AN: Well here it is everyone! This is the chapter that's packed full with all kinds of fighting! I hope I did the scenes justice. I realized that I updated a day early last time but instead of making you all wait six days before getting this awesome update, I've decided to give it to you today. The next one will be posted five days from now. We're reaching the climax of this story! I hope you stay with me to the end!
25: Show Down
Clark felt like he was a machine. Punch, kick, dodge, repeat. Punch, kick, dodge, repeat. It was never ending. He did spice things up occasionally with his heat vision but for the most part he felt like he was on auto pilot. They'd been fighting with the para demons for what felt like hours and were still nowhere near Darkseid's throne room.
Out of the corner of his eye, Clark saw Flash take down a whole squadron of para demons by rotating his arms so fast he created a wind tunnel. He had to hand it to Barry; he'd trained this new Flash well. Though he'd been advised to save his water abilities for drastic measures, Aquaman was a pretty solid fighter. He was holding his own just fine against the bugs, swiping them with a combination of his trident, fists, and legs in all their weak points.
Green Lantern had created several wonderful projectiles, his most recent a huge range of missiles which he was firing into large sections of para demons. When that hardly left a dent, the sound of cannon fire filled the air and a large green ball the size of a semi truck smashed a small path in the swarm. Before anyone could advance, the gap closed.
"For the love of Poseidon!" Aquaman snapped, hurling his trident into the head of a para demon that was trying to sneak up on him from behind. "At this rate we'll be as weak as gold fish when we finally reach Darkseid!"
Orion punched a para demon and produced a domino effect as five more para demons went down. "What are you suggesting as a solution?" he snapped, kicking another para demon just below the left ribs.
"Aquaman is right," Flash said, appearing after creating a tornado that swept over a thousand para demons away. "This strategy isn't working."
Before anyone else could argue, Clark pushed his way past them, took a deep breath and froze every para demon within 200 yards of them on all sides. There were still more coming but at least there was distance enough for Clark to give the others warning. "Stay behind me," he said, rising into the air.
"What are you going to do?" Green Lantern asked.
Ignoring him, Clark concentrated and widened his pupils until they were fully dilated. Though he didn't like what he was about to do, it was necessary if there was any hope of saving Earth. The para demons were just the appetizer compared to the Furies who stood on the other side of the valley. Clark could see them waiting leisurely, stretching from time to time, completely bored. They were ten times worse than the creatures they were being plagued with now. Just as the first wave of unfrozen para demons came within ten yards of Clark, he turned his heat vision on full blast.
Squinting, he was able to concentrate the beam to have a fan like effect, branching out in a large radius that wiped out fifty para demons at once. Weaving back and forth through the air, Clark obliterated every single para demon into green sludge until there was nothing put a pool of greenish goo for miles around them. Closing his eyes, Clark shut off the heat vision, shook his head, and flew back to where his friends stood waiting. Aquaman, Flash, and Green Lantern's expressions were filled with awe while Orion's mouth was pulled into its usual frown.
Clark landed before Orion with a heavy heart. "Please don't tell me I just wiped out the whole para demon race on Apokolips."
Orion stared at him curiously.
Green Lantern was the first to scoff. "Clark, those things were going to kill us!"
"Which is the only reason I did what had to be done, Hal," Clark snapped. "That doesn't necessarily mean I enjoyed it. Orion, please, I need to know."
"You are a unique creature, Kal-El," he opined. "You care for things that most would not."
"I get that a lot," Clark interrupted. "Orion, tell me what I want to know."
Orion stared at him a moment more before shaking his head. "No, Superman, you did not. Those you destroyed are the most sociopathic and cruel residents of their kind, picked by Darkseid to suit his dark purposes. Their own race considers them to be the worst criminals imaginable."
Clark sighed. Even if they were criminals, he felt terrible for what he'd done. "Did any of them have families? Wives or children?"
Orion shook his head. "No."
"You're certain," Clark pressed.
"Yes."
Clark turned away from the silent stares of his colleagues. He still wasn't happy with what he'd done but he felt deep down that he'd done the right thing. Sighing, he said over his shoulder, "The Furies are waiting for us. Orion, this is where we part ways. Your path to Darkseid is clear. He's in his throne room, watching us."
"Then he knows why I'm here," Orion muttered.
"Yes, he does," Clark replied. "Once we get to the other side, go and do what you have to do. If you need help, call. The Furies shouldn't take us too long."
Orion nodded. Green Lantern made a platform for Aquaman and Flash to ride on while Clark picked up Orion. After making sure the others were secure, they took off, flying over the green ooze. Clark refused to look at the destruction in his wake, keeping his eyes focused on the Furies ahead. Lashina, Artemiz, and Gilotina stood before the entrance to Darkseid's lair, their faces pulled into predatory grins.
"Well, look who came back to play!" Lashina cried, waving her clawed hands in Clark's direction. "Hiya handsome! I was wondering when I was going to get a special kiss from you again."
Clark grimaced as he set Orion down. "Any kiss you may have received didn't come from me, Lashina."
Lashina sighed. "So it's true…he did get his brain scrambled again. Maybe we can take him to Granny and she can fix him."
Clark wasn't one to normally punch women but this particular one was asking for it. Containing his anger, he decided to ignore her. "Let us pass."
"Not on your life!" Gilotina boomed in a loud voice.
Orion stepped up to the women without fear. "Let me pass," he ordered.
Artemiz grinned, her eyes flashing. "Hello Orion," she said surprisingly rather shy. "You're looking well these days. Although I think I preferred when you were wrapped up in chains tied to the wall."
Her long blue finger ran across his jawbone but Orion didn't move a muscle. "Let me pass," he repeated, his voice dropping an octave.
Lashina and Gilotina shared a glance. Had Clark imagined it or were they nervous?
"We can't just let you pass, Orion," Artemiz giggled. "You have to fight us fir-"
But her words were cut off as Orion's fist went flying right into her stomach. Artemiz doubled over in pain, clutching her sides. Orion stepped over her and turned back to look at Lashina and Gilotina, daring them to stop him. Both women did nothing. With a smirk that Clark thought uncannily resembled Darkseid, Orion pushed the doors open to the palace and let himself in.
"Remind me never to get on his bad side," Green Lantern muttered. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked as Artemiz continued to wheeze on the floor.
"She'll be fine," Clark said coldly.
"I don't need your sympathies!" Artemiz snapped, lashing out and striking Green Lantern.
"Wow, ouch! What the heck lady?!" Green Lantern snapped, nursing the claw marks in his arm. "What is wrong with you?"
"We're not weak little women who need men to fawn over us!" Lashina snapped, grabbing out her flexible whip and cracking it in the air. Electricity sparked from the surface.
"So that's how it's going to be?" Flash asked, cocking his fists.
Clark scowled. "I wouldn't imagine anything less."
"Hang on," Artemiz said. "There's three of us and four of you. That doesn't make this fair."
Aquaman grinned. "What's the matter," he taunted, "are we too strong for the three of you to handle?"
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Gilotina let out a roar of rage and charged first, barreling like an angry rhino right into Aquaman. The Sea King sailed into a brick building, causing the brick to break apart and fall on top of him. Green Lantern rushed to his aid, conjuring chains that wrapped around Gilotina's ankles, halting her second charge towards the fallen structure.
Flash intercepted Artemiz before she could help Gilotina while Clark gave Lashina his full attention. Flicking her wrist, Lashina's whip wrapped around Clark's chest and sent a thousand volts of electricity through his body. The jolt wasn't painful but it wasn't pleasant either. Crying out more in frustration than pain, Clark spun on his heel, the motion lifting Lashina into the air and sending her careening into the palace sidewall.
"You're going to pay for that one, handsome!" she snapped, prying herself from the wall.
Clark ducked just as Flash and Artemiz came whizzing past, fists flying. The temporary distraction was just enough for Lashina's whip to wrap around his neck. Before Clark could rip it away, Lashina yanked and he was pulled to the floor. Acting quickly, the Fury proceeded to tie Clark's wrists and ankles with the remaining length of her whip. His limps painfully pulled back and tied together, Clark struggled as Lashina intensified the electric charge and hundreds of thousands of volts rattled his bones.
"Superman!" Flash shouted, rushing to his side. A spark of the electric charge leapt off the main part of the whip and smashed into Flash, knocking him backwards. Artemiz, after dislodging herself from the solid ground that Flash seemed to have shoved her into, engaged him in combat before he could return to Clark's aid.
Groaning, Clark concentrated, ignoring the riotous laughter coming from Lashina over his predicament of being tied in her clutches like a festival pig. Straining against his bonds, Clark let out a frustrated cry, forcing his limps apart and bending his back forward. The whip cracked and then a sharp twang filled the air as it snapped. Lashina's outraged bellow filled his ears the same time her fist connected with his jaw. Disoriented from all the electricity, Clark stumbled from the blow but regained his footing a moment later. Eyeing Lashina, annoyed, Clark cocked his fist and in a burst of super speed, punched her twice in the ribs, once in the face, and a couple times in the stomach. Stepping back, he watched her face fill with surprise before she fell to her knees, coughing up blood.
"You lowlife wretch!" she gasped, wiping her mouth.
"If I were you I wouldn't move," Clark advised. "You're hemorrhaging internally."
Lashina made to get up but fell again to the ground coughing up more blood. Clark sighed, shook his head at her stubborn foolishness, and turned his back on her without any fear that she was a threat. He thought he might need to help the others but on further speculation he found they had defeated both Gilotina and Artemiz just fine. Gilotina was wedged between a rock and the wall, the upper half of her body slumped unconscious over the large boulder. Courtesy of the Flash, Artemiz had been twisted into the ground like a screw; only her head was visible. His three friends were winded and had several cuts and bruises already forming on their faces and arms.
"You can't just leave us like this, Kal-El!" Lashina snarled through a fit of coughing.
Clark looked back at her and scowled. "Do you have medical care here?"
"Yes," Artemiz answered, "located on the other side of the palace."
"I'll be right back," Clark promised his friends. Before any of them could say a word, he took off with Lashina in his arms. He dropped her on a gurney in the medical facility and flew out the door before anyone realized what was going on. Two more trips took care of the other Furies – he knocked Artemiz out so she couldn't try anything – and Clark joined the others outside the palace just as a terrorizing scream and an explosion like a sonic boom shook the planet to its core.
Knocked off balance, Flash and Aquaman tried to regain their footing. "What the heck was that?" Green Lantern demanded, helping Flash to his feet.
Clark assisted Aquaman before looking through the palace walls. His entire body froze as he whispered in alarm, "Great Rao…!"
888
Conner let out a yell of aggravation as he realized the most drastic consequence that needed to be prevented. Setting M'gann down, he took off, the push from his feet shattering the concrete as he practically flew towards the London Eye's right leg. Silently pleading that the people in the capsules would forgive him, Conner put all his focus in getting towards the Boom Tube controller. The para demons were several feet ahead of him. "If only I could go faster!" he growled.
In his next leap, Conner focused harder than he ever had before, forcing all of his strength into the spring of his step. The sensation that followed was nothing like Conner had ever felt before. He was flying over the grass so fast that the ground caught fire the same time a sonic boom rattled through his ear drums. Shocked and thrilled beyond comprehension, Conner rocketed through the very heart of the para demons, obliterating those who made direct contact and causing the rest to blow away from him like he was a bomb and they were the debris that scattered on impact of the explosion. In the blink of an eye, Conner was at the leg's base.
Fear of running right into it caused Conner to shield his face while trying to force his body backwards to stop the impact. A second ticked by. Then another. Conner opened his eyes and found, to his shock, that he had stopped. And to add to that shock, he was floating right in front of the Boom Tube controller! Blinking in wonder, he looked down at his feet. They weren't touching the grass!
The snarls of frustration from the para demons behind him interrupted his euphoria of this newly developed power. Conner grabbed the Boom Tube controller, ripped it off the leg base, and willed his body upward out of instinct to get as much distance between him and the bugs. He sky rocketed towards the clouds. Unfortunately he didn't exactly know how to control his speed and in seconds he had broken the sound barrier again, causing the right leg of the London Eye to crack. He had cut a path right through an angry mob of para demons in the sky before he even heard the break. Terrified, he looked back. Amidst the angry mob of para demons chasing after him, he heard the Ferris wheel let out a mighty groan before it started to tilt towards the river, the support cables snapping and rippling through the air like giant angry snakes.
"No!" Conner yelled, trying to change direction in his flight.
"Superboy, destroy the controller!"
Conner didn't know how in the midst of all the chaos reigning before his eyes that he somehow heard Wonder Woman's command. Remembering his mission, he looked down at the controller and slammed his hands together, crushing the device instantly. Rushing back to the ground, Conner tossed the controller's remains over his shoulder. The para demons stopped chasing him, their eyes on the ruined object he'd lobbed into the air. Conner crash landed a moment later, toppling end over end as he smashed through grass and sidewalk. Groaning but unwilling to remain in the mounds of dirt and concrete around him, he leapt out of the debris and super sped to the Ferris wheel.
Grabbing the cable, he dug his heels into the ground and screamed as he stretched every muscle in his body to stop the London Eye from falling forward. The only reason the entire structure hadn't toppled over was because the other leg hadn't managed to break. But the groaning and creaking in Conner's ears told him that it was soon going to snap. Gritting his teeth, he surveyed the situation. He had stopped the structure from breaking but unless he got the other leg reconnected, the whole wheel was going down and there were still people in the capsules! He couldn't allow it to fall. He wasn't going to let anyone else die.
A blur of red and blue caught in Conner's vision and for a second he thought it was Superman. Shaking the hair from his eyes, he craned his neck and his jaw dropped. Golden waist-length hair flowed over a long cape of deep crimson as the young heroine clad in knee high red boots and a blue long-sleeved leotard sporting the symbol of the house of El across her chest grabbed the broken leg of the London Eye and welded it back together with heat vision.
Flying over to Conner she grinned sheepishly. "Hi," she mumbled.
His widened eyes took in her suit from top to bottom and he noticed the bottom of the leotard was red with an outline in yellow sporting the diamond shape of the El symbol in the middle just below her belly button. Kara rubbed her arm. "I've never exposed my legs like this before but I kind of like it… Is it too much?" she muttered.
Conner shook his head. "No! I'm just… surprised."
Kara continued to smile though she stepped from one foot to the other. "I sewed it using super speed," she continued to mumble. "Martha came up with the design."
Conner blinked again. "What are you doing here?"
Kara's eyebrows rose. That hadn't been what she had been expecting. Flipping a few stray hairs out of her blue eyes, Kara replied, "Lois is watching every fight back at the Daily Planet building. She…we… saw what was happening here and… we… we were worried about you." The last bit of the sentence came out in a shy mutter.
Conner felt a small smile etch his face. Lois and Kara had been watching him…they were worried about him…and Kara had come to help! The idea of having them care caused a happy little bubble to form in his chest. He would have hugged Kara if he wasn't busy keeping the cables from slipping from his hands. So instead, he settled for words. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," she muttered. "Where do the cables go?"
"The anchors snapped," Conner muttered, grinding his teeth together. "They should be in the ground."
"I'll look for them," Kara invited. Spotting them easily, she used her heat vision to repair the anchors before coming over to Conner and taking a cable. "We'll reattach them and then finish the welding."
He nodded. Keeping his cable taunt, he walked with Kara over to the anchors, secured the cables, and helped her weld them with his own heat vision. They both stepped back and admired their handy work. Kara nodded in approval before hovering in the air. "I've got to get back to Metropolis," she said. "See you around…little brother…"
Conner grinned. "Thanks for the help…sis…"
Kara gave him a fond smile before rocketing into the clouds, disappearing in the blink of an eye and a sonic boom. It wasn't until she was gone that Conner realized the para demons had left the skies. Blinking around in confusion, he registered Speedy, Wonder Woman, and – to his delight – Miss Martian running towards him.
"You did it!" M'gann cried, leaping into his arms before kissing him on the cheek.
Conner blushed furiously but was incredibly pleased. Speedy clapped him on the back while Wonder Woman smiled. "Well done," she praised.
"What happened to the para demons?" Conner asked, looking around.
"They flew north," Wonder Woman replied, pointing.
"The capsules!" Conner cried, suddenly remembering.
M'gann rested a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Conner, I got them."
"You did? But how? You were unconscious!"
"I woke after you placed me on the ground. I knew what was going on because I heard your thoughts," she admitted guiltily. She knew how much it bothered him when she read his mind. "I swear I didn't do it on purpose, Conner! It just happened."
He didn't like it but she had been able to save all those people... "I'll let it slide this time," he muttered.
"Who was that who came to help you?" Speedy asked. "Was it Superman's cousin?"
"Yeah… I guess it was Supergirl," Conner replied.
"Where did she go?" questioned Wonder Woman.
"She said she had to go back to Metropolis," Conner answered.
The civilians were beginning to turn into a loose crowd around them. The heroes took notice and the three teenagers looked to Wonder Woman. The Amazon surveyed the area. No one appeared to have severe injuries and the paramedics were already at the scene. Reporters were also rushing towards them, cameras, microphones, and recorders in hand.
"We are no longer needed here," she replied. Turning away from the press, she hastily began making her way towards the resting place of the invisible jet. Conner and the others rushed after her, asking questions which she ignored. The crowd was merciful enough to part, allowing them to make a quick departure. Many wanted to call out for their attention but from the steel gaze on Wonder Woman's face they kept their mouths shut. The reporters, however, were throwing inquires at their backs, pressing through the crowd, desperate to get a statement.
Ignoring them, Wonder Woman reached the jet and urged the teenagers aboard. Closing the hatch, she marched to the cockpit, started the engine, and took off. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the Justice Alliance members. "I wanted to avoid a press conference. Now is not the time to deal with that particular circus."
"Fair enough," Speedy muttered, "I don't mind them but they can be a pain."
"I hate them," Conner muttered flatly.
"Watch what you say," M'gann teased. "Your family consists of two world renowned reporters after all."
Conner folded his arms and refused to comment. M'gann chuckled.
Wonder Woman decided to make contact with Batman's group. "Batman, what's your status?" she asked, tapping her ear piece.
"A bit busy at the moment," Batman growled into the receiver.
"Do you need our assistance?" she asked, trying to keep the anxiety from her tone though Conner heard it anyway.
"…I suppose it wouldn't hurt…" Batman muttered after a long pause.
Wonder Woman smiled. "We'll be there shortly," she promised.
Conner looked out the window, watching the clouds go by and envisioning himself flying through them. He smiled and shook his head. He had really flown! Martha said Superman hadn't started flying until senior year! Silently pleased that he was merely a junior and had achieved such an incredible feat, he hoped this chaos would pass soon so he could show Clark what he could do.
888
"Orion needs our help!" Clark shouted over his shoulder before punching a hole in the wall and disappearing inside.
The others followed after him as quickly as they could. Clark left them in the dust. What he'd seen had been quite disturbing. Darkseid had hit Orion with his Omega Beams and the fallen prince had been propelled straight towards the fiery pit in the throne room. In slow motion, Clark watched as an unconscious Orion drew closer and closer to bubbling magma while the looming shadow of Darkseid laughed through the darkness. Clark forced himself to go faster and became a blur. Smashing straight through five solid walls, he slammed into the throne room and zoomed into the pit, catching Orion seconds before a wave of active lava could swallow him. Flying him to safety, Clark lay him down near the entrance to the throne room.
"Orion… Orion!" he called, shaking the young man.
Any further attempt of revival was thwarted as a searing pain slammed into Clark's back, electrocuting every cell in his body. The pain spread into the very marrow of his bones and though it lasted a second, its contact severely weakened him. He slumped over, groaning.
"Kal-El, I should have known you would somehow find a way to defy me." Darkseid kicked him in the side, rolling him onto his back. Clark coughed as one of Darkseid's large boots slammed into his chest, pinning him to the floor. "Tell me," Darkseid mocked, "was it enjoyable being my pawn? I was rather please with your work. If I were to let you live, I would be inclined to use you again. You are quite valuable after all."
"Tell me, Darkseid," Clark retorted, "how did it feel to find out that for six months you were duped by a robot?"
Darkseid scowled and added pressure to his foot, knocking the remaining air out of Clark's chest. "A blunder I will not make again, Kal-El," he seethed, "I've decided it's more of a hassle allowing you to live. This time, you die!" His eyes lit up.
"Not this time!" Clark snapped, grabbing Darkseid's ankle and twisting it. The giant of a man lost his balance, easing the pressure just enough for Clark to slip out from under him. The Omega Beam redirected, smashing into a pillar, collapsing it instantly. The stone structure smashed into the thin walkway leading to the throne, creating a gulf in the room. Lava exploded into the air from the disturbance in its flow as the pillar and crumbled walkway slammed into its surface.
"You'll pay for that, Kal-El!" Darkseid shrieked, punching a startled Clark right in the jaw.
Even before Clark connected with the wall, Darkseid was flying towards him. "You have meddled with my plans for the last time, Kryptonian!" he snarled, pulling back his fist.
Before it could make contact, a giant green hand appeared, its knuckles slamming into Darkseid's side, propelling him into his throne which exploded on impact. Clark met the wall, leaving a ten feet deep imprint just as he saw Darkseid go flying out of his line of vision. Green Lantern appeared a moment later. "Hey, sorry we're late," he said with a smirk.
"Look out!" Clark warned but not in enough time; Darkseid's Omega Beam zapped into Green Lantern's back. "Lantern!" Clark shouted as he plummeted towards the boiling lava. A blur of red and yellow leapt over the crevasse, snatched the unconscious hero out of the air, and skidded to a halt out of harm's way.
"He's going to be okay," Flash called.
"I wouldn't count on it, you weak minded fool!" Darkseid raged as he picked up the remains of his throne and threw it at the speedster.
The throw was so fast it was a blur; even Clark had difficulty seeing the structure catapult across the room. Before he could even make it halfway to try to prevent the coming threat, the throne hit its target and both Flash and Green Lantern were covered in debris.
"How dare you!" Aquaman shouted conjuring a whip of water wrapped in electricity straight for Darkseid. The whip didn't even seem to leave a dent. Darkseid somehow grabbed the water and yanked casually against it. The inertia pulled Aquaman forward only for him to connect with Darkseid's knee. The king of Atlantis went out like a light, groaning as Darkseid tossed him aside like a toy.
Clark surveyed his friends. Flash and Green Lantern both had broken bones in several places, Orion was hemorrhaging internally from a couple of broken ribs and a punctured organ, and Aquaman already had a bruise the size of a basketball appearing on his stomach from Darkseid's knee. Righteous anger boiled Clark's blood as he turned to look at Darkseid who was watching him silently. Forcing himself to be calm, Clark slowly descended twenty feet away from the hulk of a man.
"Your friends are no match for me, Kal El," Darkseid gloated gesturing with his hands, "Even now they slowly are drawing their last breathes. My pitiful son thought he could beat me and destroy Apokolips based off some ridiculous fairytale yet I have triumphed. And you…you are going to die by my hand and after you are disposed of I am going to rip apart the mind of every human on Earth until I find the Anti Life Equation! I have won!"
Clark couldn't stand still any longer. Bellowing in an angry rage, he rocketed towards Darkseid, breaking the sound barrier the moment he took off. The entire room shook as Clark barreled right into Darkseid's chest pushing both of them through the wall out into the open air. The two smashed into the dirt two seconds later, creating a crater the size of a football field. Normally any of Clark's previous villains would have called it quits at this moment but Darkseid wasn't like the others. With nothing but an angry snarl, he punched Clark in the stomach, forcing him into the air. Clark got his bearings just in time to have a pair of large boulder-like fists grab him around the arms and ankles before forcing his body downward into Darkseid's knee. Clark's vision went black as the pain shook through him. He'd never fought someone so powerful before. In all his years, the only thing that came close to the pain he was feeling from the repetitive punches and kicks Darkseid was now bestowing upon him was Kryptonite. The last blow Darkseid delivered was right in Clark's jaw and the hero fell like a meteor straight into the ground.
And then, to add insult to injury, Darkseid's Omega Beam lit his bones on fire, keeping him in the crater he'd formed after falling from the sky. In the middle of an unbidden shriek of pain, Clark choked. Coughing, he spit out his own blood. The Beams intensified for several more excruciatingly painful seconds before Clark mustered all of his strength and propelled himself into the air with such force that his fist knocked into Darkseid's chin. The uppercut was unexpected and sent the villain flying into a stone image of himself. The statue's head disconnected with the rest of its body and both it and its inspiration disappeared in a cloud of dust as they hit the ground.
Clark didn't wait for Darkseid to reappear. He slammed into the pavement, creating yet another crater on impact and walked away from it without a hint of pain. Wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, Clark stalked towards Darkseid. "All my life I've had to control myself," he muttered, his eyes fixed on the villain who was responsible for so much death and pain. Darkseid had unsteadily risen to his feet. "I've had to be so careful," Clark continued, cracking his knuckles. "Never in my life have I dared to exercise the depth of my powers in fear of completely annihilating my opponents. But you…something tells me that I can finally break away from the shackles I've bound myself to. Congratulations, you're the first person who will ever experience just how powerful I really am."
And then something snapped inside Clark – the very chains of caution he'd wrapped himself in when he'd first dawned the cape. No longer did he have to worry about limitations; he was free to cut loose.
Darkseid didn't even see him coming. With incredible speed, Clark disappeared only to materialize right in front of Darkseid with his fist flying straight for his face. The impact resulted in visible shockwaves that rippled like disturbed water through the air. A second of silence and then an almighty crack similar to the sound of a bat hitting a homerun baseball rang through the atmosphere. Darkseid went flying one hundred… two hundred… three hundred… four hundred… five hundred feet before beginning to tumble over the ground like a skipping rock. He continued to skip two hundred more feet before Clark reappeared directly in his path. Clasping both hands tightly, Clark used all his force to knock Darkseid downward. But he didn't wait for him to impact with the ground. Reappearing again, he used his knee to stop Darkseid in the stomach.
"That was for Aquaman!" Clark snarled before grabbing Darkseid by the ankle and swinging around like a tornado a hundred times before letting go.
Darkseid yelled incoherently as he toppled through the air, smashing through buildings, statues, and other structures built by Apokolips' residence in his honor. Decades of work crumbled into ruin as he continued to spin end over end. Just when he was beginning to regain his balance, Clark reappeared to do the next bit of damage. Like before with the para demons Clark became a machine: punch, kick, repeat. Over and over again Clark pummeled Darkseid trying to convey in every blow the justice he felt needed to be dealt to this creature who was responsible for so much blood. As these thoughts swirled through Clark's mind, a mental image of Lois, Jason, and all his loved ones appeared. Darkseid was never going to hurt them or anyone else on Earth ever again. Clark's vision went red and, drawing back his fist, he punched Darkseid with all his remaining strength.
As the ruler of Apokolips crashed into the dark soil of his planet, a crater buried half his body while the ground groaned in protest to the beating it was receiving. Clark lowered himself, his arms at his side, his hands balled up into fists. "Had enough?" he muttered.
Darkseid dislodged himself from the mound of earth and scowled. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth but his bright red eyes did not reflect an ounce of pain. Darkseid wiped his mouth. "A noble effort, Kal-El, but you cannot kill me. No matter how much you fight, no matter how much effort you give, you will crumble beneath me! The only reason you managed to attack me for so long was due to catching me off guard."
"Is this off guard?" Clark snapped, rushing forward, his fist cocked back.
Darkseid flung out his hand when Clark was five feet away. A shockwave of white energy leapt from his dark fingertips and wrapped around Clark's body like a snake.
Unfathomable torture consumed Clark immediately. He vaguely recalled coiling in the dirt and heard the sound of an echo that might have been his voice screaming out in agony as every fiber of his being felt like it was being attacked by the most vile and inflicting anguish he'd ever experienced. His vision went black and Clark wished for nothing more than to crumble into dust, to cease to exist, rather than continue to writhe in the suffering he found himself in.
"You will die soon, Kal-El," a voice whispered through the darkness and pain. "You are experiencing what I like to call the Agony Matrix. When utilized, it is a direct neural stimulation of every pain receptor you possess no matter how invulnerable you are." A merciless laugh mocked him, somehow making the agony so much more unbearable.
I want to die, Clark thought. This is too much. It isn't worth it to fight. It would be so easy just to give in, to slip away…
What about Lois? A voice whispered somewhere in the back of his mind. And Jason? You promised you'd never leave them again. And if you fail now, Darkseid will destroy the only home you've ever known, the only home you swore you would protect to your dying breath. Is this really how you are going to die? Writhing in pain, willing to perish, only to satisfy yourself when so many others are still suffering and will continue to suffer if you yield? Fight!
Funny how at the end the voice sounded remarkably like Lois; that gave Clark all the incentive he needed to fight against the agony torturing the very core of his soul. His vision brightened just enough to see through the darkness. Darkseid was standing with his back to him and he was speaking to someone. Still screaming in pain, Clark managed to tune out his cries and focus on Darkseid's words.
"I am your father!" Darkseid spat. "Do you think you are any different from me? Every action you have ever done is a type and a shadow of me! You will never escape the demons inside you!"
Clark's vision sharpened just in time to see Orion leap forward, clawing his fist right into Darkseid's chest. "I am nothing like you!" Orion raged.
Darkseid screamed as Orion yanked backward, ripping the demon's heart from his chest. Immediately, the agony seizing Clark relinquished and the hero shakily regained control of his limbs. Lifting his head, he watched as the king of Apokolips fell, his red eyes dull, his mouth pulled open in a silent scream. His body slammed into the earth for the last time, the sand around him pooling with blood from the fatal wound.
Stepping over his father's body, Orion reached Clark's side. "Are you alright Kal-El?" he asked, touching him with the hand not covered in Darkseid's blood.
Clark felt his very bones shake and he lost all strength. Falling back onto the ground, he blacked out.
888
I'd chewed through every fingernail I had. I couldn't help myself. Even though all the Boom Tube Controllers had been destroyed – the last one with the aid of Wonder Woman's group in Africa – it hadn't been easy for me to sit back and watch. Perry, Richard, Chloe, Martha, Ron, Lucy, and Jason were with me, all of us huddled around the computer in the Editor in Chief's office; I'd hooked up Batman's device there so everyone could watch.
Kara still wasn't back yet; when the battle in London was turning for the worst I'd sent her to Conner's aid. Call it motherly intuition but I had felt he was going to need her help and sure enough he had. Good thing Martha had convinced Kara to help by showing her an outfit design she'd come up with. Who knew Kara's language would come through fabric and accessories? I locked that bit of useful information in the back of my mind to use for later.
Each of us had leaned back to breathe a sigh of relief when complete and utter chaos broke loose. A car flew through the bullpen, spraying glass, papers, broken furniture, and wounded employees everywhere. Screams broke out as the car caught fire, immediately lighting up an old wooden desk.
"What the devil?" Perry cried, regaining his balance. Rushing into the bullpen, he looked around. "Is everyone alright?" he called over the screams and moans.
"Chief! Look out!" Jimmy shouted.
Perry ducked just in time as a bike was tossed into the opening left from the car. Looking around wildly, I was able to see a para demon snarling angrily before diving towards the ground. Ignoring the shouts of warning from my loved ones, I rushed to the opening and peered over the edge. What I saw chilled my blood. The para demons surrounding Metropolis had gone ballistic, attacking people, destroying buildings, and wreaking havoc on every living and nonliving thing in their sights!
"Lois, get away from there!" Perry growled, grabbing my waist and tossing me aside as another car flew up the side of the building right where my head had been two seconds before.
Heart beating wildly in my chest, I turned to Perry. "Thanks," I muttered, breathless.
"You idiot," he groaned but I could see the obvious relief in his eyes. "Don't scare me like that again!"
I smiled weakly.
"What is going on?" Richard demanded, rushing to my side.
"It's the para demons," I said, "they've gone crazy!"
The Daily Planet groaned and actually shook all the way to its foundations. Perry met my own panicked eyes before turning to everyone within the sound of his voice. "We can't stay here! Everyone evacuate the building now! Those who haven't been injured, help those who are!"
One might think that in a time of crisis such as this the motto would be 'every man for himself' but that philosophy didn't belong to the Daily Planet nor its staff. When one of us was hurt, we helped each other. That was one thing about this paper that I absolutely adored: We weren't coworkers; we were family. Sure we had a ridiculous rumor mill and we went for each other's throats when it came to getting the scoop first, but deep down, there was a camaraderie that would withstand the worst of times.
Holding true to this tradition, the reporters leapt into action helping those who couldn't help themselves. The elevators broken, everyone filed down the stairwell in haste but not chaos. Our little group waited until everyone else had cleared the bullpen; Clark was really rubbing off on all of us trying to be the hero. After one last sweep to make sure the room was clear, we headed for the stairs just as the fire behind us started licking several chairs, papers, columns, and desks. The roar was all the incentive we needed to get the heck out of there. I found myself rushing down the stairs with Jason's hand in mine, desperately trying to steer clear of the debris falling over our heads as several outside forces smashed into the building.
"Why are they freaking out like this?" Lucy yelled as the building shook from the para demons attacks.
"How should I know?" I screamed over my shoulder as we reached the ground floor and scampered out of the stairwell. "Maybe we ticked them off after destroying their only way to get home!"
"Who cares why they're doing this?!" Perry shouted as the ground shook unstably. "We need to get out of here!"
The words were just barely out of his mouth when the wall next to me shattered, chunks of drywall, glass, and concrete smashing into our small group. The dust, screams, and sudden explosion rendered me temporarily confused as I was blasted off my feet. Jason's small hand was thrust from my grip.
"MOMMY!" he screamed.
Time seemed to slow down. Through all the chaos and broken concrete, I saw my little boy's face, his blue eyes so like his father's wide with absolute terror as I flew farther and farther away from him. Broken glass tore at my flesh, the cuts immediately stinging as dust collected into the open wounds. I collided with the floor, rolling end over end, while the debris from the wall landed all around me. A large piece of drywall smashed me to the ground, several small chunks of debris resting on top of it, pinning me to the floor. Dust filled my lungs and I started to cough.
Several people were screaming my name but no matter how much I wanted to respond, I couldn't get enough air! I tried to move but immediate pain exploded on my right side, halting any further attempt in movement. The excessive coughing wasn't helping. Then, to add to my panic, something else landed on top of me, crushing me further into the floor. A sharp pain ground through my left shoulder just below the collar bone and without having to look I knew something was stabbing into me, breaking the muscle, and rendering every nerve in my left upper body on fire. Tears poured from my eyes as I panicked. I was going to die! There was no way I was going to survive! I was buried, injured, and unreachable.
No! I thought stubbornly. I have not sacrificed nor suffered so much for so long to die under a pile of the Daily Planet's residue! I started to move despite the pain. I began trying to lift the heavy drywall on top of me, using all the strength I had left.
And then, the mounds of drywall were stripped off like they were made of cardboard. I looked up to see Jason standing there, a look of pure relief on his tearstained face. "Mommy!" he cried, rushing into my arms instantly.
Ignoring the pain, I wrapped my arms around my little miracle. "I'm okay," I whispered faintly. "Did you lift all of that by yourself?" I asked looking at the chunks of debris and drywall behind him.
Jason nodded. "A huge rock was about to crush you, Mommy, but I stopped it! I had to step on you though! I'm sorry!" he cried.
The added pressure I felt wasn't further debris! It was Jason protecting me! I wildly looked around to see a concrete structure the size of a grand piano lying ten feet away from us. My eyes widened. How on earth had Jason managed to keep it from crushing me after he caught it? Surely the weight of the impact would have ground me to powder underneath all the debris?
"Jason, how did you stop it?" I asked.
"I jumped," he whispered, shaking into my shoulder. But then he gasped. "Mommy! You're bleeding!"
I looked down. My entire left shoulder was soaked in blood. "Oh that? That's nothing," I whispered faintly. I stared back at Jason, seeing his glorious blue eyes. His face began to swim before me.
"Lois! LOIS!"
The rest of my loved ones had climbed over the debris and were heading towards us when I lost consciousness, my body slipping into shock and exhaustion from the ordeal.
888
Clark woke from the familiar warmth of the rays of the sun. Feeling as if his body had lifted an entire planet of Kryptonite, he groaned before opening his eyes.
"Hey! You're awake!" Flash cried, his face appearing inches from Clark's. "Guys, he's awake!"
Clark groaned again as his eyes took in the blue of Earth's skies and the warmth of Sol, the Earth's yellow sun. "What happened?" he asked, sitting up.
Flash grabbed his shoulder to steady him. "Easy, big guy."
"You were hit with the Agony Matrix," Orion supplied, squatting down in front of him. "I am most impressed, Kal-El. You are the first I know of to have survived after exposure to it."
"I feel like I barely survived," Clark muttered, wincing in pain. Even though he wasn't feeling the agony anymore, the ache in his muscles screamed down to the marrow in his bones with every movement he made. Trying to be as still as possible, he asked, "What happened after Darkseid used that on me?"
"I woke and managed to get to where you were just as he placed you under its influence," Orion answered. "We fought and shouted before I ripped out his heart."
Clark suddenly remembered that moment with perfect clarity. He shuddered.
"Darkseid's death set you free from the Agony Matrix but you fainted shortly thereafter. I took you back to the palace and found the others just barely coming to."
"Yeah," Green Lantern interjected. "Once we knew you were breathing, we knew we had to get you into the sunlight. Unfortunately Granny Goodness was the only one who had a Boom Tube available for us to use."
"That witch," Aquaman muttered. "It took all four of us combined to neutralize her."
"With her out of commission, we used the Boom Tube to bring you back here," Flash said.
"And the open portal was a beacon to all the remaining para demons on Earth," Orion finished. "They flocked to the area in minutes. I kept the portal open until the last had traveled through."
"Why would they be so eager to leave here?" Clark wondered. "I thought they would have tried to inflict as much chaos as possible."
Orion smirked darkly. "Believe me they left plenty of damage to your world, Kal-El. When it became known the controllers were destroyed and they would never likely see Apokolips again, they went on a rampage, destroying everything in their path. Only the Boom Tube we came through stopped them from totally annihilating this world."
"How did they know it was open?"
"Something in Apokolips attracts them like a sirens call," Orion replied. Clark thought of a giant bug zapper attracting bugs to its unique light before incinerating them. "No matter where the connection, if a portal is open to Apokolips, they will find it," he finished explaining.
"They're all gone then?" Clark asked.
"Yes," Aquaman assured.
Clark closed his eyes, thankful. They were really gone. The nightmare of Apokolips and Darkseid was finally over. "How long have I been out?"
"About an hour," Green Lantern replied.
Clark took several deep breaths while continuing to soak in the sun's rays. He wanted nothing more than to slip into the longest dreamless sleep he'd ever had but he couldn't reward himself just yet. He had to make sure that Lois and the kids were okay. Groaning, he tried and failed to get to his feet.
"Hey, take it easy," Aquaman ordered. "You're in no condition to move. I'm impressed you're even awake at all. If you haven't noticed, your entire body is bruised."
Clark looked down. His sleeves had been rolled up to expose purpled flesh. His knuckles were not only bruised but bloody, the red substance trickling freely down the palms of his hands. Clark let out a slightly frustrated groan. "This is going to take forever to heal."
Flash managed to smile. "I wouldn't have taken you for a pessimist, Supes. If you think you look bad now, you should have seen the way you looked when we found you. The bruises were practically black! You've only been in the sun for an hour and your body looks loads better than before."
Orion nodded. "He's right. I would advise you not to move for another few hours, Kal-El."
"Where are you going?" Clark asked because Orion had turned away from them.
"Home," he replied over his shoulder. "This controller has the coordinates to New Genesis programmed into its system. I need to return to alert my people of all that has transpired." Activating the Boom Tube controller they'd commandeered from Granny Goodness, Orion turned around to nod at the heroes. "Thank you for all you've done. Until we meet again, farewell," he said before walking into the portal.
The Boom Tube closed. To Clark it was almost a symbol that the nightmare he'd been living for months had finally come to an end. He closed his eyes and sighed, sinking back into the grass.
"You okay?" Green Lantern asked a little worried.
"Yeah," Clark murmured. "It just feels really good knowing that I can finally relax."
"I guess Orion isn't really the talkative type," Flash muttered before nudging Aquaman in the ribs. "Reminds me of you."
Aquaman scowled. "If I didn't respect you, I'd flay you alive, land dweller."
"Awww come on, fish face, you know you'd miss me if you did."
Aquaman's jaw dropped in outrage. "Fish face?! Why you insolent –!"
"Enough already!" Green Lantern snapped. "Haven't we had enough fighting for one day? Besides, Superman needs to recover and you two bickering is disturbing the peace."
Clark chuckled. "Lantern, obviously this is how the new Flash shows he really likes someone."
Aquaman stared while Flash grinned. "You got that right, Supes," he snickered before holding out his hand to Aquaman. With a serious expression on his face, he complimented, "You're a pretty amazing guy, Aquaman. You really kicked some serious tail back there. It's an honor to be fighting by your side."
Aquaman fixed him with the sternest stare he could muster but Flash didn't flinch. Impressed but unwilling to openly show it, he reluctantly took the young man's hand. "Barry's choice in a successor is amiable but I reserve judgment on how well you work with the team. For now, however, I will consider you an ally, Wally West."
"Take that as a compliment, Wally," Green Lantern advised. "From Aquaman, those are hard to come by."
And with that suggestion, they joined Clark on the grass, content to simply wait until he regained enough strength to move. Nobody spoke which was good for Clark; he was branching out his hearing. In truth he was looking for Lois's heartbeat but the conversations he picked up on were quite distracting.
"Orion was right," Clark muttered, "the para demons made quite a mess."
"How do you know?" Aquaman wondered.
"Super hearing; I picked up the news channel. Apparently the entire world suffered from para demon pandemonium. Every able bodied person is helping to restore what was damaged but I can tell you it's going to take months to right everything again."
Then Clark smiled as the news crews turned to raving about the Justice League and Justice Alliance as well as a young woman who dawned Superman's symbol to help out in the London attacks. "It looks like Kara decided to join the family business after all," he chuckled before it turned into a cough.
"Are you sure you should be listening in?" Flash muttered. "It's stressing you out."
Clark looked over at the Flash and smiled. "I appreciate your concern Flash. You're probably right but first I need to check on my fiancée."
Closing his eyes, Clark honed in on the only noise that truly soothed his heart. The beat was slow suggesting she was sleeping but then he heard the heart monitor. Panicking, he opened his eyes and made to stand up. Instant pain from the very marrow of his bones drained him of any strength and he fell over, crying out in agony.
"Clark, what the heck are you trying to do?!" Green Lantern shouted, concern underlining the indignation in his tone.
Clark raised a shaking hand, trying to claw his way across the ground even though he didn't have the strength to pull. "Lois," he whispered, "she's in the hospital! I have to get to her!"
"Wow, buddy, slow down!" Flash ordered, taking his hand out of the grass. Clark didn't have the strength to resist even though he wanted to. "You can't just go waltzing into a hospital the way you look! Not to mention last time I checked Lois is Clark Kent's fiancée not Superman's."
Clark tilted his head back in resignation. He was too tired to fight. Of course Flash was right. He couldn't just fly into the hospital room. Just thinking about all the tabloids that would follow made him shiver. No, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't go to Lois now. But what had happened to her? Was she okay? Was her condition stable? Her heartbeat was steady but how long was that going to last? He had to know she was going to be okay!
Someone placed something to his ear. Clark opened his eyes and met Flash's bright white grin. "G.L. thought you might want to make a phone call."
The phone rang a couple times. Before Clark could ask who Green Lantern thought to call, a familiar voice spoke into the receiver. "Hello?"
"Mom?"
"Oh my gosh!" Martha gasped, her voice filled with relief and utter joy. "It's Clark!" she shouted and the noise in the background died instantly. "Son, I'm putting you on speaker…hang on a second… okay!"
"Where are you?" Clark asked. His voice sounded raspy even to him.
"We're at the Hilton on the top floor in Metropolis."
"Who's we?"
"The Justice Alliance, the Justice League – minus Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, and yourself of course – Perry, Richard, Chloe, Jason, Lucy, Ron, Jimmy, and myself. Apparently Oliver Queen was in town and rented out the entire top floor plus the roof as a thank you for saving the world. Nobody knows we're here though since he did all of this in secret."
Clark smiled. "Gee, that was nice of him."
"Clark, honey, where are you?"
Clark opened his eyes. "I'm not entirely sure," he admitted, staring up at the clouds that lazily drifted in the deep blue sky. Oh how he wished he were up there, soaking in the sun's rays. He'd heal a lot faster... a sudden thought occurred to him and he completely missed what his mother had just said.
"Clark? Clark! Are you there?"
"Sorry Ma," he apologized. "Give me a second… Lantern, can you get me as far up into the air as possible?"
Green Lantern raised an eyebrow. "Yeah but why?"
"I'll heal faster the closer I am to the sun."
Understanding dawned and immediately Green Lantern produced a platform underneath Clark. "Do you two want to come?" he asked, looking at Flash and Aquaman.
"I need to replenish myself in the sea," Aquaman said, declining flat out.
"And if I don't get some food in me I'm gonna pass out," Flash admitted, sheepishly.
Green Lantern rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll meet you both at the Hilton in…"
"Two hours," Clark muttered.
They both nodded before departing while Green Lantern took to the sky, carrying Clark with him. Clark sighed in contentment, closing his eyes. Already he could feel the difference. He was so enthralled in his sun bath that he completely forgot about his mother.
"Clark! What do you mean you'll heal faster? Are you hurt?!"
Clark winced. He didn't want to tell her the truth but how could he not? Only a serious injury would prevent him from seeing her after a fight and both of them knew it. Sighing, he admitted, "Yes, Ma, I am."
"What happened?" she demanded.
"Daddy, are you okay?"
Hearing Jason's voice was a balm to his soul. Clark actually broke out in a grin. "Hey, son, it's good to hear from you."
"Clark, you didn't answer me!"
Another sigh. "I'm fine, Mom."
"I'm glad but you still didn't –"
"I cut loose and fought Darkseid," Clark interrupted. "I held nothing back."
There was silence on the other side of the line. Clark faintly heard Ron's voice mutter, "What does he mean by 'cut loose'?"
Martha's voice shook as she whispered, "Did you…?"
"No, mom, I didn't," Clark assured. "That fate was dealt him by his son. I just beat him to a pulp until he could get there."
"And you left out that you got beat up pretty badly yourself," Martha commented stiffly.
"Yes, I did," he confessed, feeling ridiculous. He hated admitting he got the stuffing knocked out of him for all his friends and colleagues to hear. Not to mention his son. Would Jason think him weak for taking such a beating? And what about Conner and Kara? Surly they wouldn't want to look up to somebody who returned half dead from a fight. Clark was supposed to be a beacon of hope to others. He was supposed to be an example; which was why he was feeling absolutely ashamed and embarrassed for being too weak to even lift a finger without groaning at the moment.
"Are you going to be alright?" Martha asked, her tone softer now.
Clark gritted his teeth as he moved a little. Deciding not to answer, he asked a question of his own. "Ma, why is Lois in the hospital?"
"How does he know?" Richard asked in the background.
Someone – probably Chloe – hushed him.
"She got hurt, Clark," Martha replied reluctantly. "But she's fine now!"
The untamable urge to rush to Lois' side caused Clark to sit up only to cry out in pain as he fell back down. Several people shouted his name over the phone. "I'm alright," he said through clenched teeth. "I'll be fine. We just need to keep getting closer to the sun."
Green Lantern stared at him for a moment before grinning. "Can you hold your breath in space?"
Clark raised an eyebrow. "Yeah."
"For a long time?"
"If I have to."
"Tell your mother you'll call her back."
"But, I need to hear what happened to Lois!" Clark argued.
"The sooner you're healed the sooner you'll find out in person," he retorted.
Clark was torn. He wanted to hear what happened but he also couldn't deny he'd rather hear it in person and in good health. "Fine," he muttered. "Ma, I'm going to have to call you back."
"Where are you going?" she demanded.
"To the sun," Clark replied. "I need to store up as much oxygen as I can. I'll be home for dinner."
"Is that a promise?" Jason's voice asked through the phone before Martha could utter another word.
"Yes it is, Munchkin, and you know what they say about Superman…"
"He always tells the truth!" Jason cried and Clark could practically see the grin as he said the words.
"That's right," he muttered. "I'll see you all in a bit."
Hanging up, he groaned as he set the phone down. Green Lantern paused. "That really took a lot out of you, didn't it?"
"More than I want to admit," Clark mumbled.
Green Lantern chuckled despite himself. "Enough that you held that moan in until you hung up. You're one stubborn guy."
"And you're too observant sometimes," Clark replied cheekily.
Hal laughed. "Got enough oxygen yet?"
Clark nodded, unwilling to answer. A light glow encased Green Lantern's body but Clark was left exposed. Rocketing out of the stratosphere, Hal journeyed towards the sun. Clark closed his eyes while his body happily drunk in every ray. As if from a different lifetime, Clark remembered the Kryptonian food he'd been given by the Preserver and the way his body felt after absorbing the nutrition. This sensation of sun bathing was similar but it rejuvenated his body immediately and lacked any particular flavor on Clark's tongue. Eyes still closed, Clark relaxed. I could stay here forever, he thought happily, sleepily, and a little drunkenly. A greenish glow lit up his eyelids just before he fell asleep, peaceful and content with solar energy surging through the very fiber of his bones.
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