The Man:
"Kara," I start, "I'm trying not to be mad. I really am, but you have to stop."
As I steer the Junker sub toward Themyscira, I sense someone behind me. I sigh, do not turn around, and focus on the sub's radar.
"I just don't know if I can face them again," Kara says. Even without looking, I can tell Kara is hiding behind the heavy steel door.
"Kara. Please come inside. Don't hide behind the door."
"How did you—Never mind."
Hearing the door open, then Kara's footsteps as she enters the control room. Sighing, she walks to my side and leans against a control panel.
"Super hearing? You have super hearing, too?"
I finally turn and smile.
"Yes, but I rarely use it."
"Why not?"
"I don't even like the sound of my own voice. Why do I want to listen to the sound of others?"
"Then why did you know I was behind the door? What was it? Do you have eyes in the back of your head?"
"Thankfully, no. Though I did meet a few people with literal eyes in the back of their heads."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I don't lie often. Too much trouble, having to remember a lie. As for your previous question, I felt the vibration from you walking."
"You felt the vibration?"
"It's a special technique, referred to as semi-sense. Learned it from an old friend of mine. Toph Beifong."
"Toph...Beifong?"
I nod.
"What kind of name is Toph?"
"What kind of last name is Zol-El?"
Her face turning red, Kara looks around, her head going in all random directions. I let out a small laugh.
"Seriously," I say. I stop laughing and look at Kara. I grab her hand. Kara stops looking around and turns to me. "Kara. I know it won't be easy, but I have some experience with the Amazons. Yes, they do tend to hold grudges, but they're also noble and honorable warriors. Once we prove that we're allies and help them, then they join us in the fight against Superman, and also forget--"
"That I freed Wonder Woman," Kara finishes, lowering her head.
"Seriously," I say. I stop laughing and look at Kara. I grab her hand. Kara stops looking around and turns to me. "Kara. I know it won't be easy, but I have some experience with the Amazons. Yes, they do tend to hold grudges, but they're also noble and honorable warriors. Once we prove that we're allies and help them, then they join us in the fight against Superman, and also forgive—"
"Me for freeing Wonder Woman," Kara finishes, lowering her head.
"Wonder Woman was once a noble and honorable warrior, too. She was also friends with Superman. Your job was to protect him. Don't blame yourself."
"I can't imagine Wonder Woman being noble and honorable," Kara says, shaking her head.
"It's a little more believable when you fought with her, not against her," I answer. Kara's head snaps toward me. She stares at me with wide eyes and a giant exclamation point above her head.
"Another life, a different version."
Still staring at me, now without the wide eyes or exclamation point, I look down at the map.
"We should be close to Themyscira. If our past experience with the Green Lanterns and Atlantic had taught us anything —"
I turn to Kara.
"We should prepare for a very unwelcome welcome."
Grabbing a radio, I push the speak button on the side.
"All hands. We are nearing Themyscira. Prepare for docking and--"
"Wait," Kara says, grabbing my wrist. Staring at the Junker's mini-map, she points at a bunch of red and yellow dots scattered around the island. "What are those?"
Seeing the dots, quickly counting 103 in total, 23 yellow, and 80 red, I raise the radio again.
"Change of plan," I say. "Brace for impact, and Doc, prepare some ice packs."
"Ice packs," Kara repeats. "Why ice packs?"
Putting the radio down, I flip a lever, the Junker sub rising toward the surface. The Junker sub bursts from the ocean. Pushing a button, a window at the front of the sub opens. Through the window, Kara and I see a massive island with lush green forests, white marble buildings, and sparkling sand beaches.
"Just like you remember it?" I ask.
"No," Kara says, walking up to the window. "No, it's not. What are those?"
Pointing through the window, Kara points at dozens of black and red ships, yellow submarines, and yellow lanterns hovering in the sky. They surround the island completely. Worse, each ship and submarine has the One Earth logo plated on it.
"That's a blockade," I answer. "Superman, and possibly Sinestro, formed a blockade around all of Themyscira."
"Oh no."
Staring at the massive blockade, the control room's steel door bursts open. Oliver, Dinah, and the rest of the Insurgency enter the room.
"What's going on?" Oliver asks. "Why did we stop docking?"
"We may have a slight problem," I answer, pointing out the window. Everyone looks out and gasps.
"That is not a slight problem," Harleen says. "That is a big problem. A big one!"
"Don't worry," I say. "They haven't seen us yet. When they see us, then we'll be in big trouble."
"Uhh, big trouble," Flash says, tapping the window. "Some ships are turning toward us."
I turn and try to look out the window, but too many heads block the view.
"I need a bigger window. Excuse me! Please move."
Jaime, Jason, and Selina pull back, and I see a dozen ships turning toward us.
"Hold on," I say, putting up a hand. "Just because they're turning doesn't mean they spotted us."
"Really?" Kara asks.
"I'm trying to be optimistic here."
"Uhhh," Flash says, tapping the window at super speed. "Yellow lanterns are flying toward us!"
I lean forward and see the guns on the One Earth ships turning toward us.
"So much for being optimistic. Everyone, brace for gunfire!"
The ships begin firing. The water beside us explodes, throwing the Junker sub around. While I grip the controls, everyone else grabs a control panel or one of the pipes running along the wall. They struggle to stay on their feet. The shaking only gets worse when the yellow lanterns reach us. Shooting out their yellow rings, they fire yellow beams, hitting and throwing the Junker back.
The Professor loses his grip and falls to the ground. Selina sees and rushes to help him up.
"Professor Stein," Selina starts, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," the Professor replies.
"Preparing counterattack," I yell, slamming a bright red button. Looking out the windows, secret panels on the front of the Junker sub open. Custom-made, built-in mortars and anti-aircraft guns reveal themselves, turning and firing back.
"That's it?" Harleen asks. "Only six guns?"
"They are more in the back," I say, pointing back with my thumb. "You just can't see them through the window."
We all watch as fireballs begin raining down, hitting the yellow lanterns and the ships. Adjusting the mortars' and anti-aircraft guns' aim, I watch the water around dozens of One Earth ships stir, causing them to flip. Hundreds of One Earth soldiers jump into the water and swim toward other ships. The yellow lanterns don't go down as easily.
Seeing the incoming fireballs, the yellow lanterns pull back their rings and summon shields. They shake and are thrown back, but none of them fall out of the sky.
"Awesome," Oliver says with a smile while gripping a control panel. Checking the map, dozens of red dots vanish, but even more are still coming, advancing toward us.
"The submarines," I say. "Right..."
A few seconds later, something hits the Junker sub. It shakes the entire submarine and throws Dinah and Jaime against a wall.
"Dinah," Oliver yells, running over to her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Dinah answers, rubbing her arm. "What was that?"
"The submarines," I answer. "They're traveling beneath the water. The mortars and anti-aircraft guns can't hit them."
"Please tell me you have a plan," Kara asks.
Checking the map, I see we're surrounded by many red dots. Turning on a second, adjacent map, the Junker's sonar map, I see the same red dots. On the sonar map, smaller red triangles begin shooting out from the red dots, all heading toward us.
"What are those?" Kara asks.
"Rockets," I answer. "Lots and lots of rockets."