16598/Injustice for All: A Very Green Christmas

Injustice for All: A Very Green Christmas
Date of Scene:	20 December 2023
Location:	The Shores of New Jersey
Synopsis:	The Justice League and their allies look to thwart the latest scheme of the Injustice League before they can interfere with the world's financial system, doing untold damage.
Cast of Characters:	Barry Allen, Monet St. Croix, Phoebe Beacon, Diana Prince, Oliver Queen, M'gann M'orzz, Roxanne Spaulding

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Barry Allen has posed:
It was a dark and stormy night.

It might seem trite, or cliche at the very least but it also happens to be true. While the season progresses towards the official start of winter, the weather surely follows and while it is not quite cold enough for the weather to have turned to snow just yet, in some ways it is even worse.

The shore of New Jersey's Atlantic Seaboard is being lashed by a storm, dark, steely grey clouds blotting out any trace of the moonlit skies above and while snow does not yet fall, freezing rain falls in sheets that are somehow much colder and penetrating then the alternative.

While not that far outside of New York City proper, the unassuming facility that stands alone on the little promontory that juts out into the ocean is surprisingly important. While the building is a relatively small brick building, several decades old in appearance and encircled by a simple chain link fence, it is the point in which the undersea cables that connect North America to Europe come ashore in the United States. Billions of bytes of data flow through those cables each millisecond and priority lines jut off here to key locations.

In particular, Wall Street and the prominent firms located there, where receiving information even seconds, milliseconds before anyone else can mean the difference between financial success or ruin.

Given that, is it any surprise that an outfit like the Injustice League would have an interest?

They maybe have struck at the docks of Gotham, manipulating things to help the Penguin have greater sway over the traffic there. May have sabotaged the harbor of New York to insure that more traffic was directed down the coast by literally unleashing the Kraken. But that's all small potatoes compared to the potential winfall this particular gambit could net.

The facility is, of course, constantly monitored, though at this time of night few others would be anywhere around. Not many would be out on a night like this, for a walk along the rain-swept coast. Out to noticed the shadowy, slumped forms of guards taken out, close enough to notice the slight gap in the door which is occasionally caught by the wind and dragged further opened before being slammed once more.

The chance for the perfect crime then. Or it would have been.

If some mysterious party hadn't leaked their intentions.

As has frequently been the case, Barry Allen, the Flash has been serving monitoring duty at the Hall of Justice in Metropolis, following possible leads on the activities of this Injustice League. So when the anonymous warning comes in, he is quick to distribute it through the regular channels, to allies both within and without the Justice League proper.

And then he races towards New York City himself, a red and gold streak that cuts through the rainy, stormy night.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
She rather hates this type of weather. It's not nearly as common at home, where she's from. But noblesse oblige requires her to render aid to those lessers, so when the call comes in from the Justice League requesting assistance, Monet ST. Croix is en route. Having passed along the word to anyone else along the Xavier's commline/telepathic-net, she's flying along with anyone else heading to the meetup point.

Given her last few forays into a melee along with the League, this one probably isn't going to be another highlight. Thanks to the helpful efforts of JOshua Foley she's been healed without scars from each of them. But there will be more to replace them. Along the stars and through the storms flies Monet. Dark red of her costume high along, highlighted by the storms. Just what exactly are the idiots that make up the inglorious competition up to anyways? Trying to cut the telegraph because they're annoyed at the number of dots and dashes going through?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    A Dark and Stormy Night?

    Phoebe feels right at home.

    Although hearing news of a mysterious benefactor leaking the plan and screaming 'trap' after the last outing against the Injustice League and learning of Eclipso, a very different type of Spirit of Vengeance than she's used to working with.

    Rain drips off her nose as she comes down to a perch over the facility, blue lenses on her mask lit up in the dark, her hood up as she shifts her weight.

    <<I don't suppose anyone else feels like this is a trap.>> she asks over the comm network, before she spreads a pair of glass-like wings, and tries to take a bird's eye view of the situation.

    <<Did our source indicate who we're seeing this evening?>>

Diana Prince has posed:
The Invisible Jet was enroute to the Atlantic Starport when the call came across the JLA network that something was happening back at the eastern coast to warrant a course change to return to the US shores.

The Amazon pilots sitting at the controls of the Jet made the course corrections, and had the dagger-like shaped ship flying back the way it had originally come. Wonder Woman appeared behind them, arriving from the Jet's inner passenger area, donned in a dark blue cloak, she stares over their shoulderes toward the storms ahead now.

"What all do we know about this?" She speaks over the JLA-And-Associates comm channel.

"If it is a trap, it is our duty to spring it so none others can fall under the dangers that these people are choosing to put upon the world. Be careful, be alert, and be ready for anything."

Oliver Queen has posed:
In normal circumstances trying to get to New York City right smack dab in the middle of the holiday season would be a little out of the way for one Oliver Queen.

Under normal circumstances he would be busily ensconed in his more regular life, back in Star City, perhaps attending some Queen Consolidated holiday function. Or even just out sweeping the streets of that troubled city, trying to make sure the everyday, average citizen has a happy holiday.

But he has been spending most of his time in New York for sometime now, working to clean up the streets of Hell's Kitchen to secure all the work that has gone into the Phoenix Towers housing project there.

Obviously it hasn't been going quite as smoothly or quickly as he might have hoped, given that this year at least he will be spending CHristmas in his home away from home.

He has also, for the most part, been giving the Justice League something of a wide berth for the past several weeks, reevaluating where he stands. What he wants to do with his life. What is truly important to him as a vigilante.

Getting turned into a pig by an ancient Greek sorceress can have that effect on a guy.

Maybe it's the holiday season, maybe it is Barry's recent visit to check up on him, but when the alert comes in over JLA comm system, he answers. "Green Arrow here. I trust you don't mind making a detour to pick me up. Traffic looks miserable out there," he quips, peering far down below at the packed Manhatten streets.

Billionaires. So entitled.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann was in New York when the alert went out, making it a rather short trip for her to join the others. Slipping away from a public place to shed her 'human' face and take off into the sky as a green/white blur against the dark skies.

Oliver's call has her veering towards Manhattan briefly, picking him up, as it were, to head over to join up with the others.

As she arrives, floating down, phased enough to let the rain pass right through her without getting wet, she offers, "I can do a sweep, check the area for obvious traps or ambushes. If that is amenable." There's an amber glance turned towards the others, then back to the location.

She's no Superman, but she can call on a similar powerset at least!

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
The blustery dark and stormy night was rather apropos for someone like Roxie Spaulding. Dressed in her purple and black bodysuit, with that dark half cut leather jacket, the young gen-active wanders through the streets of New York City near the coast.

It's not like she knew anyone around here, and for the most part, she was just holding her umbrella to keep mostly dry. Of course, it wasn't the umbrella that was keeping her dry, but a small repulsive bubble of gravity that made the water droplets simply change vector to drop down without hitting her.

She's mostly unaware of what's going on, though she tries to keep a good situational awareness, keeping track of any shadows, hinting at some potential psychopath stalking her.

Barry Allen has posed:
It will, suffice to say, be difficult to approach the isolated little compound with any great degree of stealth. The windswept pennisula is barren of anything approaching cover, all craggy rocks and trimmed grass leading up to that high mesh fence.

Of course, that doesn't take into account all of the unique abilities of those most likely to respond to the scene of course. That certainly changes up the equation as well.

It also remains something of an open question if anyone is even watching. Outwardly at least there is no signs of sentries being posted, but it is difficult to imagine that any group that has proven as meticulous as the Injustice League would start leaving things to chance now. And with their demonstrated advanced technology and magic at their disposal, it is by no means certain that any such observation would be reliant on physical bodies either.

If they are present, it would seem that they are deep inside the complex already.

<<It does kind of feel like a trap, doesn't it?>> comes Barry's wry response. It wouldn't be the first time that they have tried to catch them like this. <<The message was pretty short and rather light on details. Surprise, Surprise. Just the location and the time.>>

So yes, there is most certainly reason to be... dubious about the veracity of the entire thing.

On the other hand they are not exactly so flushed with opportunities to take down this collection of supervillains that they can turn a blind eye to the warning either. This gathering put together by Grood and who knows how many others has proven to be extremely dangerous, a match for the might of the Justice League. While they might have managed to pick off stray members like Parasite and Tala, for the most part the best they have managed to achieve is a kind of stalemate.

And if that is going to change, they need to take a few chances.

For a change, Barry does not in fact have to make a detour to pick up Oliver. Not that it is terribly out of his way mind you. Then again, Star City wouldn't be terribly out of his way either, but this time the Emerald Archer will be spared any superspeed hangover upon his arrival.

Though given the weather, being flown by Miss Martian instead might not be all that much of a better alternative.

<<Just be careful. They have used magic to teleport in and out, or to leave themselves invisible. And they've had some heavy hitters in that department before>> Barry cautions M'gann as he races up the coast.

In the end it isn't a potential psychopath that rushes past Roxanne. Though it might not be greatly reassuring when it is a red and gold streak that races by, heaving towards that lonely brick building just ahead.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Lovely, they haven't the slightest idea as to what they're getting into just like the previous times and they'll have to figure it out as they go in. Given the wide variety of adversaries that Grodd has called upon in previous encounters there's little logic to being able to stage a battle plan or to try and throw the group off guard that will be awaiting them.

<<If they're stealthed in any way, that will be obvious. Just focus on over where there should be things but you aren't picking up anything>> A void wehre one couldn't sense things, or pick them up telepathically, whether by magic or mentalness was a sign in and of itself. She's going to be joining Miss Martian along the flyby recon, going to move to try and scan forwards. M'Gann's mental powers, speed, strength, and the other Super-Martian abilities she had well trumped M's Super-M-Abilities, so the girl would be left with flying along to flank backup.. But mostly staying a distance away to try and glean info (if any) from psionics.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm's voice states with confidence <I'm surprised a Mon Calmari warship hasn't shown up yet.> she replies to Barry's response, <I can confirm the teleportation magic. I can practically *smell* it by now.> she states over the comms, and she comes to a rest on a rooftop, rolling with the landing as she breathes out. <Not picking up on anything big... yet.> she states as she draws herself down low, waiting for the others. <Should have asked Zee for blocking spell rather than some books when I visited.>

    Clairvoyance wasn't her strongest suite, so in lieu she closes her eyes, and tries to suss out the near-by life forces of those in the building directly below her, her fingers splayed out on the rooftop.

    <Let's see if I can pick up anyone familiar, shall we?>

Diana Prince has posed:
The responses that came over the comm network were attentively listened to by Wonder Woman, stationed in a casual stance behind the pilot seats of her alien-tech jet. She stared out of the forward viewport with a determined expression, waiting for the distance to be chewed away by the vehicle's tremendous speed capabilities. "Understood. Be alert." She quietly intoned over the team comms, before she turned to walk toward the back of the jet, returning to the passenger comparatment area...

Outside, the jet broke through the dark clouds of the storm stretched across the eastern seboard, in full cloak mode, it descended toward the city area were others were converging, while in the passenger area, Diana threw off her cloak and reached for an assortment of shining Themysciran weapons mounted on a rack built in to an alcove of the jet's cloud-hued bulkheads...

Oliver Queen has posed:
Tipping his head towards M'gann when she's kind enough to make the detour and pick him up from where he waits on the expansive patio of his New York penthouse apartment, Oliver pulls that dark green hood down a little further over his forehead and instinctively hunches up a little, fending off the cold downpour by huddling in on himself.

There certainly isn't a whole lot of cover flying through the night sky and things quickly turn darker still as they leave the bright lights of Manhatten behind, soaring towards the barren coast ahead. <<So help me god, if Circe shows her face I get first crack at her,>> Ollie blusters over the comm. <<And if you let me get turned into a pig again, I'm done,>> he grumbles.

So fussy. He spends a few minutes running around chasing his little curly tail and hunted down by his sister before he can race out into the night to live swinely ever after and he just can't let it go.

Some people.

When he's set down, he raises a couple of fingers to his hood -- beaded with rain by now -- and flicks a salute towards the friendly Martian before stalking forward, that dark green costume making him little more then a shadow himself as he flits towards the building, glancing about the open expanse of ground for any sign of movement before sidling up to the doorway.

<<Not seeing anything out here. I've got the door covered and ready to breach.>>

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
She'll do her best to shield Oliver from the wind and rain with her telekinesis, though she can't shield him from the ambient temperature, though at least he won't be pelted with cold wind and rain! Not until she drops him off, anyways.

M'gann smiles faintly and offers, <<I shouldn't need to approach to see. My vision is every bit as acute and varied as a Kryptonian's. I may be able to probe their lair from here. If need be, I can turn invisible to get much closer. Though I tend to agree with Balm's assessment of it being a trap.>>

Still, she'll probe with telescopic and x-ray vision, trying to ascertain who and what might be in the compound, and if it goes down, how far down it goes. The mention of Green Arrow being turned into a pig has her asking the obvious question, <<Did the beard and mustache remain as a pig?>> Because that is clearly the most important aspect.

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
That situational awareness does make her see various streaks of colors going towards that one specific building. Her brows raise as her curiosity is getting the better of her.

Are they heroes or villains? It's not like she's actually keeps abreast of who does saving and who does what.

Spreading her arms apart, the force of gravity starts to get nullified ever so slow around Miss Spaulding.

It isn't long before Roxanne forms a purple/pink streak because of her bodysuit as she starts her flight towards the same building, now awfully curious about what's going on.

Barry Allen has posed:
While outward appearances might give those on site few clues about what is going on within the inner workings of the building -- beyond the downed guards who were clearly patrolling the grounds before being ambushed at any rate -- they are not exactly limited to just the usual human senses.

At least not all of them.

In Monet's case it is easy to pick up the psychic impressions of those answering the call and on the scene. She can likewise sense the consciousness of the fallen guards, which suggests that they have at least been left alive. At least there are some small mercies.

But for the building itself? That might as well be a psychic deadzone for all of the information relayed back to Monet. Though as she noted that in itself is revealling. Not an absolute guarantee that someone is within -- it could probably be duplicated through the use of advanced technology. But it is a pretty big hint.

Like Monet, Balm will get a sense of magical energies too. Almost certainly used to span distances to bring them here. But the workings are subtle. Practiced. Ancient. Someone not only with a great deal of power at their disposal, but a great deal of control. And practice at masking their abilities.

Which also, likewise, is not terribly reassuring.

Nothing stirs on the ground or at Oliver's approach towards the compound, the door that leads into the building still occasionally caught up by that cold, blustery wind that sweeps in off the ocean, carrying with it the scent of salt and rapping that door back and forth. A little slick puddle has formed just inside in the entrance hall and a few wet footprints lead deeper into the building before vanishing.

It is rather handy, being able to see through walls, isn't it? And while this particular group has shown the ability, the tendancy to commit many of their crimes under a cloak of magical invisibility on many previous occasions, that is apparently not the case on this night.

Does that make it more likely that this is a trap? An attempt to lure them in? Or did they truly not expect opposition.

Much of the activity seems to be taking place in the core of the building itself, in the central chamber where the data feed is observed and supervised. A pair of technicians are bound by bright, glowing strands of power, hanging wide-eyed and gagged in midair.

No doubt that is the work of the woman who sits floating in midair, legs crossed, features hidden behind a mask of gold. Fingers flick lightly, as if conducting some unseen orchestra though much more likely guiding the powers of magic at her disposal. Morgan Le Fay.

Nor is she alone in the chamge as a huge ape paces back and forth. Clearly this particular enterprise was deemed important enough to bring Grood himself out to supervise, while a massive figure, white faced and with dead eyes likewise stands watch. Solomon Grundy.

Shadowy figures flit about the rest of the complex, the outer sentries. The black and orange mask of Deathstroke the Terminator. A hooded man in black with a bow strung across his shoulders, looking like a dark reflection of Green Arrow. A flitting shadow of humanoid shape, barely made out but cast by now one. Merlyn and the Shadow Thief.

Oh yes, the Injustice League is well represented tonight.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
They're not being met with a monologue this time, so it's an improvement. But oh yes, the matchups this time are going to be the same and also a litlte bit different. Monet goes to draw along what information she has on the adversarial archers. Deathstroke, incredible danger, skilled on a level approaching Captain America, strong and stubborn as Wolverine. The shadows and the darkness - archers, if she attempted to charge in at them she'd be having to deal with their specialized gadgets. None here that she could likely target effectively with her telepathy.. Grodd she's not going to be so remotely challenging.

Morgan Le Faye? The woman of myth and legend herself surprises Monet quite a bit as she rapidly reviews what information she has available on her. Fortunately there's actually a somewhat decent bit given the X-Men's connectinos iwth the Bradodcks and the ever-sparkly Meggan.

All right, all right. Morgan could magically mop the floor with them.. So M had to focus on at least separating her from the group. If only to give thier only mage time to strike. No attempts at telepathically attacking her.. Monet rapidly moves to survey the combat area, pinpointing the guards quickly where they were unconscious. Then she's using her slightly-enhanced senses to pick up where there's some heavy metal. Iron, steel, electronics.. Her senses hit upon some extra purified iron. Close enough to what she needs.

She's going to charge down towards it, moving to pick up a big block of it which she uses her enhanced strength to curl up over into a large bat.. Then she's flying at Morgan Le Faye at high speed to try and swing! Morgaine was still a creature of the Old Wyrld and magic.

So she would at least have to /try/ and react to a cold iron bludgeoning to the face!

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Yeah, any day you're not met with a monologue is a good day.

    <<Everyone should be wary.>> she states... warily.

    <<Penetrating from the roof.>> she adds on, an making her way to the roof access as purple and pink catches her eye. Of course, her first thought is Pixie, but Megan Gwynn is typically more talkative.

    <<Incoming new person -- not reading them on my domino. Can anyone ID?>> she questions as she reaches for the door access, and with a small flash of bright red from her hand gains access to the building.

    It's going to be One Of Those Days, she can feel it in her bones, and she reaches for the sword at her back as she makes her way down.

    She pauses to access the situation and get a read on everyone as M decides to take on Morgan le Fey.

    <<Your chances of Pig are negligible, Arrow, but are still present!>>

Diana Prince has posed:
In a side alley, where steam pours up from an underground access vent, a golden glow illuminates the steam as Wonder Woman passes through it. Having discarded her cloak, she is on the ground now. A shield worn on her back, a javelin of gold and silver held in her left hand with her lasso clutched in coils within her right. She moves with a steady pace toward the building in-question tonight, her armored footfalls leading her ever closer toward the ominous scene of disabled guards.

She knwos the others who have arrived are ahead of her, and she can hear what sounds like trouble already brewing in the area, but she seems to be pacing herself in the moment, as though she is expecting something more than meets the eye.

If left unhindered outside, Diana moves toward the old building's open doorway, passing through i as Phoebe's call for ID on another arriving person can be heard in her comm. "I am headed inside. Be aware of other enemies convering on this same site..." She responds as she heads on inside, able to see Monet going aggressive right off the 'bat'

Oliver Queen has posed:
Peering through that open doorway and into the darkness of the passage beyond, Oliver's expressin grows a little harder as the information about just who happens to be within is relayed back to him. And while there are some undoubted heavy hitters present, it is two names that stand out in particular fashion to the Emerald Archer.

Deathstroke the Terminator. Slade Wilson. And Merlyn, better known to him as Malcolm Merlyn.

One a former friend. And his father's killer. The other father to his one-time best friend. Turned arch rival.

It is not starting out as a great night for Ollie. Of course, depending on how it goes things could rapidly improve if there is a chance for a little revenge. While none of them should really be making it personal when the stakes are like this, it's hard not to think of the possibilities.

So he slips inside, bow drawn, arrow nocked as he peers through the mirk, looking for those outer sentries.

<<A good thing we've got you with us tonight then Balm. I'd much rather eat bacon then be bacon,>> Ollie retorts across the comm.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
<<Roxanne Spaulding, also Freefall. Mutate. A result of Project CADMUS and I.O. Not with the Injustice League, potential ally.>>

M'gann casts her mind towards the incoming young woman, her head canting as she studies the way the young woman moves and flies. <<She appears to be... gravitokinetic. Interesting.. rare. Very powerful, but very raw.>>

Turning towards the building, and the enemies within, she flies over, not quite moving as quickly as she could be, perhaps giving Roxy a beacon to follow, that bright white top of hers with its big red X tends to be pretty easy to see, even in the dark. <<Two workers are being held by the magic user. Alive. We should retrieve them and get them out.>>

Once she reaches the build, she goes down to her feet and starts to walk towards where the others are converging. <<If it is preferable, we can set up a telepathic network and loop in the approaching Freefall.>>

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
Green. Seeing that M'gann is green, her eyes widen, and she hrmms. Maybe it's someone who can explain what Queelocke is. Surely all green aliens know each other right?

Deciding to follow along, Roxanne follows along before she eventually lands on the roof of the building as well, with enough forward momentum to have to take a few steps forward as she lands.

"Uh." she starts, glancing around furtively. "What's going on? Um, do you speak English?" because you know what they say about assuming.

"I. AM. ROXIE." she says slowly. "WHAT. IS. GOING. ON?" she continues.

Freefall apparently can't tell the difference between someone hard of hearing and someone unfamiliar with a language.

Barry Allen has posed:
It remains an open question of if this is truly a trap or not, though at least judging from the intial reaction to the sudden arrival it seems at least possible that their old adversaries were not expecting any sort of intervention to trouble their plans this time.

Which raises all sorts of interesting possibilities if true. Could there really be a source amongst them, looking to foil them from the inside?

There are many ways with dealing with a trap admittedly, and sometimes the easiest way is certainly to just go ahead and spring it. Which seems to be Monet's perferred method of choice, at least here tonight. Crashing into the building, ignoring the outer watch to find and shape her chosen weapon and then launch herself at potentially the greatest threat present.

Certainly those present seem taken aback, in some fashion or another. Grodd roars as M soars in with that improvised bat. Solomon Grudy lifts that laden head, dead eyes staring impassively as he starts to shuffle forward. Another man, easily overlooked, sits at one of the computer terminals, furiously typing. Compared to the company he keeps he would seem to be entirely unassuming. But then Noah Kuttler, the Calculator, is used to being underestimated. "I need more time to make sure the virus has taken root. Hold them off," he barks out.

It is a fairly good plan, all things considered. While no fairy creature, vulnerable to cold iron, that substance does tend to interfere with magic some as well. Or at least it might for most practicioners.

Maybe not quite so much with one that has had nearly two thousand years to hone her art to a fine, gleaming edge. Morgan Le Fay hardly even shifts, one hand lazily raised and M's powerful swing comes up short, held inches away from connecting with the sorceress of Arthurian legend. And while that golden mask with it's finely wrought details of a gorgeous woman do not shift at all, the exasperation can be heard in the click of her tongue against hidden teeth. "Oh you reckless child," she sighs. "Well, if anyone knows how to deal with reckless children it would be me," she notes flicking a finger towards the mutant.

And sending Monet flying towards the waiting Solomon Grundy, those cold, dead black eyes seeming to come to life with an inner light. "...born on a Monday..." the towering creature mumbles as arms spread to enfold her.

While Balm's own approach is a little more subtle, it doesn't go entirely unobserved. Maybe it's the sparkly magic wings. Either way, as she nears the heated confronation in the heart of the building there is another presence just suddenly there. Insubstantial, but not. Easy to overlook, cloaked in shadow. But hands, all too substantial suddenly reaching to encircle her neck. The Shadow-Thief.

Those armored footfalls of the Amazonian Princess are likewise difficult to miss. Not designed for stealth, but for battle. And while potentially unmatched as a warrior, not all foes believe in a fair fight. Which is why when Merlyn strikes out at Diana, he does so from the shadows, a trio of arrows suddenly flying out from the gloom, but shaft and fletching pitch black, those arrowheads gleaming with some fould substance, not doubt posion picked up from his days in the League of Shadows.

Ollie does not go unchallenged either and of course it is the black and orange mask that emerges out of the gloom ahead. "When are you going to learn kid? You're playing in the wrong League and it's not going to end well for oyu. Kind of like your father."

And like that a gun is suddenly in Slade's hand's, pointed towards his old friend, his old foe.

<<Loop her in M'gann,>> Barry urges as he leaps ahead, that red and gold blur streaking towards the main control room, bursting in just as M goes flying towards Grundy. As much as he might want to help though, he isntead streaks past, isntead grabbing at the pair of magically bound techs. <<I got the hostages and am on my way out. Room is clear of bystanders.>> the Flash reports.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Her attempt was less successful than she had hoped. Monet goes to let out a howl of pain as she would be smashed back over, automatically falling into what will hopefully be the telepathic linkup being arranged by M'Gann even as she moves to fall to a bakup role within it to maintain it if M'Gann goes to need to focus on her own telepathic or telekinetic attacks. THough with Grodd here their ability to maintain a group-think may not have the best results.

WHAM!

Monet is struck hard and flung over into Grundy over as she would be sent flying over and then would be caught in a brutal bear hug! Being caught over in a crush, she can only struggle and hiss..

"How do you know it was a Monday? What if it were a Tuesday? Or a Wednesday? Or any other day than a Monday?" How will her taunt fly? Will it take away Grundy's reason for (un)living? Will t confuse him to have an existential (un)life crisis? Stay tuned, true believers..

But, we'll be up front and probably go with 'no' on that one.

Monet doesn't have a particular chance when it comes to outmaneuvering Grundy, fighting her way through.. She goes to just try and lift up over in the air, wtih Grundy clinging on and just trying to launch herself if she can to drag him along towards the ceiling.. Then, a thought strucks her.

<<You, make his mass heavier. As much as you can without including ME in that!>> Presuming that Freefall has that level of control, Monet is hoping that Roxy can make Grundy fall...

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <<I'm sure there's plenty of people who would rather see you remain beefy than pork, Robin Hood.>> comes Balm's reply with a small smile evident in it. <<Gravitokinetic? ... might have met --hrk!>>

    Ok, yes, not dismissing the wings? Probably a bad idea. But they dissipate easily enough with the twinkling of light magic as she feels the Shadow-Thief's hands around her neck.

    If he's tangible, he is stabable.

    And Batman's not watching at the moment.

    Balm sucks as much a breath in as she turns herself, bringing her leg backwards, trying to hook the Shadow-Thief's ankle with hers as she shifts her weight, and brings her sword behind her. Counting on the man to be slightly wider than her as she skirts the blade along the side of her armor to try and catch him.

    "/You/."

Diana Prince has posed:
"Attempt to get the injured away to safety. The JLA systems should have emergency services already enroute to this site...." Diana's voice returns over comms, speaking lowly as she strides with a bit of caution deeper in to the building. With the fighting already breaking out, she feels a moment of sorrow for not getting a opportunity to speak on behalf of the JLA to even /try/ to get a peaceful resolution to this. But that time has passed now...

Feeling the threatening sensation of the growing immediacy of combat, Diana raises her golden javelin up, and is about to jump in to the combat when she hears the tell-tale sound of an archery weapon to her left, coming from the darkness.

She turns her head in that direction, whipping it so quickly that the water-covered locks of her dark hair snap to the side, sending droplets from their glistening tendrils, as she leans backward on her heels just as one of the poison tipped arrows streaks in front of her vision! The second is met with a blocking raise of her left armored bracer, a splash of sparks light up Wonder Woman's visage in the dimly lit confines of this criminal enterprise. The third shot sent her way is avoided when Diana rolls backward, in a reverse sommersault that has her tumbling over her own shoulders and tucking herself up in to a ball as she ends up back upon her wedge-heeled boots! In a crouch now, Wonder Woman's eyes narrow toward the darkness from where those shots had originated. She pinpoints movement in the dark, and launches her javelin toward it with a fierce motion of body and arm, causing the long spear to fly with a powerful gait toward a possible enemy in shadow!

Oliver Queen has posed:
Somehow he is not surprised when Deathstroke steps out of the shadows in front of him. On more then one occasion since this new threat has made itself known it has been Slade that he has come face to face with in these confrontations.

The line of Oliver's mouth tenses, hardens and he lifts his chin ever so slightly. "Yeah. I'm all kinds of orenery like that," he agrees.

And when that gun comes oup, when it is lifted towards him he is already diving aside, the shot that rings out, that echoes so loudly in the narrow confines of that hallway doesn't put him off at all and the Emerald Archer releases his own nocked arrow in return...

...which comes nowhere near the target, instead flying high, over his shoulder and imbedding in the roof above his old rival. He can almost feel Slade's smug satisfaction from over here, tracking that hand as the gun comes up, pointing towards him once more.

Then Oliver smiles.

And the arrow explodes in a brilliant flash, a good chunk of the ceiling tumbling down towards the masked man before he can get off another shot as a cloud of dust fills the passage.

"Not so cocky now, are you?" he says, retrieving another arrow from the quiver over his shoulder and stalking down the hall. Tempting as it is to finish his old foe, he's not about to leave anyone on the team hung out to dry while he seeks a mearue of personal vengeance. <<Deathstrokes down, but probably not for long. On my way to the core.>>

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
Turning towards Roxanne, M'gann simply blinks and states, "There is no need to shout, I am neither hard of hearing nor slow. I would also recommend you not respond that way to anyone of an alien nature that you come across. There are many around, and not all will react so peacefully." She turns back to the fight, watching it through walls and floors. Roxanne will get the strangest sensation, not just A voice in her head, but many. Each member of the team now linked through a telepathic network to allow faster-than-speech communication.

You're welcome Barry. Talking is indeed, SO slow.

<<I have the... computer nerd...>> Because M'gann is totally up on lingo! Reaching out telekinetically, she doesn't touch the man, he seems rather squishy. Instead, she crushes the keyboard upon which he's typing so furiously. That should at least slow him down for a moment or two.

Without looking at Roxanne, she both speaks and can be heard in Roxy's head, <<This is a mission of the Justice League of America and its allies, to take down the Injustice League. The people and creatures within are all quite deadly. If you wish to assist, be very aware of that. I will pass along the information we have on them.>> And Roxanne will get the infodump that Monet so helpfully provided earlier!
<<Welcome to the fight. Do be careful. Also, you may call me Miss Martian.>> And with that, M'gann will phase through into the room with the fight and start towards the Calculator to ensure he remains out of the fight.

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
Ahem. Roxie doesn't have much shame, but when she's getting called out by a green alien, she bows her head in apology. "Sorry." she says somewhat sheepishly, before she hears the request from oh so Miss Perfect.

Before she says anything quippy, the sudden telepathic info dump hits her head. Her eyes roll back for a second or two as she begins to process everything, with a Keanu Reeves like "Woah." in the end.

That's when she sees the overgrown Gorilla. Knowing how her own powers work, it would take time to form a truly strong gravity well that could hold him indefinitely so...

She gets inspired by one of her favorite video games, Mortal Kombat.

Ermac is a particularly deadly character with a move called Telelift or Telekinetic slam. It involves raising up your target and then slamming it down.

The nice thing about Roxie is that she remembers that move, as she imagines it in her head. Suddenly, she looks at the convening space in different ways, with the subtle folds, nooks, and crannies of the space-time continuum that is warped by gravitons.

Finding where the minor warp is where Grodd is, she simply bounces him upwards. He floats, five, ten, twenty, thirty feet, as gravity simply becomes meaningless.

With a suddenly squint, she forms a low powered gravity well. 1.0 G. 2.0G 3.0G 5.0G.

That's when it reaches the slam part, as the floating gorilla suddenly feels the force of gravity once more to slam him into the ground and to hopefully hold him there.

Barry Allen has posed:
And the battle is well and truly joined. For that moment chaos reigns and that small, insignificant little building becomes the scene of primal powers unleashed.

If it's a trap, it's a poor one. But that doesn't mean that the Injustice League doesn't have more then a little power to bring to bear, that experience to adapt and deal with what seems like an unexpected threat.

With M's direct assault on Morgan Le Fay having been turned aside, and with her finding herself in the crushing grip of grundy, things aren't looking good. While the undead beast looks at her almost quizzically as she tries to confuse him, that base intellect is indeed unaffected by her verbal gambit, tighting his hold on her.

She is not entirely left to her own devices however and as quickly as he vanished carrying the potential hostages to safety, the red and gold streak is back, racing around the pair in a tight circle, fists flying out too fast to track, hammering Grundy over and over again. Individually each punch might be nothing that special compared to the powerhosues of the Justice League, but thousands of them altogether? It's like taking a jackhammer to the zombie's core and his grip on Monet slackens.

It is a good gambit to deal with Shadow Thief really, and he could probably use a good stabbing, even if Batman might disapprove (what does he approve of?). Except that when Balm tries it becomes apparent that whatever technology gives the man his powers allows him to be selectively intangible. A shadowed smile seems to spread across his features and he tightens his grip around the resident mage's neck, those long, slender fingers surprisingly strong and seemingly intent on throttling the life out of her.

It is perhaps no surprise that an experienced warrior might anticipate the attack, and for someone who can catch bullets with her bracelets, what chance do arrows have. Merlyn's assault is avoided or battered aside, though when she launches her counterattack he is no longer standing where he was, the javelin striking empty ground. And another barrage of arrows emerge from the shadows, seemingly content on keeping her pinned down and at a distance.

It is such a simple, elegant solution. Sometimes the direct approach is though. As the Calculator furiously works at that keyboard in front of him, Miss Martian simply crushes it. The genius hacker and the Injustice League's resident tech expert blinks in shock, staring at the ruined remains in front of him, watching as that oh so elegant virus that would no doubt have diverted an incredible fortune their way along with doing who knows what else simply... falls to pieces without his timely input.

"We're burned," the techie growls, the frustration, almost rage, clear in his voice. "She... she... GAH! There's nothing more that I can do," he admits.

The scream of psychic rage that comes from Grood is nearly crippling in intensity, like nails straight to the brain. This monkey definitely has mind bullets in his arsenal and he hammers them outward at each of the attackers who have ruined what was no doubt weeks, perhaps months of planning.

No stalemate this time.

Before he can do anything else however that gravitic force hits him like a ton of bricks and even with his far superior strength, the super intelligent gorilla is driven down to one knee. <<Get... us... out of here... Le Fay>>, he psychically growls, hate burning in those too intelligent eyes that sweep over them, as if memorizing every one of them that has dared to thward his will.

A quiet sigh comes from the masked sorceress. Resignation? Or exasperation. "I suppose I can at least get home in time to tuck my dear boy in..." she muses, hands lifting to begin their intricate dance.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Well. It's more that Phoebe got stabbing lessons from Talia al Ghul and Damian Wayne that worries Bruce. Especially the former.

    Balm has a couple of tricks up her sleeve though, especially her left sleeve as her wrist begins to glow brightly. What is shadow, after all, without Light?

    She focuses her energies. Keeping the lack of oxygen from blacking her out. She manages to turn to face the Shadow Thief, and her eyes appear to glow even brighter behind those blue lenses, and she bares her teeth as she whispers out spellwork, left hand glowing as she commands her powers, and the mageling reaches to grab at the shadowy wrist, and she turns.

    Electricity flows through her hand, trying to short out the ability of his inconsistent intangibleness --

    And she's also trying to de-hand him between her hand and her neck!

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana watches her javelin stake itself in to the ground, with the long silver bladed tip spiking in to the floor of the building. She narrows her eyes at first, then feels the psychic onslaught from Grodd effecting even her mind. "Try and disable Grodd as quickly as possible." Wonder Woman's slightly strained voice comes across the comm network. She cannot focus on that right now though, as another barrage of projectile weapons are flying her way, leaving her forced to lunge forward toward THEM. she raises her bracer encased forearms up, and begins to deflect one after another, more spark showers blooming in all directions around the Themysciran Princess, as the last arrow is instead grasped in Diana's left hand. She clutches the arrow by its shaft, holding it in her leather encased palm, and sparing a mere moment to glance at the tip of the weapon before she tosses it aside.

Her last lunging step leaves her right leg forward, her left extended back behind her, the muscles of her thighs flexing as her arms snap together, and with a ring of reverberating metal, Diana's Aegis bracers smash forth a powerful kinetic wave sent toward the far wall of the building!

Oliver is not the only one causing parts of the building to fall apart around them, as Wonder Woman's kinetic wave is smashing through an exterior wall, shattering windows, and tearing support columns from their roots. This entire blast was sent in the direction of the archer firing upon her, but whether or not he has any tricks up his wizardry sleeves to defend against it is, she is not sure!

"Try to claim the computer terminal that they were working on, it might yield more information about their plans!" Diana says with a powerful tone behind her words after rising back up to her full height again...

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet is grappling with Grundy - never a good place to be. She's far, far weaker than he is and has no chance to get herself free. Fortunately the dya is saved! Diana goes to save her before she's crushed entirely by the zombie. She's released, and then goes to quickly reorient on things. Morgaine is busy going to focus on trying to give the rest of the group an escape. She's already seen that a direct physical attack over on the woman is fruitless - she's not in the same strength tier. She's not going to harm Lady Faye at all.

But what she can do is hopefully throw something at her to distract her for just a moment. Monet has never encountered the man of legend himself. The ancient, the mercurial, the paradoxical entity known as Merlyn that inhabits Otherworld. Of which that acts in ways that the mortal (and even immortal) minds can fathom. That plays things to greater ends. The trickster. The god. The chessmaster.

Monet has never met him. She knows of him only by legend. But she knows those who do. And she cannot pull directly from thier thoughts. She has never asked. But, she has at least some tendrils of realism from snippets.. And she uses those small bits to her advantage even as she's arcing down towards the Earth.

She goes to try and press at Morgan's consciousness the prseence of Merlyn. Not the actual man or his diktats.. But hopefully just close enough to match his aura. His smugness, his ego, his pride, his vanity. His superiority.

Is he actually those things? Perhpas. Perhpas not. But there is no doubt that Morgan thinks all of them. So, when Monet attempts to project to Lady Faye's consciousness Merlin's mocking, brutal laughter of her as a failure, pathetic, a joke.. Well, hopefully she can break Morgan's concentration for just the micro-second or two it takes for her to recognize it. Hopefully just enough for those snippets of consciousness of her own arrogance and rage tos nap out at someone proclaiming he is better, that she is meaingless..

Feelings Monet knows all too well. All she has to do is hold Morgan there for just a heart's beat, disrupt her focus on the teleportation..

ENough, hopefully to let Diana or someone else fully blitz her and take her down before the Injustice League can esape to continue whatever their nefarious plans are.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Leaving Deathstroke somewhere behind him, in his wake, Oliver bursts into the main control room to see the scene in chaos.

The destroyed controls, the screaming man who looks all too familiar. the very angry gorilla and the towering zombie thing.

This is definitely not where he parked his car.

Before he can do much of anything that psychic scream tears into his mind and the Emerald Archer drops to one knee, almost dropping his bow as he clutches the sides of his head, grimacing in pain. Forcing that aside, he rises shakily back to his feet and lets loose with that barrage.

He too can launch arrows in rapid succession and while Grood might be a priority target, while he has plenty of reasons to dislike and fear sorceresses these days, he chooses Grundy, burying a series of arrows in his side.

Anything to make him let loose that grip.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
Grodd's psychic bullets are not inconsequential. M'gann is quick to throw up a psychic shield. Not just for herself, but for the entire team, trying to at least lessen the effect of it, keep them mentally functional.

When the attack ends, she hears Diana's call to quiet the psychic gorilla. Rather than try to take him on in the mental battlefield, she choses a different, and far more gruesome tactic. Flinging both hands out towards Grodd, M'gann PULLS with every bit of her not inconsiderable telekinetic ability. That casing that sits bolted onto Grodd's gorilla head, it's strong, durable, no doubt. But its still metal bolted into flesh and bone.

The sound of metal screeching meets the sound of skin tearing as she tears at the 'brain jar' off the top of Grodd's head, trying to separate the brawn from its brain.

And, if she has a moment (she should), she'll turn to pull the tower from the computer station the Calculator was working at. Because it too, was requested. It isn't as elegant a solution as the one that halted their virus, but as long as the tower itself remains intact, they should be able to get information off the hard drive, or any accessory drives attached.

But also.. brain jar. M'gann might get some strange looks for this one.

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
Glancing about after she slams down the psychic monkey, her gaze flits about. Completely unaware of just how dangerous Morgan LeFay is, she focuses on the sorceress and increases the woman's personal gravity.

Originally, she wanted everyone (the villains that is) to be drawn into her so they could all easily teleport away.

But thanks to the psychic bullets of Grodd, she loses her concentration as she cries out in pain. Yes, she's suffered through Threshold and Bliss' psychic attacks during her own vicious training with I.O, but alas, she never really got a way to get over it.

So instead of immediately being drawn to her to form a giant injustice ball, Morgan Lefay instead becomes like the Planet Jupiter, and the other villains her moons.

What do moons do around their planet? They rotate, and rotate, and rotate.

But because of the strength of the gravity well inside the sorceress, it's more like a drain of spinning villains until eventually all of them are connected to each other. Hopefully they don't clog some drain somewhere.

Barry Allen has posed:
Electricity does tend to be a great equalizer doesn't it? It plays havoc on both technology and neural networks alike, overloading both rather handily. So whether Shadow Thief's abilities are innate or based in technology, well, at least part of him is substantial right? It only takes a little bit.

And Balm's gambit is indeed just the ticket, a scream ripped from the shadowy figure as that electricity arcs through him, hands falling away from her throat, indeed, that entire shadowy form dropping away, plunging down towards the ground, twitching and helpless.

Hit and run tactics can be very useful against a superior foe. Malcolm Merlyn is a deadly combatant whether with bow or sword. But he's not really a match for a virtual goddess, no matter how skilled. And he knows it, hence the constant motion, the relentless barrage of arrows. It's not a bad strategy. it just can't really stand up to the sheer burst of power that Diana unleashes, that wave of kinetic force that slams outward. More of the machinery smashes, walls buckle and light fixtures tremble as little clouds of dust fall from the ceiling. And from across the hall, in the shadows a figure stands stiff and unmoving against the wall that seems to buckle ever so slightly outward.

Then the hooded figure of Malcolm Merlyn simply falls forward, limply to the ground.

Somewhere nearby Oliver is probably doing a little mental dance of joy.

There are not many that can match Grodd's sheer psychic might. A few mutants perhaps, and the Martians. Those psychic shields can at least shield the rest of the team from that mental assault even if it is too widely cast and diffuse to block it completely. No one blacks out. No one loses their mind. That's a victory.

And while Grodd's own telekinetic powers are formidable, clearly he never considered that such a ruthless application of it would be directed his way. Eyes widen in shock, pain and yes, fear, as the top of his head is literally peeled back. <<Le Fay!>> he hisses, that rage replaced with terror. <<Now!>>

Of course the resident sorceress has her own issues. Crushing gravimetric forces directed her way. The psychic taunting of Monet that are oh so unsettling. Outwardly, that golden mask shows nothing, reveals nothing, but there is a hiss on indrawn breath, the speeding of her pulse.

If it was Tala, they would surely be lost. Gifted those that woman might be at the black arts, she doesn't have two millenia of experience. She has never faced down Merlin, met him, and matched him.

Still, Le Fay's fingers tremble ever so slightly as she tries to control the vast energies at her disposal. Tries to keep her focus. Tendrils of power reach out, grabbing hold of each member of her League. A scream escapes her, one echoes from each of them.

Then, just like that, they are gone.

For good? Who's to say. Probably not. But if they escaped this time, at least it clearly cost them.

Letting out a long, slow breath, Barry slows, stopping zipping about the room and moves to take a look at the smashed console and whatever they've managed to salvage, whatever clues they might have saved. "Everyone okay?" he asks quietly.

And maybe gives Miss Martian a bit of nervous sideeye.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm is cursing violently, drawn down to one knee. <At least it wasn't a knife this time.> she thinks across the connection, but her vocal complains are a raspy cascade of angry epithets and how much she wanted to cut off the Thief's hands rendered in an early Dynastic Egyptian -- Diana might understand it. Very much unlike a Gotham superhero as she coughs and spits off to the side before she draws up, looking around to gauge medical needs... and she looks to Rox, who might recognize at least the domino-clad teenaged hero.

    She gives a wave of recognition.

    "No telling where they went. I can't suss it out from the Aether. Definitely wasn't a planned evacuation." she explains to the grouping.

    "And, as promised -- Green Arrow is not currently a barnyard animal."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana was on her way over to where Merlin was toppled down. With her lasso still clutched in one hand, she was ready to take him in to custody and hog-tie him if needs be. But before she could, the man was gone. With a light sigh, she looked to her right, through the damaged building toward the remains of what was left. With her boots crunching on the debris strewn ground, she approached where the enemies had been primarily congregated, and with a cursory glance, Diana regarded those on her team.

"Well done." She says softly. "We need to get to the bottom of this as fast as possible. Nothing good will come from this going further."

Turning then, Diana starts back toward the entrance to the ruined building. "I will speak to the emergency services, let them know what went down here." She states on her way, pulling her javelin from the ground, and swinging it around behind her back to tuck it up behind her shield against the leather harness criss-crossing her body.

"Again, well done, everyone." Wonder Woman adds on her way...

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann comes away from the encounter with a prize. A gory, gruesome prize.

Tucking the Brain of Grodd under one arm, she hefts the pc tower with the other, approaching Diana to offer up the tower, "This is the tower the Calculator was using. Perhaps Batman should have it?" The rather icky trophy is indicated, "And if it suits, I will clean this up and take it to the Hall of Justic to be placed with the other objects of victory." Because who doesn't want their nemesis' brain in a jar on display at their workplace??

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
When the target of her might disappeared, it seems that she immediately let go of the incomplete gravity well.

Roxie runs her fingers through her hair, wiping the beads of sweat from exertion as she looks over towards the ruined building and frowns.

"They're going to need to lift a lot of this rubble to make it safe. I can stay and help with that." Because she can literally make the first responders practically superhuman by making the rubble almost weightless.

The sight of the brain causes her to gag somewhat and gives the Martian lady a look. Looking around, she offers a salute to the remaining heroes and waits for the emergency teams to arrive.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm gives a nod to Roxanne.
    "I'm going to do a sweep of the exterior. See if there's anything in the aether that got missed. If you're staying in Manhattan I could give you a lift back." she states, rubbing at her neck as the bruising all fades away.

    "Ugh. Bastard hit my larynx. That's gonna be sore for a bit."