Disclaimer: DC owns the characters within, not I.
Aquaman blinked a few times as he tried to clear the spots from his vision. He glanced up into the night sky just a pale fist bigger than his hand came into view. It came crashing downwards into the side of his jaw and violently rocked his head to the side. He straightened his face just to have a repeat of the action before. He tried to raise his arms to protect himself but found his body betraying him.
Another hard shot reigned down on him as a large weight rested on his chest and pinned him helplessly to the ground. He wasn't sure what his threshold would be before his body gave out completely but he felt he was fast approaching it as the beast hovered over him and reigned down one shot after the other.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Lex Luthor boarding his yacht in the distance. He had a grin on his face that Aquaman would relish in knocking off if not for his present predicament. He glanced up to lock eyes with his would-be destroyer. A mountain of a man, if you could even call him that. He looked like an extra from a zombie flick on steroids. He was like nothing Aquaman had ever seen when he came stomping out of the woods to deliver this beatdown to him.
Once more the giant fist entered Aquaman's field of vision but it stopped just as it was a hair's length from Aquaman's forehead. He attempted to blink away the blood so he could see what was happening. All he saw was a flash of blue as the pressure from his chest lifted and he rolled over into the nearby river.
Superman had no idea who or what he had just rammed into, all he knew was that he had to stop it from delivering what appeared to be a death blow to Aquaman. Superman stopped his forward momentum as the zombie-like creature kept flying into a nearby tree.
"Kal... Arthur," Wonder Woman said as she landed behind him and pointed to Aquaman sinking beneath the water.
"Get him," Superman said with a nod.
"Okay," Wonder Woman replied before running over to the water. She was about to dive when a sword landed in the ground stopping her momentum. She looked up just as Deathstroke landed in front of her. "Big mistake."
"We'll see," Deathstroke responded as he threw a punch at Wonder Woman. She swatted his arm away and grabbed him by the throat. She lifted him up and tossed him aside. Deathstroke rolled through and got to his feet. Wonder Woman glanced back to the water and started to make another move when she felt a grip on her feet and felt them go out from under her. She looked down to see Deathstroke had a rope and was pulling her towards him.
"Hey," Superman called out, turning his attention to Deathstroke. Before he could move he was enveloped from behind by the beast he had just toppled over. He attempted to break free but found himself surprised by how strong the hold was.
"Grundy... crush you," the beast spoke with a certain sinister glee as he increased his vice grip on Superman's body.
"No..." Superman struggled as he looked up to see Deathstroke and Wonder Woman now engaged in hand to hand combat. "No crushing..."
Superman powered his way free from the grip of Grundy and turned to face him. He punched him and he stumbled backward. He turned to see Wonder Woman was getting the better of her match and decided to focus his attention on the creature in front of him. He hit another punch that rocked Grundy harder this time, causing him to stumble back and go to a knee.
"Is that best you got, little man?" Grundy taunted as he rose back to his feet to tower over Superman. Superman could sense something different about Grundy, he felt weaker around him somehow. There was no pain like with Kryptonite though so he was puzzled. He hadn't much time to ponder though as he was being charged. He felt the immense power of the beast when it hit him with a punch to the chin that caused his head to go on a swivel.
Superman blocked the next punch and worked his way behind Grundy and grabbed him from behind by the coat he had on. He flung him aside and into the side of the warehouse nearby. The forced of is sent him crashing through the metal siding. Superman started to approach him but stole a glance at Wonder Woman first to see she was still winning the fight with Deathstroke.
"I got him..." Wonder Woman said turning to Superman, after a punch that knocked Deathstroke to the ground. "Get that thing."
Superman nodded and then flew into the giant hole that Grundy had made in the side of the warehouse.
(****)
Bruce's eyes widened as Darkseid stood over him. He grabbed him by the shirt collar and lifted him up to eye level with him. The angle bent his arms in such a way to cause him pain against the shackles.
"Tell me where the other box is..." Darkseid demanded.
"I can't do that," Bruce retorted, holding his gaze steady with the alien being in front of him.
"Foolish..." Darkseid responding. "I can end your life with the snap of my fingers human."
"I have no doubt that you can, but you will never find out where that other box is," Bruce said.
"Such arrogance and bravery from one so weak," Darkseid as he let his grip go and Bruce swung back and crashed into the wall. "I believe you, however."
Darkseid took a couple steps back and then turned his attention over to Victor. He cocked his head slightly before moving to stand in front of him. Bruce stiffened in response to this. Darkseid moved his hand to grip Victor around the throat.
"I suspect however that while you may not care about your own life..." Darkseid began.
"Don't," Bruce responded as he watched the scene in front of him. Darkseid turned his eyes in his direction at his words.
"His life for the box," Darkseid proposed coldly.
"I..." Bruce began. He closed his eyes. "What will you do with the box?"
"To do what Steppenwolf failed to do," Darkseid answered.
"You will destroy the world," Bruce stated.
"As you know it," Darkseid said.
"I..." Bruce began. Darkseid sensed his hesitation and began to squeeze Victor's neck. The metallic crunching sound was deafening to Bruce's ears.
"Wait... don't... just wait!" Bruce screamed. Darkseid loosened his grip and turned his attention back to him.
"No tricks?" Darkseid questioned.
"No... just let him go," Bruce answered. Darkseid loosened his grip and stepped back.
"Where is th..." Darkseid began to speak but there was a loud explosion and the ship vibrated. Bruce looked around to determine what had caused it. He saw Darkseid walking over to the window nearby and peering down. "Interesting."
Darkseid turned back to Bruce and then back to the ground beneath them. There was a huge fire raging in a warehouse just below where his cloaked ship was hovering over the ground. He watched with fascination at a fight going on beneath him. He studied the movements of one individual in particular. After a moment his posture straightened.
"Kryptonian..." Darkseid mustered.
(****)
Superman stood over the downed behemoth on the ground beneath him. It started to raise his head and with some reluctance, Superman hit a final punch that rendered it unconscious. There was a thud next to him as he turned to see Deathstroke's limp body land next to his foot. He looked up at Wonder Woman who was approaching him.
"What is he?" She asked as he pointed at the creature at Superman's feet.
"I'm not sure," Superman answered. "Nothing like I've ever seen outside of a horror flick."
"He seemed strong," Wonder Woman suggested.
"Yeah..." Superman agreed. "Let's get Arthur."
Superman started to walk towards the water to jump in and retrieve him. He was unsure of what state he would find him in but he knew that he would not be capable of drowning. Superman breached the water and swam down until he found his body on the bottom of the river. He scooped him up in his arms and made his way towards the surface. He was not prepared for what he saw when he reached the shore.
"Kryptonian," Darkseid sneered as he held Wonder Woman by the throat and gazed at Superman.
"Diana..." Superman said as he made eye contact with her. She seemed to be struggling with all her strength to break the grip of the giant hand around her throat. It was not budging and this greatly concerned Superman. "Let her go."
"Sure," Darkseid as he dropped her to the ground where she collapsed in a heap and clutched at her neck. Superman sat Aquaman down on the ground and squared up with Darkseid. "It's you I want."
"Who are you?" Superman questioned.
"I am Darkseid," Darkseid answered. "Soon to be your Lord and Master."
"No... not gonna happen," Superman replied.
"The Earth's sun has given you immense powers I see," Darkseid comment as he put his hands behind his back and looked up and down Superman. "It will be enough... in the end, you are the same... weak... like the rest of your kind."
"I don't know how you know my people... but you made a big mistake coming here," Superman retorted.
"Arrogant... like the human," Darkseid commented.
"Human?" Superman reacted with a look of concern. His mind immediately went to Bruce. "Did you kill him?"
"He is still alive... he still has information that I require," Darkseid responded. "This plant you have adopted... you will see it all perish just like your family saw on Krypton."
"No..." Superman responded, feeling the anger rise up in him. He was surprised when he saw Wonder Woman enter his field of vision and she swung a punch at Darkseid. It landed and he barely registered it.
"Stupid," Darkseid commented as he hit Wonder Woman with a backhand that knocked her to the ground. Superman saw her body go nearly limp and he acted quickly by flying at Darkseid. He threw a punch that to his surprise was batted away. He threw another that was also easily batted away. "Weak."
"I don't..." Superman took a step back unsure of himself.
"You don't understand," Darkseid finished for him. "You have lived believing yourself to be the most powerful being on this planet."
Darkseid moved closer to Superman.
"That may have been true once..." Darkseid continued. "But no more."
Superman tried another punch but this time his whole hand was enveloped inside of Darkseid's much larger one. He felt pain as Darkseid began to squeeze. He was so focused on that he didn't see the other fist coming at his face until it hit him across the bridge of his nose. Superman heard a snap and he fell back, held up only by Darkseid's grip.
"Pathetic," Darkseid commented as he pulled Superman closer to him. He didn't see the sword plunging into his leg until it went all the way through. Darkseid loosed his grip on Superman and turned just as Wonder Woman pulled her sword out and stepped back. He glanced down at his leg and back up at her. "You... what are you?"
"Enough talking," Wonder Woman said, her tone very serious.
"Fine by me," Darkseid said as he swung a punch at her. She dodged it and stabbed her sword through his other leg. Darkseid let out a frustrated groan as he reached for her. She moved aside and retrieved her lasso. She tossed it across him and tightened the grip. She attempted to pull him to the ground but he straightened up and reached out to get a grip on the glowing rope. "What magic is this?"
Darkseid yanked the rope and pulled Wonder Woman into him. He punched her to the ground and she lost her grip on the lasso. He tossed the rope aside and grabbed her by the leg and lifted her off the ground. He slung her at the burning warehouse beside him and she disappeared into the flames.
Superman got to his feet just as Wonder Woman disappeared into the flames. He sped into the warehouse and found her lying on the ground surrounded by fire. He scooped her up and flew out of the warehouse. Once clear of the heat he lied her on the ground and glanced over to Darkseid who seemed to be watching the scene with much amusement.
Superman straightened up and raced over to Darkseid. This time he was quick enough to get a punch in. Darkseid seemed a bit taken back by the force of it and his footing shifted slightly. Superman hit another, then another, then another. It was a barrage of punches from the Man of Steel now as he continued to knock Darkseid back step by step.
"Enough," Darkseid said as he gathered his footing and shoulder butted back against Superman. The blow knocked him to the ground. Darkseid moved to stomp his head but Superman managed to roll clear just in time. He, however, was unable to avoid the punch that came from above as he stood. He saw the blood splatter on the ground beneath him as he spun around to all fours.
(****)
Bruce glanced over at Victor to see him still seemingly in a trance. He then turned his attention up to his shackles. He glanced higher to see how much clearance he had. Some quick calculations were done in his head before he began to make his body sway back and forth. He continually gained momentum until he finally felt his back graze the wall behind him.
He glanced up once more at the way he was shackled before he put his feet behind him and kicked off the wall. The momentum of it sent him up and over his shackles. He winced slightly as his arms had to bend unnaturally. The momentum sent him to the other side of his shackles and he was able to slip off the mechanism that had been holding him off the ground. He got his feet under him as he studied the cuffs holding his hands in front of him.
"Come on..." Bruce said under his breath as he fumbled around on his belt buckle as best he could with his cuffed hands. Eventually, he found the right spot to press and a device released from the buckle and fell into his hands. He pressed a button on the side of it. "Alfred?"
"Master Wayne?" Came Alfred's relieved reply from the small communicator. "Thank God you are alive."
"Don't celebrate prematurely, Alfred," Bruce responded. "You should be able to track the signal from this device now... I need you to send the jet..."
"Of course, getting your coordinates now," Alfred replied. "Sir... a lot has been going on."
"More than even you know, Alfred," Bruce responded. "Get the jet to me... and be prepared to receive some injured when it comes back."
"You are not returning with it?" Alfred questioned.
"I can't," Bruce said as he walked over to the window of the ship and peered down at the battle below him. "Just hurry."
(****)
Superman felt a hard thud across his shoulder blades that flattened his body out. He rolled over just as Darkseid reached down for him and pulled him off the ground. Darkseid held him up with one hand while he began to punch with the other. Superman was blacking out momentarily after each shot and he felt his pulse quicken and fight or flight kicked in harder than it ever had. He managed to bring both of his hands down on Darkseid's grip enough to break free.
Superman moved behind Darkseid and gripped him by the waist and then took flight. After they had gotten a good distance from the ground Darkseid broke free from his grip and turned him around to face him. He then punched Superman downwards to the ground below.
Superman had no time to catch himself before he crashed into the muddy earth. He looked up to see Darkseid slowly descending upon him. Something next to Darkseid caught his attention as well as he saw a familiar craft streak across the sky and away from him. He studied it for only a moment before rising to his feet. Superman straightened his battered body just as Darkseid landed in front of him.
"I must admit, Kryptonian... maybe I underestimated you," Darkseid stated. "Ultimately though... what will it matter?"
Darkseid started to step towards Superman but there was an explosion in front of his face that caused him to step back. Superman turned just as Batman landed next to him.
"Bruce..." Superman stated. Batman turned to him to see his bloodied state.
"Are you okay?" Batman questioned.
"You got to get out of here..." Superman said, moving to step in front of him. "He'll kill you."
"I'm not leaving, Clark," Batman said as locked eyes with him. Superman shook his head and turned to Darkseid who was emerging from the smoke of the explosion.
"Who do we have here?" Darkseid commented as took in the sight of the new challenger.
There was a loud yell from Darkseid's right as Wonder Woman came flying into the picture and slashed him across his chest with her sword. He stumbled back and raised his hand up to the wound. Wonder Woman fell in line between Superman and Batman.
"Diana..." Batman commented upon seeing her. He had never seen her in the state she was in. There was a nasty gash just above her left eye and blood coming from the side of her mouth.
"It's good to see you too," Wonder Woman replied before turning her attention back to a seething Darkseid. "He's strong... we need the others."
"Victor is... hurt," Batman responded using his words carefully. Superman glanced over at Aquaman's still limp body lying nearby next to the water.
"Arthur is..." Superman said with a gesture towards him.
"And Barry was barely alive when we left," Wonder Woman added.
"Well... it's up to us," Batman stated.
"The three of you won't be able to stop me," Darkseid said as he looked down the line at them. "I will find the box."
Superman moved first and grabbed an arm, while Wonder Woman did the same to the other. Batman retrieved a powerful explosive from his belt and placed it on Darkseid's chest just as he broke free from the grip of the other two heroes. He reached for the explosive as he detonated and a cloud of smoke filled the area.
Batman rolled clear and saw that both Superman and Wonder Woman had done the same. He studied the smoke for a moment before two glowing red eyes emerged from it and a large hand grabbed at him. Batman rolled away but was not quick enough and Darkseid grabbed his cape and swung him to the side and into Superman who was just getting to his feet.
Wonder Woman moved in and tackled Darkseid. She was able to scoot him through the mud before he brought an elbow down to the back of her neck. Wonder Woman's knee slammed hard into the cold mud beneath them as she attempted to hold steady. She raised up just as another elbow crashed across her back. This time both knees buckled.
Superman raced him to grab Darkseid's elbow before it could come down the third time. With a mighty heave he forced it upwards and in doing so raised Darkseid off his feet and to the ground. Superman knelt next to Wonder Woman and offered her his hand as she accepted his help back to her feet.
"Kal... watch out!" Diana said as she glanced up to see Darkseid had risen and was approaching them. She instinctively clashed her wrists together and the result of her bracelets connecting together sent a powerful shock wave and the knocked Darkseid backward and if not for a tree behind him he would have fallen once more.
"Impressive," Darkseid said as he straightened up to take in the still glowing bracelets as Diana lowered her arms.
"My turn," Batman's voice came from overhead as he flipped over him and unleashed a series of bombs reigning down on him, each exploding upon contact. Superman used the distraction as a chance to use his freeze breath on Darkseid. The ice began to encase his skin as he looked down at his body. He was able to break free and began to stalk towards Superman and Wonder Woman.
Batman grabbed Darkseid from behind in a feeble attempt at a rear chokehold. Darkseid reached up and grabbed him by the head and flipped him over his shoulder and to the feet of his teammates. Superman knelt down to check on him. He looked up just in time to see Darkseid's eyes glow a deep red and soon a beam shot out of them and came straight towards the group.
Superman got to his feet to absorb the blow but watched in horror as Wonder Woman instead moved in front of him and clasped her bracelets together to block the blast. Superman wasn't sure what was going to happen but his worst fears were realized when he saw the blast knock Wonder Woman's bracelets loose from each other and he moved quickly to push her clear and took the blast to his chest.
(****)
Bright light filled Aquaman's vision immediately upon opening his eyes. He squinted as he looked for the source of the bright light in the dark of the night. He felt the heat from above him and glanced over at the still burning warehouse to find the source for both. He gathered his bearings as he tried to remember where he was. He felt a throbbing in his head as he rolled over and attempted to push himself off the ground.
After some struggle and stumbling, Aquaman rose to his feet. He looked in front of him and his eyes widened in shock. He made his way over and fell back to a knee and rolled over a body that lied on the ground. There was charred flesh where there was once a symbol of hope. Aquaman glanced up at the face before moving over to the next limp body.
"Princess..." Aquaman aid, as he moved her hair out of her face. He was nearly manic now as he saw the state of her. His eyes moved from her face to a torn and broken cowl lying next to it. He picked it up in his hands and looked around frantically for it's owner. He spotted him lying facedown several feet away. Aquaman's eyes moved back and forth between the three before a guttural "no" came from deep within him.