Heroclix RPSC—Action Comics: The Ending
Action Comics: The Ending—Chapter 4
"I don't want to hurt you, Wonder Woman," The Green Lantern said as he avoided another of the Amazon's attacks. "But I'll be darned if I let you keep pounding on me like this!" At the speed of thought, a pair of green salad tongs appeared, pulling Wonder Woman away. Just then, the Martian Manhunter appeared behind her, but she turned and kicked him back before he could make his move. The Green Lantern was working on a giant crab when Wonder Woman turned her attention back to him.
"Your ring is powerless against my magic lasso!" Wonder Woman said, throwing the golden rope at the Green Lantern. The ring construct disappeared in a flash.
"J'onn," the Lantern yelled, "She must be mind-controlled or something. You have to use your mental powers!"
"Stay out of my head," Wonder Woman said, turning around and approaching J'onn with an object he didn't expect; a cigarette lighter. He stumbled backwards, his concentration broken. As she and the Martian passed into another room, Wonder Woman touched the lighter to one of the objects in the room, and it went up in flames.
"Computer," Wonder Woman said wickedly, as she held her torch up above her. "Turn off the fire-extinguishing security protocols."
"Protocols off," the computer replied, and Wonder Woman laughed in savage merriment as she set the whole room on fire to leave J'onn cowering in terror, as she went through the rest of the Watchtower, spreading the fire, breaking walls and destroying furniture.
Batman sat in his chair in the bat-cave, his injured leg propped up. His head had fallen into his cupped hands, and his shoulders heaved with unarticulated sobs as a news message repeated on one of his monitors.
"…for those just tuning in, the terrorist threat at the Carlton Arms hotel has been diffused. The group of superheroes called the Outsiders went in to stop the terrorists. They succeeded in freeing all the hostages, but they themselves were caught in the blast as the bomb went off. By giving their lives to save others, these people proved that they truly were heroes."
"Stay strong, Justice Society," Hawkman said, as he went into a skirmish with one of the many parademons. "I think we're starting to beat them back."
"But at what cost?" Flash asked, as he dispatched another of the grounded troops. "Dr. Midnite's down. So is Starman. We can't hold out much longer."
"We'll hold as long as we have to!" Mr. Terrific said, kicking one of the parademons, just as an airborne soldier hit him with a laser blast. He fell to the ground and rolled, trying to get to his feet. Captain Marvel was struggling to finish off Kalibak, but a constant barrage of laser fire from parademons was slowing the process. Wildcat was fighting his way through parademons despite the heads of two spears impaled in his back.
Captain Marvel brought down Kalibak and moved over to the aid of his comrades, as Doctor Fate hit them with the full force of his powers. It seemed like the tide had turned in their favor, but with terrible losses.
"We would've toasted these guys easy…if Alan had been here."
Wonder Woman, her rampage concluded, returned to the room where she had left the Green Lantern, and was shocked to see the Green Lantern standing there waiting for her.
"You escaped!" She exclaimed unnecessarily.
"Yes," Hal replied glibly. "Which begs the question, what happens when you get a taste of your own magic lasso?" There was a blur of red behind Wonder Woman, and then Barry stood there, with Diana's own rope tying her up. She fell down, almost seeming to go unconscious, and then she opened her eyes.
"What happened?"
Darkseid, dread lord of Apokolips, rose with a start as Superman came crashing through one of the walls of his throne room. He had sent Supergirl back to Earth after barely defeating the Female Furies.
"It's time to end this, Darkseid."
"Yes," the dictator said, sending a ray of the Omega Beam from his eyes. It hit Superman full in the chest, sending him flying back through the hole he had made in the wall. He came back fast, holding a large chunk of rubble. He hurled it at Darkseid, who took it, unfazed.
"Did you really think you'd have a chance against me, Earthling? You should have left Apokolips alone. I am ruler here. Perhaps you have an elevated status on Earth, but here, you are nothing."
Superman shot out a blast of heat vision, but Darkseid answered it with his own Omega Beam, which bested it easily, and slammed Superman into a wall.
"My people are smart enough to know not to try my patience," Darkseid said, walking toward the prone Man of Steel. "They do not need an example of why they should not attempt such foolishness." He grabbed Superman by his cape and lifted him up. "You will be one anyway."
Superman gritted his teeth as he struggled against Darkseid's iron grip. He knew he was beaten. He had come to this planet, the great and lofty Man of Steel, Superman, and had been summarily defeated by this man he had come to dethrone. Darkseid had beaten him quickly and easily, without Superman even getting in a good hit. He was truly outmatched, in the hands of a combatant far superior to himself.
Darkseid dropped Superman's cape and punched him in the jaw, sending Superman rolling across the floor.
"I won't be your example," Superman said feebly, knowing he had nothing better to say, and then pulled a boom-tube generator from his belt, and escaped, utterly and completely beaten.
"Diana, it's okay," Barry said, "You weren't in control."
"No, you're wrong. The flowers they gave me on Beta 3 had a sort of chemical in it that's supposed to give you the courage to do what you've always wanted to do. The truth is, I've harbored a lot of enmity toward man's world. I simply can't stay here until I resolve those feelings."
"I, too, cannot stay," J'onn said weakly, still not recovered from his ordeal in the fire. "My inability to act may cause the downfall of an innocent person someday. I must leave until I can conquer this fear."
"Come on, guys," Hal exclaimed. "Don't you think you're overreacting just a little? I mean, you're heroes. You save lives. You can't just leave because of a couple minor speed bumps."
"I practically destroyed the whole Watchtower," Diana replied. "That isn't minor."
"It seems that the time of heroes has passed," J'onn said, and then left.
"It wasn't long before Orin came back and said he was leaving too. That was just the final nail in the coffin, though. The three of us wouldn't have made much of a 'League.' It was already over by then."
The Batman crouched on a gargoyle overlooking Gotham City. He looked up as he heard Superman land on the roof beside him.
"I don't get it," Superman said. "What happened to us?" Batman simply grunted. "I remember back when we all came on the scene, they called it the age of heroes, like it was the dawning of some great new era in human history. It didn't last very long."
"It's not ever yet," Batman replied quietly.
"What's left?" Superman asked.
The heroes of the new Justice League of America and the New Titans pick up the pieces in Action Comics: The Beginning, coming soon!