B E Y O N D . C R I S I S

The Independence Day tradition begun by Jay Garrick continues as always as superheroes and their families converge for a barbecue in Keystone City, hosted by Wally West. If they canceled this every time some alien horde had just attacked, it would hardly ever happen.

Early in the day, Rex Stewart pulls up in his huge Hummer SUV truck, which is stocked with his own grill and plenty of food, charcoal and beer. His slave labor, Davis Karnes, is left with the job of unloading it all. The caravan of the Arrow Family arrives soon after with Oliver Queen directing traffic, commanding his minions to bring the large pots of chili inside.

( The barbecue begins to kick off from there. )

Piper sits across Terrific’s kitchen table, staring Chris Knolls who is sipping on a cup of coffee but obviously not enjoying it. “You shouldn’t be here.” Piper says as she continues to stare at Chris. He shrugs, going for another sip.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m not here for long.” He grimaces, putting the mug down. “Hopefully your robot can cook better than he can make coffee.”

( A green furred Tornado sits at the head of the table )

[backdated before the kidnap of Liz Rayner.]

"I don't understand."

Mr. Terrific has been intently watching Kryptron for the better part of two hours, desperately wanting to understand his elder android. The obstacle is one he has never come up against before. He cannot read Kryptron's mind. Why that could be escapes him. Would he be unable to perceive the minds of other androids? He's unable to say. Kryptron is the only other android he has ever met.

"What is the significance of your form?"

( It is my form. )

"You're going back to the lab, Kryp!" Holding his golden shield in front of two crossed arms, the Guardian -- Russell Stone -- divebombs against Kryptron's back and drives the machine a hovering billboard in a shower of sparks.

It has been almost a whole week since Russell -- Rusty if you're a bud -- accepted S.T.A.R. Labs' job offer to become their new personal superhero, the Guardian, as a replacement for the long dead Bulleteer. So this deranged Kryptonian robot, who has taken on the entire Justice League in the past, reconstitutes itself and escapes confinement in his first freaking week on the job.

( He's not even done with new employee orientation yet. )

In the search for Leon Luthor, this incarnation of the Justice League has mobilized like never before. Members of the Justice League are stretched thin on the surface of Earth below, and allies from all over have been called into service to help hunt down any potential lead to the Lost Son's whereabouts. The Justice League Satellite -- the nerve center of the search effort -- has become a hectic one-man operation trying to coordinate everything.

( Fortunately, the Flash can do hectic. )

Starman barely has any time after his fight with Atomic Knight before hearing movement from down the elevator shaft. Supergirl -- or someone -- has arrived.

It is Supergirl. She had seen what happened to the Watchtower from the Daily Planet, but it took her some time to get here. It took no time at all for Nazis to start appearing everywhere, and she kept having to stop to deal with them wherever she saw them. She couldn't just keep flying when she could see Nazis attacking people.

( She's here now though. )

The Professor lands on the roof of a house, inside Phoenix's city limits. He can plainly see Mr. Terrific's dome has disappeared, and that causes him great alarm. If the dome is gone, that could mean the android has someone been destroyed! ANd most importantly, that means he'll never see his singularity cortex go boom!

In range now, his best chance is to press the remote detonator and hope for the best -- the best being the destruction of Phoenix. But first, he quickly doublechecks his headband is on to ensure that he survives the EMP blast.

Everything is a go, so the Professor holds out the detonator and moves to depress his thumb over the button -- only something keeps his thumb back. He looks at his hand and sees Gulliver wrestling his thumb away from the button! Screeching angrily, he waves his hand trying to shake Gulliver off, but the tiny hero keeps fighting.

( It's a thumb war for the sake of the city. )

Since being attacked by the DEO and Impulse, Mr. Terrific has been unable to drop under the radar. More law enforcement has shown up to cosntantly hound him. Police cruisers flip through the air -- thrown by his telekinetic force. He will not run anymore. He was the one attacked. He is the one pursued. And now, he will fight them. Any who come for him will have to face his power.

Even the Justice League.

These heroes of the people arrive through some sort of portal in the air, and the gathered law enforcement personnel pull back. It is nearly the full team, lacking only Starman, King and Warhawk. Mr. Terrific knows before they say it that they want his surrender, and he also knows they don't yet know what he is. That ignorance sparks a tiny glimmer of hope in him that this can turn out differently. He telekinetically hurls Supergirl and Nightstar away from him first though.

But then Hourman has a precognitive flash of how this fight will end within the hour. It is a quick but definitive flash of Wonder Woman punching through Mr. Terrific's head, finishing the battle and exposing him to be made of synthetic material. The Justice League is going to win, and Mr. Terrific is going to be destroyed.

( But for once, Hourman isn't the only one to see one of his flashes. Mr. Terrific does too. )

The side door of a warehouse swings open on its own, shattering the chain that was meant to keep it securely locked. Mr. Terrific wanders through the open doorway, holding a hand to the side of his head.

The consciousness of the city is a mass of confusion to him, but he is learning to sift through the vast number of minds open to him. Others can't do this. To each other, their minds are closed, but to him, he knows what is inside all of them. It is a strange combination of seemingly endless variety built on a fonndation of constant commonality. In quiet moments, he loses himself in them and can't help but wonder -- why is he not like them? His thoughts are their thoughts. No difference stands out to him, yet he supposedly isn't like them. He is just a machine, who isn't accepted as the same thing.

( He knows this, because that is what the minds who have been following him think. )