Chapter 7, Revenge
The final battle on board the Brainiac ship lasted around half an hour. Katheryn and Lex Luthor fought an increasing number of drone's, sirens rang out as the ship tried to fix the damage Katheryn's rampage had caused. The teleport pads cracked into life.
"Ok you two get to the pads and I'll get you out of there." Calculator's voice was almost lost the sound of the battle.
Suddenly everything was silent, the alarms cut off and the remain drones shut down, Katheryn and Lex looked at each other in surprise. Then a robotic voice rang out over the intercom.
"Five seconds to self-destruct."
"Go, NOW." Lex cried out and thy both jumped towards different teleport pads.
The hat of the explosion seemed to follow Katheryn through the beam, then she felt like she was falling before hitting the ground face first. A cheer went out and someone shouted, "We have another survivor". The air was filled with music and the smell of people. Picking herself up, Katheryn found herself on a large transporter pad, there were a number of people milling around, most of whom seemed to have been infected by the Exobytes, three high tec. looking post boxes stood at the far end of the room. As she stepped of the pad someone handed her a drink.
"Welcome back to Earth, babe."
"Where, where am I?" Katheryn asked still dazed.
"North Burnley night club. Turns out someone had these transporters added so they could make a quick getaway, Lex Corp commandeered them a few hours ago. How about a welcome home dance ay babe?"
Anger flushed the daze out of her system, after everything she had been through she hadn't returned just to be hit on by some creep. Almost by reflex she grabbed the man by his throat.
"Don't call me babe, scum." Then a thought hit her. "Did you say North Burnley?"
The man nodded the best he could, then whimpered with fear as a cruel smile spread over Kathryn's face, dropping the man she headed towards the door.
"I think Luthor and the others want you to stay hear 'till they contact you." The man stammered
"They can bite me. I have some unfinished business to attend to." Katheryn said forcing her way out of the club and into the street. The red claws sliced through anything that got in her way leaving a trail of destruction and screaming people leading form the club to the coffee shop. Tables and chairs went flying in every direction and people ran as Katheryn's rampage continued. Someone in the coffee shop shut and bared the door and Katheryn stopped for a second, the claws were good, the thought but for this she needed something that would do more damage. The light forming the claws crackled and came together stretching out into a chain, a spiked ball formed at the end and the door collapsed under the force of her new weapon.
"I'll teach you to mock me." She screeched as she entered the building, her new weapon taking out part of the wall.
"Katheryn, is that you. Please stop."
Surprised at hearing her name Katheryn turned to see the receptionist from her offices.
"Look, I'm sorry if anyone said anything to upset you, and it looks like you've had a bad couple of days but look at what you've done."
Katheryn looked around at the coffee shop, most of the customers were hiding under tables or holding onto each other.
"Yea calm down ya' stupid ball of floof." A muscular man with long hair and a biker jacket said. Katheryn aimed one of the hand blasters at him and turned back to the receptionist.
"I'm sorry to tell you that Katheryn's dead, you can call me." She stopped and thought for a second. "You can call me Red Floof." Then, turning to the man she added. "You have a problem with that." The man shook his head.
"This is the GCPD asking the unknown meta human to come out with their hands up." The voice came from outside, and Katheryn swung the chain around her head, gouging large lines out of the wall.
"If you do not come out we will be forced to enter and, and, ha haha Ha HAHAHAHA." The voice gave way to intense laughter. Katheryn swung the chain toward the figure who stepped through the ruined doorway. The figure stopped and ducked as the ball flew overhead.
"Well, Lexxy boy, oh I mean Lex Luthor told me I'd find someone who may interest me here and he certainly wasn't wrong." The figure stood up and bushed his purple suit down and turned to look at Katheryn, his face was chalk white and he had huge red grin painted over his lips.
"They call me Joker and I'm here to offer you the opportunity to cause mischief and chaos." Joker held his hand out to Katheryn then dropped it down when he noticed the red ring. "Ah maybe not." He muttered. A man in clown makeup stuck his head round the door.
"These cops have been taken care of boss but there'll be more on the way."
Joker nodded. "Now my dear, come take a walk with me. We have things to discuss." Putting his arm around Katheryn he leads her out of the building.
"We have a problem. I think you've noticed, it's called Brainiac. We also have an influx of new meta humans, some of whom are goody to shoes and some are born villains. I think your little rampage tells us which you are." Joker spread his hands to emphasise his point and Katheryn took in all the damage around her. Four police men lay dead, their mouths stretched to a large, unnatural smile.
"Lexxy, Cerci and myself have decided to take some of you newbies under our wings, help you understand your new ability's and find you jobs. If you join me I'll make sure your rent's paid, your knack for violence is sated and maybe I should get Harley to have a word with you about that temper."
One of the clowns approached Joker and showed him a tray of jewellery, obviously looted from a nearby store, Joker looked over the tray, picked up a silver neckless lined with bright green emeralds and draped it around Katheryn's neck. The clown took the tray to the others and added the rest of his loot to theirs
"There now, I think it matches your eyes." Katheryn blushed at Jokers words. "Take this as well. I'll use it to let you know when I have work for you."
Katheryn took the radio and watched as Joker and his men skipped down the road. Uncertain what to do next Katheryn made her way back to her flat.