THE WATCHTOWER

The Watchtower, headquarters of the JLA (Justice League of America). It was a large space station that was parked on the moon. The station was made of promethium and its technology based on a mixture of Martian, Kryptonian, Thanagarian, Earth as well as New Genesis and Apokolips.

Inside the Watchtower was the Monitor Womb, the heart of the Watchtower. This was where the JLA monitored everything that happened on Earth, with its vast computer/communications/sensors network. As for how the crisis points on Earth were detected, there was the circular chamber with multiple holographic displays.

Right now the only persons on monitor duty were Steel and Plastic Man. The 7 most important members of the JLA, who were also its founding members were off in New Genesis, in a galaxy far far away. The 7 founding members were Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Kyle Rayners), Aquaman and Martian Manhunter.

"Too bad we couldn't follow them to deal with whatever it was that they had to deal with!" commented Steel, while sat down behind one of the communications device.

"We all couldn't go now could we!!!! Someone had to stay behind and watch this place in case anything happens down there on Earth!!" commented Plastic Man in a sarcastic tone and was also sat behind one of the computers.

Steel also gave him a sarcastic look in return.

"You got that right. Some-one, not some-two. You could have stayed here behind all by yourself. I could have gone along with them!!!" chuckled Steel.

"Very funny Steel. Very funny," Plastic man said to him in a light disapproving way.

As both fellow superheroes were laughing suddenly they both stopped laughing. They were looking at the multiple holographic displays. The different moving holographic displays showed them things that went on Earth and the displays showed them where the locations were but the holographic images kept on shifting and changing too rapidly.

"My God!!! What the Hell is going on down there????" cried a panicking Plastic Man.

"This does not look good at all Plastic Man. It's happening all over the planet!!! I am going send Martian Manhunter a signal and then he can read my mind to know what is going on here!!!" Steel commented in a very dead serious tone.

As for what both minor members of the JLA saw were shifting images of people instantly dropping down dead all over the world. It was just like in that end-times movie The Omega Man with Charlton Heston.

The JLA had better get here soon ... and fast, thought Steel.

The rest of the JLA were back in the Watchtower.

"I sense that more than half the world's population is dead Batman" Martian Manhuter told Batman.

Martian Manhunter was an alien telepath who could read people's brainwaves to know what they are thinking and even if they are alive or not. Apart from telepathy his other powers are flight, strength, shapeshifting and making himself intangible. His only weakness: fire.

"The Pentagon isn't picking up either Batman!!" Flash said, as he was working behind one of the communications device, linking the Watchtower to bases on Earth.

"Maybe we should go down there and do something. We can't just stay here and let more people die!!" commented Superman.

"No Superman. We have to know what we are up against. If people all over the world are dying I suspect that some terrorists had launched multiple viruses all over the planet. The only person I could think of being capable of such a thing is Ra's Al Ghul!!!" Batman told the other 8 superheroes.

"You mean the Arab guy!!" said Plastic Man in an astonished tone.

Ra's Al Ghul was an adversary Batman had fought very often. He was a 400 year old immortal whose only goal was to kill off most of the world's population, as he saw himself as the saviour of the Earth and blamed humanity for the much of the destruction going on in Earth like deforestation, contribution to global warming, senseless consumption of the world's finite resources and many other destructive activities.

"Do you think he knew we were gone and then decided to act??? Wonder Woman asked Batman and everyone else.

"Wonder Woman. He couldn't care less if we were present or not. He is bold and fearless," Batman spoke in a bitter tone.

Deep down everyone in the room knew what was going on inside Batman's head. He blamed himself for all this since he was always there to prevent Ra's from carrying out his diabolical plans. This time he was elsewhere and how it seemed to Batman than Ra's finally won.

"Manhunter. I want you to play back the last images that they saw and I want you to work your telekinesis with your own (Martian) technology and tell me the full story!!" Batman told Martian Manhunter.

The way Batman talked to him, or anyone else for that matter, was as if he was giving them orders.

Martian Manhunter sat down, tuned his mental powers to the Martian technology on board the Monitor Womb and at the same time played back the images which Steel and Plastic Man saw or any holographic images which occurred within the last 24 hours.

Everyone saw different holographic images of people around the world dropping down dead. They even saw images of what happened before those last scenes of people worldwide dropping dead on the streets of their respective countries.

They saw lots and lots of microscopic nanobyte insects leaving Japanese airspace, heading so high up into the sky that they were above the clouds with only airplanes being able to see or notice them, hence beyond the notice of radars.

Some of the microscopic nanobtye insects were heading westwards for North America and some heading Westwards and Northwards to the rest of Asia and some heading southwards towards the South Pacific. The robotic insects released spores wherever they went, infecting everyone beneath them

"The Japanese are behind this!!! They're trying to conquer the world again!!" remarked an angry Steel.

Batman made Martian Manhunter show more holographic images about what went on in Tokyo. They all saw military parades and Japanese leaders addressing their crowd... "They've just started World War Three!!!" cried an equally angry Wonder Woman.

"They've lost the last one. How stupid can they get to do this again?? Have they forgotten we dropped two atom bombs on them??" bellowed an angry Green Lantern.

Everyone was angry as everyone they cared about, whether in America or in the other affected areas, were now dead.

"Ok Manhunter. Show us what is happening now in the world!!" Batman told him.

Martian Manhunter made the Martian technology tune in and show holographic images of what was happening now on Earth.

The images that all 9 heroes were seeing shocked them. They saw navy ships taking off from the coastlines of Japan, followed by flying giant robots that resembled the Sentinels in Marvel Comics' Uncanny X-Men.

"Batman I sense life is still strong in Britain!!" commented Martian Hunter.

Martian Manhunter controlled the computers to direct the holographic images over Britain. They all saw holographic images of people panicking and protesting in the streets of London with soldiers and police marching around the capital.

"Let's get there quick!!" suggested an angry Superman.

For Lois's sake he can't lose control. She wouldn't have wanted him to go berserk and start destroying things. Superman's only loved ones (Lois Lane and his adopted parents, the Kents) were now gone. A part of him hoped that he was wrong and that they somehow survived.

"They started this war and we're going to end it!!" Green Lantern said in a dark menacing tine, with his power ring glowing really brightly in emerald.

10 DOWNING STREET,
RESIDENCE OF THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN.

The JLA spaceship landed somewhere nearby. The angry mob, being contained by the regional police force, could see the arrival of the JLA. The British PM was expecting them to come (since Martian Manhunter sent him a telepathic message) and so stood outside his own residence. The JLA got off the ship and walked towards the British PM in their assertive dispenser-of-justice type of image.

"Superman! Wonder Woman! Aquaman! Thank God you're all here. World War Three had just begun and we were afraid that you were all gone for good!!" cried a worried British PM.

"Not to worry Mr Prime Minister. Just to tell you that I am about to deal with those nano-insects before they reach your country!!" stated Superman.

Superman flew up into the air, heading up eastwards to the skies above Western Europe. using his heat vision Superman could see millions of nano-insects. He shot lasers from his eye pupils which instantly disintegrated all the microscopic sized nanobyte-insects into smithereens.

Using his super-hearing he could hear where else in the world the insects were. He flew further eastwards in super-speed, disintegrating more and more of the microscopic size nanobyte insects where he could see them or hear them. Beyond Russia, India, Central Asia, China and all the way down south towards Indonesia and Australia he was getting rid of them all.

No other superhero could have done what Superman just did ... in less than a minute.

Superman's heart felt hardened. Everywhere below he saw billions of corpses. He started imagining himself now to be somewhere in World War Two, fighting Japanese troops in Asia alongside General McArthur and knew that if he had been responsible for helping the allies to have won that Pacific offensive back in '45 or perhaps even earlier, they would have been making comic books about his deeds, probably titling the series "Superman in Action" comics #1 and worth a lot of money in this time.

Superman sensed where the navy ships were headed. He saw them heading straight for the Philippines, other parts of SE Asia, and even towards Hawaii. Superman flew over the Pacific Ocean, with the Japanese navy battleships noticing him and firing their arsenals and cannons and torpedoes against him. It all bounced back as Superman was the Man of Steel and invulnerable.

He quickly swooped down into the oceans, causing gigantic tsunamis to rise up and swallow all the battleships, sinking them down instantly. But as Superman instantly rose out of the ocean, not caring for the moment if he had killed any of them, he then noticed the Sentinel-like robots flying on the air and coming for him.

Superman was just as angry and convinced he was powerful enough to destroy all those machines. He noticed that there were 10 of them coming for him. He quickly flew towards them, imagining himself destroying them instantly by his mere presence.

By the time Superman was 20 miles from the encroaching giant machines they all shot Kryptonite laser beams from their eyes, all towards Superman.

"AAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!" Superman making his last scream before falling into the ocean depths.

BACK IN ENGLAND

"Mr Prime Minister your air force, navy and army would stand no chance. Have you seen your satellite pictures yet??? They have giant robots and flying mechanical insects to help them conquer the rest of the world. I suggest you fight a defensive war like you did during the Battle of Britain..." Batman lectured the British MP and his Ministers until...

"Batman. Superman is hurt. He is somewhere below the Pacific Ocean!!" Martian Manhunter sensing Superman's agony instantly due to mental connections with all JLA Members.

"Arthur, go see to Superman. I suggest you take him back with you to Poseidonis. I doubt they would invade your underwater kingdom!!" Batman told Aquaman.

Aquaman was the King of Atlantis and Master of the Ocean. Aquaman smiled.

"Point me to your nearest port!!" Aquaman said to a junior govt. staff.

The junior staff member led Aquaman away.

"Bats I suggest we go to Japan and hammer the little bastards. Once I get my hands on their machines I would have a good idea how to shut them down for good!!" suggested Steel.

"You come up with a plan yet Bats???" asked Flash.

"Working on it!" answered Batman.

Batman was the strategist of the JLA and always forever contemplated everything for them. Even though they were all supposed to be equals and that there was no leader Batman always acted as if he had that role!

And the rest rarely objected to his bossiness too.

Batman knew that he should not stoop down to the level of the enemy by wishing to kill them and wanting to kill them. No. He was better than that. He would find a way to end this war and do the exact same thing MacArthur did back in 1945, with British troops this time serving the same role that the American army did in Japan.

"Mr Prime Minister I suggest we all go to one of your military bases and have the satellites show us what is happening worldwide," suggested Batman.

LATER AT A BRITISH MILITARY FACILITY

The rest of the JLA and the British PM and some important British generals were looking over their screens, with military personnel working behind them.

They saw images of Japanese troops, tanks and machines marching across China, the two Koreas, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia Northern Australia and even the American west coast. The Flag of the Rising Sun was flying everywhere.