Chapter 6: When Titans Clash
"Cain," Jean asked, "are you okay?" She had barely been able to slow him down, pushing him away from the hole as she did.
"I'm fine," he answered gruffly, sitting up. Despite her having slowed him down, his impact had caused yet another crater in the pavement. Standing, he rolled his shoulders, and pounded one massive fist into an equally massive palm. "I'm gonna rip 'im ta pieces," he said darkly, already moving forward.
"We've got a bigger problem," she replied, moving in the same direction. She paused momentarily, a question forming in her mind. "How was he able to hit you so far?"
He looked back at her, and asked, "Ya don't remember?"
"What?"
"Ya once did it ta me – long time ago. Lifted me straight up off the ground." He continued forward. "But, I dunno how he knew what ta do."
"Did he say anything," Jean asked.
He paused, seemingly deciding whether he should share or not. "He said 'So that's what happened to Cytorrak's avatar'." He looked back at her, questioningly. "What were ya gonna say 'bout a bigger problem?"
- - - -
"We're going to need to evacuate all of the people around here," Warlock restated. Even as he spoke, the rubble moved, shifting as the being below grew in size. "BACK UP," he yelled, moving slowly backwards.
"What is it," Supergirl asked beside him.
The pile of rubble suddenly exploded, a massive creature stepping out, his face an angry snarl. "The Hulk," he replied simply.
The creature known simply as the Hulk turned, looking in the opposite direction of the gathered heroes. Superman had been hovering down the street, watching everything in curiosity. On seeing the other man, the Hulk said simply, "Blue Man try hurt Tessa. Hulk SMASH Blue Man!!!" He cocked his powerful legs, and easily leaped into the air towards Superman. But, even as he did so, Superman rushed forward, his shoulder plowing into the Hulk's mid-section.
The two veritable titans flew overhead, as the Hulk's gigantic fists pounded into Superman's back. The force of the blows sent then careening towards the ground, the pavement splintering beneath them as they landed.
"Shit," Warlock cursed, dry-washing his face. "This is going to be bad."
"What are you so worried about," the young woman next to him asked.
"Collateral damage," Batman answered stoically. He turned towards the X-Men, "What are we dealing with?"
"Imagine a being with potentially limitless strength, a temper, and the mind of a child," Emma answered coolly. "And further imagine that anything that does harm to him doesn't for long."
Batman looked at her in askance, "Any weaknesses?" Even as he asked, Superman punched the Hulk in the chest, sending the gamma-empowered being backwards. He landed several more blows, sending the behemoth backwards into a wall. As the Kryptonian lashed out again, the Hulk caught his arm. Grabbing one of the other man's legs, the Hulk swung Superman in a circle, picking up momentum. He let go of the brightly-clad alien, sending him tumbling through the air, his body clipping the top of a six-story building. As the Kryptonian's body fell out of view, the Hulk leapt into the air, going after his new opponent.
- - - -
Unknown Location
Amanda Waller sat at her desk, going over the latest progress reports.
For the last few months, she had been working as head of this laboratory. But, despite having been giving a position of power, she knew beyond a doubt this was a demotion. If she wanted proof, she only had to look at the work she was overseeing.
Previously, she had been head of a research facility that was on the cutting edge of technology. As head of Cadmus, she'd been working on ways to give the American government a fighting chance in case the Justice League ever went rogue. But, everything fell apart when Lex Luthor betrayed her. Or, rather, Luthor/Brainiac. In the aftermath of that fiasco, she'd been given a choice: resign completely, or get reassigned. Though she detested the fact that she no longer had the influence she had, the decision had been easier than she would have thought.
But, then Eiling, the idiot, had to go and take that serum. Having made himself into a monster, he had challenged the League, only to realize he had become that which he hated most. No one had heard of what had happened to him since then. There were rumors, however, that he might be somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. But, there were no confirmed sightings.
Despite all of this, she still had her ear to the wall. She still had her contacts. She also had a patch into satellite feeds, as well as an inside man in the new Cadmus initiative.
"Ma'am?" A technician had come into her office, a slightly distressed look on his face.
"Yes," Waller answered, looking up.
"We're getting preliminary reports of an incident in Metropolis. It seems Superman is fighting an unknown opponent, one our database has no record of."
"Are they moving a satellite into position?"
"Yes, ma'am," he answered. "It should be overhead in about ten minutes."
"Good," she answered. "Get me a patch into the feed."
- - - -
Metropolis
As the heroes watched the two combatants fell out of view, Wonder Woman emerged out of the bank, none the worse for wear.
"Princess," Batman asked. As he asked, Jean and Cain returned to the group. They were just in time to see the Amazonian princess return, floating down to the ground.
"I'm fine," Diana replied. The short answer and question nagged at the back of Jean's mind. Something in the way the dark-clad man said the single word made her think there might be something between the two. But, what exactly triggered that idea, she could not say.
"What are this thing's weaknesses," Batman asked again, speaking to the entire group of X-Men.
"He has very few weaknesses," came the voice of the Professor. While everyone else had been fighting physically, he'd still been in Superman's mind, trying to stave off the creature. But, he'd been pushed out of the Kryptonian's mind violently, causing him to lose consciousness briefly. But, he'd woken up in time to see what had happened between the Hulk and Superman. "He is further empowered by both radiation, and an increasing anger level. Our only course of action is to calm him down," he continued. "However, that is much easier said than done.
"But, we have a bigger problem. The creature that is in control of your friend," he motioned towards Batman and Wonder Woman, "is extremely powerful." He paused momentarily, gathering his thoughts. "It does not care about the casualties it causes, and has a bloodlust. The Hulk, on the other hand, does not generally harm people intentionally."
"So, we have one who may attack people intentionally, and one that may not realize that people are being hurt," Diana said succinctly.
"We need to get them out of the city," Psylocke said. "Otherwise, we'll have a right big mess."
"I'll take any volunteers," Diana said, easily taking charge.
Warlock turned to his teammates, motioning towards Rogue. "Rogue, go with her. Take Colossus and Juggernaut."
"Sure thing, sugah," the southern belle answered, as the other two powerhouses moved towards her.
"He's my cousin," Supergirl volunteered. "We have the same powers … I might be able to help."
"Watch yourselves," Batman said gruffly. But, between the lines, he meant to be careful not to hurt innocent people around them. It would be much too easy for anyone of the powerful to accidentally hurt someone in their battle.
Supergirl and Rogue each took a proffered hand of the Juggernaut's, lifting the gargantuan man. Diana took Colossus, the five of them flying in the direction of the raging, titanic struggle. As they went off, the Juggernaut could be heard saying, "Finally, round two."
"But, that not withstanding, does not solve the problem of the possession of Superman," the Professor said.
"There may be a way," Sage suddenly spoke. "But, it won't be easy."
- - - -
As the five powerful heroes crested over the buildings into the next street, the Hulk and Superman continued their battle.
Superman landed a punch to the Hulk's right cheek, sending the green behemoth reeling. The possessed Kyrptonian capitalized, rushing his larger opponent, a powerful fist connecting with the gamma-powered powerhouse. The Hulk's body flew backwards, crashing into an apartment building, the lobby and first floor collapsing under the force. Dust billowed out from the gaping hole in the building, obscuring what was happening behind it.
Suddenly, a massive green form leapt out of the dust, its fists clenched together in a hammer. The Hulk's fists came down on Superman's chest, knocking the other man to the ground. Without missing a beat, Superman kicked out, aiming for the Hulk's knees. His left foot connected, a massive thunder-crack echoing throughout the street as the Jade Giant's patella fractured under the stress. The Hulk fell to his knee, his anger growing even as he did so.
The solar-powered Superman stood up, a snarl on his lips. He put his face in the Hulk's, grabbing his throat. "Face it, you insipid oaf," he said, increasing the pressure in his hand, "you are not as powerful as me." It was only a moment later, he realized he said the wrong thing.
The Hulk burst upwards, breaking the hold the other man had on his neck, his knee fully healed. "Hulk is strongest," he roared. "Hulk is STRONGEST THERE IS!!!!!" He pulled his arms wide, and brought them together in a massive thunderclap. The pressure wave knocked Superman back almost twenty feet, his trajectory gouging out a piece of pavement. On either side of them, cars that had been abandoned in advance of the fight were thrown off their wheels, their alarms blaring impotently.
"By Hera," Diana said, seeing the destruction the two of them had caused in such a short amount of time.
"Toldja it'd be bad," Juggernaut said.
"Cain," Rogue asked.
"Put me down first," he replied, already knowing what she wanted. Rogue motioned to Supergirl to lower the giant of a man. They set him down on the ground, Diana and Colossus following shortly behind them. Rogue took off one of her gloves, and placed her hand on the Juggernaut's bare arm, absorbing some of his strength. As she held her hand in place, her eyes began to glow a bright, dark blue – the same color as his armor.
She turned to the others, and said, "The Hulk'll get stronger throughout the fight; the more he's hurt, the stronger he'll get."
"Then," Diana said, "we must do our best to not engage him." The possessed Superman stood up, and floating towards the larger Hulk, locked the powerful humanoid in a grapple in a titanic test of strength. Their shoulders lowered as they pushed against each other, and struggled for purchase, their feet tearing up the pavement as if nothing more than tissue paper. The two began circling, trying to push the other to the ground.
It was the Hulk that finally fell to the ground. But, the being that was inside Superman had swept a foot beneath the Hulk as the green behemoth picked up a leg, causing him to lose balance.
"Now," Diana said, turning to Supergirl. The younger woman took off in a burst of speed, needing no further prompting.
But, the Professor must not have been able to prevent the creature from accessing all of Superman's speed. He still hadn't let go of the Hulk, and in the moment that it took the young woman to reach him, he pulled the Hulk into her path. Her fist connected with his shoulder, instantly dislocating it. The force of the blow turned him around to face the young woman now floating in front of him.
In the moment it took her to realize her mistake, not only had the Hulk's shoulder healed, but he had also made a grab for her. Two massive hands wrapped around her ankles, binding them together. He began turning, picking up momentum, her head scratching out a piece of pavement. He let her go, her body disappearing as she sailed across the city.
Superman, however, had not been sitting idly. Taking advantage of the Jade Giant's shift of attention, he blitzed him, his shoulder driving into the larger being's back. He aimed towards the same apartment building, and with a sudden stop, let the Hulk collide with the fifth floor. The Hulk's massive body arced towards the ground, crashing easily to the basement. As his body hit the foundation, the building seemingly decided it could take no more, and collapsed in on itself, dust and debris flying into the air.
The powerful hero turned towards the others, his face twisted into an evil smirk. "You will all fall before me, lessers," the being said, his voice full of darkness.
"Do not be so sure, comrade," Colossus cried. Superman turned, just in time for an abandoned bus to hit him in the chest. The solar-powered alien easily took the brunt of the blow, rocking slightly from the blow.
"You must do better than that to defeat me," he yelled. Easily picking up the remains of the ruined bus, he threw them at the armored mutant. The bus struck him in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground, the momentum of the bus sending him sliding across the pavement.
"Get out of him, now," Diana suddenly cried, speeding towards him, Rogue on her heels. In movements too fast for the human eye, the Amazonian landed a flurry of punches across his face, and abdomen. With each blow, his body was rocked backwards, each blow powerful enough to shatter whole buildings. But, her attack had been a diversion.
Before he could attack her, Rogue landed behind him, and held him in a full nelson. "Sugah, Ah'd listen to what she's sayin'. It ain't gonna get easier for ya."
"That's what you think, human," he replied. He shot his head back, catching her in the face. She reeled from the blow, but still held him tightly.
"I ain't about to let ya go," Rogue answered. As she spoke, a red energy began coalescing around Superman, pulsing with his heartbeat. Something about the energy began affecting the powerful mutant, her teeth gritting in pain. "What are y'all doin' ta me," she cried, as the pain intensified. A moment passed before the pain became too much, taking over her entire train of thought. Her grip around him loosened as the pain intensified.
Rogue bent over in pain, her arms hugging her stomach, tears flowing from her eyes. He took the opportunity, and grabbed her by the hair, raising her over his head. "Now, you see your efforts are futile," he gloated.
Diana rushed forward, her fists cocked, intent on rescuing the other woman from his grasp. But, in the moment it took her to reach him, he had turned, and thrown Rogue towards the Amazon. The powerful heroine struggled to stop, and catch the weakened mutant. But, Rogue was moving too fast, and instead of being caught, she collided in mid-air with the dark-haired warrior. The force of the collision sent them flying backwards, their bodies tumbling over each other, their limbs intertwined. Their trajectory sent them into the eighteenth floor of an office building, glass and steel falling to the ground as they did so.
Superman looked on, a satisfied smile crossing his mouth. But, while he was enjoying his victory, another powerful had approached from behind. "Time for round two," came the Juggernaut's rough voice.
He turned in time to have a massive fist strike him in the chest, sending him careening into an abandoned delivery van. The van couldn't handle the force of the fall, and seemingly collapsed in on itself. A moment later, the Kryptonian stood up holding half of the mutilated van in each hand. He threw them in succession, hoping to slow down the armored behemoth before him.
The Juggernaut batted the pieces of van away easily, as a normal man would a fly. And he continued forward, knowing there was nothing the powerful man before him could do to stop him.
The Kryptonian launched a series of punches against the magically-empowered man, each powerful enough to turn a lesser man into nothing more than jelly. But, the Juggernaut continued forward, unfazed. Superman charged towards the larger man, his fist cocked to deliver a singularly powerful blow. The Juggernaut easily stopped the blow, a massive hand hitting the other man in the side, sending him crashing to the ground.
Superman's body made a crease in the pavement, slowing him down. He stood up, intense anger glowing behind eyes … only to hear rubble shifting behind the Juggernaut. The possessed hero turned his attention to the shifting, remembering exactly who was buried there. Rubble and debris suddenly exploded outward as a familiar, gigantic green figure leapt to the street.
The Hulk stepped forward, his titanic muscles flexing as steel cables beneath his skin. He roared, his entire being a fount of pure rage. "Hulk smash Blue Man," he proclaimed, his lips drawn back, baring his teeth.
The Juggernaut took Superman's turn of attention to his advantage, surging forward. The caped hero turned too late, only to see a massive, armored fist strike his face. The former avatar of Cytorrak let loose with an uppercut to the other man's jaw. The punch was so powerful, the Kryptonian's body flew into the air, becoming a speck in the air as he traversed the city. The Hulk, seeing Superman fly through the sky, jumped after him, his powerful legs pistoning him into the air.
"Where'd ya send him," Rogue asked, as she landed next to the Juggernaut.
"That way," he pointed vaguely.
Diana landed next to him, and added, "That's not good."
"Ya wanted 'im outta the city," he protested. "Why ain't it good?"
"The interstate is that way," a deep voice suddenly answered. They turned almost as one, to see the dark figure of Batman standing behind them.
"Ya coulda told us not to make 'em go that way," he said, his gruff voice full of agitation.
"Cain," Warlock's voice suddenly spoke, "the rest of us didn't know either until he went flying that way." The big man turned toward the voice, seeing the co-leader of the X-Men. Beside him, Psylocke and Sage stood, with Shayera standing next to Batman.
"Y'all got a plan," Rogue asked, landing before them. "'Cause this ain't workin' too well."
"It won't be easy," Psylocke answered. "But, we don't have a choice." The six of them began explaining the plan to the other heroes already present. The group of them listened as the plan was laid out, many internally groaning at what they had to do.
"This will not be easy," Colossus stated pensively, a moment later.
"No, it will not," Diana replied conversationally.
A massive boom suddenly drew their attention towards the area where Superman and the Hulk where fighting. A cloud of dust mushroomed into the sky, filling what little they could see that way.
"We should've been following them," Diana stated, readying to fly towards the melee.
"And that would have caused even more destruction," Batman replied stoically. Another boom caught their attention … as a building close to the highway suddenly collapsed, something having gone through it. As if they were massive dominoes, several more buildings began falling; the same something having sailed through them. Several moments later, a building on the other side of the street shook, as a massive green projectile was belched forth from the edifice's innards.
The Hulk landed no more than ten yards from them, coming to rest against the building next to them. Across the street, the building through which he had been thrown began to topple, his sheer size and momentum leaving too large a gap for it to handle. Yet another dust cloud erupted, adding on to the others, becoming a veritable roiling fog of debris. The dark cloud blocked the street, preventing anyone from seeing anything. It was out of this cloud that Superman burst.
He blitzed out of the cloud, and headed straight for the Hulk. Landing several punches in a row, the Kryptonian drove the larger being into the building, glass and debris falling to the ground as they fought inside.
"Damn," Warlock swore. "Looks like we're gonna have to step up our plan." He looked around to everyone gathered. "I hope everybody's ready."
"We're ready," came Shayera's confident reply, the Thanagarian's wings flaring in unsettlement.
"Whenever you're ready," Warlock said, turning towards the Juggernaut. Almost as if they'd heard what they were saying, the fight spilled out onto the street. Superman's body soared out of the building, colliding with the rubble across the street. Following closely, the Hulk stepped out of the gaping hole at the base of the building, his face pulled into a snarl. "Move. Now," came the X-Man's command.
- - - -
When Warlock spoke the command, Juggernaut immediately moved towards the Kryptonian.
The powerful hero noticed, his attention shifting from the Hulk's bulk to that of the Juggernaut. "You wish to play once again, Imp of Cyttorak," he asked, his lips pulled back menacingly.
"Ya really gotta work on insultin' people," Juggernaut replied, continuing forward. Superman stood, his feet lifting off the ground, preparing to blitz. A rustle of feathers caught his attention just before he charged forward, someone landing behind him.
He turned, only to see Shayera standing behind him, her mace crackling with energy. With a mighty war cry, she struck him in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground. A formerly invisible shield of magical energy appeared around his body, glowing with crimson energy. Where the mace had collided with him, cracks had appeared, and had now started to spiderweb out. The shield fell apart as nothing more than a tinted window, the energy dissipating as it hit the ground.
"You have not stop-", Superman began, vehemently. His sentence was cut short when Batman appeared out of nowhere, brandishing the piece of kryptonite he kept in his belt.
"It's time we end this," Batman said stoically, holding the glowing rock in front of him. The possessed Superman fell backwards to the ground, his strength leaving him to the simple piece of rock. He lay on his side, his face pallid with a cold sweat, his hair plastered to his head. But, his eyes suddenly glowed with crimson energy, the shield that had been over his body seemingly growing back. A glimmer of red light spread downwards from his head, once again protecting him.
"You did not think it would be so easy," Superman asked sinisterly. He stood up slowly, his fists clenched.
"Actually, tovarisch, we did," came an accented voice. Superman turned, only to see a silver blur collide with him, sending him crashing to the ground. Colossus began pounding on the powerful alien, his massive fists striking against the other man's chest and face.
Easily taking the blows, Superman simply reached up a single arm, and with a single violent movement, sent the Russian sliding across the ground. Colossus' metal skin sparked as he slid across the pavement, ever so slowly stopping his movement. As he stopped, the big mutant stood, and shook off the blow … one that would have liquefied just about anyone else.
Superman rolled over, his gaze on the two League members before him. "You will not stop me," he stated, overconfident.
A massive shadow suddenly fell over him. Before he could react, powerful arms wrapped him in a full Nelson. A massive form squatted over him, arcing his back upwards, straining his muscles. "Now yer mine," came Juggernaut's gruff voice.
- - - -
When Warlock spoke the command, the others had moved to intercept the Hulk.
Sage walked calmly towards the Hulk, the others behind her. They were only there if she could not calm him down; there had only been one person, to her knowledge, that had ever been able to always calm him. But, she knew it was highly improbable for his dead wife to suddenly show up in the middle of the street in an entirely different dimension. "We can only hope this will work," she said over her shoulder to Rogue and Diana.
As the Hulk stepped forward into the street, Sage crossed into his peripheral vision. His massive head turned towards her, his entire countenance calming almost instantaneously. "Tessa," he asked, confused. He looked towards Superman, who was now combating against Colossus. "But, Blue Man hurt Tessa," he proclaimed, anger creeping back into his voice.
"No," she said, close enough to touch him. A single hand reached to his forearm; her fingers, stretched to the maximum, could barely fit around the curve of his musculature. "It wasn't him," she said. "It was what was in him," she continued.
He looked confused again, seemingly trying to figure out what she was saying. Realization seemed to dawn on him as he asked, "Red Worm Thing?"
"Yes," she answered.
He turned back towards Superman, bristling. "Red Worm Thing try hurt Tessa! Red Worm Thing try hurt Blue Man! Hulk hate Red Worm Thing!"
Next to the technopath, Diana, seeing the look in his eyes, knew that if Tessa did not have her hand on his arm, the Hulk would have attacked. Her attention was shifted when she heard a gruff voice say loudly, "Now yer mine."
"Now, it's our turn," Psylocke said, walking towards the captive Superman. She unsheathed her sword, the blade shining in the light. Beside her, Warlock had done the same. Standing before the Kryptonian, they held their swords before them, concentrating.
"Here goes nothing," Warlock said. As he spoke, their swords came alive with energy. The ancient lettering engraved in the metal began glowing an eerie red, electrical sparks beginning to run up and down the blades. They drew their swords back, the energy gaining strength.
They looked at each other, and nodded, clenching their jaws, hoping it would work. They plunged their swords into the Kryptonian's chest … but the blades seemd to turn to pure glowing energy just as they hit his flesh. Superman's head rocked backwards in pain, the same white energy around the blades bleeding out of his clenched teeth. Red energy coalesced in his eyes … but it was not his heat vision.
The white energy seemed to increase in brilliance, an bright flash bursting from the blades. The red energy in Superman's eyes began to diminish, being replaced with the white energy. As the white energy fully took the place of the red, Warlock and Psylocke withdrew their swords from his chest. The bright light vanished immediately, bright spots remaining in their vision.
A moment later, a red blur flew out of Superman's chest, seemingly leaving a trail of smoke. Superman's head lolled to one side, unconscious, his chest smoking from the massive amount of energy being used.
Warlock and Psylocke followed the red blur with their vision, only to see a … red worm-like thing. It was perhaps a foot long, with small foot-like appendages on its underside. Its front ended with tentacles that came to a point, giving it an almost squid-like appearance. The tentacles opened to reveal a beaked mouth surrounded by small black teeth. It hissed, and began chattering in agitation. The tentacles closed as it turned, clumsily moving across the pavement. A single tentacle raised, undulating as it did so. It fully closed again, and suddenly blasted away with a burst of red energy.
The burst of energy sent the worm flying towards the Hulk. Before the massive powerhouse could react, the creature collided with his titanic chest. As the creature collided, a burst of blue energy erupted from the Hulk, repelling the creature. The worm landed on the ground, the Hulk advancing on it. "Hulk HATE Red Worm Thing!!!"
The worm thing chattered again, backing up, as best it could, from the large green being. It began turning again, going through the same process. In another burst of red energy, it soared towards the Juggernaut, hoping to possess him. The worm crashed into the man's armor, and bounced off in another direction as nothing more than a rubber ball.
The worm sailed through the air … on a collision course with Colossus. It hit the Russian's metal chest with a wet thud, followed by the sound of searing flesh. The worm screeched in pain, as it fell to the ground, smoke rising from its body.
"Kill it," came Sage's voice. "Piotr, you must kill it."
"I…," he began, picking it up. As he grasped it, it began to smoke again, a wailing shriek coming out of its small body. The suddenness of the sound startled him, causing him to flex his fist. As he accidentally crushed the worm, its innards oozed out of its body … even as it began to carbonize. As he opened his hand, what was left of the creature floated into the air, flakes of black ash falling to the ground. "I did not mean to," he said, shaken from the sound of the creature's pain.
"Ya did good, Petey," Logan said, putting a hand on the larger man's shoulder.
"If you had not killed it," Tessa said, "it would have possessed someone else. That is what it was … a parasite."
The group of heroes was finally able to have a respite from all the fighting, the street around them suddenly very quiet. In the abrupt, thunderous silence, sirens could be heard in the distance, ambulances and police rushing to various emergencies throughout the city. Behind them, the buildings that had collapsed gave way to piles of rubble, pressurized streams of water spouting out of the wreckage.
"My God," Jake said, surprised. Hundreds of voices suddenly inundated his mind, becoming a cacophony of thoughts. He winced in pain … many of the voices seemed to be those of the injured around them.
Oh, God, I'm trapped .… I can't feel my legs …. Is that blood? …. Ah, fuck, I think she's dead! …. I'm dying, oh god I'm dying I wish I'd told Samantha I was sorry….
Jake looked up, and to his surprise, saw Betsy and Logan wincing from the massive sensory input. "We have to do something," Jake said.
"Yes, we do," Betsy replied. Her tone of voice said something that her words could not. Jake looked at her in surprise, his eyes wide. But, he slowly seemed to acquiesce, nodding ever so slightly.
"We need to try," he said, taking her arms in his.
"Yes, we need to at least try," she replied. They leaned their foreheads against each other, their forearms in each other's hands. Energy began to crackle along their forearms, sparking between their arms. As the emerald energy reached the mid-point between their arms, it began to form a small ball. As more energy crossed the center, the ball grew in size, the green energy becoming speckled with silver.
"They're gonna kill themselves," Rogue suddenly said, realizing what they were doing. "We gotta stop 'em."
"What are they doing," Diana asked, shielding her eyes as the light increased.
"They're tryin' ta fix what happened," Logan answered. "But, it didn't work all that great last time."
"Yeah," Rogue said, "they almost died, and they weren't able to fix everythin'."
"Then what are we waiting for," Shayera asked, heaving her mace.
"NO," Sage warned. But it was too late. Shayera swung her mace, meaning to strike the ball of energy. As her swing arced down, an almost translucent green energy shield erupted over their bodies. The electricity running the surface of her mace backfired as it hit the magical shield, sending the mace's energy coursing through her. Her body flew backwards from the power, landing on the ground several feet away. Smoke drifted up from her body, scorch marks on her hands.
But, before they could come to her aid, the green ball of energy suddenly grew outwards. It encompassed both Betsy and Jake, magical energy coursing around them. The light became blindingly bright, appearing almost as a nuclear explosion. And, in less time than it takes for the blink of an eye, the energies violently exploded outward. A great wall of emerald light washed over them, encompassing everything.
- - - -
Fifteen Minutes Later
Amanda Waller was sitting behind her desk when the same technician she spoke with earlier came into her office.
"Well," she asked, turning to look as the young man.
"Ma'am," he began, "we've been having trouble with the video." He shrank as he spoke, afraid of her wrath.
"You have nothing then," she asked, her face screwing into a scowl.
"Oh, no, ma'am, not at all," he replied. He had an extremely nasally voice, one that she found grated on her nerves. "We do have the audio tap, ma'am, and we have the last few images our satellites took." She looked at him questioningly, expecting the photos. "Oh, sorry," he said, nervously, placing a manila folder on her desk.
She opened the folder, and spread the pictures out in front of her. "This is quite extraordinary," she said after a moment, looking up at the tech.
"Ma'am," he asked. She looked up at him questioningly. "Look at the time codes."
She looked down to the lower right hand corner of the pictures. She rearranged them, showing them in the correct order. As she studied the pictures in the correct order, the blood drained from her face. "What," she began, stumbling for the words. "What," she began again, "have they decided?"
"They've reactivated Cadmus," the tech replied. "They've put General Russell Thornton in charge."
"Thank you," she answered. "You're dismissed." As the young man left, she looked at the pictures again, struggling to comprehend what she saw.
In the first picture, a man and a woman were standing against each other, their arms entwined. Around them, the streets were strewn with rubble, buildings demolished.
In the second picture, a massive green light took up the entire picture, preventing anything else from showing up.
In the third picture, the couple had collapsed on the ground. But, around them, there was no rubble. There was no debris. All the buildings, the streets, everything … was exactly as it had been several hours earlier.