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The time had come. The waiting was over. His patience was at an end.

A tear in reality cascaded light through the emptiness of deep space. As the light brightened even more, a dark shape began to appear as it made its way through. It moved slowly, its massive size working against the gravimetric nature of our solar system. Our reality seemed to try and reject the invasion of this parasite, but it pushed and forced its way in, a perverted birth of purest evil.

The tear in reality closed, the universe healing its injury as best it could. In the wake of this healed abuse, a jet black shape blended with the dark of space. Its presence was belied by an absence of stars, a black mass blotting out all. It was spherical, the size of a large planet.

Moments passed. Finally, the dark sphere ignited, cascading red light. Protrusions extended from the surface of the black planet…only this was not a planet. It was a sentient star. It was a deathbringer.

It was Solaris, the Tyrant Sun.

It dreamed of death. It dreamed of destruction.

It dreamed of the end of all…and it was coming to Earth.

 

DC Infinity Proudly Presents

#11

‘SOLARIS STRIKES – PART THE FIRST'

By Mike Hintze

 

Earth

The House of Secrets had been home to several people of late, a safehouse for those who had escaped the machinations of the mysterious Monarch. Located in the Dream Realm, the House was part of the domain of Daniel, the Lord of Dreams. The doors of the House were usually closed to all but a few loyal servants of Dream's realm…except for today. Today, in this place where time had no real meaning and a stray thought could kill, the House of Secrets had guests. Jason Rusch and Dr. Bruce Gordon, who together made up the gestalt of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, sat in one of the receiving rooms eating a meal. They weren't sure how long they had been here (time was slippery in Dream's Realm) but Jason was getting more and more agitated. Gordon had been in awe of the place, with its mystical properties, despite his own past experience as the host for the vengeance god Eclipso. Jason had been Firestorm for a relatively short time, and was not as curious now as Gordon was. Their food was delicious, as every meal was…but good food was far from enough to keep Jason's mind off of why they were here.

“Enough's enough,” said Jason. “When the Stranger gets back here, we're hatching a game plan. I've had it with being stuck here.” The Phantom Stranger had been the one to spirit them away to this place to allow them to be ready to take on Dr. Destiny, who had taken over the Dreaming from Daniel. As part of Daniel's gratitude, they had permission to stay in the House of Secrets as long as they liked. Frustratingly, the Stranger and Liandra, the Fallen Angel had disappeared on a mysterious mission and had not been heard from since.

“I have to agree,” said Gordon. “There are too many things we need to address about what has been going on. It feels like we've been here for years.”

Jason nodded. Gordon had summed it up very well.

After the events of the Crisis, the Justice League had been shattered. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Martian Manhunter….they had all disappeared or had other priorities in the months following. Green Lantern had been one of the sole remaining defenders that had a public appearance on Earth. Then, mysteriously, a new Justice League began making appearances. This League was made up of the Atom, Elongated Man, Superman, Flash, Black Canary, Batman and Green Lantern. Jason had not had much contact with these heroes in the past, but when serendipity had them cross paths, Jason and Dr. Gordon were offered membership in this new Justice League.

That tenure hadn't lasted long.

In the end, the League found itself running up against a mysterious man called Monarch. Armored from head to toe and bearing a striking resemblance to the villain of the same name from years previous, Monarch had been involved in several missions the League had undertaken. This new League was not comprised of the actual superheroes they were named for, however. Batman was actually the villain Prometheus. Superman was an android duplicate. Black Canary was the insane Harley Quinn. Flash was actually Hunter Zolomon aka Zoom. Green Lantern was a reprogrammed Amazo android. Each of the members had been brainwashed and programmed by Ray Palmer, aka the Atom and Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man. Two longtime League members using the villains for a constructive purpose. Jason was doubtful, but trusted Palmer and Dibny. Eventually, that trust proved unfounded.

Members of the League began shaking off the reprogramming, some of them escaping the Atom's and Elongated Man's control. Firestorm crashed to Earth's Atlantic Ocean, unconscious after a space battle with the League and later imprisoned by Monarch. Others fared poorly when Monarch attacked the satellite headquarters of the League. The Atom was nowhere to be found, Elongated Man had his face melted off and left for dead. Jason found he was actually imprisoned aboard the League satellite, but before he could reconcile his imprisonment with Monarch's possible identity, the satellite was destroyed. Jason found himself spirited to the House of Secrets by the Phantom Stranger where Dr. Gordon had been sent after his being left to drown in the ocean earlier. The Stranger had ulterior motives for what he had done, but precious little had been revealed to them.*

(*See the last 10 issues of Justice League as well as all other DCI titles! – Stating the Obvious Mike)

“I've been thinking of going for a walk,” said Gordon. “Outside the House.”

“Stranger said we were supposed to stay inside,” said Jason. “But then, there's not much that anyone could do to, say, Firestorm, right?”

“Absolutely,” said Gordon with a smile.

Jason concentrated, as did Gordon. Seconds later, nuclear fire erupted around the two men, fusing them together into a gold and red garbed gestalt with flames emanating from the top of the head. They were Firestorm, the Nuclear Man.

Firestorm headed to the main foyer of the House of Secrets and reached to open the door. He grasped the ornate knob and turned it. He opened the door….and looked.

He was seeing into the very same foyer he had wanted to leave, like a bizarre mirror image.

“Looks like the Stranger gets his way,” said Jason.

I'd have to agree , thought Gordon from the mental plane they shared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason Blood walked the streets of Gotham City in the dark of the night. There were few would do so in this city of murder and crime, but Jason was far from defenseless. He was also older than most human beings, far older. With that age brought experience and also a preternatural sense of danger.

“Hey, man,” said a punk from a shadowed alley. “You—you give me your cash and you maybe get to live.” He twitched as he spoke, the knife in his hand shaking. Jason suspected the young kid was a crystal meth addict looking to pay for his next fix.

Jason put his hands up as if in submission and walked into the shadowy alley. Once he was close to the punk, he reached out and grasped the kid's forehead. Jason's eyes glowed brightly, illuminating the alley in a dim purple light. If he had summoned his other self, the demon Etrigan, this kid would have been killed painfully. Jason felt pity for the mugger, and so went an alternate route.

“Calyxin Trequi Mastrewta Kityerin!” incanted Jason. As he did so, the mugger's eyes shot open and emitted their own purple light. The mugger's body spasmed uncontrollably, and his face began to change. The loss of weight from lack of eating was being wiped away, his face filling out to a more healthy look. It felt like an eternity, but in reality it was mere seconds. Jason removed his hand, the mugger collapsing to the ground.

“Wh—where—what happened?” asked the mugger.

“Your dependence on the chemicals ravaging you has been erased, in mind, body and soul.” He reached down to help the mugger to his feet. “You have been given a second chance. Few can say as much, especially in this city.”

The mugger was unsteady on his feet. “But…I have nothing…no money, nothing.”

Jason looked the mugger in the eye. “I have seen into your innermost self. I know that you are not truly evil, but have been remiss in good judgment. Go to the Wayne Foundation and tell them Jason Blood sent you. They will offer you employment. But be warned…I will be watching.” His eyes briefly glowed again.

“Jason Blood,” said the mugger. “Thank you, Mr. Blood. My name is David Becker.”

“Go, David Becker,” said Jason. “Go and live your life well.”

Becker slowly walked away down the street, rapidly gaining speed as he headed away from the dank downtown in the general direction of the Wayne Foundation building. Jason paused to lean on the wall of a brownstone at the mouth of the alley. The cleansing spell had drained him, but the feeling of weakness would pass. He had been on his way home when he had come across Becker. A pot of tea and some rest would do the trick. It was liberating to help someone without succumbing to the pitfalls of his other, more savage self.

Jason walked several blocks until he came to a monolithic building that had a darker look than the others that surrounded it. It was a building that existed, but not in the eyes of any passersby. No one gave it a second look, for its mystical wards removed it from human perceptions. The building itself had burned down almost a century before in Gotham, but temporal magic had taken a sliver of time and brought the building here to act as a home to Jason Blood.

He walked up the steps to the large front doors when he heard someone behind him. He didn't look back when he said, “Hello, Stranger.”

Jason then turned to face the enigmatic Phantom Stranger. Garbed in a dark suit with a fedora and cloak, the Stranger almost evoked tales of the boogieman with his mysterious demeanor. In truth, he was one of the most powerful magical defenders on Earth and an ally to Jason Blood.

“Jason,” said the Stranger. “I have come to seek your aid.”

“I assumed as much,” said Jason. “You very rarely come to chat.”

“A dire threat approaches Earth,” said the Stranger. “A threat that your power and skill can assist in defeating.”

“There always is,” said Jason. “Do we have time for a quick cup of tea before we go?”

“I'm afraid not,” said the Stranger. “We must be off. There are others to gather.”

Jason then noticed that a red haired woman garbed in a red hood and cloak was on the other side of him. Her face was cloaked in shadow…and her feet did not touch the ground.

“Amazing,” said Jason. “I did not sense your presence until just now. That is something very hard to do with someone like me.” He looked down again at her wrapped feet that did not touch the ground. “I have a suspicion as to what you really are…if I am correct, then this is a dire situation, indeed.”

“I know you, Blood,” said the Fallen Angel. “People like you certainly like the sound of your own voice.”

“Enough, Lee,” said the Stranger. “We must be off.”

An instant later, all three were gone as if they were never there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Astronomers noticed the aberration in deep space mere hours after Solaris entered this solar system. Despite his massive size and power, light still travelled at the speed it did, and thus his initial presence went undetected by the majority of Earth's populace. Solaris did not stand idly by during this window.

Instants after his arrival (for he did think of himself as a he, despite his central core containing the DNA of Lois Lane, mate of the hated Superman) Solaris sent out telepathic summons to his agents on Earth. During the battle that was his birth against the Justice League and Justice Legion A, Solaris had used the link his nanovirus had established with the Earth's population to lay the seeds of his return. He had barely been alive when he had done so, most likely a pre-programmed suggestion placed by his own future self. The seeds had been planted. With Monarch acting as his general, the Earth was primed for the return of Solaris…and they didn't even know it. The Dreaming may have been lost to him…but that didn't impact his overall plans.

Let the invasion begin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arthur Curry was not a patient man. He hated being out of his element and even worse, hated being in this city. Gotham was not a place where one willingly walked at night. Arthur wasn't worried about his physical safety, since he could snap the neck of just about anything this side of Superman, but he still preferred the dark ocean to this dark city.

He was dressed in a jogging outfit with a hood. He shook his head at how much like a potential mugger he must look right now. The cool night air was starting to bother him. Not the temperature as much as the smells. He hated how cities smelled.

A flash of light appeared beside him, startling him. He turned, knowing his appointment had arrived. “Nice to see you again, Zee.”

Zatanna smiled. “You, too, Arthur.” She gave Aquaman a wan smile. “Still a bit jumpy on dry land?”

“I hate this city,” said Arthur. “Let's get on with it. Oliver told you?”

“Yes,” said Zatanna. “He asked me to meet you here. Said you want to have a sit down with the Spectre.”

“I thought magic was a little…off these days,” said Arthur. “You're teleporting?”

She frowned. “I used the old Justice League teleport network. Magic is little tricky these days, Arthur. Luckily, this won't involve much magic as much as knowing where to look. I'll warn you. The Spectre is not Jim Corrigan or Hal Jordan anymore. He's someone new. He most likely won't be anything like what you expect.”

“Who is he?” asked Arthur.

“You'll see,” said Zatanna. “Is Hal meeting us?”

“No,” said Arthur, “He had to be off world with the Corps. For now, we're on our own….us and him.” He pointed to a man standing in the shadows. He walked out, wearing a trenchcoat and fedora. His face waxed and waned as if shifting from liquid to gelatin and then liquid again.

“R-Ralph?” asked Zatanna. “Is-Is that you?”

“H-Hey, Zee,” said Ralph Dibny. “Long time.”

“What happened?” asked Zatanna.

“We'll explain later, Zee,” said Arthur. “We need to see the Spectre. Now.”

“Fine,” said Zatanna. “This might feel a bit rough, but hold on. Ekat su ot eht s'ertceps ylimaf!”

Arthur tensed at Zatanna's seemingly flamboyant use of her magic. Nothing happened.

“Just kidding,” said Zatanna. “Lighten up, Arthur.” She pressed a button on an old JLA transmitter.

Another burst of light and the trio was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They appeared in a hedge, near a cozy, normal looking house. The scene seemed idyllic compared to the dank streets they had just come from.

“The Spectre lives in a quiet neighbourhood,” said Lee.

“There is more to this place than can be readily seen,” said the Phantom Stranger. “You do yourself a disservice by not taking this as serious business.”

“I was kidding, Stranger,” said Lee. “He's here, by the way.”

“I feel him as well,” said Jason Blood. “He thinks we are trespassing.”

The Stranger stepped out from the hedge into the back yard of the home. “Spectre! We beseech an audience with you!”

The ground shifted and erupted as a pale white apparition appeared before them, cloaked in dark green. His eyes shone as skulls as he towered over the trio. “YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE, STRANGER.”

“My apologies, old friend,” said the Stranger. “We need your help. A threat has come from beyond…it approaches Earth. Its intent is to destroy all and we must stop it.”

“YOU SPEAK OF SOLARIS, THE TYRANT SUN.” It was not a question.

“We do,” said the Stranger. “His approach affects more than this plane of existence. His coming is causing tremors even within the Dreaming and Bete Noir.”

“BETE NOIR?” asked the Spectre, “I THOUGHT I RECOGNIZED YOU, LITTLE ANGEL.”

“It's been a while, Cris,” said Lee.

“Spectre,” said Jason Blood, “The threat is dire and could come to devastate even the Heavenly Host.”

“I FIND IT ODD THAT YOU SPEAK OF HEAVEN SO NICELY,” said the Spectre, “CONSIDERING YOUR PEDIGREE.”

“Let that be an example of how dire this threat is,” said Blood. “This threat is one that even your former family cannot survive.”

The Spectre looked back at the house where his wife and children lived and worked, oblivious that their husband and father was so close to them yet so far away. “WHAT IS IT YOU REQUIRE?” he asked.

“Two things,” said the Stranger. “One, that if your aid is required, you will come. Allow us the chance to end this amicably, if possible.”

“VERY WELL,” said the Spectre. “THE SECOND REQUEST?”

The Phantom Stranger flourished his cloak. It expanded until a shape could be seen in its folds. A man came out on a wheelchair, scarred from horrible burns. His eyes were half aware. It was a miracle he was alive.

“Restore this man's memories. They are vital to our efforts.”

The Spectre considered for a moment, then reached down and touched the man's head. An eerie glow surrounded the man as he convulsed and fell from the wheelchair. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was like looking into the sun. Then, abruptly, the light dimmed and faded.

“IT IS DONE,” said the Spectre. “THAT AND MORE.”

The Stranger, Lee and Blood looked down at the scarred man…only he wasn't scarred anymore. His injuries were healed, his hair regrown, his eyes sharply focused.

“Gabriel?” asked the Stranger as he knelt down. “Gabriel, can you hear me?”

A flash of light appeared beside the group. Standing in its wake, was Zatanna, Aquaman and Elongated Man. “Looks like the party started without us,” said Zatanna.

“You!” said the now restored Gabriel as he pointed to the new arrivals. “You!” He stood up and ran at them, fear and anger in his eyes.

“Whoa there,” said Lee as she grabbed Gabriel. “Slow down, you're disoriented, pal. Take it easy.”

“No!” said Gabriel, “It's him! The Harbinger of Solaris! Someone kill him!”

“Who?” asked Aquaman. “Me?”

“No,” said Gabriel, “Him!” Everyone followed his finger…

…to Ralph Dibny.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Issue: SOLARIS STRIKES – PART TWO!