Justice League of America Chapter 15
Written by Mr. Jupiter

"Who are you?" Gorilla God demanded. "I answer only to Brainiac!"




"Gorilla God. Your intelligence is equal to your fury. I will have need of you." Ultra Humanite smiled. "Calm yourself, all will be explained.




Karl Kyle noticed Lois and Brainiac almost appeared to be in a trance.




Lana cradled Clark's head in her lap as she looked at the clear cell containing her son. She so badly wanted to hold her son and assure him everything would be ok, even though she wasn't sure it would be.




"What is going on here? Brainiac assembled us to be his Society of Evil." Blackfire said.




"K'omandr....do not agitate this one....he is not to be trifled with." Raven said quietly.




"Good advice, Raven. Since I'm here, I really have no need of Brainiac any longer. Alien, thank you for your service. I couldn't have done this without you." Ultra Humanite smiled.




"You..I will be your puppet no more! I--Urrkkkkkkk" Brainiac sputtered before his head exploded, sending blood and fragments spewing. His body twitched and dropped to the floor. The Society all stepped back. Even Gorilla God's jaw dropped.




Lois began to look around, her eyes darting.




"Feeling more like yourself, Miss Lane?" Ultra Humanite said, taking the woman's hand.




"What....what did you to me...." she muttered as if coming out of a fog.




"I made you my pawn. My plan would never have worked without you."




"You...you violated me...my mind...you dirty son of a--" Lois punched Ultra Humanite square in the face. She pulled her fist back and the Ultra Humanite laughed.




"Restrain this hellcat, Gorilla God." Ultra Humanite said, shoving Lois into Gorilla God's massive arms. She struggled against the beast's strength.




"Lana...I'm so sorry..." Lois said, tears streaming.




"I suppose you are all wondering why we are here today. Well, wait no more! All is revealed!"




In the JLA satellite, Flash and Aquaman returned after scouring the globe for any traces of the Society.




"I've searched the oceans, communicated with my underwater friends. No sign of the Society in an underwater base." Aquaman said.




"And I struck out too." Flash added.




"Where's Superman?" Batwoman asked.




"He was going to check on his folks, warn his Dad about the Kryptonite." Flash added.




"I've been reviewing some of the original JLA's case files. I learned more about the island and the kryptonite." Hawkman said. "Looks like in an adventure before the original JLA formed, Superman, Batman, Robin, Batwoman, and Bat-Girl fought Lex Luthor. He had amassed a collection of Kryptonite. They defeated him and with the help of the original Aquaman, disposed of the Kryptonite on that island. Guess they felt it was safely hidden away."




"That's why Raven was here. She and her team must be working with someone who knew about the Kryptonite." Green Lantern surmised.




"Can't be the Luthor. He died years ago." Fate said.




"Maybe his niece?" Black Canary added. "She was responsible for holding Superboy hostage for all those years....along with Brainiac. Luthor's neice must have had a passing knowledge of the island. Oh gosh, it all makes sense now! Brainiac must have formed that team, sought out the Kryptonite and now they're out to get Superman."




"Good detective work, Canary." Batwoman smiled beneath her mask.




"If that's the case, we need to get in touch with Superman, like now!" White Canary said, her fingers scrambling across a keyboard. Superman's JLA communicator was off line.




"That's not a good sign." Fate said.




Just then a monitor screen came on. It was Jem.




"Hey guys, has Superman checked in? We still haven't found Superboy." the former Leaguer said. She explained that Wonder Man had talked to Superman about the missing Superboy.




"Sorry Jem, but Superman is missing now." White Canary replied.




"Listen, I'll tell Scott. We'll join up with you guys. Something awful has happened. I just know it."




"Canary, do a scan of the Kent farm. See if Superman is there." Batwoman instructed.




White Canary pulled up the coordinates and the screen zoomed in on the damaged farm.




"Superboy and Superman are missing. Kent farm in shambles. Anyone know where Kara is?" The Flash asked.




"She keeps a low profile." Green Lantern said. "We don't know much about her anymore, not even where she lives."




"We're wasting time here. We have to find Superman and his family." Black Canary said.




"I....I think I can help." White Canary said.




"How?" Batwoman asked.




"When that woman....Raven possessed me...it's like part of her is still in here. I feel dirty....not all the way like myself..sometimes I can pick up on her thoughts."




"Why didn't you tell me?" Black Canary asked her sister.




"I didn't want to burden you. I thought it would pass, but it's like she's still in my head, kicking around."




"Canary, with your permission, I may be able to tap in....try to locate Raven and the Society. It might be the only way for us to find Superman." Fate said.




"Do it. Maybe that will be the good thing to come out of what happened to me." White Canary said as Fate placed his hands on the sides of the brave heroine's face.




Back in Brainiac's ship, Ultra Humanite explained what had led to this moment.




"Blackfire, if you please. Your powers are solar powered, are they not? Please power up and hit our guests with a solar blast. I want them awake to witness my triumph."




"Of course." Blackfire smiled as she walked over to Clark, Superman, Superboy, and Supergirl. She noticed the cell's structure alter to allow her blasts to hit the injured heroes.




"L--Lana...what..." Clark sputtered, coughing up blood.




"It's ok Clark, it's all going to be ok." She said, gently. Clark looked around.




"Jon? Conner..Kara?" he gasped.




Jonathon Kent raised his head and was in terrible agony. Conner and Kara stirred as well.




"Oh, you all look so pathetic there. So confused and hurt. I love it!!" Ultra Humanite laughed.




"You won't be laughing long green man." Superboy said, struggling to stand.




"Uh uh, don't strain yourself. You'll need to conserve your strength. And to think I almost allowed my brain to be placed in your body."




"Ultra Humanite, please tell us...what is going on here." Raven urged.




Superboy stared at Silver Swan, noticing a look of confusion on her face.




Superman extened his hand towards the cell that held his parents.




"It's ok baby, it'll all be ok." Lana said, extending her arm towards him.




Lois continued to struggle against Grodd.




Ultra Humanite began, "This all started so many years ago. Just after the first Superman debuted, he and I fought. He defeated me, humiliated me. I have hated him all these years, all those bodies I inhabited....waiting, plotting for my revenge. Years ago, Miss Lane encountered me. Her romance with the Man of Steel was legendary. She thought she was interviewing actress Delores Winters, when it was really me. I planted a suggestion in her mind that day to hate Superman....to hate Lana. It slowly built and festered. Superman and I clashed again a few months after. By then, my brain was in the white gorilla body so many of you remember and love. Superman thought he had defeated me, but I planted a mental suggestion in his mind...to fall in love with Lana. The Justice League had me imprisoned where I sat waiting. Eventually I knew my plan had worked when I learned Superman and Lois had ended their relationship and he had taken up with her rival, Lana. Soon I learned Lana and Clark had married. Secret identities are not secret to someone as intelligent as I. Lois's hate grew. She launched several media attacks about Superman. She went so crazy that she was eventually fired from the Daily Planet. She really lost it when Lana and Clark married and sweet baby Jonathon came along."




"Bah, this all sounds like some horrible story from a soap opera!" Gorilla God growled.




"True, but it worked. A few years later, Brainiac and Nasthalia Luthor freed me from my prison. He and Luthor's niece had abducted Superboy and decided to place my brain in his body. The ultimate combination of brain and brawn. Because of the clone's unique genetic make up, tests revealed his body would reject my brain. By then, Brainiac had placed my brain in a chamber until we found a suitable body. We brainwashed Superboy into hating Superman and released back into the world. We didn't count on Jem being able to break through to the clone. With her help, he was re-acclimated into the world. Another failed plan."




"You....you were part of the reason...all that torture, what they did to me!" Superboy shouted angrily.




"It was then my plan came to fruition. By then, my brain had become so powerful, I controlled Brainiac. I used my brain's power to send more mental communications to Miss Lane. She was instrumental in contacting all the Society members and forming your team. We even tried to build an army of Swans to add to our power, the only success being the Silver Swan. We meant to attract the attention of the Justice League, but instead got Titans West. I find it amusing that Superboy's girlfriend is now his enemy. Anyway, I learned from Luthor's niece that there was a deposit of Kryptonite somewhere that her uncle had babbled on and on about. I had Raven teleport to the JLA satellite and scour your case files until we discovered where it was. The Society retrieved and used the Kryptonite to take down Superman and his family."




"A brilliant plan, but this body you inhabit...how did this come to be?" Blackfire asked.




"Superman, do you remember the day you saved Miss Lane from falling off that building?" Ultra Humanite asked.




Superman stared at him angrily.




"I'll take that as a yes. That was all carefully orchestrated so that Miss Lane could grab a lock of your hair, full of your half human, half kryptonian DNA. We combined that with dearly departed Brainiac's DNA and voila! A body that can contain my brain! A body that won't reject my brain. I had Brainiac construct that birthing pod and place my brain into the mix. I guess you could say today is my birthday!"




The Society was silent for a moment. "Where does that leave us?" Karl Kyle asked.




"Well, first we are going to kill Superman and his family. Slowly. We'll start with the son." Ultra Humanite said, walking over to Clark. "Once you have seen your family die, I will kill you last. I want you to see them suffer. I want to see the look on your face and know that in the end, I WON! Lana, I want you to know that your marriage and life was manipulated by me! Clark never loved you. He loved Lois, but I was able to ruin that. Every moment, every cherished memory! All fake!!"




Lana's head slumped. Clark pulled her close to him. Lois looked over at them, tears streaming.




"Enough of this. Get started." Raven smiled.




"Yes, yes. Once they are all dead, we will destroy the Justice League and then no one will dare step in our way. The world will be ours." Ultra Humanite said.




With that, he walked over to the cell containing Superman. He reached in and dragged Superman out by the throat. Superman attempted to swing at Ultra Humanite, but was weakened by the Kryptonite attack.




Ultra Humanite looked at Clark.




"Leave him alone....leave my boy alone..." Clark struggled.




Ultra Humanite smiled as he lifted the injured Superman into the air and started to strangle him.