"Rah!" Broly slammed his fist on the ground forcing Diana to jump over it. She twisted in midair and smacked Broly's temple with her shield. His head snapped to the right and Wonder Woman capitalized on this. She swept his feet from under him and kicked his jaw. Broly grabbed onto her foot and swung her over head into the floor. She felt herself get thrown at the wall. Another second later and a large force knocked the wind out of her. Broly withdrew his fist. It took a couple of seconds for Diana to regain her breath and in those seconds she jumped out of the hole. Not one to let him get away, Diana rammed her shield at his temple several times. A loud ringing filled his head and his vision blurred for a few moments. He shook his head and held onto her shield, stopping her momentarily. Broly grabbed her other arm and brought down her head to meet his knee. He held her off the ground with one arm, her limp body came to and he threw her at the wall.
Broly unleashed a mouth beam at her which she quickly dodged by pulling herself out of the wall and over it and pivoting to the left. Broly followed her around the room and left a burning trail in his wake. Diana finally got below his guard and successfully lifted Broly of his feet with a mighty uppercut of her own. His beam was cut off and he flipped in midair to catch himself. Wonder Woman wasn't about to let him recover and she rushed at him. Her shield was inches away from striking his forehead by the time he looked up. Broly snatched her wrist out of the air and head butted her, he loosened his grip on her wrist and held onto her shield instead. With a smooth yet powerful yank, Broly tore the shield from her grasp. He threw it aside and allowed a ki sphere to explode in front of his chest. It blew the charging Diana away. While she righted herself in the air, she gripped her lasso and managed to wrap it around Broly's wrists.
With a forceful grunt, Diana swung the bigger man several times and slammed him with all her might into the side of the building. Broly left an imprint on the metal wall that he quickly burst out of. Diana's lasso was still on his wrists, a fact she quickly took advantage of. She used it to pull him toward her, giving him another powerful kick to the jaw. Showing off her years of practice, she maneuvered around Broly and finished wrapping the rope around the Saiyan. With a final tug to ensure he couldn't escape, she pulled him down and forced him on his knees. Diana crossed her arms and gave the man a slightly devious smirk. Oh, she intended to find some things out about her teammate. Even if she had to force it from him, she wouldn't go too far, just enough to sate her curiosity for the time being. To show him she meant business, she gave a sharp tug. First and foremost, "You held back, didn't you?" She saw him hesitant to answer and yanked on the rope. "I compel you to answer. You cannot lie to the lasso."
Broly felt himself speak up. "Y-yes." What the hell? Why did he answer that?
"And why is that? You insult me." Wonder Woman's mood soured a little. The one thing she hated more than anything was to be perceived as weak, especially after all of her experiences.
"I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't know my own strength." Broly wasn't lying, he really wasn't sure to the limits of his own power. After his bout with Gogeta, he did feel himself get exponentially stronger. That being said, he was used to sparring against the physically stronger man of steel and having a much more open environment up in the Arctic circle. Here he had to hold back significantly to avoid blowing a hole in the hull and decompressing the entire station. Still, he did enjoy fighting against Diana. "But you're fun to fight."
"I'm not as delicate as these humans." Diana felt her blood boil a little. She still had a problem with men, despite her own decision to forsake her mother's teachings about men, it was still ingrained in her brain. She had a problem with being seen as weak. So when this man saw her as an unworthy opponent... wait she was fun to fight against? "Fun? Not dangerous, or powerful?"
"I-yes, you're strong too." Broly had already forgot about the indestructible rope tightened around him. "If you want to fight me with your full strength, I'll do the same. Can we do it on the ground? Batman told me never to go all out on the ship." Wonder Woman was reminded of that as well. The watchtower was tough, built to withstand large explosions, curtesy of Broly's explosive power used as a reference point and scale, and superhuman punches, curtesy of Superman's strength as a reference point, Bruce used the appropriate amount of select metal alloys in certain areas of the satellite to best protect it in the most efficient manner possible. He had a deep pocket, but it wasn't bottomless.
Wonder Woman still held Broly. A few seconds passed before she undid the knots and released him. She offered him a hand. "We shall find an uninhabited island, then." Diana began getting excited at the prospect of seeing and experiencing her new teammate's full power. She saw plenty of what he's been capable of and it tended to revolve around anger. That was the key. She's fast and agile enough to dodge nearly all of his blows. The giant may be strong and way more agile than he looks, but his skills as a martial artist and warrior were sorely lacking. He was easier to read than a book. He gets some good hits in every now and then, but Broly stuck to a few key moves, namely slamming, bodyslamming, simple kicks and punches, clotheslines, his ki attacks. Those she needed to avoid at all costs, they are tiny but powerful in concussive force. Not to mention she witnessed him expel them from every part of his body, chest, mouth, hands, feet at some points. It's not like their current session was an accurate display of his abilities, he did have some logic. The watchtower isn't indestructible, and Batman likely wouldn't be amused if they destroyed the base. It goes without saying that annihilation of the watchtower also wouldn't serve them any purpose.
Both began a long walk from the bottom of the tower where the training hall resided up to the near top. Only two sets of footprints echoed down the hall, though Broly's sounded more like stomps due to his mass. "Do you hate me?"
Diana ceased walking. "I beg your pardon?"
"It's okay if you do." Broly kept staring ahead and didn't miss a beat. "I just... want to know."
Diana had to speed walk to catch up. His question had genuinely surprised her. She could say without a doubt that she held no malice toward him. But now that she thought of it, she did treat him harsher than the other males around. Then again, the other males didn't wrap their giant hands around her neck and lift her off the ground. The memory alone got her a little riled up, but in fairness she and Green Lantern were about to go at it when they were supposed to be saving the world. "I don't. I have no ill will toward you.
Broly spent his entire life being treated harshly by his father on and off the training field. But even so, the man was all he had. He was no stranger to hatred either. There wasn't a second on Vampa that his father didn't spend stewing in self-loathing and hatred for the man responsible, King Vegeta. That being said, he was never the target of someone else's hatred let alone hated by someone who is supposed to be there for him.
"And if I did?" Diana asked out of curiosity.
"Nothing." Broly wouldn't go out of his way to kill someone who hated him. But knowing was all he needed to know. "I would not hurt you." Their remaining walk was spent in uncomfortable silence. It took several minutes to reach the main hall.
"Follow me to the main console. We will teleport to..." Now that she thought about it, where were some uninhabited islands? Only island she really knew was Themyscira. "Do you know how to work this thing?"
"No." Broly shook his head. "We should call Batman."
"Do you know how to do that?" Wonder Woman hoped he would. They've only had the watchtower for about a week. Learning the console commands were J'onn's thing, but as it so were, they hadn't returned.
"Hmm." Broly gave the main console a once over. It certainly was not his area of expertise, but how hard could it be? The towering Saiyan pressed a couple of the big buttons but nothing happened. Diana joined him and pressed several more lined up next to each other toward the top.
"Nothing." She crossed her arms in slight irritation. Broly kept pushing every button under the sun, Wonder Woman couldn't help but push some too.
"What about...?" Broly tried the one on the top right corner. A circle with a vertical dash running through the top half. The rest of the console began humming to life. The screens lit up and ran through hundreds of lines of code before settling on a short list of commands. Broly stared blankly at the screen.
"What's wrong? Are you illiterate?" Wonder Woman asked, half-curiously, half-mockingly.
"Am I what?" Broly replied, confused.
"I'll take that as a yes." Diana muttered. She was a little surprised he was, but he was a man after all. More to the point, he's the very epitome of a brute. "Nothing that is related to travel. Damn it, we're stuck here. Now hold on," Diana slowly navigated through the list, quickly returning to the main screen whenever she hit a dead end. "Ah, at last."
"?" Broly gave an inquisitive look. He was waiting for her to explain. Diana picked up on this, and gave him a raised brow.
"We can go now." Diana told him. He gave an affirmative nod. Another few strokes on the center keyboard and the computer beeped in an odd sequence before settling down. "I hope I did not disrupt any important functions." The main teleporter started to glow while powering up. Diana joined Broly on the platform and smirked at her sparring partner. "You will kneel in the end."
He matched her smirk with a confident half-smile of his own, "Bring it on."
Zzz
"Was this what you had in mind?" Broly questioned. They took in all the sand around them, endless sand. Sand as far as the eye can see.
"I have no idea where this is. It may be warmer than I am accustomed to, but nothing that is too bothersome. Does the heat bother you?" Diana fastened the buckle of her shield. She made certain it was comfortable on her forearm and began walking several paces north.
"It's just like home, but less green." Broly bent his knees and assumed a basic stance. The familiar dry heat washed over him and reminded him of his younger years training with his father. "Are you sure you want to go all out?"
"How else will I know to coordinate with you in the future, if I do not know how you fight? Come at me." Diana braced herself. The ground trembled somewhat and a fierce wind blew sand away from the tall Saiyan. His hair spiked up and yellow bled into his irises. Broly pushed a little further and his muscles grew tremendously. Now he really dwarfed Diana by at least two feet. Broly growled, speaking in this form required a great deal more effort than fighting and yelling. It was dangerous to spar in this form, only Superman was able to stop him, and that required a T.K.O. every time, good thing they devised a system after the first couple of fails.
Diana grinned in anticipation. Finally, a worthy opponent. Diana shouted and rushed at Broly. He grunted his challenge and ran to meet her. His heavy footsteps left imprints in the sand and caused them to fill his boots. As they neared each other Broly pulled his fist back, Diana tightened her grip and felt her forearm strain against the straps. He was only meters away. Now that he was putting in some effort, she could see his much higher speeds. He was surprisingly quick on his feet for a large fellow. The instant he threw the punch Diana drop down and slid between his legs. His fist slammed into the sand bringing up a wave of fine sand. He closed his eyes in reflex and turned around to find the Amazon. She was nowhere in sight. The howling winds suppressed her presence from above and he ate a plateful of sand as a result. Wonder Woman rolled a couple of times and stood up. Her shield was still vibrating, damn he had a hard head. Broly unleashed a powerful aura to blow the sand away. He stood to his full height and glared at Diana. She met his gaze with a confident smirk.
Broly yelled and ran to her as fast as possible, catching her off guard. Without a moment's hesitation, he threw several punches. Each one came at Diana faster than the last. She found herself hard pressed to dodge each subsequent blow. Broly overextended himself and ended up with his fist in the ground. Diana leaped forward onto his forearm and roundhouse kicked his head. Diana felt a measure of shock when his head didn't budge. His rage-fueled yellow eyes locked with her own again. She saw the animal instinct in them. Was Broly was more beast than man?
Wonder Woman hopped off before he could retaliate properly. 'He's certainly durable. I didn't hold back on that kick.' "Well, that makes this more fun." She brought up her shield to block his fist. Her heels dug into the ground from the extreme amount of force that transferred. Broly slammed down his other fist on her shield and forced her even further down. Diana peeked past her shield and witnessed Broly bring down his hands in a double overhead punch. She jumped and flew to the right to avoid him. Broly unleashed a thin beam from his maw and performed a sweeping arc. Diana had to fly up to avoid the energy. She saw the sand it passed over had turned to glass and had no intention of letting something similar happen to her. She let go of her shield and threw it at Broly's face, disrupting the beam. He reached for it but Diana had already flown in and snatched it out of the air. He grew angrier at her hit and run tactics and shouted. He aimed his open palm at her, Diana's muscles tensed. There was a devious grin on his face.
"What are you doing?" Diana whispered to herself. She saw him aim up and shoot dozens of large ki spheres that traveled up to the sky and remained in place.
"Ha!" Broly closed his fists and brought them down. All of the ki balls grew brighter before beginning their descent to the ground. The ones closest to Diana dropped like stones and exploded like a mortar shell. Diana ran to avoid the explosions. No matter how many fell, there seemed to be more to take their place. Left, right, right again, center, 180 spin. Wherever she turned there was a ki blast descending right in front of her. She glanced at Broly's position and saw him standing in place. She looked up again to see even more in the sky. Her mind focused back to the task at hand. Her mind flooded with worry when the explosions stopped. She stayed still but was ready to bolt. Her heart dropped when every single ki sphere dropped to the ground simultaneously. Some were only a meter away. None actually detonated on impact, they remained in place and a loud humming filled the air. She instinctively flew up to get away and crossed her arms in front of herself to stop an incoming fist. It launched her further in the air, and a grunt escaped her lips when she slammed against a wall. A wall?
Diana quickly turned. Broly was standing still with his arm outstretching to her head. She ducked and delivered a hard kick to the back of his knee. Broly groaned and his body fell a little causing him to lose his balance. "Hya! Ha! Grrahh!" Diana went at Broly with everything she had in the split second he let his guard down. Left hook, right straight, right shield bash, left uppercut, she front flipped over his head and stomped on his head along the way. Broly's eyes glowed and he shouted in anger. He spun around in time to be wrapped tightly in golden rope. His arms were bound against his body, given his massive size, movement was severely restricted. The lasso extended in length before Diana pulled with all her might to bring Broly to her, she brought up her feet and used her own power over flight to meet him halfway. A small shockwave erupted when her heels made contact with his lower jaw. Diana yanked again and landed a harsh haymaker. Diana grinned and slackened the rope enough to almost free him, but she stopped at the last moment and swung Broly around the sky long enough to build momentum and released him in the direction of the ground. Broly was traveling too fast to stop himself and landed on several of his own ki balls. Under his slips of focus and current situation, the spheres began to detonate. The collective explosion was large enough to be seen miles away. Diana couldn't help but worry a little. Sure they were going pretty rough, but it was still a friendly spar, right? She flew down to the ground after the explosion had mostly gone to check on him. She could hear the glass cracking and crunching underneath her footsteps. The smoke and sand still hadn't cleared yet so she was walking blind. An idea popped into her head and she moved the shield to rest on her back.
Diana clenched her fists and slammed her forearms against one another as hard as she could. The shockwave blew away a considerable amount of debris and visibility improved. But the further reaches of the desert remained hidden. Broly was nowhere to be found. She looked up and saw his smoking visage. His denim jeans were in tatters, his hair singed and burned. His shirt had nearly burned away completely. He didn't waste any time and let a tiny star pop in existence in his palm. He launched it at Diana and shot a wave of ki at it, when it made contact with the tiny dot, it expanded exponentially into an enormous size rivaling that of a small moon. Diana had no way of stopping something that large and powerful. She did the only logical thing at the moment. "STOP! BROLY! YOU'LL DESTROY THE ENTIRE PLANET!"
Wonder Woman's efforts were for naught. Broly couldn't hear her or he ignored her, she couldn't tell. The nearer it got, the faster her pulse. Her heart was beating against her chest. She couldn't just let it drop, even if the area was uninhabited, there could be unforeseen consequences. She was beginning to regret asking for this. She didn't have a choice. Her internal debate cost her precious moments so wasting more wasn't an option. She launched out of the area like a rocket. Before she took off, she could have sworn she saw Broly teleport, not unusual but where did he go?
Broly witnessed her retreat and quickly deduced he had gone overboard. With little time to spare, he sped to the land directly below his imminent attack. He let his rage slowly simmer down and his body reverted to normal. His irises took on the deepest black common in most Saiyans. A slight regret bubbled to the surface and he held out his arms to catch the bomb and throw it into the atmosphere. He realized how powerful he had made his own attack and quickly powered up to succeed.
With a mighty shout Broly managed to overcome the force and held it in place, with another grunt of effort he shot up into the lower atmosphere and punched the sphere away. It seemed to struggle to break free of Earth's gravitational pull so Broly rammed it with his shoulder and disengaged. It swiftly exited the atmosphere and managed another couple of miles from Earth before promptly detonating and consuming everything caught in the blast. Fortunately for everyone on Earth, it didn't include them.
The day sky lit up with a green hue that overtook it for several minutes. The shockwave forced her heels into the sand below and blew away the nearest clouds. Diana wore an expression of slight shock, worry, and curiosity. Broly's abilities weren't complex in any manner, nor was his intelligence anything to boast about, but she shuddered to think of the utter destruction he was capable of creating.
Broly caught up to Diana and her body tensed when she saw him. She relaxed when he raised his arms in a placating manner. "I'm normal. And I made that look scarier than it really was." Broly referred to the final explosion, it was a bluff move meant to end the match. He knew the longer the fought her in that form, the more destruction and attention they'd attract.
"If you say so." Wonder Woman said with unease. She took a deep breath and breathed out. She took another look at Broly and took in the difference between his normal state and what she just witnessed and fought. Diana looked behind Broly and shook her head at the green sky still settling. She stole another glance at Broly and noted that he didn't even look tired. Just the same quiet giant. "You do not understand restraint?"
"Restraint?" Broly's mind went back to the restraints his father used on him. Anger flashed across his face at the unpleasant memories. "No more restraints." Broly didn't understand that was not what she meant. She got in his face and gripped his leftover shirt collar tightly.
"This world and her people are not durable like us Broly! Have you not any discipline? Have Superman and Batman neglected to teach you self-control?"
Broly wasn't a logical man, but he sure as hell did not ask for this. He's the one who asked her if she was sure. She's the one who wanted to go all out. He gave her what she asked for, now she wants to get mad at him? His father did that too, and he got shocked whenever he went too far. His vision went red and Diana saw the rage etched on his face. She loosened her grip on his clothes but had her wrist caught in a vice grip. She met Broly's furious golden eyes with her cerulean ones. Without another thought, she slapped Broly as hard as she could, snapping his head to the side. His shaggy hair hid his expression from her. His grip on her wrist loosened and he sat down on the sand dune, his anger forgotten.
Broly refused to speak any further, seems like no matter what he said, Wonder Woman would frequently be angered by him. Diana sighed, "If anyone is to blame, it is I. I requested you to show me your full might even after I knew of the risk. There is nothing to be done about it now." Wonder Woman softened her own gaze. "Let's hurry before we're discovered." Realization struck her. "We've no way of returning to the base."
"Yes we do. Stay close." Broly sped off into the horizon.
Zzz
"And that's how we got here." Broly told Alfred. "Please, don't tell anyone."
"It may be wise to inform Master Wayne yourselves and with haste." Alfred stepped aside to allow them into the manor. "Master Wayne is preparing for an evening charity event and he is nearly ready."
"Can you take us to him?" Diana requested. "We have no way of returning to the space station."
"Ah, the Watchtower as Master Wayne so affectionately dubbed the vessel." The aged butler began walking to Bruce's room. "It required a great deal of care to conceal the entire project from shareholders and investors."
"I am certain it did. How did he manage to create a feat of engineering? It must have taken years." Wonder Woman silently observed the decorations, portraits. "And who are they? If you don't mind my asking."
"Master Thomas and Mistress Wayne. The young Master Bruce's parents. They were murdered when he was but a child. I've looked after Master Wayne ever since." Alfred explained. He then turned to her first question. "As for the Watchtower, it was a design that was conceptualized but never taken beyond simple sketches. Once Master Wayne began to work on the designs, it was only a matter of months."
Broly couldn't help but think of Bruce's parents. They were taken from him at an early age. He never knew his mother, but he had his father. Bruce lost both when he was a kid. "Does he want revenge?" Batman already told him that when they first met.
"No." Alfred stopped in front of a large set of double doors. He knocked on the door. "Master Wayne, you have two important guests."
The doors opened moments later, revealing a clean shaven Bruce. Surprisingly, he was dressed in a polo and slacks. "Kids don't need to be around suits and dresses." He said dryly before stepping out. "You brought Wonder Woman. Did you at least take the flight path you're supposed to?" He looked at Broly.
"You never said not to bring anyone. And yes." Broly replied.
"What do you need?" Batman asked, ignoring the statement. "As you can see, I'm needed elsewhere."
"What do we need?" Broly asked Diana. She unfolded her arms.
"A way back to the tower. And proper instructions for transportation to and from. Do you happen to know when the rest of the team will arrive?"
"I'm in the dark. I might have had a hand in saving the world, but interstellar communication still takes years for the message to travel to the next solar system. There's no point. They'll return when they do. As for the watchtower," Bruce glanced at Alfred. "Alfred, give them instructions. I have a charity to attend." Bruce walked down the hall to the waiting Lamborghini sitting in front of the main entrance.
"Let's go." Broly wanted to leave to the tower as soon as possible. "I'm hungry."
"I better make haste, if Master Wayne's pantry is to survive." Alfred gestured for them to follow him back to the main foyer. "I will return in ten minutes, please remain here."
"We don't have any urgent issues." Diana shrugged at the butler. She used the opportunity to appreciate the inside decor of Wayne Manor.
Zzz
A team of scientists in protective gear all studied the immediate area. Several of them were collecting pieces of the remaining glass that covered the entire region. Imperfect shards were placed in test tubes and sealed tight. All samples were put onto a single rack and stored in the portable laboratory sitting on the other side of the sand dune, on more stable ground. Other members of the team walked around holding several sensitive instruments to the air in order to analyze trace amounts of anything that isn't normally in the area. A final group of men, the largest of all, dealt with cleaning up the mess. Countless dump trucks hauled away more shattered glass to a proper disposal site.
A single man stood in the laboratory with a woman by his side. She was studying some of the glass under a microscope and writing notes. Lex watched the T.V.'s on the wall displaying the entire clean up process. His satellites picked up unusual activity in the Gobi Desert. Naturally, it was those so-called heroes fighting one another. He was genuinely surprised at the bigger fellow's abilities. He looked to be the most outright destructive superhero he had ever seen if the raw footage was anything to go by. He'd analyze the footage at his headquarters back in Metropolis. 'Heroes.'
Zzz
"When did you return?" Diana asked the rest of the league. They had stumbled across the rest of their teammates upon her and Broly's arrival back at the watchtower. Superman, J'onn, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Flash.
"According to the surveillance footage, approximately 22 minutes after you both left." J'onn was typing away at the center console. "What did you two do? Pressing random commands was unwise. Fortunately for us, the main console was powered down."
"We were attempting to leave to train somewhere more remote." Diana defended the pair.
"I can see. And the Gobi Desert in Mongolia is remote, but my question to you is what happened?" J'onn pulled up live footage of the current clean up efforts. To fill the whole screen, J'onn had to zoom out some. The damage was miles across the desert. He then replayed satellite footage from earlier and the entire league sans Batman watched as the two god-level heroes duked it out. The footage ended after the explosion consumed the area.
"Geez, I get you're both basically gods, but care to leave a little bit of Earth for the rest of us?" Flash sped in between Broly and Diana. "Giant explosions aren't always cool, dude." Flash looked at Broly disappointingly. "Someone could've really gotten hurt."
"I held back." Broly said. Again, Diana couldn't help but feel disdain for those words. "And we didn't hurt anyone."
"That we know of." Hawkgirl jumped in.
"Everyone, let this go." Superman spoke for the first time. "You two have to promise to never let it go this far again. We're heroes. We can't be out destroying the planet, we're supposed to be saving it."
"Spare us the lecture, I already had that talk with Broly. This was the first and only incident." Wonder Woman crossed her arms. "We've learning from our mistakes." Even she couldn't hide that it was clearly the wrong move to let loose. As good as it might've felt.
Superman didn't say anything as the rest of the league decided to retire to their quarters for the time being, save for J'onn. "Just don't let it happen again." Superman sighed, the world already had enough reason to fear metahumans they couldn't afford to pile on the fuel.
Zzz
Some months later...
"So you want to go home? Why?" Hawkgirl asked Diana. The amazon was lifting weights with Shayera spotting her. Diana grunted with effort as she lifted 100th rep of her 50th set. Plus her training with Shayera earlier added a nice warm up. That and they planned to spar again anyway.
"I've been away for too long. I may have left under cover of darkness, but Mother must have noticed my absence. Enough time has passed."
"So you're homesick? I understand, Thanagar is a distant planet. It'd take years to reach my homeworld even at light speeds." Hawkgirl cautiously held her hands under Diana's as she racked the weights. "So when you taking off?"
"After this as a matter of fact."
"Ah, so that's why you wanted to train. You're nervous. Are you worried they won't take you back?"
"I left of my own volition. As far as I'm aware, no other Amazon has done such a thing." 'Not even my sibling.' Diana missed Aresia.
"You worry too much. They've probably missed you as much as you missed them." Hawkgirl said as both women left the gym to clean up.
Zzz
"You look as radiant as ever... No." Wonder Woman practiced what she was going to say to her mother. She hadn't seen the woman in eight months and did not know what to say. "Gone, Mother? I didn't go anywhere, I've been in my room... for the past... eight months... No, that won't do either. The world was in peril, would you have me stand by and do nothing?!"
Diana sighed. "Athena, grant me wisdom." A familiar island slowly came into view. A smile threatened to split her face but it was wiped away the second she noticed several plumes of smoke flying into the blue sky. "What? No!" She accelerated to her home.
Zzz
"Yeah! That's how you win at foosball." Robin cheered. He managed to finally win after Broly stopped slapping the ball through the sides of the table. Now they had several points to insert the ball. Broly let go of the handles on his side and noticed the impressions his palms left on them. Whoops. "Hmm, let's see..." Robin had offered Broly another trip to kill time, but this time he had asked if they could visit Metropolis instead. He saw it on a billboard and when Robin had pointed out that it was Superman's turf, Broly wanted to go. He hadn't seen the city where Superman spent most of his time, so he was curious. Robin didn't mind and suggested they take one of Batman's rides. Broly simply created a shield and flew the two per Robin's directions.
Gotham had some decent arcades but Metropolis had better ones. It certainly had its perks to have Luther funding the city in much the same way Wayne Industries funded Gotham. Only, Metropolis had the benefit of being considered a near safe haven from crime, no crime meant a booming city. A booming city meant kickass places to hang out.
"Let's bail before they make us pay for it." Robin told Broly and the pair quietly slipped out of the front. "Let's get a pretzel from the food court."
"What's a pretzel?"
"You'll see. Big soft, chewy bread with a twist. It's got salt on top and served with your choice of mustard or hot cheese sauce." The boy wonder quickly told the giant about the famous snack. The food court was around the corner past the giant department store. Once they reached the place, it was a matter of waiting in line. Robin already knew how this was going to play out. The rest of the menu would catch Broly's eye, making him salivate in sudden hunger, and he would end up paying for it all. Robin shrugged, it was no biggie, and Broly wasn't terrible company. Plus if any trouble did happen, he basically had another Superman to help deal with the problem. Cue the stomach growl, several people around them all stared at the Saiyan. He didn't notice, and Robin just pretended like it didn't happen and kept his eyes forward. He saw the pizza pretzel, that looked nice, the cheesy pretzel, regular pretzel, there was even a dessert pretzel.
The line moved at a steady pace until eventually it was their turn.
"Welcome to Spencer's Pretzels." The twenty-something-year-old blonde behind the counter definitely looked like she didn't want to be there, but upon seeing the hot foreign guy with a cool scar running up his cheek she perked up a little. "How may I help you today?"
Robin flashed a grin. "Just one cheesy pretzel for me and..." He looked at Broly "Five pizza and five cheesy pretzels for the big guy."
"You must work out a lot if you can eat like that and still have muscles." The blonde rang up the pair. She noticed Broly didn't respond or even hear what she said.
Robin saw the attempted flirt and couldn't help but laugh inside. But he had to help a bro out. "He doesn't talk much. But you could say that." Robin handed her the money and she returned the change and receipt.
"Your order will be ready in a few minutes. You have a great day." She winked at Broly but he remained as oblivious as ever. Robin stifled a laugh and they moved aside to wait for their order. And just as she predicted, minutes later they received a large tray with eleven pretzels in wrappers lined up neatly and several containers of dip in between.
Robin and Broly sat down at one of the round tables and Robin grabbed his piece before handing the tray to Broly. "Okay, big guy, grab one." Broly took a pretzel in his hand and inhaled the aroma. It definitely pleased his senses. He took a large bite of the pretzel and felt like he went to heaven, whatever that was. He heard Barbara say it a few times. His dopamine levels went through the roof and he downed the rest of it in a few bites. Robin handed him a cheese cup and told him to dip the pretzel. Broly did so and took another bite. As if it couldn't get any better, but it did. Broly dumped the rest of the cheese on it and ate it in one go. The pretzels didn't last.
Robin took his first bite, man he loved these things. Once both were finished Robin asked, "So you wanna go to the go kart track down the block?"
"What's that?"
"Oh... you'll find out. Come on, let's go." Robin motioned for him to follow him to the exit.
Zzz
"Batman. Come in, Batman." Wonder Woman held down the button for the communications line. She released it and waited for a response. She only had to wait for a few more moments.
"I read you." Batman's voice went through. "Do you need backup?"
"No, it's nothing life-threatening. I need you to look into one Faust, Felix Faust. He's a sorcerer." Diana stopped there. Batman needn't know everything.
"Care to tell me what's going on?"
"He is a person of interest, that's all I know." Diana lied. A soft, glowing light caught her attention. The leftmost crystal was vibrating quietly. "Sorry, I must go." She pressed the same button to close the line. She changed direction and the light shifted to the middle gem.
Zzz
Batman narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He typed in a few commands on his computer. "Computer, track coordinates for javelin five." The screen went dark before displaying the globe on the screen. It rotated slowly while the computer searched for the plane. The screen zoomed in on the Mediterranean Sea and trailed the javelin as it traveled across the water.
Zzz
Diana lifted one of the panels of the skylight open. She hopped down the window and dropped with grace. She levitated slowly to the ground to avoid creating unnecessary noise. As she rose to her full height, Diana began to study her surroundings. The museum pieces were all beautiful and fortunately for history, not her target. She walked left and had to make her way along an adjacent wall past several artifacts. She stopped when she recognized a familiar artwork. She silently praised her friend's talent and went right to the center of the room. The vibrating stone in her belt began pulsating with bright red light. Diana took it out and held it up. She slowly aimed the stone across the room causing it to vibrate more and glow brighter, it settled down when pointed at the right side of the room. Diana stepped back and felt the stone react strongest when in the direction of a large stone and marble pillars with a vase resting on an intricately carved solid stone pedestal.
Wonder Woman could only guess where her target was located. She closed her fist around the gem and sped up her strides. There was a towering statue depicting a warrior donning armor made of the same material. It stood in front of the display as if guarding it. The Amazon walked up the short carpet staircase to the vase. In her haste, she failed to spot the small devices sitting opposite each other on either side of the staircase setting off the silent alarm. Diana pocketed the gem and searched the pot. She felt something solid inside and retracted her hand. With a swift chop, a large chunk of the vase broke off revealing the spoils inside. She took the piece and bolted before anyone could spot her. Two heavy thuds interrupted her escape. The stone giant stepped directly her path.
"It could've been simple. But no, now I have to destroy you." Diana lunged at the statue but was given a heavy punch to her gut in her return. The force sent her crashing back into the display, fracturing and breaking apart stone. The piece of the artifact fell out of her grasp. She saw the statue slam down its foot. The giant ground its foot into the floor, trying to grind Diana to a paste. It lifted its foot up and saw an empty hole. The pillars moved on their own and topple onto the statue. Diana revealed herself and flew around the statue. She gave it a forceful waterfall kick and smirked in satisfaction when several chunks broke off. It performed a backhanded swing and slapped Diana to the opposite side of the museum through the windows lining the wall. A loud crash rang through the area as Diana landed on shards and jagged pieces of glass. She jumped up and onto her feet. The approaching giant's heavy footsteps irritated her.
Diana grunted in anger. "Enough!" Her words did nothing to stop it. "I am Diana of Themyscira, Princess of the Amazons! And nothing will deny me!" She equipped her shield and planted her feet. The giant closed the distance and pounded its right fist onto Diana. She leaped forward and crouched. Her legs tensed, "HYAH!" With as strong a force as she could muster, Diana uppercutted the stone guardian's head clean off. It's decapitated cranium crashed into even more museum exhibits and she winced when she saw how much collateral damage was done. While in the long run she didn't care, she was a little concerned with her old friend's work.
"Diana!" Superman came down from above.
"How did-"
"I can hear everything on the planet." He explained much to Wonder Woman's surprise. "There were people taken hostage I was in the process of saving when this caught my attention. I've already alerted the others, and when they arrive they will demand an explanation. But while we wait, what caused you to destroy public property? What could've given you the idea?"
"It's none of your concern. It is my problem to solve." Diana walked away from Clark and searched the ruined museum for the artifact.
"We're a team now, Diana. You don't have to carry these burdens alone."
"You do not bother us with requests for assistance, why should I? If we really are a team as you say, why not call for backup more frequently?"
"Because I-" Superman sighed. "Alright, I concede. It isn't fair to assume you can't handle everything, that being said, you don't know how quickly some situations can devolve. In the blink of an eye, you can go from close victory to certain defeat." Clark placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't outright appreciate it, but didn't voice her displeasure. She was not used to a man's touch, at least not outside of battle. "Even if I look the other way on this now, the rest of the team are almost here."
Zzz
Superman, Broly, Flash and J'onn all stood in front of Diana, who was leaning on a rail at the ledge of the rooftop. After giving a detailed description of the sequence of events that landed her there, her team started with more questions. "Of course I don't trust him, what kind of question is that? But what else am I supposed to do?"
The Flash appeared next to Diana. "I say we take a trip to Themys-, Themsys-, your home." The Flash snapped his fingers. "And kick his butt. What's he gonna do? There's five of us."
"Men are forbidden from ever setting foot on my home." Diana repeated one of the strictest rules of the island.
"You should've told him that. I don't think he got the memo." The Flash returned.
"Regardless, I gave my word that I would bring him the relics." Diana shook her head in the negative.
"Then, I suppose that only leaves us with one option." J'onn caught her attention. The rest of the team wondered what he was thinking. "We will aid you." Diana's frown slowly morphed into a smile. She looked at everyone of her teammates and and each of them assured her they would back her play.
Zzz
"And that's how we got here." Broly told the Dark Knight. Shortly after they gathered the remaining relics, Superman contacted Batman and gave him the coordinates of the island so he could rendezvous with the rest of the team. Needless to say, Batman didn't approve of every aspect of the crime, but he did understand the severity of the situation. Especially after uncovering the damning evidence against Felix Faust and his delusional ambitions.
"You seem to end up in a lot of places." Wonder Woman added. Broly shrugged and looked at Batman. "What is the plan?"
Zzz
Faust sat next to the petrified Hippolyta. He gave the daughter twenty-four hours to return with every piece of the key. To his slight annoyance, only sixteen had passed. Despite his own patience, that did not mean the man was incapable of being bored. He stole a glance at the Amazon Queen and sighed. Magic was powerful but using it for insignificant things like entertainment was below him.
A person landing quickly got him to ready for battle. It was the child. "Ah, you returned. And much quicker than even I anticipated, if I did not know any better, I would say you had help."
"My mother." Diana held out her hand.
"The relics first, my dear."
Diana walked outside and brought in the reassembled artifact. She put it down in front of her. "Now, it's your turn."
"I never break my word, child." Faust quietly undid the spell over Hippolyta and the Amazon Queen became flesh once more. Diana rushed to her mother's side and shoved Faust aside. "How rude." He went to collect his prize and aimed the amulet at the mother daughter duo. "As I said, your mother has been returned to you. Now, you shall both be my offerings." Faust began chanting but was cut off by a scarlet blur. He saw the Flash holding up the amulet to the moonlight.
"Don't see how you beat these chicks." Flash pocketed the piece. "You musta cheated."
"No such thing." Faust retorted. He noticed a shadow from above too late and was kicked and knocked over. Batman stood over him while Diana helped her mother to her feet.
"You brought men to this island?!" Hippolyta's raised voice echoed throughout the shrine.
"Did you believe for a second anyone would ever trust you?" Batman signaled for the rest of the team to appear. Broly cleared through one of the broken walls and aimed his hand at Faust. Superman came through the ceiling and touched base in front of the Amazons.
"You won't succeed."
"But alas, it is you who shall fail." Faust he shot several spheres he conjured up at Superman. He crossed his arms in an x to block the incoming bolts. They slammed into him with considerable force and sent him over Athena's statue.
The rest of the league went on the offensive. Faust spoke in Ancient Greek and made the terrain terribly uneven. This slowed the Flash down considerably. Broly hovered over the floor and aimed his hand at Faust. He saw this and aimed his hands at Broly and quickly altered his chant. The ground underneath Broly shot up and slammed him into the roof. He instinctively fired off several ki attacks. Faust opened up a portal and sucked them in, he muttered more words and another portal opened up above Broly, showering him with his own power. The explosions rocked the room and damaged the shrine even more.
Faust tried to escape through the main entrance but J'onn rose through the floor and became tangible. Faust ran into the Martian and fell on his rear. "Halt."
"Never." Faust threw down three seeds and they erupted into countless spiked thick vines. They all targeted J'onn but he returned to his intangible state.
"You cannot hurt me." J'onn stated.
"The pendulum swings both ways." Faust taunted as he walked past J'onn. The Martian became solid and grabbed Faust. Faust held onto J'onn and a pink glow covered his hand. He grabbed J'onn's wrist and snakes slithered out of his sleeves. Some of the pythons began wrapping themselves around J'onn's neck. The venomous vipers bared their fangs. J'onn had to let go of Faust to become intangible and reformed. Faust opened a portal above J'onn and the last of Broly's ki attacks landed square on J'onn, blowing him away.
The sorcerer ran for dear life but a large hand grabbed onto his neck from behind and threw him back into the shrine. Broly walked back in behind him. Faust raised his hands in surrender. The league and Hippolyta all surrounded him, cutting off his escape.
"Now, you will answer for your crimes, fiend." Hippolyta sneered at the old man. "Who sent you?"
"As I said before, I come seeking ultimate knowledge. To that end, I work alone." Faust lied. "Why would I want to share that with anyone?"
"Themyscira is not on any world map. It is invisible to all but those who live here. Any mention of the sacred home of the Amazons has been wiped from man's world." Hippolyta took Diana's lasso and was about to wrap it around Faust when he quickly blurted out a spell. The sorcerer disappeared in a cloud of smoke that quickly filled the entire room and caused the league to cough and gasp for air. Wonder Woman stumbled and Martian Manhunter caught her. Not seconds later they were all unconscious. J'onn was the last one left standing. Another smaller bang rang out and soon after the smoke began to dissipate. The entire league remained except for Diana's mother. The artifact they brought with them was gone as well. J'onn worked on getting his team out of there.
Zzz
"Magic, it's as unpredictable as it is powerful." Diana explained. "I do not practice it, but it's an extensively studied field here. And as you said Batman, he is a disgraced professor. And his goal is ultimate knowledge. There is a large library with a large wealth of knowledge, some of it is unknown to humanity, but it is not here on this side of the island." Diana took a deep breath. "He took my mother as well."
"What would he need her for?" J'onn asked.
"Is there some sort of super duper secret room only she has the key for?" For a moment, Diana thought hard.
"No!" Diana slammed her closed fist on the wall. It fell over but she paid no mind.
"You know what he's here for." Batman deduced.
"My mother is the guardian of the gates to the underworld. Hades resides there, I believe Faust intends to free Hades."
"But he wants knowledge," Flash interjected. "Hades is the God of the underworld not wisdom."
"Correct, that title belongs to the goddess Athena. Then he is not here for ultimate wisdom, but intends to free Hades to conquer the world. I would not put it past him to have offered Faust a piece of land or such in return." Wonder Woman explained.
"A god?" Broly repeated. His mind flashed to Vegeta in his red form, and his subsequent opponents with blue hair. His father made mention of the Super Saiyan God, years ago, but he said it was a myth. Until they fought the Saiyans on Earth. His power surged a little.
Batman narrowed his eyes. He was not entirely convinced that was the true reason for Faust's appearance. He didn't have enough evidence to arrive at a different conclusion. "Where is the doorway to the underworld?"
Wonder Woman furrowed her eyebrows in worry. "I will take you."
Zzz
"You do not know what you are about to unleash." Hippolyta warned. "If you open that portal, the end of the word is sure to follow. Everyone will parish, including yourself!"
"My, you seem adamant that these doors remain sealed?" Faust picked up the relic, he walked over to the pedestal with a slot in the center. "I'm certain you would spout anything to convince me otherwise." Without wasting another moment, he turned the key with great effort. The whole area began to shake as the giant stone gears groaned while rotating. The two large metal braces locking the door slowly retracted into the wall. Once they were out of the way, the two tall doors opened outward, revealing a bright red hellfire that heated up the wide room. A single being walked through the door, donning a black and red armor, his face was hidden. Faust knelt down with his hand over his heart. "My lord."
"Finally, after three thousand years I'm free. It's time to conquer Earth." Hades walked forward and stopped in front man.
"Naturally, but we have an agreement in place. I freed you and brought you an offering. It is time to uphold your end."
"Ah, yes. I could not have escaped without your aid. You have my gratitude, and ultimate knowledge." Hades held out his index finger and poked the middle of his forehead. Faust began screaming in pain, "Suffering is all humanity will ever know." Hades smiled cruelly. "You have my gratitude, indeed."
The ruler of the underworld focused his attention on Faust's offering. Hippolyta was restrained and left hanging on one of the destroyed pillars. She was repulsed over her former lover's reappearance. "Ah, Hippolyta, my Queen. Persephone may share your undying beauty, but she's not you. And we don't have the same connection you and I once held." He caressed her cheek affectionately. "I will offer you only once, a place at my side once more. In honor of our past relationship."
"I will never join you. You betrayed your own kin, your siblings. I will not allow myself to be fooled once again." Hippolyta saw stars when Hades backhanded her.
"My siblings forced me to lord over the underworld, I never wanted this position! When the Titans launched their final campaign against the gods, I knew it was an opportunity to right the wrongs of Zeus. My brother is not as wise as he believes himself to be." Hades grabbed onto the chains holding her and tore them apart. Hippolyta fell and landed on her feet. She knew she was no match for Hades, so she needed an opening. He leaned forward much too close for comfort. His face was mere centimeters from hers. His eyes bore into her's. "The past is done, my dear. We have only the future to prepare for. And in mine, you are at my side, ruling over these weak and frightened mortals. Think carefully about my offer. I won't ask again." He held out his hand to her.
Hippolyta reached out to grasp it. Hades's smirk grew the closer she got. Just as she was going to make contact, Hades felt himself get lifted from behind and suplexed into the stone below. Diana flew in and grabbed a hold of her mother. "Are you alright, Mother?"
"I'm better now." Hippolyta gave her only daughter a warm smile. "But we have to force Hades back into the underworld, or else he will summon every last damned soul and use them to conquer the world."
"We can't have that." Superman and the rest of the league all tensed when Broly was thrown back at their feet. He groaned as he stood back up, a black eye already forming. This god was strong, that much was fact. He felt his rage impulsively rise. His punches hurt more than Superman's, but then Clark never hit him with full power.
"I can take him." Broly clenched his fists and sped off again. Batman tried to stop him so they could strategize, but he didn't listen. The rest of the League plus Hippolyta watched Broly try in vain to defeat the Greek God.
"Ha! Hya!" Broly threw a hook then a straight. He ducked under Hades' grab and shoved a large ki sphere into his chest blowing him away. He didn't want to give the fallen god a chance to recover so he charged after him. He grabbed a hold of Hades' ankle but the god kicked him away with his free leg. Broly left a hole with his shape on the far wall, but he rebounded almost instantly and went on the offensive again. With a flurry of punches, he tried to break his enemy's guard. Hades either stopped each punch cold or misdirected them. Broly failed to land a single punch.
Hades grabbed Broly and head butted him, breaking skin and opening a cut. He lifted the Saiyan up with one hand and applied pressure, slowly cutting off his air. Broly's eyes instinctively shifted to yellow and his body grew in size. The increase in mass forced Hades to loosen his grip. Soon enough Broly was taller than him. A savage grin appeared and Broly unleashed his own laser vision. It left twin trails of burnt armor and sliced off one of the horns of his helmet. Hades flinched and Broly used this opening to uppercut him into the ceiling.
Hades felt himself get forced out of the hole from above. J'onn held him in a full Nelson and Superman flew up to hit the god. The kryptonian landed a heavy punch and warped Hades' armor. The god stood up and was thrown at the floor. He felt Broly's giant feet slam into his chest driving him further into the floor. The giant cavern went silent for a few moments. Hades' voice echoed throughout, "My turn."
Seconds later a massive sinkhole opened up in the cavern, it was so deep, one could only see as far as light allowed. A loud screech of lost souls broke through the air.
"Well, that's not good." Flash took a step back and tensed his legs, ready to zoom around at any moment. The rest of the heroes all readied their powers. Green Lantern materialized a laser rifle. Diana clenched her sword and set her shield in front of herself. Superman's eyes slowly heated up, and Batman reached for his utility belt to grab whichever tool the situation called for. Broly brought his hands to his sides and summoned two ki spheres ready to blow anything away.
Hades stood up from his shallow impression and laughed like the whole thing was a joke. His damaged armor slowly moved back into place as his own cuts and scrapes healed. "If this is the best humanity has to offer, then asserting my control over this domain will be swift." A column of fire erupted from the hole and a massive three-headed dog beast leapt out in front of the fallen god. Each head spewed hellfire out to ward off the league. An army of undead knights, samurai, barbarians, vikings, and even soldiers from eras gone. Several more giant beasts and misshaped demons pulled themselves out of hell. Eventually the league and Hippolyta were completely surrounded, outnumbered 100 to 1.
"I am lord of the underworld, and this is but a portion of my endless army. Surrender now, am I may offer you all a place in my kingdom. Being my enforcer is a better fate than what awaits the rest of humanity." Hades willed the giant hole closed, but that didn't stop the army marching through the giant doorway.
Silence ruled for the longest moment. The league contemplated its options, none of the heroes made a move just yet. The silence was ended when Batman nodded to Superman and the Man of Steel bisected a chunk of the undead with his heat vision. He appeared to teleport as he flew to Hades to deal with him personally.
Broly aimed his attack and unleashed a green beam that tore a hole through the largest abomination he could find. It didn't fall so he chose his target and shot off as well, exploding with energy and shooting off lasers from different points on his body.
The rest of Hades's army charged but the remaining members were wholly prepared. J'onn shifted into a serpentine dragon and tore apart the legions. Batman grappled onto one of the horizontal pillars resting atop the others. He dropped a handful of small cluster bombs and used the momentum in his swing to reach the top. With a swift motion only years of combat could gift, he pulled more bombs out and threw one at a time where they would inflict the most damage.
Flash vibrated his arms to near light speeds and punched the undead into oblivion. A large Minotaur swung his large blade horizontally to behead Flash, but his lightning quick reflexes kicked in and he ducked underneath before it could get close and it gutted a nearby monster. Wally grimaced before zooming away.
John willed two shoulder mounted mini-cannons and wrist gauntlets around both hands. His nigh-perfect aim brought down dozens of undead soldiers. Some managed to get near him but he materialized two large boxing gloves and punched and jabbed his way through the remaining stragglers in his immediate vicinity before flying away to fight another undead.
J'onn did not utilize his shape-shifting abilities given his near-invulnerable body did not suffer any damage from the grunts. The large monstrosities were capable of doing him harm however and he made certain to dispose of them quickly. One cyclops attempted to cut him in half with a large axe but phased harmlessly through the Martian. J'onn didn't give it any breathing room he became tangible and uppercutted the cyclops's head off. He pulled the axe from its grip and threw it at another Minotaur sneaking up on Batman.
Bruce slid underneath the Minotaur's large form as it fell forward unmoving. Swiping across his utility belt, a brief flash of light revealed the batarangs zooming across the room to embed themselves onto a pillar. They exploded and destroyed a significant portion of the pillar which caused it to fall on top of several undead. Batman was caught in a choke hold from behind but used his training in martial arts to throw the creature over himself onto the ground in front and stomped its head in. Another one attempted to sneak up on the Dark Knight but a scarlet blur sped by and knocked it away.
Flash gave Batman and confident smirk. "Being part of a team isn't so bad you know. Uh. You mind if I use one of the exploding ones? I have an idea." Bruce removed an explosive batarang from his belt and handed it to him. Flash kicked an undead dozens of times within the second and ran away. Batman continued his own work.
Diana and Hippolyta were back to back surrounded by a large portion of the force. "Do you remember our training, Diana?"
"How could I forget?"
Zzz
Superman found yet another being who could bypass his natural invulnerability and cause him harm without the use of kryptonite. Hades had a considerable amount of strength and even more he had formal training in hand-to-hand combat. Once the would-be conquerer put effort into the fight, Superman saw he wouldn't fall so easily. His mightiest blows nearly caved in Hades' armor and his chest along with it. Hades was forced back a few steps and repaired his armor quickly. Kal dove at the god with his leg extended driving the god into the wall and several meters into it.
Hades grabbed Superman's leg and utilized his magic to create to vipers made of pure electricity. They slithered around Clark's leg. He smacked one away but it exploded and stunned him with the power of lightning. The second one dug its fangs into his neck and exploded as well, only this one managed to direct most of the power to Superman's upper body instead of a blanket shock like the first. Hades grabbed his cape and picked him up. Without another word he slammed him into the ground and stomped on his head to grind it into the ground. A searing heat built up under his foot and it burned completely through the armor and flesh. Superman shot up at Hades and continued focusing on the chest plate which melted fairly easily under his extreme heat. Hades grunted in pain then a blue light covered his hand which he used to reach out and block the heat vision. With another motion, Hades held onto Superman's head and the beams exploded in his face blowing them both away from each other. J'onn caught Kal and set him down.
Hades slammed against a wall and stood back up. With several adversaries he only had so much time to deal with one at a time before they decided to mob around him. Luckily his army played the decoy well. His injuries healed and his armor repaired again. "Well then, I have a world to conquer and I will not have any more delays." Hades disappeared completely. His disembodied voice echoed around the cavern. "You all should have taken my offer. Under my leadership, the world will be united. It will have the armies of Earth and the Underworld to guard its plains my subjects will have the luxury of living in safety, what part of its fate is unbearable to you?"
"How about no free will?" Flash used his enhanced brain processing to scan the area for any possible movement. Hades himself was nowhere to be seen and his army continued to pour through the double doors.
To everyone's surprise, Hades didn't answer. His minions did however redouble their efforts to kill the league. "Did he leave?" John asked aloud. He constructed a Tesla coil that struck multiple targets at once.
"We must not let him escape!" Hippolyta ordered. "If Hades makes his way to the surface, he will be free to summon his army anywhere he desires."
Superman focused on his hearing but couldn't pinpoint the god. It's as if he completely fell off the earth. Magic truly was his weakness.
Batman stayed behind the league to access the tiny cameras he left outside. On his small handheld the screen displayed nothing out of the ordinary. The frozen amazons were as they have been and no monsters or undead walked.
Diana gripped her weapons tightly causing her knuckles to turn white. She didn't know the true extent of Hades' capabilities as she never fought him before now, but she had to assume he was only marginally weaker than Zeus, God of Gods and Ruler of Olympus. And she was no match for Zeus. She steeled her nerves and readied for action. A quiet whisper caused goosebumps to appear. She couldn't make out what it said. "... -ight." Diana looked to her right and was knocked off her feet into the air with a devastating blow.
"Everyone watch out!" Batman called out. His felt himself get picked up into the air. He had quick flashbacks to Bane and a stream of gas shot from his fingertip down below. He heard laughter and his hand was crushed in a vice grip. He stifled a grunt and slammed into the ground which knocked the air out of his lungs.
Broly was suplexed into the ground and thrown at J'onn. J'onn got up and wanted to aid his team, but was forced to defend them from Hades' lingering forces. John flew into the air only to be pulled back down to Earth and stepped on, cracking some of his ribs. Superman used every spectrum available to him and still could not see Hades. He put his fists up but was caught in a sleeper hold. Hades whispered a long spell and Superman fell limp, unconscious.
Flash peered around the pillar he was hiding behind. He managed to get away during the commotion to attempt to formulate a strategy. He knew he had to wait until Hades' attention was completely elsewhere and seeing him would help. He spotted Faust across the room, nearly dead but still moving from what he could see. Am idea clicked in his mind. Flash quietly but quickly made his way to the other side.
Hippolyta was tending to Diana but was pulled away and held up by her wrist. She swung her sword at the air in front but hit nothing. Hades' laugh filled her ears. She was slammed on the floor which made her lose grip of the sword. 'Why fight me, my love?' She heard in her mind. She still couldn't see the man. She noticed a faint blue light on one of the ledges above. "You'll never win."
"On the contrary." She heard. The blue light shot at her direction but landed on Hades, electrifying him with the power of lightning. Hades faded into existence and retaliated by conjuring a fireball at the source, blowing Faust and the Flash away. "This group of mortals you chose to defend Earth were hardly worth the challenge, my love." Hippolyta tried kicking Hades but he simply caught her leg with his other hand. He didn't tighten his grip or cause her any discomfort. She saw him looking at the weakened Princess. "Is that who I believe it is? I was not entirely certain at first but now the resemblance is uncanny. Could it be our-?" Hades was cut off by a giant hand grabbing his face from behind. He lifted his leg up to kick the larger Broly but he caught it easily. The familiar golden hue was glowing brightly and Broly himself wore a face of rage. Without wasting another second, Broly picked up Hades above himself and slammed him onto his knee, a sickening crack rang throughout the cavern and Hades himself shouted in pain. It wasn't a permanent injury, but one that incapacitated him for the next several minutes.
Broly didn't look at Hades and walked to Hippolyta, offering her a hand. The Queen of the Amazons looked wearily at the man-beast, but she knew he meant her no harm... for now. She took his hand and went back to Diana, who was standing up. "How do we send him back and seal the door for eternity?"
"The key you assembled. If you remove it, the door will close once again. Destroy it and Hades will never threaten us." Hippolyta picked up a sword and shield and jumped into the fray with J'onn followed shortly by Batman and Broly. John and Clark were out for the moment. Flash was busy protecting them from any threat. Diana ran past him and grunted with effort as she twisted the key and tried pulling it up. Her muscles strained against her uniform and the buckle on her shield nearly popped off under the force. Diana shouted as she pulled out the key and pressed her hands on either side. The key slowly cracked which released pebbles and dust. With another push the key completely crumbled under the immense pressure and blew up. Diana was sent flying but her mother caught her. A swirl of golden energy leaked from the gates and wrapped around Hades' army with the god himself fighting it off in vain. Fierce winds created a vortex that sucked in the weaker foot soldiers without much issue. The cyclops and Minotaurs tried to resist but inevitably failed. Even the league had to try their best to avoid being subject to the same fate. Flash ran as fast as he could, Batman was hanging onto a grapple, J'onn held onto Clark while Broly protected John. Diana and Hippolyta held onto each other and the ground at the same time.
"No! This cannot be!" His spine was still regenerating and he wasn't in shape to be crushing anything under his heel. He was dragged slowly back into the underworld. "I will return! I will not be denied!"
"Hephaestus won't craft another." Diana shouted back. Hades aimed his hand at Faust and shot a yellow beam at him. Faust turned to dust and his remains were sucked into the doorway. Hades was forcibly returned and the gates shut for hopefully the last time. Silence once again filled the cavern and the heroes were dropped on the ground from the sudden disappearance of the wind. Broly, J'onn, Batman, and Flash set about helping Clark and John. Diana couldn't help but wonder. "What did you see in him?"
Hippolyta rubbed her head. "It's a long story." She stood up and Diana followed suit. With the rest of the league in tow, Hippolyta led them back to the surface to recover somewhat. On the way up Diana asked about their petrified sisters.
"What is the next course of action, Mother?"
"..." Hippolyta was unnervingly quiet. She ignored Diana's question and continued up the stairway. Truth be told, she had no way of rescuing her sisters. Faust's magic was reversible, but she had little knowledge of the mystic arts. She was forbidden from studying it further for fear she may use it to free Hades and she did not know of any living being who would willingly help her given her position.
Diana wanted to ask again but held her tongue.
Zzz
Hippolyta walked down the steps and surveyed the damage. The Amazons were still frozen. And probably would be for eternity. "We cannot help them."
"Is there nothing we can do?" Diana pleaded. She couldn't bear the thought of being the last of the Amazons along with her mother.
Flash dug in his pocket and thumbed the amulet. He held it up. "I still have this Medusa coin. You think that oughta do it?"
"Faust was the only one with the knowledge to undo the spell. Even if we have the means, perhaps it's best not to meddle with forces beyond our understanding." J'onn warned.
Broly walked around, looking at the frozen in shock warriors that populated the island. He noticed the sun rising and shielded his eyes from the sunlight. He walked back to the group and was blinded again by another bright light. He growled in frustration but settled down when he saw the group was okay. As he walked back he heard gasps and noticed the once stoned fighters slowly recover, turning back to normal. He rejoined the league in time to hear Hippolyta order a small farewell ceremony in a few hours.
Zzz
That same morning Themyscira was well on its way to normalcy. The league had lined up in front of Hippolyta's throne. She had her personal guard lined on either side between herself and the league. "Please know that Themyscira can never repay its debt to you, and for your valiant efforts against the rogue sorcerer, Faust and the mad god, Hades, you have our eternal gratitude."
Flash turned to an Amazon standing next to him and confidently smirked. "You hear that? Eternal gratitude. After she hands out the medals, why don't you and I take a private tour around the island?" The Amazon's slight shock turned into anger at his audacity. Flash bumped J'onn. "She wants me."
"Indeed." J'onn replied.
Broly stared at the Amazons, call it rude but the man wasn't perfect. He studied their armor and weapons. It seemed really simple compared to the rest of the world. No matter where he went, some form of technology was present. They didn't even have light switches here and he only found out about those months ago.
"Before you depart, please accept these royal offerings." Hippolyta motioned for Diana to reward her team. Diana walked over to the league and handed them each a golden crown. Broly didn't know what to do with it so he did what he does best. Broly bit it. He looked up and saw Diana's disappointment as well as nearly everyone there. She held her hand out and he gave it back. Diana reached up and placed the crown on his head. She moved onto the rest of the league.
"You are all heroes, and forever will be in our eyes." Hippolyta proudly declared.
"Thank you, your majesty." Superman bowed.
Now came the hard part. "Diana, Princess of Themyscira. Stand forth." Diana walked in front of her mother. "As your mother, it brings me nothing but joy to see you again. I'm pleased to see you have not neglected your training and that we hold a place in your heart." Hippolyta closed her eyes. She steeled her resolve. "As Queen of Themyscira, and your leader, I must uphold our most sacred laws. Therefore, Princess Diana, you are exiled from Themyscira for your crimes of bringing men to our home. For centuries we have reminded hidden from the rest of the world, for you to expose our existence, no matter the circumstances, warrants punishment."
The league, sans Broly, collectively voiced their displeasure. Assuring Hippolyta that Diana's actions were justified and the world could've ended without her help.
"You can't do that!" Flash took a few steps forward pointing an accusing finger at Hippolyta. "She risked her butt to save all of you!" Several of the queen's personal guard raised their weapons at Flash. He backed down not wanting to go start a fight with the natives.
Broly had no reservation. He shoved the league aside despite their warnings and protests and walked in front of Flash. He was already taller than most Amazons but assumed his Wrathful form anyway to grow larger in size. Green energy began to flow around him.
"Enough Broly!" Diana called to him. He looked at her incredulously, he was trying to help her? Then he remembered that helping never helps when it comes to women so he powered down and relaxed, allowing the guards to do the same after a few tense moments.
"Please." Superman pleaded. "She did all of this because she loves you. There was a risk she had to take to stop Faust, she only asked for information, she didn't know we would follow her here. Diana even tried to stop Faust on her own before we got involved. To ban her from your home, her home, what kind of reward is that?"
Diana sighed. The laws of her land had never been changed to accommodate a single person, and they weren't about to start for her. She loved her sisters and her mother dearly, but if this was the price to pay so her family could live, she could bear it. Diana faced the team. "No!" They backed down but we're still ready to plead Diana's case. "Mother's right. No matter the reason, men were on this island because of me, that fact cannot be disputed. I humbly accept your punishment, my Queen." Diana kneeled and bowed her head. Hippolyta did not miss the hurt in her daughter's voice, the fact that she was addressed as Queen instead of mother hurt more than seeing her go. Their eyes met and Diana had unshed tears in her cerulean orbs. Hippolyta nearly cried but hid her emotions. "Fate was against us, Mother. Goodbye." Hippolyta saw a single tear fall as her daughter turned away.
"Present arms!" One the guards raised her spear, the rest joined as well. They all commemorated Diana for her selfless acts, knowing that they would forever hold her in the highest regard.
Diana may have accepted her punishment with grace, but that didn't mean two of the league were going to roll over on this. "So that's it? You're just gonna walk away? This is crap." Flash was about to give Hippolyta a piece of his mind but Batman grabbed his forearm.
The Amazons aimed at Broly too and Batman knew this would end worse. He could already see Broly's change in body language.
"Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be." Batman warned. He looked at Broly too who looked ready to back Flash in a fight against the Amazons. "This isn't our land, we don't decide what laws to follow. The Queen made her call." Both members reluctantly dropped the matter.
The javelin flew overhead into the sunset and Hippolyta couldn't help but feel horrible, but she had to do it. "May Hera watch over my little suns and stars." Hippolyta now mourned the loss of two daughters.
Zzz
Diana was in the Watchtower's gym working out. She saw Hawkgirl approach her and lean against the weight rack. "And where were you during the excitement?"
"Batman needed a volunteer to stay behind in case there was trouble." Hawkgirl shrugged. "Just look at who went to help you, you didn't need me."
"You know there's more to being a good person than having powers." Diana kept working out.
"Duh, do I look twelve to you?" Shayera joked. "I heard what happened down there. You want to talk about it?"
"No."
"You want to spar?" Shayera tried.
Diana looked at her. "I suppose."
Zzz
Broly sat down and ate twenty bowls of cereal. Different kinds, of course. The tall Saiyan burped and quietly mumbled an apology to no one, his father was serious about manners. Even if they couldn't live a lavish life, they still had their civility. Without Robin to drag him around, he didn't know what to do for fun except fight. Broly decided to leave for the onboard arcade when a blue reflection caught his eye. He walked to the machine with a mysterious blue liquid inside. It had a handle in front of the machine, and without knowing how to work it, Broly pulled down on it. A slight whirring came about and the same blue liquid came from underneath the handle. He leaned closer to smell it, it smelled sweet. He poked it and felt his finger go clean through. It was cold and not liquid, not entirely. He could smash bits of ice in between his fingers. He let more out onto his palm and ate it. Almost instantly he fell in love with it. Broly squatted and opened his mouth under the pump and pulled the handle. Broly sat like that for the next several minutes just gulping the slushie by the mouthful. He was oblivious to an 'ahem' behind him and continued to down the slushie.
"Broly!" The sudden shout startled him and he slammed his head against the machine splattering slushie all over his hair. He left the machine and looked at whoever called him.
"What's your name again?" Broly went back to drinking slushie.
"Shayera, I'm Hawkgirl." Shayera reintroduced herself. Broly just shrugged. "Listen..."
Broly stopped drinking and turned to face her. She couldn't take him serious with slushie all over his head so she told him to clean his head. He went to dunk his head in the sink to wash off all the sugar. Shayera handed him a rag and he wiped his face. "Right, listen Broly, I need your help."
Zzz
Rightio then, here's a treat for you all. The story is not dead, this chapter's been sitting here for abouta year now. I finished it off because I've been struggling to make time. Thatbeing said, I'll be working on the next arc, which is Injustice for All, followed by Brave and the Bold then A Knight to Remember. I'll try to keep arcs around 2-3 chapters, I just can't wait for Starcrossed.