Introduction
Many out there believe that the number 13 can bring a person bad luck. Well, Superman has never been one to be superstitious. But, unfortunately for our hero, he is about to find out for himself just how unlucky the number 13 can be!
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The normally unshakable Superman was noticeably perplexed. There he stood, all alone in The Hall of Justice, trying to make some sense of it all.
Over the past three months, each of his fellow Super Friends, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Black Vulcan, Hawkman, Green Arrow, Samurai, El Dorado, Firestorm, Apache Chief and Batman & Robin, had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. One by one, all 12 of them seem to have just vanished from the face of the earth. With Wonder Woman on an extended leave of absence so that she could tend to a personal crisis back on Paradise Island, this meant that Superman was the only remaining member of The Justice League left to find his missing colleagues.
After weeks of investigating, he still had no clues as to the other Super Friends' whereabouts. And, perhaps even more strange, none of the usual suspects have yet to step forward and claim responsibility for this evil deed. Not knowing what could have happened to his colleagues, the frustration was definitely starting to get to Superman and it showed on his face. Instead of remaining calm, cool and collected, he looked totally stressed out. How could he solve this case without any leads and with nothing else to go on? Not sure what to do next, Superman, for the first time in his life, felt completely helpless.
All Superman could do was keep pondering the possibilities in his worried mind. Were they all the victims of some bizarre kidnapping plot? If so, why hasn't their kidnapper made any ransom demands nor issued any further instructions? Could they have been murdered by some vengeful villain? That seems highly unlikely too because you can bet that their assassin would be bragging about it by now. Besides, in each case, there was no evidence of foul play, no signs of a struggle, and nothing that would indicate that they were dead. The only thing he knows is that one minute they were here and the next they were gone. But there has got to be some logical explanation. Where could they be? And how does Superman begin to go about finding them when he does not have the slightest idea where they are?
He was well aware of what the press has been saying. As soon as word got out that the Justice League members had disappeared, the media, of course, were putting their own spin on it. One newspaper known for its tabloid styled journalism accused the Justice League of America of turning their backs on their country and called them not only cowards but traitors as well. Another media outlet, quoting anonymous sources, claimed that the Super Friends were all a bunch of grandstanding divas and it was their own inflated egos that really caused their break up. A top-rated conservative radio talk show host went so far as to insinuate that this was all a big publicity stunt and the superheroes are deliberately lying low for awhile just to make some headlines. Even the Daily Planet where Clark Kent himself works ran a column suggesting that the JLA couldn't take the pressure anymore and maybe they just decided to call it quits and retire. At first, Superman was quick to respond to these wild allegations, vehemently denying there was any truth to these ridiculous reports. But that only made him look like he was being defensive which, in turn, resulted in him and his missing Justice League teammates becoming the subject of even more sensational, unsubstantiated stories. So Superman decided that he shouldn't say any more until he solves this case and finds his colleagues, then they can prove them all wrong.
Superman had come to expect this kind of negative stuff from the press but not from the American people. So he was a little surprised and appalled really when he found out that social media was also filled with all sorts of lies, rumors and vile, hateful comments directed at the Justice League, questioning their loyalty, their integrity, even their patriotism. The more he read, the more it would appear to him that an increasing number of these posters on the internet were actually starting to believe all of these erroneous stories surrounding their disappearances and that opinion seemed to be growing. No matter how he tried not to let it get to him, Superman couldn't help but be bothered by some of the cruel things they were saying about him and his colleagues online. Was this how they deserved to be treated? To become the topic of silly gossip and nasty insults? Especially after the Super Friends had risked their lives so many times in the past protecting and defending the citizens of this country. Now when it is the JLA who are the ones who are in trouble, do they show them any kind of compassion or concern in return? No, apparently everyone is so ready to think the worst about them instead. Is that what our society has come to?, he asked himself. In fact, he was so disappointed by the public's reaction, it's enough to make a disillusioned Superman start to wonder why he ever became a superhero in the first place.
But, as if this case weren't baffling enough, Superman had other problems to contend with. Since the other Justice League members had disappeared, criminals from all around the globe took advantage of their absence, resulting in a currently escalating crime wave. Superman was doing his best to stem it and bring the perpetrators to justice but even he could only handle so much. Also, his romance with Lois Lane was growing strained from the additional responsibilities of his job. In fact, it's gotten so bad that Lois recently gave him an ultimatum that if he doesn't start paying more attention to her and soon, then they were through. And, to top it all off, someone broke into his Fortress of Solitude about a week ago. Although the burglars had somehow managed to sneak past his security system, it looks as though the perpetrators didn't get away with anything of value, at least not that he noticed. Upon a brief inspection, everything inside appeared to be untouched and the vault was still locked. Nonetheless, it was just another annoyance that Superman didn't need right now. With all of the obligations and demands on his time, sometimes Superman wished he could just runaway and hide but his sense of duty would never allow him to do so.
But just when it seemed that all hope was lost and everything was going against him, suddenly Superman receives a urgent distress signal. The ‘Trouble Alert’ buzzes so he quickly answers. The unfamiliar muffled voice of this unidentified man, obviously in some sort of disguise to conceal his true identity, tells him that he has some information concerning the missing members of Justice League and if he really wants to know all the details, then Superman will come and meet this unknown informant down at the Gotham City Amusement Park in 30 minutes or it may be too late! The caller id indicates that the call came from an unlisted number and it would take much too long to trace. Superman thought that it might be a trap but he had no time to think about his own personal safety, not when his friends' lives could be in jeopardy.
So he immediately flies over to the theme park which had already been closed for the season. There appears to be no one else around so he cautiously searches the abandoned grounds looking for some kind of a clue, always checking his back just in case this is all a set-up.
Then all of a sudden he spies what looked like a green glove lying in front of the funhouse. As he moves in closer, he realizes that it was the Boy Wonder's. "At last", Superman thought to himself, "a break in the case!"
But just when he leaned over to pick it up, suddenly he heard a rustling noise behind him as the sound of charging feet trampled on the leaves that had fallen from the trees nearby. Before Superman could turn around to see who it was, the next thing he knew, he fell down to his knees as the glowing green glove had apparently been coated with what seemed to be some form of Kryptonite. Severely weakened by its harmful rays, his two attackers firmly pinned Superman down to the ground while one of them injects him with a sharp needle filled with some unknown drug. Just before the chemicals knocked him out, he catches a glimpse of the men who had ambushed him. He was shocked to learn who his attackers really were. Unfortunately, after he lost consciousness, he remembered nothing...
To be continued…
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