Justice League America

“More marvels have happened in this merry land
Than in any other I know, since olden time,
But of those that here built, of British kings,
King Arthur was counted most courteous of all,
Wherefore an adventure I aim to unfold,
That a marvel of might some men think it,
And one unmatched among Arthur’s wonders.”
-Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

They gathered around the round table once again. The defenders of their nations and champions of their people. They sat at the headless table united as equals in a shared goal and dream. They all bore a heavy burden but they had not relented and refused to give up. All bore the scars of past battles, but some more than others. They had many trophies and mementos from long ago wars and valiant struggles. They were heroes, they were knights of the realm, and they were the Justice League.

Superman rubbed his shoulder slightly to get the dull ache out as he called the meeting to order as the acting chairperson. “Good job people.” The Man of Steel said, “We stopped The Key from unlocking the gates of Hell and freeing all the caged souls of the damned.” Superman forced a smile. It had been a hard struggle and the League had fought well together, but there was still a simmering animosity lurking underneath. The recent problems they had suffered were not healed yet. Something about the incident bothered Superman. Something about the little Martian and the fact Plastic Man was still MIA.

Green Lantern stretch back in his chair, “Yeah, it’s Miller time!” he said enthusiastically as a green airline stewardess poofed the green pillow he was laying on.

Flash smiled and sat up. “I second that motion. After seeing all those doomed souls struggling to escape their torments I could use a really stiff high pitched wail…?”

Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow, “I cannot say I drink much but I’ve never head of a ‘high pitched wail’ before.”

Flash shook his head, “No, something is exciting the air vibrations. I can feel the motions. Like a dimensional shockwave from something transubstantiating. Supes?”

Superman focused slightly, “Now that you mention it I can hear/feel it too. Shifting to the 1.089 decibel range.”

The air grew subtly colder in the Watchtower and a pale ghostly figure drifted through the wall into the briefing room. It pulled its long billowing green cloak tighter around it’s body as it walked to the round table and sat down at one of the vacant seats.

Wonder Woman stared in a wonder that befitted her name as J’Onn blinked in disbelief before asking, “Spectre? What are you doing here?”

The embodiment of the wrath of God slowly raised its head and looked out on the League. “You are needed once again.” It said in a cold voice that sent shivers down the collective spines. Green Lantern felt all the little hairs on his body raise up in simultaneous goose bumps. They had all seen the Spectre before but it was never something you grew accustomed to. His very presence disrupted the natural order, something that powerful could never enter the mortal realm without causing ripples like a stone hitting a pond.

Batman sat unmoving across from the Spectre, his white slits never twitching. “We are not your errand boys. If you want something done you are more than capable of handling it yourself.”

The Spectre slowly shook its head. “No. I am not allowed to get involved. It was passed into mortal hands for protection long ago. If it were not for the special circumstances I would not even be able to warn you.”

“Enough with the cryptic nonsense and dark mood.” Aquaman grumbled, “Spit it out.”

The Spectre sat motionless for a second and the air felt heavy under its presence. “The Holiest of Grails has fallen under the gaze of the worst of individuals. The safe house of the Grail may be penetrated. It must be protected.”

Eyes flashed across the room as everyone questioned each other with glances.

“Okay, he was talking about THE Holy Grail, right?” Flash asked.

“Quick, someone call Harrison Ford.” Green Lantern muttered adjusting his green hat and bullwhip. Then he looked around, “Hey, where’d the Spectre get off to?” he asked straightening in his chair.

Aquaman frowned, “He could have at least given us more information. Like who we’re up against.”

Wonder Woman cleared her throat, “I’ve heard a bit about the Grail but not much. Arthurian mythology was never my strongest suit.”

Batman shook his head, “Arthurian Legends. And despite being heavily included in the Camelot myths it is more Christian Mythology. The cup Christ used at the Last Supper before he was crucified and was used by John the Baptist to catch the falling blood of Christ. I’ve never believed it in myself.”

Superman carefully chose his words and finally spoke. “Personal belief aside, we have to find it.” He smiled knowingly, “I think we all have differing opinions on the existence or non-existence of the Grail.”

Flash scratched his head, “How are we supposed to find something that has been lost for millennia and that everyone with a dream of immortality has been looking for the entire time with no success at all?!”

Green Lantern smiled, “But we have something they never had.”

“A really phallic HQ on the moon?”

“The help of the world’s greatest detective.”

Batman just grunted.

The Batcave smelled of damp rodent but the air inside felt cool and dry. For a hole in the ground filled with aforementioned damp rodents it was also kept remarkably clean, almost to the point of sterility. Batman’s fingers flickered over the keyboard as he scanned newsgroups and research sites.

“The term ‘grail’, although often written as ‘graal’, is derived from the Latin word 'gradale,' which means a dish or bowl used during the meal. It is small enough to be held in the hand and is most likely carved from stone. It is reputed to grant ‘inexhaustibility, inspiration and regeneration’ to anyone who drinks from it.”

Halfway across the world Superman smiled, “Sounds like you’re making progress in your research, Bruce.” He said into the telepathic link.

“I’m researching where the Grail is, not the myth and superstition that surround it. That was from an article on the Grail I read a few years ago.”

“How many years exactly?”

“Ten. I haven’t had much interest in it since then.”

Superman smiled again. “No luck in Australia. Has anyone else met with greater success?”

Aquaman sent out his thoughts in reply. “None here in Atlantis. We were out of touch with the surface world at the time so we don’t even have similar legends. Besides, even at the best of times Atlantis has never been very Christian.”

“No luck on Themyscira either,” Wonder Woman said. “There are many hidden and ancient relics here but none of them match the description of the Grail.”

“I’ve checked on Rann and a few of the closer planets with no luck.” Green Lantern said, “Any word from J’Onn and the Mars angle?”

“None,” Flash said, crossing the Atlantic. “And I’ve personally checked each and every church in England and the only thing I’ve found is a really nice stained glass window and a couple nuns who gave me horrible flashbacks to my youth.”

Batman clicked the print icon and watched the list on the screen transfer onto paper beside him. “History lesson: between 1095 and 1272 there were nine Christian crusades on Islam. The first grail manuscripts come into light. And around this time the Templar Knights come into existence and go off to fight in the wars. Between 1118 and 1314 the Templars keep the most important relics to Christendom in Jerusalem. They are arrested and tried for heresy by Christian governments but some escape and survive in Spain, England, Scotland, Germany, and Hungary.”

“And what does that have to do with the Grail?” Flash asked as he entered Metropolis.

Batman ignored him and continued. “The Templars were said to have discovered the Grail buried beneath the old Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. Since it was not found when their treasures were seized by France, it must have either been hidden away or moved with the Knights. I have looked up all ancient structures in the countries still owned by direct descendants of the owners at the time and cross-referenced with rosters of known Knights. Seeing as any Knight of the secretive Templar order incompetent enough to have his name on a roster would not be trusted to guard the Grail I’ve eliminated those. This has left me with a short list of locations world-wide.”

“How many locations?” Wonder Woman asked.

“Twenty three.”

“So how will we know when we have the right one?”

“I doubt very much the Templars will take kindly to our investigation. We search until they find us. Suggest we split into groups.”

“Do you speak any German?” Wonder Woman asked feeling slightly out of place in the streets of Withelmshaven in the Northeast section of Germany.

“A little,” Aquaman said as he stopped to ask a bystander a few questions.

“So why would someone be searching for the Grail anyway? And why would it be so dangerous for the Spectre to warn us?” Wonder Woman asked as she looked at a store selling clocks.

“I did some research of my own. The Grail is rumored to be able to grant immortality to anyone who drinks from it. Bats mentioned something to that effect.”

“That could be troublesome. Someone like Doctor Polaris or the Joker is troublesome enough without them being unkillable.”

Aquaman grunted. “We stopped them before without killing, we could do it again.”

Wonder Woman nodded, “True, but if they are immortal they must also never tire and heal wounds inflicted as fast as they can be dealt. Truly a formidable opponent.”

There was a red blur of motion and flash of green light over Hungary as the Flash and Green Lantern arrived.

“I don’t know why we split up. I could have check out all these places in a minute and reported back.” Flash said as he zipped around the wall of a large and old estate.

“Yeah but if you ran into trouble you’d be S.O.L.” Green Lantern commented with a grin, “Now that I think about it that seems like a good idea. Quick, run ahead.”

Flash shot GL a dirty look and raced around the perimeter a few times. “So what do you want to do? Go up to the house, knock and the door, and ask if they’ve seen the Holy Grail?”

“Maybe it will be like ‘Python’ and it’ll be full of virgins desperate for spankings.” Green Lantern said as he flew over the gate.

“Then you go first, I’m married. But be warned. If you say ‘Ni’ I will be forced to kill you.”

“It’s only a model.”

“Shush.”

Batman slowly lowered the stick and the Batplane gently touched down on the ground. Beside him the Martian Manhunter landed.

“Batman reporting in. J’Onn and I have arrived in Mallaig, Scotland.”

J’Onn looked at the imposing castle in front of them. It had been constructed centuries ago but had been well kept over the years. The stone walls had all recently been reinforced and the keep looked stronger than ever. “X-ray vision cannot penetrate the walls. Thick lead shielding or some sort of energy scrambler,” the Martian said.

“It would seem my theory was correct. This is the last storehouse of the Templar Knights.” Batman said exiting the plane.

“The other houses?”

“Too obvious and easy to backtrack. But still worth investigating. This house has seemingly been passed down through several owners over the years but there has been a thin connection between them all. Occupation or lineage. This house has also been the recipient of numerous renovations and improvements over the years. All done quietly. And there have been numerous shipments of advanced electronics sent here from many sources. Including Wayne Industries.”

J’Onn nodded. “This building does seem likely. But then why send the others to investigate dead ends?”

“Simple. Because… ugh…” Batman grunted slightly and doubled over.

J’Onn turned, “Because of… what?!”

There was a crackle of flame followed by a sharp bang and the Martian hit the ground.

“Well that was embarrassing.” Green Lantern said exiting the grounds. He was trembling slightly.

“Let us never speak of this again.” Flash said solemnly.

“Agreed.”

“Let’s check back in with the others,” Flash said. “Maybe Superman or the others are having better luck.”

“Strange, the telepathic link is down.” Green Lantern stiffened with alertness. “That means something’s happened to J’Onn and Batman.”

Flash zipped off before Lantern could blink, the scarlet speedster’s last words hit the emerald gladiator’s ears as the Flash was already crossing the English Channel, “They were in Scotland. Get word to the others and I’ll meet you there. Slowpoke.”

Superman landed beside the Batplane and was greeted by the rest of the League. He looked at the felled body of the Martian Manhunter. “Diana,” he asked, “What happened to J’Onn?”

She help up a dart. “Looks like a neurotoxin. And these marks on his face look like burns from a flare.”

Superman picked up the dart and focused in on the tip. “The poison looks specifically designed for Martians. Batman was working on this in the event the Pale Martians got loose. And this dart is definitely one of his.”

Wonder Woman’s hands turned to fists. “So he’s betrayed us again!”

Superman shook his head, “But why? He never really believed in the Grail.” This was bad, the tensions were already running high. A few months ago they would have considered any other option first before betrayal by a Leaguer, but now…

Flash backed up into the group. “I think we have bigger problems now. We’ve been spotted.”

Ten armored men exited the opened gate of the keep and strode out in a military formation. Their bulky amour was painted white with red crosses across the chests.

“Oh come on.” Green Lantern said, “We’re the Justice League. Let’s get medieval on their asses.”

The Templar Knight’s boot jets activated and they took to their air. Half of them activated the energy lances from the forearms of their armor and the rest pulled out laser swords from their belts. All of them turned on their force shields.

Superman blinked and looked closer, “Looks like modified Rocket Red armor. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

The man of steel took off towards the nearest knight. The Templar ducked to the side and barely avoided Superman’s attack. The knight’s arm shot forward and the energy lance caught Superman in the side.

There was a flash of light and Superman howled in pain as he was thrown back by the blow. The Man of Steel fell from the sky like a rock, a thin trail of smoke following him down. He crashed to the ground in a limp mass.

Flash zipped up beside the fallen hero, “What happened?!”

Superman struggled for consciousness, “Make that modified Rocket Red armor that has been magically enchanted…”

Green Lantern raised his ring and a giant igloo formed around the League. The lances struck like lightning and the shield shook from the impact. Green Lantern gritted his teeth and fought to maintain his shield. The ring had never had an easy time with magic.

Wonder Woman looked around. GL was occupied, J’Onn and Superman were down, Batman had turned traitor, and Plastic Man was missing.

The knights regrouped and charged in unison.

“This could be bad.” Wonder Woman muttered.

To Be Continued...

Previous Issue | Next Issue