4 Justice League Family Affairs
Captain and Mary Marvel flew point. Immediately behind them were Booster, Hawkman, Aztek, Stargirl, Red Tornado, and Steel. Penny's Orb had resumed its position behind the Blackhawks. J'onn was in communication with them via a Bluetooth sized transmitter. It had the advantage of truly being hands-free and of being less intrusive than the JLU's old earpieces.
That all being the case, Mary really should have responded when she streaked out ahead of the group with a fleeting, "They're gonna…!"
J'onn called her name several times to no avail. He then paged Captain Marvel. All Marvel could say was, "Mary has the added graces of the Greco-Roman goddesses. Artemis gives her hunting and tracking skills above and beyond mine. She's spotted something and she thinks it's a crisis. You won't see her again until we catch up."
Despite his overwhelming desire to keep the group intact, he said to Marvel; "Go. Assist her while you can."
"Thank you so much, J'onn." Captain Marvel gratefully replied and then he was gone!
On the streets below, the Legionnaires were looting, pillaging, and destroying anything and everything in sight. The populace, already terrified at having their bodies taken over and then just as suddenly released, trampled one another in a blind quest to flee. Dead bodies already littered several streets and more were joining them as the instinct for flight ran its course unabated. The Legionnaires were thoroughly enjoying themselves, especially Supreme and Ultraman.
They were throwing cars at fleeing innocents. They'd already killed or injured three dozen people when Mary spotted them. She decided to do something about it.
Mary dove towards the pair. She intended upon focusing on Supreme first but Ultraman somehow heard her coming while the Daxamite didn't. Ultraman turned and spotted her. He leapt into the air to intercept her and she slowed her attack. Ultraman edged her out in terms of strength and speed so raw power wouldn't win the day. However, he was a dullard so she intended to outwit him.
He charged in headlong, literally coming at her head first. She saw her opportunity and increased her speed again. When she was within striking distance, she swung her body around even as he started to raise his hands. She unloaded a sweeping kick to his head with all of her might. Ultraman sailed off into the distance, head first once again.
All of this alerted Supreme to her presence. She swept down on him only to be knocked out of the sky with a right cross. She skipped across the roofs of cars and eventually slowed enough to smash into one's chassis.
Mary scrambled out of the wreckage while Supreme hovered nearby. His smile was terrible to behold. The next move was hers but even the combined Wisdom of Solomon and Minerva wasn't enough to clue her into what needed to transpire. Achilles and Artemis also failed to provide an answer. Only Atlas whispered any advice: endure. She didn't know what to endure but she was certain she wouldn't like it.
Captain Marvel's red and gold form streaked into Supreme. His right cross sent the Legionnaire sprawling. Without a word, Marvel confirmed his sister's good health and then he silently tore after Supreme. Mary's smile was short lived since she spotted Ultraman's return. He thought that by flying slow and near the streets he'd be sneakier. Mary decided to teach him the error of his ways.
Several blocks away, the Orbs settled down in City Center. The JLers gathered around Lady Blackhawk's Orb. J'onn gave a demonstration there using an iPad as a visual aid. The tablet computer displayed a map of Metropolis. Crisis areas were designated by red dots. Zooming in on those points opened up display windows on the side showing news reports of the carnage.
It seemed the Legionnaires had broken up into five major areas of concern. Captain and Mary Marvel were dealing with the rampage at the heart of the city. The Crime Syndicate was converging on their position even as they settled into combat with Supreme and Ultraman. J'onn was asked about sending reinforcements to the Marvels and he declined. Other areas needed even more attention.
Flash's Rogues, supported by other villains, were looting Metropolis' financial district. J'onn quickly outlined a team roster and Flash led them away. The remaining heavy hitters not engaged with the Marvels were cleaning out the Metal and Mineral Securities Exchange. J'onn decided on the team that would assist him there. Next came the Legionnaires pillaging STAR Labs. Mr. Terrific gathered the remainder and set out.
The fifth and final area of concern was the Wilkinson Center. A three block thick cordon of transfixed bodies still surrounded it and long distance camera lenses had spotted Legionnaires prowling the grounds. J'onn, upon conferring with the Flash and Mr. Terrific, decided to save that conflict until the end when the League could present a united front and hopefully prevent any more casualties.
"Urgh!" Ultraman grunted as Mary leveled him with a right. He rose from his seated position and wiped the blood and spittle from his lips. To be frank, Ultraman was confused. Mary was proving to be a wily opponent, much more versed in hand to hand combat then he was.
"Give up and I won't make you scream for mercy. You'll die quick." He offered. To his way of thinking, the terms were generous.
"Why? So you'll suffocate me? I think you already tried that and you blew it, you loser!" Mary retorted.
Ultraman launched himself at her but she met his face with her fist. That stopped him cold. While he was waiting for the stars to clear out of his eyes she leapt up and kicked him under the jaw, throwing him down onto his back. He rose quickly but he was getting angry now and his approaches were increasingly bullish. She knew he wasn't going to be able to withstand much more pounding. She counted on it so she could help Billy.
Supreme and Captain Marvel were at a standstill. They'd each leveled their mightiest blows upon the other and that hadn't secured a victory. If anything, both parties were simply more obstinate.
"Give up. You're a Superman wannabe and even Superman can't beat me." Marvel fudged the facts.
"Maybe he didn't get creative enough." Supreme sneered.
"Huh?" Marvel was confused. Supreme drew in a deep breath and then froze Captain Marvel with it. Next he waited for Marvel to shatter the ice and then unleashed the full fury of his heat vision upon the JLer. While the good Captain was staggered by that, Supreme came in and beat him senseless. That accomplished, he sought out Ultraman.
Mary landed another right, then a left to the body. This was followed with a right to the body and a left uppercut. Ultraman snarled as he picked himself up. His eyes sparked with hope and Mary wondered why. She discovered why as Supreme put her in a Full Nelson. Ultraman gleefully cracked his knuckles after rising. He began his approach slowly but built up speed as he drew his fist back.
Mary went limp and slipped out of Supreme's grasp. He had time to register shock before Ultraman hit him square on. Supreme was thrown back and Ultraman just stood still, trying to muddle through what had just happened.
Mary reacted before he had a chance to. She came out of her crouch and tagged Ultraman with a right cross. She put everything she had into that punch and it knocked the beleaguered Legionnaire out. Next she leapt atop of a dazed Supreme and pummeled him into oblivion.
A giant emerald mallet pounded Mary into the ground. As she struggled to rise she heard familiar laughter.
"Might as well stay down." Superwoman scoffed, "We'll just keep pounding on you until you give up."
Power Ring and Wonder Girl were with her. Something had changed in Wonder Girl. It was in her eyes but Mary didn't have time to mull it over. She launched herself at Superwoman but the Amazon met her with a right cross. Mary was knocked back and Power Ring seized her with a giant hand construct. The hand began to squeeze ever tighter and she had difficulty breathing.
"You should've let us smother you. It would've been quicker and easier." Superwoman laughed.
Mary thought it was just as well that she needed to conserve her air. She didn't have anything nice to say anyway. The only thing that frightened her was what had they done with Billy?
The Flash led his team into the financial district. Here banks stored money in the form of negotiable bonds and large denominations. He took a quick survey of the scene.
The Legionnaires appeared to have Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang, Heat Wave, the Golden Glider, the Weather Wizard, and the Trickster. Only…the Trickster was out of costume and wearing an expensive, tailored suit. Other Legionnaires included Plastique, the Gentleman Ghost, Dr. Polaris, the Shade, and the Shadow Thief.
Flash had Fire, Ice, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Hawk, Dove, Dr. Light, Hawkman, the Atom, and Obsidian with him. Flash wondered about the Trickster. The last time that he'd seen him in Islamabad, the poor guy had definitely needed his medication. It looked like they'd kept him off of it too long. Who knew who he'd turned into now?
Flash was about to call a huddle and brainstorm a plan when Captain Cold yelled, "Attack!"
J'onn and his force faced down the Legionnaires at the Metal and Mineral Securities Exchange. The opposition included Spencer Hawk, Blockbuster, Atom Smasher, Volcana, Livewire, Multiplex, Major Force, Black Mass, Blackrock, and the Key. They'd been in the process of hauling away the precious metals and gems when the JLers arrived.
J'onn was joined by Stargirl, Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Steel, Wildcat, Nemesis, the Ray, and Booster Gold. J'onn knew the odds were against his team but then they were against every League team, especially Captain and Mary Marvel. The teams were built around the hope that once one team prevailed it would seek out and assist other teams. He had to believe the Marvels could hold out that long.
The Key spotted them and began issuing instructions to the others. They willingly complied and raced forward to meet the League. Soon, the battle was joined.
Hector Hammond oversaw the Legionnaires at STAR Labs. With him were Kestrel, Giganta, Killer Croc, Bane, Clayface, Ragdoll, Toyman, Firefly, Atomic Skull, Cheraxes, the Weed, Catman, the Enchantress, and Count Vertigo. They faced Mr. Terrific, the Shining Knight, Aztek, Hourman, Commander Steel, Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, and Samurai. Personally, Mr. Terrific didn't give the Legion half a chance. If he'd been able to smile, Hector Hammond would've. As it was, he mentally laughed inside of everyone's head.
a/n: This one was a struggle. It just never seemed to flow properly even after 4 revisions. I finally gave up and uploaded it the way it is. I hope it wasn't too painful. I have high hopes for the following chapter.