Chapter 34)
"The ship is repaired once again and we should be back on course, again."
Aya's announcement put the rest of the group at ease. Nightwing turned to Bleez and Faora, who had been sat at opposite ends of the group. Now that they had a taste of Nightwing, they had been willing to play nice. Or at least as nice as they were going to go.
The gaze of Maxima fell upon Faora, with thinly disguised contempt. There might have been some issues to work out, but Nightwing would help them deal with a later date. Donna and Kara positioned themselves between Maxima and Faora to deal with things, in case they got ugly.
Well, uglier than they were there.
"Are you two ready to work together?" Nightwing asked.
"If the Red Lanterns have been corrupted by this force, I will have to deal with it," Bleez said. "And to think, I respected our great leader and his mastery over rage."
"And naturally, I told you that I won't want those Nova-Javelins to fall into the hands of anyone like the Red Lanterns and Starro guiding them, I shudder to think what would happen," Faora said.
"Nice that we're all on the same page," Batgirl said.
"We better go to the League first," Jade said. "I don't like it."
"None of us likes what happened,' Starfire grimly stated. "They're still not picking up."
"No, they're not," Batgirl said. "It's unlike them. Even when they're on a mission, they have workers at the tower."
If the workers had been compromised as well, well Nightwing shuddered to think what kind of problems they might be dealing with. He turned to Blackfire, who brushed a hair back from her head and looked a bit thoughtful at what was going on.
"Just to think, this all started because I took a bauble that some asshole stole from us," Blackfire said. "Still, don't know the purpose of that."
"One problem at a time,' Nightwing told her.
"Right," Blackfire agreed. "One problem at a time."
"We've got one more jump to pass through. We're going to make it."
Jessica and Jade, rings fully charged, all nodded. Bleez shifted a little bit in the chair. Nighwing cast a weary eye upon the woman.
"What is it?"
"They're near," Bleez said. "Oh, they're very near. I can feel them."
"We have an issue."
Several red lights began to blink outside of the ship. Oh, yes, they had a bit of an issue alright.
An entire Armada of Red Lanterns appeared on the ship. Nightwing joined Supergirl, Faora, Blackfire, Starfire, and Bleez outside of the ship. Thankfully his suit had been repaired, despite Faora and Bleez's best efforts to damage it earlier. They stared in the face of absolute rage and the Red Lanterns all looked down at them.
"Release the prisoner and we will make this as painless as possible."
"We will?"
"Quiet you idiot!"
Zox's eyes glowed. Bleez turned to Zox, contempt splashed through her eyes.
"You think I'm a prisoner. You work for a man who is now compromised by a space parasite. I believe you are the prisoners now."
"Lies!" Zox yelled. "They're all lies! Each and every one of them, lies!"
"I tell you the truth," Bleez said.
"Starro will deliver us the holy grail. The Red Lanterns are going to destroy the Guardians and their Green Lantern Corps.
"That's not going to happen," Starfire said. "You are at an end."
"Princess, you have no idea what you're dealing with."
"And you don't either."
A beam of light shot out of the ship. A green energy wall blasted through space and divided the Red Lanterns down the middle. The Red Lanterns scattered in different directions, to avoid having to deal with it. Jessica and Jade shot out of the ship, rings ablazing. Jade created a missile launcher which sent them packing. Jessica ended up beaming them with a barrage of baseballs created from her Green Lantern ring.
Supergirl dove at one of the Red Lanterns and slammed her shoulder into it. She flung it halfway across the galaxy and Bleez nailed it coming off of them.
"The drone and rage should not mix together," Bleez said. "Starro is all about control and rage is when unleashed."
To prove her point, Bleez spiked one of the Red Lanterns in the chest, angered about what become of them. Then Zox fired at her until Starfire beamed him in the face.
"She has a point!" Starfire yelled.
"That she does," Nightwing said.
"They're not as powerful as they could be," Supergirl suggested. "We have to find a way to get the Red Lantern rings to interfere with the Starro drones."
Supergirl created a miniature cyclone and cut through them. Jessica and Jade blasted on either side.
"I'm surprised the big boss hasn't shown up," Batgirl said. "Aya, are you ready?"
"I am," Aya said. "Let us see if we can cut off their fuel source."
Nightwing dodged the knife of the Red Lantern who fought him. The skilled crime fighter moved around. While space would be a problem for most humans, Nightwing had been doing death defying stunts and defying gravity since about the time he could walk. The former circus acrobat drove himself all the way down onto the back of the Red Lantern who howled in misery.
"I'm surprised your leader hasn't shown up," Nightwing said.
"Ha!" Bleez yelled. "He's not fit to to show his face after denying all of his principles. He gave into something other than rage."
Bleez denied that she did as well during her little tryst with Nightwing. Supergirl attacked the Red Lanterns with brutal efficiency. The Girl of Steel slammed them down onto the ground with a thunderous crack echoing throughout the room. She sprung up and drove down onto the back of the head of her enemy.
"They're fleeing!" Supergirl yelled. "Why are they fleeing?"
Bleez pulled one of them back in a spiked shackle and then slammed down onto the ground. Jessica pulled the man away from him.
"Spill!"
"Your blood?" The Red Lantern asked. "Gladly."
"What is Starro's end game?"
The Red Lantern in question said nothing. Just a wide, blood stained grin filled his face. The type of smug, self-satisfied smile which anyone who saw him would yearn to slap off of his face. Seconds passed and there had been a rumble in the distance.
"Everyone stay sharp," Nightwing told them.
"Yes!" Bleez shouted. "Show yourself!"
"You should not be so arrogant with what you want. It might be far dangerous than even you could realize."
Atrocitus turned up in the flesh. Bleez narrowed her eyes in disgust.
"Starro will open the path for greatness of the Red Lantern Corps."
Bleez fired a spike towards Atrocitus, but Atrocitus blocked it. He sent a shower of spikes towards the group which forced Jessica and Jade to construct a barrier. The spikes just barely missed skewing them all.
"You have been thorns in this operation, but we will rise up and we will stop you from going any further," Atrocitus said. "Starro is within us. You have one last chance, Bleez. Beg forgiveness and join us."
"I serve this ring," Bleez said. "I don't serve a parasite."
"And yet, you allowed her own body to betray you and be tainted," Atrocitus said. "Rest assure, I will destroy your lover in front of you. If you are truly one with the ring, you won't….."
Kara beamed Atrocitus in mid-sentence with heat vision to shut him up. Bleez constructed a scythe to nail Atrocitus in mid-motion to send him back.
"So, I see. You will be punished for failing me. And you will be stricken from the Red Lantern Corps."
Atrocitus was normally more powerful without Starro compromising his mind. However, one could not deny he had power regardless. He created a buzzsaw construct with his ring. Jessica blocked it with a clamp and forced Atrocitus back just a few yards.
Nightwing sent a grenade at Atrocitus which exploded in his face. Supergirl, Blackfire, and Starfire circled him and Atrocitus created a spiked mace created of his hate. However, it faded when it Bleez slammed her own construct into the side of his hand.
"Maybe I am compromised. But that still won't stop me from summoning the hate I need to destroy you. While it needs to be in control."
Atrocitus moved in to tear Bleez in half. Faora hurled a large hunk of space rock into his path which blasted to smithereens. Supergirl came up and uppercutted Atrocitus hard in the face. Blackfire slammed Atrocitus down hard into the nearest asteroid.
They had been close enough to the Watchtower, where Nightwing knew the layout well to know where there were security defenses. He activated the protocol and trapped Atrocitus in an electrified cage. Shockwaves blasted through his body until Atrocitus broke his way free from the cage and dove bomb them for an another attack.
"No more!"
Bleez created a sword and swiped it at Atrocitus. She sliced the man's finger off, complete with the ring. Atrocitus screamed and yelled and spurted blood. Then Bleez sliced his head off, the shock of which detached the Starro drone from his body.
The drone just came off and into the green container created by Jade.
The blood spilled by Atrocitus baptized Bleez. The other Red Lanterns showed up and looked up at her with reverence.
"She's the new leader by right of her conquest," Zox said. "What are your orders?"
Nightwing joined Blackfire, Starfire, Supergirl, Faora, Jessica, and Jade on the asteroid nearest. The moment of truth was at hand and they would see just how much Bleez had reformed.
"Clear the area. We need to regroup. Starro has infected us, but we won't be controlled. We need to let the rage which has been earned be free."
A loud cheer echoed and the Red Lanterns departed to wait further orders from their new leader. Bleez held the detached head of Atrocitus in her hands as a trophy, a smile widening over her face.
"Well, she's still on our side," Supergirl said. "I think."
"To the Watchtower?" Starfire asked.
"Yes, to the Watchtower," Nightwing agreed. "Batgirl, are you close?"
"Yes," Batgirl said. "We'll be over in five."
Seconds barely passed when there had been a large boom. The Justice League appeared out of the distance. Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, the Martian Manhunter, and John Stewart of the Green Lantern Corps. With Superman leading the way.
For a second, they had relief. Nightwing had questions. Superman appeared to not notice them, nor did the rest of the group. Rather his eyes fell on the fellow members of the League.
"The Nova-Javelin is pointed at Earth."
"The great one's plans will be delivered."
"Starro will thrive above all."
"Those strong enough to survive will be welcomed in by Starro."
Slowly, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, the Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern all turned around and had Starro drones plastered on their head. And Superman had the largest one on him. To say this situation had gone from bad to worse would be a bit of an understatement.
Nightwing activated the two-way communicator on his belt.
"What is it?"
"We have a huge problem."
Even worse as the League appeared to notice their presence.
"You must be eradicated to allow the further glory of Starro. Starro shall live."
The chants of Starro Lives echoed throughout the League. Six of the Earth's most prominent heroes moved towards the group.
The chants of Starro lives echoed like a very eerie mantra. They were in for it now.
The Plot Resumes In the Next chapter