by Richard Dean
Can I help you?
President
Where did he go?
Gen Hardcastle
(looking out of the window)
Holy shit, what the hell is that?
There is a loud boom and the room shakes as Superman drops the hover tank on the lawn.
He reenters the oval office.
SM
There is your proof. Anytime now the skies will be filled with thousands of these things.
The President is still in shock, it takes him a second.
President
What do we do?
WW
The first thing we need to do is evacuate the entire city of Metropolis.
GL
She’s right. If they are coming for Superman then that’s where they will attack first.
President
(He has regained his composure and his commands are sharp)
General Hardcastle, take us to defcon two. Activate the National Guard. Alert all branches we are evacuating Metropolis and all surrounding areas. And get everyone started on this device. Other than the evacuation, this is priority one.
GH
Yes Sir.
General Eiling leaves the oval office and opens his cell phone.
Waller? This Eiling, you’re not going to believe this.
SM
Mr. President, professor Hamilton at Star Labs has already started on that device.
President
Colonel Faraday, you are the official military liaison for this… group, stay with them as best you can.
SM
(Finger to his ear)
Okay professor I read you.
The professor is ready at the lab. Batman just delivered the components needed. Sounds like he had this planned from the start. J'onn you and Flash go there now.
(approaches J’onn)
J’onn can you implant the assembly procedures in Flash's mind so he can put them together?
JJ
Of course.
SM
Good, go now
F
I’m on it.
SM
Gen Hardcastle, we will assemble the device there and Flash will distribute them, remember we will need to get them around the world.
GH
Will do.
A staff member approaches
Mr. President, we ran a scenario last month that called for the evacuation of Metropolis. It took three days. There aren’t enough bridges.
GL
I can take care of that.
WW
I’ll help.
The league goes into action, Superman and J’onn fly away to Star Labs. The military quickly ascends on Metropolis. The word is given as the president addresses the nation. While he is giving his speech you see Flash, his hands a blur as he assembles the components. J’onn and Superman coordinate with Faraday organizing the military. Superman flies to London, Peking, Berlin, and other capitals around the world delivering the news. Flash fills a container and then speeds away to destinations around the world. Wonder Woman is seen carrying busses of people over the city to safety. Green Lantern uses his ring to create bridges so the evacuation can go faster.
President’s speech
Ladies and gentlemen the past few hours have seen some extraordinary activity around the world. It has been brought to our attention that our planet Earth is under threat of invasion. Our military along with forces around the world are mobilizing to repel this threat. We also have the help of some of those who have been called into question in the past few months. Make no mistake, these unique individuals are here to help. Their mission today is to save humanity, without them our efforts would have been near impossible. I ask, especially in the city of Metropolis that you assist them in any way you can. And should we win the day these super heroes, these friends of humanity will no longer be perceived in a negative light, but in a bright light of hope for all mankind.
Superman is flying over the city when he hears a familiar voice coming from the Daily Planet building.
SM
(crashes through a window)
Lois. Why are you still here? Jimmy did she put you up to this?
LL
Relax, he is here because he wants to be. The biggest story ever and I have a ring side seat? I’m not going anywhere.
SM
Lois, don’t do this, the attack could come at any minute. I can not protect you.
LL
No one is asking you to. I can take care of my self. Besides I don’t know where Clark is, he leaves for the press conference and then the Wayne interview, then disappears.
SM
He is fine, he's covering this from Gotham City.
LL
Figures, farthest from the danger, as usual.
SM
So let’s go.
LL
I said I’m not leaving.
SM
I’m not going to argue about this.
Superman swoops over and takes Lois under one arm and Jimmy Olsen under the other and flies out of the window, Lois screaming the whole time.
LL
Put me down! Let me go!
SM
I’m taking you to Star Labs, believe me if you want a story, there is one there.
LL
What do you mean?
SM
How would you like to interview a Martian?
LL
Another alien, no big deal.
Superman grins as he continues toward Star Labs
Batman on the com link
Superman, how are we doing?
SM
We are on schedule. The city should be evacuated in about ten hours Batman.
LL
Batman, now there is a story.
BM on com link
I should be ready soon. See you at Star Labs.
SM
Roger, out.
Battle scene
The League is atop the Daily Planet. Batman’s jet is parked. The others stand quietly as Flash sits on a crate downing cheeseburgers.
Batman’s transmitter starts to beep like crazy as it struggles to keep up with the spikes that flood its circuits.
BM
It’s time General. They will be here in five minutes.
GH
Copy that Batman.
(over the radio)
Five minutes men!
The call goes out around the world as armies amass for the impending threat.
Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, J’onn all stand on top of the Daily Planet building. Looking toward the sky. The silence is broken by the Flash chewing loudly sitting behind a pile of empty wrappers. WW looks at him harshly and rolls her eyes.
WW smirks and Flash stands beside her as they mentally prepare themselves for the coming battle.
BM
This is it, we draw the line here. Whatever happens, well,….. you know.
F
Not exactly Nute Rockne.
Flash finally manages to get a grin from Batman, he approaches and they shake hands.
BM
Good luck.
F
You too.
Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and JJ take off spreading out over the city. Flash speeds away back to Star Labs to monitor communications.
Batman and Superman are left. They stand quietly sizing one another up.
BM
Well, I hope this works.
SM
Yeah.
BM
For a couple of loners, I think we picked a pretty good team. Good luck Clark
They shake hands
SM
You to Bruce.
Superman flies away and Batman starts his jet. It hovers, turns and flies to meet the approaching military aircraft.
BM
(over the radio)
Remember General let us do our work in the sky first before you use the surface batteries. We don’t want to shoot down our own guys.
(over the radio)
I hope this works, we sure are putting our all of our eggs in one basket. I feel that we have ignored the rest of the country.
BM
Well, we have. The military should hold them off, besides there are more than seven of us out there.
GH
Great.
Batman grins as he pulls in front of the other military jets.
Pilot
(over the radio)
Damn, look at all those missiles. How does he get off the ground with all that stuff.
BM
They have a shorter range, I like to get in close. Remember whatever ships you see are your targets. Do not fire into the boom tubes I’m not sure what effect they will have on our missiles.
Pilot
(over the radio)
Everybody copy that?
The horizon over Metropolis lights up as hundreds of bright circles appear in the sky.
Superman speeds to the first one he sees and hovers in front of it. His eyes turn red as he delivers a blast from his heat vision into the boom tube. You hear screams and explosions from inside the tube.
Darkseid watches as his advance troops enter the boom tubes on Apokolips. One lights up with fire and smoke as pieces of ships and bodies explode back through the hole. Some debris land at his feet.
DS
The Kryptonian. Impressive.
Then another does the same, followed by three more.
DS
Desaad, prepare my ship. I’ll deal with him.
(General Hardcastle is watching through his binoculars)
Jesus, I hope I never piss that guy off.
The parademons appear as well as the tanks and some other ships that no one has seen before. Batman starts firing on the tanks with his missiles as well as the fighter jets.
Radio traffic heard from the Bat jet
Good tone fox 1, good tone fox two.
BM
(over the com link)
J’onn! See if you can get a peak inside on of those big ones.
J’onn stops in front of one as it lumbers towards him. He becomes transparent and then disappears into the ship. He emerges from the back and becomes solid, he is also holding a circuit board with wires hanging out of it. The ship then sputters and begins a rapid decent towards the ground, crashing outside the city.
JJ
They are carrying some type of ground assault vehicles. The ships circuits are the same so our missiles will work.
BM
General our missiles will work on the larger ships.
GH
Copy that Batman. Ground batteries get ready to fire. Major get that information out.
As the larger lower ships approach the ground batteries fire taking out dozens of ships. Green Lantern takes out several of parademons with a giant fist. A tank approaches and he uses his ring to capture one and smash it through the tank, breaking it in half. Wonder Woman was in front of a boom tube that contained all parademons. They fire their lasers that she deflects into other parademons killing them. She then lassos one and spins fiercely using its body to take out other approaching parademons. JJ punches some and uses his earlier trick to take out other ships. A tank approaches from behind and one from the front. He phases out as the beams pass through him striking each other. Batman continues to zip through the waves of parademons and take out ships with his missiles. His are slightly modified, he can detonate then manually and take out more than one with the EMP pulse.
GH
We’re getting reports of a very large craft approaching the main island of Hawaii.
SM
Flash, check it out.
Flash grabs the camera and speeds away at an incredible speed. You see a red streak racing across the country then a white wake as he speeds across the water. He returns in a few minutes. Removes the chip and places it in the terminal.
GH
We are getting the same reports over Italy, Indonesia and Japan.
Superman is flying through ships at supersonic speed.
SM
Flash!
F
I’m on it.
He speeds away and circumnavigates the globe. Stopping briefly at Mt. Etna, M. Fuji, and a volcanic island near Indonesia.
He returns soon after as the battle rages on, he skids to a stop beside professor Hamilton
F
Yep, they are all the same.
GL
(over the com link)
Those are volcanoes.
BM
I’ll bet those are drilling machines.
GL
(as he slices a ship in half with his ring)
Yep, now we know his plan.
SM
Well those are our first priority. Give the word General take them out.
GH
Bad news Superman, an air group already tried over Japan, our missiles had no effect. (explosions nearby) I repeat, no effect.
BM
Well we better think of something fast.
Superman is swarmed by a mass of parademons, he continues to swirl upward carrying the swarm into a cloud. They are followed by three tanks.
BM
Hang on Superman I’m on the way.
The cloud lights up in different areas in orange explosions, it then glows bright red and explodes as debris flies out of it in all directions.
Superman shoots out of the cloud.
BM
Never mind.
SM
J’onn you had better get to the lab and try to find a weakness.
JJ
I’m on the way.
GH
That might not be a good idea, we are getting pummeled over here we are evacuating all non essential personnel.
SM
GL, did you get that? You better get over there.
GL
Roger
Lantern flies backwards and takes out several parademons with short bursts from his ring. He and J’onn arrive to find the lab being defended by troops and the Flash streaking around the building taking out parademons. He stops and starts to rotate his arms creating two tornados that blow several parademons and ships out to sea. On the grounds of Star labs a twin rotor
Helicopter is preparing to take off.
Soldier
This is the last of the batteries sir! General Hardcastle wants this one atop the Daily Planet!
Lois
(hiding behind a crate w/ Jimmy Olsen)
Come on Jimmy that’s our ride.
Amidst the confusion they manage to sneak on board the chopper.
GL and J’onn arrive and with the help of Flash and the soldiers they manage to fend off the attackers.
GL
Star Labs secure.
WW
It is starting to let up, could it be over?
BM
I doubt it, that was too easy.
SM
I think Batman is right, but if it is we need to take care of those drilling machines.
All of a sudden the sky lights up with a new series of circles, in the middle of the smaller ships is an enormous mother ship. Inside the ship Darkseid, flanked by Desaad and Kalibak, commands his troops
DS
General Steppenwolf, destroy this city and bring me the Kryptonian, alive.
Gen S
Mantis go with the Furies and dispose of the Kryptonian’s friends. Devilance, you heard your master, alive.
Kalibak
But father, I can defeat this man of steel.
(Darkseid looks at him almost pathetically)
DS
Then go my son.
They all ascend from the mother ship in a beam of light.
WW
Looks like the varsity team is here. We’re going to need everyone up here now.
The invaders stand shoulder to shoulder in the deserted street. Wonder Woman lands first, followed by Superman. Flash streaks up followed by the landings of GL, JJ, and Batman r
epels down last. Darkseid watches from above.
DS
Instruct your troops not to interfere, I like watching a good fight.
GS
As you wish sir.
There is a brief moment, the two sides size one another up.
BM
This is wasting our time. The drilling machines should be our first priority.
SM
Then let’s make this quick.
F
Somebody say quick? I’ll take the hottie in the black spandex.
GL
Flash wait!
Flash ignores the request, he streaks forward to Lashina. She grins as she uses her electrified whips and times the Flash’s approach perfectly. He yells as she connects and sends Flash through a store front window. Wonder Woman rolls her eyes before charging with her teammates. Devilance hits Superman with a blast from his lance sending him to his knees, Kalibak approaches and delivers a right upper cut sending superman flying backwards into a car nearly splitting it in half. Wonder Woman is met by a charging Stompa, she side steps her and tosses her aside, Knockout catches WW with a punch that flattens her on her back, Stompa recovers and comes down on WW with both feet driving her through the street. GL engages Mantis who can take GL’s blasts and absorb them, he fires back but GL manages to shield himself from his own power.
