"Can't you go any faster?" Dreamer bellowed over the wind.
"I'm going as fast as I can" Guardian roared back as the motorcycle raced between vehicles breaking every speed limit and traffic light in their path.
The road zipped past weaving between buildings and districts, the Daily Planet peeking through the skyline as the two heroes fought through the blaring traffic past honking cars and screaming pedestrians. Jimmy knew every street and back alley in this city and used them to cut every corner he could in an attempt to catch up to Supergirl and the Martian Manhunter. It was a gruelling trial and highly dangerous but Jimmy wouldn't accept anything slower if it meant they got their in time to help Kara. They had no idea what the situation was so all they could think was worse case scenarios. Dreamer in particular could see the shadow of the Red Devil from her vision looming outside of her periphery despite it just being a memory. She didn't want to think what might happen if the man they saw was there also.
After braking around a corner the power plant facility finally came into view, police cars forming a perimeter around the block as uniformed men and women barked into their radios. Jimmy throttled the gas and ploughed through their barricade, ignoring the warnings from the police officers and they darted between cars with Dreamer apologising over her shoulder. They approached the entrance at 80 miles per hour coming face to face with a fall of fire created by Hank to cut off any interference.
"Hang on!" Guardian advised, pulling out his retractable shield and attaching it to the front of his bike. Nia wrapped her arms around his waist tightly as he yanked the bike up into a wheelie. The momentum got them airborne long enough to leap through the flames and over the crevice cut into the tarmac, the heat brushing past their bodies. Guardian's armour protected him from the blistering heat but Nia felt the tickle of the flames, instinctively creating an astral barrier around herself to protect her. They landed on the opposite side and came face to face with the militia waiting for them.
With most of the masked men loading the truck and raiding the reactor inside, a small crew were left to guard the entrance with assault rifles. When they saw the motorcycle jump through the flames they were caught by surprise, but that didn't stop them opening fire on the vehicle. Pullets bounced off Guardian's chassis and shield as the driver ducked down behind it, the projectiles cutting through the engine and brake lines as it landed on its tyres which burst under the assault. Guardian felt the steeling fail as the bike screeched and wailed, the machine twisting violently throwing them both off the seat.
The two heroes anticipated the abrupt landing, twisting in the air to roll along the floor and kick back up onto their feet before they were riddled with bullet holes. Dreamer spun her body around wildly like Brainy trained her, landing on her feet summoning a translucent blue construct of a whip which she swung around at the gunmen knocking most of their weapons out of their hands. The rest lurched back from the counterattack giving the girl some breathing room. Guardian rolled onto his knees beside his motorcycle, which was now smoking from the damage to the engine. He felt bullets bounce off his thick armour and grunted, grabbing his shield from the bike and hooking it to his left wrist. He looked through the thin visor to the men in front of him all reeling from Dreamer's whip, his breathing deep as he leapt up into the fight.
Unlike his allies, James Olsen didn't have the training either Alex or Kara or even Nia received. But years of being the best friend to Superman taught him you needed to be prepared so he taught himself several means of self-defence and attended a few classes, particularly in boxing. And he had the street smarts to go into situations like this and stand on his own. So when he sprinted into the barrier of bodyguards he was not unprepared, barging into the first two with his shield before pummelling the next few with his fists. Their guns became ineffective in close quarters so they dropped them and fought back hand to hand, some drawing knives. But the blades never got between the chinks in his armour as the man punched and elbowed his way through their defences putting them on the ground one beating at a time.
Nearby, Nia was dealing with those who still had their guns ready. Her construct spun around in front of her deflecting the bullets as she hopped over a fallen soldier, kicking him in the head to render him unconscious before turning the lasso into a lance she used to uppercut the nearest gunman. He somersaulted through the air while his mate stared in shock before taking a knee to the gut. She flipped over his doubled over back and unleashed a volley of astral energy at a group of shooters knocking them to the ground before whirling around and summoning a hammer to smack the retching solider flat on his stomach. She allowed herself a moment to breath, the hammer disappearing as she scanned the courtyard.
Two trucks sat nearby with men passing duffle bags and machinery into the back as more funnelled out of the double doors of the front entrance. Half of these men saw the arrival of the superheroes and ordered some men to break of and grab their weapons. On her right Guardian finished with his group of masked men and came up beside her in time to witness the doors open and a trio of men walk out with a large container carried between them. This container was a foot long and six inches wide with two large handles, metal locks sealing the container shut a blue light shone out of the tiny viewports around the outside. They carried it with great care like it was volatile and the both knew it was the fusion power source from the reactor. More men came carrying more pieces of the reactor, such as the harness and the conversion relay. They all stopped when they saw the vigilantes staring at them.
"We can't let them get away with that power core" Guardian said, shaking off his arms making sure the shield was in place before advancing on them. Dreamer followed, her arms glowing with astral energy.
"Shoot them!" one of the men ordered, prompting five guys to fire their rifles in their direction. Those carrying the reactor hurried their pace towards the trucks.
Guardian brought his shield up stepping in front of Dreamer blocking the gunfire, the bullets bouncing off the steel. Dreamer took cover behind him charging her energy before firing it over his shoulder. The blast hit two guys in the chest catapulting them into the path of the men carrying the container making them stumble. They dropped the harness with pieces rolling on the ground while another man scrambled to pick them up. The container remained in their hands but they rushed to divert their course.
Still under the gunfire, Guardian rushed forward towards the armed men while Dreamer launched herself into the air over their heads to create several spiked constructs raining them down upon them. They shattered harmlessly on impact but the distractions removed the attention from Guardian who barrelled into the men with guns disarming them. She landed amongst the ground holding a blue staff which she used to club and trip up more militia members who got too close. Between them they cut a path through the militia and blocked the men with the container.
Guardian stepped in their path, knocking out the man grappling with his shield and glaring at the masked men. One of them passed the container to his friend, who grunted from the weight of the heavy device, and cracked his knuckles. Guardian checked there was no other guards to threaten him and put his shield away, baring his fists ready to brawl. The militia man was large, as tall as him and bulky under his combat fatigues. Jimmy had the benefit of his armour enhancing his strength so he was more than a match to take this man in a fist fight. They rushed each other and started trading blows, but it only lasted a few seconds as Jimmy sidestepped a punch and cracked the man on the back of his head. He folded like a sack of potatoes. A gunshot ran out and he felt something ping of his helmet, turning around to see the man holding the container straining to stay upright while holding his pistol. Guardian gave him a bemused look before upper cutting the man as hard as he could.
The man went flying, but so did the container holding the fusion power core. The blue glow hummed as it tumbled through the air out of the militia's grasp in a long arc. Guardian realised his mistake watching it in slow motion, his body moving too slowly to catch up. But Dreamer was faster and she leapt into the container's arc, catching it against her chest landing on her backside with a sharp exhale. She clung to the container looking at it, the power core within unharmed. She sighed a breath of relief.
"leave it, we need to get the rest of this stuff out of here!" the man in the truck shouted as the militia picked themselves up and sprinted for the vehicle, the remaining duffle bags and equipment thrown into the back as they climbed up. Guardian turned to see them retreating, rushing forward to give chase until one of them pulled out a heavy machine gun. He froze in his tracks when the man pulled the trigger, the gun rattling as high calibre bullets ripped through the air towards them. Guardian covered his face with the shield as it was pelted with ammunition, the huge impacts making his arm shake as he fell to his knees. Dreamer curled into a ball around the power core creating a blue shield around her, the bullets pounding it relentlessly shimmering from each impact. She put all her focus into the shield, the stain making her ears bleed as it threatened to rip through the energy field and into her. A few unlucky or unfortunate militia men were cut to ribbons from the barrage, including those unconscious on the floor. But the man kept firing until the trucks were underway.
The reinforced vehicle smashed through the wall next to the burning entrance throwing brick and concrete onto the police cars surrounding it as it barrelled its way out into the street. The second truck followed close behind, skidding around the corner a police started firing on the vehicle. One of the militia leaned out the window and tossed several grenades towards the police officers, the explosions discouraging them from following. They vanished into a cloud of dust and smoke.
Jimmy tentatively lowered his shield once the gunfire ceased, peering cautiously over his protection to see the massive hole left by their escape. Behind him the blue energy field dissolved and Dreamer sat up still clutching the container, wiping the blood from her nose. Guardian turned to her and asked if she was okay. "That was intense" she said, pushing herself to her feet cradling the heavy power core.
"They were awfully quick to leave this behind" Jimmy noted, examining the container making sure it was intact. Once they were sure it wouldn't explode on them they placed it somewhere safe and radioed the DEO. "The power core is secure, but the militia got away" they reported begrudgingly.
Alex drove an unmarked SUV racing towards metropolis in a convoy with several of their agents cramped inside. Beside her Brainy was analysing the satellite imagery from the facility confirming their escape route. "Understood, we'll move to intercept them" she said, shifting gears and radioing her convoy with new instructions. "Any sign of Supergirl?" she asked.
"No, she's not here" Guardian replied sounding worried. "And neither are Jon or Henshaw."
"I have them" Brainy interrupted, showing the map of Metropolis zooming in on the constructions site. "Five city blocks away in an empty construction zone" he reported.
Alex nodded, glad her sister was nearby. "Okay, Guardian, you and Dreamer head over there and assist them" she said. "We'll catch up to his militia and box them in." but just as she was about to confirm the order with her convoy she saw Brainy's expression twitch. The coluan wasn't one to show emotion, his race evolving upon logic rather than feelings, but every once in a while something slips through the stoic exterior indicating something was wrong. Alex turned to her partner and asked "what is it?"
He didn't answer right away, staring at his screen as if to double check his findings. The director knew it took a lot to rattle Brainiac Five so whatever this was he deemed it serious. "I've detected an energy signature in the same vicinity as Supergirl" he said, his voice suddenly a decibel lower.
Alex looked at him on the verge of stopping the SUV. "What is it?" she asked.
He returned her gaze, showing the blinking red screen in his hands. "Kryptonite."
Supergirl collided with the thick concrete supports of the building foundation, the material cracking as her back smacked against the surface. She collapsed gasping for air, crawling onto her knees as green veins creeped under her skin. Her body was racked in pain as she struggled to breathe, her muscles burning like they were holding up the sky. She looked up to catch her reflection in a piece of sheet metal, her face a sickly pale with her blue eyes bloodshot with a blend of red and green. It was as if her blood was being corrupted inside her body.
"Supergirl!" Jon called out, his voice sounding a miles away to the young woman. She lifted her head up and peered through the uneven images seeing the green Martian running towards her until he's caught by Cyborg Superman and shoved face first into the dirt.
"You and me aren't finished yet Martian" Hank growled as he slammed Jon's head into the ground over and over. The alien lashed out at the man, breaking his grip only to be punched and pummelled back to the ground mercilessly.
That left Kara at the mercy of the chrome robot Metallo with its kryptonite chest glowing brightly. Kara crawled up to the support and pulled herself up to her feet, her legs wobbly as she tried to keep upright. Despite having thirteen years to accommodate to the effects of kryptonite poisoning it still knocked her for six whenever the mineral got too close. But she pushed through the agony of nails raking her insides and pushed away from the concrete pillar to swing at the robot.
The metal fist caught her fist easily, its other hand shooting forward grabbing her by the neck slamming her back against the pillar. Kara struggled, pinned against the wall as the robot proceeded to crush her windpipe. She grit her teeth and kicked out at the machine, her heels connecting to its skull which did nothing more than annoy the drone. She changed tactic and wrapped her legs around its arm, recalling the grapples Alex taught her years ago when they'd spar under a red sun lamp to even the playing field. She could hear her scolding voice back then berating her about relying on her powers too much as she tossed her around over and over. She wished Alex was here to see her successfully pull Metallo down to his knees away from the wall, until its gears shifted and instead used its strength to fling the kryptonian across the construction site where she landed on the ground like a ragdoll. She coughed up dirt wincing in pain, the pain in her body loosening the further away she got from the robot. Unfortunately that didn't last long as Metallo stood up and immediately started advancing on her again. She scrambled back to her feet backing away, trying to put some distance between her and the mineral that was killing her. In response it crossed its arms, charging up its chest cavity as it unleashed a concentrated beam of green energy. Kara's reactions were too sluggish t dive out the way, the beam launching her off her feet and through a wall of bricks before landing on her back gasping for air.
Jon fought against his nemesis while watching Supergirl beaten by the machine. He saw her costume singed from kryptonite energy as more of her skin turned pale and her veins became more pronounced. She couldn't take much more of those attacks before the poisoning overcame her. Jon wasn't affected by kryptonite so he needed to get to her. But Hank held him back, one arm locked around his throat as he pinned him to the ground. "You never could get the better of me, could you" he growled, his cybernetic eye glowing.
"And you always underestimate me" Jon suddenly growled back, his form changing shape as he grew into a hulking monster throwing him off. Jon didn't like to use his shapeshifting abilities so violently, but desperation called for extreme measures. He knocked cyborg superman away and threw his arm out towards Metallo, his arm extending like elastic grabbing the robot snatching him from his friend. Metallo stared at the hand in blank surprise before it was slammed into the floor with enough force to squash a human. But it brushed it off and started punching and chopping at Jon's arm, the kryptonite heart charging up to cut another beam through his hand. Jon screamed in pain forced to drop the robot, retaliating with a backhand across its skull sending it flying.
Hank got up from where he landed and fired and optic beam, cutting into Jon's flesh causing him pain. He dashed forward and pummelled the Martian so fast he landed twenty jabs to his sternum before he could stop him, followed by an uppercut with his steel hand that sent the beast lurching backwards. Jon shrank back to his normal form groaning, crawling away from the angry Hank Henshaw who fired his optic beams around him lighting the ground on fire. Jon recoiled from the flames staring up at the menacing threat.
Kara rolled onto her side looking on, unable to move from the severe pain making her dizzy. She saw the fire and heard Jon's screams, her vision going blurry as she watched Hank advance on her mentor. She tried to call out to him but her voice wouldn't work, her arms losing strength as she landed on her shoulder. Through her blurry vision she caught a glimpse of the crane above the fight, a large pile of metal beams suspended from a hook. Utilising all the concentration she could muster, she forced her eyes to focus on the hook and screamed, firing a burst of heat vision that melted the metal chains and released the beams from their suspension.
Hank looked up as the metal beams fell towards him, jumping out of the way before they could crush him. They landed between him and Jon, the impact kicking up a cloud of dirt that extinguished the flames terrifying the Martian. Jon scrambled away from the collapsed supports looking at them in shock while Hank glowered behind the temporary cover.
"Jon" Kara tiny voice wheezed, pulling Jon's attention from the fight as she coughed painfully. He rushed to her side telling her it would be alright. "Stay strong Supergirl" he said, lifting her head pointing her face to the sunlight. Her body tried to draw in as much of the yellow sun energy as it could, but her body still screamed in pain back at her.
The metal beams screeched as they grinded against one other, the dust cloud dissipating revealing Metallo prying them apart to force its way back towards him, its hollow eyes fixed on Supergirl as its green heart shone brighter. Jon stepped protectively in front of her, fists raised ready to fight to the bitter end even as Hank floated up over the debris to glare at him.
"Boss, we have to stuff and are heading to the rendezvous point" a voice in his cybernetic earpiece implant called.
Hank considered the situation, prepared to finish this fight and kill the Martian, but decided the mission was more vital. They'll have their chance to finish this for good. "Understood" he muttered, looking at the robot sending a wireless signal to its computer brain. It glanced at the man before abandoning its advance through the debris, stepping back to engage its booster rockets where upon it followed Hanks up into the sky and away from the battle.
Jon and Kara were left gobsmacked as the villains retreated, leaving them both confused and wounded as the Martian fell to his knees in relief. Kara's pain lessened with the kryptonite gone, her breath becoming shallow but easier to take. Jon sat by her side and pulled her into his arms, grateful it was over.
Voices came out of the cloud as Guardian and Dreamer sprinted over to find them with Alex, Brainy and the DEO following behind them. When asked where Hank was Jon explained they were gone. "Spread out and find them!" Alex ordered, her men responding at once darting in all directions. "What happened?"
"Metallo" Kara wheezed, immediately alarming everyone. Jon quickly filled them in on the conflict and Guardian confirmed they never got the power source from the fusion reactor. "They don't need it" she said, pain shooting through her chest the more she talked. "They have kryptonite. He said they had everything they needed."
Nobody wanted to finish the thought for her as she finally succumbed to exhaustion. The implications were enough. Hank Henshaw had the means to activate the robot drones he stole from Axis. They had to assume he had enough kryptonite to power all on them, which gave him an army of machines capable of killing kryptonians.