Happy New Year

The entire League was under Savage's spell for just over a day. We accounted for most of that time, but these six went missing for a full 16 hours we can't account for. Sixteen hours What did we do? You always fall for this gag! Struggle all you want, kid! Even a Kryptonian has to breathe! Let him go! Delta squad! We flashed the target. Converge at our signal. We could play at this all day, missy! Nothing you can do hurts me! A-ha-ha-ha! That don't work anymore! Then try this! Distraction went off as planned, Robin. Thanks. Just happy it worked. Oh, man, is it over already? I didn't even get a souvenir for the trophy room! Phew! Dude! I think that smell qualifies. Delta squad to Cave: Target neutralized. Good work, Delta. Come on home. Nightwing, out. Neptune's beard! You did it to me again! I don't care how many years you trained as "Robin", and then "Nightwing", one of these days, you're mine, chum. I don't doubt it, Lagoon Boy. Recognized: Superboy, A-0-4. Miss Martian, B-0-5. Bumblebee, B-1-7. Beast Boy, B-1-9. Robin, B-2-0. Blue Beetle, B-2-2. Slow down, beautiful! - Wanna tell you what's on for tonight! - Oh, sorry, Mal, I can't! I'm already late for a lab session with Dr. Palmer. Rain check, baby, OK? Rain check sure. - Welcome home, Angelfish. - Thank you, La'gaan! I'm hittin' the showers. Now that sounds like a plan! You know, for you, hermano! Clayface is safely back in his Arkham cell. - Good work! - I didn't do much, I just Emergency alert! United Nations' Headquarters is under attack. Beta's only two blocks away. Captain Atom, a Team's beta squad is in the vicinity. ETA, three minutes. Freeze! $#%^@ Lobo ^#$#! %^$%# &^#% Krolo &^%? &^%?!? ^@*# #*% Lobo, Krolo! $#&@ &#%^ $^&#$ Please I don't understand! I don't know what you want! Translating Interlac. So that's how you wanna play it? Fine Contract calls for the Main Man to put on a show for the locals. So one more time Surrender or die "Contract"? Sure? "Die" it is Wonder Girl, keep him busy. I'll get Secretary General Tseng to safety. - All over it, Batgirl! - Arrgh Who are you? - Where are you taking me? - Down! OK, big guy! Let's see how much punchin' you can &^%? &^#% fem thinks she can take down the Main Man &^%? We can get you out through the General Assembly building. Hold it, clown-face! We weren't done dancing! &^#% fem! Yeah, yeah, "&^#% fem!" I've been called worse! I think? When I move Run! $^$@ ^^^^ &^#% fem! Ah! Time to die Krolo! No! No! No! U-uh! @%^&, Krolo! The Main Man's contract's complete! &^#% fem Your world's your world! $^$@. I think I think clown-face was Some kind of alien! And that's not even the scary part See? See? The big alien rips open the phony Secretary Tseng and pulls out the little alien. Oh, I know what you're saying, folks. Good old G. Gordon's lost it. What's this? The eight billionth time he's run that clip? But that's because I'm trying To wake you up! Turn and look at the person next to you, my friends. How can you be sure he, or she Is even human? When is the old mighty Justice League going to find a way to scan for these aliens? Who exactly are they trying to protect? OK, sure Superman and the Manhunter from Mars seem to be on the side of the angels, but That's two aliens in the good column and two in the bad Let's see if we can get some answers! Thanks, Gordon. This is Cat Grant, at the Hall of Justice. I'm gonna try and get a statement from the two newest members of the League, - Zatanna and Rocket! - No comment! Miss Grant, I've told you. The League will issue a statement soon. Did you see that, folks? That was League public liaison officer, Catherine Cobert, literally stonewalling GBS's own Cat Grant. What's the League hiding? We never provide safe haven for a Kryptonian, and a Martian But what if that's not all? What if the Amazons came from outer space? Or the Atlanteans? How can we really know Flash isn't an alien? Or Hawkman? Or Icon? What are they keeping From the real earthlings Like us? Recognized: Zatanna, 2-5. Rocket, 2-6. This guy, Lobo, he's an intergalactic bounty hunter. Extremely dangerous, but not likely to return. But little guy's another story. That's a Krolotean, and Kroloteans always travel in packs. Meaning, more of them are on Earth. I believe my friend may have vital information on that point. Some of you have not met Adam Strange, of STAR Labs' Erdel Initiative. He is the scientist responsible for maintaining the Zeta-Beam technology we use for teleportation. I was wondering why a stranger was allowed on the top secret Watchtower. And he has a story to tell. Uh it's a little involved I wish I had visual aids or something. I can assist you. We are all linked, Adam. What you remember we will see. Uh great? Well, I was performing a routine Zeta-Tube upgrade, when something went wrong and I found myself transported halfway across the Galaxy, to a planet called Rann. There was a scientist there, Sardath. He was conducting his own experiments in enhanced, very enhanced, Zeta-Beam technology. It took weeks to establish even basic communication. But Sardath eventually made me understand some of his Zeta tech had been stolen Fits the Krolotean M. O. Their entire culture revolves around stolen tech. Sardath detected transmissions between a single location on Rann and multiple locations on Earth. He was attempting to trace those when he accidentally transported me to Rann. He gave me this. It detects trace of Zeta radiation and can pinpoint all the locations where Kroloteans have beamed to Earth. Then I'm ordering a two-prompt attack. We'll stage simultaneous raids on every Krolotean target on Earth, while a contingent of Leaguers travels to Rann, with Strange here, to cut the Kroloteans off of the source. Uh we might have a problem with that Second prompt. Totally unclear on the "why", but earthlings are personae non gratae in Rann's corner of the Galaxy. And these six Leaguers are Wanted criminals. - What? - Batman! - It's the missing sixteen hours! - Agreed. Five years ago, Vandal Savage took complete mental control of the entire Justice League. These exact six Leaguers went missing for sixteen hours. Never even occurred to us that Vandal might have sent us into space. I'll alert Hal. He and Guy are on Oa, with the Green Lantern Corps. Meanwhile, we have fifteen other active Leaguers to send to Rann to investigate. You're not getting it. There's a planetary watch alert out on Rann for every Leaguer. Not all of us are Leaguers. I can send a squad to handle the Rann end of things. And to find out more about those missing sixteen hours. Without causing an intergalactic incident. Do it. Uh if you're going Don't wear that shirt. You know, that thing about you not being Leaguers - You three still have an open invitation. - We know, Z. - But we're all pretty happy - Where we are. It's all hands on deck. The League and the Team will hit all 14 Krolotean Zeta locations simultaneously. Your priorities are to destroy all Zeta-Tubes or platforms and search for any humans that aliens may have abducted. As always, Mal is ops manager, - coordinating com from here. - Come on, alpha squad Wonder Girl, you and I are alpha. - Yes! - Neptune's beard! Assignment: Philadelphia. OK, OK - Give me beta! - Batgirl, Bumblebee! - You two and Wolf are beta. - Arrgh Assignment: Vlatavastok. Robin, La'gaan, Beetle You're gamma. Prep the Bio-Ship. - You're headed to New Orleans. - Gamma always gets the soft gigs. Tim, you'll be running gamma. Me? Dick, I've never led a squad before Making this a good opportunity to get your feet wet as a field leader. Because it's gamma and you're not expecting trouble? Or because we're stretched thin and you have no choice Just don't die, OK? And no unnecessary risks to the squad. That's an order. A tool shed? Really, not enough room for one Zeta-Tube in there. I knew we got the soft gig! And yet, I'm strangely OK with that. Yes, I am Yes, I am! Yes, I am! Gamma squad to Cave. We're in position. Acknowledged, gamma. All Team squads and Justice League units are in place and ready. Go time. Congratulations, *budu. You took out an actual tool shed. Gamma to Cave. There's no Zeta-Tube here. No Kroloteans, no hidden entrance. Watchtower sensors still read trace of Zeta radiation from the site. Confirmed. But the radiation signature is coming from Below the waterline! You're up. Gamma to Cave. We hit the motherload. Huge base. Alien tech. Multiple Zeta platforms. And more Kroloteans than I can count. Acknowledged. We'll send backup. Until then, lay low. That may be a "problema", "ese". "Soft gig", huh? Beta to Cave. We found the Zeta platform. The kind Strange described. There were throngs of Kroloteans here, but they zetaed away before we could apprehend. - No human prisoners. - Acknowledged. Destroy the platform and report back. Alpha to Cave. One platform. Now, non-operational. One Krolotean, escaped. Zero abductees. Leaguers are getting the same results. - Ditto beta. - And gamma? Yeah about them - Form up! Blue, remember our six! - "Si, hermano"! Stay liquid, "menos"! They really don't like you! I'm a little jealous! He said what? I said "I'm jealous", don't rub it in! Not you! "El hefe" over there! Wait, you can understand their screeching? How? I-I don't know exactly. But I can. "Hefe"'s ordering all the Kroloteans to zeta off world. He said he set the base to self-destruct in four minutes! Then we're getting out. Anything else I need to know? "No sÃ©". He said something about "Sacrificing the playthings below"? "Playthings"? Aw, man, the abductees! Three minutes thirty, "ese", "y boom"! And Nightwing said "no unnecessary risks to the squad". But this is necessary. - Below! We have to get below! - There! - Beetle, on point, go! - Going! Grab him! Hello? Is someone there? Please, get us out! - It's Robin! - The Boy Wonder! Thank Heaven! - More aliens! - Oh, no! Hey, we're not aliens! OK, w-well, he is. But we're not! Get this open! - Thank you. We didn't mean - It's fine. I get that a lot, "chum"! - Ask him the fastest way out. - Dude, I don't speak the Wait, you can? Well, what are you waiting for? Blue's an odd little fish, isn't he I mean "This way"! Come on! Where's La'gaan? That's right! Gamma squad rules! Uh Rob? Dude! Way to "get your feet wet"! Wow Zeta squad? Welcome to Rann