Chapter 10: Nemesis

Lex switches the image over to a camera down the street that is observing the whole area. On the screen it shows the League now over the initial surprise move to engage the creature. Wonder Woman moves in first only to be met by the creature's fist and the bony spikes on it's knuckles rip into her cheek opening vicious gashes on her face before the sheer force of the blow sends her flying out of shot.

"No!!!" a voice screams from behind Lex. He turns to see Clark rushing at the window with just enough momentum that with his dense molecular structure he might just manage to crash through it. In an instant Lex hits a switch and increases the intensity of kryptonite in the room which slows Clark down but doesn't stop him. He still reaches the window which cracks but doesn't break. Lex moves over just as Clark falls to the ground, the kryptonite having finally had the desired effect. That was a close one.

Lex speaks to Clark. "Good try there Clark but this time you will just have to accept that for once Superman is not about to rush in and save the day." Lex reduces the level of kryptonite since he doesn't want to kill Clark just yet. Not until after everything is over and done with. "If it is any consolation to you I promise that the time you will have to live with your grief will be short lived."

Clark lies on the ground kryptonite burning every cell in his body but it is nothing to the pain he just felt watching that creature so easily injure Diana. Tears sting his eyes at the thought of what may have happened to her. In his wedding vows he swore he would protect her and for the first time in his life he is going to end up breaking his word. He has failed to protect her. He has failed to protect their children who are getting weaker by the minute.

For the first time in Clark's life real hate and rage burn inside him. He forces himself to get up despite the kryptonite radiation burning in every cell of his body. Where he gets the strength from Clark knows not nor does he care. All he cares about is that he has to get out of this prison somehow, with his children, and then go and save the woman he loves and oh the rest of the world too while he is at it.

Lex looks on in disbelief as Clark gets to his feet. The radiation levels were set so high that Clark should be nothing but a writhing mass on the ground. "Clark," Lex warns him. "Don't make me set it any higher. Think of your children."

Clark grits his teeth against the pain. It is exactly that thought that has gotten him this far. He pulls his fist back and slams it into the glass which cracks more. His fist aches in pain as small cuts appear on his knuckles.

Lex moves his hand to hover over the controls. "Last warning," he says with deathly seriousness.

"Funny you took the words right out of my mouth."

Lex's head whips round to find Wonder Girl standing at the doorway with Kon-El beside her and obviously there is only one way she could be there. Kon-El has betrayed him. "John. Kill them," Lex orders Metallo, who is standing next to him, no longer worried about having to fight his son. Kon-El has proved he is no longer trustworthy so will have to be destroyed too.

Metallo rolls his head on his metallic shoulders. "Anything you say."

Cassie eyes the cyborg coming towards her with the green rock in its chest. Connor had released her but he had pointed out that she alone will have to fight Metallo because he can't. "Bring it on you metal freak!"

"Be careful what you wish for girly," Metallo says with false caution for Cassie's well-being before he charges right at her slamming her into the corridor wall behind her. Cassie grunts at the pain but ignores it as she grapples Metallo. She can see Connor about on his knees. "Go!" she orders him. "I'll keep this thing busy." Cassie then physically throws Metallo down the corridor before she in a burst of speed is the one who slams the cyborg into the wall at the end of the corridor.

With Metallo gone Connor's strength returns. He quickly moves into the room, grabs his father and promptly throws him across the room before hitting the controls turning the kryptonite radiation off.

"What are you doing Kon-El?!" Lex demands to know as he gets back to his feet.

Connor looks his father right in the eye and answers simply "Making a choice." And he has. Down in that room with Cassie he made a choice. No matter the fact that Lex Luthor created him, that Lex's genes are within him Connor can no longer go along with this. He is going to do the right thing. Connor marches to the door where Superman and his children are and grabs it about to rip it off. "Oh one more thing...father," he says the word father with utter disrespect. "My name is not Kon-El. It is Connor." Connor then rips the door off the hinges and tosses it aside to find Superman standing there, barely, on the other side.

"Took you long enough," Clark manages to snark.

Connor smiles apologetically. "Took me awhile to figure out what was the right thing to do."

Clark actually manages a small smile. He pats Connor on the shoulder. "Help me grab Jon and Lara."

But before either of them can do that the deafening sound of a gun goes off 3 times. Clark can see the register of shock and pain in Connor's eyes before he slumps forward prompting Clark to catch him. Connor's breathing is heavy as he lifts his head up. "Forgive me," he pleads as someone who knows that their end might be near and is seeking to repent for their sins. Connor's eyes fall shut and Clark lowers him to the floor. Upon inspection Clark can see in Connor's back are 3 bullet wounds and in them Clark can just about make out the green glow that only kryptonite produces. Clark looks up out of the room to find Lex standing there, holding a gun which is now pointing at him. At the sight a word slips into Clark's mind. The description of what he and Lex are now. The one he never wanted.

Nemesis.

Back outside the Headquarters of the Justice League a full scale battle had erupted as hero and villain alike attempt to combat the monstrosity that Lex has unleashed upon them but with very little effect. Even the most powerful of them can only seem to slow the creature down. It simply keeps moving forward, keeps attacking as if it does not tire or feel pain. Zatanna had temporarily managed to stop it by turning the ground into quicksand but it was already managing to break free. With another inhuman roar it leaps clear and heads into the centre of Metropolis chasing after those that are attempting to flee, pursued by those that are trying to stop it and the fight continues. They leave behind an area where many casualties litter the ground and the buildings around were showing the signs of battle damage. One in particular where Wonder Woman had slammed into it after the creature hit her.

Diana opens her eyes to see dust and debris on top of her. Hera! That thing hit harder than anything she has ever fought. She isn't sure even Kal hits that hard and she has fought her husband on those few occasions where his mind was controlled. Diana can feel blood seeping from the gashes on her face but she doesn't have time to worry about that right now. Right now she has to get out of here and help. Just as she is about to try and move the debris above her stirs before it is suddenly lifted away and into Diana's vision falls another monstrosity. Solomon Grundy.

Diana tenses herself until a gloved hand appears belonging to the villain known as Slade.

"Need a hand?" Slade offers her.

Diana cautiously takes it and gets back to her feet. The sounds of fighting have moved off into the city she notes. Diana dusts herself down. "Why are you helping me?" she asks Slade rather perplexed.

If she could see it under his mask Diana would see a small smile on Slade's face. "Lex wanted me to help him destroy you but I knew he could not be trusted. I knew that Lex Luthor of all people would have something up his sleeve." Slade just never expected it to be whatever it is this creature is.

Diana's gaze turns to Grundy.

"Ah yes Solomon here," Slade says noticing Diana's direction of gaze. "He is working for me." After all how else was Slade to ensure that Wonder Girl survived and that Superboy escaped with her and he did want those things to ensure that he threw in a spanner into Lex's plans which he is still hopeful will pay off in the long run and give him a favourable outcome.

Diana's eyes fall upon the scene of carnage before her.

"Diana!"

Diana's head turns to see her mother and sister and a few of the walking wounded exit the League HQ. They quickly move to help those lying on the ground while Donna makes her way over to Diana eyeing Slade and Grundy as she does so.

"Diana. What happened?" she asks having missed it all. She had been trying to come to terms with the fact her husband was missing with her mother consoling her.

The creature's inhuman roar echoes in the distance cutting off any chance of Diana's reply. "It will have to wait until later Donna. I need to go."

Diana is about to fly off when Slade stops her. "May I make a suggestion before you rush off?"

Diana turns her gaze to him eyeing him warily. "Make it quick," she tells him.

"This creature has already beaten dozens of you and it defeated you with a single punch. Direct combat is not going to stop it."

Diana hates to admit it but he's right. "I suppose you have a better idea."

"I always study my foes to learn all I can before engaging them. In my study of Superman I learned that Kryptonians created a prison from which I believe escape is all but impossible."

Diana understands what he means. "The Phantom Zone."

Slade nods in recognition that she has cottoned on.

Diana turns to her sister. "Donna in the vault there is one of the Phantom Zone rings. It looks like a silver bracelet covered in Kryptonian script. I need you to get it for me."

Donna nods. "Right." She then sees Diana about to leave. "Where are you going?"

"To contain the creature before it does any more damage," Diana explains like it is an obvious thing.

"But you're hurt," Donna tries to remind her sister.

"Donna just go get the ring and meet me in the city," Diana orders dismissing Donna's concerns for her injuries. Also she knows her sister is pregnant and in other circumstances she wouldn't even consider asking Donna to get involved in any of this but there are now so short handed Diana has no choice. There is simply no-one else.

"Grundy will go with you," Slade adds.

Diana eyes the grey behemoth with mistrust but she can't say that Grundy's strength wouldn't be helpful. "Very well," she concedes.

"Grundy. Go with the lady and help her," Slade commands.

"Grundy do what Slade commands," the grey zombie says obediently.

With that Diana takes to the air while Grundy leaps into the air following her into the city where Doomsday awaits.

Donna is glaring at Slade. She remembers him from her time in the Titans before they became Young Justice. She remembers all the battles, all the schemes, all the attempts Slade made to destroy them and it is taking some considerable self-control on her part not to smash his face in.

"Shouldn't you be rushing off," Slade reminds her.

"I don't know what your game is Slade but just remember when all is said and done we'll still be here to stop you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way my dear former Wonder Girl," he says genuinely because while he does hate them he also loves the challenge they represent.

Donna's eyes narrow for a second before she rushes off back into the HQ and heads down to the vault. She finds what she is looking for easily enough, a silver bracelet like ring with Kryptonian script on it, and heads back for the exit passing both heroes and villains alike being carried into the infirmary which is already overflowing. The villains Donna doesn't have that much sympathy for but they are the good guys so as the good guys even the bad guys have to be helped too. Donna exits the building and is just about to fly off after Diana when she hears her name being shouted and running towards her is "Chloe!?"

"Donna!" Chloe says breathlessly. "Thank god. Where's Diana?"

"In the city fighting this...creature." Donna notices the pale exhausted, haunted look on Chloe's face. "Why? What is going on?"

"He took them," she answers.

"Took who?"

"Clark, Jon and Lara. He took them."

Fear suddenly grips Donna. She takes Chloe by the shoulders. "What do you mean? Who took them?"

Chloe takes a big breath before she tries again. She had rushed over here as soon as she came around from whatever tranquilliser Lex hit her with. She looks directly into Donna's eyes where Donna can see the fear and terror is all too evident in Chloe's gaze as she says "Lex...Lex abducted them."

Several armed men stand in the basement of old abandoned building. Their job is to guard the entrance to the bunker that lies beneath. The bunker where Lex Luthor does...well it was not part of their job to know, just to make sure no-one got inside. So far it had been a fairly easy and frankly boring job until about 5 seconds ago when they whole place shook almost knocking them off their feet. It is then that the door that is the entrance to the bunker explodes open and what looks like a partially metal man slides across the floor. Their eyes then turn to the doorway where what looks like a girl stands there bruising on her face, her eyes full of fury.

Metallo gets to his feet after his fight with Wonder Girl had brought them back up to the surface. "What are you idiots waiting for?" he asks incredulously. "Shoot her!!!"

The men raise their guns and fire. Cassie deflects the bullets using her bracelets but with this many it may be only a matter of time until one of them gets through her defences. Then suddenly one of the men falls to the ground followed by another and another. The others realise that someone is shooting at them. Taking the distraction Cassie moves faster than a human eye could possibly follow and as a red blur disarms and disables the remaining men.

Metallo looks at the scene and then around until his eyes spot who is responsible. "Waller!" he growls.

Amanda Waller steps out from behind some crates. She had escaped the fate of her fellow Cadmus colleagues although with some not inconsiderable injury and had spent the last few months healing, waiting, planning on getting her revenge and now the time had come.

Metallo eyes the gun in Waller's hand with little fear. "That little toy can't hurt me."

"No but I can."

Metallo spins round to find Wonder Girl standing right behind him and before he can react Cassie uppercuts him with all her strength sending the cyborg flying upwards and right through the wooden floor above. Cassie shakes her fist out. Ow! That hurt! She has to admit that fighting Metallo has been possibly the hardest thing she has ever done in her life. Maybe second only to fighting Grundy and to cap it all off she has had to fight the two of them within hours of each other before her body has had a chance to heal fully. Gods she aches all over.

"Girly!!!" Metallo's voice shouts from above. "I am going to rip your head off!!!" he threatens angrily. "Then I'm going to put the two little brats out of their misery!!!"

Cassie's face takes on a new determination at that last thing. No-one threatens Jon and Lara. She leaps upward through the hole Metallo made in pursuit. Waller can then feel the building shake and dust float down from above. However that battle is not her business. She may not be able to hurt Metallo just as the cyborg said but she can hurt Lex and worse. With determination to get her vengeance Waller heads through the shattered doorway and into the bunker.

"Well now. It seems to me that we have reached a critical impasse of this little scenario haven't we Clark," Lex says to his former friend aiming the gun loaded with kryptonite bullets at Clark. "Lets see here now. Your League is being obliterated as we speak. My traitorous son lies dying at your feet and Metallo will take care of Wonder Girl shortly. I had planned on leaving this moment until you saw the broken bodies of your friends. Until you knew without doubt that everything you had built had been destroyed and you knew without doubt that it was I that was responsible. That it was I that had finally beaten you but fate it seems had different ideas." Lex cocks the gun. "Farewell Clark."

Just then the whole place shakes, the result of Metallo and Cassie fighting. It knocks Lex off balance and it is all Clark needs as he lurches forward with as much speed as he can muster considering that being exposed to kryptonite for as long as he has has stripped him of all his abilities and there is no sun down here to recharge him.

Lex's eyes widen at Clark's form moving at him with surprising speed. He pulls the trigger but without having time to aim properly. The kryptonite bullet rips into Clark's left shoulder but it doesn't stop him as the not inconsiderable mass of Clark collides into Lex knocking him to the floor and the gun from his hand.

Clark grits his teeth at the pain. Luckily the bullet only grazed him causing a flesh wound so it isn't stuck in him but it still hurts like hell. From his position on the floor Clark's eyes find Lex's. They can tell from each other's expression that there are no more words for them to share. There is no more that Clark can say that will dissuade Lex from pursuing this to its final folly. In all probability this is the final fight that they will ever have. Clark pushes himself to his feet with his one good arm only to be met by a punch from Lex who has risen faster. Another punch hits Clark followed by another making Clark stagger back a step or two.

"Not so tough now without your sun blessed powers are we," Lex crows.

It seems Lex does still have a few more words to share but Clark should have known that. Lex always did love the sound of his own voice. Lex attempts another punch but Clark catches it in an iron grip of surprising strength. His sun driven powers may be gone but he still has a dense molecular structure which leaves him still quite a bit stronger than the average human. He gives Lex a second to realise this before quite expertly countering despite being down to only one hand by pulling Lex off balance, kneeing him in the stomach and then following up with a quick blow or four.

Lex staggers back and has to wipe some blood from a split lip in a little confusion at just how good Clark has gotten.

Clark catches the puzzled expression on Lex's face. "My wife is an Amazon warrior Lex. You didn't think I wouldn't have picked up a couple of things." Well more like several dozen things but whose counting?

Lex's face grows grimly determined. He won't lose again. Not this time. Not when he is so close to his ultimate victory. He won't allow Clark to be his nemesis any longer. This time he will end it once and for all even if he has to use his bare hands to do it. He charges at Clark and the two of them end up grappling and exchanging blows and despite being one-handed essentially Clark is holding his own. Of course unlike Lex Clark is not trying to end this fatally. Despite all his anger and hate at Lex over what he has done Clark doesn't kill. Besides what is important to Clark here is simply disabling Lex long enough to get Jon and Lara and Connor too out of here.

Lex charges and drives his shoulder into Clark's mid-section. They fly back into the monitor Lex was using earlier which falls to the floor and shatters sparking as it does so giving Clark a good old fashioned electric shock. The two of them tussle on the floor as Lex tries to get his arm around Clark's neck so he can choke him. Clark counters by elbowing Lex in the face. Lex rolls across the floor clutching his face and his probably broken nose.

Clark gets back to his feet as does Lex with blood trickling from his nose. The two of them glare at each other for a brief moment before once more they charge at each other.

"Hera!" Diana calls out as she shakes her fist out. She had found the creature easily enough. It's path of death and destruction was not hard to follow. Diana's heart had bled at seeing so many innocents that had been caught up in the creature's rampage, in the battle to contain it. She had seen the creature beating up on J'onn with shocking ease considering how powerful J'onn was and without a moment's thought she flew straight in and punched the creature with all her strength. Her attack seemed to have caught it by surprise as she managed to send it flying into a nearby building which had promptly collapsed.

"J'onn!" Diana calls out his name as he shakily gets to his feet. "Are you ok?"

J'onn shakes his head and looks at her with an eerily vacant expression. "It's mind. So blank. So empty. Nothing but death."

Diana concludes that J'onn had tried to read its mind and had found something truly awful. Her attention is soon off her friend as the rubble from the collapsed building shifts and emerging from it totally unscathed is the creature. It cocks its head and looks at her with what Diana would call mild interest. It sends a shiver up her spine.

In the next instant the creature is tackled by Solomon Grundy as the two monsters share blows that would kill lesser beings. Diana can almost see the air ripple from the power of the blows being exchanged but all too soon it is clear that the creature is winning. A fact reinforced by Grundy flying across the street into another building which promptly collapses as well from the force of the impact. Gaea! This creature seems truly unstoppable and worse her sister isn't here yet so Diana has no choice but to fly into the affray once more in an attempt to at least contain it...buy some more time for her sister to get here. She flies into it and punches it but this time she didn't manage to catch it as off guard so all her punch did was stagger it back a pace or two and send pain shooting up her arm. Diana ignores the pain and punches the creature again over and over driving it backward until it catches her fist and squeezes. Diana can hear the bones go pop as they break. The creature then draws its other hand back and hits her. Her vision goes blurry and it still has her hand in its vice grip. It hits her again and the light starts to fade from her eyes. The creature draws its fist back for the third time. Diana thinking quickly which is quite amazing for someone who is possibly semi-concussed reaches up for the tiara on her head and in an instant slashes the creature's throat. The magical nature of her tiara able to penetrate its rock-like skin.

Doomsday falls to its knees but it would only be a temporary reprieve as it starts to heal almost immediately.

Diana is on her knees takes a moment to catch her breath and to try and focus her double vision. She can see the two creatures get back to their feet and move towards her relentlessly like some sort of nemesis to all life. Still no sign of Donna and even Diana can see she is losing this battle. She forces herself back to her feet. Just because she is losing doesn't mean she is giving up. She is an Amazon Warrior and if this is her last act in this world then she will die fighting. Fighting to protect the citizens of the world she long ago swore to protect. Fighting to protect her children who she prays will be ok without her. Gods she will miss them and Kal. She only wishes she could tell them one last time how much she loves them.

Diana digs her foot into the road which cracks under the force and she launches herself at it even with her broken hand. The creature swings its massive fist at her once more. Diana dodges and uses the movement to deliver a roundhouse kick right into the creature's jaw which is about as effective on it as her punches were. The creature raises its massive hands above its head and with surprising speed brings them down on her head. Pain shoots through her entire being as she feels herself crumple to the ground not quite unconscious but not far from it. Next she finds her leg being grabbed and Diana feels herself being lifted up in the air before being brought crashing down into the ground cracking the surface under her. The creature then repeats the act again and then again and then seemingly for good measure a fourth time. Diana lies there for a moment before a shadow looms in her vision as Diana sees the creature raise its foot preparing to bring it crashing down on her head and deliver what will almost certainly be the final blow. Diana can tell instantly she is not getting out of the way so she closes her eyes and fills what she believes will be her final thoughts with Kal and the twins.

"Get away from her!!!" a voice screams and Diana recognises it as her sister's voice. She forces her eyes open as Donna does the very brave but utterly foolish act of attempting to fight the creature. It results in the creature simply swatting Donna from the sky like a fly. A clang of metal catches Diana's attention. She rolls her head to the side and sees the Phantom Zone ring lying a few feet away from her. Diana crawls towards it as Doomsday moves towards Donna with her being of more immediate interest to it than Diana.

Donna had found herself rolling across the ground after a single blow from whatever that creature was. She had never felt anything hit that hard. Her hands, by instinct go to her stomach. Gods she hopes the baby is ok. Luckily it caught her in the face and not her stomach. If you can call the fact her whole head is now ringing lucky that is. She feels the ground shake as Doomsday walks towards her and she sits herself up in time to see the creature loom over her with its foot drawn back ready to kick her. Diana gulps and braces herself for a blow she doesn't have time to avoid. For something so large it is very fast. She raises her arms in front of her face and...and the creature is suddenly flying away from her propelled by a green beam of energy. Her immediate thought is Kyle has saved her until Donna glimpses that on her finger is a green ring. Kyle's ring.

By now Diana has grabbed the Phantom Zone ring and despite her less than perfect vision at the moment, her broken hand, the fact her knuckles on her good hand are bloodied and sore from hitting the creature and her somewhat foggy mind she touches the varying Kryptonian symbols around it's edge in the correct order just as Kal had shown her and the whole ring lights up. Diana throws it into the air and a portal to the Phantom Zone opens.

"Diana!"

Diana turns her head to see Donna now standing next to her surrounded by a green aura. What in the name of Hera?

Before she can ask and Donna can explain the inhuman roar of Doomsday catches both their attentions. It is back and moving towards them once more.

"We need to get it into the portal!" Diana shouts at her sister.

"Oh so nothing hard then," Donna quips morbidly before ,with grim determination, she turns to face Doomsday all the while trying to remember every single thing Kyle had ever said about how the ring of a Green Lantern works. She knows it has a lot to do with the willpower of whoever bears it. Donna summons up the will inside herself and produces a massive clamp which she uses to grab the creature. However her attempt to throw it into the portal proves much more difficult as the creature is resisting with all its strength and Donna can feel the sheer huge magnitude of the creature's power with which it does so. It manages to takes a step toward her. Sweat starts to trickle down her face. She is losing. She can feel it. It is going to break free but the second before it does giant grey arms wrap around the creature's waist from behind it.

Grundy and he isn't looking all that great. Neither Diana or Donna have ever seen Grundy look that beaten up before. Not even after a few rounds with Superman.

"Lift it!" Donna shouts at the zombie and Grundy manges to lift Doomsday clear off the ground. With that Donna finds herself in the ascendency and reaffirms her grip on the creature.

"Throw it into the portal...into the hole in the sky!" she instructs praying that Grundy knows what she means.

Grundy with a roar of his own flings Doomsday towards the portal before the great zombie seems to collapse from the effort. Donna then uses the ring to push it with as much force and speed she can muster into it. Doomsday roars as it vanishes into the tear in reality. Next thing Donna sees is a flash of light and in place of the hole, floating above the ground, is what looks like flat giant glass prism in which she can see the creature pounding against the surface which ripples like jelly but does not break. The prism spins for a moment before it zooms high into the sky and out of sight on its way to transport Doomsday to the Phantom Zone.

Donna lets out a breath and collapses to her knees. Sheesh Kyle never mentioned how much effort working this ring takes. Then thinking of him fear and pain suddenly rack her being. Gods if this is Kyle's ring then where is he and is he alright?

As if in response to her thoughts the ring glows blindingly bright. Donna has to look away for a second When she looks back her eyes see lying on the ground in front of her looking like hell is "Kyle!!!"

Donna rushes to his side and feels for a pulse. Please, she prays to her gods, let him be alright. It takes a moment for her to calm herself down enough but when she does she feels it. A pulse. He is alive. Tears run down Donna's face as she bends down and kisses him repeatedly.

Kyle groans in response and mumbles not quite fully conscious "Not right now sweetheart. I'm too tired."

Despite it all Donna can only giggle in response to that and say "That and you look like crap."

Kyle crack an eye open as memories flood back into his conscious mind not to mention the considerable pain he is in. "Oh yeah. That too." His gaze drifts down to his ring on Donna's finger. "It reached you then." His last instruction so to speak had been for his ring to seek Donna out.

"Yeah but what happened? Where were you? And how did you just appear like that?"

Kyle takes a painful breath. "Long story. I..." he trails off as he sees Donna has a bruise on her face from when Doomsday struck her. "Donna. Where did you get that bruise?" he asks with great concern for his pregnant wife. Kyle suddenly looks around and glimpses the destruction around him and Diana looking even worse than him. "Um what have I missed?"

"Long story," is all Donna can answer with as she looks at her sister still lying on the ground hurt but alive at least. The question is what about everyone else because on her way to catch up with Diana Donna had seen lots of destruction, lots of people lying on the ground hurt or worse but in her rush she hadn't been able to help them. Gods what a nightmare this day has turned into and it isn't over yet because now she has to tell her sister that Lex Luthor has her husband and her children and that she has no idea whether they are still alive or not. Hera give her strength.

Through a flat roof a figure of a blond haired girl dressed in red and gold suddenly bursts out and lands in a heap. Her face and visible parts of her body are cut and bruised. She is soon followed by a robot with half a human face. Metallo and Cassie had fought their way up through the entire building until now they were on the roof. Cassie pushes herself up to her knees and coughs painfully. Blood droplets cover the ground. Her fight with Metallo re-aggravated whatever it was Grundy had injured earlier. Not to mention the fact she had been losing this fight ever since they hit the 5th floor. She then feels a sudden sharp painful kick into her ribs forcing her to roll across the roof.

Metallo struts cockily towards Wonder Girl's prone form. "You should have chosen wiser than to fight me girly. Unlike you I don't feel pain or suffer injury. I feel neither heat nor cold nor even the wind on my face. I feel nothing." He kicks her in the ribs again rolling her towards the edge of the roof. "I am dead inside." Metallo then picks Cassie up high above his head in preparation for throwing her off the roof. "And in a moment you will be just plain dead. It's been fun playing with you but it is time to die."

He then throws her off the several story building and dusts his hands. Good riddance.

Cassie sees the ground rapidly approaching and in her current state she is pretty certain she won't survive a fall like this so she throws her arms in front of her face, closes her eyes and waits for the impact.

"Cassandra," a voice suddenly permeates the darkness.

Cassie thinks she knows that voice. "Father?" she queries speculatively.

Cassie opens her eyes to find herself no longer falling towards the ground but instead is standing in a marble palace in the clouds. It could only be one place. It was Olympus. It had to be but if she was here did that mean...

"No you are not dead my daughter."

Cassie spins round to see before her her father Zeus standing there looking regal and powerful and as Cassie guesses the King of the Gods should look.

"You are caught in between," Zeus continues.

"In between what?"

"One moment and the next. As a mortal might phrase it you are between the tick and the tock of a clock."

"If I'm not dead then what I am doing here?"

"Because you were going to die," Zeus says with genuine remorse present in his voice. "I could not allow that especially not when you have the power within you to prevent it. The power within you to defeat that mockery of a man."

"I tried. I tried so hard father but he beat me," Cassie admits sounding defeated. Her gaze drifts to the ground beneath her feet.

Zeus moves forward and lifts his daughter's chin up so she looks at him. "I may be many things my daughter. Some of which make me less than perfect in the eyes of many but I will speak honestly to you. I loved your mother and I love you. I am proud of the woman you are growing into. I know my absence has left a bitterness inside you. I regret that along with the fact I have not been there to help guide you to your destiny."

"What destiny?" Cassie has to ask.

Zeus chuckles in amusement. "Full blooded gods have feared asking questions of me. You have been spending too much time with the Amazon princess and her Kryptonian husband I see."

Cassie can only shrug helplessly.

"You will discover your destiny in your own time and in your own way but know this; my blood flows through your veins and you have yet to discover the true depth of your power. In other circumstances I would have left you to discover it by yourself but in your present one I believe a little...kick-start, I believe the phrase is, is required." A glow forms around Zeus' hand. "Time to return to the world Cassandra."

"Wait!" Cassie pleads. "Um you said I as going to die. Does that mean I'm mortal?" she has to ask since she does not know for certain if she is mortal like her mother or immortal like her father.

"Even your teacher can die if her injuries are severe enough," Zeus answers.

"That doesn't answer my question," Cassie points out.

Zeus smiles knowingly. "Farewell my daughter." He then touches his glowing hand to her head and Cassandra finds herself back plummeting towards the ground. She can feel the wind rushing over her until it stops all of a sudden. Cassie opens her eyes and what she sees is the ground about five feet below her getting no closer. Cassie looks at herself and comes to a startling realisation.

She is flying!!!

Clark slams his fist into Lex's face knocking him to the ground causing Lex to spit up a dollop of blood which can be added to all the other bloody marks and bruises he has put on his one time friend. Of course Clark has quite a few of them himself. Lex may not be the type to go charging in and getting his hands bloody but that didn't mean Lex didn't know how to fight but as Clark mentioned earlier he has spent a decade learning from his wife and he has finally gotten the upper hand here. "It's over Lex," he declares. "Surrender now and end this," he almost pleads of his one-time friend. Clark has no wish for this to end in the way it was seemingly heading.

Lex on the floor lets out a dark laugh. "I don't think so Clark." In an instant he turns round and Clark finds himself facing the barrel of Lex's gun once more. Dammit. Lex must have landed near it and Clark never noticed.

Lex stands back up, a little wobbly, but still managing to never let his aim waver. He is breathing heavily. He briefly glances at the destroyed monitor on the ground. "Pity you destroyed that. I really had wanted you to watch the end of your Justice League and everything else you had built but I guess I will simply have to settle for less." Lex points over at another monitor on the wall with a flashing and beeping spot. "That monitors the position of Doomsday."

"Doomsday?" Clark queries.

"Oh didn't I mention that was the name I gave it. Wonderful wasn't it. Cadmus found it buried beneath the earth and after their premature demise I claimed it, reconditioned what you would call its mind so that it obeyed my every command. Right now it is in the city and by my calculations it will have just about finished off your friends by now."

"You're dreaming Lex," Clark says with the belief in his friends and their ability to prevail.

"Am I? Under different circumstances I could show you the results of the tests I performed on it but considering where we are you will simply have to take my word. Do you want to know what I found?"

Clark says nothing.

"No? Oh I'll tell you anyway. I found out that wherever Doomsday is from it must have evolved in a very harsh environment. It needs little food or water. It can survive in a vacuum and endure extremes of heat or cold. It has few vital organs therefore limiting the risk of fatal injury. It is essentially solid mass."

"Is there a point to this Lex?" Clark asks while trying to figure out a way to get the gun off of Lex.

"The point is Clark that in terms of raw power it is possibly stronger than you are. Now tell me really. How well do you think your friends are really fairing especially after the way you saw it defeat your wife with a single blow?"

Clark had tried not to think on it too hard and trust in his wife's skill as a warrior. It is then the beeping coming from the machine stops and Clark can see what looks like panic spread across Lex's face. They must have beaten it he realises. "What was that you were saying Lex?" he says unable to stop himself from sounding incredibly smug at this moment.

No. It was impossible. Lex had calculated every possibility. He can't have failed. Not when he was so close. Anger swells up inside him and he cocks the gun. "I can still get rid of you," he says with genuine hate of Clark. Hate built up from years of having his destiny denied to him at every turn by Superman, by Clark. No more! Lex is about to pull the trigger when he spots that Clark's eyes are once more not looking at him but at something behind him.

Lex spins round just as a gun is fired. He can feel a bullet graze his cheek just as he fires at his attacker whom promptly falls to the ground. She may have missed but Lex didn't. Lex takes a moment to register the identity of his would be assassin. Waller.

Next Lex finds the arm holding the gun is grabbed from behind. Clark had taken this distraction as his moment to strike. Lex would have done the same but Lex has an advantage in one sense. He still has two working arms while Clark only has one. They end up grappling over the gun until in the midst of the struggle it goes off and Clark tumbles backward to the ground desperately trying to cover the wound in his stomach where the bullet hit him.

Clark grits his teeth against the searing pain of the kryptonite bullet as Lex moves over him pointing the gun directly at his head.

"Now before we so rudely interrupted I was about to say my farewells to you Clark. Oh one more thing. Don't worry about your children. They are already dead."

Clark's brow furrows deeply as Lex gestures at the room where the children are. Clark manages to turn his head to see the room flooded with a green glow. Oh God no!

"Waller's wayward shot hit the controls," Lex takes great pleasure in pointing out and the control panel is indeed damaged and shorting out. Lex cocks the gun once more. "Right then. Farewell Clark. You were a worthy adversary etc etc," he says with great disrespect. He pulls the trigger and...nothing. Oh come on. Can't he just have his one simple wish of putting an end to Superman once and for all.

"You've had your six shots Lex," Clark points out since the gun Lex is carrying only holds six bullets and 3 went into Connor, one hit Clark's shoulder, one hit Waller and one is right now in his gut burning Clark from the inside.

Lex looks at the gun almost forlornly before tossing it aside. Luckily he is always prepared and therefore he can have that wish after all. He reaches inside his jacket and pulls out yet another gun and aims it at Clark. "This one doesn't have kryptonite bullets," he explains, "but in your current condition it doesn't need to. I'll skip the farewells this time and say that I promise you next time I will finish off your League and take my rightful place as leader of this world."

Clark fights to remain conscious as the kryptonite poisoning seeps through his body combined with the blood loss. The question creeps into his head that God does Lex ever stop talking or does he really love the sound of his own voice that much? After all Lex has had at least half a dozen really good chances to kill him today alone yet always seems to end up taking the time to gloat over something or explain something. Clark sees Lex start to pull the trigger. Oh well maybe even Lex has gotten tired of massaging his own ego. Clark braces himself for what seems the inevitable this time. The sound of a gun firing fills the air and suddenly Lex's eyes widen in the same way Connor's did earlier. Lex manages to turn round and there in the doorway is Amanda Waller still alive holding her gun in the same position from which she fired it from. "You b..." is all Lex manages to say before his strength leaves him and he falls to the floor unconscious.

"See you in hell Lex!" Waller says with bitter venom before she seems to lose all her strength and becomes listless on the floor.

Clark can see pools of blood forming under both her and Lex's bodies but he doesn't have the luxury of lying here and dying. He has got to get up and save Jon and Lara. He braces himself against the pain and forces himself to his feet. He staggers past Connor's prone form, for whom Clark can do no more as he requires the bullets in his back to be surgically removed, and over to the door to the room and inside he can see Jon and Lara lying unconscious on the ground. The kryptonite radiation permeating the room is way above the levels when Lex was merely trying to contain them. Clark knows if he enters the room he isn't coming out. He can, however, do one thing to try and save his children.

Clark staggers forward and falls to his knees. He crawls over to where his children are, all the time his every cell is screaming at him in agony. His vision dims and he shakes his head trying to remain conscious for just a few seconds more. He moves Jon and Lara next to each and gives each one a kiss. "I love you," he whispers to them before he does the only thing he can do. He lays on top of them and uses his body as a shield against the kryptonite radiation. It is now, finally, he lets his eyes close. He fills his thoughts of Diana, Jon and Lara just before he surrenders to the darkness which claims him into its warm, comforting embrace.

Author's Note: I needed Lex to be stopped without Clark being the one to actually go as far as killing him. Can never have Superman kill so I had Waller survive so she could fill that role. Lex shooting Connor just goes to prove that he never really cared for his 'son' but just saw him as a means to an end. A lesson Connor has just learnt the hard way. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews.