Slow Burn - Part 5 - Conclusion
"Darkseid is." The words echoed throughout the chamber, changing frequency and pitch as if being manipulated by some outside force.
The light slowly faded, and standing in its place were four imposing figures. In the front was a creature who looked as if it had been carved from living granite, with a deep blue tunic that might have looked ridiculous on anyone else. Its face was a rock wall with glowing, fiery embers for eyes. Directly to its left was a green, almost glowing figure with humanoid features and wires jutting from his head. Looking at him, Barry immediately felt uneasy and felt like he needed to look away. The penultimate aggressor was a large, hulking gorilla with immense fangs but calculating, intelligent eyes, and this gorilla stood directly in front of a giant creature that dwarfed them all. Over 10 feet tall, looking uncannily like a creature from Star Wars, the fanged and clawed monster had a red crisscrossing stripes on his chest and a blue ridged back. Anger and viciousness flowed from it, but its eyes had a deep sadness. Of course, Barry thought, it's not the eyes you have to watch out for!
Without another moment's hesitation, he sprinted towards the attackers, ready to render them unconscious before they knew what hit them. A look of horror dawned on his face when he realized that he couldn't move his feet. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Why should he be able to move his feet? He's not supposed to move. His feet feel right when they don't move. . . No, this isn't right, his rational mind cried out. Looking around, Barry noticed that Wally, BJ, Linda and Iris seemed to be slowly accepting their stationary status.
"Why?" he managed to say.
"Why can't you move your feet? Is that what you're saying?" The green figure stepped forward. "Simply put, my abilities, boosted by my colleague Grodd," the gorilla grunted in response, "are telling your brains that you don't need to move. To put it in terms that your minds can understand, that is. It's actually more complex than that, of course, but you'd have to be able to understand the concepts of synaptic impulses and their convoluted relationships with tendons and psychoperception, not to mention the energy wavelength of brainwaves . . ."
"Quiet, Fine, unless you want to be returned to the vegetative state in which I found you." The obvious leader spoke as his eyes gave off an additional glow.
"Yes, Darkseid." The green creature bowed. "But I'm not Milton Fine anymore. I'm Brainiac." He muttered.
"And who's that big guy?" Wally said with forced bravado. "Titano the wonder god from the planet Exor?"
"This is my pet H'r'm'r." Darkseid spoke. "We have come to claim the Earth. Many months of planning has gone into this undertaking, and I am eager for my spoils. Your deaths will be quick."
"You don't realize what you've done. Did you really think that we - that I would just allow someone to come in and invade our world? Did you?" Barry's voice shook with a calculated rage as he disappeared.
Darkseid's mouth gaped. "I was told these speedsters had no other abilities!" he raged to Brainiac. "You have failed me again, Coluan whelp!"
"Darkseid," Brainiac stammered. "I am sure I found all pertinent information about this Flash Family."
"Wally, where did Barry go?" Linda whispered.
"Nowhere. He just vibrated so fast he's not visible right now. Now that Brainiac thinks Barry is gone, it looks like Barry can move again. This will be over in a second, I think." Wally's face beamed with anticipation.
Suddenly, Grodd started acting like a marionette. His head snapped back and a loud thrumming sound filled the room. Cuts appeared across his body and blood dripped from his nose, eyes, and mouth. "What's Barry doing?" Linda asked.
"Oh, just demonstrating what several thousand punches a minute can do."
A second later, Grodd dropped to the ground unconscious. With one quick step, Darkseid stood before Iris and clenched her neck. Her face turned purple as she gasped for air. "Show yourself, dog of Earth, or I will dispatch her life in the most painful method possible."
"Barry . . ." Iris croaked out.
"I'm here." Barry appeared by Iris's side. "Let her go, you monster."
"Gladly, speedster." Darkseid turned his back to the couple. "She is not worthy of my touch, and by your stupidity and mercy, it is obvious that neither are you." Two beams of orange light escaped from his eyes and turned sharply in Barry's direction. Barry waited until the last nanosecond, and sidestepped the beams, only to realize in absolute horror that the beams weren't going to miss. He turned to Iris and mouthed "I love you." as he disintegrated.
"NOOOOOOOO!!" BJ screamed, his face bulging with rage. He began moving his arms in circle, creating a massive wind tunnel. Wally did the same. The wind staggered Darkseid, but barely moved H'r'm'r. Brainiac, however, was knocked viciously against the wall. He slumped down the wall, either unconscious or dead.
Suddenly, the group realized that they could move again. In a blur, Wally deposited Linda and Iris in the far corner of the room and charged against Darkseid. He was met by the as-yet-unmoving H'r'm'r, who moved surprisingly quickly and hit Wally with an immense paw. Wally flew into one of the exhibits, bringing shelves and items down on his head, including a piece of the wall. His yellow boots were the only uncovered part of him, and they laid unmoving beneath the rubble.
H'r'm'r charged BJ and they exchanged a flurry of blows. BJ slowly got angrier and angrier as he realized that he was never going to see his father again. As he and Darkseid's pet feinted and struck in a vicious ballet, his rage boiled in him. "You killed my father, Darkseid," he shouted, "and you will die for that!" With that, twin red beams of heat flared from his eyes, striking H'r'm'r squarely across the face. A shriek of agony echoed throughout the room, and the creature fell to the ground. His body began to morph and twist. BJ watched in disgust as his bones moved fluidly to reveal a green-skinned figure laying prone on the ground, whimpering.
"No more games, little one." Darkseid grabbed BJ in his massive hand, palming his head like a basketball. Mercilessly, he began swinging BJ against the walls, shaking the fortress to its very foundations. "I will keep you alive only long enough to realize that you were unable to keep the rest of your family from their doom." His eyes glowed, and the beams arced for Linda and Iris in the corner.
Before the beams could hit them, a green bubble encircled the two women and lifted them through a newly formed hole in the ceiling. The beams ricocheted against the bubble and dissipated.
"How?" Darkseid uttered.
"Green Lantern at your service!" Abin Sur entered from the ceiling, a green glow emanating from him. "I guess your Omega Beams aren't that great, after all." A giant green hand appeared and smacked Darkseid to the side. BJ dropped to the ground and slowly got to his feet.
In a flash, he pounced on Darkseid, punching his entire face and body in a powerful rhythm. In shock, Darkseid reeled. BJ took the chance to kick viciously at his knee, causing Darkseid's kneecap to shatter and bringing the granite figure to his knees in pain. At this point, BJ found an outlet for his anger and frustration. He unleashed his power and strength using his fists until Darkseid laid on his side, barely breathing. His headpiece was almost cracked in two and his eyes were swollen. He appeared to be drifting in and out of consciousness.
Still, this was not enough for BJ. He showed no signs of letting up with his flurry of punches and kicks. "BJ, it's over." A dusty, bruised Wally grabbed BJ's shoulder. Without a second thought, BJ backhanded Wally, who once again ended up in a pile of debris. BJ turned back to Darkseid and resumed the beating.
"Calm yourself, Barry. This is not the face you want to put forth. Let the truth of my words speak to you." A yellow lasso dropped around his shoulders. Slowing, BJ turned to see a Greek beauty floating about five feet in the air. She had long, black hair and her features echoed a pale, beautiful light.
"Who are you?" BJ asked as he began to shake.
"I am Diana, Princess of Themyscira. My mother, the queen of the Amazons, sent me to man's world as an ambassador of peace. We only recently became aware of Darkseid's insidious plot. Please be calm - you are experiencing shock."
"Thank you. I was losing control." BJ regained his composure and took in the destruction of the museum. Brainiac hadn't moved and his body looked as lifeless as a ragdoll. Grodd's chest heaved slowly, almost painfully, as he lay unconscious. Darkseid was struggling to stand and failing miserably. The creature that was H'r'm'r stood slowly. His beetle-browed face bore a look of concern, and it increased as BJ approached him warily.
"Barry, thank you for your assistance. I have been Darkseid's captive since one of his minions, Desaad, stole me from my home and family on Mars many years ago. He spent years torturing me until I went mad. This is the first time I have been able to return to this physical form for what seemed like an eternity. My name is J'onn J'onzz, and I place my life and gratitude in your hands." The creature spoke very purely and nobly, as he remained absolutely motionless.
"How can we trust you?" BJ asked.
"He speaks the truth, according to my ring." Abin stated.
"Who are you?" Linda stood, defiant, ignoring the fact that she was floating in mid-air in a giant green bubble.
"I am an old friend of Barry and Jay's. I fear I arrived too late to save either of them." Abin floated to the ground with the women.
"Jay's gone, too?" Iris raised her hand to her mouth in shock.
"I'm sorry." Abin rested a hand on BJ's shoulder. "How are you feeling, son?"
"I don't know yet." BJ turned to Darkseid. "What should we do with him? No prison in the world could even hold him long enough for a trial."
"If I may, Master BJ." Snapper appeared from his hiding place. "Your father had a device to use in this type of situation. He used it once to defeat Despero." Snapper held up something that looked like a miniature spotlight. "It is called a Phantom Zone Projector, and the phantom zone is a place where creatures can do no harm to anyone."
*****
Darkseid's head swam as he struggled to his feet. His vision blurred and he closed his eyes, gathering his strength and his thoughts. How dare these petty creatures confront me? They shall not have another chance to humiliate me.
Feeling stronger, he opened his eyes to see BJ standing over him with a device. A bright light shined from the device and for Darkseid, there was suddenly nothing.
*****
EPILOGUE
"And Darkseid, the gorilla and Brainiac just disappeared? What about the other guy - J'onn?" Dick Grayson was sitting up in his hospital bed, eating lime Jello.
"He's proven to be quite an asset. Between Diana, Abin, Wally, J'onn, Ray and myself, we've redoubled our efforts world-wide. Diana is quite a woman - we're spending some time together and she's just amazing. But enough about us. The doctors tell me that your body is changing?"
"Apparently, due to falling facedown in a pile of bat guano that had been affected by those omega beams, I'm developing some interesting abilities. I can see in the dark and my hearing is surprisingly acute. For example, in the next room, a girl named Dinah Vance is complaining to the doctor about her sore throat."
"Lance."
"What?"
"Lance. Her name is Dinah Lance. Don't forget I have super hearing now!"
"Okay, so I'm not perfect yet. So, is this new group of yours part of the Flash Family. Or what's left of it, I guess." Dick's face fell.
"Yes and no. With all of the tragedy and loss, it seems wrong to call this the Flash Family again. We've made a few decisions and changes recently. First, most of us are going to start using pseudonyms when we operate, in order to protect ourselves and our families better. The press has already named Diana "Wonder Woman" and J'onn "Martian Manhunter" - after the recent capture of Paul Kirk. Wally's taking up the Flash mantle and leaving Kid Flash behind. Even Ray's getting into it. He is using his new shrinking invention and has dubbed himself "The Atom." It's all amusing, I guess."
"And second?"
"Second, we want you to join our new group. We're going to call ourselves the Justice League."
Richard looked at BJ. "Lofty aspirations, but I understand and appreciate the idea. Who would I be? Captain Guano? I'd rather be called Bat-Man or something." He thought for a second. "I'm in. We can use the Wayne mansion and that bat-cave in Gotham for a base, if you want."
"Actually, we're building something on the moon! I don't even understand the physics involved, but we've got some of the top names in the industry looking into it. Kord, Irons, Holt - it's going to be amazing." BJ hopped up and ran over to the window. "I'm going to tell the rest of them that you said yes. See you soon." He jumped out the window.
"BJ, you didn't tell me what they're calling you!" Dick asked.
"Superman!" BJ's voice roared as he flew out of sight.
EPILOGUE II
On the fire-belching planet of Apokolips, two figured toiled, hauling rock from an excavation. A large sign in the background carried a picture of a fierce, red-haired creature with glowing eyes that said "ORION IS".
One figure stumbled. The second helps him up and says, "C'mon Jay, you can do it. I'm sure the boys will be here soon. They wouldn't leave us here. I just know it."
"Darkseid is." The words echoed throughout the chamber, changing frequency and pitch as if being manipulated by some outside force.
The light slowly faded, and standing in its place were four imposing figures. In the front was a creature who looked as if it had been carved from living granite, with a deep blue tunic that might have looked ridiculous on anyone else. Its face was a rock wall with glowing, fiery embers for eyes. Directly to its left was a green, almost glowing figure with humanoid features and wires jutting from his head. Looking at him, Barry immediately felt uneasy and felt like he needed to look away. The penultimate aggressor was a large, hulking gorilla with immense fangs but calculating, intelligent eyes, and this gorilla stood directly in front of a giant creature that dwarfed them all. Over 10 feet tall, looking uncannily like a creature from Star Wars, the fanged and clawed monster had a red crisscrossing stripes on his chest and a blue ridged back. Anger and viciousness flowed from it, but its eyes had a deep sadness. Of course, Barry thought, it's not the eyes you have to watch out for!
Without another moment's hesitation, he sprinted towards the attackers, ready to render them unconscious before they knew what hit them. A look of horror dawned on his face when he realized that he couldn't move his feet. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Why should he be able to move his feet? He's not supposed to move. His feet feel right when they don't move. . . No, this isn't right, his rational mind cried out. Looking around, Barry noticed that Wally, BJ, Linda and Iris seemed to be slowly accepting their stationary status.
"Why?" he managed to say.
"Why can't you move your feet? Is that what you're saying?" The green figure stepped forward. "Simply put, my abilities, boosted by my colleague Grodd," the gorilla grunted in response, "are telling your brains that you don't need to move. To put it in terms that your minds can understand, that is. It's actually more complex than that, of course, but you'd have to be able to understand the concepts of synaptic impulses and their convoluted relationships with tendons and psychoperception, not to mention the energy wavelength of brainwaves . . ."
"Quiet, Fine, unless you want to be returned to the vegetative state in which I found you." The obvious leader spoke as his eyes gave off an additional glow.
"Yes, Darkseid." The green creature bowed. "But I'm not Milton Fine anymore. I'm Brainiac." He muttered.
"And who's that big guy?" Wally said with forced bravado. "Titano the wonder god from the planet Exor?"
"This is my pet H'r'm'r." Darkseid spoke. "We have come to claim the Earth. Many months of planning has gone into this undertaking, and I am eager for my spoils. Your deaths will be quick."
"You don't realize what you've done. Did you really think that we - that I would just allow someone to come in and invade our world? Did you?" Barry's voice shook with a calculated rage as he disappeared.
Darkseid's mouth gaped. "I was told these speedsters had no other abilities!" he raged to Brainiac. "You have failed me again, Coluan whelp!"
"Darkseid," Brainiac stammered. "I am sure I found all pertinent information about this Flash Family."
"Wally, where did Barry go?" Linda whispered.
"Nowhere. He just vibrated so fast he's not visible right now. Now that Brainiac thinks Barry is gone, it looks like Barry can move again. This will be over in a second, I think." Wally's face beamed with anticipation.
Suddenly, Grodd started acting like a marionette. His head snapped back and a loud thrumming sound filled the room. Cuts appeared across his body and blood dripped from his nose, eyes, and mouth. "What's Barry doing?" Linda asked.
"Oh, just demonstrating what several thousand punches a minute can do."
A second later, Grodd dropped to the ground unconscious. With one quick step, Darkseid stood before Iris and clenched her neck. Her face turned purple as she gasped for air. "Show yourself, dog of Earth, or I will dispatch her life in the most painful method possible."
"Barry . . ." Iris croaked out.
"I'm here." Barry appeared by Iris's side. "Let her go, you monster."
"Gladly, speedster." Darkseid turned his back to the couple. "She is not worthy of my touch, and by your stupidity and mercy, it is obvious that neither are you." Two beams of orange light escaped from his eyes and turned sharply in Barry's direction. Barry waited until the last nanosecond, and sidestepped the beams, only to realize in absolute horror that the beams weren't going to miss. He turned to Iris and mouthed "I love you." as he disintegrated.
"NOOOOOOOO!!" BJ screamed, his face bulging with rage. He began moving his arms in circle, creating a massive wind tunnel. Wally did the same. The wind staggered Darkseid, but barely moved H'r'm'r. Brainiac, however, was knocked viciously against the wall. He slumped down the wall, either unconscious or dead.
Suddenly, the group realized that they could move again. In a blur, Wally deposited Linda and Iris in the far corner of the room and charged against Darkseid. He was met by the as-yet-unmoving H'r'm'r, who moved surprisingly quickly and hit Wally with an immense paw. Wally flew into one of the exhibits, bringing shelves and items down on his head, including a piece of the wall. His yellow boots were the only uncovered part of him, and they laid unmoving beneath the rubble.
H'r'm'r charged BJ and they exchanged a flurry of blows. BJ slowly got angrier and angrier as he realized that he was never going to see his father again. As he and Darkseid's pet feinted and struck in a vicious ballet, his rage boiled in him. "You killed my father, Darkseid," he shouted, "and you will die for that!" With that, twin red beams of heat flared from his eyes, striking H'r'm'r squarely across the face. A shriek of agony echoed throughout the room, and the creature fell to the ground. His body began to morph and twist. BJ watched in disgust as his bones moved fluidly to reveal a green-skinned figure laying prone on the ground, whimpering.
"No more games, little one." Darkseid grabbed BJ in his massive hand, palming his head like a basketball. Mercilessly, he began swinging BJ against the walls, shaking the fortress to its very foundations. "I will keep you alive only long enough to realize that you were unable to keep the rest of your family from their doom." His eyes glowed, and the beams arced for Linda and Iris in the corner.
Before the beams could hit them, a green bubble encircled the two women and lifted them through a newly formed hole in the ceiling. The beams ricocheted against the bubble and dissipated.
"How?" Darkseid uttered.
"Green Lantern at your service!" Abin Sur entered from the ceiling, a green glow emanating from him. "I guess your Omega Beams aren't that great, after all." A giant green hand appeared and smacked Darkseid to the side. BJ dropped to the ground and slowly got to his feet.
In a flash, he pounced on Darkseid, punching his entire face and body in a powerful rhythm. In shock, Darkseid reeled. BJ took the chance to kick viciously at his knee, causing Darkseid's kneecap to shatter and bringing the granite figure to his knees in pain. At this point, BJ found an outlet for his anger and frustration. He unleashed his power and strength using his fists until Darkseid laid on his side, barely breathing. His headpiece was almost cracked in two and his eyes were swollen. He appeared to be drifting in and out of consciousness.
Still, this was not enough for BJ. He showed no signs of letting up with his flurry of punches and kicks. "BJ, it's over." A dusty, bruised Wally grabbed BJ's shoulder. Without a second thought, BJ backhanded Wally, who once again ended up in a pile of debris. BJ turned back to Darkseid and resumed the beating.
"Calm yourself, Barry. This is not the face you want to put forth. Let the truth of my words speak to you." A yellow lasso dropped around his shoulders. Slowing, BJ turned to see a Greek beauty floating about five feet in the air. She had long, black hair and her features echoed a pale, beautiful light.
"Who are you?" BJ asked as he began to shake.
"I am Diana, Princess of Themyscira. My mother, the queen of the Amazons, sent me to man's world as an ambassador of peace. We only recently became aware of Darkseid's insidious plot. Please be calm - you are experiencing shock."
"Thank you. I was losing control." BJ regained his composure and took in the destruction of the museum. Brainiac hadn't moved and his body looked as lifeless as a ragdoll. Grodd's chest heaved slowly, almost painfully, as he lay unconscious. Darkseid was struggling to stand and failing miserably. The creature that was H'r'm'r stood slowly. His beetle-browed face bore a look of concern, and it increased as BJ approached him warily.
"Barry, thank you for your assistance. I have been Darkseid's captive since one of his minions, Desaad, stole me from my home and family on Mars many years ago. He spent years torturing me until I went mad. This is the first time I have been able to return to this physical form for what seemed like an eternity. My name is J'onn J'onzz, and I place my life and gratitude in your hands." The creature spoke very purely and nobly, as he remained absolutely motionless.
"How can we trust you?" BJ asked.
"He speaks the truth, according to my ring." Abin stated.
"Who are you?" Linda stood, defiant, ignoring the fact that she was floating in mid-air in a giant green bubble.
"I am an old friend of Barry and Jay's. I fear I arrived too late to save either of them." Abin floated to the ground with the women.
"Jay's gone, too?" Iris raised her hand to her mouth in shock.
"I'm sorry." Abin rested a hand on BJ's shoulder. "How are you feeling, son?"
"I don't know yet." BJ turned to Darkseid. "What should we do with him? No prison in the world could even hold him long enough for a trial."
"If I may, Master BJ." Snapper appeared from his hiding place. "Your father had a device to use in this type of situation. He used it once to defeat Despero." Snapper held up something that looked like a miniature spotlight. "It is called a Phantom Zone Projector, and the phantom zone is a place where creatures can do no harm to anyone."
*****
Darkseid's head swam as he struggled to his feet. His vision blurred and he closed his eyes, gathering his strength and his thoughts. How dare these petty creatures confront me? They shall not have another chance to humiliate me.
Feeling stronger, he opened his eyes to see BJ standing over him with a device. A bright light shined from the device and for Darkseid, there was suddenly nothing.
*****
EPILOGUE
"And Darkseid, the gorilla and Brainiac just disappeared? What about the other guy - J'onn?" Dick Grayson was sitting up in his hospital bed, eating lime Jello.
"He's proven to be quite an asset. Between Diana, Abin, Wally, J'onn, Ray and myself, we've redoubled our efforts world-wide. Diana is quite a woman - we're spending some time together and she's just amazing. But enough about us. The doctors tell me that your body is changing?"
"Apparently, due to falling facedown in a pile of bat guano that had been affected by those omega beams, I'm developing some interesting abilities. I can see in the dark and my hearing is surprisingly acute. For example, in the next room, a girl named Dinah Vance is complaining to the doctor about her sore throat."
"Lance."
"What?"
"Lance. Her name is Dinah Lance. Don't forget I have super hearing now!"
"Okay, so I'm not perfect yet. So, is this new group of yours part of the Flash Family. Or what's left of it, I guess." Dick's face fell.
"Yes and no. With all of the tragedy and loss, it seems wrong to call this the Flash Family again. We've made a few decisions and changes recently. First, most of us are going to start using pseudonyms when we operate, in order to protect ourselves and our families better. The press has already named Diana "Wonder Woman" and J'onn "Martian Manhunter" - after the recent capture of Paul Kirk. Wally's taking up the Flash mantle and leaving Kid Flash behind. Even Ray's getting into it. He is using his new shrinking invention and has dubbed himself "The Atom." It's all amusing, I guess."
"And second?"
"Second, we want you to join our new group. We're going to call ourselves the Justice League."
Richard looked at BJ. "Lofty aspirations, but I understand and appreciate the idea. Who would I be? Captain Guano? I'd rather be called Bat-Man or something." He thought for a second. "I'm in. We can use the Wayne mansion and that bat-cave in Gotham for a base, if you want."
"Actually, we're building something on the moon! I don't even understand the physics involved, but we've got some of the top names in the industry looking into it. Kord, Irons, Holt - it's going to be amazing." BJ hopped up and ran over to the window. "I'm going to tell the rest of them that you said yes. See you soon." He jumped out the window.
"BJ, you didn't tell me what they're calling you!" Dick asked.
"Superman!" BJ's voice roared as he flew out of sight.
EPILOGUE II
On the fire-belching planet of Apokolips, two figured toiled, hauling rock from an excavation. A large sign in the background carried a picture of a fierce, red-haired creature with glowing eyes that said "ORION IS".
One figure stumbled. The second helps him up and says, "C'mon Jay, you can do it. I'm sure the boys will be here soon. They wouldn't leave us here. I just know it."
