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Chapter 40: Dawn II: Counterattack

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Downtown Keystone City

"Superman has allied himself with our enemy. Starro has taken over his mind."

Immediately after J'onn had uttered those words, Chi-Chi had been sent rocketing by a punch, courtesy of the man of steel. It stung like nothing she had ever felt before. Her forearms were still vibrating from the force as she soared through the night sky. Luckily, she had been able to encase her body in Ki before the Kryptonian had struck; otherwise, she might've died on the spot from the impact.

Chi-Chi's tumbled through the sky for a couple dozen feet before she eventually sparked her aura, forcing her body to a halt. The glimmering white aura around her brightened the darkened skies as she paused to look for her attacker. Keen eyes darted round and round, seeking the man of steel, but to no avail. That was odd, extremely odd.

Chi-Chi should've been able to sense Superman's Ki before he'd even arrived, but the only energy she'd felt was Starro's. Even now, as she scanned her surroundings, the only thing she could sense was J'onn battling Starro in the distance. Superman's Ki was massive and could typically be felt globally, no matter where she was. This sudden change was strange and highly distressing. The Argus agent could only think of one reasonable explanation; Starro was somehow masking Superman's Ki.

But that's impossible there's no way that cou…

Chi-Chi's thoughts were interrupted as two laser beams suddenly raced towards her. Heat vision. The Ox-King's daughter quickly deduced. Two yellow Ki beams ejected from Chi-Chi's palm erasing the lasers from existence before they could even reach their destination. That settled one problem, but Steve Trevor's girlfriend wasn't out of the woods just yet. While Chi-Chi's sights had been fixed on those projectiles, Superman had taken the opportunity to phase behind her.

A sharp elbow to the neck sent the Argus agent flailing towards the ground below, landing face-first on the roof of a Honda. The man of steel wasted no time and zoomed after her, his large red boots crashing down on the back of her skull, crushing what was left of the car. Chi-Chi suppressed a scream as her body was shoved through the automobile, eventually landing smack dab on a cement road. Superman was unrelenting and grabbed her by her neck, flipping her around to face him. Chi-Chi was like a toothpick to the Kryptonian as he lifted her with his left hand and began using his right hand to pound her face like a drum.

The first punch broke her nose; Chi-Chi was sure of it. No amount of Ki shielding could protect her from the strength of that blow, at least not at her power level. Nearby glass windows shattered, and Superman repeated the action over and over again. Blood was trickling like a miniature waterfall from Chi-Chi's now contorted nose. If she didn't do something soon, she would be out of commission before she could even counterattack.

As Superman's right arm arched back to deliver what was sure to be a kill strike, Chi-Chi spurred into action.

"Solar Flare!"

Seering white flooded Superman's field of vision, causing a momentary lapse in his grip. Chi-Chi capitalized on the opportunity and ran away as quickly as she could, scampering into a nearby convenience store that was a few blocks away. Her breath was ragged as the Argus agent hid behind a cashier's register. She would have to thank Tien for teaching her the Solar Flare technique if she somehow managed to survive this. It had bought her some time, but not much.

Chi-Chi snapped her nose back into place, briefly grimacing at the pain before focusing on her new objective. She was still bleeding, and there was undoubtedly a trail of blood that would lead Superman right to her location any second now. The situation looked dire, but there was at least one small silver lining. The parasite that was latched onto Superman was unable to utilize his Kryptonian abilities to their full extent. Sure, the man of steel had used his heat vision, but aside from that one display, this fight had just been a street brawl so far.

As long as Chi-Chi kept her distance and didn't engage in a fisticuffs battle, she had a chance, albeit a slim chance, of surviving this. But Chi-Chi's short respite from the fray was ended as a powerful gust of wind abruptly tore through the convenience store. Every window in the store was instantly fractured when the man of steel clasped his hands together. A cacophony of noises, shattered glass being the loudest, assaulted Chi-Chi's eardrums. Shelves filled with condiments, snacks, and other various products were flung to opposite ends of the store.

With her ears still ringing, Chi-Chi carefully peeked over the counter. The bulletproof glass surrounding the cashier's register had been blown to smithereens. Superman was slowly inching his way towards her. If the tiny droplets of blood on the floor didn't give her away, her panicking heartbeat would. What's a girl to do? Chi-Chi unfurled from her crouched position on the floor and leaped into action.

A flurry of Ki blasts was launched at the Kryptonian, who remained impassive at the center of the room. They packed enough of a punch to atomize a car, but Chi-Chi knew they would be nothing more than mosquito bites against Clark's impenetrable skin. The Ox-King's daughter didn't stay to watch the results of her handiwork, instead choosing to blast her way through the roof, dashing off into the sky. Superman followed her moments later, matching her speed as he trailed behind her, hot on her heels. Even with her ivory aura surging around her, Chi-Chi couldn't shake the Kryptonian loose.

They passed skyscraper after massive skyscraper. Chi-Chi had never flown this fast before and was pushing her body to the limit. She couldn't afford to keep up this chase forever. Taking a glance over her shoulder, the Argus agent was dejected as she noticed that the man of steel hadn't even broken a sweat. Chi-Chi couldn't spot a single droplet of salty moisture on his skin.

I'm never going to shake him! If only I had some Kryptonite, I could weaken him, at least temporarily.

Superman's bone-crunching grip snapped Chi-Chi out of reverie. Her brief lapse in concentration had allowed the Kryptonian to close the gap and grab hold of her ankle. He tugged on it and tossed her like a frisbee, sending the Argus agent into freefall before her momentum brought her into collision with a skyscraper. It was a rough landing as Chi-Chi tore through the building like paper, but aside from a few minor cuts and bruises, she was relatively unharmed. She had gotten lucky once again, but that luck wouldn't last forever.

I need to get to Batman. If there's anyone I know who would have Kryptonite, it would be him.

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Abandoned Warehouse, Keystone City

"Keep attacking; we have her on her heels now!" Aquaman shouted to his companions.

The Flash was zooming around Astrild, punching her at a speed that Starro's acolyte couldn't hope to keep pace with. The attacks barely stung and were more of a nuisance than anything, but they kept her distracted. Green Lantern fired blast after blast from an emerald construct that resembled a laser canon. At the beginning of the fight, Hal's attacks would have crumpled harmlessly against her ivory skin, but the Storm-Daughter had been worn down. Her teeth grit as Hal fired away with reckless abandon.

If not for Barry's super-speed, he would have been caught in the range of the blasts. But each encounter, just before the jade beams struck, The Flash zipped away just in the nick of time. It was a precise combination. The superhero duo didn't grant Astrild a moment of rest between their alternating attacks. And to top it off, Aquaman used his trident to keep Starro's acolyte in place.

Hal still couldn't believe it, even as his own eyes had witnessed the Atlantean summon ice that had frozen Astrild from the leg up. Arthur's trident was of mystical origin; Hal's lantern ring had informed him of that. The trident was durable and nearly indestructible, but the rookie space cop hadn't known that it could manipulate the elements like this until a few minutes ago. It made Hal question what other secrets it held and why Aquaman hadn't used this ability much earlier in the fight.

"If you give up now, we might still let you live!" Aquaman threatened Astrild as the ice encasing her grew thicker.

"Let her live?" Barry mouthed to himself. Was Aquaman threatening to kill her? That wasn't something that superheroes were supposed to do.

"Once we get through with her, I'll be taking her back to Oa to let the guardians decide her fate," Hal said as he turned in Arthur's direction. He enforced the law, but he was no executioner.

"It's funny that the three of you even think that you'll survive this battle." Astrild finally said in a calm tone. Her charcoal lips curved into a smile. Her eyes were pupilless, which was highly unnerving to her opponents. Eyes were said to be the windows to the soul, and what Astrild would do next would prove that Storm-Daughter didn't possess one.

With a high-pitched shout, Astrild burst out of her icy prison. All three of her foes momentarily froze in shock, stunned at her renewed energy. Barry was her first victim as her fist slammed into his face with a sickening crunch. The speedster skid like the wheels on a ruptured tire, skipping across the warehouse before a wall finally slowed his velocity. The Green Lantern was next, and in a heartbeat, Astrild closed the distance between them.

Hal attempted to conjure a construct but quickly noticed that his ring was inoperative. The normally scintillating emerald light that radiated from his ring was now the shade of dark seaweed. This had never happened before. The Green Lantern could have sworn that he'd charged his ring before arriving here; was it already in need of a recharge? With his ring malfunctioning, Hal was nothing more than a pincushion for Astrild's punches.

Her alabaster fists rained down on him like a thunderstorm. He felt at least two of his ribs break, if not more, before Aquaman heroically interrupted the brutal beatdown. The king of Atlantis intercepted Astrild's incoming jab before it could strike, potentially saving Hal from being knocked out. Arthur was perplexed as to where this sudden monstrous strength was coming from. Seemingly, every time the heroes had Starro's acolyte down for the count, she found some way to regain the upper hand.

But Arthur could not dwell on the origin of her power. A right hook sent the Atlantean stumbling back. His jaw ached, but no bone was out of place. With his trident in his right hand, the king of the seas stabbed at Astrild's heart. He missed by inches.

The ivory alien was not amused and recompensed her attacker with a kick to the head. A shockwave echoed across the warehouse, causing Arthur's ears to ring. Astrild was mildly impressed. She thought that strike would've decapitated the Atlantean, but much to her surprise, he was still standing. But it was no problem; she would soon remedy that issue.

Purple rays of plasma emerged from her eyes, the air around her sizzling as she locked onto Arthur and fired. By the skin of his teeth, Aquaman was fortunate to summon an ice wall before the beams struck. Unfortunately, the frozen fortification melted as the rays gushing from Astrild's eyes vaporized his construction. She can project energy from her eyes?!

Arthur was dumbfounded as he gawked at the smirking woman who was now marching towards him. "What are you?!" The king of Atlantis questioned out loud.

"I'm your death!" Astrild replied, her eyes menacingly crackling with plasma energy.

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Downtown Keystone City

"We need to find Chi-Chi." Steve Trevor said as he crouched behind a toppled car. Batman simply remained silent as he leaned against the tattered vehicle, not bothering to turn to his right and address the colonel.

"No." The dark knight said in an authoritative tone.

Steve's eyes narrowed into slits as he scowled at Batman. "Are you serious? You put Chi-Chi in danger, and now you don't want to help her?" The anger was rising in the colonel's voice, but he tried his best to suppress his volume to a whisper.

" I know it was my plan." Bruce said dryly. Steve didn't need to state the obvious.

The Argus commander could feel a vein throbbing in his forehead. "You got Chi-Chi into this mess, so what are we going to do to fix it?" Bruce had been the one who'd suggested using Chi-Chi as bait, and for a while, she had done well; until a Starro controlled Superman had shown up.

"We," Bruce said, finally turning in Steve's direction, "Aren't going to do anything."

Steve's lips flopped open to fire a reply, but Batman spoke again before he could.

"I'll go find Chi-Chi, and you'll stay here. J'onn needs you." The Martian Manhunter was currently holding his own against Starro, but that wouldn't last long. "I'm the only one of us with Kryptonite in their possession, after all."

Steve frowned but couldn't form an argument. Batman was right, but Steve didn't appreciate his know-it-all tone. "And how exactly am I supposed to help the Martian Manhunter?"

Dozens of feet in the skies above Steve and Bruce, a battle between two juggernauts was raging. Each time J'onn and Starro's fists collided, something new was destroyed. Shockwaves flung cars across streets like ragdolls. It was an arduous task just for the two non-superhumans to remain upright. Starro or J'onn could crush Steve like a bug, so how the hell was he supposed to be useful in a fight like this?"

"You need to use the sacred water that you and Chi-Chi retrieved." The answer to Steve's question seemed rather obvious to Bruce. The sacred water was the key to their victory.

"And how exactly am I supposed to get close enough to use it?" Steve asked with an annoyed expression. It wasn't like he could fly, and even if he could, it wasn't like Starro would willingly drink Mr. Popo's concoction.

"That's something you and J'onn will have to figure out together." For once, Bruce didn't have the answers. His original plan for their counterattack had been dashed the instant that J'onn had telepathically informed him of Superman's capture by Starro. "The American government pays you a handsome salary for moments exactly like these. Rise to the occasion, colonel."

Steve didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. And just how in the world did Batman know what his Argus salary was? Sure, it was in the six figures range, but it was nothing to boast about.

"Actually," Steve began in a pointed tone. "My salary is….." But the Argus commander didn't bother to finish his sentence once he glanced over and realized that the dark knight was no longer present.

"Damn it! How the hell does he always do that?"

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Abandoned Warehouse, Keystone City

Clutching his battered ribs, Hal slowly walked towards The Flash. The Green Lantern was in a world of pain, and everything hurt, most especially his breathing. Hal felt winded, like he had just finished running sprints for a training exercise back on Oa. Barry was dazed and confused, and it took him a few seconds to compose himself before he could engage Hal.

"Wow, she packs a hell of a punch." Barry whimpered as he stretched his muscles. His joints were still aching from Astrild's attack just minutes ago.

"Who are you telling." Hal sarcastically chirped as he grimaced. Starro's lapdog had done a number on him without breaking a sweat. He could now understand how so many of his Lantern brethren had fallen by her hands.

"We had her cornered! She was almost down for the count – "

"And then she broke free." Hal finished Barry's thought. It was inconceivable how Astrild kept one-upping them.

"But that doesn't matter now." The Flash said, focusing his attention on more pressing matters. Just a stone's throw away from where he stood, Aquaman was taking a beating. Astrild had long ago overpowered him. The king of Atlantis maintained his warrior's pride, but Starro's acolyte could've ended his life at any moment she pleased. She was just humiliating the Atlantean at this point.

"Oh, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you two." Astrild grinned as she spared Barry and Hal a glance. She was currently wrestling with Arthur for control of his trident. She had the Atlantean pinned against the ground, and the tiles on the floor were cracking as she thrust her weight on him."

"Forget those fools; I am your opponent still!" Aquaman was struggling, and his elbows were pressed against the floor, but he could not afford to relent.

"That's funny because you're the biggest fool of them all!"

Hal and Barry watched with horrified faces as Astrild's plasma beams surgically fried the flesh off his skin. Till this point, the Atlantean's golden armor had shielded him from any significant damage, but it was nothing more than ash on Arthur's chest now.

"We need to help Aquaman." Barry took a bold step forward, but Hal placed a firm hand on his shoulders before he could dash off.

"That wouldn't be the wisest decision right now." The Green Lantern chastized.

"I knew you were arrogant, but I didn't think you were a coward too." The Flash snarled at Hal, swiping his hand off his shoulder. If the Green Lantern was too scared to fight, he could just tuck his tail and run home.

"I'm not a coward," Hal said as his expression darkened. "I'll let that insult slide just this once." There was a clear threatening tone in his voice.

Barry blinked at him and simply shrugged it off. "Whatever."

"You think I don't want to help Aquaman? Of course, I do! But my ring is out of commission right now, and I'm almost certain that she's drawing energy from it."

The Flash raised a brow before leaning over to inspect Hal's ring. Sure enough, the emerald glow on it was as dim as the night sky. "How is that possible?"

"Back on her homeworld, Varidian, Astrild was considered a goddess. She could absorb the energy of her planet, but there was a major drawback to that. Whatever source she drew her energy from would die."

Barry's eyes expanded to the size of saucers. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, dead serious," Hal deadpanned; this was no joking matter. "All this time, The Guardians must have assumed that Astrild's abilities only worked on her planet, but obviously, they were wrong. It's no wonder how she killed so many Green Lanterns now; she's been using our rings against us!"

"And just how many Green Lanterns has she killed?" Barry took a deep gulp; he was apprehensive to know the answer.

"At least a dozen that The Guardians were able to confirm."

The Flash's mouth gaped open like a fish. Hal may have been a chauvinistic prick, but he was still powerful in his own right. The speedster found it hard to believe that anyone, much less a singular person, had been able to kill twelve versions of his comrade.

"But don't worry, I have an idea," Hal spoke confidently. A mischievous grin settled onto his face, which Barry found unsettling.

"Somehow, I feel like that plan is going to involve me doing something really stupid." The speedster groaned, palming his face, but listened anyway as Hal began talking.

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Downtown Keystone City

Chi-Chi was frantically running for her life. The Ki beams she sporadically fired to ward off the Kryptonian did little to nothing to stop him. Superman never got tired, he never got weary, and he never stopped his pursuit of her. The Ox-King's daughter felt like a scantily clad teenager in a Friday the 13th film. No matter how fast she ran or the number of obstacles she threw in his way, Superman would inevitably catch up to her.

It was a difficult task to simultaneously fend off the man of steel and search for Batman's Ki signature. The dark knight was on the constant move. Chi-Chi could only assume that Bruce was headed towards her. J'onn had telepathically relayed the new set of plans to her after Steve had notified him of the change. Once this situation was finally resolved, she and the Martian would need to sit down together and relax over some drinks.

"Argh!"

Chi-Chi suddenly shrieked in pain as Superman had managed to clip her ankle once again. It was throbbing like a heartbeat which forced the Argus agent to slow her flight speed. She had snatched some Senzu beans from Kami's lookout but didn't want to use them unless the situation absolutely necessitated it. But it wasn't like she would've had the time to eat one; Superman's right knuckle soon came crashing down on her face.

Chi-Chi blacked out for a second as she careened towards the ground. The next thing she knew, the Ox-King's daughter was groggily rubbing her head as she woke up in the middle of a splintered club dance floor. Before she could even get up, Superman came smashing through the hole in the roof that she'd made, crumbling it further. The man of steel levitated above her, the unblinking starfish on his face seemingly mocking her.

Chi-Chi lifted a tired arm to aim and fire a Ki blast at the Kryptonian, but a Batarang struck him before she could.

"Took you long enough." Chi-Chi said dryly as Batman emerged from the shadows of the club. The club's strobe lights were on now, and the darkness didn't feel as encompassing as it once had.

"We can save the pleasantries for later." Bruce said, quickly assisting Chi-Chi onto her feet. The duo looked around for an exit, and when they couldn't locate one, Chi-Chi's Ki beam opened a doorway through a wall.

"Do you have it?" Chi-Chi asked as the duo entered onto a street. Any second now, the Argus agent expected Superman to pop up, but surprisingly he didn't.

"Always and forever." Bruce knew exactly what she was referring to and didn't hesitate to pull a lime green stone of Kryptonite from his utility belt. He dropped it in Chi-Chi's palm before saying, "The Batarang I threw at Superman contained a neurotoxin. We should have at least sixty seconds, well thirty-five now, before he attacks again."

Chi-Chi weighed the fragment from Krypton in her palm curiously. She had seen Kryptonite before, at a distance, but she had never held it. This particular piece of Kryptonite was the size of a muffin. It was cut into the shape of a crystal, and it glowed ethereally. "It's crazy to think that this one little thing is Superman's only weakness."

"His only weakness that we know….. so far." Bruce corrected. It was highly improbable that Superman wasn't vulnerable to at least one other substance in the Universe. "But forget that topic; I assume you know what you have to do?"

Chi-Chi nodded and squeezed the Kryptonite tightly. "It's going to be painful, and I'll probably take a bruising, but I…." Her sentence was left unfished as a car was suddenly thrown at her. She managed to push Batman out of the way and took the brunt of it, letting the Taurus truck slam into her. Unlike the Kryptonian, Chi-Chi wasn't invulnerable to pain, and her withering Ki shielding could only do so much.

That's going to hurt in the morning. Chi-Chi thought as she lethargically lifted herself from the wreckage. As she stood up, she noticed that the man of steel was attacking Batman. Bruce ducked and dived like an Olympic gymnast, but it was all for naught. In the blink of an eye, Superman's unbreakable grip was squeezing his throat. Kal-El lifted Bruce into the air as the pressure of his hold increased.

If not for Chi-Chi's interference, the dark knight would've surely died. The Ox- King's daughter slammed into Superman from behind, which didn't even manage to budge him, but it did draw his ire. Superman's free hand outstretched and grabbed the Argus agent. Chi-Chi was unable to deflect his hand, and Superman quickly palmed her head like a football. She was in a world of pain, and it felt like her thoughts were literally going to pop out of her skull, but this was the opportunity that she had been waiting for.

Before her vision gave out, Chi-Chi summoned all her remaining strength and stabbed Superman in the neck with a shard of Kryptonite.

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Abandoned Warehouse, Keystone City

"Why did I let the Green Lantern convince me to do this?" Barry grumbled to himself as he narrowly avoided a plasma ray. It was the most dangerous game of tag that The Flash had ever played. Astrild's eyes were smoldering with plasma energy as she conjured blast after blast. Anything that the alabaster woman touched was vaporized without remorse.

Barry had managed to get Astrild's attention, but he sure as hell didn't want to keep it. Hal's plan involved The Flash doing what he did best; running. But after that, the Green Lantern hadn't given Barry any further instructions. Right now, the scarlet speedster was just winging it and doing his best to remain alive. On the other hand, Hal had caught up to Aquaman and had dragged him off to a far corner of the warehouse for a private conversation.

Barry could see their lips moving, and as usual, it looked like they were having a heated discussion. Astrild paid the duo no mind and kept her gaze solely focused on The Flash. Whether it was her arrogance or her thirst for battle, Starro's acolyte never even passed a glance over her shoulder. She was having too much fun with her attempts to skewer Barry.

"You're a quick one, but you can't run forever!"

"I can't, but I can damn sure try!" Barry rebuffed and took off sprinting before Astrild's next attack could incinerate him.

In a nearby corner, Hal and Aquaman were arguing. They hid behind a long tall metal support beam. With her reckless aim, Astrild had already destroyed two other ones. It was a veritable miracle that the warehouse hadn't collapsed yet. If one more of her wild attacks missed and hit any more structures, they were all going to go down along with the building. Aquaman knew he would survive if that did happen, but Hal wouldn't be so fortunate.

"Eventually, Astrild will hit The Flash, or she'll hit something that will take out The Flash. Either way, we don't have much time left." Aquaman frowned as he glared at Hal Jordan. The Atlantean couldn't understand the point of his idiotic plan; what was the end goal?

"You're right. I know that, and The Flash has probably figured that out by now too."

"So what, we're just waiting for the inevitable?" As insufferable as Aquaman found the speedster, he wouldn't allow any one of his comrades to die so meaninglessly.

"No." Hal vehemently shook his head. Why did everyone keep thinking the worst about him? "I asked The Flash to be our distraction so I could talk to you about your trident."

"And what about it?" Aquaman folded his arms over his chest. If this land dweller thought he would let him use it, he had another thing coming.

"Before Astrild absorbed my ring's energy, it told me that your trident had a mystical origin."

The king of the seas raised an eyebrow at that nugget of information. "That's correct," The Atlantean confirmed.

"What else can do it besides freeze things? I figure it has to have some other powers and abilities that might be useful to us."

"Hmph, you're not as dumb as I thought you were." Aquaman said in mild surprise as he stroked his chin. Hal wanted to protest his words, but Atlantean quickly cut him off.

"This," Aquaman said, lifting the trident over his head. "Is the trident of Poseidon. That's not just a decorative name; it was gifted to my ancestors by the god of the seas."

Hal nodded but mentally rolled his eyes. Of course, the god Poseidon was real, and so were centaurs and wood nymphs. Hal didn't voice his opinion out loud, but if that's what Aquaman wanted him to believe, he would just have to roll with it.

"The ancient scribes of Atlantis said that this weapon could teleport the previous kings and whoever they wished to far distances, even other planets." [1]

Hal's eyes lit up the moment those words left Aquaman's mouth. That's what they needed to do to Astrild! "Do you know how to do it?"

"I've never attempted it, and quite honestly, I'm not sure how I would even activate that ability within the trident." Aquaman sounded despondent. If he'd known how to utilize that power, he would've done before their fight with Astrild even begun.

"I believe in you; you can do it." Hal dashed aside the king's lack of faith. Even without his ring functioning, Hal was still a Green Lantern. He'd been selected for his role because of his ability to overcome great fear and inspire others. And right now, that was needed more than ever.

"What else do you have to lose? Just try it!" Hal encouraged the Atlantean with a nudge. His ribs were still crying out in pain, but he ignored them. "I don't know, just imagine a place far from here in space and let your trident do the rest."

Could it actually be that simple? Aquaman pondered as he scrutinized his golden trident. There was only one way to find out. He began walking towards Astrild, who seemed to sense him approaching from behind but kept her gaze fixed on the world's most challenging game of whack-a-mole. Starro's acolyte had Barry trapped, and for once, the speedster couldn't dash off; Astrild was sucking his energy.

Barry slumped to his knees and panted. Astrild's hands were glowing, and some sort of sick yellow energy was emanating from them. The more her hands glowed, the weaker he felt. It was evident that she was siphoning his energy. The speedster was about to join Tula in the realm of unconsciousness when Aquaman's sudden loud shout startled him. The Atlantean stood behind her and aimed his trident at her hindside.

"I banish you from this planet!" Moisture formed around Astrild's body. The alien warrior was just as confused as Barry when she felt it transform into water that splashed on her. The ground underneath her feet sunk, and without a peep, the alabaster woman disappeared.

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 39!

A/N: Astrild is a fairly unknown DC character, but she's a versatile powerhouse. The fight between her and the heroes might have seemed one-sided, but I didn't even use all of her powers. This upcoming weekend is a three-day weekend, so I'll have more free time to write. I'll try and publish the next chapter early next week.

[1]: For my readers who are unaware, Poseidon's trident briefly had this ability during New 52 Aquaman's run.