Justice League of America - Batman: The Stone King by Alan Grant (best books to read for self development .TXT) 📕

Just ahead, several large rock slabs had been moved aside, revealing the entry to the hidden chamber.

Motioning Batman to fall back a little, J'onn moved toward the doorway. If they were met with violence, better for J'onn's near-invulnerable body to be in the vanguard. Manhunter edged closer, then leaned in to peek around the stone lintel.

Quickly, he beckoned Batman to join him.

Be ready for anything, J'onn cautioned. There's no telling what's going to happen in there.

Batman nodded his assent.

Inside the chamber, the Stone King was on his knees, his head lowered until it was almost touching the floor. His hands grasped his bull's skull headpiece, and his eyes were screwed shut, as if he was in terrible pain.

He didn't open his eyes as they approached, nor did he acknowledge their presence, as the two heroes silently entered the Stone King's domain.

He seems to be in some sort of distress, Manhunter opined. If his guard is down, this could be our optimum moment for attack.

Batman wrinkled his nose. The smell of stale blood and putrefying flesh was sickening. Quickly, he inserted a pair of nose plugs under his mask.

Beyond, he could see that the chamber's recess was filled with chaotically flickering light.

You may well be right, Batman agreed. But wait just one moment.

The Dark Knight pointed to the chamber floor. The rotting shreds of flesh that lay everywhere had attracted a significant amount of insect life. Beetles and maggots scurried from one scrap of meat to another. A chunky, black beetle's path took it directly toward the motionless Stone King.

About six inches from the Stone King, the beetle paused momentarily. Its antennae brushed the air, as if it sensed that something was not quite right. Then the insect jerked forward again, and was instantly disintegrated in a soundless blue flash.

He's protected himself with a force field. J'onn groaned inwardly. And short cf direct attack, we've no way of knowing how powerful it is.

Keep an eye on him, Batman responded. I'll find out what else is in here.

Noiselessly, the vigilante moved deeper into the rock-lined chamber, his every nerve alert, every muscle tensed for action. But what he saw made him expel his breath in a low, sibilant hiss.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash were trapped there, imprisoned in the living stone. Only their hands and faces were visible; the rest of their bodies were buried in the dense rock.

They're here, J'onn! Manhunter felt a surge of pleasure as Batman broadcast the thought. They're trapped! I'm going to try to release them.

A high-powered laser from his Utility Belt was already in Batman's hand. He snapped it on, guiding the deadly beam up and down the mass of stone that surrounded Superman. It bubbled under the intense heat where the beam struck it, tiny fracture lines branching out from the main central cut.

Batman worked with the beam for several minutes. Finally satisfied, he laid the laser aside and took several small compressed-air pellets from a pouch. He crammed them into the deep split in the rock, wedging them between the rock and Superman's body. He turned away as he waited for the five-second delayed fuses to ignite. Superman's invulnerable body would suffer no harm.

The pellets detonated simultaneously with a soft pop, sending up a puff of dust as several large chunks of stone broke off. Batman seized a loosened section and pulled with all his strength.

The rock imprisoning Superman shattered in a dozen places, falling away to reveal his costumed body. But the liberated hero didn't move. His eyes remained closed, and he showed no sign that he was aware of Batman's presence.

What's the situation, J'onn?

Manhunter's gaze had never left the stricken Stone King. He was motionless now, as if cemented to the spot where he remained kneeling on the hard-packed floor.

No change. He still seems unaware of our presence. Whatever he's doing, it's absorbing all his attention.

I could use you here. Superman's free, but he doesn't seem to know it.

J'onn threw one last, lingering look at the Stone King, then crept past him and joined Batman in the depths of the cavern.

Gods of Mars! J'onn was shocked to see his companions, three of them still entombed in the rock, and Superman lying sprawled on the floor. What's happened to them?

I'm hoping your telepathy can discover that, Batman rejoined.

J'onn hesitated. Back in the days when he had first perfected the telepathic link to keep his fellow Justice League members in contact during times of crisis, there had been a certain amount of concern. Most heroes had a secret identity, a disguise they wore that allowed them to live some semblance of a normal life.

And every hero had secrets he or she preferred not to share. Those identities and secrets could easily be compromised if anyone–even one of their own number–discovered what they were.

J'onn had promised that he would never probe any of their minds without prior permission, and he'd kept that promise. But now, it seemed he had no other choice.

Batman watched as Manhunter consciously narrowed the focus of his thoughts. He directed his mind toward Superman's, waiting for the strange, alien feeling that would tell him he'd achieved contact. But contact never came–

A flash behind them alerted them to the danger.

They turned, but it was already too late.

A pulsating ball of plasma slammed into them with the force of a locomotive. The Kevlar lining in Batman's costume absorbed and redistributed the blow, but even so, the impact was so great that the vigilante was thrown face-first against the cavern wall. He was out cold instantly.

J'onn J'onzz managed to get both arms out in front of him to break the impact as he was hurled against the wall. His hands, however, sank up to the wrists in the solid rock.

Before he could wrench them free, the rock closed around them like granite handcuffs. J'onn tugged frantically, but the rock wouldn't budge. He heard a groan as Batman started to recover, pulling