Chapter 25: Cradle to Grave
Authors Note: I just realized I have over a hundred reviews. Thank you everyone! I am so happy that you guys are sticking around for so long, or following my story. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Also Illusive man updated his red crosshairs story. I don't know if i have mentioned that or not it has been really busy for me at work, christmas shopping and all. Kay enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own the justice league.
Gauntlet had called over the rest of the team. They were all mourning the loss of their friend, Dark Magician. Breeze and Gauntlet managed to contain a few areas around the city, along with the help of Shadow's drones, and assassins.
Breeze looked at Gauntlet, whose face bared the look of regret. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her.
"Are you okay?" She asked. Gauntlet shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh.
"No, I lost my friends, more than once." Gauntlet started. "We are fighting off an alien invasion, our leader is AWOL, and to top it all off all of our fighting is getting everyone killed." He stared back out at the broken city of Metropolis.
"Metropolis always rubbed me the wrong way." Gauntlet said with remorse. "The people were stuffy and snobby, and the buildings were always so tall and crammed together. It just made me feel like a country mouse meeting city mouse."
"Sam, you ate five cartons of tai food last night." Breeze chuckled.
"So did this guy I met when I first came here." He pointed over at a small neighborhood. "There was this great little Tai place, the owners were nice and they took their time with their food. Then this guy comes up and starts eating next to me. We started talking and we made a bet on who could eat more. I ate seven cartons, he only ate five, I probably took a few years off of my life, but I made twenty dollars that night. I never did get his name. Then there was this girl at the hotel I stayed at. She was a chef, and she always cooked the best waffles. If I remember correctly she was going to culinary school to be a chef, I even saw her on chopped. She won."
"Thanks for your trip down memory lane," Breeze snickered. "A lifetime of eating and gambling before being a vigilante."
"The point is that even though I never liked Metropolis, I did like the old couple, the petty gambler, and the chef and now their lives are turned upside down, and for what?"
"An alien overlord's quest for conquering a planet he will end up destroying anyways, a man's naïve goal for power, my husband's petty revenge and even the JLA's weak authority. All of this wasn't their burdens to bear and now their lives are turned upside down. My father did that to me and my sister. I wasn't going to let my life be run by a selfish man who wanted to run my life, and I am not letting Darkseid or Savage do that either."
"And Jayden will have to answer for this as well."
"Yeah…I don't know how to deal with him." Breeze mumbled. The thought of fighting her husband was something she didn't want to think about.
"Superman and every one of those JLA d-bags always ask what we were fighting for, and what we were killing for. I do it for them. I kill so other kids don't have to and end up becoming like us."
"It's our curse." Breeze sighed. "Deep down, I think Shadow knows that as well."
"No one forced me to put these gauntlets on just like no one forced Magician to sacrifice his life like that." They both looked back at the group, they were all now gathering to them. "But now it is our job to make their deaths mean something."
"Agreed, we just need a plan now."
"I have one," The two looked over at Luthor, who was huddled up in a heap of scrap and rubble. Breeze had forgotten that he was even here. "Since Klarion is dead, and Darkseid has lost his ground forces, your only remaining challenge is Darkseid himself."
"No shit." Reaper said from behind. "Our only problem is that we can't access his ship, due to its ships indestructible shields and no Zeta tube link up."
"I have one linked up to Darkseid's ship." He said with a smug smirk on his broken face. Everyone quickly crowded around the evil genius as he continued his rant. "Reaper, if you recall I worked with Darkseid and his son almost a decade ago, before you put a stop to it of course."
"You mean when you thought you had Darkseid by the balls, but his power and knowledge proved far superior to yours, and you had no choice but to help me?" Reaper retorted. "Yes, I do recall."
"Yes, well I did a reading on Darkseid's ship and it turns out that my Zeta tube data is still activated." Luthor explained, never once losing his smirk.
"I don't believe you." Reaper snapped. "Darkseid knows you helped me defeat him before. Why would he still have anything related to you aboard his ship?"
"I can be very secretive, but you all know that already. The point is I know how you can infiltrate his ship and shut down his shields. There is just something I want in return."
"Immunity?" Reaper asked rhetorically.
"Credit."
Breeze groaned at how slick that word just rolled off his tongue. He was pulling the same crap from ten years ago with that whole 'Hero against the Reach' crap. She knows that even if she piled all of the murders on Luthor, everyone would overlook it though, if he was the savior of Earth.
"Fine, you can be the precious hero in all of this." Breeze agreed to everyone's shock. Breeze merely shrugged. "Guys it really doesn't matter. The sooner we deal with Darkseid, the sooner we can save the world."
"And unless your fearless leader is planning on using the war world to level all of your friends in space, you are out of options."
Breeze responded with the hard end of her staff across the back of his bald head. The evil genius let out a loud growl as he glared at Breeze.
"If you don't tell me what the hell you've got planned I kill you like I did my father." She snapped.
"Throwing me out of a penthouse and onto an oncoming limo!" He snapped back. Breeze raised her staff again, only this time she smacked his knee cap instead. Luthor let out a scream before Reaper stood between the two.
"Luthor, enough with the self-superiority." He reasoned. "Tell us where we can access the ship?"
"My office, in my building!" He shouted. "I have a father box in my desk. The only problem is you can only take six people. So you better choose wisely."
"Okay, have everyone assemble at Luthor's building. We need a plan."
Everyone from the Shadow Warriors to the JLA had gathered in front of Luthor's building. They were now figuring out who would go up to Darkseid's ship and who would finish off the remaining ground forces.
"I should be one of the few to go up there." Reaper suggested. "I know how Darkseid's computers work. I can hack into his shields and disable them."
"Okay that's one, who else?" Breeze asked. "Our goal is to destroy the ships shield, not Darkseid."
"You'll still need cover." Gauntlet said. "I'll go."
"No, if it's all the same I would prefer a few of our members on board as well." Wonder Woman said.
"Fine whatever," Breeze said. "I want Saika as well."
"Then I'll take Barda and Black Canary." Wonder Woman said.
"Okay, let's head up then." Breeze commanded. "Everyone else, clean up the city."
"You got it!" Gauntlet said.
"What about Darkseid?" Phoenix asked.
"We aren't there to fight him we're there to destroy the shield."
"Enough talk, let's go!" Barda shouted.
The recon team made their way to Luthor's office and retrieved his father box. Reaper gathered everyone around him and gripped the father box tightly. He was a bit skeptical, due to the father box being old and looking a little beaten up, but if it helped get them to the ship then they would have no choice. Reaper held the small device up to his mouth and spoke his destination.
"Darkseid's ship, shield generator."
In a flash they were all transported to Darkseid's ship, but when Reaper got his bearings, he noticed that they were not in the generator chamber, but in a main corridor of sorts.
"Dammit!" He snapped. "I knew that thing was a dud!"
"Complain all you want," Saika commented. "At least we are aboard the ship. Now all we have to do is find the generator and destroy it."
"Oh, is that all?" A gruff voice chuckled.
Everyone looked up at a large balcony to see an elderly old woman standing above them. A sadistic smile spread across her face. Barda gripped her spear and pointed it at her.
"Granny Goodness." She snarled. "I would have thought you would be on Earth leading the ground forces."
"I could be there, but then I knew you would be up here to destroy Darkseid's ship." She chuckled. "I see you brought a few of the Shadow Warriors with you as well, ah, the wife of Shadow himself. I have been looking forward to adding you and your girls to my Female Furies."
"Why would I let my girls join you merry band of brainwashed flunkies, when my girls are more efficient with their freewill." Breeze retorted. Granny's grin was replaced with a scowl. "Listen, we are offering you a choice, leave or die."
"Funny, I just offered you that same choice and you insulted my leadership." She said as her Furies approached her from behind. "Oh well, I guess I will just have to be a little more forceful."
"Reaper." Barda threw him a small device. "That map will lead you straight to Darkseid's shield generator. Go now!"
"But…" Breeze soon cut him off.
"Go now!"
Breeze leaped up into the air with her staff and was about to strike Granny, only she was knocked back by a yellow skin female warrior, wielding a spear. Breeze quickly landed on her feet as the rest of her team fought back against Granny.
Breeze attacked the warrior and deflected her staff with her own. She swiped her staff upwards, but the fury ducked and swept her feet from out under her. The alien grinned with her razor sharp teeth and was ready to kill her.
Breeze inhaled and blew a strong gust of wind at her and sent her flying into the wall. When Breeze was sure she was weakened she rushed over and brought her staff down onto her head, knocking her unconscious.
Barda and Saika were fighting a couple of Furies armed with swords. Saika brought her blade down as the fury blocked it. Barda rushed in and attacked her, while a behemoth fury rushed after her. Saika rushed at the behemoth and threw a couple of grenades at her feet and caused her to stumble forward.
Barda was soon over powered by a few more furies before Wonder Woman and Canary rushed in and helped her. Canary used her sonic scream to knock them all back. Wonder Woman rushed in and defeated the behemoth with her bare hands.
"Are you okay Saika?" She asked.
"Yeah I'm fine." She grunted.
"What about Granny?" Barda asked.
"I got her." Breeze said.
Everyone looked over at Breeze who had restrained Granny with Wonder Woman's lasso.
"Well it looks like you greatly underestimated my girls." Breeze chuckled. Granny only grinned.
"If only you knew," She chuckled. "I sent my best warriors to Earth. I wanted you all for myself."
In an instant Granny swiped her feet underneath Breeze and knocked her to the ground as she quickly broke free from the lasso. Saika pulled out her handguns and opened fired on her, but she drew two swords and deflected every bullet. When she got in close she rushed into Saika, sending her shoulder into her stomach.
Saika was sent flying back as Canary went to use her sonic voice, but Granny sent a quick punch to her jugular, busting her wind pipe. Canary was clutching her throat and was struggling to breathe.
Barda and Wonder Woman both rushed at Granny. Wonder Woman sent a punch at her face, but Granny ducked and kneed her in the stomach. Barda swung her staff at Granny, who caught it with her right hand and broke it in half.
"You're stronger than last time." Barda grunted.
"Anger gives me strength." She chuckled, pointing her blade at her throat. "I spent my life training for Darkseid's army for the purpose of killing. From cradle to grave all we do is fight. That's what you and your heroes and even Shadow Warriors are born to do."
"Yup…" Saika's voice grunted. Before Granny could turn around she felt two blades pierce through her abdomen. "From cradle to grave."
"I-It doesn't matter…Darkseid will win." Granny slumped down to the ground dead.
"Everyone okay?" Breeze groaned. "This old bitch packed a hell of a punch."
"Yeah…" Barda chuckled. "Oh no, Reaper we haven't heard from him yet!"
Reaper cut down another remaining trooper as he waited for his explosives to go off. Another minute and the ship would be completely vulnerable to Superman and his team.
"Reaper!" Monarch's voice echoed. "I'm putting Superman on!"
"Flynn, you need to get out of there, now!" Superman shouted. "Shadow activated the War World. He told me the second those shields go down, he will open fire!"
Flynn didn't know what the hell was happening. He checked back at the clock to see he only had twenty five seconds. He needed to get everyone out now.
"What, no he…Dammit!"
He rushed out of the generator room and rushed back to his friends. If his calculations were right then he would only have another ten seconds. Luck was on his side as he saw Breeze and the team running towards him.
"Reaper, what's wrong!?" She snapped.
Reaper pulled out the father box and sent them back to Metropolis. They were all quickly transported back to Metropolis and Reaper looked up at the sky to see the war world open fire on Darkseid's ship. Missiles rained down upon it and tore it to pieces. In a matter of seconds the ship was gone.
Breeze and the rest of the team were stunned that he would completely destroy a ship with his men still aboard.
"Jayden how could you do it?"
"Sorry, I thought I gave you enough time." A grim voice whimpered.
Breeze's ears perked up like a cat's ears and she slowly turned to see Shadow standing behind him with his assassins behind him.
"Jayden…" She whimpered.
"Alley Cat." He muttered.