JLI #0
“Mulligan”

By Lightshear

*This story takes place after JLA #12.


“Glad to know you’re on the team full-time, Booster,” Max Lord said. As usual, he was on his way from one place to another; currently heading from the roof of the JLI New York embassy to his office after landing in his private helicopter.

“I’m just thankful you let me take care of my commitments with them before crossing over,” Booster shrugged. “After that Superman business…and now with Wonder Woman coming back full-time, I figured it was a good moment to take my exit.”

“Good, good, glad to have you aboard. Now, unless you’ve got anything else, I’ll be busy contacting our publicist and finalizing some plans.”

“Alright, Max – I’ll be settling into my room.” Booster turned and headed off to his new room. At the moment, the high walls with their warm wooden paneling and plush carpeted floor were relatively bare. Just a fine, cushy bed and some personal items representing all he really had. The small golden robot, Skeets, floated in the room awaiting his master’s return.

“Welcome back, sir!”

“Hey, Skeets,” Booster sighed, sitting on the bed. “Kinda empty in here, isn’t it?”

“I await your requisition of more fine bric-a-brac to adorn the walls and shelves, sir,” Skeets said merrily. Booster just flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

“Ugh. I’m bored. I hate being bored. I came back from the future to be a big-time superhero—“

“The greatest of all time, sir.”

“—And that shouldn’t include an empty room and nothing to do. I can’t believe this is all the junk I own. I had tons of money – what did I spend it all on?”

“Actually, due to fluctuations in value and currency between this era and ours, you found your net-worth to be greatly diminished, sir.” Skeets lowered down to Booster’s level. “You didn’t actually wind up all that wealthy after the time-shift.”

“Whatever,” Booster huffed, sitting up. “It’s the cr*p a man owns that defines who he is! I need more stuff.”

“Whatever you say, sir. But I feel I must warn you that the accumulation of ‘stuff’ is difficult without sufficient funds…”

“Aw, heck – where’s Beetle? Maybe he can spot me some until I can get my feet under me.”

“I believe you will find Blue Beetle in the computer lab,” Skeets said to the already exiting Booster Gold.

“Great, thanks buddy!”

“At your service, sir.”
____________________________________________________________________________________

“But do you have any leads?” Wally West – Kid Flash – asked. He had been sitting impatiently in the digital heart of the JLI Embassy with Blue Beetle while the latter worked more on the mystery plaguing both Justice Leagues. Beetle had lost the team he founded to the mystery, and Wally had nearly lost his aunt and his own life. Both were somewhat anxious to find answers, but to Wally, waiting for Ted’s deductive process was agonizingly slow.

“Only a few,” Ted said, rubbing his chin and looking at the computer readouts. “It’s clear that LexCorp is involved in a major way, but look at this.” He pointed to some lines on the screen, and Wally pretended to know what he was talking about. “According to this, Kord Omniversal was sinking at the same time as Sherwood Inc – that was Green Arrow’s company, before the board had him removed. And not long before this, high-ups in WayneTech were brought up on charges of embezzlement. Only seems to draw stronger connections to Lex, if you know where to look.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look, to the average guy on the street, it’s just another in a string of corporate criminals sneaking off with big payoffs at the taxpayers’ expense. After Enron, nobody bats an eye anymore. But I’m seeing major connections to the ways these went down, and the one man who profits most from these big companies taking a dive is Lex Luthor. With Wayne, Queen, and Kord all going south, LexCorp becomes the number one technological development house for the US Government.”

“Meaning big-time payoffs.”

“Bingo. But there’s more.” With a few clicks of his mouse, Beetle brought up other pages of information. “Remember the University hit where Dr. Palmer’s shrinking tech was stolen?”

“Yeah.”

“And how your uncle connected it with the Garrick Labs break-in?”

“Uh huh.”

“Well, Jay Garrick claims to have seen Solomon Grundy at the scene of the crime – that his friend watched Grundy tear the door of their safe off the wall.”

“So what? Grundy’s a big, dumb zombie – not any kind of mastermind. And who would hire a brute like that when you know he’ll be easy to spot and pick off? Seems like it draws too much attention.”

“And it does, but you don’t know the half of it. At the same time Grundy was supposedly breaking into Garrick Labs, there are reports in Rwanda of a massive, grey-skinned behemoth laying waste to a militant uprising. I was able to piggyback some online connections and get some sat-photos. Look at this.” On the screen, fuzzy images slowly sharpened into a shot of a man breaking a jeep in half with a massive downward chop.

“Oh, that’s definitely Grundy,” Wally said. “Me and Barry threw down with him enough – that chop is all him.”

“Then how could he have been in Rwanda and Garrick Labs at the same time? And there’s more – apparently there have been two Shades operating at the same time. We’re dealing with a whole group of doppelgangers masquerading as the Injustice Society.”

“But what’s the connection?”

“Ah! For that, you must look deeper, grasshopper.” Cracking his knuckles, Beetle turned back to the computer. “Booster was in the big-League. They recently fought Kobra agents armed with Dr. Palmer’s stolen shrinking technology. Kobra mostly escaped, but Atom took the briefcase left behind by whoever sold the stuff to Kobra. It was supposed to self-destruct, but Atom stopped that. Booster got me a look into the case, and I was able to hack its code. It was definitely LexCorp.”

“Okay, so LexCorp is hiring Injustice Society look-alikes to steal technology from League members and sell it to cult members. Wha-huh?”

“We don’t have anything provable, yet, but when I was following up on the footage of Grundy in Rwanda it got me thinking. What was he doing there? I dug up something deep in the federal government; some funds that looked like standard porkbarrel stuff until I compared it with some dates I had. It seems there’s a secret force operating with a US mandate to take action where our government can’t.”

“The Suicide Squad,” came a voice from a corner. Batman slid out of the shadows there, appearing as if from nowhere. Wally looked to the door – all the way on the other side of the room.

“Batman? How did you—“

“Not important. The group you found is called the Suicide Squad; first formed in the aftermath of World War 2 by a General Richard Flagg. Apparently, they’re active again. Grundy is a member, but that’s the tip of the iceberg. They have recruited villains to operate in unsanctioned missions.”

“How do you know?” Beetle asked. Batman just glowered. “Okay, so they were the group that lost the body of the Shaggy Man a few months back, right?”

“Yes.”

“But who did they lose it to? That’s the piece I’m missing. If I could find out who had the Shaggy Man, I could pull this picture together.”

“You already know. The body of the Shaggy Man was taken by mercenaries under the direction of the Kingpin. His body was given to a man named Anthony Ivo, a professor and doctor specializing in neuro-surgery and obsessed with the concept of immortality. Professor Ivo transplanted the brain of General Wade Eiling into the body of the Shaggy Man. Your team fought the General in their last mission.”

“Ivo,” Beetle said, thinking. “His name rings a bell.”

“It should,” Batman said. “He was a highly-placed research supervisor for LexCorp.”

“Yes!” Beetle smiled, snapping his fingers. “And he just vanished a year ago! He went from heading several lines of LC research to nothing. He wasn’t fired, didn’t quit, just vanished.”

“And he didn’t leave Luthor’s payroll, either,” Batman nodded.

“Waitaminit,” Wally said, standing up. “If the Kingpin sent his guys for Shaggy’s body, and Luthor’s secret scientist did the operation, then…”

“Luthor and the Kingpin are in cahoots,” Beetle said, his eyes wide.

“What the h*ll are you doing in here?” came a shout at the door as Max Lord stormed in. “You’d better have some kind of legal documentation granting you access!”

Batman remained calm and stared down the businessman. “I know you, Lord. I don’t like you. I don’t like this new League you set up to stroke your ego and boost your stock. I’m here to keep an eye on you, and to make sure you know I’m keeping my eye on you.”

“Well, unless you want to fill out an application, your being here is a violation of international law!”

“Hey, Max – shut up a second,” Beetle said, back on the computer and motioning them over with his hand.

“What do you mean ‘shut up,’ Beetle!”

“Just be quiet and look at this! When Batman mentioned Eiling and the Kingpin, it got me thinking about the loose ends I hadn’t caught. Eiling was effectively rebuilt by LexCorp science with the Kingpin’s help. When my team fought him, he was with this man.” The screen pulled up a file-photo of the General’s new face, then another photo of a man in a high-tech helmet with a visor not unlike a Knight.

“Prometheus,” Batman said.

“Right. So Prometheus and the General are in this together. We also know that Donna Troy has been acting as the Kingpin’s right hand. When Booster and the League fought Circe on her island, she claimed she had provided a boost to Donna’s lasso. That could connect Circe to Prometheus and the General, all three under Luthor and working hand-in-hand with the Kingpin.”

“Sweet mother,” Wally whispered.

“There’s more. Look at who has struck out at the League’s family – Manta struck Aquaman, Joker struck Flash, Circe polluting Donna’s lasso was a strike against Wonder Woman…”

“You believe they are in this together?” Batman asked.

“What if they were? What if Lex Luthor pulled together Black Manta, Circe, the Joker, Prometheus, and the General – and the whole group is an cahoots with the Kingpin?”


Max’s eyes had glazed over with dollar signs, envisioning the endorsement deals rolling in. “This would be the perfect opening mission for our new League…”

“Uh, Max?” Wally said. “We’re, what— three guys right now? The three of us against those guys? I’m good, but Jesus…”

“Looks like somebody else is beating you to the punch,” Batman said. “There’s something going down in a research facility in Texas.”

“How do you know that? How does he know that?” Max asked, turning with exasperation to Wally. “Your uncle worked with the man – how does he know this stuff?” Wally just shrugged and grinned.

“Green Lantern is there. It’s connected to all of this.”

“Connected how?” Beetle asked.

“The General. Lantern is fighting the General.”

“Let’s go,” Beetle said. He stood and started walking, Wally changed into his Kid Flash costume in an eyeblink and was with him.

“I’m coming, too,” Batman said.

“Under who’s authority?” Max asked, incredulous. Batman just looked down at him, the shadow from his body covering Max’s eyes and leaving the room much darker for the businessman. Batman grimaced, his eyes narrowing, and shoved past Max like he wasn’t even there.

“Mine,” he said, his voice dark enough to silence even Max Lord. As they reached the door of the computer lab, Booster Gold came walking in with a sandwhich. Noticing Batman, he smiled.

“Hey, Batman! League-buddy! High-five!”

“Do we have transportation,” Batman asked, ignoring Booster.

“Oh, you have no idea,” Beetle smiled. “Follow me.”

“Hey, guys,” Booster asked as they left him behind. “What’re we doing?”
____________________________________________________________________________________

“Just stay down, willya?” Guy Gardner grunted, forming a green jackhammer and slamming the General hard into the pavement. “Naw, on second thought – keep getting up. This is fun!” Guy smiled wickedly and reached back in a massive punch. When he swung, green energy flared from his ring and formed a huge fist that sped towards the prone General. With a growl, the General rolled out of the way and picked back up his massive arm-cannon, firing off another round at the Green Lantern.

“Who the heck izzat guy?” Booster Gold asked Batman as they arrived in the hovering beetle-shaped airship Ted had christened ‘The Bug.’

“Yeah, I thought you said Hal was here,” Kid Flash added, turning to Batman.

“No, I said Green Lantern was here. Apparently this--” Batman said, motioning to Guy Gardner who was currently forming a huge, green monkey to fling its poo at the General and his support troops. “—is what passes for a Green Lantern, now.”

“Well, guess we oughtta help the wacko out,” Beetle said, landing his ship. “He is one of the good guys, right?” As they rushed off the boarding ramp, as if in reply, the wail of the ring-slinger rang through the sky.

“BWAH-HA-HAAAA!”

---------------------------------------

JLI:

R Blue Beetle – 26
R Booster Gold – 28
R Impulse (Kid Flash) – 47
R CJ Green Lantern* – 81
R HT Batman - 85

* Trick Shot - 25

Total: 292

vs.

U The General* – 176
E LexCorp Battlesuit – 39
E LexCorp Battlesuit – 39

*Automatic Regeneration - 12

Total: 266

Map: DC D

No special rules – just fight it out and have some fun. Good luck, TMNT, and welcome to the DCU!

great intro!

ok, rolling for init and obj

init 2+5 for 7
obj 5+2 for 7

Wow, the general? hmm, this is definitely gonna be a good fight. Let's do it!

init: 3, 5 = 8
objects: 6, 6 = 12

Hmm, I might've used up my good rolls there. Looks like both are mine. I'll post my positions in a sec.

Batman will be big help to this game, i think you're in trouble.. hehe

I'll pick the bottom. Here's my set up

U The General* – 176 W14
E LexCorp Battlesuit – 39 W13
E LexCorp Battlesuit – 39 W15

*Automatic Regeneration - 12

HO: P14, K10
LO: M17

Alright, there you go.

JLI:

R Blue Beetle A14
R Booster Gold A15
R Impulse (Kid Flash) B13
R CJ Green Lantern* B14
R HT Batman B15
* Trick Shot


vs


U The General* W14
E LexCorp Battlesuit W13
E LexCorp Battlesuit W15
*Automatic Regeneration


HO: P14, K10, L14
LO: M17, J12, I17


your first turn

Turn 1A

1. Battlesuit #1 will pick up the General and fly to P14, placing the General in Q14.

2. Battlesuit #2 will fly to P15.

RECAP

JLI:

R Blue Beetle A14
R Booster Gold A15
R Impulse (Kid Flash) B13
R CJ Green Lantern* B14
R HT Batman B15
* Trick Shot


vs


U The General* (11/11) Q14
E LexCorp Battlesuit #1 (5/5) P14 @
E LexCorp Battlesuit #2 (5/5) P15 @
*Automatic Regeneration


HO: P14, K10, L14
LO: M17, J12, I17

It's your go. Good luck!

Move Batman to J12

Green Lantern will TK Kid Flash to L14.

Kid Flash will HSS option 1. Move to O14 and attack battlesuit #2. av8 vs dv14. need a 6. 4+4 for 8. that's 1 clix to battlesuit#2 and he'll be knocked back to Q16. Finish my move to F14.

Batman will outwit the General's Super Strength

RECAP

JLI:

R Blue Beetle A14
R Booster Gold A15
R Impulse (Kid Flash) F14@
R CJ Green Lantern* B14@
R HT Batman J12 (stealthed)@
* Trick Shot


vs


U The General* (11/11) Q14
E LexCorp Battlesuit #1 (5/5) P14 @
E LexCorp Battlesuit #2 (4/5) Q16 @
*Automatic Regeneration


HO: P14, K10, L14
LO: M17, J12, I17

Forgot My IAP

RECAP

JLI:

R Blue Beetle A14
R Booster Gold A15
[1] R Impulse (Kid Flash) F14@
R CJ Green Lantern* B14@
R HT Batman J12 (stealthed)@
* Trick Shot


vs


U The General* (11/11) Q14
E LexCorp Battlesuit #1 (5/5) P14 @
E LexCorp Battlesuit #2 (4/5) Q16 @
*Automatic Regeneration


HO: P14, K10, L14
LO: M17, J12, I17

"Looks like we got trouble coming." - said Kid Flash

"Batman, why don't you.." But before Beetle could get the words out, the Dark Knight had vanished from view.

"Looks like you chumps are late for the party. There were about 20 of these guys before you showed up. Lucky for you the most powerful Lantern was here to kicky their butts." - Guy said

"Whatever, while you were mouthing off, I've already broken through their lines!" Wally said matter of factly.

Guy looked angry...

Ow...first strike goes to you.

Turn 2A

1. Battlesuit #2 will push and carry the General to J11, placing the General in J10. B#2 takes a click for the push.

B#1 clears.

RECAP

JLI:

R Blue Beetle A14
R Booster Gold A15
[1] R Impulse (Kid Flash) F14@
R CJ Green Lantern* B14@
R HT Batman J12 (stealthed)@
* Trick Shot


vs


U The General* (11/11) J10
E LexCorp Battlesuit #1 (5/5) P14
E LexCorp Battlesuit #2 (3/5) J11 @@
*Automatic Regeneration


HO: P14, K10, L14
LO: M17, J12, I17

battle suit#2 got knocked back and is no longer adjacent to the general. he can't carry him.

ack! you're right. I'll redo that. Here's my recap

Turn 2A

the battlesuits clear.

Forgot My IAP

RECAP

JLI:

R Blue Beetle A14
R Booster Gold A15
[1] R Impulse (Kid Flash) F14@
R CJ Green Lantern* B14@
R HT Batman J12 (stealthed)@
* Trick Shot


vs


U The General* (11/11) Q14
E LexCorp Battlesuit #1 (5/5) P14 @
E LexCorp Battlesuit #2 (4/5) Q16 @
*Automatic Regeneration


HO: P14, K10, L14
LO: M17, J12, I17

here's the recap recap with me doing it right...geez...

Turn 2A

the battlesuits clear.

Forgot My IAP

RECAP

JLI:

R Blue Beetle A14
R Booster Gold A15
[1] R Impulse (Kid Flash) F14@
R CJ Green Lantern* B14@
R HT Batman J12 (stealthed)@
* Trick Shot


vs


U The General* (11/11) Q14
E LexCorp Battlesuit #1 (5/5) P14
E LexCorp Battlesuit #2 (4/5) Q16
*Automatic Regeneration


HO: P14, K10, L14
LO: M17, J12, I17

Continue to have Bats outwit your Super Strength.

The rest of my team is gonna clear


RECAP

JLI:

R Blue Beetle A14
R Booster Gold A15
[1] R Impulse (Kid Flash) F14
R CJ Green Lantern* B14
R HT Batman J12 (stealthed)
* Trick Shot


vs


U The General* (11/11) Q14
E LexCorp Battlesuit #1 (5/5) P14
E LexCorp Battlesuit #2 (4/5) Q16
*Automatic Regeneration


HO: P14, K10, L14
LO: M17, J12, I17