Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein. They are the sole property of their creators and associated companies. I make no money off of this whatsoever and have no intention of doing so in the future. I write this because it's fun and because there are those who like reading my works. I would greatly appreciate it if you would refrain from taking legal action against me. I can guarantee you that the money you get from me will not cover even a tenth of the legal costs involved on your end.
Note: Sorry for the long wait with this however I think you'll find it well worth the wait. I was writing the sequel to one of my most popular fanfics and wanted to reach a certain page count before getting to this one. The sequel will post soon but I want to get a little farther in the story before I do so.
Batman's POV
"Batman to Red Tornado. There's an airborne vehicle leaving the Embassy," he said after activating the comm device in his ear. "I want you to track it and dispatch Steel, J'onn and Captain Atom to pursue."
"On it. What's the situation where you are?" Reddy asked with his usual stoic stone.
"Flash is down and in the infirmary. Captain Marvel is down with serious injuries. The rest of us are in various states of injury but nothing too serious," he replied after surveying the occupants of the room. "Tell J'onn to exercise extreme caution if he is forced to engage. The leader of the group is strong, fast and somehow has the ability to negate invulnerability."
"Acknowledged. Red Tornado out." Reddy stated before the connection was cut.
With that he needed to turn to the task of seeing to the young woman Xander Harris had called Willow, since his information on the young man indicated they were quite close. While normally he would be confident in the sensors linked to the vents that would inject knockout gas the moment Alexander's agitation reached a certain level, a great deal of damage had been done. He could no longer be certain that all of the necessary systems were still operational enough to work the way they'd been designed to. With that being the case, he needed to do all he could to remove things that could get him excited or angry and a harmed friend would definitely do that.
Before he could take more than three steps, though, two of the remaining warning klaxons went off indicating that the sensors installed around Xander's containment tube had registered his vital signs entering the danger level. Turning around, he saw further proof of the escalating situation as his eyes fell upon the sight of a furious young man, whose eyes were beginning to take on an arcane green glow. As seconds ticked by he worried that perhaps the gas injectors had indeed been damaged but, when a white mist surged into the tube, he almost breathed a sigh of relief. While he could see some vents lacking the potent compound, enough of the substance was coming forth to put the young man to sleep. Indeed, as time passed, he could see signs of the drug taking effect and within seconds the boy from California would be asleep on the floor, not to awake for several hours.
At least that was what should have happened.
However instead what he saw was a struggle between two opposing forces.
On the one side was the knockout gas that had been specifically formulated by Dr. Hamilton for Xander in order to ensure that it would be quick to take effect. The few times before that Alexander's emotions had gotten the better of him to the point where it had been employed, the young man had dropped to the floor in less than five seconds.
On the other side, though, a glow that matched the green light in his eyes seemed to be fighting off the effects of the gas and, unless his eyes were misleading him, this ambiance seemed to be pushing the gas back like a strong current of air. If the effects were pushed back too far then the transformation into the Hulk would take place, adding one more problem to the list the League would have to deal with.
I need to get Dr. Fate here quickly. He thought as his deductive mind quickly determined that the light was magical in nature. If he can counter this glow then the Hulk can be contained.
Almost in answer to his thoughts, an ankh of light appeared in the air and through it came the man who served the Lords of Order in the fight against the chaos that evil often inspired. He could only presume that the sorcerer had sensed what was happening somehow and had come to intervene.
"I trust you have a way to stop what's happening?" he asked as the man who floated to the ground beside him.
"Short of removing the cause of his rage? No." Dr. Fate replied with a troubled voice as he looked at Harris who was slowly beginning to increase in size.
"Then you need to examine his friend Ms. Rosenberg and heal her as best you can," he said, moving over to where the leather-clad woman had fallen. "His agitation rose sharply when she got hurt. If he sees that she's fine and that she'll make a full recovery then maybe—"
That was all he could say before an explosive shockwave surged outwards from the direction of Xander's containment tube accompanied by the shattering sound that had to be the tube itself. Considering that the substance it was made out have was supposed to be strong enough to take a brick of C4 with only scorch marks afterwards, this development was put right in his 'cause for concern' category.
An angry bellow that could very well have caused the walls vibrate with its volume rent the air, driving the point home as to who (and what) was awake and loose.
"We're too late." He said as he turned to see something he'd only seen in video recordings up until then.
Standing in the middle of the devastated containment tube was an eight foot tall jade giant with muscles that he'd only seen on the likes of Bane or Solomon Grundy. Worse than that was the fact that the look of utter fury on the giant's face hinted at a great deal of destruction in the near future that at the moment he did not have the means to prevent. As a strategic safeguard he'd spent countless hours making precautionary plans in case any member of the League ever went rogue and became a threat. He'd done the same for as many of the super criminals that existed in the world, whether he was likely to encounter them himself or not. Even with so little time to work with he'd already come up with five different ways of neutralizing the Hulk should Harris undergo the transformation again. Sadly he hadn't had the time to gather the necessary tools to employ four of them and the fifth one while plausible would take some time to put together.
"GGGLLLLOOOOORRRRYYY!" roared the Hulk and, without further delay, it pushed off the ground with his tree trunk legs, causing him to shoot through the roof of the embassy with all the subtlety of a giant cannonball.
"I'll go after him and try to stop him from causing too much damage." Superman said before flying through the gaping hole in the ceiling.
"Batman to Red Tornado. We're about to have a great deal of property damage done to the city," he said while mentally cringing at how much it'd cost Bruce Wayne when he donated funds to the rebuilding effort. "Dispatch evacuation teams one and three immediately."
"They will be transported to your location momentarily." Red Tornado said before the connection was severed.
Turning around, he looked to where Dr. Fate stood over the spot where Ms. Rosenberg had fallen and appeared to be administering some healing magic. He truly hoped that she was not seriously injured because the ideal situation would be for her to regain consciousness and be well enough that, when presented to the Hulk, it would calm the green goliath enough to induce a reversion to Xander. However when the man with the golden helmet stopped casting his magic upon the girl, he grew concerned since the wounds he'd deduced the girl must have received impacting the wall as she did should have required more energy to heal.
"Is there something the matter?" he asked as he approached the sorcerer.
"I…do not know." Dr. Fate replied in an uncertain voice, "Her wounds are healed but still she remains unconscious and not only that but what wounds she had were not near as serious as they should've been for such an impact."
As the young woman came into view, he found that there was indeed cause for concern but not necessarily for the same reason as Dr. Fate had already concerned. He had clearly seen the girl hit the wall and, sadly, was familiar with the amount of blood that was spilled as a result, but what he saw on the ground around the Sunnydale native was akin to a nasty head wound. When added to the fact that the friend of Xander Harris wasn't waking up despite the fact that Fate had taken care of her wounds and it did not bode well for his plan to calm the Hulk.
"Take her to the infirmary and continue working on her there," he said before taking a remote from his belt and clicking the button on it. "Unless another option presents itself, she might be the only way to stop the Hulk."
Hearing the familiar whine fill the air, he looked up to see the Batplane appear before a boarding line was lowered for him to grab onto. As he had done hundreds of times before, he used it to get onboard and, once inside, piloted the craft in the direction he'd seen the Hulk leap. Recalling the documentation that stated that the jade giant couldn't fly, he logically deduced that the emerald powerhouse was leaping and so directed his gaze to the ground below. He immediately spotted the first one but it took some time and effort to see the next one, implying that the Hulk's leaping distance was considerable. Movement ahead of him caught his attention and he watched as the being that was once Xander Harris leapt into the air, continuing in a western direction. Adjusting his heading to match, he considered the payload his aircraft had to see if he had anything that would do the least bit of good. Sadly from what he'd learned from Superman, the Hulk's durability was a match for the Boy Scout's, which meant short of a nuclear warhead, all he'd do would be annoy the mountain of muscle.
Fortunately annoyance might be enough if I can get him to follow me out of the city. He thought as he brought some of his more potent missiles online, If Superman can add his strength to the equation, we should be able to keep the Hulk from getting distracted along the way.
That was assuming that whatever damage the female leader of the escaping group was insufficient to impair Clark's fighting capabilities to the point where he would be unable to face the Hulk. A blur of red and blue rising from the ground indicated otherwise as it left the jade giant's previous departure point, so he accelerated the Batplane in order to catch up. As fast as he was, though, he was no match for the leaping ability of the Hulk or Superman's own flight speed, so he'd need another way to make sure he didn't loose them once both his eyes and sensors failed.
"Batman to Red Tornado. Do you have a fix on aircraft that left the embassy?" he asked, tapping into the communications.
"Affirmative. It's on a western heading from the embassy with no sign of deviation." Replied Red Tornado through the speakers.
Odd. He thought as he looked at his scanners, I thought at first that the Hulk was tracking them by sight but, if these readings are right, then the woman that took Flash out of the fight should be no more than a speck on the horizon to him.
This opened a new element to the scenario but the goal remained the same: capture the two criminals that'd fled the embassy, rescue the unknown women they'd taken prisoner and calm down the Hulk before he demolished a large portion of the city.
Not necessarily in that order, of course.
Nearing the Outskirts of the City, Later, Glorificus' POV
This victory will secure for me a position as Helspont's second in command for sure! She thought with satisfaction as they approached the spot where she'd stored her shuttle. Finally I will get all the power and influence I deserve!
Standing regally atop H.A.R.M as the cyborg continued to fly through the air, she imagined the glorious future that was now hers. No more would she be treated as just a minion or even just one of a handful of enforcers! She would be who gave out the orders when Lord Helspont wasn't around and, should the leader of the Daemonite forces on Earth have an 'accident', then his position would become hers. After all, the trouble she'd gone through to retrieve the filthy Kherabim computer, it was only natural that she receive such a reward.
As soon as she got back to the Daemonite flagship her hard times would finally be over with and her time enjoy the benefits of the powerful would begin.
"WARNING! INCOMING-!" H.A.R.M declared before being rather forcefully interrupted.
Having something slam into you made the interruption somewhat understandable but she'd still turn him into spare parts for not evading the incoming form. Her focus was quickly changed to the rat that dared to attack them when the two of them slammed into the street with the cyborg and the Kherabim computer crashing a short distance away. Lashing out with a back fist, she felt it connect, forcing whoever had attacked her off and, when she got to her feet, it was a mix of feelings that rose within her when she saw who her new target was.
She felt anger at her victory being spoiled
However she also felt joy at the chance to finally settle a score with a certain green gnat.
Standing across from her in torn pants and not much else was the Hulk, looking like he wanted nothing more than to throw down with her.
"GRRRRRR!" Hulk growled loud enough to make one think it came from something ten times his size.
"So YoU dEcIdEd To ShOw Up AfTeR aLl, BiG gUy!" she said with growing bloodlust. "GoOd! I'Ll CaRvE yOu Up BeFoRe DeLiVeRiNg ThAt PiEcE oF kHeRaBiM tRaSh To LoRd HeLsPoNt!"
She charged him and delivered a punch she was sure would tear right through him since, in her transformed state, her powers were easily ten times what they were when she was confined to that human appearance. While the punch she'd hit him with back at the construction site might have only been enough to make him take a step back, this one would kill him in one shot. As the force transferred from her fist to the Hulk's body, she was only slightly disappointed when instead of going through his stomach it merely sent him crashing through several buildings. So severe was the damage done by his passing that more than a few of them collapsed to the ground but she barely thought of that. She waited to see if the dumb brute would get back up and she wasn't disappointed when, seconds after the last building crumbled, the debris exploded outwards to reveal a still furious Hulk.
This time it was him who attacked with speed born of his obscenely large muscles.
Amused by the very idea that this peon could harm, her she braced herself a bit and let the hit land.
No one was more surprised than her when not only did the punch send her through twice as many buildings as her punch had sent the Hulk, but his blow actually HURT!
Rising to her feet, she could tell immediately that, while the pain existed, there were no complications as far as movement and strength was concerned. With that in mind she ran forward at super speed until she stood no more than ten feet from the monstrous man, a smile on her face that would pierce anyone's heart with fear.
"LoOkS lIkE sOmEoNe hAs GoTtEn StRoNgEr!" she said as she caught a surprise punch from the Hulk with one hand. "LeT's SeE hOw MuCh StRoNgEr!"
The brute obliged her when he tried to hit her with his other fist but, like the first, she caught it as well and so the contest of strength began. Minutes passed as they pit their strength against one another, each using more and more of the power their bodies possessed in order to defeat their foe. However, whether it was due to the shoddy materials used to construct the road or the simple fact that the green moron was indeed stronger, she felt herself being pushed back faster and faster as the seconds ticked by. It was in anger that she switched from a contest of strength back to an actual battle as she let go of one fist and, after ducking under the fool's guard, slammed her fist into his jaw, sending him straight up into the air. Leaping up to follow, she managed to use her superior speed to pass him slightly, allowing her to deliver an axe kick to sending him plummeting back down to the unforgiving ground below.
Landing back on the ground, she smiled at the fact that she'd managed to recover from the defeat in strength with that latest combination attack. Sadly it proved to be insufficient as a green fist punched through the shattered pavement, allowing the rest of the body to pull itself back to the surface. In minutes the status quo was restored with her facing off against the Hulk and, while her confidence in her victory remain as solid as ever, annoyance began to creep into her mind. Who did this fool think he was thinking he could challenge her? She was the great Glorificus of the Daemonite army and had personally crushed armies beneath her feet! No one mortal, no matter how impressive he might have been to its kind, was fit to square off against her much less insult her by thinking they could defeat her!
Time to put this annoying flee in his place! She thought before saying, "YoU mAy Be StRoNgEr ThAn Me BuT LeT's SeE iF YoU'rE FASTER!"
With that she pushed her levels of speed to their maximum and moved so fast that to her the Hulk might as well have been standing still. With strength only a little less than what she'd been using up until then, she delivered blow upon blow to the oversized monkey with a punch, sending the fool into a kick, only to be sent to the ground with an elbow. She didn't stop there though and for what had to be five minutes for the monkeys who couldn't keep up with her movements she continued to beat the stupid giant into his place. By the time she slid to a stop teen feet away from him, she could only smile as she watched the Hulk drop to one knee as a result of her attack.
It was a fitting position for a member of an inferior species if she did say so herself.
"ThAt'S rIgHt, DoG! kNeEl!" she declared with supreme victory in her voice.
In response the beast of a man raised his head to look at her, the green flames of fury still burning in his eyes, but she was not worried. As far away as he was she'd be able to counter him before he got even a step and so she waited to see what pathetic next act would be before she put an end to this confrontation.
What came next she did not see coming.
Instead of charging her in order to close the distance between them, he merely held his arms out to the side for a moment before clapping his hands together with unbelievable force. Shockwaves were produced that struck her as hard as any physical blow and let loose a wave that tore up the street and created cracks in the closest buildings from top to bottom. Disorientation reigned in her mind for a time and, by the time it cleared, all she could see was a large green hand reaching for her head. Acting on instinct she kicked out with her right leg, striking the ground and sending herself upwards into the sky, allowing her to evade the Hulk's giant hand. She came down just in time to see the jade giant impact a building demolishing it in the process.
Just as was done before, though, the brute's strength allowed him to erupt from the rubble with barely a few second's pause.
In that time she determined that it was time to end this little fight rather than risk further humiliation as a result of this fool's primitive attacks. With the strength born of that resolve she tapped into her speed once more before attacking her foe with all of her strength and targeting the most important parts of a human's body. Head, spine and ribs were targeted for shattering while her claws went to work destroying all the organs they could reach. It got to the point where she became covered from head to toe in the Hulk's green blood and it was with satisfaction that she watched the brute finally drop to the ground. Breathing hard at the exertion of beating the crap out of the Hulk, she couldn't help but start to chuckle as she didn't see any sign of the moron getting back to his feet.
"SeRvEs HiM rIgHt!" she declared before turning to where she'd seen that cyborg and the Kherabim computer fall.
She got all of ten feet before sounds of movement reached her.
At twenty feet the faint sound of growling assailed her sense of hearing, stopping her in her tracks.
It was when the ground shook in a pattern consistent with footsteps that she turned around to see a sight that both surprised her and infuriated her at the same time.
The Hulk was back on his feet and the wounds she had caused him were healing themselves at an unbelievable rate of speed.
It was with this sight that she first began to feel as though her victory might not be as certain as she'd thought.
Superman's POV
This is…this is terrible! He thought as he looked down at the devastation caused by the two powerful combatants in the twenty minutes it took to catch up to the two of them.
Grimacing as the pain from the wounds the lizard woman had given him back at the embassy, he knew that he had to bring this fight to an end as soon as possible. Both the Hulk and the shapeshifting woman were powerhouses on par with himself but there was important difference. The former was so full of fury and a desire for revenge that it was impossible for concern for civilians to enter his mind. The latter had already shown a monstrous disregard for human life and he saw no reason to believe that that would change anytime soon. Between two such titans he feared that half the city would be destroyed before a victor finally emerged from their battle and that was something he could not allow.
Using his vision powers, he found them quickly and, much to his surprise, it looked as though the lizard woman had the Hulk on the defensive. It appeared that, for all the Hulk's strength, the giant didn't have the reflexes or the speed needed to keep up with the bloodthirsty woman. This fact didn't stop the behemoth of a man from trying or prevent him from utilizing primitive techniques centered on using brute strength to bridge the gap. As a result he was doing more damage to his surrounding environment than to his desired target.
"This ends NOW!" he said as he drew upon all of the speed he possessed and shot down towards the lizard woman.
Knowing his first blow would have to be the most effective and so he made sure to punch her in such a way so as to send her body right into the oncoming fist of the Hulk. When she then went back his way he delivered a double axe handle with a level of strength he usually reserved for Darkseid. As a result his foe hit the ground hard enough to leave an impression that was two feet deep all around. Landing a short distance away, he waited to see if the team up between him and the Hulk, however brief it was, was enough to truly end the fight. What he didn't expect, though, was for the Hulk to continue the assault, delivering earth shaking blow after earth shaking blow upon the object of his rage with no sign of stopping anytime soon.
"Hulk! Stop! She's beaten. It's over." He said trying to keep the giant young Alexander had become from doing something the Californian might regret later.
No sign of acknowledgement was given by the behemoth, no disruption in the pummeling pattern he'd settled into and definitely no articulation beyond grunts of rage-filled effort. Believing he needed to get the powerhouse's attention, he used a combination of speed and strength to grab one of the Hulk's arms before it could complete it's descent towards its target. Shock dominated him, though, when despite his efforts the blow continued on course with virtually no sign that his action had made any difference whatsoever.
The sheer POWER that the Hulk possessed now!
It quickly started looking like simply restraining him isn't going to be enough. Using his superior speed to get behind the jade giant, he used all the strength he could to place the mountain of muscle in a full nelson. Then, once he was sure that the position was locked in, he took to the sky, intent on getting the man out of the city where the risk to civilian lives and property would be kept to a minimum. It took a monstrous effort to keep the hold intact and that surprised him since this particular technique was specifically allow the user to maintain complete control over whomever they used it on, no matter their strength level. Nevertheless he was determined to keep any more damage from befalling the city and so did everything he could to keep the hold from breaking as he set course for the quickest route to the city limits.
He got all of twenty feet in the right direction before something hit him in the back of the head, loosening his grip on the Hulk before both of them plummeted to the ground below. After touchdown it took him awhile to clear his head but, when it was clear, he looked up to see that the lizard women standing before him.
"If YoU wAnTeD tO jOiN iN, AlL yOu HaD tO dO wAs AsK!" she said before grabbing him by the throat before he could stop her.
Out of reflex, as well as for more practical concerns, he tried to wrench open the vice-like grip around his throat as the woman was proving more thank capable of choking him with her level of strength. In a move born of confidence he opened his eyes and let loose a blast of heat vision directed at the woman's offending arm that was strong enough to make Darkseid feel it. It proved enough as, with a scream of pain, the lizard woman released him allowing him to put some distance between the two of them while he massaged his sore neck.
How could she have recovered from the Hulk's blows that quickly? He asked since his mind could not comprehend recovery happening in less than five minutes.
"ThAt HuRt, BlUeBoY!" yelled the lizard woman as the damage done to the arm slowly regenerated, "I wAs PiSsEd EnOuGh FrOm ThE pUnCh BuT nOw I wOn'T rEsT uNtIl YoUr BlOoD dEcOrAtEs ThE eNtIrE sTrEeT!"
No more time was left for words after that as he was soon forced into a fight that pushed his speed and his strength more than halfway to his limits. Sadly the wounds he had suffered from his earlier confrontation with the monstrous woman was causing his body to increasingly protest the strain he was putting on it. Nevertheless he could not afford to oblige those protests since anything less than his current efforts would result in the battle leaning decidedly in the woman's favor. He made several attempts to take to the sky, since the woman didn't seem to possess the power of flight, but every time he did she managed to grab him by the leg and slam him back to the ground. It was only his years of experience as a superhero that allowed him to get back to his feet in time to prevent her from capitalizing on his momentarily vulnerable position.
I'm going to need some help on this one! He thought as the fight took a momentary pause while both the lizard woman and him caught their respective breaths.
As if in answer to his request, his ears picked up the sound of two items approaching at high speed and he looked up to spot an old friend coming to his aid.
Perfect timing as always, Bruce. He thought as the missiles struck his foe directly.
However, as the smoke from the explosion cleared, his eyes saw no appreciable damage done to the bloodthirsty woman but a marked increase in her fury.
"AlRiGhT! nOw, WhO dId-?" the lizard woman asked before she was interrupted by another pair of missiles that slammed into her just as she finished turning to face them.
Seeing the Batplane streak by before beginning its turn for another pass, he knew that he had to give Batman time to prepare another volley since it would be all too easy to knock the craft from the sky for the female powerhouse. Deciding to try a different tactic then hand-to-hand combat, he sucked in as much air as he could before unleashing a stream of super cold air that began to encase the woman in ice. From every possible angle he made sure to make it no less than two feet thick and added additional layers as fast as he could. When he was satisfied with the thickness he hovered twenty feet in front as well as above his foe as he waited to see how effective his efforts would be.
He wasn't given the chance as it was then that the Hulk rejoined the fray, tackling the ice encased woman, shattering her prison and bringing her hard to the ground. It was a surprise to see someone so fixated on destroying an enemy that it was willing to sacrifice all else in order to achieve their goal. The Hulk managed to get a single blow in on his foe before she kicked him off, causing him to fly back a dozen feet before landing on the ground. Both of them were back on their feet within seconds but before the ruthless woman could use her super speed again the Hulk took action to prevent it.
"HULK…SMASH!" roared the Hulk before bringing both clenched fists slamming into the ground.
So powerful was the technique that the ground shook as it would if the area was experiencing an earthquake. It caused so much upheaval with the ground beneath their feet that the lizard woman's footing was lost, depriving her of her super speed until she regained her footing.
That was something that wouldn't be happening anytime soon, not if the Hulk had any say about it, judging from the thunderous uppercut the giant delivered before following his prey into the sky.
Just how strong is the Hulk? He thought as he took to the sky himself.
Megan Morse's POV, JLU Embassy, Minutes Before
I have to stop… Xander. She thought getting up from the obliterated floor of the Embassy, He needs to know the truth!
Stumbling a bit as she stood, she was forced to admit that while she'd been able to heal most of the damage done by that lizard bitch, she hadn't completely shaken it off. There was indeed something unnatural about that wench because never before in her entire life had she had such difficulty healing an injury. Despite the lingering pain and weakness, though, she could not let it stop her from getting to Xander and letting him know that his friend Willow was still alive. Even if she had to use her shapeshifting ability to impersonate the young woman she would do it if only to ease the pain that now existed in his heart. She had felt it all too well, in spite of the state she'd been in, the pain, the all-consuming rage, and it had touched her deeply how much Xander loved Willow. It wasn't the kind of love that a boyfriend had for a girlfriend but rather what a brother had for a little sister. Indeed it gave her a goal beyond simply getting away before the League somehow figured out the truth about her.
Doesn't mean I can drag my heels, though. She thought as she willed herself to rise into the air, The longer Xander goes without the truth, the more damage he'll do to the city. Damage he'll blame himself for.
"Where are you going? You're still hurt!" Cessily asked as she finished pulling her liquid metal form together.
"I've got to let Xander know that his friend's still alive," she said as she willed her body to do what she wanted it to. "As mad as he is right now, it's only a matter of time before someone gets killed as a result of something he does as the Hulk. If he finds out he's killed someone…it'll tear him apart!"
"Look, I know you're sweet on the guy but things are going to get seriously crowded here soon." Cessily said as she began to look about for new arrivals, "Most of the Leageuers are gone but that doesn't mean more aren't on the way. Time for us to leave."
"No. I get where you're coming from but even if it means they find out the truth about me I have to help Xander." She said with a resolve that surprised even her.
Around the club she'd always been known as something of a flirt who never really got serious about any man outside from a little fun in the bedroom. The reason for this has always been to protect her secret and the fear of what would likely happen if the truth were to become known to one and all. She knew that her people did not have the most favorable reputation among the races of the galaxy, she knew they had done terrible things, but she was the exception to this rule. She had been sent away when she was very young and barely had any memories from before she'd been placed into her small ship. She remembered fire, she remembered shouts of both anger as well as suffering, but most of all she remembered her parents placing her in the ship with the false promise that they would follow.
They were not typical of their people any more than she was.
"Man, you must have it bad for that guy," Cessily sighed with a defeated tone of voice. "Fine! We'll go after him but you better be ready for the consequences that I just know are coming."
"Thanks, Cessily!" she said with genuine gratitude before she picked up her friend and the two of them rose into the sky.
It didn't take long for her to find out which direction she should go in; all she needed to do was look for the plumes of smoke and dust ascending into the sky. With a direction in mind she flew towards it as quickly as she could with her current injuries and while carrying a person. As she got closer and closer to where the action was, she saw and even heard the level of destruction increasing with every minute. Her sharp eyes even let her see someone who could only be the Man of Steel himself duking it out either with Xander or with that crazy blonde bitch that had hurt Xan's friend. Between all of them they were seriously putting a dent in the city's buildings and, after seeing two puffs of smoke mid-air, she realized that Batman was involved as well.
Don't see why he bothers, though. She thought dismissively as she continued to head towards the battlefield, There's no way the guy has some kind of missile or weapon capable of hurting lizard lady or the Hulk.
It was as she was about to break off her visual survey of the area that she spotted something that could not be ignored any more than Xander could. A short distance away from the epicenter of the fighting, the walking munitions cache was approaching a still unconscious Void and with that she knew that their single objective had just doubled.
"Cessily! You need to stop that walking can opener from getting away with Void." She said as she altered her course a bit in preparation to drop her friend.
"Leave it to me!" Cessily declared before being dropped to the street below.
With less weight slowing her down, she veered back towards the center of the battlefield just in time to see something shoot into the sky to be quickly followed by a larger green something. It was only when the second form caught up to the first one and threw it back to the ground with enough force to create ripples in the air. It looked like a meteor had just fallen to Earth with the way the impact rippled outwards from where the first form was thrown to the ground, displacing debris and destroying what walls remained standing. Taking in the entire battlefield as a whole, the importance of stopping the fight as soon as possible increased as she realized that the property damage was only going to get worse the long it went on. She didn't even want to think about how many people might have been hurt or even killed since the fighting began. She could only hope that most of the people in the area had evacuated after the first earthquake-like impact, otherwise Xander wasn't going to get out of guilt pit for a couple of months at least. She'd known from the moment she'd first spoken to him that he was the sort of person that took it hard when people got hurt because of him.
I… I won't let him suffer any more than necessary! She said descending towards the spot just in front of the Hulk.
"Xander! Stop this!" she yelled as she touched down, "Willow isn't dead! She's alive and she's gonna be fine!"
Looking into the face of the Hulk, she couldn't help but be a bit afraid of the fury that was firmly etched on his face. It looked as though he could break the entire planet in two if he wanted but she knew that if she could just get rid of the source of his rage then it'd all be over with.
"I'm telling you the truth, Xander! Dr. Fate healed her all up and she's resting back at the Embassy." She declared once more before taking a step towards him, "You don't need to be angry anymore!"
"Oh, So ThE little SlUt Is StIlL alive?" asked the blonde bitch as she shakily got back to her feet, "GuEsS i'Ll HaVe To PaY hEr A vIsIt LaTeR. MaKe ThE pAiN gO aWaY…pErMaNeNtLy!"
Before she could say anything to the contrary, the fury on the Hulk's face surged and, with speed that didn't seem possible for one his size, he leapt over her to pummel the lizard lady.
DOES THAT BITCH HAVE A FUCKING DEATHWISH! She thought in utter and complete shock.
Her hopes of ending this fight quickly had been shattered since she figured it was safe to say that so long as the blonde bitch lived, Xander was going to continue to go after her with every ounce of fury he had. Covering her face in order to protect it from the debris from the blows the Hulk, she had to wonder if she should take things to the next step and try to telepathically reach within the giant's mind to simply switch off the rage. It would swiftly end the problem but at the same time it would also break one of her personal rules about entering a good person's mind without permission. Ever since she learned she had telepathy, she'd worked hard to control it and had made her own rules about when it was permissible for her to use it.
In this case, regrettably, things hadn't degenerated to the point where forcefully entering Xander's mind could be permitted.
I sure as hell hope that everyone around here has good insurance because they're going to need it. She thought before deciding to go and see if Cessily needed any help.
She wasn't suicidal enough to try and get in the middle of a three way fight between the Hulk, Superman and the blonde bitch.
Now, if she had to outperform them back on stage at the club they'd only make fools of themselves trying to beat her.
Then again she wouldn't mind watching them try from a stage-side seat and a fist full of one dollar bills! A girl could dream right?
Unknown Place, Willow's POV
I could SO use a map right now! She thought angrily as she looked about the forest paths once more not finding a single clue to indicate whether or not she'd made any progress.
It felt like hours since she woke up in this place, not knowing how she'd gotten here and, ever since then, she'd done her best to figure out how to get back to the Embassy to save Xander. Her mind was clouded somewhat but she knew that the last thing she could recall clearly was trying to rescue her best friend from the Justice League. They'd had that creepy demonness on the ropes but then she managed to get herself taken hostage again, just like back in Sunnydale. She… didn't remember what happened after that but then she woke up in the forest with well-used dirt paths and had devoted all her time since trying to get out of the forest. Sadly no matter what maze-solving method or logical course of action she tried, she always seemed to end up back at this crossroads. She was beginning to get seriously angry at the whole situation since she got the distinct impression that there was something important that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Well, I'm not going to get anything done the normal way. She thought as she sat down in the middle of the crossroads, Time to give magic a try.
There wasn't much she could do without any sort of supplies but there was one spell that hopefully wouldn't fail her.
"Aradia, goddess of the lost. The path is murky. The woods are dense. Darkness pervades. I beseech thee… Bring the light!" she chanted with supreme focus as she worked to channel the magic she needed.
She waited to see the little speck of light that had followed the chanting the last time she'd used this spell but, after a full minute of nothing, she wondered if she'd made a mistake somewhere. Mentally going over each page of the book where she'd found the spell, she examined every memory for possible faulty information. In the end she couldn't find any mistakes so that made her wonder why the spell hadn't worked. Was she someplace that had some kind of magic dampening field in place? If so, she'd probably have to put out two or three times as much magic in order to get the desired result.
Taking a moment to attain the necessary degree of concentration and focus, she drew upon the magic within her and repeated the incantation to bring forth a guide to show her the way out of this forest.
Nothing!
"What the heck am I doing wrong?" she muttered to herself with a bit of discouragement.
"Well, for one thing, little lady, you are trying to force your logic on a place that defies logic." Came a rasping and cracking voice from behind her.
Squeaking in surprise at the unexpected voice she whirled around to find an old man in robes that wouldn't be out of place on Friar Tuck. He looked at her with a kindly face that somewhat reminded her of her grandfather and that did take care of some of the anxiety she was feeling. The fact that he wasn't setting off any of her usual Sunnydale warning senses was also a vote in his favor.
"What do you mean?" she asked interested in getting whatever help she could.
"This forest is a place that, unlike what you're used to, wasn't made with logic in mind." The old monk replied with a kind grin, "Instead it relies more on instinct, on emotions that are at their highest level, in order to find your way out."
"What kind of crazy place is built like that?" she asked unable to fathom how a place could be constructed with such random elements.
"A place where logic is but a concept and everything shifts based on a person's individual perception," the old man shrugged as he folded his arms within the sleeves of his robe. "But perhaps a more visual example will help you understand."
With a nod implying something was behind her, she turned and saw that a small crackling fire had appeared out of nowhere, bathing the area around it with its light. Funny thing about it was that the fire was more crimson then the usual orange-red that she was used to seeing but her science classes had taught her that a flame could be different colors depending on the fuel used.
"If you look at the way the flames dance in the wind, you can see that there is no way that a logical mind can precisely predict which way it will go or what form it will take from one second to the next," explained the old man, pointing at the fire. "However, if a gifted mind looks at it long enough, their instincts can discern what the logical limited mind cannot."
"So basically I should look at the fire until my instincts can figure out the way out of here?" she asked deciding to pull a Xander and dumb things down.
"To put it in simplest terms, yes," the old man said, looking a little unhappy that his sage advice had been reduced to something so ordinary.
She considered what the man had to say and, while it went against everything she had been taught about magic and doing things in general, at this point she was willing to give anything a shot. Sitting down next to the fire, she looked into the flames and tried to let all reason fall away so that instinct and emotion could have their way. It was beyond hard because, whether she consciously willed it or not, her mind acted of its own accord attempting to construct logical patterns or reason out the pattern behind the movements of the flames. With will alone she did her best to stop her mind and, while she could feel that the progress was slow, she did come closer to realizing it with every minute that passed.
So focused was she on her task that she didn't register the eyes of the monk turning into orbs of yellow light, nor see his kind one turn into one that could only be considered pure evil. As his form turned into a foul black mist to be blown away on the wind, one could hear an evil chuckle on the wind and its fading as the seconds ticked by made it sound all the more malevolent.
What this boded for the future none could tell but it would be marvelous one way or another.
Tony Stark's POV, Hovering Above the Embassy
"Jarvis, give me a damage report." He said as he used his sensors to monitor the big fight continue from a distance.
"Moderate damage to exterior armor. I was forced to reroute pour through secondary power couplings after severe damage was done by female hostile's claws." Jarvis replied as images cited the status of the armor. "Primary systems are fluctuating but still within acceptable parameters. Secondary systems have been reduced to one third functionality but nano-repair systems are working on that dilemma. Estimated time to full repair two hours thirty-seven minutes."
"Not a problem." He said as he winced at yet another building biting the dust.
This is going to be hell on the insurance companies. He thought as he continued to gather information before choosing a course of action, Here's hoping Dad didn't skimp on insuring any Stark Enterprises assets in this city.
It was, however, as he broadened the range on his suit's sensors that something odd registered for a second or two that caught his attention. It was an odd concentration of particles just on the outskirts of the city that, for some reason, his systems could not classify but just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. What bothered him besides the fact that his computer couldn't classify the particles was the fact that it formed a perfectly spherical shape without any imperfections that he could see. There was no way that it was a natural phenomenon, meaning something unnatural must floating outside the city and, considering what was going on in the city, he didn't think anyone would like surprises showing up at the last second. With that conclusion reached, he took off towards the location of the particles, taking steps along the way to mask his approach just in case the anomaly turned out to be a threat.
Using the buildings as cover, he also brought what stealth capabilities he'd installed in his armor online in the hopes of preventing any sensors from picking him up. He doubted that he'd be able to do more than prevent a precise lock given the sheer level of tech he suspected the unknown entity possessed. As he zipped through the maze made up of the streets and alleyways of the city, he utilized every opening he could to conduct further scans of the area where the anomaly was. It didn't reappear so instead he focused on the area around it because, no matter how well it could hide itself from its sensors, it would still have an effect on the surrounding environment. At the same time he connected to the nearest Stark Enterprises satellite and initiated a series of commands to focus its sensor array on the same spot. It didn't take long for it to be repositioned, given the importance of this part of America, and immediately he had it do a detailed scan of the area the anomaly was located in. It would take at least fifteen minutes for preliminary results to show themselves so until then he would have to be satisfied with what his armor could tell him.
It was about ten minutes later that he finally reached the outskirts of the city but rather than fly out in the open where everyone could see him he set own in an alley.
Alright, time to play 'what do I know'. He thought as he pulled up the readings he'd managed to take so far. Whatever is being concealed is easily the size of a battleship and to conceal something of that size beneath some kind of cloaking field means a pretty impressive power source. If they put all the power they're using for the cloaking field into their weapon systems, this could get ugly.
With that in mind he decided that he wouldn't wait for the Stark satellite to send him the preliminary results of its scans. He took to the air with the intent of piercing the cloaking field and getting a good look at what was within. If it turned out to be what his paranoia thought it was, then the League would have to call in every member it had and any allies it had in order to keep the city from being wiped from the face of the planet.
"Sorry, tin man, but that place is members only!" came voice just before struck him in the spine and sent energy coursing through his suit.
He managed to do one barrel roll in order to dislodge his uninvited guest but still crashed to the ground below before his armor could reroute the necessary systems. Getting back to his feet as quickly as he could, he turned to face his foe and found a man clad from head to toe in a mix of black and red body armor as well as gear commonly seen on most soldiers. He couldn't ID the man due to a mask that covered his entire head, but he was dangerous to some level, judging from the metal staff that sparked with crimson, light indicating that it was what had disrupted his systems so badly.
"That's a big stick you got there." He said as he used his suit's sensors to get a read on the weapon, "Might you compensating for something, hmmm?"
"Big talk coming from some wannabe playing at being the hero," replied the masked man, sounding like the jibe didn't phase him in the least.
"That's 'wannabe-with-enough-firepower-to-take-out-a-regiment' to you, pal." He replied as he used his advanced intellect to make sense of what his sensors were telling him.
"Weapons are only as good as the person who uses them, kid." The masked man said giving his staff a casual twirl, "You can put the most powerful weapon on the planet into the hands of an idiot and he'll still lose. Just like YOU!"
With that the time for talk was over with and the man attack with surprising speed using his staff, managing to land a glancing blow before he could use his boot jets to get some distance. Bringing up his palm repulsors, he unleashed a barrage with the intent of finishing the fight quickly before this unknown man could report his presence to what was likely behind the cloaking field. He was now certain that a ship of some kind was within the field and that this man was meant to be a watchdog to make sure that no one stumbled across it by choice or by accident. However, much to his surprise, the man managed to block each and every bolt with his staff without so much as a scratch to show for it.
"Okay…that was impressive." He stated a little stunned by what he'd seen before charging in to put his martial arts training to good use.
True, he hadn't had an opportunity to try it out in the armor yet but he was fairly sure that he could use it without killing the masked man before him.
Throwing a punch first, it missed but he quickly turned it into an elbow shot that failed to connect as well and, in return, he received a sold blow with the staff to the stomach that sent him flying into the air. He landed a little over ten feet away with the same disruption of his armor's systems as before. They still corrected themselves quickly but it was only a matter of time before he suffered a serious enough blow that would prevent him from continuing the fight. If that happened no one would find out what he'd learned until it was too late.
Not going to happen! He thought as his resolve became as strong as his armor, It'd completely ruin my debut as Iron Man!
Using his onboard targeting system, he programmed a series of targets and had his system take over aiming and firing since it would be much quicker than anything his human reflexes and speed could manage. Initiating the program, he watched as his armor unleashed the barrage of seven shots from his palm repulsor but was less than satisfied to see less than half the shots actually strike their target. Still, it was more acceptable than everything being blocked and at the strength level he'd set the strikes at he wouldn't be surprised if there were a few broken bones.
"Don't get too proud of your lucky hits, rookie." The masked man said as he steadied his stance, "You're still nowhere near my league!"
With speed above that which should have been possible, his costumed foe charged him and managed to cross the distance before a new firing solution could be created. Reflexively taking to the air in the hopes that the masked man couldn't follow, he was unprepared when his opponent threw his energized staff at him with such speed that no mere human could see more than a blur. Striking him just below the center of his chest, he was treated to pain beyond anything he had ever felt before as the energy began damage the sole thing keeping him alive after the accident overseas four years ago. Dropping to the ground as his primary source of power chaotically fluctuated, he tried to form the words to initiate an emergency reroute of the nano-repair systems but the pain he felt had frozen his movements.
"Hmph…that was hardly any challenge at all." The masked man's voice came through the barely functional audio systems.
As he heard the man walk away and felt the pain numb somewhat he knew he had to give it all he could to get back on his feet.
"J-Jarvis…initiate e-emergency repair…protocols!" he managed to bite out as consciousness began to fade.
"C-command a-a-acknowledged sir." Came the voice of his suit's A.I.
With that he lost the battle with consciousness and faded from the world.
Somewhere in Kentucky
He watched.
Watched as the warrior with the crimson cape soared off to the east.
That should be enough of a delay for my allies to do what they need to do. He thought with a playful smile as he looked down at the remains of the demons he'd hired, It'll also throw something of a road block in the way of those offworld fools.
Indeed, while amusing to see what changes the world had undergone since the last time he'd walked amongst the commoners, the aliens were an annoying obstacle to his plans for the future. When he'd noticed all the threads converging on one point and that it involved his idiot of a brother, he couldn't help but involve himself. However he could not take direct action since he knew that his father would be closely watching over this period of change. Therefore he had covertly hired some of the stronger demons that existed and whose appearance would not be seen as noteworthy or worth investigating. True, he'd had to give them some enchanted weaponry and armor to actually prove a challenge to the favored son of his father but they had succeeded in their task.
Instead of reaching the champion of Gaea immediately, the demons had succeeded in delaying the thunder god for five days over the distance of four states.
They're all dead, of course, but there are few who can match my step-brother in the arena of battle. He thought as he turned away from what remained of the battlefield, In a battle between Thor and myself, though, it is I who is superior with my superior intellect and strategic sense.
Believing it would be amusing to watch the results of his manipulations, the god of mischief Loki teleported ahead of his brother with his magic, leaving not but rapidly decomposing demonic corpses behind.