GATHERING FORCES
SCENE #1: HALL OF JUSTICE
SINESTRO FLIES TOWARDS THE RUINED HALL OF JUSTICE, GRIPPING A MAN BY HIS BACK. WHEN THEY GET INSIDE, HE DROPS THE MAN TO THE FLOOR, LANDING FLAT ON HIS FACE IN FRONT OF SUPERMAN. SUPERMAN, STILL A MEMBER OF THE SINESTRO CORPS, IS SITTING IN A THRONE.
SUPERMAN:
Officer Sprague. You were part of the attack team on this Hall and on it’s heroes.
SPRAGUE LOOKS DEFIANT, HIS FACE BADLY BEATEN AND BRUISED. SINESTRO IS WATCHING WITH HIS ARMS FOLDED. WITH A MOVEMENT OF HIS WRIST A YELLOW HAND FORCES HIS HEAD UP, SQUEEZING HIS THROAT.
SINESTRO:
Answer him!
SPRAGUE MAKES A NOISE OF INCREDIBLE PAIN. SUPERMAN RAISES HIS HAND TO STOP SINESTRO.
SUPERMAN:
It’s okay, Sinestro. Let him go.
SPRAGUE SITS UP ON HIS KNESS, LOOKING AT SUPERMAN.
SUPERMAN: (CONT’D)
I appreciate your loyalty. I understand Batman... inspires this in those around him. But I want answers.
SPRAGUE:
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
SUPERMAN GETS TO HIS FEET, ADVANCING ON HIM. HIS EYES TURN BLUE AS HE USES HIS X-RAY AND MICRO-VISION ON HIM.
SUPERMAN:
There’s nothing you can hide from me. I can hear your heart beat. I can see your shoeprints on the street outside. I can see your fingerprints around this room. The rest are hiding. You’re the only one from Batman’s group who went to work today. I was watching. I was listening.
HE LOOKS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CITY AND SPRAGUE FOLLOWS HIS GAZE.
SUPERMAN: (CONT’D)
I can see your wife. She’s at work. The children at her school seem to like her.
SPRAGUE:
What do you want?
SUPERMAN:
You know what I want. You took our people. I want to know where.
SPRAGUE:
I don’t know what we did with them. I promise. I’m telling the truth.
SINESTRO:
We will see.
HE GIVES A MALICIOUS SMILE.
SCENE #2: THE TOWER OF FATE
HARLEY QUINN IS SLUMPED AGAINST A WALL, HER FACE DOWN AND ARMS BINDING TIGHTLY AROUND HER KNEES.
HARLEY QUINN:
I know this is your therapy and it’s supposed to be all about you, but I kind of need to talk. I hope that’s okay. My puddin’, Green Arrow, Dinah. Superman took them all away. I realise it’s probably hard for you to sympathise... seeming as I’ve strapped you to a table and electrocuted you a little bit.
THE FLASH IS LYING BOUND TO A STABLE, A STONE BRACKET KEEPING HI HEAD IN PLACE AND A ROLL OF TAPE COVERING HIS MOUTH. HARLEY GETS TO ONE KNEE.
HARLEY QUINN: (CONT’D)
But I’ve made so many mistakes and there’s no one left who believes me.
ZATANNA STANDS IN THE DOORWAY.
ZATANNA:
Harley?
HARLEY SMILES, MOVING TO THE DOOR AND TALKING OVER HER SHOULDER TO HIM.
HARLEY QUINN:
Sorry. We have to go. But thanks for listening. I know you don’t really have a choice but it means a lot. I may have to keep you strapped down in here forever.
THE FLASH’S EYES WIDEN IN HORROR AT THE THOUGHT.
SCENE #3: THE HOME OF JASON BLOOD
ZATANNA AND HARLEY MAGICALLY APPEAR IN THE CENTER OF A LIVING ROOM.
ZATANNA:
Raeppa! (Appear)
JOHN CONSTANTINE IS SMOKING A CIGARETTE WHILE TALKING TO JASON BLOOD. THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE INSURGENCY ARE MILLING AROUND. HUNTRESS IS SITTING IN A ROYAL THRONE WITH MONTOYA PERCHED ON THE ARM. AT HER FEET IS KLARION THE WITCH BOY, STROKING HIS FAMILIAR, TEEKL WITH A SMILE.
CONSTANTINE LOOKS OVER AT THEM.
HARLEY QUINN:
Who’s that guy?
ZATANNA:
That’s John Constantine.
HARLEY QUINN:
He’s pretty.
ZATANNA:
He’s dangerous.
HARLEY QUINN:
Now he’s prettier.
JOHN POINTS TO JASON, GREETING THEM ALL.
JOHN CONSTANTINE:
Thanks for coming. And thanks to our host, Jason Blood, for his home and his protection. We’ve come together for one reason and one reason only. We all recognise that Superman is an absolutely insane bastard who has to be stopped. We’ve already hit him hard. Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, Robin. We’ve incapacitated or taken a lot of his friends away from him. He’s taken some of our friends from us too.
BATMAN:
But thanks to the efforts of some of those missing friends, the World has seen the truth.
JOHN CONSTANTINE:
Yeah. They’ve seen through the good jawline, perfect smile and tight pants to the bloody evil motherlover beneath. We’ve hit him hard. We need to keep hitting. Now, we know that, short of kicking him in the bollocks with some sturdy kryptonite boots, his weakness is magic. But there’s a reason we haven’t used magic against him directly. There’s something out there. Something magical. Something powerful. Something angry. we’ve felt it. We don’t know what it is yet but we believe it could be working with Superman. Now Detective Chimp believes...
HARVEY BULLOCK LOOKS AT DETECTIVE CHIMP AS THOUGH HE IS A JOKE.
HARVEY BULLOCK:
Yeah... I’m out.
BULLOCK WALKS FOR THE DOOR.
RENEE MONTOYA:
Bullock?
HARVEY BULLOCK:
This isn’t my world. Magic and costumes and... talking monkeys.
DETECTIVE CHIMP:
I’m a chimpanzee.
HARVEY BULLOCK:
I’m sorry. I want to help but I have no freaking idea what I’m doing here.
HARVEY CONTINUES TO WALK AWAY.
RENEE MONTOYA:
Harvey!
BATMAN:
It’s okay, Montoya. Let him go.
BULLOCK OPENS THE DOOR AND IS ABOUT TO LEAVE.
DETECTIVE CHIMP:
Hey. You’re a detective and from what I hear, you’re a good one. I knew your Commissioner. He and I solved a few murders together. Jim Gordon was a good guy. He didn’t care what I was. He only cared about solving the case, and he cared about the victims. You think you’re outside your comfort zone? You think I’m happy being here? I’m a talking, intelligent chimpanzee. I don’t have a comfort zone. But I’m here for the same reason Jim Gordon always was. Stay.
LOOKS DIRECTLY INTO HARVEY’S EYES.
DETECTIVE CHIMP: (CONT’D)
Stay for the victims.
TEEKL GIVES A MEOW, BREAKING THE LONG SILENCE.
KLARION:
Teekl? What’s...
THEY ALL LOOKED SHOCKED.
KLARION: (CONT’D)
Something’s coming.
JASON BLOOD POINTS AT THE DOOR IN TERROR.
JASON BLOOD:
The seal is broken!
HARVEY BULLOCK:
What?
JASON BLOOD:
Close it!!
DETECTIVE CHIMP:
Close the damn door!!
HARVEY TRIES TO PUSH THE DOOR CLOSED AS JASON RUSHES OVER TO THE DOOR AS WELL.
HARVEY BULLOCK:
I... I can’t.
JASON RUSHES FORWARD AND THEY ALL FALL BACK BEHIND HIM.
JASON BLOOD:
Get behind me!
JASON’S EYES GLOW A FIERY RED COLOUR.
JASON BLOOD: (CONT’D)
Gone. Gone form of man. Rise the demon, Etr...
A BURST OF BLUE ENERGY BREAKS DOWN THE DOORS, TURNING BLOOD INTO A SKELETON AND BLOOD. BULLOCK IS CAUGHT IN THE BLAST, ALSO TURNING INTO A SKELETON.
RENEE MONTOYA:
HARVEY!!
DETECTIVE CHIMP IS HIT BY ONE OF THE DOORS.
SCENE #4: OUTSIDE THE HOUSE
THE SPECTRE IS TOWERING OVER THE HOUSE, SURROUNDING IT WITH ELECTRIC BLUE ENERGY, MATCHING HIS EYES, NARROWED IN ANGER.
