Breathless
Chapter 25
Succumbing
******JLA Universe******
*******Mountain Cave******
"It is perfectly hidden, roomy and seems to go on forever," Barry stated as his eyes took in the cave for the second time with a little more appreciation. In his mind he visualized a fully decked out crime lab where he could work on criminal, as well as, meta-human criminal cases.
"There is certainly plenty of room for a lab here." Ray was taking in the mountain cave with the same appreciation as Barry, and with an eye for its scientific research potential, specifically, his scientific research.
The day was spent, most of it sharing what little they knew, or, in J'onn's case, his wealth of knowledge of the White Martian, and how to prepare for his eventual return. And according to J'onn, his return was a certainty. The Atom had been horrified to learn of the creature's habits and its past. Now, as the shadows grew longer and the air cooler the thoughts of all five turned towards home, or in the case Scott and Barda, towards shelter.
"Is this something we could make livable, while we look for work and a home here?" Barda asked. She and Scott held hands as they took in the size and location with a shared smile and a sense of security. They were very familiar with and appreciative of secure hiding places. These were few on Apokolips, and none lasted for long.
Barry and J'onn looked at each other briefly. They telepathically agreed that the idea was sound, but they would have to run it by the rest of their friends first. Barry turned to the new couple. "We don't have a problem with it, but we should let the rest of our teammates meet you two and decide before we say yes. Do you have a place to stay in the meantime?"
"We do not yet have any place to stay," Barda answered honestly.
"But we can make do in any kind of environment," Scott responded quickly. He didn't want their new friends to feel sorry for them.
It was too late. J'onn had not read their minds, nor attempted to do so, but he had read their body language and their emotions. "There is no need for you to stay in "any kind of environment" my friends."
"Yeah. No way are you camping out in the desert. Not after the day we've all had. You two can stay with me for a few days. By then we should have a nice setup for you here or anywhere else you'd like to be. So where are you two from then?" Barry asked.
"We are from Apokolips. We escaped just yesterday and boom-tubed here. We hope to make earth our new home," Scott answered with a smile.
Barda nodded her head. She was smiling and her eyes had a gleam in them as she smiled at Scott. His energy, adaptability and unbreakable spirit never ceased to amaze her.
"Earth your new home?!" Ray started to laugh then checked himself. He had seen a white monster, he was standing near a giant green man, he had heard about Superman on the news. "You're from another planet?! You boom tube places?!" Ray didn't know what a boom tube was, but he was already practically drooling with the anticipation of finding out.
"Apokolips?" Barry asked. He remembered going to Sunday school as a boy. He was sure it had to do with prophecy and the end of the world. He wished he could remember more.
"That is the name of the hell we were unfortunate enough to call home." Barda responded. "I hope with all my being never to see it again."
"It is a hope we share," Scott added as he gave Barda's hand a squeeze.
J'onn had been silent during the last exchange. He trusted the new couple and was certain they would be nothing but an asset to their recently formed team, but he wanted to know more. He decided to ask Barry permission to invite them to his home instead. He did so telepathically. Barry agreed with a smile.
After a quick word of explanation and invitation it was decided that Scott and Barda would accompany J'onn until the rest of the team had a chance to meet them. Barry needed to head back home and touch bases with his supervisor, but he wanted to catch up with Ray first. He saw their splitting up again as an opportunity to do so.
Barry, J'onn, Scott and Barda decided that they would boom tube the Flash and the Atom back to the Ivy Town college campus and that the remaining three would boom tube to Middleton. Barry thought it the perfect plan. He turned to see what his masked friend thought of the plan and discovered him several feet away facing the cave.
Barry moved over towards him and noted with amusement that Ray's eyes were fixated on one of the cave walls and he was muttering under his breath as he planned his laboratory.
"I could put the liquid nitrogen tank here…no. It would have to be a bit further in…yes. And the quantum accelerator would need to sit right about…here. I should be able to channel the white dwarf star energy in the quantum foam…" Ray suddenly noticed the Flash standing next to him smiling.
Ray was excited to be in the presence of these amazing heroes. He hoped he would be able to connect with them. He would have to demonstrate his abilities at some point. The Flash seemed to have taken a liking to him. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. He would just have to converse in a way that made sense to everyone.
"I think this is a perfect place except for one crucial component." Ray started.
"What's that? A power source?" Barry asked as he scanned the interior of the cave considering the possibilities.
Ray smiled. The Flash was thinking like he was thinking. "Yes. Research and scientific instruments take energy and we don't have one here. Otherwise it would be perfect for quantum travel and the manipulation of subatomic particles."
Barry grinned. "Well, don't worry, I think that Superman and our Thanagarian friends are gonna have our power/energy problems covered. Just wait. I think you're going to love it. But right now we need to leave. Although the day is nearly over, J'onn and I both need to check in at our jobs. You probably do as well, I mean if you do work. You know, if you don't do the masked thing full time." Barry wanted to kick himself. He didn't want to give it away too soon that he knew who Ray was.
"I suppose I should get back to work. Although I can't imagine the college will be open today, at least I'll be able to continue with my research…Hey!" Ray was considering a crazy idea. "Would you like to experience something amazing?"
Barry chuckled. "I've had a few of those. Are we talking amazing in a good way, or amazing where you almost die?
It was Ray's turn to laugh then to panic. "In a good way, at least in my opinion." He leaned in towards Flash conspiratorially and whispered, "I've discovered how to shrink down to subatomic size…" Suddenly his cheerful demeanor changed to one of panic. Had he divulged too much information too soon?
Barry was very interested. After experiencing his own transformation, seeing the abilities of his new teammates, and witnessing Ray's sudden appearance out of nowhere back at the Ivy Town campus, he had no problem believing his friend. "Yeah, I wasn't sure what your abilities were, but I kind of figured it had to do with teleporting or invisibility, but this subatomic shrinking sounds more intriguing." Barry grinned.
"Oh! Right! I couldn't remember if I had explained myself to you already. Want me to shrink you for a minute?" Ray responded with his own grin. His panic was gone.
"I'd like to get subatomic, but we are going to get dropped off via boom tube (that's what Scott and Barda call it) back to Ivy Town College. Once we're there I'll have a few minutes to spare for shrinking, then I'll have to split, but not in a nuclear way." Barry explained with a grin.
Ray chuckled as he readily agreed. The Flash seemed to have an enthusiastic and nerd-like grasp of science. He could already tell that they would become good friends.
After a short discussion with the tall, fierce, Barda, her husband Scott and the large powerful looking J'onn, it was agreed that the Flash and the Atom would be boom-tubed to the wooded area at the edge of the college's property while the remaining three would boom-tube to J'onn's home.
So with friendly waves Barry and Ray stepped into the loud wormhole produced by Scott's Motherbox, and stepped out in the middle of a thickly wooded and heavily snowed area.
******Ivy Town College******
Standing knee deep in the snow Barry convinced the Atom to shrink down so that he could speed the two of them into the building. Ray agreed. He wanted to experience what it meant to travel at such speeds and planned on comparing the speeds at which the Flash moved with the speed of travel through the telephone lines. He figured it would be fairly close.
A moment later they was standing in Ray's laboratory. Ray could not believe the speed. It seemed he had just hopped into the Flash's hand and it was time to hop off again.
While he marveled at the new experience he tried to begin a tour and explanation of his instruments to his new friend. Just as he began talking and pointing he was interrupted.
"How long have you been able to shrink to subatomic size, Ray?"
"Yesterday was the first time I actually did…" Ray spun around in panic. "How did you know…wait! My name is on the desk! How could I forget that?! Please! You must not tell anyone! I can help you super people…Barry?!"
Ray stared unbelieving at the face of his old college classmate. Barry stood before him unmasked, grinning his friendly grin.
"This is incredible! I can't believe it! We are going to make so many scientific breakthroughs and discoveries! How?! You have to tell me everything!" Ray gushed excitement.
Barry laughed. "We definitely will have to conduct experiments together, but you are on a whole other level of science than I am. You'll have to teach me a lot. Why don't you finish giving me the tour of your lab and tell me how you acquired your abilities right now. Then I'll have to zip home myself. We'll finish this later in the week and start working together a little more."
Ray agreed. After the tour and his explanation the two friends said their goodbyes and Barry sped home.
******JLA Universe******
******Duleng******
Grayven was in a foul mood. He understood why his father had sent him to Bylan-5, but he wasn't so sure if his father knew what had happened to his mother. Mongul and his father had been allies, for the most part, since he could remember. But he was certain that the information he now possessed would change the nature of the relationship between the two tyrants.
While his father was the more powerful of the two, Mongul's legions of Dulengites far outmatched the parademons of Apokolips and the Furies in power, size and ferocity. However, Darkseid now had much more than his inner circle of powerful family members. He had quite a number of loyal Daxamites, as well as many more unwillingly loyal Daxamites. And there was a rumor that his father had finally discovered the whereabouts of more than one full-blooded Kryptonian.
Grayven tried to clear his head and force himself to think strategically. Even if his father were in favor of declaring war on Mongul for taking his former conquest, he was not here to back up his furious son. He was alone. He would need to use strategy to get his mother back. He was about to open communications with the much-feared tyrant of Duleng when two things happened.
First, Grayven was informed that an unidentified ship had just disappeared into hyperspace. While Grayven was curious about the ship in question he had no time to inquire any further. A second parademon informed him that they were under attack by a fleet of Dulengite ships.
******Mongul******
Mongul was in a berserker rage. Five of his palace guards lay strewn across his throne room with their skulls crushed. The last three had been killed when he had learned that his harem had been the target of the disastrous attack. He wanted to focus his rage on the one responsible for his humiliation, but so far his soldiers had learned nothing.
Then one of his men brought him word from his command center. A lone Apokoliptan death ship was approaching and had not attempted to communicate. Mongul knew then that Darkseid had finally decided to betray their alliance. "Release the fighters. Destroy the ship and bring me any survivors. Darkseid desires my attention. He has it."
Mongul stalked to the command center. "Any attempt at communication from our friend," he growled.
"They are attempting to communicate now, Master," his soldier replied.
"Put them on, then. We'll hear what these fools have to say." Mongul conceded.
The enraged face of Grayven filled the communication screen. "You will pay for taking my mother, Fool!"
Mongul was a bit taken aback at seeing the youngest son of his longtime ally directing a tantrum at him. "Grayven, you are the one who is going to pay for your attack on my palace and for taking one of my most recent additions to my personal harem. I'm going to free your father of one of his many worthless, and useless sons…Did you say your mother?"
******Grayven******
"Lord Grayven! We are under attack! Do we fight Mongul?" His second in command queried in his gravelly voice.
"Destroy the Dulengite fighters unless they retreat." Grayven turned back to the communication screen. Mongul's face still filled the screen. He realized that something was off. "Lord Mongul. You accuse me of attacking your palace and taking one of your females. I have not attacked you yet. I did indeed come to take my mother out of your harem and back home, but I have just arrived. I want only my mother, the Princess Quemila. Hand her over to me and I will leave you in peace."
"You expect me to believe that you have not attacked me, and yet the very whore you demand of me is the one who has been abducted. You will land your Destroyer without further aggression. My men will search your ship. If you speak the truth I will release you. If you are lying to me, I will eliminate you slowly and painfully. If you do not land willingly I will bring down your ship in pieces. You have one minute to give me your answer." Mongul delivered his ultimatum calmly. He now suspected that Grayven was being honest. He was too arrogant to deny an attack, but possibly too arrogant to surrender willingly as well. But now, whatever choice Grayven made, Mongul came out the victor.
He could see that Grayven was debating what to do and was surprised at his response.
"Very well. We will land. I would know what happened to my mother. I am here on order from Darkseid. If she has been harmed nothing will be able to protect you from my father's wrath," the Apokoliptan brat responded.
Mongul had his fighters escort Grayven down and brought to his palace.
******JLA Universe******
******Oa******
Sinestro's ring brought them out of hyperspace as they drew close to Oa. While he directed his energy ship towards the Sciencells, Sinestro barked a few orders. "You will remain as though you are my prisoner until we have arrived at this Tor-den's cell. There will be anywhere from two to four guards present. They must not suspect anything. You will attack when I give the signal. If they are able to get off an alarm we will not make it off planet. This powerful Tor-den has a weakness to lead. The Lanterns will exploit that weakness. A rookie defeated you so you will have no chance against an army of angry Lanterns. Nor would I last long against any seasoned group of Lanterns. So I repeat, the guards must be dispatched silently, quickly and without the alarm being sounded."
Sinestro's space ship dissipated as they landed outside the Sciencells. Leaving Steppenwolf's ship cloaked on the same plateau as that of the Sciencells, they made their way towards the entrance. Steppenwolf smiled grimly in amusement. "Lead on, my powerful captor, the Lanterns I target will find themselves in the land of the dead before they know what hit them. Let us hope that you will be just as quick and capable as you claim to be."
Sinestro had not wanted to take Steppenwolf into the Sciencells. He worried that he would give them away too soon for escape to be possible, but knowing that Tor-den might rip him in half just for being a Green Lantern helped him decide to not to go in alone. If he could make it past the first guard he felt he had a good chance of success.
Arriving at the entrance, Sinestro managed to maintain his well known arrogant, in charge, attitude, as he as he confronted the willowy, fragile looking Lantern on duty.
"I am processing this prisoner. He attacked and nearly killed a fellow Lantern. The Sciencells will be the safest place for him. I will need access to the maximum-security cellblock. After this scum has been secured I will be interrogating the Daxamite we have imprisoned there." Sinestro's fame and his bark gave him what he wanted.
The two were allowed in without suspicion.
******Tor-den's cell******
The four Lanterns, guarding Tor-den, were on edge. The prisoner had not stopped threatening them since they had arrived on duty. His promises to gut them, and do unspeakable things to their families had instilled in each of them the desire to throw open the cell door, and run the foul creature through the heart with a lead blade.
Bloobert Cob eyed the controls to the cell. He had his lead knife. The cell was lined with lead. The prisoner was weakened. It was obvious that he was a murderous psychopath. He looked up into the eyes of the gloating prisoner, and with a grimace turned back around facing his three companions. He realized that executing an untried prisoner would result in his expulsion from the Corp.
Cob's fellow guards, Kho Kharhi, Gretti and Saarek understood his struggle. They were struggling with the same thoughts. They had never had such a foul prisoner. He almost smelled evil. Kho Kharhi, being female, had been the recipient of the more degrading threats and so her desire to eliminate the prisoner was even stronger than that of her three struggling companions.
They all hoped that the time for their relief would come quickly. Guard duty always seemed to drag. The four Lanterns agreed that they needed some action, a mission, anything to get their minds off of the atrocities they had been forced to hear since they had come on duty an hour earlier. The Lanterns they had replaced had looked exhausted and sick. The four appreciated and mirrored the former Lantern guard's looks.
Gretti noticed a Lantern and prisoner heading for them on the monitor. "Here comes a much needed distraction my friends," he said with a sigh of relief.
The four seemed to automatically relax as they awaited their fellow Lantern. A few minutes later the well-known Sinestro stood before them with his large intimidating prisoner in tow.
The four nodded in respect. Bloobert Cobb and Kho Kharhi stepped forward to greet Sinestro and more closely inspect the prisoner.
Sinestro was characteristically arrogant. Grunting in response to their greeting, he stepped past them to look at the imprisoned Daxamite and position himself just behind Lantern Gretti.
Saarek eyed the large, fearsome prisoner with suspicion. Something was wrong. The prisoner not only exuded defiance of his captors but there was a grin of satisfaction on his face. As if he knew he was going to kill them. As if they had been…the prisoner's energy chains were gone!
Saarek smelled death, and moved, with a warning shout to Gretti, to aid in subduing the enemy. Cobb and Kharhi realized too late that the prisoner was free. Cobb was decapitated and Kharhi run through the heart before Saarek and taken two steps.
Saarek saw the rings of his fallen friends float before them for a moment before shooting away towards the Central Battery, and then he attacked with determined rage.
******Sinestro******
Sinestro waited until Saarek moved to attack Steppenwolf. He had positioned himself just behind Gretti while asking him about the Daxamite prisoner. As Saarek moved to attack Steppenwolf, Sinestro raised his ringed hand to the base of Gretti's skull and stabbed an energy blade through his head. Turning towards Saarek he fired a ball of energy at him.
It became apparent to Sinestro that Saarek sensed his betrayal. As the doomed Lantern moved to attack Steppenwolf he turned, and glanced at Sinestro just as Lantern Gretti's ring shot away following their recently betrayed friends, with a look that was a mix of bewilderment and rage.
Sinestro was disconcerted to find that Saarek was able to deflect his deadly ball of energy and fire off his own attack. The energy blast missed Sinestro but struck its intended target, the panic alarm.
Sinestro was sweating now. He moved to engage and eliminate the Lantern that was humiliating him and destroying his plan. He was too late. Saarek lay dying with a yellow energy blade in his heart. Saarek was staring at him and struggling to get back up and fight even in death.
Steppenwolf was kneeling next to him and reaching for his blade. Saarek ignored him completely and focused all his remaining strength on spitting out his curse on Sinestro. "You are going to die very badly…" he rasped out with a final breath and then Steppenwolf viciously yanked out his blade from his chest.
The fourth ring sped away making Sinestro's betrayal complete.
******Tor-den******
Tor-den watched the drama unfold before him. He knew that Steppenwolf and the sweating, pink Lantern were here to free him. He savored the deaths of the four guards and waited patiently for the general of his master's armies to release him. He watched him yank the pink Lantern by the arm and shove him towards the controls commanding him to turn off the energy barrier.
A moment later Tor-den was free of his cell. Stepping out he immediately felt the grip of pain lesson and his strength return, as he distanced himself from the lead lined prison.
"General." Tor-den nodded. "I am ready to serve Darkseid."
"Lord Darkseid demands your presence, else you would be left to rot in this cell," Steppenwolf snapped in response.
"For Darkseid." Tor-den replied in a compliant voice, but with murder in his heart.
"For Darkseid," Steppenwolf responded. He pulled out a father box and opened a boom tube.
"What about this Lantern?" Tor-den asked. Looking at the slumped form of the pink, large headed Lantern that had aided in his escape.
"He is of no more use to us at the moment. I will leave him to fend for himself. If he survives then perhaps we will use him again in the future. Turning to Sinestro, Steppenwolf sneered, "I leave you with one parting gift, O most fearsome Master Lantern."
Steppenwolf removed a device from his belt, touched a sensor on it then tossed it to Sinestro, then he and Tor-den stepped into the boom tube opening and disappeared.
******Sinestro******
Sinestro was humiliated. He considered himself a complete failure. He had been unable to defeat two of his fellow Lanterns on his own. That fact angered him. And yet in killing one of his own he had done the unthinkable. There was no going back now. He had made his choice. He would now be hunted by the Corp.
Sinestro pulled his ring off his finger and let it drop. Instead of dropping to the floor, it floated before him, as if waiting for him to change his mind. He pulled the yellow ring from his belt pouch and stared at it as the alarm continued to sound loudly in his ears. His former Green Lantern teammates would soon surround him.
As he stared at the yellow ring, his slouch lessoned. There was no more struggle, the small inner voice that had warned him against accepting the ring was all but stilled. It seemed to Sinestro that the ring sang sweetly to him. It offered him true uninhibited power.
It offered him his true destiny.
Sinestro put the ring on.
As Sinestro's world exploded in pain, his discarded power ring shot away.
******Mess Hall******
The panic alarm rang through all of Oa. The location of the trouble was relayed to all the power rings. Hal and his friends knew before the rings informed them, that the trouble was at the Sciencells. Enveloping Golin and Santur in his ring's energy, Hal shot off behind Kilowog and Boodikka.
"Show me what happened," Kilowog commanded as they landed outside the Sciencells. Connecting with Sciencells security system, his ring relayed the holo-memory of the betrayal and murder of four of their own, along with the escape of the two prisoners.
Hal was beside himself with anger and guilt. "That traitor! He murdered Lanterns! Let me take him!"
Kilowog was no less angry, but he stopped Hal. "No. You will not take him. You will follow our lead. Sinestro is a traitor and a murderer, but he has also been planning and plotting against the Corps for some time. He had help. He is going to die for his crimes, but first we are going to extract the information we need about his allies before he is executed. Is that understood, Lantern Jordan?"
Still aching with rage Hal backed down. "Yes, of course. I will follow your lead," he growled.
Hal noted that there were Green Lanterns converging on the Sciencells from every quarter, as the five of them gained access. Without waiting they sped towards the scene of the atrocity.
Kilowog, Boodikka, and Hal froze when they came upon Sinestro. Santur and Golin were shocked as well, having seen him on Korugor.
The former Lantern was engulfed in what seemed like yellow flames of energy. His face was contorted in pain. As the five friends watched, Sinestro's body seemed to stretch out lengthwise and thin. There was an audible groan of pain and suddenly, he dropped to the floor.
Sinestro stood to face them, his frame now a little taller and visibly thinner. His eyes shone with an eerie yellow flame and the proud and arrogant face looked murderous. His clothing reflected his newly embraced power ring, yellow and black.
"Yellow ringed enemy is holding a detonator." Kilowog's ring informed the group.
Kilowog and Boodikka attacked, both knowing it would be a waste of time ordering him to surrender. The yellow ring gave off a powerful pulse of energy that knocked the two seasoned Lanterns as well as Hal and the Hawk warriors off of their feet.
All five leaped back to their feet, determined to put the traitorous enemy down.
Sinestro laughed. "Now, That is true power! The great Kilowog and the dangerous Boodikka, taken down by a single pulse of energy."
He touched the detonator. The Sciencells shook as the Steppenwolf's Apokolipten ship exploded killing dozens of arriving Lanterns.
Kilowog smashed Sinestro into the opposite wall with a blast of energy. Boodikka moved to subdue him with a strike of her own, but he shot up and away from them blasting a hole through the ceiling.
As the five shot after him along with dozens of newly arriving Lanterns, Sinestro shouted, "Home!"
There was another powerful pulse of yellow energy, and Sinestro the traitor was gone.
******Snydicate Universe******
******Space******
Ultraman floated among the vast debris leftover from the one sided battle of the previous day. He scanned the carnage looking for Molecule Man's secret weapon that he had not bothered to hang on to once the battle had begun. He knew he would find it, but the area was so vast that he had no illusions of finding it quickly.
It would be a long dull search. There was always the chance that the enemy would come back, but he didn't think he would be that fortunate. Jur-Li felt that, other than the battle against the mysterious invaders, nothing fortunate had happened to him in quite some time.
His lovely, adulterous wife had humiliated him, the one man he had called friend had betrayed him with his wife, and he had been defeated in battle by his twin in an alternate dimension. Having lost his wife, his friend and his sense of ultimate power had forced him to reevaluate his life, his goals, and his dreams.
Jur-Li found himself wondering where he had gone wrong. Should he have killed Owlman? Should he have killed Di-ana? Should he have forgiven his friend? His wife?
Ultraman shook his head as if to clear his mind of a foolish thought. He was not a man who forgave. Forgiveness was for the weak. Jur-Li was anything but weak. He continued searching for the shrink-ray well into the next day, but found nothing.
******Apokolips******
Some of the ships that had returned home after the debacle against the four super humans had broken apart as they boom-tubed into the Apokoliptan atmosphere. As debris rained down onto the dark surface of the planet Molecule Man's shrink ray gun fell as well. Unnoticed, it lay buried under garbage and scrap at the edge of a sparsely populated slum.
******JLA Universe******
******Deep Space******
Lobo's initial excitement was beginning to fade. The princess had not shown the least bit of interest in rewarding him for his rescue. It would be a fairly long trip. He hoped that a little rest might supercharge her batteries with a strong dose of overwhelming gratitude. The kind of overwhelming gratitude he could enjoy.
Lobo stole another appreciative glance her way. She caught his eye for a brief moment before averting her gaze. As she stared studiously at nothing she spoke for the first time. "I suppose you expect me to offer you my body, as payment." Her voice sounded tired. Resigned.
It excited Lobo. "About fraggin time! Just want you to know that you sound real sexy when you throw yurself at me like that. It's fraggin hot! I mean, saving yer sweet royal butt from them big yellow bastiches wasn't easy. I had to sneak around like a fraggin neutered mini cani." Now Lobo had an annoyed look on his face. "Let me tell you, the Main Man ain't used to sneaking. Nothing neutered about me. I'm as unneutered as they come, Sweet Cheeks."
Quemila was beyond grateful for being rescued from clutches of the monster Mongul, but she was a bit annoyed with her rescuer, as well as confused. "What is a mini cani?"
Lobo was still blowing hard from the memory of his neutered-like sneaking. "What? Oh. Yeah. Just some fraggin useless house pets I ran into, and over, on this fraggin forgettable system I did a job on. They would cringe behind their owners and make this fraggin yipping sound. Squashed as many of the useless critters as I could, but there wuz a lot of them and the native bastiches threw a big fuss and said they wouldn't hire me no more. I promised not to stomp on any more of their little useless rats, scraped their hides off of my boots, and fraggin shot out of that system as fast as I could."
Lobo looked at the princess again questioningly.
"Yes. Your reward. Being used by others has become the story of my life." She sighed woodenly.
Lobo grinned from ear to ear. "Now that's beautiful! Someone who knows how to fraggin give! I'm betting you've brought a lot of happiness to a lot of others. Just a little advice from a lowly, invincible, fraggin irresistible Zarnian bounty hunter; don't ever stop letting others use you, especially your body. It's way too fraggin nice to let it just sit and rot when you could be letting somebody else enjoy it."
Quemila just stared at the wall. She was resigned to her fate. The large, loud intimidating bounty hunter could not be worse than the monsters that had forced her in the past. At least she was going home. She would see her father. But she wondered what would happen once Mongul had figured out where she was. Her father would not be able to protect her, or himself for that matter.
Lobo made sure that the course was set. He would be alerted well in advance of their coming out of hyper-space. Standing up he moved to the princess's side, unstrapped her, scooped her up and headed towards the sleeping quarters. By the time he had deposited her on his sleeping mat he was whistling.
He rummaged while he divested himself of his armored clothing, and suddenly noticed that the princess was crying. "Oh no, no, no. Listen. You don't have to worry your pretty little head about anything. I'm a sensitive lover. I'll let you choose any position you want. But I gotta tell ya that there's an extra bonus if you go with doggie style. If you frag back real good I might just give ya the reach around. He lifted his eyebrows several times. He'd never had any complaints about his reach around. The princess tried to smile, but continued to shed tears quietly.
"Okay. So it's not the reach around yer worried about. Ya gotta fraggin communicate ya know! I can't read space hussies minds very well. Bodies? Now that's something else. Wait! Yer worried bout pain! Don't cha worry yer pretty fraggin head about that. I've got lots of different lubes here…" Lobo was looking and rummaging frantically now. "If I could just fraggin find them! Ah! Here's one! The tub is still fraggin half full!"
Lobo was now naked save his massive boots. He was squatting before the princess excitedly offering his coveted half full tub of lubricant.
The princess was just staring at the sleeping mat. Slowly she looked up into Lobo's eyes. She tried to smile, but it only made her tears flow more freely.
Lobo noticed, grunted, and stood up grumbling as he dropped the lubricant. "Like I said earlier, I don't read minds very well, but I can fraggin read hussy body language. You don't want to frag until you get to know me better! You want a fraggin romance! Well let me tell you something, space wench! The Main Man don't do romance! The Main Man hunts, and catches, and maims and kills and frags! I do all them things I just listed, a lot! Space hussies throw themselves at me for some fraggin from the Main Man. But one thing the Main Man has never done is force a fraggin or romanced a fraggin! So yer outta luck! The Main Man ain't gonna force you or romance you no matter how much you beg!"
Lobo stormed out of the room and slammed the door.
Quemila stared at the door dumbstruck. She couldn't believe that her scary rescuer was not going to take advantage of her. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips when the door to the room flew open again.
Lobo stormed back into the room, still grumbling. "Trying to steal my clothes doesn't change a fraggin thing!" he shouted as he scooped up his clothes and spun around to leave again. He paused as if in thought then turned back towards the princess, glaring at her accusingly.
Quemila was a little confused and more than a little intimidated as he stalked back over to her. She figured that her insane rescuer was going to force her for sure now. Bending over in front of her he snatched something up from the floor then he was waving the coveted tub of lubricant in her face.
"So you thought you could take my lube! Yer really something, ya know that! I rescue ya and you pay me back by demanding romance before the frag and ya try and swipe my lube! Keep it up and see it I don't charge your daddy extra for the troubles!" Lobo rose to leave again then turned back to the scared, confused and somewhat relieved princess.
"Still, if you change yer mind, bout the romance thing, and just want a good, well lubed fraggin, me and the lube will be in the cockpit." With that he closed the door.
Quemila found herself grinning from ear to ear for the first time in many months.
******JLA Universe******
******Fortress******
Superman had spent the last several hours studying the philosophies, styles, and instructions of the three Kryptonian martial arts his father had sent with him. The arts were impressive. He could see some similarities to different styles he had observed on earth.
He decided that he would begin his training in Klukor first. It was an aggressive style. It reminded him of Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kickboxing and Boxing. He liked the blend of power strikes and attacks with technique and skill. The art of spying an opening in the defense of ones opponent and then exploiting it was also attractive to him. He had always liked playing chess, and learning martial arts was like playing chess for him but on a physical as well as mental level. For the remaining portion of the night he practiced striking and kicking. It was not enough to know how to throw a strike with his hands, elbows, knee's, feet or head. He had to train his mind to strike through his opponent. Just a few days prior he would have been against using such destructive skills, but having come across so many beings that rivaled him in power, he knew he no longer had the privilege of remaining ignorant when it came to the fighting arts.
As he continued studying and watching the examples and demonstrations of the various techniques he came across a complete section of attacks that immobilized, put down and in some cases even killed the opponent in one to two moves. He watched the demonstrations several times committing the techniques to memory, with just a couple of hours left before daybreak, Clark decided to put the skills he had memorized to use in practice combat.
Clark wanted to develop his newly acquired skills in a non super-powered state. He programmed Kelex to alert him of any disasters or threats that would require his intervention then slipped into his training and simulation room. He had red sun lamps in the room, but it took a little bit of time for him to lose power and just as long to recharge. In addition to the delay in time to depower and power back up, while depowered by red sun energy he still maintained his natural abilities from his home planet. But he had discovered a few different types of kryptonite while growing up. He kept the few he had discovered locked away in a lead lined vault in his training room.
Opening his vault, Clark ignored the boxes labeled green and red, instead he removed the box labeled blue and removed a ring with a shiny blue crystal. Being in contact with the blue kryptonite stripped him of all his abilities and left him no stronger than a very strong and athletic human male, but a human male to be sure. Once he removed the ring he would immediately be back to his normal self. He preferred to train without his powers to test his abilities and stamina. Once he felt he had mastered a skill he would test himself while super powered. He had found this particular method to be quite successful when he had trained in swordplay and fencing.
Initiating one of the numerous combat simulations. He faced off against his opponents and compared their fighting skills to those he had committed to memory of his more powerful twin. He saw similarities but also some differences. Clark imagined that he would see those skills when he tackled Horu-Karu and Torquasm-Rao.
Clark trained hard, sweating until daybreak. He shut down his training simulator with a smile of satisfaction. He felt the confidence of the well-trained fighter and the top trained Special Forces soldier. He decided that he would return and train every night. He had no excuse for not being able to properly and intelligently defend himself and the people and planet he loved.
Placing the blue ring back in the vault, Clark showered, dressed and prepared to head off for work. Kelex had already made his lunch for him. Clark had programmed him to make several different kinds of sandwiches as well as soups. He was still working on the breakfast food and the bigger meals. He enjoyed inventing, and had loads of fun working with Kelex.
Just before he left, Clark stopped back by his room. He could see that Di-ana had been in his bed. Her odor still lingered. As nice as it was he was glad he had not succumbed to her charms and he wanted to be sure that he did not in any way treat Diana as if she were Di-ana.
Smiling at the thought of Diana he turned, whistling, to his closet trying to decide what outfit to take with him. The cloth outfits were quite strong and resistant to damage, plus they had the added touch of having been suggested and partially put together by his mother. But the Kryptonian armored belts he had discovered a few weeks back seemed more convenient, both in bulk and protection. Once he strapped it on and touched the buckle, it would scan him, and then cover him in armor stronger than anything he had yet encountered. Even his face and hands would be covered if he so wished it. The armored capes, he had fashioned from similar material, were just as strong.
Having dealt with several different super-powered beings over the last two days caused him to choose one of his armored belts and armored capes. The belt he wore under his clothes. The cape was compressed into a compartment in the belt.
Satisfied with his choice, his training, and happy to be one day closer to seeing Diana, Clark moved to the control room of his Fortress. With his Kryptonian technology he was able to shift all or portions of his Fortress dimensionally. He thought of his Fortress as being in dimensional flux or in a pocket universe. So far there was no earthly technology that had been able to detect his arctic home, nor had his Fortresses that he had begun to build in the Antarctic or the small uninhabited island in the Caribbean, been discovered. With a voice command, Clark fired up his tele-porter with coordinates for his Metropolis apartment.
Already dressed for work, Clark grabbed a light jacket, for appearance sake, and made the mile long walk to work, feigning discomfort from the elements.
******Syndicate Universe******
******Themyscira******
Hippolyta sat across from her daughter staring dumbfounded. "If your husband has become a monster then you should kill him. We Amazons know how to kill monsters. It is one of our specialties."
Di-ana shook her head. "It is not that simple. I have never feared anything or anyone, but I fear him. He is far too powerful and skilled for me to kill single-handed and the only weakness, of which I am aware of, is nowhere to be found. I found a younger, kinder and tastier duplicate of Jur-Li in an alternate dimension that I attempted to seduce and recruit to help me…" Di-ana's eyes and mind trailed off as she remembered her failure with Superman.
"What happened, Daughter?" Hippolyta stared hard into her daughter's eyes. She saw a woman who had been brutalized into submission and who had lost what she considered her only hope of survival. She did not like what she saw. "I find your fear and dependence demoralizing and revolting. You are an Amazon. We are the ones who instill fear. We are the ones who conquer and destroy. No longer are we cowed into submission. No longer do we cower in fear. Those days are over."
Di-ana knew where this conversation was going. She had feared it would be so. "Mother, listen to me…"
"You are the Princess. You will face your fears. You will kill the monster."
"I cannot…" Di-ana protested.
"You will be the master."
"Mother…"
"Now leave."
"Please, Mother! I cannot…"
"And do not think to return to our home if you continue down the path of the coward." Hippolyta stood. She was finished. She could not bear to look at the coward that sat before her.
"Mother! The same thing happened to you! But by one of lesser power than Jur-Li! You do not know what he did to me!" More than anything Di-ana wanted a place of security, but the one place she knew she would be safe was being ripped from her by her own mother.
Hippolyta snapped. "Do not remind me of those pigs! They are the reason we are now strong! You seemed strong when you murdered your sister! You were strong when you maimed the pilot! You were strong when you left the safety of home to go out into the world of men to seduce and conquer!"
Di-ana could not look her mother in the eyes. She was being driven from home. She was being sent back to be brutalized and killed. The last strands of hope left her.
"Now you come crawling back like a coward seeking a place to hide! From your husband!"
"Mother! Please!" Di-ana was now truly terrified as she contemplated her future.
"Leave, Coward! Do not show your face again! You are not worthy of the title Princess! You are not worthy of being my daughter!"
Di-ana stood up and bowed. "Allow me to gather my things. I will leave and no longer stain your palace or island with my revolting presence." She spoke passively, but in her heart she was snarling.
Her mother turned and left the room. As she exited the door she spoke a command to the guards standing in the room. "Escort it to its room. Give it ten minutes then make sure that Cassia sends it away and out of our lives."
Di-ana sped to her room leaving the guards far behind as they scrambled to follow the queen's orders. She had found herself hoping for compassion. Even though she had never received compassion from her mother. It was weakness, and to be avoided. She realized it was from her initial time with Jur-Li and more recently with the one called Superman. She had found that she liked compassion in a man. And now she had humiliated herself in her mother's eyes by seeking compassion from her.
Her mother's rejection caused her to revert instantly to her former mindset, training and upbringing. She was impassioned with murderous thoughts. They filled her mind and heart along with her fear. But, like the trained warrior she was, she set her passions and fears to the side and focused on her survival.
She selected the armored belt she had been gifted and had left behind when she had entered mans world, her best sword, her gauntlets and a round shield that doubled as a discus. She had hoped to find the helmet of invisibility. She was certain it would shield her from Jur-Li's notice, but her mother had hidden it well. As she pondered her options she remembered that her mother, sister and friend Artemis had often received favors and gifts from Hephaestus himself. Artemis had a Lansinarian disc that could morph into a multitude of forms and shapes with an equal amount of uses for a warrior.
Di-ana flew out her window carrying her weapons in a sack. She sped to the tower were Artemis had her quarters. She entered through the window. As expected Artemis was not there. She would be training or hunting or perhaps out seeking a new temporary man to use and discard. If she were out hunting for a man then she would have taken her Lansinarian disc with her. Di-ana prayed she had not. Concentrating, she reached out mentally trying to pinpoint the otherworldly material. She sensed the unique energy coming from one Artemis' many chests. Opening it, she snatched up the pulsing, clear disc.
Di-ana felt the disc connect with her mind. Placing it in her sack she flew back to her bedroom window then exited through the door greeting the guards her mother had sent after her. "I am ready to leave," she snapped haughtily.
The warrior women escorted her to another tower, this one on the wall that surrounded the palace. Cassia waited for her, with a cold smile, and an empty kiss on the cheek. She was one of the oldest of the Amazons, but still looked fairly youthful in body. It was the rare streaks of white in her black hair that gave a hint of her senior status.
"Hello my love! I understand I am sending you on a one-way trip from our beautiful home. You're mother must be quite upset!" Cassia clucked.
Di-ana found herself in a pout despite her desire to show strength. "She referred to me as an It!" she snarled.
"There, there, my child. She has called you worse in the past. She will come around. In the meantime, I must send you away. Wherever you would like me to send you will be fine. I'm sure after a few months, the Queen will be begging me to bring you back." Cassia caressed Di-ana's hair and spoke soothingly as she prepared to open the portal.
"I suppose she will. She always has in the past." Di-ana mulled the memories around in her mind when suddenly a thought hit her. "Send me to the Ivy Town college campus."
"Of course, my dear." Cassia worked some controls for the portal with her back turned to Di-ana and a smirk on her face. "There! It is ready! Just step through my love."
Di-ana received another hollow kiss on the cheek then she was stepping through the portal. There was always a moment of disorientation when crossing through the portal. As she waited to get her bearings she thought she could hear the mocking laughter of Cassia, but it sounded far away and otherworldly. She dismissed it as her imagination then froze in horror as her surroundings came into focus.
She was in the Floating Fortress.