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The history of Pakistan is the history of the Dancing Girl of the Indus and her journey across the pages of our history.We begin with the Dancing girl of the Indus.The Rivers of Life - The Indus Valley Civilization and the rise of settled, urban human civilizations (8000/7000 BCE - 1300 BCE)Dancing Girl FigurineDating back all the way to 2500 BCE, the Dancing Girl figurine has been the apple of every archaeologist's eye who worked with her. A bronze sculpture, she was made in the Indus Valley civilization.She is from a time so strange it might as well be on another planet. When the Nile, the Euphrates and the Indus were home to the fertility mother goddesses. When we worshiped the ability of the earth to give us life in the form of crops and cattle through the strength of her rivers and the rich bounty of her soil.The Dancing Girl’s sense of ease, comfort and belonging in her society is reflected in her indifferent, bored expression. The look of someone who expects no challenge to their authority and existence, so confident they are in their right to belong and to exist. The time has not yet come around when Tiamat would be felled by Marduk and human society would transition from the Maternal, Fertility faiths to the Masculine, Paternal Sky Gods of old.She belongs to the Indus Valley civilization, named after the Indus river that courses through our land all the way from the north till it ends in the Arabian sea. Archaelogical digs in recent times have dated the civilization to nearly 8000 years old with another 1000 year civilization preceeding it. Making it one of the oldest civilizations in existence.The Indus valley civilization thrived on the banks of the mighty Indus and beyond until climate change shifted the weather patterns and made the once thunderous monsoon rains of the region scarce. This led to a shrinking of the fertile area and uneven rain, a collapse of the centralized granaries managed by the state into smaller, household subsistence level storage. Unable to maintain a steady food supply for the non-farming craftsmen, artists, priests and officials, the state rapidly deteriorated to the point of fragmentation and collapse.The cruel punchline here is that the Dancing Girl isn’t even in Pakistan anymore but India. She was excavated by British archaeologists in present day Pakistan and they took her to the museum in New Delhi before partition. After Partition, the Pakistani authorities asked the Indian authorities for the return of the Dancing Girl statue and the King Priest statue.The popular legend is that the New Delhi authorities refused to hand over both statues and told the Pakistanis to pick one: Either the King Priest or the Dancing Girl.The Pakistani officials, terrified of the prospect of how the religious parties would react if they bought back the Dancing Girl instead of the King Priest, took the King Priest statue and left. To them, the King Priest was a stern, dignified, masculine Patriarch, fully covered and in line with their image of gender roles. To them, the Dancing Girl was a nude teenager, unashamed of her nakedness and body and all the more abhorrent over her lack of concern for their delicate male sensibilities. She might have also been a prostitute.The Pakistani officials, fearing mockery and censure from their bosses back home, if they bought back the Dancing girl, abandoned her in their moral panic and opted for the King Priest instead.Sindh seeks return of Moenjodaro’s Dancing Girl from IndiaAnd so the Dancing Girl remains exiled from the land of her origin, rejected by her own descendants as too vulgar and provocative. Unclaimed by her own people and spending the remainder of her days in a far off city where she cannot hear the roar of the Indus or smell its flood plains. A symbol of our people’s modern day rejection of their past and origins.I beg for haven: Prisons, let open your gates—A refugee from Belief seeks a cell tonight.God’s vintage loneliness has turned to vinegar—All the archangels—their wings frozen—fell tonight.Lord, cried out the idols, Don’t let us be broken;Only we can convert the infidel tonight.Tonight by Agha Shahid Ali2. The Fires of Spring and the Epoch of a Thousand Heroes (1500 BCE to 1857 AD)Our Dancing Girl in the Epoch between the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization and the British Colonization more often than not, finds herself within the Harems of the men who battled over this land for a long millennia of exciting adventure, conquest, exploration, art, science, travel and craftsmanship. Its been a man’s world for a long time now. There is a submissiveness and deferment in the art below that was not in the Dancing Girl’s idol from the Indus Valley civilization.And yet, there is also the vibrancy of music, color and posh opulence. This was always a rich land. And rich lands attract men of heroic stature. And all the armies, courts and saints they bring with them.India / भारतThe end of the Indus valley civilization meant the scattering of its people, some to the west where they formed nomadic tribes in Balochistan, whereas the bulk migrated East into India where they contributed to the formation of early Dravidian Identity and some of the first Vedic texts.A series of Hindu empires would rule the territories until the Acheamenid empire of Persia, under the mighty Darius, conquered the land and made it their eastern frontier. The Persians themselves would become incorporated into Alexander’s empire as the great conqueror made his way east, in his quest to conquer the known world. The Greeks believed back then that the world ended near the Indus and the exhausted armies were despondent to discover that the land stretched on wards and even mightier armies stood to the east which they were too weary to fight. In Pakistan, Alexander suffered his wounds and final mutiny from his army which would result in him turning back and returning to his home.With his departure, the Mauryan empire to the east took advantage of the in-fighting among Alexander’s generals to expand into Pakistan. The Mauryan’s own fall and the resurgence of the local Greek factions led to the establishment of the Greco-Bactrian kingdoms. They would form the eastern most kingdom of the Greek Hellenist world, and would blend with the Buddhism nurtured by the Mauryas to give us Greco-Buddhism, the faith of Greek-Hellenist ideals and Buddhist teachings. Buddha in a Greek robe, as it were. The Indo-Greek empires would continue after them, becoming the keepers of Greek-Hellenist and Buddhist traditions of the region before their destruction at the hands of the migrating Scythians.The Classical period would see a range of empires hold the land, including the Guptas and the Kushans until the then expanding Arab caliphate touched the banks of the Indus after defeating the local Hindu rulers. The territories of the region would pass back and forth with Afghan raiders like Ghaznavi and Ghauri raiding the region until the Slave Dynasty established a formal empire from Delhi.They were followed by the Mughals who are somewhat famous historically even though they are ironically rejected by both the modern nation states who emerged from their territories: Too Hindu for Pakistan and too Muslim for India.The long Saga of Heroes in Pakistan spanned across such men as Imperial Darius, Alexander the Conqueror, Ashoka the Peacemaker, Gupta the Inventor, Bin Qasim the Explorer, Ghaznavi the Ravager, Akbar the Great, Aurangzeb the Zealot, Raghunath the Warrior and Ranjit Singh the Clever. A colorful, brilliant history of valor, fortitude, learning, art, fury, madness, worship and exuberant joy. All the colors of the rainbow shone off the Indus in this age of mythic magic and moonlight dreams.And the dream would end as the British East India company made their slow crawl across this tapestry of near infinite history, culture and art and impose upon it the grim, unending servitude of colonization and extraction.Where we had once spun robes for the emperor, we now spun cotton for paupers far away. Where we once chiseled marble to attest our undying love, we now poured granite for metal beasts.Impossible sometimes, to imagine how far we fell as the colonized. And where all the color, the music, the violence, the delights and the unhinged dreams went away.We were all Bahadur Shah in spirit, the last of the Mughal Emperors, whose murdered sons were presented to him in a platter by the British. Penning these sad verses in exile not just from our throne, but our homes as well:Whither I, whither my moon, and whither those nights of love?But to see such a dream had once been my fate;Although, I (Zafar) combed the garden, I didn’t see one bloom,Not one lively scent of love, not one streak of faith.– Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal King (1775 – 1862)For the Love of Poetry: Mughals & Mushairas3. Guns, Nationalism and Mujras (Dance) - Pakistan is born, the cold war begins and blood spills on the border (1947–77)Like all children, we too are born in our mother’s blood. As United India tears herself apart during the bloodletting of Partition to give birth to two new nations, Pakistan finds itself in a world gone mad.The scars of the second world war are still fresh and a massive armament buildup is taking place as the Cold war heats up and massive nuclear arsenals prepared to annihilate people who differ with each other on the property rights debate.Our Dancing Girl is in a Pakistan that is somewhat tolerant and secular compared to our current times. There’s the economic boom of Ayub and the massive economic and military aid from the US. The country struggles with its identity, the role of its faith and division of powers among territories. A state exists over territories not yet gelled into a nation. Disputes over languages emerge and the border flares up into war thrice, the third time leading to the separation of our eastern wing into a separate country.Our dancing girl is the 1960s and 70s era ‘Mujra Girl’ (now known as Item Girl) nicknamed Niggo.The dark side of LollywoodHer short, tragic life was a reflection of Pakistani society back then: Liberal and Secular to a degree perhaps. But as paternalistic, violent and misogynist back then as it is today. At least back then we were less hypocritical about it.While working in the film Qasu (1972) produced by Khawaja Mazhar, she fell in love with the producer and they got married soon after. The marriage sparked fury in Niggo’s family (according to the old tradition of Lahore’s Shahi Mohalla no girl can marry or travel without her family being compensated financially).When all attempts to bring her back proved futile, Niggo’s mother pretended to be terminally ill and begged Niggo to come and see her one last time. Upon her visit, the mother and some close family members brainwashed Niggo into believing that her husband was not right for her and her family. She succumbed to family pressure and refused to return to her husband’s home.Then came the fateful day when a furious Khawaja Mazhar reached the red light area and opened fire with a Sten Gun (a popular choice of firearm in those days) and killed his wife Niggo on the spot. The news of her murder spread like wildfire since such an incidence within the industry was unheard of during those days. Niggo’s mother vowed revenge, and Khawaja Mazhar was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court of law. Naturally the media had a heyday during the very public trial. After completing his sentence, Khawaja Mazhar died a natural death and was buried in his home town in Gujranwala.The dark side of LollywoodThe shot above from one of her films has a lot to say about society back then. We have the modern technicolor film depicting the somewhat flamboyantly dressed Niggo, dancing to a mixed crowd of men and women. The men wear suits as the Shalwar Kameez has not taken hold as a stylistic dress of choice for the wealthy (Bhutto would ensure that later during the 70s). Hints of the Pakistan back then are revealed. Technologically advancing, liberal attitudes towards art and film, a somewhat tolerant, modern mindset.Niggo’s story also parallels our own: Where she faces the indecision of picking her family over her husband, we faced the indecision of whether we were an Islamic state or a Modern Republic for Muslims. We were also torn between the two and the duality of that conflict would ultimately lead one to consume us.Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poem, The Dawn of Freedom, best represents our nation during that tumultuous time. The Partition horrors and massacres are instructing us on the price we paid for independence. Our shaky, unstable and violent life as an independent country has taken some of the shine off of freedom. We are questioning, in doubt and with unstill hearts. Freedom and Independence has not been the promised utopia we thought it would be. But there is a grim determination in our eyes, an iron persistence to go on and survive. To become a nation where none stood before.These tarnished rays, this night-smudged light —This is not that Dawn for which, ravished with freedom,we had set out in sheer longing,so sure that somewhere in its desert the sky harboreda final haven for the stars, and we would find it.We had no doubt that night’s vagrant wave would straytowards the shore,that the heart rocked with sorrow would at last reach its port.Friends, our blood shaped its own mysterious roads.When hands tugged at our sleeves, enticing us to stay,and from wondrous chambers Sirens cried outwith their beguiling arms, with their bare bodies,our eyes remained fixed on that beckoning Dawn,forever vivid in her muslins of transparent light.Our blood was young — what could hold us back?Now listen to the terrible rampant lie:Light has forever been severed from the Dark;our feet, it is heard, are now one with their goal.See our leaders polish their manner clean of our suffering:Indeed, we must confess only to bliss;we must surrender any utterance for the Beloved — all yearningis outlawed.But the heart, the eye, the yet deeper heart —Still ablaze for the Beloved, their turmoil shines.In the lantern by the road the flame is stalled for news:Did the morning breeze ever come? Where has it gone?Night weighs us down, it still weighs us down.Friends, come away from this false light. Come, we mustsearch for that promised Dawn.The Dawn of Freedom, Faiz Ahmed FaizThe Dawn of Freedom (August 1947) | MR Online4. The Long Night - The Post 71 War crises of identity, dictatorship, Islamization and Jihad (1977 - 99)The country has been shattered. Where once brothers united for the cause of freedom, now a fratricide takes its place. The 71 Civil War results in the separation of the Eastern wing and the birth of Bangladesh.A despondent and defeated Pakistan becomes awash in Ultra nationalist and Ultra conservative movements but they are successfully evaded for a while by the new Prime Minister Bhutto. He forges a civilian constitution and democratic government and reaches out to the Islamic and Socialist worlds simultaneously. He envisages a Pakistan that can rise from the ashes of 71 and gain a Pan-Islamic and Socialist identity at the same time.But the Ultraconservative movements have the last laugh and when he is at his weakest, they pounce and the military general Zia launches a coup, hangs the Prime Minister and begins a decade of zealotry and oppression. Funded by the US as part of the Afghan war effort and supported by the Gulf ultraconservatives, Zia burnishes his credentials as a pure, man of God by launching a crackdown on all things deemed unIslamic and haraam. The Hadood Ordinance is passed where rape victims must now produce 4 witnesses if they don’t want their rape to be considered adultery and suffer whipping. Alcohol, nightclubs and red light areas had already gone through a round of shuttering before under Bhutto, but now they are purged across the country.Lahore’s famous Red Light district, Heera Mandee, with its prostitution, music, drinking and dancing is first in line for the faithful’s purge.And so our Dancing Girl’s state of affairs in this dark time is one best captured by Iqbal Hussain’s painting, “Hadood Ordinance”. Its depiction of one of the working girls in Heera Mandee being dragged by her hair during one of the brothel raids by police under the instructions of our theocratic dictator is telling of the times . We see only the Khaki pants of the policeman, the boots and the implication of sexual violence. And we see only the helpless onlookers from the other windows, wondering when their turn will come.Iqbal Hussein’s Paiting, “Hadood Ordinance” Iqbal_Hussain_Art_Gallery_Paintings_for_saleHabib Jalib was one of the leading activists and poets during the MRD, Movement for Restoration of Democracy, and his poem “God is Ours” is symbolic of the Left’s attempts to fight back against the tyranny of the times. Habib Jalib was famously beaten on camera by police thugs and dragged off to prison. But his verses would speak to us across time about how our fathers and mothers fought against the use of religion as a tool of oppression in the hands of dictators. And how our God and our Faith belonged to us all and no one could deem himself holier than others and pass judgement upon them, when God has passed none.God is not yours, to Him we have accessHe does not look kindly on those who oppressHow long, you men of pelf, will you bleed us whiteGet off our backs, you who in filthy lucre take delightYou satans it is dust that you will soon biteWe believe that He treats mankind with loving tendernessHe does not look kindly on those who oppressLight of new wisdom we are going to seeA fire flares up, seeing our agonyIn this new magical dawn will burst forth the blossoming treeHe brings hopes to those who are mired in distressGod is not yours, to Him we have accessHe does not look kindly on those who oppressWe’ll break the shadowy spell of fear and dreadOnwards we will march, chains of despair we will shredWe’ll not betray the hopes of the people, our dear kindredAnd long we will remember this time of duressHe does not look kindly on those who oppress- God is Ours, Habib JalibTen Poems by Habib Jalib5. Boombox Jihad - The booming economy and booming security of the 2000s. Experiments with democracy, liberalism and mass media (1999–2007)The Long night ends in the fires of the crashed C-130 which was carrying General Zia. The dictatorship ends but we experience the lost decade of the 90s instead. With the Afghan war waning and the Cold War ending, we enter the lost decade of the 90s where a musical chair of constant government changes is coupled with the heavy sanctions of the US for our nuclear program.The turn of the century brings with it, a turn of fortunes as well. Nuclear weapons are tested, the Kargil War scuttles the Agra peace process, terrorists slam air jets into the Twin Towers and NATO arrives full force into Afghanistan.The Military General-President of the time, President Musharraf, leverages US aid money and assistance in exchange for Pakistan’s supply routes and assistance in the Afghan War 2.0. Seeing himself as Ataturk’s spiritual successor, he launches a liberalization, privatization and ‘enlightened moderation’ campaign. Private Mass media explodes across the country, the economy sky rockets and suddenly there is money and entertainment everywhere.Corporations and Businesses throw money at artists who translate them into local versions of the Oscars and Grammies and perform elaborate dances at style awards.Perhaps the most symbolic of these was the 2006 Style Awards with Runa Laila’s performing a 60s classic while modern day film actress Meera danced (quite energetically) to it. It was symbolic of the politics of the time with the Musharraf Presidency at the peak of its power. Musharraf trying to recapture the 60s economic boom of fellow military dictator, Ayub, with the assistance of a military backed technocratic government and US aid money. Musharraf’s “enlightened moderation”, a plea to move towards softer, Sufi Islam in the face of rising fanaticism, was reflected in his support for the intersection of corporate money with liberal art. Giving birth to the Corporate funded Style awards and the provocative dance performances streamed into the homes of an emerging middle class consumer populace. One that was discovering the joys of materialism, electronic media and all the base pleasures life had to offer, if you could afford them.15 Years, 15 Glorious Lux Style Awards MomentsBut all was not glitz and glamour. Another Long night was approaching. A dark period of mass terrorism, insurgency, suicide bombings and bloodshed. While the crescendo of violence would be reached somewhere in the 2010–2013 period, we could already hear echoes of our future in 2006 with the infrequent but bloody terror bombings that were starting to infect our country.Zulfiqar Ghose’s poem, Silent Birds, captures this feeling of growing dread, not only because of its imagery of violence, but also how citizens could identify with the terrorism happening across the border in India as well. The Musharraf era oversaw strong cultural and social exchanges with India as digital and social media connected populations on both sides of the border. Bombs would explode in one country, and windows shudder in the other.Bombs suddenly exploded at the Worldperforming Arts Festival in Lahore. Myfamily home shook as in an earthquake.a day later came news from Bombay ofa terorist attack on the Taj Hotel rightthere opposit the Gateway of India..... A bulbul hopped across the lawnand stopped, seeing me, flew away...- Silent Birds, Zulfiqar Ghose50 Poems6. Defiance - Hope and Fear for the future (2007 to present)This last piece is about defiance and our uncertain, hopeful, pessimistic future.In 2017, the Sehwan Sufi shrine was bombed by ISIS who dubbed the music, the dancing, the inter mingling of the genders in the shrine as heretical and Kaafir. 90 were killed and 300 injured in the shrine that lies along the banks of the Indus.A few days later, Sheema Kermani performed the ‘Dhamaal’ dance at the shrine, the ecstatic trance like dance sufi’s perform when they enter rapture to the sound of music. Nanga Fakir, a sufi musical group from Badin, performed while Kermaani danced.The defiant act was a challenge to ISIS and a clear message that the people would not be deterred and they would not be silenced. The dance would go on. Even in the face of bombs and bullets. There was a dancing girl on the Indus 10,000 years ago. There was still a dancing girl on the Indus today. Conquerors have come and gone, she has remained.We began this answer with a dancing girl of the Indus. And we end it with a dancing girl of the Indus as well.On Sheema Kirmani at Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrineThis long night ebbs but it is not yet ended. While violence has receeded, it still exists.And worse yet is the plight of the IDPs, our polite phrase for refugees, which means Internally displaced person. All across the canvas of our country are people who are refugees in their own nation, driven from their homes by insurgents or wars.There are Pakistanis fleeing abroad as refugees, dying in the Mediterranean to reach refuge. Pakistanis living in slums on the outskirts of our major cities because their villages back home have been reduced to rubble in the fighting.We are defiant but we are also exhausted. The democratic transition is shaky and the bright news of Chinese investment is tempered with the fury from Washington and the new Great Game in Asia to control trade, energy, transport and wealth. We wonder what our fragile place will be in this heated environment and whether we will survive the coming wars.The Pakhtuns have borne the brunt of the suffering with them composing the bulk of the IDPs and refugees. So it’s fitting that we close this section with a Pakhtun poet. Abdolbari Jahani’s poem, The Stranger, is the plight of every Pakistani refugee waiting for his smuggler on the banks of the Mediterranean or the IDP living in a mud hut outside of Karachi. Both of them thinking of a home they are unable to return to, beset with a loss of identity and self, grief over all the dreams they have seen turned to ash and the human need for someone to acknowledge their suffering. To know that they exist, and they were here and they suffered.I am a mute tear of an alien eyeI roll and run, and disappear somewhereLike lost names of forgotten storiesI fade from hearts; I vanish somewhere.———————I am an opened budAmong the stones of a remote mountainI will never be pinned in anyone's hair or shirtNo one's eyes have ever known me.———————On the robe of the galaxy of beingI am an unknown, unseen starIn a distant, unknown valleyI am a shadow falling on a cliff———————I am a drop from the skies of lifeFallen in to a raging oceanSwept away by a stormThen made a stranger to myself———————A bird flying in an unknown flockI move my wings to someone else's willMy screams of pain do not belong hereTherefore I keep my mouth sealed———————I am a story of the tongue of a foolReaching someone's earsNo one has looked my wayYet some may have heard me by chance.———————I am a mute tear of an alien eyeI roll and run, and disappear somewhereLike lost names of forgotten storiesI fade from hearts; I vanish somewhere.- The Stranger, Abdolbari Jahanihttp://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/pdf/pashto/modern_pashto_poetry.pdfThis last story is about defiance and uncertainty for a reason. We are no great Asian power or developed Western state. We face the dangers of climate change and nuclear war, fanatical Jihads and economic collapse. We are in uncertain waters and strange tides. Our survival is uncertain and our prosperity a chance.We come from no great empires or mighty power. Airports flag us for extra checking and interviewers turn down our CVs abroad when they see our names, our skin and our country. We are at once Orphans and Childless.And yet we carry every Empire and Power in our hearts. Darius, Alexander, Ashoka, Gupta, Bin Qasim, Ghaznavi, Akbar, Aurangzeb, Raghunath and Ranjit are as much a part of us as we are one with them.But even they pale in comparison with something far older, far more enduring and far more embedded in our blood.And that is the Indus. It’s the Dancing Girl. Its the timelessness of when the Earth was young and every leaf, stone and fire held promise. All conquerors thought they had conquered her but in the end she conquered them instead.Pakistan’s life and the life of this land will forever be tied with her. The River and the Girl. The Indus is the artery to all of our hearts and only when this mighty river dies will the steps of the Dancing girl be silenced too. And all our lives extinguished. Whether the river should perish under the encroaching sands of the warming earth or the nuclear radiation of our collective folly is something that time will tell.Until then, the river flows. And the dance continues.THE ART OF MARYAM MUGHAL, Painting by Maryam Mughal, Artist from Pakistan.

Not a chance. Not even a Member of Congress as powerful as Thaddeus Stevens could casually abscond with official papers of Congress, much less an enrolled bill, much much less an Amendment to the Constitution.Not in the 1860s, not ever.Note, also, the lack of a crease in the official document[1] :It is true, however, that the House erupted in celebration on the Amendment’s passage and adjourned immediately after[2] :The announcement was received by the House and by the spectators with an outburst of enthusiasm. The members on the Republican side of the House instantly sprung to their feet, and, regardless of parliamentary rules, applauded with cheers and clapping of hands. The example was followed by the male spectators in the galleries, which were crowded to excess, who waved their hats and cheered loud and long, while the ladies, hundreds of whom were present, rose in their seats and waved their handkerchiefs, participating in and adding to the general excitement and intense interest of the scene. This lasted for several minutes.But people would have noticed (and strongly objected to) Stevens attempting to go home with the bill - noting that Stevens was present for the motion to adjourn, and so hadn’t taken advantage of the commotion to slip away.It is also true that Speaker Colfax asserted his privilege to vote:During the roll-call . . .The SPEAKER directed the Clerk to call his name as a member of the House.The Clerk called the name of Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, and Mr. Colfax voted “ay.”[This incident was greeted with renewed applause.]Footnotes[1] 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery[2] A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774

The JLA: DCEUvsThe Avengers: MCUAh, yes the most debated team mash-up in all of comics, which team of superheroes is the greatest of them all…???Is it “Earth's Mightiest Heroes”……The Avengers:Or“The Worlds Greatest Superheroes”…..The JLA:Considering this has been the burning question for almost 60 years, let's take a little time to look at our contestants before we call this one shall we ….I will be using the current rosters for both teams, excluding Quicksilver since he is currently desceased in the MCU, and Dr. Strange as he is currently working as an outside agent within the MCU, as well as Green Lantern since he is not currently a member of the JLA in the DCEU ….I will be adding a few members to the MCU Avengers roster who are currently active within their ranks, but not defenetive team members as of yet to try and level the playing field, as the JL has the obvious advantage in terms of raw physical power and speed …..This is a random encounter scenario with neither team having prior knowledge of each others powers, abilities, or weaknesses ….WARNING..!!! WARNING..!!! WARNING..!!This is merely my personal opinion on a hypothetical battle scenario between the movie versions of The Avengers and The JLA, at no time should anyone become agitated or angered and begin to cry like a little girl if their favorite superhero or superheroes gets their ass handed to them like a sack lunch …!!!!!!With that being said, let's get on with this hypothetical battle scenario ….!!!DCCU JLA: (6) membersSuperman:The Batman:Wonder Woman:Aquaman:The Flash:Cyborg:MCU Avengers: (15) membersCaptain America:Iron Man:Thor:The Hulk:Black Widow:Hawkeye:The Vision:The Scarlett Witch:The Black Panther:Spider-Man:Ant-Man:The Falcon:The Winter Soldier:War Machine:Captain Marvel:Well for starters, The JLA is at a serious disadvantage here considering they are outnumbered by The Avengers nearly 3 - 1, but what the JLA lack in numbers they more than make up in sheer raw power, superior speed, and durability …So with all respect to the Avengers, Superman Wonder Woman, and The Flash could literally end this battle with their speed alone before Captain America could even raise his shield an say…“AVENGERS ASSEMBLE”…..But hey, let's make this interesting …!!!The last thing the JL remembers was standing in the batcave, before a blinding flash of light mysteriously transported them to what looks to be an abandoned Military base somewhere in the desert ….* Reference: (■ The Batman)Bruce, where are we, how did we get here..???■ I don't know Diana, but I intend to find out…!!!■ Barry, can you run some quick recon of the area…???Quick is what I do Bats ….■ “Barry”…”Recon”… “Now” …“Right”….!!!In a crackle of electricity Barry Allen disappears and reappears almost as if he had never even left at all…■ Well…???“Fort Org Military Base,” but the place is obviously abandoned…■ “Fort Org”…??? Doesn't ring a bell…!!!!!■ Clark can you get an ariel view, maybe give us an idea of what hemisphere were in…???With a nod, Superman rockets 5 miles into the sky were he hovers and begins scanning the horizon with eyes capable of reading the headlines of a newspaper from the surface of the moon…With a look that can only be described as confusion, Superman makes his descent back to the surface as he lands amongst his teammates…■ You okay Clark….????Yeah, just a little confused about our location…We seem to be somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, place called Mariana, California but the geography is all wrong….■ Mariana…???■ No such place on any map in the United States Clark, I'm sure of it…I know that Bruce, that's what I'm concerned about, doesn't add up.…Geography's all wrong …???Abandoned Military base in an unknown city…???it shouldn't be here, I don't think this is even our earth….How is that even possible Kal-El…???I don't have an explanation at the moment Diana, I suggest we ….But before The Man of Steel can even finish his sentence, ear's that can hear clouds scraping together detect what sounds to be an aircraft in mid-flight, heading in their direction …Using his telescopic vision, Superman locates a single low flying incoming aircraft, (2) flying humanoids, and with eyes capable of seeing through solid steel, his X-ray vision shows him what also appears to be (2) men in armored suits as he relays what he see's to the rest of the JLA…We have an incoming unidentified aircraft, a pair of flying humanoids, and an apparent pair of armored humans 2 miles out moving fast on a direct interception course, they'll be here in less than a minute ….■ “Military”….???I don't think so Bruce …..I don't recognize the flying humanoids, aircraft design, or the armor, it's very high tech like nothing I've ever seen…???■ Looks like we're getting some company league, be ready for anything on my command…!!!!“We don't know that their hostile Bruce”…???■ “We don't know that they aren't Victor”…!!!Aquaman simply replies…Either way, like it or not, we're about to find out..!!!As the JL braces themselves for the inevitable arrival, an Avengers Quinjet, Iron Man, War Machine, Captain Marvel, and Thor come over the horizon and into view, stopping mid-air only a few hundred yards out, Iron Man, War Machine, Captain Marvel, and Thor hover momentarily, as Captain America and those aboard the quinjet slowly begin their descent to land ….* Reference: (☆ Captain America)☆ They must be the reason for the call from Fury at S.H.E.I.L.D., be ready team, we don't know who or what we're up against here…As the quinjet touches down Captain America flips a switch above his head, activating the Quinjets onboard com-link…☆ “Tony”….“Already on it Kemosabe”…I've already scanned the database within the suit, they don't match any known meta's we've encountered before…The guy in grey and black, is human….One seems to be comprised of flesh, bone, and an unknown alloy not native to the periodic table, obviously a “Cyborg,” very high tech ….The guy in red and yellow, has an accelerated metabolism similar to Wanda's deceased brother “Pietro, but exponentially faster ….The big one with the “Trident” in chain mail, very dense muscle and bone structure, high levels of H2o present….“Strange”….!!!☆ What is it tony…???These readings can't be right…..The last two have very unique and unknown dna signatures ….The female, looks human, but there are trace elements of kalonite and phylloscilicate minerals…..☆ “English Tony” …..Clay Cap, clay …!!!And the one with the cape in blue and red spandex is radiating “Solar” energy signatures, and has the densest physiology I've ever seen, non human, possibly alien in nature ….What's the plan Cap…???☆ Same as always Rhodey, we investigate first, can't assume their hostile until they prove otherwise…“Your the boss”….Pointing to the ground, Iron Man signals for War Machine, Captain Marvel, and Thor to descend from the sky and touch down as the quinjets bay door opens, as the rest of the Avengers walk down the gangway gathering in front of the quinjet several yards from where the JL stand at the ready for anything…(☆) Upon first sight, Captain America likes the odds but having fought in a World War, he has learned that superior numbers don't always guarantee victory, and apperances can be deceiving, so it's best not to underestimate this group of individuals especially since they don't seem to be overly concerned that they are outnumbered 3-1 here…(■) Upon analyzing the team of Avengers as they stand motionless at the nose of the quinjet, Batman does what he does best, and assesses fairly quickly that the JLA is hopelessly outnumbered as he tells his teammates that if it comes to it, the best stragedy is to thin out the herd by taking out the less powerful looking Avengers first, in order to keep the JLA from being overwhelmed by The Avengers superior numbers…(☆) Cap not wasting any time, decides it's time to get some answers about who these people are, and why they're here, as he speaks up first…☆ This is a restricted area, and you are trespassing on Government property…☆ I'm only going to ask you this once…☆ Who are you, and what are your intentions here..???(■) To which Batman replies…■ Funny coincidence, I was about to ask you the same thing….☆ “This is not a time for “jokes” mister…!!!☆ In case you haven't noticed your outnumbered and we have authorization to take you down if necessary ….■ I'm not laughing and on whose authority…???☆ That's clasified information on a need to know basis, and your not classified or in any position to demand the know….!!!☆ Just tell your team to stand down, and I'm sure we can get to the bottom of this peacefully…■ ”You first”….!!!!☆ “I won't ask again”…!!!!■ “So you've said”….☆ Last chance, you can't hope to win here…!!!■ That remains to be seen, you may be surprised at what we are capable of….!!!!☆ “Have it your way” …..(☆) Captain America lifts his shield, but before he can even yell out….“Avengers take them down”….!!!(■) Batman turns to Barry and says one word …■ “Now Barry” ……!!!!In the blink of an eye, Barry Allen disappears from the battlefield in a blur of red and yellow motion to the amazement of The Avengers…And in the ticks between seconds, The Black Widow, Hawkeye, The Scarlett Witch, The Winter Soldier, and The Falcon are unconscious and still falling to the ground, as Barry Allen reappears next to Batman in a crackle of electricity and say's…How's that …???(■) Smirking slightly Batman replies…■ It's a start…!!!As the Vision cries out… “Wanda”…!!!!He and several Avengers rush to the aid of the Scarlett Witch and their fallen comrades, as the remaining Avengers await Captain America’s orders…Scanning the battlefield, Superman is surprised to see an ordinary man in a two piece suit standing in the midst of the remaining Avengers, but before he can even comprehend why, he transforms into a giant green behemoth right before Clark's and the JLA’s eyes…To which Batman replies…■ “That could be a problem”….!!!Turning to Bruce, Clark replies….“We'll see”….!!!Before the green gargantuan can even let out a roar, Superman slams into the hulking beast with both fists at incredible speed sending him flying backwards where he lands on his back several yards away cutting a deep trench in the ground upon impact, in an instant Clark is standing over The Hulk who is shaking his head dazed from the effects of the blow, as Superman says…“Stay down”…!!!Looking up,The Hulk simply bellows…..“Hulk Smash”……!!!!!!!!!With a speed that defies all logic for a being of his size, The Hulk throw's an uppercut as he gets to his feet, sending Superman rocketing into the sky where he disappears into the clouds…Unable to even comprehend what she just witnessed, Diana whispers to herself ……“Merciful Minerva”…..!!!!Fighting to stay conscious, Superman hurtles ever upwards, slowly he begins to regain his composure as he begins slowing himself down in order to halt his ever increasing trajectory…Coming to a complete stop, Clark hover’s momentarily shaking his head, as he openly admits to himself …“Great Scott” I don't think I've ever been hit so hard in my life ….!!!Using his microscopic vision, he scans the horizon below locating the green giant that nearly took his head off, quickly realizing it's probably not in his best interest to slug it out with the giant green monster, his eyes light up in a flash of red energy as he unleashes two beams of pure hellfire upon the the jade giant….As The Hulk looks to the sky in search of the puny red and blue man who hurt him, he is suddenly engulfed in a heat equivalent to the surface of the sun as he roars in unimaginable pain…Seeing his chance, Superman rockets to earth at incalculable speed from 5 miles in the sky slamming into the still smoking Hulk with all the strength and force within him, rocking the battlefield with the force of an earthquake…As the Avengers attempt to get back to their feet and recover from the impact, the smoke clears as Superman slowly rises into the air from a massive smoking crater looking down at the form of an unconscious man where a monster once was…Captain America and the remaining Avengers stare in sheer disbelif, as they try to comprehend how one man could so easily defeat The Hulk …As Thor looks upon the man of steel, he can only muster these few words silently to himself…By Odin's beard, what power this being must possess …!!!!Realizing now the power the Avengers face on the battlefield this day, Captain America yells out to his remaining teammates…☆ “Avengers,” hit them hard, hit them fast, don't hold anything back…!!!Thankful Clark Kent has survived the immense impact of his collision with the Hulk, Diana silently whispers to herself…“Thank Hera”…!!!But her prayer is for not, for even before Superman has a chance to recover from the incredible impact himself, he is hit square in the chest by Thor traveling at incredible speed, carrying them both through a nearby building, and effectively out of sight….Diana, concerned with her friends well being cries out…“Kal-El”…. ”No.”….!!!!!Turning her gaze towards the apparent sounds of a furious battle between Superman and Thor, Wonder Woman can barlely make out their silhouette's through the growing destruction of smoke and rubble, as the windows begin to shatter in surrounding buildings from the immense shockwaves of blow upon blow capable of leveling mountains…As Growing concern for Clark's safety overtakes Diana emotionally, she draws her sword and takes off running in the direction of the two titans locked in their furious battle…But before she can close the distance, Diana is stopped dead in her tracks as a searing beam of energy cuts through the air striking the ground just several feet from her as Diana raises her shield…Upon lowering her shield, Diana see's a smoking crater and a very attractive but powerful looking blonde woman with her arms crossed hovering 20 ft above her blocking her path who casually says with a serious tone…That was a warning shot, the next one hits it's mark…!!!!Unimpressed, Diana simply replies…I don't know who you are, but Kal-El may be injured, and you are impeding me from aiding my friend…I will only say this once…”Move Aside”To which Captain Marvel merely responds …“You're not going anywhere”….!!!And I would be worried more about myself if I were you…You dare threaten Diana of Themyscyria, Daughter of Hippolytta, Queen of the Amazons…???“I believe I just did”….Then by Athena, you will regret your descesion…!!!!!Yeah, yeah, yeah…Blah, blah, blah…Heard it all before, what do you say we get this over with….???Seeing an opportunity in the sudden shift in momentum, Captain America turns his gaze to his remaining teammates, and taps the side of his helmet activating the com-link within…☆ “Tony”…☆ “Rhodey”…☆ the Cyborg… !!!Nodding in understanding, the two armored titans look to one another and blast off side by side as jet propulsion powered suits propel them high into the air…☆ “Vision”…☆ “Peter”…☆ The speedster is your’s…“Acknowledged Captain”…Upon completion of his scan on Wanda Maximoff and his downed teamates vitals, and thankful they are merely unconscious rather than seriously injured, The Vision looks towards Barry Allen and reply's “gladly” as he goes intangible disappearing into the ground….Peter Parker takes aim and taps the palms of his hands activating his web shooters hitting his mark, as he leaps into the air and swings towards his intended target…☆ “T'Challa”…☆ “Scott”…☆ The big guy with the Trident…With the tap of a buttton, Scott Lang shrinks down to the size of a living action figure, leaping on to the shoulder of the Black Panther as he silently begins running towards Aquaman…Leaving the super-soldier alone in his charge as he himself begins running directly in the direction of Batman, with the intent of dispatching the obvious tatical coordinator of the JLA…Batman realizing his battle with the Star-Spangled Avenger is imminent, turns to Arthur, Victor, and Barry and says….■ Clark and Diana have their hands full, pick your opponent's, and let's end this…Suddenly, Bruce yells “Incoming” diving to the right, just as Aquaman and Cyborg are hit head on with a pair of repulsor rays, as Iron Man and War Machine rocket overhead past Bruce and Barry…“Bullseye Tony”…!!!Intended targets are down, possibly out…Well at least we know the targeting systems in the new Mark L Armor are on point, but we better make another pass just to be sure…“Roger that”…As Batman comes out of a roll and recovers to his feet, he finds a man with a star-spangled shield standing in front of him as he say's under his breath……■ ”Damn”…!!!As a handful of smoke pellets hit the ground, Batman is engulfed in a cloud of smoke, as he yells out to Barry Allen…■ “Barry”….!!!!“I know”….But before Barry Allen can even take one step, to his complete and utter surprise a ghost-like figure materializes up from beneath the very ground upon which he stands directly in front of him with a look of pure rage on it's face and says…“You hurt Wanda,”and for that, you will pay dearly….!!!Barry taken completely unaware can only respond with…“Umm yeah, sorry about that,” just following orders…Realizing it's in his best interest to put some distance between him and the android, Barry turns fully intent on accelerating away, but before he can even take one step, he is suddenly yanked of his feet, looking back at his feet, he see's what appears to be spider webbing binding his ankles together…looking up he see's a guy in red and blue spandex with black webbing, land beside the Vision who say's sarcastically…“Sorry man, just following orders”…!!!!Barry simply responds…”Touche”….Without hesitation Barry Allen begins vibrating his hand at incalculable speed as the intense friction of shifting molecules allows The Flash to literally destabilize the polymer webbing around his ankles snapping it as if it were paper…As the speed force begins to crackle and pop around The Flash time stands still for everyone and everything around him, as he moves between the ticks of a second…Moving directly around the Vision, Barry Allen's eyes grow wide with shock as he looks back to see the Vision's fist moving in slow motion and eventually land where he once was, as the concrete buckles and cracks from the sheer force of the android’s blow….Quickly realizing he can't possibly compete with the sheer physical strength housed within the body of the Vision, Barry is left no recourse but to accelerate away from the android and turn his attention to his other adversary, until he can come up with a plan to negate the androids abilities…Quickly scanning the battlefield, Barry looks towards Captain America who raises his shield as smoke pellets ignite and explode, engulfing The Batman in a cloud of black mist…Able to think and process with the same hyper- accelerated speed as he runs, Barry quickly see's his opportunity to incapacitate Peter Parker without having to cause him serious injury …In a flash, Barry Allen accelarates past Captain America relieving him of his shield, circling back towards Peter Parker fully intent on using Caps shield with just the right amount of kinetic force to execute his plan, but much to Barry's amazement the agile web-slinger leaps into the air flipping backwards as his spider sense momentarily saves him having alerted him earlier of Barry's intended movement …With a flick of his wrists, Peter manages to let loose twin threads of web fluid as he lands on his feet intending to ensnare The Flash once more, but unfortunately for Peter Parker luck is not on his side as the webbing sticks to the front of Caps shield instead as Barry reappears right in front of Peter …Before Spider-Man is even able to disengage his web-shooters, Barry begins circling Peter at hyper speed effectively ensnaring him in his own webbing along with Captain America’s shield, taking him out of the fight as he falls to the ground struggling to break free of his own webbing…Cracking a smile, Barry is quite content with himself for not only disarming Batman’s opponent, but incapacitating one of his own, but his celebration is short lived as he is alerted to movement behind him, turning he finds himself face to face with the Vision who is not only standing directly behind him, but has now become solid in body, at which point an androtic voice tells Barry Allen that he has most certainly made a grave mistake in judgment, in forgetting about him…As Aquaman gets to his feet dazed but otherwise unscathed thanks to his Atlantean heritage, he reaches down to recover his Trident and looks over to see if Cyborg is still in one or more pieces considering the blasts they directly took from the two armored Avengers…To his surprise, Cyborg is unharmed as a metallic shield morphs itself back into an arm courtesy of “Apokolipton” tech …“Nice trick,” bet that comes in handy…lolOh, you got jokes huh…????Sorry couldn't help myself….lolWell save the stand-up for the comedy club, those two tin cans are turning around for another pass…!!!!Let 'em come, I wanna return the favor…!!!!Looks like your gonna get your chance, here they come and their moving fast…Hey “Tin Man” think you can lay down some pattern fire to split them up…???If you can get them down low enough, I can possibly take at least one of them out…!!!!I got you “Fish Stick”…!!!Now who's got jokes…Well you know what they say, one good turn…“Just get to it already”…!!!!“Right” …..Scanning the airways, Cyborg pinpoints both Iron Man and War Machine moving at incredible velocity heading directly towards his and Arthur's location, and in an instant two pulse cannons replace Victor Stone's arms as living metal becomes twin weapons of mass destruction…Communicating with the living Mother Box computer within his cybernetic armor, She determines the best chance of success Cyborg has is to try and send a rapid barrage of pulse fire with his left arm cannon directly at Iron Man head on as to deter his oncoming trajectory, and directly overhead of War Machine to split the two metal men up bringing Rhodey down low enough within reach of Arthur and his Trident…In a whirl of Apokolipton mechanics, Cyborgs living cannon's light up andd begin pulsating with immense energies as the Mother Box cybernetically relays the correct trajectory of pattern fire necessary for optimal success…Only gonna get one shot at this Arthur, you ready…???Don't worry, I'm gonna open up the first one I get my hands on like a can of sardines…!!!In a flash of red light, Cyborgs pulse cannons scream out as glowing red orbs of pure energy begin pouring out of them in rapid succession towards their intended targets…Internal Alarms ring out in Iron Man and War Machine’s armor alerting them to the incoming weapons fire, taking evasive maneuvers, Tony barrel rolls to the right and Rhodey rolls left dropping down in altitude to roughly 15 feet above the surface in order to evade taking a direct hit as Cyborg’s cannon fire flies overhead…Before War Machine even has a chance to alter his trajectory to level out, he is taken by complete surprise as Aquaman’s Trident rips through his jet boots disabling them as he crashes to the ground at high velocity where he comes to rest several yards from his sight of impact…To his horror, Tony Stark can only cry out…“Rhodey “….!!!!In desperation he begins circling around to come to the aid of War Machine, unfortunately he is met with another barrage of cannon fire from Victor Stone's Apokolipton armor as he once again takes evasive maneuvers in order to avoid being hit himself….As Rhodey slowly begins to stir internal sensors within the armor assess and relay the damage taken by Aquaman’s Trident, opening his eyes he looks up to see a large muscular man with a beard standing over him smirking and holding a golden trident who simply says….“Don't even blink”….!!!!!Still stunned from the impact of the crash landing, James Rhodey rotates his right hand and let's loose a blast of repulsor fire intended for Arthur Curry's chest, only to have it deflected by Aquaman and the “The Trident of Poseidon”…“Nice try, but big mistake”…!!!!!Reaching down, Aquaman grabs Rhodey's right hand crushing the very armor around it as he yells out in agony at the sound of his breaking bones….Picking up Rhodey within the War Machine armor with both hands, Arthur Curry keeps his word as he cracks open and tear's the armor from around James Rhodes with his immens Atlantean strength, as if he were cracking open a lobster’s shell….!!!!“Now little man, let's see how tough you are without your armor”….????But before Arthur Curry can get the answer to his question, he is suddenly alerted to the sound of running footsteps behind him with ears capable of a hearing a ship's propeller whirl (7) miles above, from the blackest depths of the ocean floor…Releasing Rhodey, Arthur Curry whirls 180° just in time to watch sparks fly from his breast plate, as The Black Panther and “Vibranium” alloy claws meet royal “Atlantean” regalian armor, as T'Challa lands crouching between him and James Rhodes….That was close, you almost had me there Catman…!!!!Were I trying to cause you permanent injury, we would not be having this conversation…!!!My intention was merely to distract you, not harm you, but I cannot guarantee my friend behind you will be as forgiving…!!!Hey “Nemo,” why don't you try picking on someone your own size….???Raising his Trident, Arthur Curry turns on his heels to face the unknown opponent behind him, but is perplexed to find that there is no one there…Even before he can comprehend the reasoning behind it, he hears a tiny voice at his feet that says…”Yo, down Here” ….!!!!!Looking down at his feet, Aquaman begins to laugh as he see's the tiny Ant-Man …“You've got to be kidding”…?????“What are you going to do”…???“I can literally squash you like a bug”….!!!!With the touch of a button, Scott Lang activates the “Pym Particles” within his suit and suddenly begins increasing in size, reahing out he grabs Aquaman with his enormous right hand as he continues to grow to a height of 50ft becoming a literal “Giant-Man” much to Arthur Curry’s apparent surprise, at which point Scott Lang simply smiles and say’s….“Funny, you should say that”….!!!!!Twisting and turning, Iron Man's “Mark L” armor continuously alters his trajectory to avoid Cyborg’s cannon fire as he rockets through the hail of red orbs intent on finding their target…Linking his internal com-link to T'Challa's he begs the question….“Panther,” is Rhodey….????Alive Mr. Stark, but he requires immediate medica attention, he's out of this fight….!!!!Get Rhodey to the quinjet and set a course for Wakanda if you can, I'll handle the second rate “Terminator” wannabe, and Scott looks as if he’s got a handle on the guy with the pitchfork….Silently nodding, T'Challa picks up James Rhodes and heads directly towards the Avengers quinjet where upon reaching it, he straps in James Rhodes and lay’s a course in for Wakanda…As the Avengers quinjet rises into the air and disappears over the horizon, Tony Stark sighs a breath of relief as he set's his sights on Cyborg and whispers to himself…“That was a mistake you will not live to regret my friend”…!!!Without hesitation, Iron Man raises his hands and begins firing his own salvo of repulsor fire as his targeting system within the Mark L locks on to the continuous barrage of red orbs exploding around him as he closes in on Victor Stone…As Tony Stark rockets through the sky in his attempt to close the gap between him and Vic Stone, again he whispers to himself under his breath as wave upon wave of red energy explode around him as his targeting system continues to find and counter it's target's…I've got to disrupt his concentration long enough to stop his pattern fire and take out his arm cannon's, if I'm going to get in close enough to land and get my hands dirty…As Victor Stone watches Iron Man's phenomenal display of aerobatic prowess and counter fire from behind the pulsating glow of his dual arm cannon’s, he can only think to himself…This guy is good, maybe to good, he is already adapting and countering my attack, if I don't come up with something fast I'll be standing face to face with an opponent quite possibly able to equal me cybernetically in a confrontation…Suddenly a pinging sound begins to reverberate throughout the mind of Victor Stone as the “Living Computer” housed within his “Promethium” armor relays a strategic and tatical solution to the ever increasing onslaught of the “Invincible Iron Man”….To which Victor Stone silently replies…“And if I am unable to do so …???□ “Ping”…”Ping”…”Ping”…”Ping”… “Ping”…“There must be another solution”…???“That would be a “Death Sentence”….!!!□ “Ping”…”Ping”…!!! “Ping”…”Ping”…!!!“Yes”…!!!!!If I am left no other alternative, I will not hesitate…!!!As the thick black cloud of smoke dissapates in the wake of Barry Allen's velocity, it becomes suddenly apparent to Steve Rogers that he is no longer in possession of his vaunted “Shield”, nor is The Batman anywhere in sight…..Unimpressed with the “Caped Crusader's” apparent attempt at misdirection, Steve Rodgers calls out in an attempt to try and draw out his adversary….☆ “Smoke pellets”….???☆ “It's going to take more than smoke and mirror parlor tricks to beat me mister…!!!Scanning the surrounding area, Captain America whispers to himself under his breath…☆ “Where”…???Suddenly a voice from behind Steve Rogers speaks up as to answer his question…■ “Right behind you”….!!!Spinning around, Captain America finds The Batman standing several yards from him to his surprise and say's…☆ “Well that's a first”….☆ I didn't think anyone was capable of sneaking up on me….■ If I were trying to sneak up on you, you'd be unconscious by now….!!!☆ That right…???■ I'm fairly certain of it…!!!■ By the way, I hope you weren't to dependent upon that shield of yours….???☆ The shield is merely an extension of the man…!!!■ We'll see….■ “What do you say we get this over with”…???☆ We don't have to do this….■ At this point, I beg to differ…..☆ Then I'll make it as quick and painless as possible”…!!!■ “Agreed”….And with those final words it begins, as a pair of Batarangs leave The Batman's hands spinning in unison intended for Steve Rodgers…But before they are able to find their mark, augmented super-human reflexes and agility come into play as Captain America easily evades the pair of spinning projectiles as if they were in slow motion …Without hesitation, Steve Rodgers breaks into a full sprint with a speed Batman quickly deduces is beyond the means of an ordinary man, as the Batman barely ducks a right hook that would surely have taken his head clean off….Wasting no time, Batman counters landing two well placed shots to Cap's midsection in return, unfortunately for The Batman, they neither faze nor amuse the “Super Soldier” as Steve Rogers lands a powerful left hook of his own to Bruce Wayne's rib cage, sending The Batman reeling a few feet backwards favoring his left side …!!!■ “Not Bad”…..!!!!☆ “You can't possibly win this”…..■ “Heightened strength, speed, reflexes, and durability”…■ “Reminds me of someone”…..☆ “That right”...???■ No signs of “Bionic Augmentation” …■ “Steroidal Muscle Accelerant” perhaps …???☆ “Something like that”….■ “Then it looks like I'm going to have my work cut out for me”….☆ “Surrender now and make this easy on yourself”…!!!■ “Think I'll pass”….☆ “Suit yourself”….!!!(■) As the two master combatants stand only a few meters from one another, studying, searching, looking for an opening, Batman can only think to himself that he is not only physically outclassed here, but will eventually tire long before his opponent does….(■) But Bruce Wayne has faced bigger and stronger opponents than the man standing directly across from him, he has faced lunitics and killers, monsters and demons, gods and goddesses, and even cosmic conquerers from beyond the stars….(■) Bruce Wayne has faced augmented beings before, one broke him and nearly put an end to the Batman, yet he is still here, but a voice deep within tells him he may have finally met his match in this man….(☆) Not one to underestimate an opponent, Steve Rogers can only wonder if the man across from him really hides a secret power, or is he in fact, just an ordinary man dressed in a kevelar reinforced suit….????(☆) And if so, knowing he is physically outclassed in everyway, what he is up against, why is there no sign of fear emanating from this man, can he really be that skilled a fighter to believe he stands a chance of defeating a “Super Soldier”…???Without words, almost if they had read the others mind, they step towards one another and begin…..A kick, a parry, a jab, a block, there is no quarter given, none taken, as to unique fighting styles continuously vie for supremacy over the other….(☆) As if there were any doubt, Steve Rogers gets his answer to just how skilled this man truly is in his fighting abilities, as it is all he can do to defend himself from The Batman's precise strikes and movements….(☆) He can only think to himself, that his opponent can't possibly be just an ordinary man beneath the mask, his strength, speed, and reflexes say otherwise……(■) With each swing, each near miss, each block, the Dark Knight becomes more and more aware of the sheer physical power his opponent possesses within his well muscled frame, it is almost overwhelming……(■) Bruce Wayne begins to realize it is only a matter of time before fatigue begins to set in, or the man in the Star Spangled suit lands a bone crushing and debilitating blow, that will surely bring him to his knee's…■ He's too strong, to fast, I can’t match him physically, got to change tatics or it'll be over in a matter of minutes….(■) Flipping backwards, Bruce somersaults end over end to get some distance between him and the Captain…Where he comes to rest on one knee, several feet from Rogers….(■) Sensing he has his opponent on the ropes, Steve Rogers rushes in intent on ending the fight closing the gap between him and his opponent….(■) Rising to his feet, bruce sidesteps a kick that would have surely and effectively broken his spine….(■) Whereupon he lands two well placed shots to Cap's kidneys….(☆) Without even turning, Steve Rogers lands a mule kick square to the Batman's chest with tremendous force, sending him several feet backwards where he drops to a knee clutching his chest….(☆) Turning to face Bruce, Captain America says…☆ We've already established your no match for me physically, if that's how you intend to win this, then you might as well give up now….☆ I would prefer not to cause you permanent injury, so just stay down….(■) Looking up, Bruce Wayne merely smirks tapping two small pads in the palms of his gloves and says…..■ “Tag your it”…..(☆) Steve Rodgers barely has time to hear the high pitched whine of Wayne technology, as he is suddenly engulfed in a sticky foam like substance that begins to exponentially expanded around his body…..(☆) Struggling against the ever expanding and hardening foam, Cap falls to his knee's, as the realization that the kidney shots were never meant to stop him becomes apparent, but rather all the time necessary for his opponent to attach the foam tech, and give himself the upper hand….(■) Rising to his feet, clutching his chest, The Batman turns toward the sounds of distant thunder, as unstoppable Kryptonian strength, meets immovable Asgardian might…..(■) Still clutching his chest from the deveststing kick delivered by the Captain, It is all he can do to muster a single word under his breath…■ “Clark”……???Blow after blow of incalculable strength rocks the ground upon which they stand, as the very earth around them buckles and cracks under the strain of unimaginable power, threating to swallow them whole….For all his incredible power and abilities, Clark Kent must admit he has never faced such an equally powerful opponent in all his days, not the giant kryptonian Non, not the green skinned behemoth he battled earlier, not even at the the monster known as Doomsday……With x- ray eyes, Superman scans the body of his opponent, only to discover his physiology is not that of human origin…..What undeniable power this being across from him holds in the form of a human, he could never have imagined there was another species in all the universe that could equal his alien power born of the stars….It is all the God of Thunder can do to stand his ground against the immeasurable power of his adversary, he has battled men and monsters alike, in his thousand years as a warrior of Asgard…..Even in his countless battles with the Dark Elves of Svartalheim, or the Frost Giants and Storm Giants of Jontumheim, the last cursed one Kurse, nor the Destroyer Armor, he has never encountered a being of such intimidating power in all the nine realms, save the All-father Odin himself…..But despite the overwhelming power he faces here on the battlefield today, he will not fall, he is Thor, “God of Thunder,” and he not only battles for earth, but for Odin, for all of Asgard……With unholy strength, Thor brings both hands down upon Superman with enough power to level a mountain, bringing the man of steel to his very knee's……Without hesitation, Thor grabs Clark Kent by his hair, as he brings his knee up to connect with Clark’s face, sending him flying backwards several yards away to land with a sickening thud……Lying on his back dazed and trying to focus, Clark feels a warm liquid running down his face, wiping it away, he looks at his hand surprised to see his own blood….The last time he saw his own blood, was right before his death at the hands of the kryptonian abomination known as Doomsday, he lost “Lois,” his “Mother,” and his very “Life” that day, he will not lose those he loves ever again…..Kryptonian eye's flash as an immense beam of searing heat envelopes Thor, with the equivalent temperature of the very Sun itself….Asgardian skin begins to burn and blister as the heat of a star sears his nigh- invulnerable flesh, it is all Thor can do to keep from screaming aloud from the unimaginable pain as he crosses his arms in attempt to shield himself….But he has faced the “Fire Demon” Surtur on more than one occasion, and if he could not be felled from the fires of the lord of Mesplheim, he will not fall at the hands of this false God….Slowly Thor begins to move forward towards his opponent, one footstep after another, gritting his teeth as the very earth around him begins to burn ….Unable to believe what he is witnessing before his very eyes, Clark Kent can only whisper to himself “Drop Damn You, Drop…!!!Left no choice, Superman increases his power unleashing the very fires of hell itself against Thor, as the God of Thunder disappears in a flash of blinding heat and smoke…..Rising to his feet, Clark Kent takes a much needed breath from his titanic battle with Thor, assuming his opponent has finally fallen, he inhales and uses but a fraction of his super powered lung capacity to clear the area of the smoke hanging in the air to be sure….But he can only stand immobile and wide eyed in disbelief, as a smoking but very much alive Thor stands on a sheet of glass created by the very temperatures unleashed by his heat vision, holding Stormbreaker….Superman can barely muster the words, but somehow they escape his lips….“My God,” how could anything have survived that …..???Clark Kent doesn't even have time to consider it, as Thor and Stormbreaker begin to crackle with the unbridled power of a lightning storm….With eyes filled with rage, and the very power of the lighting he commands, Thor yells aloud….I have felt your power “Alien,” and now you shall feel mine….!!!!!!Thunder and lightning slither and scream across the sky with increasing power, as Clark Kent can only cover his ears, as the pain of super hearing drops him to his knee's…..And in an instant, one “Billion” volts of unimaginable power engulf the “Man of Steel,” followed by a thunderous roar from the very Gods themselves, that not only shakes the very foundation's of the abandoned military base itself, but can most certainly be heard for miles around….Followed thereafter by a scream of indescribable pain, from lungs that can cause hurricane force winds with a single breath….Turning her gaze away from Captain Marvel, and towards the flash of immense light, Diana whispers under her breath….“By the power of Zeus Almighty”……Kal- El…???For a moment, every combatant on the battlefield stands or hovers immobile as if turned to stone, and turn their attention to the very spot where two titans once battled for supremacy, but now only one apparent victor stands over the lifless body of Clark Kent, within an immense smoking crater…..As the God of Thunder lowers his head in silent prayer for his opponent, silently he praises Superman as the greatest single opponent he has ever faced on a field of battle….With a rage that would even give pause to the very Gods of Olympus themselves, Diana of Themyscira yells out in her apparent pain for her fallen friend, as she looks upon Thor standing over the smoking and lifeless body of Superman …..“DAMN YOU”…….!!!!!!!With a speed that defies the very laws of physics, she hurls her shield with the force of a speeding comet directly at the surprised Carol Danvers, the sheer impact knocking her out of the sky, as she plummets to the ground unconscious…..In the blink of an eye, the speed of Mercury allows her to bridge the gap between her and the immense crater, as she stands with sword drawn between Thor and the lifeless body of Superman ….What have you done…..???What i had too, he left me no other choice…..I take no pride in his death, I only acted as any warrior in battle would have in defense of his own life…..Kal- El was the best of us all, and by Hera herself, you shall pay for your insulent transgression against him….There is no more need of further bloodshed, surrender along with your teamates, and you will be allowed to take the body of your friend, I give you my word as the “Prince of Asgard,” he will recieve an honorable warriors burial….It is to late for that “Warrior Prince,” I too give you my word as an “Amazon” warrior, upon your death at my hands, you too shall be shown the same courtesy….!!!!!Although it is not the “God of Thunder's” wish for further confrontation …..If it is further battle you crave, for Odin, for Asgard, “So be it”……To be continued…..