Chapter Text
INT. AMBASSADOR HOTEL.
Alex sits facing Lex and the others, with Chronos handcuffed at his feet.
ALEX
I figured you'd want to question
him...
Alex kicks Chronos toward Lex for emphasis.
ALEX
... so I thought I'd bring him along.
Alex picks up a duffel bag behind him and tosses it at Lex's feet, causing it to land on top of Chronos with a thud.
CHRONOS
*OOF!*
ALEX
I also come bearing gifts. A few
trinkets from the store room of the
Justice Society of America, plus
some of the items Chronos had on
him.
Lex nudges the bag off of Chronos with his foot.
LEX
Slade? Take Mr. Clinton for
questioning.
Deathstroke nods. With one hand, he picks up Chronos and slings him over his shoulder.
LEX
Give us the room.
The rest of the Legion members present file out of the room, shutting the door on their way out. Lex pulls up a chair and sits facing Alex.
LEX
I was a bit worried you wouldn't
come back.
ALEX
Really?
LEX
I'm not sure I would've, if I was
in your place. Where's Lena?
ALEX
She's with the Justice League.
That's where we've been.
LEX
You found them?
ALEX
Lena did.
LEX
(smiling)
Of course she did.
ALEX
She found out about Lionel. They
all did. That's why I came back.
LEX
Of course. None of those people
could ever understand. Not even
Lena could.
ALEX
She'll be safe with them.
Lex stands up and approaches his younger self.
LEX
I know she will. What matters right
now is that you're back. You did a
good job, Alex. I'm proud of you.
Lex places a hand on Alex's shoulder, and the two share a warm moment.
INT. DARKENED HOTEL ROOM.
Chronos is on the floor, handcuffed, while Deathstroke, Sportsmaster, and Merlyn the Dark Archer kick him repeatedly in the ribs. Deathstroke holds up a hand to signal the other two to stop. The three then back away from Chronos.
CHRONOS
*GASP**COUGH*
DEATHSTROKE
Feeling more awake now, David?
CHRONOS
(pained)
Positively chipper, Slade.
DEATHSTROKE
Good. That's good.
Deathstroke sits down on the bed, looking down at Chronos.
DEATHSTROKE
I've decided that we're going
to take our time, and you and I are
going to have a long discussion
about the men you sent to kill my-
A ripple of warped space spreads over the room, and everyone in it becomes completely frozen in time. Except, of course, for Chronos, who quickly picks the locks of his handcuffs and stands up, dropping a gadget on the way, its battery spent.
CHRONOS
You talk a lot for an assassin,
Slade.
Chronos grabs the gun out of Deathstroke's holster and walks over to the teleport pad.
INT. ALPHA BASE.
Chronos teleports into Alpha Base's command and control room. The Calculator gets up as soon as he sees Chronos port in.
CALCULATOR
David!
Chronos shoots Calculator in the chest and he falls to the ground.
CHRONOS
Good evening, Noah.
Chronos walks behind the control panel and begins accessing and deactivating Alpha Base's security system with a series of keystrokes. He then checks his watch.
BEAT
A tear in space opens up, and out walks Cheetah, Circe, Marius, and the rest of their faction of the Legion.
CHRONOS
Doctor Minerva, Alpha Base is now
under our command.
CHEETAH
Little Lex was right, that was easy!
INT. AMBASSADOR HOTEL.
The alarm is sounding on Lex's communicator.
LEX
What now?
Deathstroke bursts into the room.
DEATHSTROKE
Chronos escaped. He teleported to
Alpha Base.
LEX
What?!
Deathstroke holds up one of Chronos' gadgets.
DEATHSTROKE
He had this on him.
Lex turns to Alex. Alex looks down at his bag.
ALEX
(quiet)
He must've lifted it when I wasn't
looking.
DEATHSTROKE
You stupid little-!
LEX
That's enough, Slade! There will be
time for that later. What's the
status of Alpha Base?
DEATHSTROKE
Chronos has taken control of CnC
and lowered the shields. Cheetah
and her people are already inside.
LEX
If it's a war Barbara wants...
Brainiac!
Brainiac appears.
BRAINIAC
Yes, Lex?
LEX
Signal everyone we have. Tell them
to get ready for combat and gather
at Slaughter Swamp immediately.
We'll retake Alpha Base by force if
we have to.
BRAINIAC
Lex, when you say everyone, does
that include...?
LEX
The Joker has his own mission and
he's to be left to it. At the
moment, ours is to end this
rebellion. I want everyone
mobilized, now!
The troops start to mobilize. Lex activates his nanotech power suit.
LEX
Well?
ALEX
What?
LEX
You coming, or not?
Alex smiles, and reaches into the duffel bag, pulling out the STAR ROD.
INT. ALPHA BASE.
Inside of the base where Cheetah and her faction have just taken control, the proximity alarms begin to sound.
CHEETAH
Chronos?
Chronos checks the external cameras, and projects a live image of Lex, fully geared up in power armor, teleporting into Slaughter Swamp with everyone still loyal to him, including Deathstroke and his team, Conduit, and Queen Bee. Alex is by his side, wielding the star rod and wearing the cosmic converter belt.
CHEETAH
(smiling)
Perfect timing.
EXT. SLAUGHTER SWAMP.
Lex's forces are assembled. A tear is space opens up, and out step Cheetah, Circe, and Orm Marius.
LEX
And where is the rest of your band
of rebels, Barbara?
CHEETAH
Back on the ship. You're a sneaky
one, Lex Luthor, I'm not going to
leave the newly captured prize
unguarded. Besides, you forget,
when we split up, you got to keep
all of the hired help, but I kept
Circe...
Behind Cheetah, the swamp water begins to stir. Out of the muck rises the army of monsters that Circe commands.
CHEETAH
... and Circe kept all of her
friends.
The two armies, one of supervillains, the other of mythical monsters, stare off at each other.
CHEETAH
I mean, come on, Lex! Did you
really come here expecting an easy
fight?
LEX
Not at all. But I do expect to win.
*CLAP**CLAP*CLAP* Lex and Cheetah both turn toward the sound of applause, coming from the nearby tree line. The Joker, backed up by his gang, steps out onto the battlefield, giving very polite applause.
THE JOKER
Bravo! Brava!
The Joker comes to a stop in front of Lex and Cheetah.
THE JOKER
This is a riveting scene the two of
you have set.
CHEETAH
(to Lex)
You brought The Joker back to life?
LEX
You forced my hand.
THE JOKER
Barbara, darling, how lovely to see
you!
CHEETAH
(disdainful)
Clown.
LEX
Why are you here?
THE JOKER
There's a party, I get an
invitation, I show up, what is
this, rocket science?
LEX
I didn't call for you, Joker.
THE JOKER
Well, somebody messaged that little
beeper you gave me. Here's
the thing, though, Lex, me and my
boys have been talking...
LEX
Your "boys?"
THE JOKER
My boys, yes. We've been talking,
and it occurs to us that we're not
sure who we want for a dance
partner at this party.
LEX
You're betraying me.
THE JOKER
I'm CONSIDERING betraying you, Lex,
please keep up.
LEX
Some of your "boys" are from my
gang, Joker!
THE PRANKSTER
I'm sorry, Lex, but we've really
bonded with The Joker these past
few days over shared mutual
interests.
TOYMAN
You never ask us about our hobbies.
He LOVES hearing about our hobbies.
THE JOKER
I love you guys too, but let's not
get ahead of ourselves! There are
decisions left to be made and I am
willing to weigh my options. First,
let's start by answering a
question: who paged us? The person
who actually requested my presence
automatically gets points for just
making me feel wanted, y'know?
Silence. Lex and Cheetah look around at their followers.
CHEETAH
Don't look at me, I didn't know he
was alive.
CIRCE
I don't even know who he is.
LEX
Who signaled The Joker?
Green light shines down on the villains.
SUPERBOY
(O.S.)
We did.
The villains look up. Overhead, suspended on a glowing green floating platform, stand THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: Superboy! Insect Queen! Robin! Wonder Girl! The Flash! Green Lantern! Aqualad! Speedy! Black Canary! Hawkwoman! The Martian Manhunter! Accompanying them are THE DOOM PATROL and two former members of the JSA, WILDCAT and WHITE CANARY, as well as someone piloting the S.T.R.I.P.E. mecha armor.
CHEETAH
(to Lex)
Truce?
LEX
(cold fury)
Kill them.
Aqualad leads the charge, jumping down directly towards his wicked brother, Orm Marius.
ORM MARIUS
(amused)
Oh God, not...
To Marius' surprise, Aqualad changes course at the last second! Using the waters of the swamp, he uses his WATER BENDING to create a moving platform to land on and maneuver around his brother!
ORM MARIUS
(quietly)
... again?
As heroes and villains lock up all around, Aqualad glides along the surface of the water at high speeds, pulling water from behind him to raise the water level in front of him and leaving behind a field of mud for this battle to take place. Superboy leaps down at Lex, and his fist connects with Lex's force field, generating a wave of force that pushes back those around them. Wonder Girl jumps towards Circe and Cheetah, swinging her sword, but just as she is about to land in front of them, she tosses her sword back over her shoulder and pivots into a kick directly to Cheetah's stomach, knocking her back. Behind the Amazon, The Flash catches the sword and runs past the villains to catch up with Aqualad. Back at the line, Martian Manhunter and Queen Bee meet in battle, their fists colliding with one another.
CUT TO
As Aqualad glides along the surface of the water, he wills the water to freeze, trapping Circe's army of monsters chest deep in ice! Before the fiends can react, The Flash comes in with the magic sword, using it at super speed to cut every single one of them in a matter of moments. The creatures fade away into smoke as they are banished back to Tartarus.
CIRCE
NO!
Hawkwoman swoops in, wielding a bronze khopesh with Nth metal inlay, and bashes Circe in the face, sending her flying. She comes to a stop in front of Marius.
ORM MARIUS
Oh good. I'll have a matching set.
Hawkwoman charges the warlock, and he blocks her blow with a shadow tendril. Nearby, as he blocks the boy of steel's attack, Lex looks over his shoulder at Aqualad and The Flash heading toward Alpha Base.
LEX
Stop them!
Zoom runs after the two heroes, and Green Lantern streaks through the air after them. In the middle of the battle, Robin spin kicks an enemy in the head and then lands on the ground in front of The Joker.
THE JOKER
It is a marginal improvement.
Robin swings at The Joker with his bo staff, which The Joker blocks by pulling out a crowbar.
THE JOKER
But I know how to squish little
red birds.
Nearby, Conduit uses his tendrils to throw Robotman of the Doom Patrol away from him, and then turns just in time to get decked in the face by Insect Queen. She comes to a stop and faces her former friend.
INSECT QUEEN
Hey, Pete.
CONDUIT
Hey baby.
INSECT QUEEN
(quietly)
Well, you're not making this
harder...
The two charge at each other, Conduit extending his tendrils, Insect Queen sporting a massive Hercules beetle fist with pistol shrimp knuckles. Just as they're about to make contact, Conduit teleports behind Insect Queen, but she pivots at the last second and lands an explosive blow to his stomach, launching Conduit into the sky where she gives chase.
CUT TO
Aqualad racing toward Alpha Base. Zoom speeds up behind him, coming in to attack, but The Flash darts in, knocking Zoom away with a shoulder check and chasing after him.
AQUALAD
Thanks, man.
The Flash darts back.
THE FLASH
You're welcome!
The Flash darts away, coming to a stop facing his arch nemesis.
ZOOM
The Flash.
THE FLASH
The Zoom.
They stare each other down for a moment, like a pair of gunslingers, before taking off! The two speedsters begin to chase each other around Alpha Base in dazzling streaks of red and yellow.
CUT TO
Superboy continues to push with all his might against Lex's shields for a moment before jumping back, relenting his assault.
SUPERBOY
I have to hand it to you, Luthor,
that's one heck of a-
An energy beam shoots out of the breastplate of Lex's armor and blasts Superboy backwards, skidding to a halt face up in the swamp muck. Lex approaches him, charging an even more powerful blast of crackling green energy in the palm of his gauntlet.
LEX
(grim)
I am done with this.
Just as Lex is about to blast Superboy into cosmic dust, dazzling golden energy blasts the villain instead. His force field activates, but he is pushed back by the sheer power of the attack. He looks to see Alex, the star rod in his hand crackling with golden energy, helping Superboy to his feet.
ALEX
Hey, Clark.
SUPERBOY
Hi Alex.
ALEX
Don't you have somewhere to be?
SUPERBOY
Going!
Clark dashes off at super speed. As Clark runs, Krypto, The Superdog (cape and all) runs up alongside him.
SUPERBOY
Ready, boy?
KRYPTO
*BARK**WOOF*
The two concentrate, channeling energy into their legs, and then shoot forward at incredible speed, flying low to the ground like a rocket. Back at the fight, Alex faces off with Lex.
LEX
You ungrateful-!
Alex blasts Lex with the star rod, bombarding the villain's force field with incredible force. As Lex struggles against it, he presses a button on the gauntlet of his suit.
INT. DARKENED LABORATORY.
In a dark laboratory, BIZARRO sits, silent, motionless. The three circles on his forehead light up green, and he opens his eyes.
EXT. SLAUGHTER SWAMP.
Aqualad arrives at the outer wall of Alpha Base. He digs his fingers into the metal wall, willing giant tendrils of water to do the same, and with his muscles and his mind he tears open a hole before gently hopping in. He is immediately greeted by the villains still waiting in the base, including Giganta, Solomon Grundy, and Black Manta.
AQUALAD
Alright then...
Suddenly, an emerald energy barrier pops up between Aqualad and the villains as Green Lantern flies in.
GREEN LANTERN
Need a hand?
The banter is interrupted when Solomon Grundy begins forcing his way through the barrier, shearing his flesh off in the process and revealing his wooden skeleton.
GREEN LANTERN
Oh yeah...
AQUALAD
New plan!
Aqualad rushes at the wooden skeleton and punches it with all his might, sending it flying through the force field and knocking over the assembled villains.
AQUALAD
I fight, you clear a path.
Green Lantern retracts the force-field and conjures a large industrial drill.
GREEN LANTERN
Works for me.
CUT TO
Wonder Girl is fighting a defensive battle against Cheetah. The feline fiend is moving constantly, jumping from one spot to another, attacking from a different angle with every swipe of her claws, all at lightning fast speeds. The Amazonian princess is barely able to keep up as she blocks with her adamantine bracelets. Behind her, Circe the Sorceress returns to the fray, readying a sneak attack against Wonder Girl. But, just in the nick of time, Black Canary comes in for the save, blasting the witch away with a well placed sonic blast. Cheetah sees this and, spotting an opening, jumps past Wonder Girl, landing beside her and then pouncing at her comrade! However, while mid-leap, Cheetah is blasted away by White Canary, sent flying in the direction of Alpha Base.
BLACK CANARY
Thanks, mom!
WHITE CANARY
Watch yourself, dear.
Wonder Girl begins coiling the lasso of truth around her arm.
WONDER GIRL
I'm going after her.
BLACK CANARY
You going alone?
WONDER GIRL
I have a plan.
Wonder Girl leaps past the tree line and begins flying under the cover of the canopy toward the direction Cheetah went in. As Black Canary watches her go, she is assaulted by Sportsmaster, but deftly dodges and counters with a judo throw. Nearby, Speedy the boy archer ducks for cover as a mook takes a swing at him, only for the villain to be decked by Wildcat.
WILDCAT
Watch yourself, kid!
SPEEDY
What do you think I'm doing?
BLACK CANARY
Just keep your head down 'til your
moment, Speedy!
SPEEDY
Stop CALLING me that!
INT. ALPHA BASE.
The Flash and Zoom are chasing each other around the interior hallways of the base at incredible speeds. Zoom comes up alongside The Flash and takes a swipe at him. The Flash parries and goes in for a punch, which Zoom blocks before wrenching the arm violently, grabbing The Flash, and slamming him up against the wall and dragging him along it as the two skid to a stop. Zoom prepares for a kill shot, but The Flash manages to pull in both of his legs and kick out, hitting Zoom with a double kick and slamming him into the opposite wall. Both speedsters drop to the floor at the same time. The Flash is gripping the arm Zoom had grabbed, clearly in pain as it dangles limp and seems to be twitching.
ZOOM
Y'know, I'm feeling real nostalgic,
Barry. I'm thinking, maybe after
we're done here, me and The Joker
and the rest of the boys'll go pay
Iris a little visit.
The Flash just stands there, grimacing with rage and clutching his arm as it twitches with pain. Zoom stands up and approaches The Flash.
ZOOM
(laughing)
Y'see, now I know you're out of
gas. The Flash I knew would've
already handed me a few of my own
teeth just for saying that. You're
fast, kid, I'll give it to you, but
you don't have the endurance, you
don't have the skill...
THE FLASH
Thawn?
Zoom looks down. The arm he thought The Flash had been clutching in pain has in fact been moving this whole time, the hand and fingers in constant motion around a single spot as he pours the speed force into it, accelerating the movement of the air molecules in that spot in as many different directions at once as possible, causing them to spin around in circles at speeds approaching the sound barrier, creating a sphere of condensed hyperkinetic energy in the palm of his hand.
THE FLASH
Stay away from my girlfriend.
The Flash hits Zoom in the exact center of his torso with a palm strike, supercharged by the hyperkinetic ball of air.
ZOOM
*just the worst sound*
CUT TO
Aqualad, fending off attacks from multiple opponents! He uses his water bending to keep the others at bay, creating walls of water to push them back, while focusing his physical attacks on Solomon Grundy. Grundy rains down a torrent of blows with his four mighty fists as Aqualad blocks. While the other villains are held back, Black Manta uses his suit to dive THROUGH the wall of water. Landing on the ground right beside Aqualad and Grundy. He draws a small harpoon gun and fires at Aqualad. Our view goes into slow motion as the projectile hurtles toward the Atlantean teen, and The Flash comes in just in time to catch it out of the air. The Flash runs up to Black Manta and hands the harpoon back to him.
THE FLASH
You dropped this, and that was
rude.
Manta takes a swing at The Flash, who darts around him and trips him over with considerable force with a hyper speed leg sweep.
CUT TO
Not far away, Green Lantern is making progress, drilling through the walls to get to the reactor core. His drill pokes through to the other side, and he dismisses it, floating into the reactor room through the hole. He activates his communicator. As he is talking, leaves and wooden vines crawl out of the vents behind him and form together into The Floronic Man.
GREEN LANTERN
Green Lantern to the JLA, I'm at
the destination...
The villain lunges, morphing his fingers into a binding prison of lacquer chains, ensnaring the hero.
GREEN LANTERN
(startled)
... requesting long range assist!
EXT. SLAUGHTER SWAMP.
BLACK CANARY
Hear that Speedy? You're up!
Speedy takes a running jump toward Black Canary, who holds down her hands to catch his foot and vault him into the air.
SPEEDY
I said don't CALL me that!
As Speedy twists in the air, he draws his bow, closes one eye, and fires an arrow at Alpha Base. The arrow, with a cylindrical head that bares an atom symbol on it, flies through the air, whooshing past Aqualad and The Flash's fight with the villains, threading through the hole left by GL's drill, and flying right past Floronic Man's head, embedding itself harmlessly in a piece of equipment. Floronic Man looks down at GL.
FLORONIC MAN
Some support.
Floronic Man begins squeezing Green Lantern.
GREEN LANTERN
*ACK!*
Floronic Man smiles, and without looking, catches another arrow out of the air before it can hit him.
FLORONIC MAN
That boy needs to find himself
another...
The arrowhead explodes, spraying thermite in Flormonic Man's face and causing him to catch fire. His grip lessens, and Green Lantern activates his communicator.
GREEN LANTERN
Flash! Castling!
Green Lantern flies back through the entrance he made with his drill, and he and The Flash pass each other as they swap places. Green Lantern flies out just in time to push back Black Manta and a few other villains with a wall of force, giving Aqualad breathing room to bind Grundy's feet with water tendrils and go on the offensive.
CUT TO
Back in the reactor core, The Flash is running circles around Floronic Man, grabbing his vines and tying them together into huge knots. Then, suddenly, WOOSH, Zoom darts into the room and pins The Flash up against the wall. There is a massive hole in Zoom's costume, revealing a nasty looking bruise covering most of his torso. There is blood running down from his mouth and nose, and the blood vessels in one of his eyes have burst. Floronic Man scrambles out of the room as fast as he can.
ZOOM
(strained, furious)
That *COUGH* hurt!
Zoom begins vibrating one of his hands at high speed, readying for a kill shot.
THE ATOM
(over communicator)
Atom to JLA! I did it!
EXT. DANNY THE STREET. SHED. DAY.
FLASHBACK. The party has been gathered outside the storage shed behind the doll hospital on Danny, which has been converted into a workshop for Lena and Ray to use. Bruce, Clark, J'onn, and Diana are at the front of the group, talking to Ray and Lena.
BRUCE
What did you do, Ray?
RAY
I figured out how to beat the
Legion, all thanks to a discovery
Lena made while we were examining...
Ray holds out a small silver disk with an hourglass symbol etched onto it.
RAY
... this. It's one of Chronos'
devices. It causes the affected
target to move backwards through
time, kind of like getting rewound.
DIANA
It was most unpleasant.
CLARK
What's the discovery?
LENA
Every object in existence has a
temporal signature that corresponds
to the point in the timeline it
belongs to. This signature can be
isolated and manipulated, which is
how the device causes objects to
move through time backwards, and it
can be detected in order to
determine if an object has been
displaced from its natural point
on the timeline.
CLARK
... okay.
Ray grabs a diagram of Alpha Base.
RAY
Look here. The reactor core,
basically a big radioactive engine
that powers the whole base. It was
built out of the time machine they
used to get here, right? That means
a majority of its mass is from the
future. And this little dot right
here? This is where the time
machine was connected to its
original power source when it came
back from the future. Lena and I
have been talking and fiddling with
this thing, and we're pretty sure
that if I can connect it to this
port and, god willing, pull off a
little rewiring of some of the
nanocircuitry on the fly, we can
send the reactor back through the
hole in the timestream it punched
to get here. And if I boost the
device's radius by tapping into the
reactor's power output, it will
suck up any matter inside that
radius that's from the same time
period as the machine. And what all
of that means is...
INT. ALPHA BASE REACTOR ROOM.
The room begins to fill with blinding light as the reactor powers up, generating a ripple in spacetime that spreads outward, enveloping the whole room and beyond. Zoom looks down at his hand, and sees that he's beginning to go out of phase with this timeline.
THE ATOM
(V.O.)
... I can send them back.
THE MICROVERSE
Ray Palmer, wearing the bulky prototype suit of THE ATOM (think arrowverse armor), bounces from molecule to molecule, rewiring nano circuits on the fly to make this Hail Mary work.
THE ATOM
You should see it start to take
effect over the next few minutes.
Or possibly seconds. I wasn't able
to test this.
EXT. DANNY THE STREET. SHED. DAY.
OLLIE
You can't test this?
RAY
No time, and no back
up rewind gadget.
LENA
There are other problems. There's a
limit to how much we can boost this
thing's radius. We're pretty sure
at maximum we can affect all of the
base's interior, so unless we can
get the entire Legion inside the
base at once, we're not going to
get them all.
RAY
Although, we might be able to make
signal boosters. We don't have time
to make many, and we'd have to tag
individual members of the Legion
with them.
OLLIE
How do you expect to get many of
them that way?
RAY
Well, that's where you come in.
OLLIE
... me?
RAY
Ollie, You're kind of a key figure
here. I need you to fire the
projectile I'm going to ride to get
to the reactor...
EXT. SLAUGHTER SWAMP.
Speedy, darting around the battlefield, hitting several Legion members (including Queen Bee as she fights Martian Manhunter) with his SIGNAL BOOSTING ARROWS, each one stunning the villain with a taser charge as they too begin to go out of phase with the timestream as happened to Zoom.
THE ATOM
(V.O.)
... and then I need you to keep as many
of them from getting away as
possible.
Speedy fires one arrow directly at Merlyn the Dark Archer, but before it can hit him, Deathstroke catches it out of the air and throws it at a Legion member he doesn't like.
DEATHSTROKE
We're pulling back.
MERLYN THE DARK ARCHER
Are you serious?
DEATHSTROKE
Alpha Base is lost. We're
regrouping on the island.
EXT. DANNY THE STREET. SHED. DAY.
BRUCE
So, all of this hinges on getting
all of the Legion in one place at
one time. Both factions, plus
Joker's team.
ALEX
(O.S.)
Yeah...
The group turns to see that Alex has joined them.
EXT. SLAUGHTER SWAMP.
ALEX
(V.O.)
... I think I have an idea.
Alex is bombarding Lex with energy from the star rod. Lex's force field holds, but it seems like he is cornered. On the back of Lex's armor, several slots open, small missile ports that fire a dozen small homing missiles that fly toward Alex. He reels back, destroying the missiles with a wave of energy, but leaving himself open to a counter from Lex, who charges at the boy, grabbing him and pinning him down into the muck.
LEX
(furious)
WHY?!
ALEX
Well, for starters, there's the hair.
Like, is that a choice, or did we not inherit Lionel's-
Lex raises his fist, and Alex blasts upwards with the star rod, sending Lex flying into the air. Lex activates his thrusters in the air and comes to a stop, surveying the battlefield with the look of a man brought to the brink. His eyes turn to Alpha Base, which is consumed in a bubble of warped space.
EXT. DANNY THE STREET. SHED. DAY.
Alex is standing with the group now, having just shared his plan.
BRUCE
Are you sure you can pull it off?
ALEX
I'm great at lying to people,
myself especially.
LENA
(cold)
Why do you even want to help?
Alex looks at his sister, shame spreading across his face. He looks away, and instead makes eye contact with Clark.
ALEX
I'm choosing to do the right thing.
LENA
Yeah, whatever. There's still
another problem.
Lena points to a spot on the schematic.
LENA
Doing this is going to send a power
surge through the base. The problem
is that, in the event of a power
surge, the base is designed to vent
excess energy into the Old Gotham
tunnels under the city. If that
happens, all of the green goo
that's still under there is going
to ignite, and if that happens...
it's going to be the great Gotham
earthquake all over again.
BRUCE
Why are we proposing a plan that
will blow up my town?
RAY
Because there is a solution! Lena,
you really should lead with the
good news in these situations.
LENA
Okay, sorry.
Ray pulls a map off Gotham's underground from his workbench.
RAY
Right here. See? It's a big metal
seal that's a part of the Old
Gotham pipe system. The ignited Azoth has to
pass through here to vent into the
rest of underground. But, if it
were held shut by, say, the world's
strongest man...
Ray turns to Clark, as do the eyes of everyone else in the group.
RAY
... then the energy would be forced
back into the base...
INT. GOTHAM UNDERGROUND.
Superboy and Krypto skid to a halt in front of the enormous metal seal, easily 30 feet in diameter, that is connected to a now broken hydraulic system.
THE ATOM
(V.O.)
... and it'll blow right up.
Superboy looks up at the enormous metal object.
SUPERBOY
Well. It is bigger than I imagined.
(to Krypto)
Let's hurry.
The boy and dog of steel dash up to the large metal seal. They summon all of their strength, and begin to push it shut.
SUPERBOY
(strained)
It's-*NGH*-actually lighter than it
looks...
With a flash and a crack of thunder, Superboy is struck and sent crashing into the nearby concrete wall, causing deep cracks in it. He lands with a thud. As he picks himself up off the floor, he sees BIZARRO advancing.
EXT. SLAUGHTER SWAMP.
Lex Luthor is flying toward Alpha Base.
LEX
Brainiac! Brainiac, come in!
Lex gets nothing but static. Suddenly, errant blasts of golden energy streak past him. Alex is in pursuit. Lex takes evasive maneuvers, and we have the beginnings of a chase on our hands! Alex keeps firing blasts that Lex deftly dodges. Lex generates an orb of energy in each hand and throws them backwards. Alex uses the star rod to put up a force field just in time as he collides with the orbs and they explode on impact. Lex smirks as he makes his getaway, but suddenly the S.T.R.I.P.E. mecha falls out of the sky and crashes down on top of him, slamming him into the earth.
CUT TO
An interior shot of the mecha, where Lena Luthor is piloting it.
CUT TO
Elsewhere in Slaughter Swamp, Cheetah pulls herself up out of the muck. She spots movement in the trees, a glint of gold she recognizes as the lasso of truth, and readies herself for an attack. Wonder Girl does indeed jump out of the trees, lunging toward her sworn enemy. Cheetah notices the glistening gold wrapped around Wonder Girl's forearms and hands, and realizes too late what is happening: Wonder Girl has wrapped the lasso of truth around her hands, winding each end of the cord around her fingers in the style of muay thai hand wrappings. Her hands are connected by the length of the rope, which she swings over and behind Cheetah as she lands, pulling Cheetah into a close quarters fight with no room to move! Wonder Girl smiles, and then begins pummeling Cheetah with rapid fire muay thai strikes.
CUT TO
High in the air above Slaughter Swamp, Conduit and Insect Queen are locked in battle. The two are entangled mid-air, Conduit clinging on for dear life with his tendrils as his free arm is used to trade punches with his former friend. Insect Queen lands a blow so hard it cracks Conduit's helmet in two, causing it to fall away, revealing a human face ghoulishly wired into cybernetic cables.
CONDUIT
Give us a kiss?
Lana transforms her face into an insectoid mandible and sprays Conduit in the face with a caustic mist. As Conduit coughs and gags, Insect Queen grabs him and flies back down at the ground, slamming the villain into the earth with incredible force. As she gets up, she places her foot on his chest and uses her Hercules beetle arms to tear his metallic tendrils off of his body.
CONDUIT
*just the worst sound*
Insect Queen steps away as she drops the tendrils to the ground. She hits Conduit with a few web blasts to immobilize him.
INSECT QUEEN
I'll be back for you later. I have
to go help my friends.
Insect Queen flies away, leaving Conduit to stew. However, that is when Brainiac steps into the scene.
BRAINIAC
Don't feel frustrated, Pete.
Brainiac waves his hand, and an invisible force tears away the webs.
BRAINIAC
We're still on schedule.
Brainiac holds out a hand. Conduit grabs it, letting Brainiac help him up, and is surprised when he realizes it's corporeal.
CONDUIT
You're solid.
BRAINIAC
I need a physical body to store
data for our journey.
CONDUIT
Journey?
Brainiac looks out at the battlefield.
BRAINIAC
Things have run their course here
on Earth. If you and I are going to
stay on schedule, we have to get
going right away.
CUT TO
Robin and The Joker, trading blocks and parries furiously with their melee weapons. The Joker's blows are fiercer, more powerful, but Robin has agility on his side. He flips over The Joker, kicking him in the head, his high tech boot crackling with energy and knocking The Joker back. The Boy Wonder lands as The Joker stumbles to a stop.
THE JOKER
That's a new toy.
Robin charges The Joker, planting his staff in the ground and uses it to leverage a supercharged flying kick. The Joker manages to catch the leg and fling Robin over his head, slamming him into the ground.
THE JOKER
Batman does love his toys. But if
you take those away from him, he
still has the will, the vision,
necessary to win against unwinnable
odds. What the hell does Robin
have?
Insect Queen flies into the scene, decking The Joker and knocking him back.
ROBIN
He has friends.
The villain skids to a halt in the mud.
THE JOKER
I'll admit it, I keep walking into that
one.
Nearby, Hawkwoman is battling both Marius and Circe with the rage of a Viking berserker.
HAWKWOMAN
*pure rage*
She pummels Marius with a flurry of blows, each one blocked by a shadow tendril, but every magic bolt Circe throws her way manages to be deflected with the sword without breaking the warrior's vengeful stride. That is when Circe spots Robin and Insect Queen advancing upon the downed Joker.
CIRCE
You know what, Kendra?
Out of the corner of her eye, Hawkwoman sees Circe drag her hand along the ground, transforming the mud into a swarm of knives sent flying at the other heroes!
CIRCE
I think Carter could use some
company!
Instinct kicks in, and Hawkwoman disengages from Marius to save her comrades. She darts off to catch up with the knives, and Circe uses telekinesis to grab The Joker and pull him over to her.
CIRCE
Marius, darling, be a dear and make
an exit? I think our partnerships
with Lex AND Barbara are coming to
an end tonight.
ORM MARIUS
It does seem that way, my lady.
Marius reaches out and tears open a portal.
ORM MARIUS
You're bringing him?
THE JOKER
"Him" has a name, mister.
CIRCE
We still need help, Marius, and I
think this one is a good match for
us.
THE JOKER
Come on. You're just saying that.
Not far away. Hawkwoman catches up with the swarm of knives, shattering them with her sword just before they hit Robin.
INSECT QUEEN
Woah!
Hawkwoman looks back and sees the villains escaping.
THE JOKER
(distant)
Don't forget about my boys...
HAWKWOMAN
Damn it!
ROBIN
Later! Focus on containing the
rest!
INT. GOTHAM UNDERGROUND.
Superboy rushes Bizarro, and the two lock up, creating a wave of force in the air. Krypto lunges at the clone, but Bizarro's reflexes are too quick, and he catches the pup of steel by the throat. However, this creates an opening for Superboy to sock Bizarro with a mighty punch to the head. Unfortunately, while his head is knocked back slightly, he shows no sign of pain or injury. Superboy dives forward, grabbing Bizarro by the mid section. He puts all of his power into his legs and shoots up like a rocket, slamming Bizarro into the ceiling. Bizarro simply looks down and lets loose a blast of laser vision, knocking Superboy to the ground. Casually, Bizarro descends. Krypto lunges at him, but Bizarro swats him away like it's nothing. Krypto skids to the halt on the ground next to his boy, as Bizarro sets his feet down between the two heroes and their goal, his eyes vacantly crackling with energy.
EXT. SLAUGHTER SWAMP.
Lena, in her mecha suit, is raining down punches on Lex, really working out some anger with every blow. Lex manages to grab one of the mecha's arms and, assisted by propulsion rockets all over his suit, wrenches the robot off of him with a judo throw. The mecha lands on its feet and skids to a halt just as Alex touches down next to it.
ALEX
Lena, I know you're not a big fan
of me right now, and honestly I'm
not either, but for the moment, how
about we work together and take it
all out on that version of me over
there?
LENA
(over the coms)
Sounds good to me.
INT. ALPHA BASE REACTOR ROOM.
As the blinding energy consumes the room, The Atom hops out of the microverse, growing to a height of roughly six inches and landing on The Flash's shoulder. In the heart of the reactor itself, a whirlpool of energy forms, and Zoom, in his shimmering "half there" state, is sucked into it.
THE ATOM
We should probably go now!
With The Atom riding on his shoulder, The Flash darts away at super speed, running through the opening made by GL. As he exits into the outer hallway, he unceremoniously grabs Aqualad as the villains around them are sucked into the singularity at the heart of the reactor.
AQUALAD
Watch it!
The Flash runs out of Alpha Base with Green Lantern hurrying after him.
CUT TO
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Martian Manhunter, Speedy, the Canaries, and Wildcat look around as villains tagged by the arrows are sucked into the singularity over at Alpha Base.
CUT TO
Cheetah, bruised and battered, laying in the mud. The spectral forms of villains being sucked into the time portal fly by. Wonder Girl removes the ropes from her arms and walks a little ways away.
CHEETAH
(dazed)
We still playing, princess?
WONDER GIRL
The time for games has ended.
Wonder Girl reaches down and picks up the enchanted sword from the spot where The Flash dropped it.
CHEETAH
(dazed)
Well, we have to do this again
sometime...
Wonder Girl grabs Cheetah by the back of the neck and hoists her up.
WONDER GIRL
The next time we see each other...
Wonder Girl thrusts the sword through Cheetah's torso.
WONDER GIRL
... it will be in Tartarus.
As Cheetah's body dissolves into smoke and fades away, she smiles.
CHEETAH
I'll be looking forward to it.
CUT TO
Alex blasts Luthor with a continuous stream of cosmic energy, forcing him on the defensive once again. Lena uses this opportunity to go on the offensive, hammering punches down on his force field like mad. As Lex guards against these attacks, his HUD warns him that his power cells are dangerously low. Lex activates his suit’s scanners, and the HUD displays the scan of the S.T.R.I.P.E. mecha, highlighting the location of its power core. The chest piece of Lex's suit then fires a small green laser at the power core, piercing it and causing it to explode. This rips the mecha in half and sends the upper body (and cockpit) flying back, crashing into the swampy ground.
ALEX
LENA!
Alex relents his assault and flies over to the damaged mech. He uses the star rod to yank open the cockpit door, revealing Lena to be injured and dazed but still breathing. Lex hovers over to them.
LEX
Look what you made me do, Alex.
Alex Luthor snaps. He turns and blasts Luthor with everything the star rod has.
INT. GOTHAM UNDERGROUND.
Superboy is on his hands and knees before Bizarro. Krypto is by his side, injured and struggling to stand. As Bizarro looks down at them, eyes crackling with energy, Superboy closes his eyes, getting ready for the end. As he does, the world falls away, replaced with an x-ray view of things... and Superboy can hear a rumbling sound. A ways down the tunnel ahead, a torrent of destructive energy is hurtling towards them, and Superboy can feel it! He grits his teeth, and his body lights up with energy in this x-ray view of the world. Next to him, Krypto's muscles tense as he follows suit. Superboy uses all of his will to move the energy in his body, focusing it entirely within his eyes. He then opens his eyes, and a wave of blue energy shoots forth, hitting Bizarro and knocking him back. Superboy stands while continuing the assault, and Bizarro pushes against the wave of energy, struggling to slowly move towards the boy of steel. And that's when Krypto joins in, unleashing his own blast of laser vision to double the wave of force! Bizarro struggles against it for a moment, but is quickly knocked back, pushed through the opening and hurled down the tunnel toward the oncoming fireball. The Superboy and his Superdog relent the energy attack and rush toward the seal, grabbing it and using all of their strength to shut it and hold it shut just as the energy venting from Alpha Base hits it. Superboy and Krypto struggle with all their might, the room shaking and their heels digging into the concrete floor as they keep the seal shut and force the energy back where it came from.
EXT. SLAUGHTER SWAMP.
Alex hammers Lex with a furious assault, hitting him with blast after blast as Lex flies back, trying to dodge and parry. After some quick maneuvering, Lex gets enough of an opening to get in a counter attack, forcing Alex to put up his own force field to defend. The two come to a stop mid air right next to Alpha Base. Lex lets up his blast, allowing Alex to drop his shield. He keeps up his gauntlet, still crackling with green energy.
LEX
We don't have to do this, Alex. We
can still talk. We've both solved a
lot of problems by talking. You
know that.
Alex, breathing hard, lowers the star rod. Lex powers down his gauntlet and lowers his arm.
LEX
Things have gotten out of hand.
That's obvious. But it doesn't make
any sense for us to fight. We're
the same person. I'm your destiny,
Alex.
The two of them hang in the air for a moment, looking into each other's eyes.
ALEX
Sorry.
Alex shoots toward Lex, who puts up his gauntlet and blasts. Alex dives at just the right time to dodge the blast. He begins charging up a massive blast of his own as he flies back up toward Lex.
ALEX
Lex Luthor makes his own destiny!
Alex collides with Lex and blasts him up and back, knocking him directly over Alpha Base at the exact moment that the energy feedback causes the base to explode. Lex Luthor is consumed in a ball of fire that lights up the night.
CUT TO
The Justice League of America and its allies, weary from the fight, assembling on the battlefield in its aftermath. As he stumbles back from the fight victorious, Superboy notices something on the ground: the arm and gauntlet from Lex's armor, torn off in the blast. Superboy picks it up, and looks inside.
SUPERBOY
That's gross.
He drops the severed limb and looks around at his teammates, smiling.
THE FLASH
Guys... I think we kinda won.
The assembled members of the League look around at each other, a cautious sense of victory on their faces. Then, a city street suddenly appears in the swamp beside them.
J'ONN
That would be our ride.
The heroes step onto the street, which shifts through time and space.
EXT. DANNY THE STREET. DAY.
Momentarily blinded by the light, the Justice League and their allies find themselves standing on Danny the Street, greeted by all of their friends and family, and all of the Dannyzens with Miss Maura-Lee Corrupt at the head of the massive and colorful group, all gathered in anticipation of their return. Alfred is holding a cake, and Swamp Thing is there too (with Hooty the owl).
SUPERBOY
Hi guys.
The Dannyzens erupt into applause and celebration. A banner reading "CONGRATULATIONS" drops down above the crowd. The tired heroes begin to mingle. Clark Kent embraces both of his parents in a big hug.
OLLIE
I can't believe we won!
J'ONN
Our fight with the Legion is not
over yet. Some did manage to
escape.
DIANA
Some of them key figures.
LANA
And there's still people we need to
save.
BARRY
And we still haven’t done anything
about the galactic civil war.
OLLIE
Listen, I was expecting more of us
to die today, maybe even me! Only
mostly winning is a cause for
celebration!
As the League and friends begin to celebrate their victory, Ray begins darting through the crowd. This catches Bruce's eye, and he follows. Ray is heading to the shed behind the doll hospital, its door wide open, where he runs up to his computer. He boots it up and connects a flash drive in his hand to a jury rigged port connected to the 1980s technology. Bruce comes up from behind.
BRUCE
Ray, what are you doing?
RAY
Sorry, I found this by accident.
Turns out Brainiac stores data
microscopically. I was able to
access some of their files while I
was in there.
BRUCE
Ray, that's huge!
RAY
It was kind of luck, really.
As the files download, Ray starts looking through them.
BRUCE
What do we have?
RAY
A lot of audio and video files...
this computer isn't equipped to
read them, so they're for later I
guess... there are some text files I
can open.
Ray clicks a folder, and it opens up hundreds of files, each one titled with a name. Some of the names listed include: Ralph Dibney, Rex Mason, Zatanna Zatarra, Jefferson Pierce, Brian Malkov, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Tatsu Yamashiro, Selina Kyle, Mari McCabe, along with many many more.
RAY
What do you think these are?
BRUCE
(smiling)
Backup.
THE END.