Okay! I finally finished with my finals! I had Accounting, Calculus, and Creative Writing (Can you guess which one was my favorite) this last week. Now that we're all done though, and now that I've flown across the United States for some much needed relax time, here's the next chapter you all have been waiting for! It's a little shorter, but tells you a bit of the state of how things are going on one side at the moment. Anyways, hope it was worth the wait!
P.S.: There was so many views to last chapter that I lost count. I'm just going to take it that everyone was as excited for it as I was.
Mailbox Time!
TheLostOneIsFound: As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for :). Sorry for the long wait this time around.
Mr. Ursine: Thanks man. Glad I had a little more time to focus on studies. Now I can focus more on stories!
walleedziad1970: Not till later in life. For now you all have me for a while yet.
ANTI REAPER: Glad you enjoyed it dude *thumbs up*.
FanficsOP: Don't challenge me to a waiting game. It might make me mess with all the readers more. ;)
Eris: I'm pretty sure I just showed that Kryptonians are an inferior species compared to the Beast. Plus, I'd prefer to keep it simple. Beast Boy being able to turn into any animal he wants is hard to keep track of. If he can turn into other alien species close to humans, then I don't know what I'd do.
dld51: And won he did indeed.
Azarath Cat: You know, I wish someone could animate it too. I need to make some good friends here at College. Maybe one day one of them will be hired by DC.
HornedGoddess: Oh good, I'm glad it was a good feeling cliffhanger and not the middle finger ones I've had lately. Thanks for the compliments!
neslykoki: Yeah, when I got to the action here. I really wanted to show how intense it was on both sides. Pure hard action doesn't always leave room for dialogue. Glad you're getting used to my cruelty ;).
frog31791: I know what would have happened. Maybe I'll show it later or something.
Alexpv22: I'm glad that read to your tastes then. It's not that I don't like them, it's that I found the idea of the Beast beating up Superman satisfying in too many ways to count. As to that, we'll have to see.
Pixel-Pie02: Thanks again man! That means a lot coming from you! Hope things continue to go well for you!
WarpCrazy: You know, that about sums up my thoughts. I wanted to show the Beast's strength, and give a satisfying end to that arc. Now with that out of the way, we can get on to preparing for the next one!
Since Last Time: 11 more favorites, 10 more follows (Total: 296 Favorites, 340 Followers)
Updated: August 2nd, 2019 8:00 EST (Eastern Standard Time)
Wonderful Disclaimer: Oh how I wish I could own a small part of it just so I could get the last chapter animated.
Chapter Forty-Seven: Fear of the Beast
An hour later
The scene showed a pure white room, filled with soft beds and other devices…
Thmmm…
The door to the room slid open, and the Flash and Aquaman came walking in. The two of them supported a really hurt Superman between them on their shoulders.
"Ow… I'm okay guys… I really don't need-" Superman tried to say. Then his eyes rolled into his head and he blacked out again.
"Don't need it? You probably need it more than Green Arrow did." The Flash said seriously as he and Aquaman moved to set Superman on a cot next to Wonder Woman. A weird device next to her cot showed a full moon on it, with the number 1 next to it.
Within a moment, Superman was lying on the cot, the blankets pulled over his shoulder so the WatchTower's healing room could start its work. The Flash and Aquaman took a step back, and then the healing field activated around the cot. Superman's body floated an inch or two off the bed, the blanket still covering him.
"You know, I still don't understand how Superman managed to replicate the healing factor of his Fortress of Solitude to this room in the WatchTower," Aquaman said.
"I'd ask Martian Manhunter. He'd probably know." The Flash said with a shrug.
With the two finished, they stared down at Superman for a moment.
…
Thmmm…
The door slid open again, and the two looked to the door. Batman was standing in the doorway.
"How is he?" He asked as he entered.
"He was conscious for a few minutes, but he passed out again before we set him here," Aquaman said before he looked back down at Superman.
The three heroes were silent for another moment.
"Out of all of us, I would've thought Supes here would have been the least likely to need this room." The Flash said almost sadly.
"I thought if anyone could handle that Beast, it'd be him," Aquaman said in agreement.
Batman got to the foot of Superman's cot and stared down at him. "You know it's not your fault Barry. It was the Beast that did this to him." He said as his hands formed fists at his side.
"I still can't believe the Beast managed to do this to Superman. He's the strongest toughest one out of all of us." The Flash said miserably.
Aquaman shuddered on the other side of the cot. "If that Beast can do this to Superman, then I have no interest in facing that thing one on one." He said.
Batman grabbed the edge of the cot. He wanted to argue what Aquaman had said. But then he hung his head. "I shouldn't have had him go ahead alone. I could have at least helped him out while he was facing the Beast instead of staying back." Batman said in a sad deep voice.
"Bruce, he said he could handle it and we believed he could. Besides, you would have only gotten yourself hurt too if you had tried to help." The Flash said.
Batman looked up at the Flash with anger blazing on his face. "I could have done something! I have countermeasures that can beat every other hero on this team including myself! Some of them could have been very effective in fighting that Beast!" Batman said in an angry voice.
"Bruce. The Beast literally has the potential to be a countermeasure to all of us." The Flash said as he pointed back down to Superman.
He had chased down Kid Flash.
He beat up Green Arrow and his sidekick with another hero, without being in his Beast form.
He had beaten Wonder Woman and Terra underground, or so they assumed.
And now the Beast had epically mauled Superman of all heroes and still had the energy to run.
The fact that the Beast and the demoness could be a match for any one of them slowly sank into their minds. And with that, newfound fear for this threat started to grow in their hearts.
"Nope. I'm definitely not risking a one on one with that Beast or that Demoness. Even if it's in the ocean with a bunch of laser sharks at my command." Aquaman said gruffly to hide his growing fear of the Beast.
"I don't care if I had miles of flat plains to run in. I'm not facing that thing alone even if it's in the same shape Superman left it in." The Flash said, all his bravado from earlier now long gone with the sight hovering above the bed.
"How are we going to capture it and the demoness then? We can't just run away with our tails between our legs on this matter." Batman said more calmly as he looked first at Superman, then at Wonder Woman. His eyes lingered on her.
"I don't know Bruce." The Flash said.
They didn't really know what to do…
…
"We'll think of something," Batman spoke. "The two of them aren't infallible. They'll make a mistake, and when that happens, we'll pounce." Batman said determinedly.
The Flash and Aquaman looked at each other, and they both shrugged. "Whatever you say, Bruce. As long as I don't have to face that thing by myself." The Flash said as he started to walk away.
"Yeah. For once, if we're going to bring them down, I want it to be a team effort and not a solo effort." Aquaman said while following the Flash.
"Don't worry, none of us are going solo against them again. I'm not underestimating those two anymore." Batman said determinedly as he followed them.
The three of them quietly left the healing room together.
…
Thmmm…
The door slid open again, and Zatanna sneaked quietly into the room. 'I need some answers.' She thought as she looked around to make sure no one was around.
When she saw no one else was around, she quietly walked up to the side of Superman's cot. "Tel em ees eht decneulfni s'eno seiromem." She chanted under her breath.
A fine mist appeared over Superman's head. "*Gasp!* Superman gasped inside his healing field, and a fine mist came out of his mouth. He didn't wake though, and his body relaxed again. The fine mist settled outside the field in front of Zatanna. Noticing that the influence spell she had dug inside Superman was losing its hold, Zatanna wasted no time with her next words.
"Wohs em sih tnecer thgif." She whispered the chant.
The fine mist swirled for a second…
"You're choosing the hard way, aren't you?" Superman asked.
The mist cleared, and the memory of the start of the fight was shown in the middle of it.
"I'm going to enjoy this."
Zatanna watched the fight unfold with Raven from Superman's viewpoint.
"Retsaf." Zatanna commanded.
The fight fast forwarded in the mist. She was still able to comprehend everything going on in it despite the speed it was going at. She watched as Superman fought. He was holding back some since he didn't want to hurt the demoness at first.
Then he got sent through a portal. He realized the two had a major chance at getting away now. He frenzily flew through the base in desperation, knocking down lockdown doors and traps and other things. He couldn't let them escape, not now! Not after the possible harm they could have done to his mother, and the two heroes they had killed out on the plains!
Zatanna almost gasped in surprise at what he did to Raven to keep her from fighting again. 'He really did that?!' She thought in shock.
Then Zatanna watched his fight with the Beast. The anger, the speed of everything, the force behind his hits. 'He wasn't holding anything back.' Zatanna realized. Neither of them was.
Finally, the images in the mist turned to black. The last thing it had shown on it was Superman approaching the dust cloud that formed from his epic hit. After that, it went completely black.
Zatanna waved her hand through the mist, and the mist separated and went back into Superman's mouth.
"*Gasp!*"
He gasped again as the mist reentered him, but he didn't wake up. He stayed deep in his healing trance. Zatanna looked around the room again to make sure no one had watched it. Then she looked down at Superman down below. 'At least I know he tried to not let them get away.' She thought, before she frowned. 'That Beast though… I didn't realize it would be that protective of the demoness…'
She didn't realize that having Superman under the influence spell would make him do something so drastic either. Even with him under the influence, she'd seen how guilty he'd felt to have to pull such a measure on the demoness.
She looked down at him for a moment more. 'You know, this would be the perfect time to take control of him dearie.' Nabu's voice spoke in Zatanna's mind.
Zatanna blinked at that. 'Wait. Why would I need to control Superman?' She thought skeptically. She had already had him under some minor influence, though it looked like it had demolished itself by now from the mental trauma of the fight. She hoped it had been minor enough that he wouldn't notice it after waking up.
'Think about it. All that strength, all that raw power being under your control. I'm sure you could direct all that to better fight those two weaklings. Including the little green one.' Nabu's voice said to her almost seducingly in her mind. Though the last part sounded a little angrier, not that she noticed.
Zatanna stared down at Superman's calm face for a moment. Her mind contemplating it. 'With his mind suppressed for the healing process, it would be so easy…'
She shook her head. 'No. I already have all that I need to capture them now. I don't need to control or influence anyone else.' Zatanna thought.
'Oh c'mon girlie. It could be so much easier-'
'I already said no Nabu.' Zatanna thought firmly. Her eyes might have been tired, but her resolve still stood resolute. 'I've already used him and everyone else enough. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to use my powers to control any more of my comrades.'
She turned away from Superman. She was facing Wonder Woman's cot now. The frown didn't leave her face as she remembered how she had used her magic to manipulate Wonder Woman. It hadn't even been necessary since she'd had Terra.
Zatanna shook her head. 'Why am I getting so power-hungry? There's only one thing at the end of this that I want.' Zatanna thought sadly to herself.
Nabu's voice didn't speak to her again.
After another moment, Zatanna shook her head again. 'You know what. I have my answers now. If Superman proved he couldn't take them down, then that means I need to try something other than brute force.' She thought.
She started to walk away from the two downed powerful Justice Leaguers. 'And fortunately for me, one of the heroes brought in one interesting prisoner that should do the trick.' She thought.
Author's Note:
This was going to be longer. But I have a major headache right now, and quite honestly this is good as is. Sorry, but I hope you all will forgive me. I promise next week's won't end on such a cliffhanger. I make no promises for the week after that though ;)
Till Next Time
Allen
