Invaded
Chapter Twenty: Endgame
Author's Note: This is the moment we've all be waiting for! There will be an epilogue that will lead us into the next installment. I'll give you guys a sneak preview of the next installment and reveal the name, too.
Once again, thank you for those who favorite and subscribe to alerts. I still get notifications that people are subscribing and/or adding the first story to their favorites.
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The Watchtower
June 20
07:16 PM EDT
"The natural disasters have escalated. The rest of the League is spread thin, saving lives across the globe," Captain Atom informed. I watched as Dr. Fate used his powers to keep a massive tsunami at bay. Atom stood on Captain Atom's shoulder, silent as well.
Aqualad and Nightwing glanced at each other, silent, as Blue Beetle approached us.
"It's Black Beetle's MFDs," Blue Beetle explained. "The Magnetic Field Disrupters the Reach seeded at multiple locations across the Earth. They're causing a deterioration of the planet's magnetic field, which in turn is causing these not-so-natural disasters."
Blue Beetle turned, projecting a holographic display from his chest. "I can locate all MFDs, but each is defended by beetle tech drones programmed to run until the MFD can build enough steam to go chrysalis and end the world."
A holographic image of Earth flickered in front of us with small blinking images of miniature beetle drones. The Earth was engulfed in pale blue light before exploding.
"So, how do we shut them down?" Captain Atom questioned.
"I don't know," Blue Beetle paused, "because Black Beetle didn't know. There's no failsafe. This was an endgame."
The computer interrupted our conversation, "Incoming transmission from United Nations Secretary-General Tseng Dangun."
Lex Luthor's stern face appeared.
"Luthor? What are you―" Lex Luthor cut off Captain Atom.
"Secretary Tseng was kind enough to let me borrow his frequency, as I have a possible solution to our mutual problem." Lex Luthor calmly revealed.
"A problem created when the Light decided to collaborate to bring the Reach to Earth," I accused. Atom nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Perhaps, but as I believe you know, the Light always planned to betray the Reach. Lex Corp has developed anti-Reach software, a virus that should disable their Magnetic Field Disrupters." Lex Luthor held up a small flash drive.
"Now, I believe, time is of the essence." Lex Luthor somberly noted.
Metropolis
June 20
08:16 PM EDT
"Every single Magnetic Field Disrupter must be disabled before they chrysalis to guarantee Earth's safety," Captain Atom explained. "Each MFD is protected by multiple beetle tech drones, and each drone is equivalent to a beetle warrior."
Hunter sighed, crossing his arms over his chest beside me.
"Blue Beetle has located twenty-one drones. There are 42 of us here, so you'll be in squads of two." Captain Atom concluded.
Lex Luthor held up an egg-shaped object. "You'll all be issued multiple Reach tech eggs containing my anti-Reach virus software. While one hero runs interference with the drones, the other only has to physically touch his or her egg against an MFD to disable it."
Hunter glared at Luthor, "You think we can trust Luthor?"
I shrugged, "It's his world, too. Pretty sure he benefits more when it's not a bunch of space dust." I argued. Hunter growled, shaking his head.
"Alright, I have your assignments. We'll distribute these eggs and go." Captain Atom declared, holding a clipboard.
"Has Harmony boarded her flight?" I questioned, approaching the stand. "All flights were delayed due to the natural disasters but her flight was scheduled to depart before the disasters began. She said she'd call when she arrived at your uncle's dojo." Hunter answered, walking beside me.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the fate of the world is in your hands," Lex Luthor declared.
"Looks like Cap paired us together," Kid Flash said, appearing before Hunter and I. Hunter glared at Kid Flash before grunting and walking away.
"Did I interrupt?" Kid Flash questioned, raising an eyebrow at me.
"No, we were just co-parenting," I joked. Kid Flash remained silent, staring at me with annoyance.
"What? I can't make jokes now?" I chuckled, securing an egg on my utility belt.
"Not those kinds," Kid Flash explained, lifting me bridal style into his arms and running towards the nearest zeta-tube.
Paris
June 20
04:34 PM CEST
"All squads report in," Lucas Carr instructed.
I grunted, zigzagging through the air to avoid the beetle drones' lasers. The tornado behind the Eiffel Tower caused the wind to whip around violently.
Kid Flash ran directly under, drawing the attention of the drones. I aimed my orb, successfully hitting one of the beetle drones. I flew down, flying beside Kid Flash.
"Ah, the Eiffel Tower and the ever romantic City of Lights," Kid Flash said in a poor French accent. "We're definitely coming back here, babe," Kid Flash declared.
I pulled back, shooting multiple orbs at the final drone.
"You know, when we don't have a world to save," Kid Flash grinned.
I rolled my eyes, smiling, "There will always be a world to save," I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Not in retirement!" Kid Flash replied in a sing-song voice as he ran towards the MFD. The MFD slowly stopped whirling before falling to the ground.
"Omega squad has―" I was cut off by Kid Flash embracing me, pulling me in for a passionate kiss. Carr's worried voice echoed in my earpiece, causing me to pull away although I did not want to.
"Omega squad has successfully shut down their MFD," I informed, smiling at Kid Flash.
The Watchtower
June 20
Unknown Time
"Asami has successfully deployed the egg and disabled the MFD." Black Canary informed Lucas Carr, who toggled with the hologram screens.
"Good job, Theta Squad. Twenty-one squads deployed, twenty-one MFDs destroyed. This mission was a success. We have done it!" Lucas Carr excitedly declared.
"We missed one," Atom revealed, thrusting the holographic screen forward to enlarge it. "The Earth's magnetic field is still being disrupted."
"Blue Beetle to Watchtower," Blue Beetle's voice echoed around us. "I'm reading a twenty-second MFD in the Arctic, hidden from my previous scans by Earth's North Magnetic Pole. Sending coordinates."
Atom sighed, "There are no zeta-tubes in the Arctic. How are we going―"
"Don't worry, gang. I've got this." Flash revealed.
"Wait, what?" I interrupted, "That's too dangerous. You need backup."
"Bart!" Blue Beetle shouted.
We stood in silence, waiting for an update.
"Flash to Watchtower. The Magnetic Field Disrupter― its already gone chrysalis. And I'm not sure if the egg―"
Atom interrupted, "The egg is useless now. You're too late."
"What now?" Flash questioned.
"Now, you run." Lex Luthor answered using Secretary-General Tseng's frequency.
"Hey, I'm no quitter. There's gotta be another―"
"I didn't say 'run away'," Luthor scowled, "I said 'run'. Together, you and Impulse should be able to negate the chrysalis by running counter to its energy flow."
"Is it really that simple?" Flash asked.
"I wouldn't call it 'simple'. You'll be attempting to siphon its power with your own speed trails. It'll take a massive amount of kinetic energy."
"Kinetic energy? I can manipulate energy but only in the form of―" I cut myself off at the sound of the computer droning Kid Flash's departure.
I stared at the zeta-tube, tuning out the voice of those around me. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, removing my domino mask to ease a headache that erupted within my temples.
"There will always be a world to save."
I turned to Nightwing, eyes wide in shock. "Phe? Phe?" Artemis poked at my shoulder.
"I can manipulate kinetic energy with my orbs. We gotta get to the Arctic, now." I instructed, flying towards the hanger.
Nightwing landed the black League jet with ease. I anxiously waited at the jet's exit, flying out as the door slowly opened.
"Look!" Nightwing shouted. "It's working! They're shutting it down."
I flew upwards, aiming my orbs at the chrysalis. "Where do I aim, Atom?" I shouted.
"At the top!" Atom answered.
I clenched my fists, inhaling sharply as I brought them in front of me. A large orb flickered between them, growing in size until it engulfed my entire arms. The orb shot forward, taking the form of a laser as connected with the chrysalis.
The chrysalis began to slow even more as Flash, Kid Flash, and Impulse sped up. With both our kinetic energy combined, the chrysalis began to deteriorate. I exhaled, tiredly dropping my arms; the large orb flicked, disintegrating away.
I slowly floated to the ground; Nightwing caught me, steadying me onto my feet.
"They did it!" Miss Martian shouted as snow whirled around us. I flew forward, flying through the snow. I stopped short, glancing around in search of Kid Flash.
Flash and Impulse were hunched over, heaving. I landed on the snow again, blinking rapidly. Aqualad helped Flash onto his feet as we locked eyes.
"Where's Wally?" I whispered, my eyes burning with hot tears threatening to spill over. Flash shrugged off Aqualad's hands, walking slowly to me.
He stood an arm's length away from me.
Flash swallowed hard, bowing his head.
"Barry," my voice cracked. "Please."
"He wanted me to tell you―"
"No." I inhaled sharply.
Flash placed his hands firmly on my shoulders.
"He loved you."
I clutched the material that covered my chest. Suddenly, I felt as if I were suffocating; as if someone had robbed me of the oxygen in my own lungs.
I could sense that I was hyperventilating but I felt distant, far away, as if my body and my soul had separated.
NIGHTWING'S PERSPECTIVE:
Phoenix stumbled back, clutching at her chest, hyperventilating.
"Ashley!" Artemis shouted, taking slow steps toward her. Phoenix opened her eyes causing a series of gasps.
Her eyes glazed over in a bright red as she began to float upwards. Her fists were clenched by her side, orbs flickering around them.
The air around us began to whip around violently. "Ashley!" I shouted, running towards her.
The red glow intensified until lasers shot out of her eyes. The lasers sliced through the snow erratically as Phoenix floated higher and higher.
"We have to do something!" I shouted, covering my eyes from the snow with my arms.
"Are we not going to talk about the fact that she can shoot lasers from her eyes?" Artemis shouted, throwing herself out of the way of the laser's path.
"I can't even do that!" Superboy retorted. Flash remained still, tilting his head back to stare at her.
"Do not attack!" Aqualad instructed. "We do not want to provoke her!"
"I think she's well past the point of provoking!" Superboy shouted before tackling Miss Martian to the ground, saving her from Phoenix's fury.
The sound of ice cracking beneath us caused Flash to snap out of his daze. He spun his arm rapidly, creating a small tornado. He flew upwards until his free hand could wrap around Phoenix's ankle. Phoenix slowly looked down, the lasers flickering away.
Phoenix's red eyes slowly glazed over in a glowing white; a sign of a power surge. She had used all her available energy and using any more could lead to internal damage.
The two slowly floated down until Flash stood on the snow again. Phoenix levitated an inch or two from the ground, facing Flash. Flash slowly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.
Mount. Justice
June 20
11:16 PM EDT
Faintly, I could make out the signature glowing green light of Green Lantern's creation. As we approached, the large green jet disintegrated, revealing the Justice League members who were on Rimbor.
"Are we too late?" Superman questioned.
"Aqualad, what happened here? And why is Phoenix wearing an inhibitor collar?" Batman growled, glaring at Aqualad then at the unconscious Phoenix in Guardian's arms.
"Fear not. The crisis has passed through at a terrible cost."
"What happened?" Batman hissed. I sighed, "Well, it―"
"Watchtower to anyone! The Watchtower is under attack! Requesting immediate help!" Lucas Carr shouted through the comm. link. In the background of his transmission, faint explosions and fighting could be heard.
"Let's go!" Batman shouted. The Green Lanterns raised their fists as a green orb surrounded them. They floated rapidly into the sky, towards the Watchtower.
"Are we just gonna sit here?" Superboy growled.
"I'll stay with Phoenix," Impulse suggested. Miss Martian stretched her hand; Phoenix's unconscious body floated in the air before landing softly on the sandy beach. Impulse sat beside her, watching the water.
PHOENIX'S PERSPECTIVE
Queen Manor, Star City
June 29
05: 23 AM PDT
A sudden jarring sense of motion jolted me awake. I began to gag on a feeding tube, alerting whoever was watching over me. I opened my eyes, grimacing at the bright fluorescent light above me.
Distorted voices yelled around me.
I began to cry― or at least I think I was trying. I couldn't exactly make any audible or comprehensible noised except for moans and gargling.
Almost as immediately as I awoke, I felt my body being pushed back into the darkness of slumber.
It occurred to me that I have felt this feeling before.
Someone had sedated me.
.
.
.
I fluttered my eyes open carefully; the fluorescent light had been turned off. The small room was illuminated faintly with the screens of machines and holographic screens that displayed my vitals.
I was in the medical ward of Queen Manor. I cleared my throat, pushing myself into a sitting position. A wheelchair had been placed by the entrance of the small room. Slowly, I removed the nasal cannula from behind my ears.
I inched towards the edge of my bed, each movement causing a sharp pain in my torso. I reached for the IV pole slowly, pulling to toward me. I pushed myself gently off the bed, standing on my own two feet.
I gripped the IV pole tightly, wrapping my arms around it as my legs began to wobble unsteadily. I swallowed hard, feeling the beads of sweat gather on my forehead. Finally, I allowed myself to collapse onto my knees.
I grimaced, heaving slightly. I lifted my hospital gown, examining the source of my pain.
Stitches… great.
I lowered my gown, inching towards the wheelchair in a hybrid version of crawling and dragging myself.
I pulled myself onto the wheelchair, successfully attaching the IV pole to the wheelchair before slowly wheeling out of the room.
I wheeled down the hallway towards the main section of our Arrow Cave. As I approached, I could hear the sound of multiple League members and some Team members, too.
I wheeled myself forward; Batgirl was the first to notice me. Nightwing stood beside her, reading a screen projected from his wrist computer. Batgirl nudged him; Nightwing looked up, his masked eyes connecting with my own.
Slowly, the room fell into silence.
Black Canary pushed through the crowd of people, stopping short once our gaze met.
"Ashley," Black Canary breathed out.
"What is everyone doing here?" I rasped out. Even with my constant swallowing, my voice had yet to return.
Superman pushed through until he stood beside Black Canary. I assumed he was the only one who heard me since Superboy was nowhere in sight.
"At the North Pole, after Barry told you about Wally," Superman spoke carefully, "you went into shock and displayed a new power. It seems like you used a lot of your energy which, as you know, is very dangerous. You ruptured your spleen and appendix." Superman explained.
I clenched a fist full of my medical gown.
"What is everyone doing here?" I rasped again.
"There was an attack on the Watchtower. A group calling themselves the Red Lotus successfully infiltrated the Watchtower, bypassed our security software, and used our weapons to attack Tokyo, Japan. We know that Hunter had previously linked Lex Luthor to the Red Lotus." Superman answered.
"Harmony," I whispered.
"She's safe," Superman assured, "as is Hunter. In fact, Harmony's flight never took off due to the natural disasters caused by the Reach's MFDs."
I glanced around the room; it was full of tension and everyone was nervous.
"We're waiting to hear the President speak about the attack. Our Watchtower was used so, therefore, they're accusing us of being behind the attack. It's because the League failed to mention that they had a super high powered laser pointed at the Earth. In fact, most people didn't even know about the Watchtower. They thought the League operated out the Hall of Justice. Can you believe this crap?" Hunter questioned from behind me.
He walked past me slowly until he stood beside Captain Marvel. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring at me with a somber expression.
Hunter was angry. He had spent many years in Tokyo― which meant he had made friends, something Hunter always seemed short on. My uncle Ted, who had been known to the world as Wildcat, was also in Tokyo.
"It's starting," someone from the front of the crowd informed.
A large holographic screen was displayed so everyone can see.
"As acting Secretary General of the UN," Lex Luthor paused, "I am here to inform the ladies and gentlemen in this room and across the globe that your heroes have failed you."
The cave fell into utter silence.
"They had a satellite with weapons of mass destruction, a binary fusion generator, and more. Not even mere hours after Earth's successful battle against the Reach, the Justice League tries to assert themselves as dictators. Something in their plan was flawed, however, which caused the orbiting satellite to crash to Earth, killing millions in Tokyo, Japan." Luthor explained.
I heaved, glancing around in horror.
"After much thought, the UN has come to a unanimous conclusion. Mr. President?" Lex Luthor stepped to the side to allow the President of the United States to stand at the podium.
"Tonight, I do not just address my fellow Americans, but my fellow humans. Recently, an act of terrible violence and barbarism has been committed against us that claimed the lives of 15.3 million in total. Those responsible will be held accountable and brought to justice. After recently speaking to fellow world leaders and working with the UN, we have come to the mutual agreement and have begun a course of action. Effective immediately via executive order #599-787, all superhero and vigilante activities are hereby outlawed. Those who turn themselves in peacefully will be rehabilitated and be used for the benefit of mankind. Those of alien origin may return to their planets peacefully under the assumption that they will not return to Earth. Those who resist will be labeled international terrorist and will be hunted with the full might of a globally coordinated military. All superheroes have one month to turn themselves in peacefully before the manhunt begins."