Strength of the Mind
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Sister, Selene/Red Knight, and Arlington.
Chapter 34: Manhunters' Escape Part 6
In Gorilla City…
Diablos and Major Force were going toe-to-toe. The former Army officer glared,
"Nice to seem I'm back? I know I am!"
He punched the demonic-inspired hero hard, sending him into through a clay hut. Force then lecherously grinned at Power Girl,
"Well, hello there! I'd salute you any day of the week!"
Power Girl responded by kicking him in the head and slamming him to the ground hard.
This was costly, as one of the uninhabited symbiotes lunged itself against the blonde powerhouse and latched on. Karen screamed and tried to fight the thing off, but it was going to bond with her. Vision saw his teammate in distress and lashed out with solar beams, frying the symbiote on Power Girl's back. Karen caught her breath, smiling,
"Thanks, Vision."
Vision stated,
"It was what I was programmed to do, Power Girl."
Arsenal unloaded his gun on two more symbiote gorillas,
"We meet up with Wonder Girl and the others. Vision, you and Diablos cover us!"
He, Major Disaster, and Power Girl ran off. Diablos got up, groaning,
"That hurt."
He then saw Major Force just staggering to his feet. In one swift move, the red-eyed hero launched himself at top speed and speared a surprised Major Force through several small clay huts. The energy-based villain got to his feet quickly, shrugging off the damage. He glared,
"That's it! I'm gonna do to you what I should've done when we first met; kick your ass!"
The two continued their fight…
Meanwhile, in Metropolis…
Wonder Woman was continuing the assault on Mongul. She threw her lasso at the dictator, but Mongul used Orange Lantern constructs to get the Amazing Amazon off his back so he could try and drain more rings.
Saint Walker and Hal Jordan both teamed up; the legendary Green Lantern getting a power boost from the Blue Lantern's presence. However, Mongul was gaining the same power boost. The upside to this was that the yellow ring was totally drained of power, thus rendering it useless. Mongul shouted,
"NO! GIVE IT TO ME! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE IT FROM ME!"
He was frenzied, determined to carry out his avarice desire for all the rings. He blindly launched emerald constructs at the two Lantern heroes. Hal countered with his own green shields, which, surprisingly, held up despite the numerous poundings. Saint Walker moved in,
"Mongul, you cannot win. We will defeat you and all will be well."
Wonder Woman tightened her grip on the lasso. Mongul managed to grab it and began screaming,
"NO! MINE! IT'S ALL MINE! YOU CAN'T STOP ME!"
He began pulling on the lasso, as if an unknown madness was giving him strength to break free. He let out another yell, and the lasso snapped. Mongul was free.
Diana was stunned,
"The lasso…broke? But, that's impossible! It's a magical artifact!"
She examined the lasso and, indeed it was broken. Mongul grinned,
"Now, give it to me!"
He grabbed Saint Walker and began draining off his blue energy.
However, something was wrong. The more Mongul attempted to drain the Blue Lantern's power, the more frustrated he became at not getting anything. In fact, the Orange Lantern light was draining off Mongul's green ring instead of the blue one.
Hal wanted to move in, but Saint shook his head,
"Do not fret, Hal Jordan of Earth. All will be well."
Mongul grabbed Saint Walker,
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?"
Saint Walker said,
"You cannot drain from the blue light, Mongul. Your orange ring is useless."
Mongul roared,
"NO! YOU'RE TAKING IT FROM ME! IT'S MINE!"
Suddenly, Mongul stopped in his rant. The orange ring on his hand started to drain off of his essence. He frantically tried to get the ring off of his hand, but it was too late. Mongul disappeared into the ring, and the ring flew up into the stars.
Hal blinked,
"What happened?"
Saint Walker shook his head,
"It is a shame. When the Orange ring cannot gain possession of other rings, like blue, it cannibalizes the wearer, absorbing their essence into the ring. In time, the essences will fight one another in order to gain control of the ring, or it encounters another that shares avarice and bond with him."
Hal said,
"So, it's over then? Mongul's gone for good?"
Saint said,
"His essence will live on in the ring, and the ring bearer can call upon this essence. However, if you mean his physical form is destroyed, then yes, it has been."
Hal then looked at Diana, who was now holding the broken magical Lasso of Truth. The Green Lantern had heard of the magical properties of the lasso, but never thought it could be destroyed. The power of avarice can do many things, including finding strength in untold volume if a person is greedy enough.
Meanwhile, in another section of Metropolis…
Cyborg Superman pummeled Thor with several powerful punches,
"STAY OUT OF MY WAY, GOLDILOCKS! SUPERMAN IS MY ENEMY!"
Thor crashed into a building, but, the battle-hardened hammer user stood up, glaring,
"Monster. You attack a man I call friend. For that, I shall make you suffer."
He raised his hammer,
"LIGHTNING, I COMMAND THEE! STRIKE THIS ENEMY FROM MY SIGHT!"
Lightning crashed down from the sky, slamming Henshaw hard. The energy-based villain shouted in pain, but he began fighting it. He smirked evilly,
"Nice try. But, the energy source I have makes me last forever! You can't best me! I am superior!"
Superman, from behind, speared the psychotic robot into a car. The Last Son of Krypton shook his head,
"Henshaw, stop this insanity."
Henshaw screamed,
"ME? STOP? HAHAHA! NEVER! EVEN IF I CAN'T BEAT YOU, YOUR FAMILY IS ANOTHER STORY!"
Clark clenched his fists,
"What are you talking about?"
Cyborg Superman smirked,
"Come now…Clark. The Manhunters knew all about you from the mole they had here on Earth."
The reporter blinked and said under his breath,
"No."
He flew out of there at high speeds to Smallville. Cyborg Superman smirked as he got up,
"Must have been something I said."
He turned, only to get his face flattened by Thor's hammer. The warrior god shouted,
"This battle is far from over, monster!"
He then picked up Cyborg Superman and threw him aside. The cyborg villain clenched his fists,
"No matter. If I can't kill Superman, I'll settle for his city!"
He began glowing brightly, and, in moments, a large explosion covered a large section of the city of Metropolis.
Next Chapter:
Manhunters' Escape concludes with the last stand at Gorilla City by Sister and the Titans. And, the fate of the Kents in Smallville. Stay tuned, readers!