"Friends of yours?" I asked Hawkman and Hawkwoman.
"Yes," they both said immediately.
They walked up to the new arrivals.
"Everyone, this is Commander Hro Talak of Thanagar," Hawkman announced.
"Save the pleasantries, Lieutenant," Hro Talak said sharply. His voice carried the authority of someone used to commanding armies. "I must meet with your world leaders. The fate of this planet may hang in the balance."
Surprisingly, it wasn't difficult to gather the world leaders, most of them were already in Washington, apparently discussing something unrelated. Within thirty minutes, everyone important was seated in a secure briefing room.
I stayed in the back, watching.
Hro Talak stepped forward, wings slightly flared, and addressed the room.
"Greetings. I am Hro Talak of Thanagar. I come with an urgent message. Twenty-two years ago, we secretly sent two of our best agents to observe your people and evaluate your defenses. You know them as Hawkman and Hawkwoman."
A few murmurs spread through the room.
"Unfortunately," Hro Talak continued, "they discovered your world is severely lacking in technological advancement. Your defense capabilities are… insufficient."
A polite way of saying you are completely unprepared.
He lifted a small, spherical device. With a click, a hologram flickered to life.
"The greatest evil in the universe," Hro Talak narrated, "our mortal enemies, the Gordanians."
The hologram displayed an image of a towering reptilian creature with green scales, massive wings, and black armor. The image shifted into a video feed, scenes of brutal war, cities burning, ships exploding, Thanagarian warriors fighting desperately against overwhelming forces.
"For generations," Hro Talak said, his tone heavy, "Thanagar has waged a bloody war against these monsters. They have committed unspeakable atrocities… decimating world after world. And now."
The hologram showed a projection of the Gordanian fleet approaching Earth.
"They are coming here. This will be Earth's fate unless you accept our help."
He shut off the hologram.
The room fell silent.
"We know you must discuss this among yourselves," Hro Talak said, voice booming through the chamber, "but be quick. We do not have much time. We are your only hope of salvation."
The moment he finished, the room exploded into frantic whispering. Fear. Panic. Desperation. Everyone seemed ready to believe him.
Everyone except me.
I've seen this before. In my old life, I watched this exact event play out. Hro Talak wasn't here to save Earth. He was here to use it.
He was lying. And if things follow the same path, he's going to build something that could destroy this planet.
I needed to warn Hope. And the League. And anyone else willing to listen.
After a few minutes, people began filing out into the hallway, debating their options. I stepped out too, just in time to see more members of the Justice League arrive: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash.
They joined the other heroes already speaking with Hawkman and Hawkwoman.I hung back quietly, standing near Mighty Woman, Panacea, Purity, and Superwoman as they whispered among themselves.
"This world is crazy," Mighty Woman said. "Didn't you all just handle an invasion last month?"
"I was thinking the same thing," Panacea groaned. "I figured we'd get at least a year before the next one. Nope. Right back into the madness."
"Well, at least this time we get a warning," Purity said. "And we have help from another species. This should be easier."
I turned to them."You really think they're allies just because they say so?"
They all looked at me.
"What do you mean?" Superwoman asked. "You don't trust them?"
"I don't," I said plainly. "Think about it. Their entire fleet showed up just to handle one ship? And the Gordanians attacked at the perfect time, while every world leader was gathered in one place. If I didn't take down that cruiser first, the Thanagarians would have swooped in and looked like heroes."
Mighty Woman folded her arms. "If you don't think they're here to help repel the Gordanians, then why are they here?"
"I don't think there's going to be a Gordanian invasion," I said. "I can't tell you everything yet, because I don't fully know how different things are here… but they admitted it themselves: Thanagar has been at war for generations. Even a warlike race gets tired eventually."
Purity tilted her head. "Meaning…?"
"Meaning they'll do anything to end it," I said quietly. "Even if it means sacrificing innocent lives. Go back to the base, grab the dead aliens and the wreckage of its ship. Tell Sage and hope to run a full autopsy and analysis. We need real information."
They nodded, serious now, and left immediately to carry out the order.
I stayed behind, watching the crowd and the Thanagarians as they moved with practiced precision. Then I noticed some world leaders slip into a private room with Superman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman.
Perfect.
I whispered a spell, turning myself invisible, and flew straight through the wall to spy on whatever secret meeting they were about to have.
"You saw what a single Gordanian ship could do," one of the world leaders said, fear tightening his voice. "What are we supposed to do against an entire fleet? Even with every hero on Earth helping us? We barely survived the last invasion."
"Can we even trust the Thanagarians?" another man asked, a military officer, arms crossed. "We don't know anything about them."
A man with actual common sense, I thought. Didn't think those still existed in government.
"They risked their lives to come here and help us," Wonder Woman said calmly.
"Like angels from heaven." The officer snorted. "Sorry, Princess, I'm not buying it."
"It does feel too good to be true," Superman admitted. "But if Earth really is in danger… what choice do we have?"
Another man, wearing a business suit and glasses, raised a hand."What about New Dawn? I know their CEO has sold the government highly advanced weapons. Her suits can survive armor-piercing rounds. She makes guns that fire concentrated lasers and vehicles decades more advanced than anything we have. Maybe she could build planetary defenses. Something to protect Earth from invasions."
"With all due respect," a different-suited man said, "that is far beyond the capability of one person. You're asking her to build an entire planetary system."
"She wouldn't have to do it alone," the businessman countered. "Give her full access to global resources. She could."
And just like that, the room dissolved into bickering.And not classy political debate either, more like a kindergarten argument with expensive suits.
Wonder Woman finally raised her voice."Everyone, calm down!"
Silence fell.
She looked around the room with steady authority.
"I know you all have different opinions," she said, "but I hope you are all thinking about Earth. We are facing a potential invasion. If the Thanagarians can help us defend our planet and prevent civilian casualties, then we should consider accepting their help."
She stepped forward slightly.
"Put aside your differences. Put aside fear. Remember the people you vowed to protect."
Her words hit harder than any punch.
Slowly, grudgingly, the room began to nod in agreement.
That was my cue.
Still invisible, I drifted back through the wall and into open air.
I need to prepare New Dawn, I thought. Because if things go the way I think they will… we're going to war. But not with the Gordanians.
A couple of hours later
The entire team was gathered in the common room, eyes glued to the massive TV. Every news channel was broadcasting the same thing: the Justice League, and the Justice Society, helping the Thanagarians assemble some kind of planetary device, a huge structure stretching around the entire Earth.
"They look like they are really helping us" Dove said.
"I want to believe that," I said, "but when something looks too good to be true… it usually is. And after what Hope just found? They're definitely hiding something."
"What do you mean?" Ice asked.
"I'll explain everything when the others get here," I said.
"What do you mean? I thought everyone was here," Crimson Countess said.
Before I could answer, the doors slid open, and a full lineup of heroes stepped inside, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Commander Steel, Captain Atom, Major Force, Mister Terrific, Green Lantern, (Guy Gardner), and Hawkgirl.
All of them walked toward us with serious expressions.
Guy Gardner, of course, ruined the moment."Wow. Their base is way better than ours. We should ask Max for an upgrade."
Everyone ignored him.
"Hello, everyone," I said. "I'm glad you all agreed to come."
"Well, it's pretty hard to ignore an invitation when you hack directly into my computer to send it," Mr. Terrific said, giving me a look. "How did you even do that? I have hundreds of firewalls."
"It was easy for me," Hope said as she walked out of a side room carrying a laptop. She set it on the table and connected it to the main display.
The TV screen flickered, then shifted.
What appeared next made several heroes lean forward.
The autopsy report of the dead Gordanians.
Hope finished connecting everything and stepped in front of the group, drawing everyone's attention.
"I know you're all probably wondering why I hacked into your systems just to send an invitation," Hope said. "It's because of this."
She pointed at the screen.
The autopsy footage filled the entire display, the dead Gordanians laid out on the examination table, their anatomy exposed and labeled.
"This is the autopsy I performed on the Gordanians," Hope continued. "Every last one of them. Their biology was… complicated, and honestly annoying to figure out, but also fascinating. I'd love to explain the details, but we don't have time."
She clicked the remote.
The image zoomed in on muscle tissue, organs, and cellular decay.
"The important part is this: every member of that crew has been dead for months. They weren't killed today. Their bodies were frozen and preserved to make it look like they died recently."
Several heroes stiffened.
Hope tapped her laptop. "And it gets worse. I hacked their ship's internal logs and translated the Gordanian language. There were no orders for any attack on Earth. None of their fleet was told to come here. Meaning, if Mage King hadn't destroyed that cruiser, the Thanagarians would have done it themselves… and positioned themselves as saviors."
Guy Gardner raised a hand. "Okay, but, what does all this mean?"
"It means," I said, stepping forward, "that we've been set up. The Thanagarians aren't here for what they claim."
The room fell silent.
Not from confusion.
From realization.
"This is ridiculous," Hawkgirl snapped. "There has to be a logical explanation for all of this. My parents talked about Thanagar all the time, the race is full of honorable, heroic people. What you're implying is the opposite of everything they stood for. Sneaky? Manipulative? Using us? And for what purpose?!"
I met her eyes."That's what we're trying to figure out. And… I'm sorry, but war changes a lot. Even honorable people. Even whole planets."
Hope stepped forward. "I've been running an algorithm to hack into their systems. It should take an hour or two. Once I'm inside, we'll know exactly what they're doing here. And I hope all of you are ready."
Hawkgirl frowned. "Ready for what?"
"Ready for war," I said. "Because if what they're building is dangerous to the planet… then we'll have to destroy it. And kick them off our world. And something tells me they won't leave quietly."
Hawkgirl's wings twitched with agitation. "This is insane! Is that why my parents aren't here? You think they're traitors? And if that's the case, why am I even here? I'm Thanagarian too!"
She sounded hurt. Angry. Conflicted.
I raised my hands gently. "The reason Hawkman and Hawkwoman aren't here is because… they grew up on Thanagar, unlike you. They might have deeper ties to their homeworld. More loyalty to it than to Earth. I'm hoping I'm wrong, that's why we didn't accuse them or confront them. This is a precaution, nothing more."
Her expression softened a little, but she was still tense.
"I'm not trying to insult your parents," I continued, "or you, or your race. I'm looking at the facts in front of us. And I know you're intelligent enough to see something doesn't add up."
The room stayed silent.
Hawkgirl looked away, jaw tight but thinking, really thinking.