12 Justice League Front Lines
Superman hurtled across the Great Plains heading for the Gulf of Mexico. Supreme caught up with him and slammed into him, driving him into the ground. As Superman tore through the earth, face first, Supreme passed over him and landed in Superman's path.
Superman rose with an angry expression on his face. Supreme unleashed his heat vision on him. Superman's uniform smoldered and he began to back away. Supreme lashed out again. Superman cried out in pain and stumbled. Lying on his back, he held up a single hand to ward Supreme off.
"Don't," he pleaded.
Galatea suddenly charged into Supreme. She leveled him with a right cross. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw Superman cowering.
Galatea was stunned. What the hell had happened to him? Where had the overly confident, arrogant son of a bitch called Superman gone?
Supreme used her moment of distraction to drive a blow into her mid-section. He threw a left into her jaw and then a knee strike to her face. Galatea blew him over.
Galatea wiped the blood from her lip. Turning to Superman, she snarled; "Just don't lie there cringing. Run away. I'll take care of this."
She then launched herself at Supreme. Her right cross nearly dropped him. She applied a knee to his gut. She drove another kick into his kneecap, dislocating it.
Supreme nearly went down. Instead he delivered an uppercut that threw Galatea several feet back. She landed on her back. As she rose to her feet, Supreme relocated the kneecap.
"That wasn't very nice," he observed.
"Since when have I ever been nice to you?" Galatea retorted.
"You could learn to appreciate me," Supreme said menacingly, "In fact; I think you'll find out how much today."
"And what would Lashina say about that?" Galatea taunted.
"She'll only be sorry she missed out on the fun," Supreme boasted.
Galatea seriously wanted to gag. Still they were the happy couple of the powers of perversion. Forcing themselves on someone was probably their idea of a good time.
Supreme moved so fast Galatea barely tracked him. Still, she blocked his first blow as well as his second punch. His knee strike almost got her as well. But it took a cross arm block to stop that particular move. Which left her vulnerable to the left that followed.
Supreme smashed Galatea down onto her knees. She managed to punch him in the groin. Supreme turned an interesting shade of purple and then backed away. Bending over, he wretched. Galatea stood and gathered her wits. Supreme drew himself up as well.
"That won't save you," he leered, "It just makes me more excited and now I want you even more."
"You're seriously screwed up, Dev Em," Galatea observed.
"You're just afraid of real passion," Supreme managed to laugh.
"You wouldn't know passion if you tripped over it," Galatea scornfully remarked.
Supreme suddenly rushed her and pinned her in a bear hug. He thrust his pelvis into hers. She could feel the bulge of his erection. Now she really did want to puke.
"Is that supposed to impress me?" she asked disdainfully.
"Just a taste of what's to come," he said lustfully, "But first…"
He released her and she started to back away. Her revulsion distracted her from his flashing fist. Her nose bled from the strike. She reeled and he pressed on further. Several punches followed and Galatea found herself falling onto her back.
Supreme laughed, "Spread wide because I'm ready for you now. Or better yet, keep resisting. It'll make it ever so much more satisfying to hear you scream as I break you."
Galatea seethed.
Superman witnessed all of this. He marveled over the fact that it was Galatea that was attempting to rescue him. Him. The man that had persecuted her. Him. The veritable savior of the world. What had happened to him? When had he become a craven coward?
He knew it had started with Surtur. Not even Doomsday had ever inflicted the pain that Surtur had. Even though Supreme's heat vision was a pale echo of Surtur's flaming blade, it still had evoked the memories of being burned by Surtur. His skin had literally been scorched off of his bones then.
Bereft of the sun, he'd healed like a human being. The severity of his wounds had nearly killed him. It had taken Stargirl using the solar powers of the Cosmic Rod upon him to "jump start" his healing factors to get him past dying. Starman had picked up where Courtney had left off.
Starman had recharged Kara and Galatea as well. The effort had left him drained. Stargirl pitched in with women where Gavyn had left off. Between the two of them, they had saved Clark's life and gotten Kara and Galatea back into fighting trim.
In the end, the Cosmic Rod had required recharging as well. Fortunately, Stargirl hadn't expended all of the Cosmic Convertor Belt's power so she'd been capable of defending herself in a crisis. Starman had lifted off into space and directly bathed in the glow of the sun.
It had actually taken Clark a few days to completely heal up after that ordeal even with full exposure to the sun. Diana had taken him to Barbados to embrace lying on the beach, soaking up the sun's rays. Of course, Alexandra had been fascinated by the sand and the waves. It had been idyllic despite the lingering pain.
Superman had never experienced pain on that scale. Pain was a theoretical construct to him in most regards. He'd certainly felt pain before. But agony? A life threatening, all consuming agony? That was new. And having never felt anything remotely like it before, Clark panicked. And he'd become the coward that he was now.
Seeing Galatea fighting for a man that hated her, his courage was ignited within him. He was the protector of the innocent and the helpless while she was a mere killer. A mockery of life. Yet, if she could grow beyond these limitations, couldn't he as well?
Superman belted Supreme with a right cross. The Daxamite was thrown back. Superman looked to Galatea.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Are you?" she asked archly.
"We'll see," he grimaced.
Supreme laughed, "The flower hasn't completely wilted after all. Taste this and die!"
He flashed Superman with his heat vision. Superman's tunic and cape were consumed by the blast. All through it, Superman advanced on Supreme. Finally he shut Supreme down with a right cross that loosened a few of Supreme's teeth.
"Is that all you have?" Superman rasped.
Supreme came off of the ground with an uppercut that lifted Superman off of his feet and threw him back onto his back. Galatea surged forward and snapped a round kick into Supreme's jaw. Supreme fell before her.
She didn't give him time to respond. She snapped one punch after another until he was out cold. She left him lying there and went to Superman. She offered him a hand.
Seeing his hesitation, she frowned; "Oh please, I'm not going to taint your perfection. It's just a helping hand to get you to your feet."
Superman grudgingly accepted. She pulled him. He scrutinized her.
"I may be wrong about you," he said at last.
"Really?" she sarcastically quipped, "What was your first clue?"
Superman winced. He deserved that one, "The mere fact that you've saved my life on several occasions now was a big clue. There's no love lost between us and yet you help me when I need it."
"Well, Kara would kill me if I didn't and she's the only sister I have," Galatea confessed.
Clark wanted to balk at Galatea's description of Kara being her sister. But who would qualify more as twin sisters than a clone and her progenitor? He decided to let that one go.
"For whatever reason that you keep doing it, I thank you," he stated.
"I bet that hurt," Galatea smirked.
"Not as much as knowing why I needed the help in the first place," Superman sighed, "I completely fell apart."
It was Galatea's turn to study him, "I think you're just coming to grips with the fact that you're merely mortal after all. You used to know it but over the last few years you've lost that concept and started to believe your own press."
"I think you woke me up though," he said.
"Good," Galatea asserted, "Dev Em isn't going anywhere for a while. Let's say we go back and check on the Princess and Kara?"
Superman allowed himself a small smile, "Sounds good."
Diana thought her torment would never end. She couldn't even get her overloaded nerve endings to respond so that she was paralyzed in her agony. Although it had already seemed like an eternity, she knew Lashina would drag this out for as long as Diana's body could physically endure the punishment. Only when she was on the brink of death would she be relieved.
Therefore, the tears streaming from her eyes didn't allow her to see the red and gold streak that was Captain Marvel slam into Stompa. The large woman was knocked off of her feet. Captain Marvel backhanded Mad Harriet and she went flying into a lamp post.
Lashina smiled seductively, "Mmm…I've always wanted a go around with you, Muscles."
"I think you'd be a little shocked if you knew the truth about me," Captain Marvel replied.
"I like seducing young flesh. The younger the better, I say. They're so…enthusiastic. Of course, age has its own rewards. My darling Dev Em has skill and experience to bolster his fabulous endurance," Lashina purred.
"You're seriously twisted, you know that?" Captain Marvel wondered.
Lashina nodded, "So much the better. So, what do you say? Up for a romp? We can do it right here on the street. "
Seeing Captain Marvel's look of utter horror, she shrugged; "Or we can go inside. It's all the same to me."
"You just don't get it," Captain Marvel said with revulsion filling his voice, "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"What if I kill the Starbrat?" Lashina asked giddily, "Will you lay with me then?"
"You stay away from her!" Captain Marvel warned.
"I will," Lashina vowed, "If you have sex with me now. My way."
"No go, Lashina," Captain Marvel retorted.
She shrugged, "Too bad. It'll only cost the Starbrat her life."
Stompa shoulder checked Captain Marvel at that point. Knocked off of his feet, he was on his back when Stompa placed a foot on his chest and let her antimatter sole go to work. Captain Marvel grimaced but Stompa was amazed that her boot wasn't eating through him. It wasn't even damaging his uniform.
Captain Marvel took hold her foot and twisted her ankle. Stompa went down with a cry. Captain Marvel rose only to have Lashina's whip wraparound his throat. She energized it.
Captain Marvel gave a strangled cry but he kept his feet. Lashina approached him, keeping the whip energized. Captain Marvel had such a delicious tolerance for pain. It made her appetite insatiable. Oh, the things she could do to him until he screamed and then begged for her to do it again.
His right cross work her up to reality. He pulled the abandoned whip off his neck, "Sorry, I really don't want to play your games."
"But I could bring you such ecstasy," Lashina promised, "You never know such sweet succor as when you've endured the ultimate pain and then come rushing into an orgasm."
"I'll pass. Thanks," Captain Marvel said dryly.
"You're loss," Lashina shrugged, "Give a girl a hand?"
"And have you energize me again?" Captain Marvel asked sardonically, "Again, I'll pass."
She smirked, "So word about me has finally gotten around? It's about time. Even the forces of New Genesis weren't as stupid as your precious Justice League seemed to be."
She got to her feet, "What do you say you let me and my girls go?"
"I don't…" he started to protest.
"I'll tell you how to rescue the Princess," she added with a suggestive overtone.
"All right," Captain Marvel agreed.
"Hit the orange button. It'll stop the agonizer. Then hit the yellow switch. That'll release the flesh clamps," Lashina signaled Stompa and Mad Harriet to join her.
"What about your whip?" Captain Marvel asked ruefully.
She pulled another one off of her waist where it had been coiled around her like a belt, "Keep it as a souvenir, darling."
She blew him a kiss and activated her boom tube controller. As the New Gods disappeared, he wondered is her interpretation of their bargain included all of the Female Furies. He decided to worry about that another day. Wonder Woman needed help. He was surprised to discover that Lashina had kept her end of the bargain.
Mary Marvel pulled Bloody Mary off of Kara and threw her further down the street. She then delivered a right cross into Chessure's maw. The demon seemed confused. And then at Malice's urging, it leapt, snarling at Mary.
Mary smashed her fist back into Chessure. As it reeled, she delivered a kick into its mid-section. Unused to its prey fighting back, it scampered back to Malice's embrace. She clutched at Chessure's side, as if to keep it from harm.
Bernadeth came at Mary but the Marvel lifted into the air and kicked at Bernadeth. The tip of Mary's boot caught Bernadeth's throat and then threw her head back so that she toppled over. As Mary alighted near Supergirl, Bernadeth began choking and desperately struggling for air.
Bloody Mary grabbed Mary from behind and laughed victoriously. But soon, Bloody Mary was in a fully fledged panic. As a Nosferatu, Bloody Mary's one weakness was being gorged to death. Mary was the receiving point of a boundless fount from the Greek Pantheon. The Olympic gods established limits to Mary's powers, but those powers were fueled by an inexhaustible source.
Bloody Mary literally began to swell. She was soon an obese parody of her normally svelte figure. Her clothes had ruptured and she was being exposed all over. Finally, Bloody Mary began to scream.
Being the only Female Fury still capable of action, Malice Vundabar intervened. She pulled Bloody Mary off of Mary Marvel. Once the physical contact ended, the gorging stopped. Malice dragged Bloody Mary away by grasping underneath her armpits. Chessure attacked Mary again, much to its dismay.
Malice called Chessure off even as a boom tube opened. Mary prepared for the worst but instead of an attack streaming forth from the tube, a voice called Malice into it. Chessure took hold of Bloody Mary's rags and helped Malice pull her into the tube. It closed as soon as they'd cleared the aperture. Bernadeth was noticeably abandoned to her fate.
Mary tended to Kara, "Kara, what's wrong?"
"I…I n…need the sun," Supergirl's teeth chattered.
"I'll take care of her," Galatea promised as she came in for a landing. Superman kept going.
"Okay, she seems to be in a bad way," Mary warned Galatea.
Tea gave her a sad smile, "I know. Major Force did the same to me a year ago."
"At least we haven't heard from him in a while," Mary spoke from relief.
"But there's a reason why," Galatea opined, "And I don't think we'll like the answer."
Galatea draped Supergirl's arm over her shoulders and wrapped her free arm around Kara's waist, "Ready?"
"S…sure," Kara would agree to anything at this point.
"Give `em hell, Mare," Galatea grinned and then she lifted herself and Supergirl into the air and disappeared over the horizon. She was headed west just as Mary and Captain Marvel had just come from there. She hoped Galatea was headed somewhere warm and sunny.
Thinking of warm and sunny, she needed to get back to Killer Frost. Captain Marvel approached her to give Superman and Wonder Woman some privacy. Mary told him of what she needed to do. He confided he'd left Bizarro in similar straits. They streaked off towards the Pacific.
Batwoman drove her knees into Artemiz's back, throwing the goddess over her head. While Artemiz was sprawled, trying to recover her knife, Batwoman repeated the New God's earlier hand vault and sprang to her feet. However, Artemiz had taken hold of her knife and swung a backhand with it. Batwoman ducked into the shadows of the abandoned office area.
Artemiz sheathed her hunting knife and gathered up her spilled arrows. Then she hefted her bow. Nocking an arrow to the string she rose into a crouch. Artemiz was famed amongst the New Gods for her hunting prowess. Her reputation had become legendary after Granny Goodness had bestowed the Cyberpak to Artemiz.
Unus, Secundus, and Tertius, had been built and rebuilt over the centuries. Dr. Bedlam had created their energy matrixes after his own. Unlike Dr. Bedlam and Wunda, who were living energy matrixes who controlled robotic systems, the Cyberpak were only vaguely sentient. They literally were little more than animals. Such was the price of copies, Artemiz supposed.
Artemiz recognized that Batwoman was trying to bind her wounds and stem the blood trail. Artemiz supposed she was using that ridiculous pink cape of hers. A batarang bounced off of Artemiz's head and she fell to one knee. She aimed her arrow in the direction that the weapon had come. She drew back her bowstring and primed the arrow for firing.
Smoke screens suddenly erupted all across the room. Artemiz cursed her luck. If she'd seen Batwoman move beforehand she could pace where the wretched human was going and shoot her down within sight of her goal.
The doors to the stairwell opened and closed and Artemiz moved. She bolted to the door. Slowly opening it, she listened for footfalls above or below. Strangely enough, the stairwell seemed empty. Keeping her arrow drawn, she aimed it at the floor and leaned into the landing. She heard the approaching footsteps too late to respond to them.
Batwoman attacked from inside of the third floor office space. Her kick drove Artemiz into the railing. She'd released her arrow and it had mercifully missed both of her feet.
Artemiz swung the bow at Batwoman. Batwoman ducked underneath it and drove her fist into Artemiz's solar plexus. She assumed New God physiology included them.
Artemiz was reeling. Batwoman was a veritable hellcat. Fists, elbows, and knees kept connecting with Artemiz. Artemiz desperately cast aside her bow and attempted to draw her knife once more. Batwoman wrapped her arm inside of Artemiz's knife bearing arm. She flexed the arm outward and broke the elbow. Artemiz cried out and dropped the knife.
Artemiz desperately drove a knee into Batwoman. She then plunged down the stairs. She cursed as Batwoman pursued. Barreling through the double doors leading outside, Artemiz desperately sought a place to go to ground. She was without weaponry. Her Cyberpak's physical casings were destroyed. All because of a single human.
The boom tube that opened before Artemiz had never been so welcome a sight. She gratefully entered it and only looked back at the last second to see Batwoman defiantly staring down Artemiz, daring her to return. Artemiz knew that she would but she didn't know if she should.
Jay hid in a portico while Speed Queen ran an ever increasing circuit of the area. He'd seen her at a distance a few times but never up close. Finally she passed by, slowing fractionally to look down the street he was on. And then, she accelerated again.
Only this time Jay was in pursuit. He stayed right behind her while he observed her pattern of movement. After about six blocks, it had become apparent. When she slowed at the next intersection, he struck.
He couldn't close directly behind of her because of her jet pack. But he did come alongside and chopped down on the straps affixing it to her back with his hand. With the velocity and momentum that were behind the swipe, the straps easily broke.
Finding herself lopsided, Speed Queen was thrown to her side. Added to this was the fact that the pack was on full thrust. She went careening into a parked automobile. It crumpled like a tin can. Jay hoped the driver had disaster insurance.
Jay came to a halt while Speed Queen shut the pack down. Next, she shucked the roller skates. Standing, she glared at Jay with loathing in her goggled eyes. She lifted her goggles and then dropped her hands to her gun belts. She wiggled her fingers like something out of a classic western movie.
Jay was already moving when she drew. Proton blasters blazed while Jay went all over the place. No one would ever figure him for rapidly approaching his sixtieth year because of his agility. When most men his age were slowing down, the original Flash was faster than ever.
Jay vectored off to Speed Queen's left. Before she could adjust, he'd already reversed course and he came straight at her. His right cross connected at nearly supersonic speeds. Speed Queen went flying. Her proton blasters were dropped as she was flung into a nearby street lamp.
Speed Queen was seriously rattled. No one had ever lasted this long against her, much less completely turned the tables on her. She gingerly got to her feet, well aware she'd never allow an enemy the luxury of doing so.
Speed Queen threw down several gas bombs and noxious fumes filled the air. Unfortunately for Jay, he was downwind. He raced around the cloud.
Speed Queen's shoes had ejected in-line skates and modules on her belt acted as secondary thrusters. They were obviously a short term alternative. But they didn't have to last for long.
Speed Queen was headed for what Jay had learned was called a 'boom tube'. He knew he could outrun Speed Queen and intercept her. But what would come out of the tube? Wally had told him stories of entering one and ending up on Apokolips. It had sounded horrific.
Jay opted to let her go. He had teammates that would undoubtedly need his help. When the boom tube collapsed he was gone in a veritable flash.
Wildcat concentrated on staying out of reach of Gilotina's blades. She was good and it showed. Damn good. Wildcat spent the first few minutes just staying alive and then when he started to get her rhythm down, he focused on getting through and tagging her with a punch.
That took several more minutes. He felt like he was in the sixth round of a twelve round bout. He was just starting to feel it but he had reserves yet to burn.
He watched Gilotina as she wove her way towards him, swords crossing and flashing. She was getting frustrated. Good. Frustration was the enemy of the mind. She'd start taking risks and getting sloppy. He just had to keep her going until that happened.
Five more minutes went by before Gilotina over extended herself. Wildcat capitalized on it. He moved inside of her defensive ring and laid her out with a right cross. Gilotina was sprawled out on the ground, swords flung away, and trying to remember her name.
Wildcat had seen the look hundreds of times before. Usually at his making. As Gilotina gathered her wits, she recognized the fact that her swords were both out of reach. That and she'd have to go through Wildcat to get to them.
A boom tube opened behind her and Wildcat inwardly groaned. Now who was crashing the party? Gilotina seemed delighted and scrambled to her feet and she ran to the tube. She gave a jaunty little wave and disappeared within its embrace.
"Now wasn't that cute?" Spencer Hawk sneered as he floated above Wildcat.
"Kid, you don't know the meanin' of the word," Wildcat expressed his dismay.
"All I know is you were supposed to be hot stuff back in the day," Spencer said disdainfully, "Let's see what you got now, old man."
"You really think kickin' a sixty year old man's ass is gonna make you somethin'?" Wildcat already knew the answer.
Spencer dropped down and his ruing formed Mixed Martial Arts style gloves on his fingers, "Try and take me."
Wildcat knocked him over with his first punch. Spencer shook his head and tried to clear his vision. Wildcat wore a bemused expression.
"Any other requests, Sonny?" he asked dryly.
"Now you pay the ultimate price, old man," Spencer vowed.
"Here we go again," Wildcat muttered.
Stargirl blasted away at STRIPE. Wunda had lifted the mecha off and sent it hurtling across town. Stargirl was trying to make sense of STRIPE's evasive pattern long enough to bring the mecha down and destroy it. With any luck that would destroy the force controlling it as well.
Courtney wasn't aware of the fact that Wunda was alive. All she knew for certain is her stepbrother, Mike, was no longer in control of the unit. Which meant she could feel free to reduce it to scrap metal.
STRIPE crossed her path again and Stargirl unleashed the might of the Cosmic Rod. STRIPE's thrusters flamed out and it crashed into the streets below. As Courtney came to a landing nearby, she noticed that they'd reached the suburbs.
STRIPE's fire suppression system activated. Stargirl decided to end this while the unit was distracted by its damage. She leveled the Cosmic Rod at it unleashed another maximum power bolt. STRIPE's chassis exploded. Pieces of the mecha landed twenty feet away.
The unit collapsed in on itself a dark-skinned woman emerged from it. Courtney wondered just how the hell someone got inside of a robot. That was when she noticed Wunda was slightly translucent.
"Poor dear, you would have fared better against me," Wunda laughed.
A boom tube formed and Wunda fled into it. Stargirl fumed but then she heard voices around her. People were coming out of their homes. And some of them were armed. She had the presence of mind to raise a shield as they opened fire on her.
Stargirl flew away. As she retreated back to Chicago, she saw civilians attacking soldiers. Police patrols within the city limits were also attacked. Cops and soldiers were dragged out of their positions and vehicles for only God knew what.
Courtney decided the Justice League needed to know about this so she poured as much speed as she could. As she flew into Chicago's outer boundaries, she saw the Submen standing by. She knew if they could get the civilians to do their dirty work, the Submen could roll on unmolested.