3 Justice League Darkness

The Flash streaked from Daxamite to Daxamite. He hit each one a hundred times a minute. His hand was beginning to hurt and he wasn't being that effective. He noticed Ice had caught four Daxamites in an iceberg while Fire fought some off to the side. The ice suddenly shattered and a chunk caught Ice upside the head. She went down.

"Tora!" he cried out as he raced to her side. Her vitals were strong and nothing seemed broken. She was just out cold. An animal cry came out of Flash's lips as he attacked the Daxamites emerging from the ice. He pummeled each of them a hundred times in thirty seconds. They were each dazed after he'd finished.

Fire took over at that point. She engulfed them in green flame. They made choking noises and passed out. As Fire came to rest next to Ice, Flash had to ask; "How'd you do that?"

"Something I learned from Galatea." Fire explained, "As long as they don't have a chance to take a deep breath and hold it they run out of oxygen and pass out."

"You learned that from Galatea?" Flash was amazed.

"Well, I learned it the hard way." Fire clarified.

"Still, she's on our side now." Flash pointed out.

"We'll see for how long." Fire grumbled.

"Beatriz, you've got to have a little faith." Flash opined.

The battle in the skies above Metropolis was a furious one. The JLers had fought with the Daxamites for almost thirty minutes now. They'd held the upper hand when the fight began but now the tide was turning.

Mary belted a Daxamite across the way. Her opponent shook her head and then came back for more. Mary delivered a spin kick that sent the woman sailing into the harbor. Next Mary flew over to Superman, who was in between struggles.

"Are they…Ohmigod! Your shoulder!" she exclaimed upon seeing his bloodied shirt.

Diana overheard Mary and flew over, "Gods Clark! Your wound has opened."

He grimaced, "Can't be helped. The planet needs me."

"You're headed for the ground." Diana ordered, "You don't need to distract yourself with staying aloft. You need your focus to deal with the pain."

"I think you're right." Superman agreed without arguing.

All three of them alighted in the middle of the street in front of the Metro Tower. Superman turned to Mary, "You were trying to ask me something."

"Is it me or are these guys getting tougher?" she wondered.

"They are." Superman replied, "They weren't exposed to yellow sunlight for very long before coming here. As they get more light, the stronger and faster they become. They also become more invulnerable."

The weariness in his voice spoke ill of the situation. Instead of incapacitating a half dozen at a time, they would soon be barely coping with the Daxamites one at a time. What would happen when they decided to gang up on the JLers?

As things stood, Supergirl and Galatea were each pummeling one Daxamite after another. Captain Marvel was holding his own against a trio of Daxamites. Steel was swatting them out of the sky like bugs with his hammer. Captain Atom was blasting one right after the other. They'd be temporarily insensate and then come back for more.

The three having the best results were Kyle, Hawkgirl, and Aztek. Kyle's ring powered constructs baffled, bewildered, and bamboozled the witless Daxamites. And they effectively shut them down too. Shayera literally flew circles around the Daxamites and delivered stunning blows with her mace. A few had fallen and hadn't gotten up yet. Aztek's mystical armor granted him the most effective weapon. Those he stunned stayed stunned.

Sadly, the Daxamites gathered enough of their wits to realize that their speed had drastically increased. They rushed Aztek and beat him into the ground. Hawkgirl swooped in and tagged one of them but was caught by her ankle as she attempted to soar away. She was swatted into the ground and she passed out.

Steel was driven out of the sky and he took up position near Superman. The other airborne heroes came down as well. The Daxamites followed and pressed in on all sides. The heroes stayed loosely grouped together. They allowed enough space to work independently but they could assist one another if the worst should happen.

Praxis cut a path through the Daxamites by causing them to pass out. They swiftly recovered but he achieved his goal of reaching Galatea, "Tuatara sends word. You'll be called away soon. Don't resist. Just go. The fate of countless worlds depends upon it."

She frowned as she took time to punch another Daxamite, "Okay Mr. Cryptic. Any other advice?"

"Stop worrying about Blackhawk." Praxis advised.

"Who says I'm thinking about him?" Galatea rebutted.

"I can tell." Praxis admitted, "You have such sweaty thoughts when they dwell on him."

Galatea punched him, "Stay outta my head!"

Praxis bounced off a Daxamite. He caused the invader to pass out. Then he calmly retrieved his sunglasses, cast one last unfathomable look Galatea's way, and strode off as easily as he'd come.

Galatea fumed. Who was Jason Praxis that he thought he had a right to hover around in her mind? Her thoughts were hers alone. She'd share them with Blackhawk and no one else.

A golden ankh appeared in the middle of the "big guns". Dr. Fate emerged but it remained. The Daxamites surrounding them froze. The assembled JLers stared at him.

"Mary Marvel, Supergirl, Captain Marvel, and Galatea; I have need of you. The universe rests upon your shoulders." He announced.

They all hesitated but Captain Marvel spoke first, "I'm with you." Mary concurred. So did Galatea. Supergirl struggled with it but she agreed. In a flash, they were gone.

The surrounding Daxamites began to move again. J'onn summed up everyone's feelings when he dryly commented, "That could've gone better."

In Bailya, Fate reappeared; "Black Adam, the universe has need of you."

"What of my country?" Adam asked.

Zatanna appeared beside Fate, "I'll take care of your kingdom."

Adam nodded, "Very well. I am yours."

Fate and Black Adam vanished in a burst of light. The first Daxamites appeared at that moment.

"Not a moment too soon." Zatanna murmured regarding her arrival.

In space, Dr. Light's team finished ahead of their revised schedule. The calibrations were done. The solar collector was a massive circle. The center radius was open. The collectors faced the sun and two power vents faced the Earth.

Dr. Light situated herself in the center while Rising Sun and Starman each took up position in front of a power vent. Dr. Light began to convert the sunlight pouring by her into red solar light. The power vents focused raw sunlight into Starman and Rising Sun. They each absorbed the concentrated rays and converted them into red solar radiation. Within minutes they bathed the Earth in red solar rays.

The barely charged Daxamites began to lose their powers immediately. Superman's abilities began to pare down at a slower rate but he did lose them. The effect upon the JLers' chances was profound.

"What the hell?" the Huntress exclaimed as the Daxamite she'd punched stumbled backward with a bloody nose, "I was just getting used to being beat up."

Question stood beside her. His suit jacket and shirt were ripped open at one sleeve. His tie was askew and his shirt front had been ripped halfway open, "Look in the sky, Huntress. Dr. Light's team has pulled it off."

"Great." Huntress growled, "Let's do some damage while we can."