A/N—Ah, here I am with another chapter. Unfortunately, when school starts my updates might (will) slow down or become nonexistent. Currently, I'm writing a lot of this stuff at work out of sheer boredom, so I'm getting a lot done. Note--this is the first draft and is subject to change.
Important Note--I'll start the unofficial poll now. Who do you prefer--K/R or B/R?
Okay, now that that's aside, time to address the reviewers.
Darkcloud1--Ah, glad to see some questions. Kalibak is far stronger than Ron/Kim, but he wasn't fighting against them. Remember, a part of his mission was to keep a low profile, and he failed at that. Thus, he retreated back to Apokolips before he could make even more of a scene. Also, aren't para-demons fairly weak compared to meta humans?
Mobius97--You'll see all the tragedy you need to see in a story in due time. ;)
ron-sama--Yes, you hit it on the spot. I wouldn't call Ron a superhero just yet, and Bonnie's biggest issue is still with Ron/Kim instead of Ron/missions. Darkseid wouldn't kill Kalibak unless something really drastic came up--he didn't even kill Orion when he had the chance.
qtpie235--From my knowledge, malignant cancer is fatal and there is no guaranteed cure, if any at all.
Riverfox237--I usually try to tone down my language and keep it clean, but sometimes the situation calls for that kind of language to keep realism. Don't worry, I'm not going to have one of my characters just spewing out cuss words for no reason.
KPR--Now that I think about it, I do remember an X-men Evolution episode about Captain America getting cancer. Thanks for pointing that out.
Jawelik--Thanks again for reviewing. I'll keep updating as long as I have time.
Gargoylesama--As the Joker said, "Batman is no mere mortal." You'll see where the earth's villains fall soon enough.
Eckles--Thanks again for keeping your consistent and productive reviews. I really enjoy reading them and they lead to good ideas. Yes, cancer will shock Ron to no end. You're right--Kim isn't trying to take advantage of the situation because she truly wants their relationship to work out if Bon/Ron's fails. She doesn't want him to have any doubt whatsoever about her or her motives. However, Bonnie's reasons might be right in the end. Who knows? ;)
Nightwing 509--Enjoy this chapter.
Whatever Star--Excellent prediction, as you'll see why from this chapter.
DJ Rodriguez--Thanks again for your consistent reviews. Yes, Ron and the rat are fatefully intertwined. As for the time Bonnie and Ron have left together…I can't guarantee that they will have a lot, so you may be right on that. Right now, I can only see Ron beating Batman, Green Arrow, and the para-demons. The big guns are still out of his league (pun intended).
Chapter 3
If there was one thing Steppenwolf could be thankful for, it was the fact that Darkseid gave him free reign to deliver his ultimatum. If this planet had been as weak as Kalibak had reported…well, it would die before any kind of measly resistance was put together.
Speaking of his grand-nephew (Kalibak), he personally believed that Kalibak did a good job on his last mission. The only mistake he made was drawing attention to himself, something that Steppenwolf was not going to hesitate to do. Kalibak had scouted the heroes and gave an accurate description of them. Despite the fact that this earth seemed so similar to their other earth, none of these people were even close to Kal-el's power.
And if this earth was anything like the one that Darkseid had failed—'be careful with the wording'—been unable to invade, they would share the same pitiful weakness. Compassion. Love. During the brief time he worked for Darkseid, even Kal-El, the greatest knight Darkseid ever had—'yes, even better than me' he grudgingly admitted—shared that weakness.
Steppenwolf pushed those thoughts out of his mind as stepped out of his boom tube portal, followed by a dozen parademons. 'Now the fun begins,' he thought to himself, brandishing his trademark whip.
X.X
February was just as cold as January, perhaps even colder as the temperature was frequently below zero. Middleton High's students, however, were warmly tucked away in their high school, immediately forgetting about the frigid environment they had to fight through in the morning.
It had been the last thing on Ron's mind, as he scrambled to his locker, knowing that he'd be late again. He had, after all, stopped by Bonnie's locker in hopes of finding her but, unsurprisingly, she wasn't there. He had waited and waited until the five minute bell rang.
He knew she had been avoiding him the whole day, but there was no way she could avoid him during lunch. He'd have his say, apologize, and things would be good again. At least, he told himself that to stop his anxiousness. After scanning the cafeteria, he spotted his target. The pretty brunette was already halfway through the lunchline.
"Hey, Ron," a voice said from behind him, jerking him from his thoughts.
"Hey, KP," he said, obviously distracted. He didn't even bother turning around, and Kim followed his eyes to see the reason.
"Go say something!" She gave him a push in the right direction. He kept on going until he was right behind Bonnie. Taking a deep breath…
"Hey, no cutting!" Bonnie turned around to see what was going on and came face to face with Ron. She quickly turned her head and just stared straight ahead.
"Sorry, man. This'll only take a sec," Ron replied sheepishly as he cut in front of Bonnie and turned to look at her. Not surprisingly, she didn't look very happy to see him. "Um, I'm sorry." 'Ron, you idiot. Is that the best you can do?' he thought to himself.
"It's fine." Her tone was steady but her eyes said otherwise. "We all have to move on sometimes, right? Or, in your case, move back."
"Bonnie, you're not being fair." She didn't reply. He was about to say something when he saw an auburn-haired cheerleader running towards him, Kimmunicator in hand.
"Ron, you have to see this!" she was starting to panic.
"Kim, I'm busy," he whispered through clenched teeth.
"Look!" She held out her Kimmunicator, and everyone around took a look, including Bonnie. On it was a live news segment sent through by Wade.
"Mysterious Creatures Ravage New York" was the title, shown on the bottom of the screen. People were screaming wildly as they fled from the group using incredibly destructive weapons on the surrounding area. One man wearing a green helmet lashed his whip out, destroying solid concrete as it made contact.
"Fifteen minutes ago, these group of madmen appeared in upper New York according to witnesses. Demanding to see the world's finest heroes, they unleashed their fury on the surrounding population. Using weaponry that the US government claims it cannot identify, these 'aliens' are remorselessly demolishing the surrounding buildings. There have been no casualties yet, but it appears that--"
The news reporter was cut short when she felt a strong hand wrap around her neck. Steppenwolf stared into the camera was his piercing eyes, causing the people surrounding Kim to shudder. The lunchroom was almost completely silent, and the food stopped being served. Those who were lucky enough to be next to Kim had their eyes focused on the Kimmunicator, while the remaining students listened on.
It wasn't long before the teachers came in and turned on all the TV monitors in the lunchroom so that everyone had a clear view of Steppenwolf. Everyone and everything in Middleton had come to a complete halt.
"Earthlings, I am Steppenwolf." The reporter shivered fearfully in his grasp. "I hail from the planet Apokolips."
X.X
Drakken and Shego were busy running tests on the barely moving rat. Its heartbeat was there but rapidly fading. For all of its strength and superiority, it was falling prey to its own perfection. Behind them, the electrical doors opened and one of the henchmen walked through.
"I said I didn't want to be disturbed!" Drakken yelled in his normal erratic voice.
"Sir, urgent news. You have to see this." Drakken gave him a 'you-better-be-right' look before following his henchman, and Shego followed closely behind. He looked at the giant monitor and saw a man dressed in metallic green armor with his hand around a woman's neck.
"What is this?"
"Shhhh! Listen!" Drakken looked annoyed and was about to say something to Shego about respect of mad geniuses but stopped when he heart that chilling, emotionless voice.
"I am here to deliver an ultimatum."
X.X
Monkey Fist sat meditating in his mansion; he understood he wasn't the Monkey Master but that didn't mean he'd stop training. Perhaps one day, he'd surpass Stoppable on sheer hard work. Thus, he was very annoyed when one of his monkeys interrupted him and started chirping loudly. Sighing, he got up and followed the monkey to see what was wrong.
In his dimly lit great room, there was a sixty-two inch television surrounded by monkeys staring intently at the screen. He too turned his eyes and looked at the mysterious looking man with a black goatee and shiny green armor. In the background, he saw unfamiliar creatures wreaking havoc.
"What is the meaning of this?" Steppenwolf uttered his next sentence, almost answering Monkey Fist's question.
"Surrender or die." He closed his hand on the reporter's neck, severing it completely as the head rolled off.
X.X
Sensei sat meditating on Mount Yamanouchi when he felt it; death, bloodshed. War.
X.X
Middleton was in shock. The whole nation, the whole world was in shock. For most of them, it was the first time witnessing a true death--murder--and a gruesome one at that. The blood was still spewing out of the reporter's neck as Steppenwolf reveled in it with a sadistic smile. Judging by the expression the cameraman had on his face, Steppenwolf could only assume that he was right. 'These people are just like Kal-el's earth's people. Loving. Compassionate. Weak."
He heard approaching jet fighters and saw artillery headed his way. Not wanting to confront a national army with only a dozen para-demons at his side, he boomed open another portal. Taking one last look at the camera, he gave another evil smile with his penetrating eyes.
"We'll be back…with our army next time. Be prepared to surrender." He heard a loud sound and turned to see an artillery shell ram straight into him. He was knocked back a couple dozen feet as the shell exploded, leaving a small crater with Steppenwolf in the middle. To everyone's surprise and horror, however, he just got up and jumped into the portal, followed by his para-demons.
X.X
Back on Apokolips, Darkseid stood stoically over his people. His army was in a process of rebuilding, having been devastated by a clash with New Genesis and another with Brainiac. He heard the boom tube portal open behind him but didn't bother to turn around.
"I trust you have not failed, Steppenwolf."
"No, master. I delivered the message--they have no choice. They have no one that can stand up to us, nothing that even comes close to our technology."
"How long do we have to prepare?"
"An indefinite amount of time. They have nothing."
"Excellent," he said, eyes blazing with contentment. Time was on his side; or at least he thought so.
X.X
Thirty miles south of Middleton, Earth's greatest hope arrived. The Justice League stepped out of their portal, unaware of the chaos that had already begun.
"I suppose we made it?" asked Green Arrow, seeing desert instead of stars.
"Yes. We need to set up base," Batman replied matter-of-factly.
"Gotham?"
"Actually, I was thinking of somewhere quieter. There's a town called Middleton, thirty miles north of here. At least it should be if our world's are virtually the same."
"I'll scout," said Superman, flying ahead of the pack.
X.X
"He--he survived a direct hit from an artillery shell…"
"…wasn't even hurt…"
"…killed that lady without even trying…"
"…monster…" The whispers running through Middleton High reflected everyone's thoughts around the globe. The familiar screech signified the PA was on, and Mister Barkin spoke in a firm voice.
"Because of today's…tragedy, school is dismissed. And children, don't do anything stupid." There was a slow shuffle to the cafeteria exits, soft murmurs running through the crowd. In the midst of it all, Ron tried to find Bonnie, who had started off before him. He spotted her and quickly made his way over.
Despite their relationship problems, he still put an arm over his shoulder and held her. She didn't resist and instead eased into it.
"Does this mean you forgive me?"
"For the moment."
"Will you at least talk to me?"
"Come to my house, Ron." It was more of a plea than anything else. Like everyone else, she was shaken from the day's events, and things were put in perspective. She wasn't going to continue ignoring Ron in times like these. She loved him, and she couldn't deny it no matter how hard she had tried.
"Sure thing, Bon."
X.X
"Dr. D, look at this," said Shego quietly, pointing to the rat they had been working on.
"It's…dead." But it seemed so insignificant now. He had just seen a man--no, he wasn't human--walk through an artillery shell unphased. He was a monster--remorseless, sadistic, cruel--and a murderer. Drakken couldn't help but wonder at how much more death there would be when that monster returned. He looked down at the rat who, just an hour ago, had been the center of his attention and thoughts. Now, it was dead, and he barely even focused on it.
To him, it was just another death--perhaps one of many in the weeks to come. One more wouldn't hurt.
A/N--I know, I know, it still isn't as 'sad' as The Day it Changed was, but it'll get there. This is just the start to the downward spiral our characters will go through. Yes, death will be a major theme in this work, and perhaps some of our main characters will die. How's that sound to you from an angst standpoint?