacted as if i had hexed her. I am just as vexed as you." The pair looked down at her, but frankly, the sight of multiple buff men stood over her simply sent her further into her lustful stupor. The only sound coming from her being a deep, slow, weezing laugh. Bailey had no idea what Jason was talking about, Solomon only said "I'll tell you when you're old enough" which only puzzled him further, but he hoisted Christina up in a firemans carry and lay her comfortably across his shoulders. She looked at Jason, before putting her thumb to her ear and pinky to her lips and waggling her hand at him, which only served to confuse him more. Luckily, this was broken up by the guards return.

"Lord Hephaestus will see you." He replied. Bailey rolled his eyes, before beginning to march up the stairs. It looked easier watching the guard do it. No matter how fast he walked, he didn't seem to be getting closer, looking back every so often to make sure that there wasn't some kind of spell resetting their progress. Finally making it to the top, the heat was almost unbearable inside. Before he went in, he quickly consulted Solomon and managed to cast a spell that would keep Christina at a comfortable temperature in here. He finally put her down and the pair walked into the heart of the volcano. Hepahestus was just finishing work on a lightning bolt, before waving his hand over it and sending it to Zeus.

"So... The Champion of the Rock has come to the God of the Forge." The booming voice said. He slowly turned around and bent down. The sheer size of the god was awe inspiring. The pair of them were barely the equivalent of an ant before him, but Bailey stood his ground and didn't flinch.

"Lord Hephaestus. I am Bailey Briggs, champion of the Rock of Eternity, i speak with the Wisdom of Solomon and the Power of Zeus. Heed my words. Your sons have stolen something very dangerous from the World of Man." The malformed giant turned his sunken eyeballs to face Bailey.

"What you say is true..." He replied. He then turned and dipped his giant hand into the molten magma bellow, scooping out a handful and pouring it into a mold. The smell of burnt hair and flesh filling both their nostrils as he did it. It looked immensely painful for him, but after however long he had been doing it, he had probably stopped noticing. Bailey instinctively flew up to float in front of Hephaestus.

"Did they act on your orders?" He asked. Hephaestus said nothing, continuing to pour more lava in until the mold was full. "Why did you order them to steal such weapons?" He asked.

"Millenia ago, Prometheus stole the Fire and gave it to the world of man. I see it only fair that once man learned the fire of Atom, the gods steal it for themselves." Hephaestus replied. But there was a tremble in his voice. A flicker of uncertainty. With Solomon whispering in his ear, Bailey pressed the hesitation.

"The power of the gods dwarfs that of the Atom. That cannot be the only reason." Hephaestus milky, cataract-possesed eye pointed straight at Bailey for that accusation.

"Perhaps you overestimate our power?" He replied. At that point, Solomon pointed Bailey to go for the kill.

"Or perhaps the other gods do..." He replied. "What gives you the need to steal such weapons when you can create your own?" He asked. "With the world of man turning more towards science and away from the wonders of magic and the deities, something is coming that only the power of Magic will not be enough for? Or maybe the power of Science will be more effective? Or maybe... Maybe you need both?" He asked. Hephaestus stared at him.

"It has been too long since i matched my wits against Solomon." The god boomed. He slowly reached a malformed arm around to scratch his long beard. "I am not like my father, my hubris does not push me to attempt to defeat you on such a battlefield. In that catagory, i shall secede victory to you. But i cannot say. Father would be most furious if i were to admit weakness on behalf of Olympus." He then thought, before reaching his arm around to the mould and grabbing it, his flesh sizzling again and the ungodly smell became freshened as he pulled it apart to reveal a lightning bolt, golden to the sight and igniting the room in in the splendor of its power. He reached for his hammer. "But on the lives of my many, beloved daughters and sons, each of whom i hold dearer to me than all of the heavens. I promise you that the weapons we have stolen will NOT be used for the purposes of harming the World of Man. Quite the contrary."

"You... You want to save mankind?" He asked, before the penny dropped "Of course you do. The world of man no longer believes in you. You are preparing for a coming invasion. When the gods step in to save humanity it will reignite their belief in you? Your powers will be amplified beyond compare with 8 billion voices praising your names. Do you intend to start that war?" He asked. Hephaestus looked down, then back to him.

"That, i cannot say. Father does not tell me everything. Simply that we will be allpowerful again and that Earth will be safe because of us, not despite." Hephaestus laughed. "Father does have a penchant for doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. It is why he is our king." He struck a mighty blow against the lightning bolt, shards sparking off back into the magma pool bellow them. Bailey looked at him and then back to Christina, she shrugged at him. To be honest. If this order came all the way from Zeus, then there was no way he was going to be able to stop him. Wherever that nuke was, it wasn't anywhere he could get to it. Plus, he couldn't afford to lose the power Zeus provided him. For the moment at least, going to Olympus and demanding answers would, at best, be pointless, or at worst, would get him killed.

"So, it appears that, for the moment, i may have to do naught but put my faith in the almighty and hope that his intentions towards Man are entirely benign." Which, to be fair, made sense. Zeus wanted 8 billion worshippers empowering him. Detonating that nuke in in a crowded area would only serve to that plans determent. And detonating it where there were no humans would cause no problems either.

"A wise decision, Champion. Allow me to assist you on your journey." He said, slowly reaching for a large chest near his head, embedded in the wall and rumaged around for a minute, before pulling out something. He enclosed them both in his hands for a second and in a flash of golden light, he opened his hands again, extending it towards Bailey. In the center of his hand was a staff with a glowing rock in the head of it. "Many eons ago, when i was but a young god, i travelled to many places and saw many things. That splinter was from when i climbed Yggdrasil herself, Hercules pulled it from my thumb when he visited me the first time. And that rock in the top was once a star that moved Atlas himself to tears with its splendor, so much so that he plucked it for safe keeping as he held up the sky. The blessed magma of Etna was conjured into being by Zeus himself and with my hands being bathed in it for so many moons, the staff has absorbed that power. Mercury's sash that he once gave me to serve as a bandage i tanned into leather to become the grip, Achilles shield from the Trojan War is what was used to make the Pomel. And it was Solomon who taught me how to forge it like that. These pieces, i believe were made for you." He slowly reached down and grabbed the staff, holding it in his hands. The power that radiated from it was unspeakable.

"But... Why?" He asked.

"Because the Fates are whispering. I hear them sometimes. It will be needed very soon." He replied.He then saw Christina raise her hand and looked down at her.

"Can my present be a date with Jason?" She asked. Bailey looked at her, rather confused. "Hey, if a guy's gotta ask my dad before asking me out, i'm gonna ask his dad too."

M A R T I A N M A N H U N T E R
M A R T I A N M A N H U N T E R

CENTENNIAL PARK
Manhattan, New York City
Christmas Eve
Mention: _{@ThatDeercat @Azure Bubbles @King Kindred}

J'onn just hummed in amusement as he watched Thor fly away into the night. I suppose we know now what to do?" He went over to the Toyman and double-checked how he was tied, then hoisted him onto his shoulder. "I know where the nearest New York police prescient is. I can fly him straight over there..." Or could he? It'd been just over two years, barely a fully Martian year. He'd already revealed himself more than he should. He really shouldn't be flying out in public without the confusion of a fight. Though, perhaps... "I'll join you at the club."

Then he flew into the air and turned himself and the Toyman invisible, then headed to his precient, did the paperwork to book him, then placed him in an isolation top-security cell, then headed back into the night. All while invisible and getting people to ignore any 'odd things' they noticed. He really did not want to deal with police procedure at the moment.

Later, he'd be back on shift as a detective and so having to handle the fallout of, all this. Before then though, he could just allow things to be for right now and join his new co-workers at the club. It was Christmas Eve after all, he could allow himself this. And with that, he headed for Ace O'Clubs, still keeping out of sight as much as possible but keeping to his Martian form for far longer than he'd have otherwise allowed to finally arrive into that place.