BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. YOUNG JUSTICE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S BELONG TO ME, AND THEY ARE MY PUPPETS, BOUND TO MY WILL FOR ALL ETERNITY… HUH, THAT GOT KINDA DARK.
Welcome back, everyone! Last chapter, things started going the heroes' way, though not completely. Here's more action, stuff exploding, and tension!
Unlimited Justice, Part 2
Chapter 7
Gods, Demons, and Heroes, Part 4
New Genesis, January 25, 16:04 EST (Earth Time)
What had once been a peaceful, idyllic part of a forest was now a warzone. Dozens of trees had been ripped from the ground and shattered into splinters, stone was blasted to dust, and craters dozens of feet deep had been dug into the ground.
The fact that neither of the two people responsible for the destruction was seriously hurt was a testament to their skill and power.
Angel glared hatefully at her opponent, her transforming weapon—now in its sphere-like state—orbiting around her like a satellite, occasionally firing off beams of energy.
Raven didn't even move to dodge the incoming attack, simply standing there with her arms crossed. Just before the beams hit, black portals opened up in front of her, swallowing the energy, banishing it to a pocket dimension. In response, Raven launched a bolt of black energy at Angel, whose weapon transformed into a domed shield that deflected the attack into the ground, creating yet another crater.
A short distance away from the combatants, Warhawk stood protectively between the fighting and his injured teammates. Ship was starting to come to, but wouldn't be in any shape to fight for a while longer, and Miss Martian was still unconscious, though it looked like her injuries were healing faster. Serifan was groggy from his beating, but was able to hold his pistols in shaky hands.
Seeker, while the most injured, was starting to work past her pain and use her brain again. She couldn't help fight—and if she was as hurt as she felt, she'd probably be off missions for at least a few weeks—but she still had a job to do. Thankfully, her holo-computer was undamaged, so she resumed her task of finding out what Nirvana was.
Still, she couldn't help but look up at the fight from time to time. While she was starting to build up her friendships on the Team, she and Raven had realized that they had a lot in common shortly after meeting. Other than Ken and Cyborg, Seeker was reasonably sure that Raven was her closest friend on the Team.
Angel smiled cruelly as her weapon went back to its sphere-form. "We seem to be evenly matched."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "You're just realizing this now? We've been fighting almost nonstop for the last twenty minutes."
"Oh, please," Angel scoffed, "I've been holding back. You said that you were a real demon, and I wanted to see what you mean by that. So far, I'm disappointed."
Raven's expression didn't change. "You won't be for long."
Angel's own expression darkened; her weapon turned into a giant sword, which she swung at Raven's neck as she lunged. Rather than be decapitated, Raven disappeared in a cloud of black feathers.
"Is that all you have?" Angel mocked, "Cheap tricks? And here I thought I'd be entertained, not bored."
When Raven didn't reply, or even reappear, Angel turned her attention to Warhawk, who raised his fists to defend the others.
"It seems the demon has run away," Angel said with false sweetness, "I guess I'll move on to the rest of you before hunting her down."
Just as she pulled her sword back, a giant clawed hand, made of black energy, grabbed her wrists and threw her to the side.
"If you ever try to hurt them again," a deep, menacing voice growled, "it'll be the last thing you ever do."
Angel turned to the source of the voice; for the first time in years, she felt a twinge of fear.
…
"Artemis, you must stop!" Vykin called out.
Artemis didn't listen; she kept running in the direction she'd seen Kid Flash go. She had to find him; he had been hurt when he'd tackled Racer away, and that explosion might have hurt him further. A tiny part of her mind suggested that he might be—she ruthlessly quashed those thoughts. She refused to believe it. Barry was alive; he had to be.
"Artemis, please wait!"
"Why!?" Artemis called out over her shoulder, barely glancing at Vykin. "Every second we waste is another second that Kid Flash needs our help!"
Vykin reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Artemis…"
"Let go!" Artemis thrashed, but Vykin was stronger.
"You need to listen to me," Vykin said calmly, "You have a communicator, correct?"
Artemis pulled the small device in question out of her ear. "Yeah, but Kid Flash's must have been damaged; I can't reach him!"
"That isn't what I mean," Vykin said, remarkably patient, considering how Artemis had treated him, "When I use my powers, I move earth and stone by influencing the metallic fragments present. I can feel the metal within. If I adjust to how the metal in your communicator feels…"
"You can find KF's!" Artemis finished, practically shoving the communicator into Vykin's hand. "Do it!"
Vykin closed his eyes for several seconds; one hand was gripped around the communicator, while the other began pointing, almost of its own accord, slightly to the right of where they'd been running.
"I believe he is within five hundred meters," Vykin said.
"You 'believe'?" Artemis asked.
"His communicator is there," Vykin said, then looked rueful, "However, I cannot tell if he has it on him."
"It's a good place to start," Artemis said and began running again, "Come on!"
Despite the injuries they'd sustained that day, both teens were in good-enough shape to run the distance in just a few minutes. It didn't take them long to find Kid Flash; he was sprawled out over some rocks at the bank of a river, water running over his legs. Artemis was about to wade through the river to get to him, but Vykin stopped her once again.
"My way will be faster," he said, raising a platform of earth for them to stand on, which he floated across the river, "And it is less wet."
Artemis gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Vykin."
"You are most…" Vykin sighed when Artemis vaulted off the platform when they were close enough, landing near Kid Flash and sprinting over to him. "… welcome."
"Come on, Barry, please be alive," Artemis whispered as she pulled Kid Flash out of the water and rolled him onto his back. "You can't… you still owe me dinner, you idiot!"
Artemis had never been one to pray, but she started reciting some old psalms in her mind as she checked Kid Flash's vitals. To her relief, he had a pulse, he was breathing, and thanks to his accelerated metabolism, he was already starting to heal. It would take a few days to recover from the cuts and bruises, and maybe a couple of weeks more if he had any fractures, but he would survive.
"He's alive!" Artemis announced.
"That's wonderful," Vykin said, "Now all we have to do is wait for him to recover further, and then we can move him away from the battle. I don't believe that either of us is capable of continuing the battle."
Artemis nodded absently as she ran her hand through Kid Flash's hair. After a few seconds of this, the speedster's eyes fluttered open.
"Hey, beautiful," he said weakly, reaching up to brush his gloved hand across Artemis' cheek, "I'm not dead, am I?"
"I don't know, tell me if this hurts." Artemis flicked her boyfriend's nose.
"Ow."
"Then you're alive," Artemis said, then adjusted herself so that Kid Flash's head was resting in her lap. "But if you ever scare me like that again, you won't be."
Vykin looked from one Human to the other. "Do I… need to give you some privacy?"
Artemis and Kid Flash blushed and sputtered denials; apparently, they'd already forgotten about the New God.
"So, uh," Kid Flash tried sitting up, but between Artemis' iron grip on his shoulders and his own protesting ribs, he gave up, "what did I miss?"
"I am uncertain," Vykin said, then pulled out a Motherbox and fiddled with it for a few seconds. "I believe that another of the Six Demons has been defeated, but the signals to the Motherboxes assigned to the other Forever People are distorted… or are gone entirely."
Artemis and Kid Flash shared a concerned look before Artemis spoke. "I'm sure your friends are okay, Vykin, and I bet the Six Demons will be taken down soon."
"The Six Demons, maybe," Kid Flash said in a shaky voice, "Brainiac, not so much."
"What are you talking about?" Artemis asked; she followed Kid Flash's pointing finger to across the river.
There, Brainiac was staring at them.
"Oh, we're so dead," Kid Flash whispered.
…
With time running out, Ken had been forced to reluctantly leave Cyborg behind, guarded only by a recovering Safari and the two injured Forever People. Along with Starfire and Sergeant Marvel, Ken flew towards the only lead they now had: a mass of darkness near the center of the forest, which had been steadily growing for the past few minutes.
"So Brain wanted to use the power of your transformation to fuel some Apokoliptan ritual to bring back Brainiac?" Ken asked Sergeant Marvel.
"I know, I'm sorry," Sergeant Marvel said, looking miserable, "If I'd known that that was what they were planning, I never would have gone with them."
Ken sighed. "Forget about it. You saved our lives, and anyone back home will tell you that you did the right thing. Hopefully, if we can destroy Brainiac before he gets too powerful, that's all anyone will say."
"And if we cannot destroy the Brainiac?" Starfire asked.
Ken smiled, though there wasn't any humor in it. "Then we'll be dead; I think a lecture would be kinda pointless then."
"Is he really that dangerous?" Starfire looked uncertain, and Ken didn't blame her; after all, the Team had saved the world a few times, along with the entire Justice League.
"Look, when he merged with Lex Luthor—" Ken raised an eyebrow when Sergeant Marvel blanched. "It's not like that. Anyway, they were pretty much God; if the League hadn't stopped them, they would have destroyed the entire universe. I don't know if this new Brainiac is that powerful, but if Sergeant Marvel is right, than he's stronger than he used to be. We can't risk him getting away; we find him, destroy him, and then we get back to the mission."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire forest began to shake. Trees and boulders toppled, crumbled or, to the heroes' alarm, flew through the air. Where the mass of darkness once was, a massive… Ken couldn't be sure if it was a vehicle, or a walking city! It stood on six enormous cable-like legs; each leg was attached to a giant circular body, which was topped with large, angular blocks. In the center, a long spire rose above all else.
For a long moment, Ken couldn't think; if he'd been completely Human, he probably wouldn't have been able to breathe.
"Well," he said finally, "they don't do anything small here, do they?"
He wasn't kidding; the giant machine in front of them was easily a thousand feet tall, and probably weighed as much as a small mountain.
Sergeant Marvel swallowed. "I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say that that's Nirvana."
"I am not sure that we can destroy that… thing in time to stop it," Starfire said, "What should we do?"
Ken hesitated for a moment. "If Brainiac's with the Six Demons, we'll probably find him there. If he's not… well, I guess this takes priority. We'll find Brainiac after we're done."
"If he doesn't find us first," Sergeant Marvel muttered.
…
"What do we do?" Artemis asked quietly.
"I have no clue," Kid Flash replied. "Brainiac is kinda out of our league."
"I could try opening a Boom-Tube," Vykin offered, "but we would have to move quickly once it opens."
"KF isn't in any shape to move, quickly or otherwise!" Artemis protested.
"Besides," Kid Flash added, "I think that if Brainiac wanted us dead, he'd have killed us by now."
The three of them looked back at Brainiac, who still stared at them. Finally, he lifted off the ground and floated over to them; Vykin ripped a chunk of earth into the air, preparing to attack, while Artemis quickly drew an arrow.
"Don't come any closer!" she warned.
To their surprise, Brainiac halted a few feet away from them; he focused his unblinking gaze on Artemis, then on Kid Flash.
"He is damaged," Brainiac said, pointing at the speedster.
"Your point?" Artemis demanded.
"He requires medical attention." Brainiac turned to Vykin. "You have access to Boom-Tube technology. You can send him to your people to be repaired."
"That was kind of the plan," Artemis said. "Why aren't you, well, trying to kill us?"
Brainiac frowned. "I have no reason to inflict harm upon you. However, I require your assistance. The New God can take your ally to received medical care while you assist me."
"Assist you with what?" Artemis asked, still aiming her arrow at Brainiac's face.
"There is a question that I wish to ask the one known as Sergeant Marvel," Brainiac said. "However, I believe that she will attack me if I approach her alone. The same could be said for your other allies. I require a mediator."
Artemis lowered her bow, more out of shock than because she believed Brainiac, then shared astonished looks with Kid Flash and Vykin.
"You want me… to keep Sergeant Marvel and the rest of my friends from attacking you?" Artemis blinked rapidly. "Did I hit my head or something?"
Brainiac tilted his head. "You do not show signs of significant cranial trauma." He then looked to the side; if it was anyone else, Artemis would have thought that Brainiac looked guilty. "I have already been forced to defend myself against one group of your allies; they did not suffer permanent damage. It would be preferable if further incidents were avoided."
Artemis wasn't sure what to think. On the one hand, Brainiac had admitted to attacking one of the squads, and there was every possibility that helping him was a trap. On the other hand, if she refused, there was every chance that Brainiac would simply kill them all; if there was a chance to keep Barry from further injury…
"Okay," she said, "I'll help you."
"Artemis, no!" Kid Flash tried to get up, only to fall back with a grunt. "You can't trust a word that robot says!"
Brainiac looked down at him. "I have no reason to lie."
Artemis knelt down and helped her boyfriend into a sitting-position. "If there's a chance that Brainiac is on the level… well, he wants my help, not yours."
"Artemis, you can't just go off with him alone," Kid Flash said urgently.
"I don't really have a choice," Artemis said, then kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you when this is over, okay?"
Kid Flash scowled, but reluctantly nodded. "Okay, babe."
Vykin opened a Boom-Tube, then gently lifted up Kid Flash. "I will locate and move anyone else who is injured. I will also try and get reinforcements, either from my people or from Earth."
Artemis caught the hidden meaning behind the words: if Brainiac was a threat, they'd need all the help they could get.
Once Vykin and Kid Flash were gone, Artemis turned to Brainiac. "So, where are we headed?"
"It is likely that Sergeant Marvel and your other allies will be heading to Nirvana," Brainiac said. "We will have greater odds of encountering them if we go there as well."
"Where is Nirvana, anyway?" Artemis asked.
Brainiac turned and pointed; Artemis felt her jaw drop when she saw the giant city walking away from them. She had been so focused on finding Kid Flash, and then on Brainiac, that she hadn't noticed.
"Okay… didn't expect that," Artemis said. "I guess the next question is how are we going to get there?"
Without a word, Brainiac swept Artemis off her feet and began to fly towards Nirvana.
I am on a planet inhabited by alien gods, fighting other alien gods, and now I'm being carried by Brainiac, Artemis thought. I don't think there's a limit to how weird this day will get.
…
Angel didn't know how long she'd been screaming, but it had to have been a while, because there was no longer any noise coming from her mouth. At first, the screams had been of rage as she threw everything she had at Raven, but whatever power the half-demon was now using deflected every attack with only some effort.
After Raven had apparently gotten bored just defending herself, she went on the attack. What looked like black bolts of lightning struck Angel, changing her screams of anger into screams of pain. And then a tendril of dark energy had grabbed her and dragged her within Raven's cloak; her screams had then become those of terror.
By the time that Angel had somehow freed herself, she had screamed herself raw, and she staggered away from Raven as fast as she could. However, Raven wasn't having any of that; she leisurely drifted after the New God, occasionally tripping her with a tendril of dark energy when it looked like Angel was getting too far away.
"What's the matter?" Raven mocked. "Do you only put up a fight when you know you'll win? I guess a demon trumps an angel."
Angel tried backing away, only to fall onto her rear; she shook in terror as Raven loomed over her.
"Mercy…" she whimpered.
Raven's four eyes narrowed. "You've never showed any of your victims mercy. You weren't going to show my friends mercy. Why should I offer you any?"
"Because that would make you as bad as her," a voice said from behind her. "Do you really want to be like that?"
Raven turned to see Warhawk; he was a little battered, but otherwise okay. The calm look he gave her was enough to cool her rage; her eyes returned to normal, and she shrunk down to her usual height.
"Sorry," she muttered, blinking back tears. "I… I lost control for a bit."
Warhawk gently wrapped his arms around her, followed by his wings. "But you didn't cross the line. You were willing to listen. More importantly, you saved all our lives. I'm proud of you."
"That's it?" Both heroes turned to see Angel drag herself upright. "A few kind words from the false angel and you go back to your Human façade? How pathetic."
"You're the one who can barely stand," Warhawk retorted. "Who's the pathetic one?"
Angel snarled, her weapon turning into a giant sword. She charged, but in her weakened state, Warhawk was able to weave around the blow; he let go of Raven with one arm and used it to backhand Angel into the ground.
"I guess a false angel is still better than whatever you are," he told the unconscious god.
Raven's mouth curled upwards. "I already used a line like that."
"I heard." Warhawk raised an eyebrow at her. "You've been hanging out with Kid Flash too long."
Raven's hood hid her blush, but Warhawk could tell that she was embarrassed. "Come on, I need to check on Seeker."
When the two of them returned to the others with the unconscious Angel in tow, they were surprised to find Vykin with them, an open Boom-Tube behind him.
"Good, you are all right," Vykin said, then looked at their captive. "And you have defeated another of the Six Demons; that makes at least two."
"What are you doing here, Vykin?" Warhawk asked. "Where's the rest of your squad?"
"Kid Flash was seriously injured, and Artemis is going after Nirvana with Brainiac," Vykin said. "I am moving our injured comrades to a safer location, which is why—"
"Whoa, hold up!" Warhawk interrupted. "Artemis is with Brainiac? The same Brainiac who was destroyed twenty years ago? The one who almost wiped out the entire universe!?"
"Correct. He seems to be helping us now."
Warhawk stared at him, then at Raven, who looked just as confused as he was. "This is definitely the weirdest mission I've ever been on."
"We should go after Artemis," Raven suggested. "We can't let her go off with Brainiac by herself."
Warhawk was going to agree, but a pained groan from Seeker made him pause. Raven's empathic powers allowed her to quickly pick up on what he was thinking.
"Artemis went off without one of us with her. I don't want you to do the same."
"Vykin is the only one who can use a Boom-Tube, and you're the only one who can keep Seeker alive," Warhawk argued back. "Besides, how much energy did you use up fighting Angel?"
As much as Raven hated to admit it, she was tired. Tapping into her demonic heritage was taxing, and Seeker's condition was still serious; she would need the power she had left to keep her friend alive.
"Fine," she grumbled, "just… stay safe, okay?"
Warhawk smiled as he stepped away. "I'll do my best."
With that, he flew off towards Nirvana, which was walking away from them. Raven allowed herself to watch him leave for a few seconds, then turned to Vykin and the injured Serifan.
"Come on, make yourselves useful," she said in a low tone as she picked up Ship. "Get Miss Martian and Seeker through that Boom-Tube. I have work to do."
…
Safari sat in front of Cyborg's cocoon, hugging her legs to her chest. Vykin had arrived to take Dreamer and Moonrider to safety, but Safari had flat-out refused to leave Victor's side, not until she saw that he was okay with her own eyes. In the back of her mind, she wondered if this was how Ken felt when Victor was hurt the first time, before he became Cyborg. It must have been worse for him, in a way, she realized; he had so much power, but when his friend was hurt, there was nothing he could do.
At least I don't have that kind of problem, Safari mused. She was more powerful than the average person, but she was probably the weakest metahuman on the Team, though that wasn't something that bothered her.
She was drawn out of her thoughts when Victor's cocoon began to shake; other than the occasional twitch, it hadn't moved, so the violent trembling was a radical change. A few seconds later, a metal arm punched through the shell; it was soon joined by a second one, and the two limbs tore the cocoon apart.
"Oh, man," a familiar voice groaned, "did someone get the number of whatever hit me?"
Safari would have made a joke, but she was too busy staring at the rebuilt Cyborg. For the most part, he seemed the same, but his metal plates had an almost organic quality to them. Bright-blue lines ran up the sides of his limbs and torso, while another line went across his organic eye. The mechanical side of his face was a seamless, albeit metal, replica of his flesh-and-blood half; it was vastly different from the angular plates he used to have.
"Victor?" She asked timidly. "Are you okay?"
Cyborg looked at her for a moment, almost as if he didn't recognize her, then shrugged. "Yeah, I think so. What did I miss?"
Safari stood up, trying not to wince as she pulled at her still-healing injuries, and pointed at the remnants of the cocoon. "We fought Midnight, but we… we lost, and you got hurt. The New Gods put a Motherbox in you to save your life."
Cyborg frowned as he accessed his systems, and immediately noticed a change. "Whoa!"
"What? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, just…" Cyborg shook his head. "Before, I always had to activate my systems with a mental command, like my brain was clicking a mouse or pushing a button. Now, it feels as easy as breathing, and it's a lot faster. I'm like Cyborg 2.0!"
Safari felt a bit relieved; if Cyborg was still so enthusiastic, it was a good sign that he was still the same person on the inside.
It also made her calm enough to try joking. "Well, since you were in a cocoon, I thought you were going to come out as a butterfly. Is it too late to go with that option?"
Cyborg laughed with his typical, booming way, but it faded when Safari got closer and he saw her injuries.
"All right, enough about me," he said seriously. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine," Safari said, putting on a brave face. "We still have to stop Nirvana, so let's go!"
Cyborg put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You're not going anywhere until I see how bad your injuries are."
"Don't even think about scanning me."
Cyborg's mechanical eye glowed brighter. "Scan complete."
Safari threw up her hands. "Unbelievable."
Cyborg scowled. "You've got a dozen contusions, a concussion, and five hairline fractures, one of which is on your skull. You're healing, but not fast enough."
"I didn't stay with you while you were getting your upgrade just so that you'd leave me behind!" Safari protested.
Cyborg smiled and gently wrapped his arms around her; he idly noticed that, while he'd had good control over his arms after he'd been rebuilt, he no longer felt like he was deliberately restraining himself.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Look at it this way: you made sure that I was okay, and thanks to you, I can make sure that everyone else is okay."
Safari mumbled something incomprehensible into Cyborg's chest, but nodded her assent. As much as she wanted to help, she knew that she was in no shape to fight someone like Midnight again.
Cyborg took a step back; his eye glowed again. "I've locked on to the others. Some of them are headed to Nirvana—and wow, that thing is huge—but most are just outside the forest."
"That's where Vykin was taking everyone who was hurt," Safari said.
"Got it. Well, let's see if I can…" Cyborg held out one hand, and a Boom-Tube appeared a short distance away. "Oh, cool! Looks like I can tap into the energies on this planet to open Boom-Tubes!"
Safari sighed. "I guess I'll tell the others that you're okay, and you're going back to fight. Just don't get your butt kicked again, okay? You're only allowed to scare me like that once. Ever."
"I'll do my best," Cyborg grinned, then gave her a quick kiss before activating his jetpack and flying towards the distant form of Nirvana. Safari watched him fly off for a few seconds, then headed through the Boom-Tube, swearing that, if Cyborg got himself killed, she'd find a way to kill him again.
…
Warhawk heard the sound of something approaching him; he twisted in midair to see Cyborg, though it took him a moment to recognize his teammate.
"Whoa," he said, as Cyborg pulled up alongside him, "what the heck happened to you?"
"Apparently, this is what happens when you mix cybernetics made on Earth with tech made by gods," Cyborg said nonchalantly. "I'm back, and better than ever!"
"Awesome," Warhawk said, though he was aware that he was missing a lot of information. "Any word on the others?"
Cyborg nodded. "Ken, Sergeant Marvel, Starfire, Artemis, and the two of us are all heading for Nirvana. Superboy's squad is MIA, but everyone else is regrouping outside the forest."
"Superboy will be fine," Warhawk said confidently, "he'll catch up to us eventually."
Sure enough, a shout from below them caught their attention, and Superboy rocketed up to their position. He was only there for a moment before he began to fall, but Cyborg grabbed his arm just in time.
"We were just wondering about you," Cyborg said.
"Got ambushed," Superboy growled. "Sphere and Wolf got hurt, but they're on their way out of the forest. I saw you guys on my way to the walking city. That's Nirvana, isn't it?"
"It is," Warhawk confirmed. "So, who ambushed you, and how badly did you beat their face in?"
Superboy glowered. "I actually lost," he admitted. "Brainiac is tougher than I thought."
"Sorry, did you say Brainiac?" Cyborg asked.
"Right, I forgot to mention that he's back, too, and he's with Artemis right now," Warhawk said. "The good news is that at least two of the Demons are down."
"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better," Cyborg muttered.
It took a few more minutes for the three of them to land on Nirvana; despite its colossal footsteps, its movements were surprisingly smooth.
"Do you guys know where we're supposed to go now?" Superboy asked.
Warhawk shrugged. "I think our best bet would be to take out this thing's power source; that usually works."
"That might be harder than you think," Cyborg said, already scanning. "I don't know how, but this thing's energy is spread out perfectly even; it's impossible to find out where its generator is. Heck, it might not have a source of power as we understand it."
"Is there a Plan B?" Superboy asked with a scowl. "Because I really don't want to punch this thing to death, we'd be here all day."
"I've got an idea," Cyborg said. "I just locked on to Artemis' bio-signature. Since I'm the least hurt, I've got the best chance of helping her if she needs it, while you two link up with Ken. Superboy, you should be close enough to find his group with your super-hearing."
Warhawk looked at Superboy, who nodded. "I can hear him, and Sergeant Marvel and Starfire."
"All right, we'll grab them and circle back for you and Artemis," Warhawk said to Cyborg. "Just be careful; Brainiac could still be nearby."
Cyborg grinned. "Don't sweat it; time for me to do the saving!"
…
"I don't know about you two, but I am completely lost," Ken admitted after several minutes of exploring Nirvana, then turned to Sergeant Marvel. "I don't suppose you learned anything about Nirvana when you were with the Six Demons?"
Sergeant Marvel sighed. "Other than that Brainiac was needed to unlock it, no."
"Perhaps Brainiac knows how to stop Nirvana?" Starfire suggested. "He had to know enough about it to find it, correct?"
"That's assuming he's even on the planet anymore," Ken said. "For all we know, he's halfway to Jupiter."
"No, he's here," Sergeant Marvel said quietly; she saw the strange looks the other two were giving her and blushed. "I don't know how, but when my powers were used to bring him back to life, I felt some kind of connection with him. It's faint, but I know he's still on the planet."
Ken gritted his teeth. "As if the Six Demons weren't bad enough; we don't have enough people on our side to take on Brainiac!"
Sergeant Marvel shrugged. "He might not be evil."
"I'm pretty sure the robot whose sole goal is destroying the universe counts as evil," Ken countered.
"He saved my life!"
Ken opened his mouth, but no sound came out; finally, he shrugged. "Okay, you got me there, but one act of kindness doesn't mean he's suddenly one of the good guys. Come on, let's get focused; we can talk about Brainiac when we're not trying to fight gods."
As the three of them continued walking, Sergeant Marvel glanced at Starfire. "Does it bother you that he was able to say that last part with a straight face?"
Starfire grimaced, but shook her head. "Our job is… very strange. I fear that I am getting used to things like this."
"Crud. I was hoping that at least one of us was still sane."
…
"We have arrived," Brainiac said as he landed.
"I can see that," Artemis said crossly, "now put me down!"
The blond girl scrambled out of Brainiac's arms and took a few steps away; she had no intention of trusting the robot any time soon, no matter what he said. If it wasn't for the fact that her arrows wouldn't do anything to him, she'd have one aimed at his head.
"We should move quickly," Brainiac said. "Nirvana will reach its target in two-point-two Earth hours."
"I hope you know how to stop this thing," Artemis said, "because I don't think I have an arrow big enough to blow it up."
"It will require the assistance of your allies," Brainiac said. "We cannot do it alone."
"I like to call them my friends," Artemis snapped, "and yeah, I'll try to keep them from turning you into scrap long enough to save the day. After that, though, all bets are off."
Brainiac said nothing, instead turning and walking towards the center of Nirvana. Seeing that she wouldn't be getting further conversation, Artemis followed him. Perversely, she was glad that Brainiac was on her side at the moment; considering what the Team was facing, having someone as powerful as the AI watching her back was a little comforting.
…
Ken stopped, but before Starfire or Sergeant Marvel could ask what was wrong, he turned to them with a grin.
"Finally, some good news!" He said, then pointed off to the side. "I just heard Superboy, Warhawk, and Cyborg talking; they're on Nirvana, only a couple miles away!"
"Awesome!" Sergeant Marvel floated upward. "Let's link up with them and see if we can stop this thing!"
Ken was going to agree, but then he saw what was flying towards his teammate.
"Look out!" Ken jumped into the air, blocking the fist that would have hit Sergeant Marvel in the back of the head with his arm.
The three heroes glared at Cobra, who steadied himself on his giant snake, which had sprouted large wings. The New God laughed at them.
"Well, well," he said, "looks like I get my fight after all."
"You two go on ahead," Ken said, not taking his eyes off of Cobra, "I'll handle this guy and catch up when I can."
"We can take him!" Sergeant Marvel protested.
"The mission comes first," Ken said with a tone that dared his teammates to argue. "Find out how to stop Nirvana. That's an order."
Sergeant Marvel and Starfire looked at each other uneasily, but nodded and flew off. Cobra and his snake tried chasing after them, but Ken shot a wave of fire in their direction; Cobra and Cubelios easily swerved around it, but it gave the two girls enough time to put some distance between them.
"I don't normally do this," Ken said, "but I'm going to give you one chance to surrender. I suggest you take it."
Cobra scoffed. "All together or one at a time, it doesn't matter; you're going to die, kid!"
"Bring it on!" Ken shouted, and the two of them flew towards each other; one was intent on killing a world, and the other was intent on stopping him.
…
"This could be a problem," Artemis said, her voice calmer than she felt.
To make matters worse, Brainiac nodded his head. "Indeed. We are at a disadvantage against this opponent."
Across a dusty street, Midnight smiled. "Only two of you? At least I had to wake up to fight the last ones."
"Here's something to wake up to!" A voice shouted, and a beam of energy carved a furrow into the ground between Midnight and his opponents.
"Cyborg?" Artemis blinked as her teammate landed in front of her. "What happened to you?"
"Long story," Cyborg said, glaring at Midnight, "but this freak is the reason behind it. Ready for round two, you little punk?"
Midnight quietly laughed. "It's not often I get to beat someone twice. I think I'll enjoy this."
Cyborg's natural smile fell away, replaced by a grim frown. "That makes two of us!"
And, done! I'm really sorry about taking so freaking long with this chapter, and the only excuse I have isn't a good one. See, I was writing Cycles Upon Cycles, and I've been making a lot of progress with that story, but every time I tried to get back to Unlimited Justice, I could only come up with ideas for Cycles. That story has become that annoying little kid that keeps screaming for attention and will only shut up when it runs out of energy and takes a nap. Finally, it took that nap, and I'll see about getting this arc finished.
Actually, you know what? I am going to promise you, right now, that I will not write for any other stories until this arc is finished. That's only 2 or 3 chapters at the most, since the next chapters are going to be much longer than what I've had so far.
This chapter didn't have a whole lot to talk about, though I am happy to introduce the Cyborg from Justice League War! I really liked his design. Beyond that, this chapter was mostly to set up the final battles.
Next Chapter: Ken battles Cobra, but even Ken 10 may not have the powers to beat this enemy! The rematch between Cyborg and Midnight begins, and Brainiac shows his true colors! Meanwhile, Seeker discovers Nirvana's terrible purpose; can the Team stop the Six Demons in time, or will this be the last day of the New Gods?
This is my Muffin! There are many like it, but this one is mine!