The explosion sent Clark Kent rolling along the ground, and he barely caught himself before he slammed headfirst into something hard. As it was, he took advantage of the nearby building to hide himself. Dark Seid was hot on his heels. The Lord of Apokolips had abandoned his floating disk, and was now walking with a slow, deliberate pace, following him, his eyes glowing like fire.
"Give yourself up. You cannot defeat me," he stated with dread certainty. Clark shivered, recognizing that tone. He'd used the exact same one... right before... right before he'd killed Dan Turpin. Dan had stood up to him, despite having no powers of his own. Clark could do no less.
The building he was standing next to exploded from a blast of Omega Beams, and Clark ducked behind the only other thing in sight. A telephone booth that had, curiously, managed to escape the destruction of Metropolis. Clark hid behind it, watching fearfully as Dark Seid approached. There was no where else to run... no where else to hide...
"And now, human," he intoned, his eyes blazing like twins suns. "You die."
A great blast of Omega Beams poured from Dark Seid's eyes, zooming right towards Clark. He stood his ground though. He wouldn't run. People were relying on him. On Superman. He used that, he pulled on that need he'd always had. Time seemed to slow, and he remembered something he'd once said. Something he'd once done. He'd been talking to Eric, the boy who'd taken his powers in an accident, way back in Smallville. Before the cape and costume. What seemed like a lifetime ago. Eric had been downright out of control, using his powers to hurt people, and Clark had gone to stop him. Eric had asked him, if he had the power to do anything in the world, what would he do?
Clarks honest response... stop people like him.
To save. To protect. To do the right thing.
And he did the right thing.
He held up his arm as the Omega Beams blasted away the meager protection of the phone booth and then proceeded towards him. He blocked the Omega Beams with his arm, though at great pain to himself. They splashed off of his arm like rainwater. And Clark reared back his other arm and launched himself forward, slamming his fist straight into Dark Seid's ugly face. To his surprise and vast relief, the tyrant was sent hurtling backwards, though he still managed to retain his feet. Dark Seid looked just as shocked as he.
For he didn't see Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter. He didn't see another weak and fragile human to torture and kill at his leisure. Clark's blue jacket had come loose and flapped behind him in an unseen breeze, his glasses had been lost ages ago. His hair was disheveled, and a familiar black curl had fallen loose from his otherwise well kept ebon locks. His face was locked in expression of utter hatred, all it directed squarely at Dark Seid.
"No," he intoned. "I will not die. I will not fail these people. I will not lose to you, Dark Seid!" he roared. Then, with a push off his feet, he'd launched himself into the air, barely even aware that he was flying again until he'd zoomed in and slammed both his fists fully into Dark Seid's stomach, sending him flying through the air and into a nearby building. Clark launched himself forward, just as Dark Seid regained his feet, slamming blow after earth-shattering blow at Dark Seid, knocking away the craggy-faced bastard and giving him no time to recover. Then, he uppercut Dark Seid so hard he sent him hurtling into the air, and Clark... no... Superman... watched as he crashed back to Earth with such force that the entire city shuddered as if an earthquake had hit.
That had felt immensely satisfying, he thought, rubbing his knuckles.
Then, suddenly, a weakness griped him, and he grasped feebly at his pocket. Oh no, he thought. He'd left a piece there. Not even bothering to reach into his pocket he ripped it clean off, tossing it away, not caring the damage he did to his jeans. The green glowing sliver of Kryptonite, the last of his batch, glittered faintly, glowing on the ground as Clark moved to a safer distance.
But despite the sudden bout of sickness, he'd never felt better in his life. It was good to be back.
Diana ran for all she was worth, doing her best to avoid the very lethal attentions of Cheetah as she bounded lightly after her and Bruce, slashing at them with her razor-sharp claws. The psychotic half-cat was playing with them, deliberately drawing out their fight for her own amusement. So far she'd slashed at Diana's arms and face but never left more than scratches. Superficial wounds, though they stung mercilessly.
Cheetah flung herself forward, kicking out her leg and caught Diana in the face, sending her sprawling onto the ground where the stones had been cracked apart and their was a water pipe leaking. A string of rope had been hastily bound around one of the lampposts to prevent it from falling over, then quickly abandoned. Cheetah smirked wickedly, licking her claw-like nails with a bemused expression. Then, she turned her attention to Bruce, her tail flicking excitedly as she sprang at him.
"Come here and play!" she said, giving a cat-like hiss as she sprang at him. He leapt back, barely avoiding her claws. She did so again, and again. She was getting closer each time, and sooner or later she'd strike right for him. She'd rip him to pieces. Diana struggled to her feet, grabbing the rope tied around the lampposts and quickly untying it, letting the lamp post hit the ground, the glass lamp shattering. No matter, materials could be replaced... lives couldn't. Hastily she tied the rope into a familiar pattern. It wasn't gold, but it would have to do.
Cheetah had cornered Bruce, backed him up against a wall, and was crouched down low, preparing to leap and finish him off. There was no more room for him to maneuver, no where for him to run, and no way for him to block her. Diana was his only hope.
"Hera, help me!" she whispered breathlessly, putting every ounce of her faith into that prayer. She hurled the lasso...
... Cheetah leapt...
... and a golden lasso wrapped tightly around her legs, yanking her back and slamming her hard onto the ground, unable to brace herself with her legs tied up. Cheetah howled angrily, glancing over her shoulder at Diana, who stared at her with equal amazement.
There it was, in her hands. Her golden lasso.
"You stupid bitch!" shouted Cheetah, grabbing at the ground for some nearby rocks and hurling one from each hand at Diana. Diana didn't even hesitate. All her Amazonian training came back in an instant and her arm lashed out, her wrist blocking first one rock, then the other with a quick turn of her arm. She barely noticed the metallic clanging sound until she saw she'd managed to block them both. One her wrists... the silver bands. Gifts from Athena before she'd journeyed into the world of man.
She was herself again. She could feel it. She could feel the power of the Gods inside of her, and breathed a silent prayer of relief, promising to give more prayers when this nightmare was over. But for now...
... expression hardened, and she grabbed the golden lasso with both hands, launching herself up into the air. Then she spun in a circle, dragging Cheetah up into it, and whirled her around like a hurricane, finally slamming the cat-woman right into a nearby building with enough force to render her unconscious. Wonder Woman smiled, giving a little wink down to Bruce. She zipped down to tie up Cheetah more firmly, keep her out of the fight.
John watched the fight below with a passing interest. Nothing really else to do, he thought dimly. Not like he could get involved.
Suddenly there was a crash behind him, and he whirled around to see Copperhead standing there, the door swinging crazily on broken hinges behind him. John stumbled backwards... and hit the rim of the balcony. Great, he thought, now I'm trapped.
Copperhead seemed to realize the same thing, taking a deliberately slow pace as he approached John, hissing like his namesake, his tail lashing out behind him. John frowned darkly, bracing himself, putting himself into a combat stance. He didn't have a damn ring, but he didn't need one. He still knew a few US Marine Corp. moves that could knock this bastard flat on his tail.
John waited until just the right moment, and then lashed out with a vicious right hook...
... but Copperhead had been waiting for exactly that move, and he spun to avoid it, lashing out with his tail at precisely the same moment and catching the unsuspecting John full in the chest, knocking him backwards onto the balcony and to the rail again, nearly tipping over it. Copperhead wasted no time in leaping forward and giving John a full shove right over the edge. He toppled over, screaming in horror as he plummeted down the sixty stories towards the ground...
Shayera heard then. Saw then. Her vision had become crystal clear as she saw John plummet. He was over three blocks away and many stories up, and he was falling so fast. He'd hit the ground long before she could reach him...
... but she had to try.
Without thinking about what she was doing she'd dashed forward, fast as she could. Acting purely on instinct she launched herself into the air. Thanagarians as a rule had little faith, save in themselves. But Shayera had plenty of love in her. Shayera pushed herself to her limits, calling on all of her personal faith and love and everything that made her who she was. And she was relieved to find out that for once her faith was rewarded.
Her jacket stretched, convulsed, and burst apart as her wings outstretched like the bird from which she'd drawn her codename. The rings had ripped through the back of her shirt but thankfully left it for the most part intact, leaving her decent. Without hesitating she spread them wide and flew upwards, speeding towards John as he plummeted to the earth. She still might not be fast enough. No flyer in the League, save Superman, was faster than her (though she was still more maneuverable), but still... she was going to cut it rather close.
She stretched out her hand, fingers grasping desperately...
... and caught his. Without hesitating she tightened her grip and spread her wings wide to catch an updraft, narrowly avoiding dragging John along the ground as they managed to pull up just in the nick of time, landing on the ground safely a block nearby.
John was, to say the least, surprised, flummoxed, confused and all of the above. He didn't know which way was up anymore. But he was grateful, and she could tell. He still hadn't let go of her hand, and neither had she.
Shayera's eyes glanced upwards as she caught movement in the corner of her eye. Someone orange crawling down the side of the building. Copperhead coming to finish the job, she thought angrily.
Thanagarians didn't have much faith, no. But they had plenty of anger to spare. Growling, Hawkgirl reached to her waist, grabbing the metal pipe she'd carried around with her since Central City. But to her surprise, as she lifted it... it held a rather familiar, wickedly spiked head. A click of the handle and it glowed. Little white lightning dancing between the spikes of her energy mace.
Roaring her customary war-cry, she charged at Copperhead. His grinning face turned to one of shock as he saw her approach, showing his pointed fangs as he gasped in surprise, and Hawkgirl slammed her mace right onto the top of his skull, sending him off the roof and crashing to the ground with a sickening thud. No way he was rising anytime soon.
Hawkgirl spread her wings and floated down to re-join John.
John smiled up at Hawkgirl, watching as she descended like an Angel from Heaven down to greet him.
However, if Hawkgirl was an Angel from Heaven... that made Sinestro a Demon from Hell.
The golden-aura bastard zipped out of nowhere, blasting at Hawkgirl with a yellow energy construct shaped to resemble a mace, smashing her out of the air and crashing to the ground near where Copperhead had struck. Grinning, he reared back his fist, his yellow ring glowing brightly as he prepared to finish her off.
"Now its your time... to die!" he shouted.
A bright blast of yellow energy shot from his ring like a spear, heading straight towards Hawkgirl. Right towards her heart, to impale her and kill her in an instant...
... and it stopped, mere feet away, blocked by another ring.
A green power ring.
John Stewart glared up at Sinestro, holding out his own fist to block the yellow blast of energy with his own ring. His wedding ring... but it wasn't. That was gone, as was any clinging disbelief he'd had for Batman's theory. It was his good old green power ring, right back where it belonged, around his finger. And it was doing what it was meant to do. He glanced over his shoulder at his unconscious beloved, the red-headed Hawkgirl. Protecting those he loved.
"In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night," he intoned, calling on his oath. "No Evil shall Escape my Sight! Let all who Worship Evil's Might..." he all but shouted, and his ring glowed brightly, "Beware my Power... GREEN LANTERNS LIGHT!!" he roared.
A green energy blast launched itself from the ring, straight at Sinestro. Not a laser-thin blast like he'd used. A wave, a torrent of pure energy poured from the ring and lit up the air like they stood beside the central Lantern Battery on Oa. Sinestro watched in horror, in confusion, in fear. The green wave of energy wasted no time in pouring from the ring and went crashing over Sinestro. It blasted the red-skinned villain, slicing through his hastily erected energy shield like it was nothing and sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious and battered like he'd just been mauled by Doomsday.
The Green Lantern lowered his fist, the ring still glowing lightly upon it, and he bent down, checking Hawkgirl to see if she was hurt. She stirred slightly, smiling up at him as she saw the green glow encompass them both. He offered her a hand up, and she accepted.
"Hey," she said lightly, standing.
"Hey yourself," he replied.
Words had just never been needed much between them.
Wally, predictably, had taken cover as soon as the fight had broken out. He was a lover, not a fighter, for crying out loud. And without his powers, what did he really have, anyway? Red hair and a perfect smile, he admitted ruefully. Nothing.
Suddenly a car flew through the air, and Wally ducked behind another parked nearby to avoid it as it slammed into the building behind him and exploded. He could feel the heat, though thankfully too far away to feel any adverse effects. Still, that had been meant to miss.
Grodd was playing with him.
"Come now, is this all the fight you're going to put up?" asked Grodd, folding his arms across his massive, hairy black chest. "I could obliterate you with a single thought, but you hardly make it even worthwhile."
"Oh yeah...?! Well you're... naked!" retorted Wally.
Grodd chuckled to himself, shaking his head. This was all entirely too easy. And both of them knew it. Wally didn't have half a chance in Hell
Okay, he thought to himself. Just a dream. Just like last time, he thought with a shiver running down his spine, remember Dr. Destiny's machinations. Find the answer within. Wally screwed up his face in intense concentration, watching warily Grodd all the while as the great gorilla lumbered towards him, knuckling forward on his great palms that could've grabbed Wally's head and crushed it like a cantaloupe. Find the answer within, he repeated, more desperately. Why can't I find it? Why can't I run?!
Grodd's arm lashed out, but he didn't feel it connect. Wally's after-image blurred and then he found himself watching the red-headed man standing all of six feet away. He'd moved faster than the human eye or could follow, leaving an after-image. But... no human could move that fast, thought Grodd angrily.
"Whatsa matter Mojo, miss?" asked Wally light-heartedly, crossing his arms in front of his chest and standing there at ease. Grodd growled darkly, swinging his fists and moving forward, but to his astonishment not a single one landed. He didn't so much as swing clear through his opponents body, only to find he'd moved seconds prior. How on earth could one man move so fast?
"Very well, you simpleton," stated Grodd, crackling his knuckles with deadly slowness, emphasizing the very, very loud 'crack' accompanying each one. "The gloves, as they say, are off."
"Doesn't matter, Grodd. 'found what I was looking for. You'll never defeat me," he added meaningfully.
"Oh you -think- so?" asked Grodd meaningfully. And then without warning let loose a full barrage of his psi-powers...
... only to stumble forward, having been struck full in the back but what'd felt like a cannonball. Growling, he turned... and there stood Wally. That infuriating human didn't even look fazed.
"You wanna know what it was I was looking for, eh Gorilla boy?" he asked light-heartedly.
"DIE!" roared Grodd, all taunting and cool demeanor thrown aside as he hurled himself at Wally both psychically and physically to crush him. But Wally was too fast. Physically and mentally. His brain worked at a much faster (if not much smarter) level than any humans, and coupled with his ability to be standing in a place Grodd wasn't aiming his psi-blasts at, he was incredibly difficult... nay... impossible... to hit. The Fastest Man Alive was running circles around Grodd, slamming his fist into him after each run with enough force that it felt like a battering ram, until Grodd was beaten and barely able to stand upright. The Flash zipped forward, placing one finger beneath the great ape's chin to keep him upright.
"I found my friends," he said, and uppercut Grodd so hard and fast his body barely had time to catch up with his head as he went crashing onto his back, unconscious. The Flash wringed his wrist. That'd hurt, damnit.
But it'd been worth it. Worth it to discover he had a reason to fight for, had people who wanted to help him fight, who always had his back. Realistically or symbolically.
The Flash zoomed off to go help his friends.
Bruce gave a heartfelt smile and wave back to Wonder Woman, glad that she'd managed to figure out how to break free of the dream curse that was impeding everyone. Now, unfortunately, if only he could. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time. The Joker was running right at him, blasting at random with a gun and forcing Bruce back into an alleyway. However, this would work to his advantage. He slipped into the shadows like a trained ninja, vanishing from the Joker's sight. For now, at least. The green-haired clown was incredibly stubborn when it came to this particular pursuit of his.
"Can't hide forever Brucie..." he sing-sang as he skipped along, twirling his gun dangerously on his finger. "Come on, why not just come on out and make it easier on yourself, hmmm? You've lost. You can't win you know."
Bruce remained silent. Watching... waiting... thinking. The three things he did best.
"Show yourself!" shouted Joker, blasting his gun off at random times and in random directions. None of them came even close to where Bruce was hiding. "You can't win! Don't you get it?! The jokes on you!"
The Joker whirled as suddenly something did emerged from the shadows. A black disk of sorts that sliced through the air and right into his hand, disarming him of his gun and sending it to the floor with a clatter. The Joker peered up ominously as a great black shadow seemed to disengage itself from the shadows of the alleyway. A shadow with Bruce's features and build, dressed in a black coat that flowed around him like a cape. It was Bruce, but it wasn't. It was Batman. IF the Joker had any doubts, he need only look at the yellow utility belt hanging around his opponent's waist.
"No... no fair!" shouted Joker, throwing a rough and desperate punch at Batman, who blocked it with painstaking ease and returned it with a solid punch of his own right into the Joker's jaw, slamming him backwards and hard into the opposite wall.
"That's... not... funny..." grunted the Joker, before falling unconscious.
Batman merely smirked. Reaching down, he double checked his utility belt, from where he'd drawn the batarang to disable the Joker. Everything was in place. Grinning, he grabbed a grapple and shot it up into the roof of the alleyway, swinging back into the square where the rest of the League would be gathering now.
They'd found a way to combat the dream world. Now they only needed to escape it.
J'onn looked around, smiling for what felt like the first time in ages. His friends, his allies, his family. The Justice League was regrouping. He could see them as the League now. Still dressed in civilian clothes though they were, they carried their weapons and tools, they carried the stance and look of heroes about them. They'd found their inner strength in whatever form it had come and brought it out to save themselves from the nightmare.
J'onn J'onez, the Last Martian, could do no less.
He stretched out his hands, and let his body flow. Let it alter like clay beneath the hands of a skilled sculptor. Pale skin with a hint of a tan became green with a hint of blue, his eyes became bright orange as his powers flowed into him and he assumed his true, proper shape. The three-fingered, two-toed shape of a Martian. His lips were drawn back in a bright smile as the League gathered with him.
My friends... it is truly over, he said telepathically, as easily as if he'd spoken aloud.
"Not yet," said Batman. "We still need to wake up."
A sudden hush filled the air.
"I think someone wants to have a word with us about that," said the Flash fearfully, pointing over to his side.
Their, the bodies of their defeated foes. Dark Seid, Sinestro, and more. They were melting, falling apart as if they'd been made of water. But worse than that, their colors were flowing, -they- were flowing, shifting through the square to its exact center, just before the League. And then... re-forming. The League braced themselves as a great form rose up before them. Twelve feet tall, cloaked in a blue hood and cape, armed with razor-sharp claws and bearing a wicked countenance of a skull. Beady red eyes peered out from empty sockets of their most dread foe.
Dr. Destiny.
Author's Notes:
And so the League has finally regained their powers and defeated all but their final enemy. Dramatic, yes? Let's see. References and in-jokes. Clark Kent transforming into Superman behind a phone booth? Actually I don't know where that one comes from but it's still darn funny. His conversation with Eric was at the very end of the Smallville episode 'Leech.' John and Shayera saved each other to awaken their powers. I am such a sucker for that couple. Hopefully now certain mace-wielding fanatics will leave me alone about Kat. Wally's final blow to Grodd was echoing his dream-cartoon version's final blow to a dream-cartoon Solomon Grundy. Also, there is a reason why I did not delve into how Bruce became Batman again. That will be explained in the next chapter. Believe me, I will explain it. This chapter was, of course, rife with arch-nemesis' (or just convenient opposing villains). Superman vs. Dark Seid, Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah, Green Lantern vs. Sinestro, Hawkgirl vs. Copperhead, Flash vs. Grodd, Batman vs. Joker, and J'onn J'onez vs. Dr. Destiny. Though the last one is mostly in the next and last chapter. Time to wake up.
Comet-hime: Yeah, Batman read a paper in 'Perchance to Dream' to discover the state of his dream world. I know but I wanted to hurry the plot along, sorry Comet dear. Next time hot Volcana is around I'll have plenty of action sequences. Hope you enjoyed the John/Shayera reunion, as well as the Leaguers return to greatness.
Clearwaters: Best ever? Oh come now I'm not that good. But I am glad you like it, and I hope you keep reading and reviewing.
Crhblack: Well it did give semi-closure, but like most great things, it gives the potential for more. Just like Dark Seid's death at the end of 'Twilight' or J'onns remark about Amazo returning at the end of 'Tabula Rosa.' Dr. Destiny is a telepath, and knows everything about the Leaguers, including secret identities, and would know about the affections Bruce and Diana share. He put them together to give Diana some reason to doubt her memories, and Bruce some added discomfort.
Todd fan: Hehe, I thought it was clever. Only Batman could come with a strategy liking humming to keep someone out of his head. Even if it isn't a nice place to be. Yeah, I agree, Freddy and Dr. D both scare me a bit. Then again, I'm a hardcore horror fan. Lets you know you're alive.
X00001: Great review, really like it.
Angelic Temptress: And he the source of hers, as you saw. Those two don't strike me as very big on faith, but they've got plenty of love. Hope you enjoyed their little reunion. Don't get too attached to birdnose now, she can't stay.
Kaliann: Truthfully, the dream angle is the only one I could work where they -all- lost their powers. Unlike my Evo story, none of them have much in common (unlike mutants, with their x-genes) so the dream was the only place I could bend the rules. I can't find your author profile. Log in next time before you give a review, and I'll check out your story. In the meantime, hope you enjoyed that John's back in the fight. Fitting, yes?
Desert Hawk: Yes I know and it would be nice if we saw lovable Shayera again. I confess I didn't like her much when JL first aired, or Flash much for that matter. But both of them have grown on me, and its hard to imagine a League without her.
Momentum: Its alright, we all make mistakes guessing what the characters would do. Its what fanfiction is here for. They are ours to play with and do with as we please. The challenge is to do your best and make them act as they would normally. At least, it's a challenge to me. But its one I enjoy immensely. And yeah, same Dream. Dr. D didn't want to split them up and risk dividing his attention.
Dreamcatcher89: I've seen the picture you speak of. It means little, its just promotional art. Don't get me wrong, I want HG back too, but I don't want to get my hopes up too high. Still, I give 60-40 odds she'll return mid-way through season three. If it helps I'll send my crack attack squad to see those people about Hawkgirl. Lobo and X23, most vicious characters from DC and Marvel Universes. On my payroll. Hope you enjoyed the HG/GL reunion.
Ashley: As I remarked so far back towards the beginning of the story, my biggest pet peeve in the fanfiction world is unfinished stories. Whatever I start, I finish, barring those few movie crossovers I started but were ultimately unpopular. I would never stop midway through something with such great review support. You review, I write. Deal?
Miguel Dubon: What, is the chapter every two days not fast enough for you?! I'm not the Flash damnit! I can only type and plot so fast you know. But I am working, and it's coming out as fast, accurate (a problem with my older stories) and compelling as I can. I work very hard on my plots so I create memorable stories. Enjoy.
Dragonstar: Or DS, whichever you prefer. Well, we all have our favorites for our own reasons, I won't defend my favorites more than that. I understand your argument. Yup, good new episodes to provide me with more inspiration and more challenges to fit into continuity, as well as plenty of other characters to toy with. It's gonna be a fun summer. Enjoy the rest of the story.
Ray1: Oh believe me I agree too. If Kraagar's mind was bad, Batman's must be a hundred times worse. Unfortunately, haven't got time to delve into that now, since Destiny already slipped inside while Batman was asleep. His guard was down. Maybe next time he'll make Destiny regret it.
Goddess of darkness3: Goodness you people are persistent. Very well then, I shall channel the discipline of Batman and the typing speed of the Flash until the story is completed so you all will stop pestering me about when new chapters are coming out. Though I am glad you're all enjoying it so much.
Knight's Shadow: I try to think out my stories in advance so I don't trip over my own two feet midway through. Makes it more enjoyable for everyone. And hell yeah, JLU looks frickin' awesome. I can't wait for Supergirl and everyone else. Green Arrow? Well, I dunno, he looks okayish. We'll see.