Disclaimer: All Characters/settings/trademarks referenced from Dragonball/Z/GT/Super & DC entertainment are the respective properties of their original creators.
A/N: See bottom. There is news. Trust me.
"The Sun And The Moon"
Chapter Nine: Psychosomatic
Trunks' disappointment at being assigned a different task by Batman was foiled as soon as he read the briefing on his wrist mounted tablet. Apparently there was a mother and her child depending on him for evacuation/protection. That kind of circumstance wasn't unfamiliar to him as he had done many a mission to rescue civilians from the androids back before Gohan had died. However, in this instance, his primary opponent was time itself. He needed to reach the family before an imminent threat had a chance to get to them and then transport them to a nearby safe house. The team only had one aircraft at it's disposal, so it was up to him to fly across the country at top speed and reach the family as soon as possible while the rest rode out together. Batman could've easily chosen Kara for it but Trunks was glad he didn't as she was vulnerable to the widely available kryptonite weapons on this planet. Having a team to watch her back was much safer than her going solo.
He and everyone crowded into the bat themed jet which launched through a tunnel with an opening that was hidden behind a waterfall on the face of the mountain. As soon as they were clear, the bay doors opened and Trunks jumped out so he could fly under his own power. He waved farewell to Kara before blasting ahead on his own. The sun had already fallen below the horizon at this point, so he refrained from using his transformation as the bright flash of light would draw attention this near to the harbor town they were based out of. Once he was safely out of range, he found a cluster of storm clouds to fly into and quickly popped into super saiyan under the cover of lightning. With the extra power, he poured on the speed and cut across the midwest. In a little more than an hour, he spotted the Los Angeles skyline in the distance and made his descent.
Batman had stressed the importance of stealth, so Trunks made sure to snag a special capsule out of his kit before leaving. A massively populated urban center like LA and the surrounding area would make it impossible to fly in and not be noticed. Luckily, the capsule he carried in the pocket of his new leather jacket was an old motorcycle that his mother used to carry around in her youth. Finding an isolated spot atop one of the surrounding mountains, Trunks landed amongst the snow capped trees of a hillside. A few minutes later, he was shredding tires down a twisty mountain highway with a sleek black helmet on to disguise his face. It wasn't long before he hit city traffic but, with his bike's maneuverability and lightning quick reflexes, he skillfully weaved through the net of automobiles while following the gps signal on his wrist tablet.
By the time he arrived in front of the modest single family dwelling, nearly two hours had elapsed from his departure. According to the mission clock, the rest of the team would be making their approach off of the Pacific coast in about twenty-five minutes. In Trunks' book, that was more than enough time to make contact with the boy and his mother, explain himself, and get them over to the safe house while leaving himself time to spare to meet up with the main contingent.
He left the bike in the street as he made a bee line to the front of the darkened house. His adrenaline spiked as he noticed the front door was slightly ajar due to the locking handle being busted. Reaching out with his senses, he detected three people in close proximity to each other deeper inside. There was only supposed to have been the mother and her kid. Rushing toward them, Trunks heard a muzzled gunshot go off just before he burst through the door to the master bedroom. He arrived to a horrifying scene. A boy no older than six or seven years old was crouched over his prone mother who was bleeding into the carpet from a bullet wound to her abdomen. A gunman in a black suit, with smoke still rising from the barrel of his silenced pistol, reacted quickly to his arrival and opened fire. Trunks' hands blurred as he caught every single slug from where he stood. The fearful facial expression of the assailant gave him little satisfaction. He dropped the handful of lead onto the floor before using a burst of super speed and one finger flick to the head to dispatch the guy.
Following that, his attention was immediately shifted to the boy and his mother. Trunks threw off his helmet, allowing his gravity defying blonde hair to rise back up, and took a knee so he could address the boy at his eye level. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. I'm here to help."
The boy, who had been leaning protectively over his mother until this point, turned his tear stained face toward Trunks and sniffled before replying. "Is sh-she... gonna be okay?"
Trunks could still feel the woman's life-force, but it was steadily growing weaker. "Let me see her," he said, scooting in close enough to touch her. Gently laying a hand upon her stomach, he closed his eyes and funneled some ki into her body. "This will give her some more time, but we need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible." The boy nodded and moved aside so Trunks could lift her into his arms, bridal style. Trunks, still crouched, looked over his shoulder and beckoned the boy climb on his back. "Grab onto me," he said. "I'll take you there."
As soon as his two passengers were secure, Trunks exited the house and took to the air gently so as not to dismount the boy or exacerbate his mother's condition. The boy tensed his arms around his neck as they rose in altitude but his strength wasn't enough to bother. Trunks was on the lookout for signs of the nearest medical center. He scanned the ground for the lights/sirens associated with ambulances and fire trucks – anything that could help lead the way. When he spotted one, he dove into a low altitude flight and followed it straight to the emergency room.
The spectacle he created upon landing drew the attention of the nurses and receptionists on duty. The former approached with a stretcher, which he deposited his wounded charge upon, while the latter attempted to bombard him with questions and paperwork. He ignored their efforts and set the boy down before kneeling to his level once again. "Listen, I can't hang around here without getting in trouble. You stay here and look after your mom, okay? I'll make sure to let your dad know where you are."
"You know my dad?" the boy asked, surprised.
"No, but some friends of mine do. He's the reason I was sent to help. Hang in there, little man. Everything will be okay – I promise." Trunks was taken by surprise when the kid caught him with a fierce hug. He ruffled the boy's mop of brown hair and gave him a pat on the back before noticing a few security guards approaching with requests for identification. It was time to go. He removed himself from the boy and gave him a thumbs up before running out. He needed to continue onto the safe house and connect with the local contacts (one of which was the boy's father) so he could let them know what had happened. He would've preferred to use a communicator, but Batman had insisted on radio silence for the entirety of the operation to avoid the risk of being detected or monitored by the higher authorities.
Trunks blasted into the sky as soon as he was clear of the doors and immediately referred to his wrist tablet for directions. It wasn't far. He could sense Kara's ki nearby, which meant the rest of team had already started their part of the mission. If he hurried, he could still catch up.
OooooooO
Kara moved swiftly through the ocean storm drain with her teammates on her heels. The stench was strong but the path was relatively unobstructed when compared with the tight dockyard security surrounding the warehouse above ground. Batman was a stickler when it came to stealth, so they'd made an ocean landing and swam up to the sewer system in which they currently occupied. The decision to have Kara on point was because her unique abilities would not only allow them to arrive underneath the warehouse in exactly the right spot but also get them inside.
"We're here," Kara said, holding up a hand to halt the group of bodies clustered behind her. She had her head arched back as she gazed straight through the layers of dirt and concrete. She found an isolated spot between a wall and a stack of crates that somehow blocked her from seeing their contents (something of concern) which was perfect for her to open up a path. "Stand back," she warned her comrades before igniting the fiery energy of her eyes with a blink. Dust and debris fell to the puddle riddled floor as she bored a tunnel into the building with tightly controlled heat vision. Once the path was clear, she stepped aside to make way for Batman.
"Good job," the man said as he scooted by her. Wonder Woman was right behind him and gave him a boost as she levitated up through the opening.
Next up was Starfire, who lifted Nightwing, and Wondergirl, who lifted Robin. When Kara finally rose up to follow, she found the group huddled behind the stack of wooden pallets containing the mysterious crates. "There's a huge number of containers all over this place that I can't see through," Kara whispered.
"Lead spray paint," Batman replied, as he ran a hand along the surface of one of the nearby crates. "It makes perfect sense for a Luthor company to use this type of concealment."
"Should we open one up and see what's inside?" Wonder Woman asked him.
"No," he replied. "It could potentially contain something hazardous to Kara. We'll grab one on the way out and take it with us for examination later on in a controlled environment. For now, our main goal is getting to the office so we can confiscate whatever paper documents they might have as well as hack into their hard drives and make copies of everything."
"I can see it," Kara interjected. "The management and human resources office is on the second floor mezzanine. There's someone inside raiding file cabinets in a hurry. And the security here is even thicker than outside. Something's got them spooked."
"You think they know we were coming?" Nightwing asked Batman.
"Unlikely," Batman replied. "Barbara's informant stole a few documents and took some photos so they're probably just cleaning house in the event of a leak."
"Well, we can't just keep sitting around while they raid and destroy the evidence we came here to get," Robin said, standing up. "Wondergirl, Starfire, Batgirl; you're with me. We'll take care of the guards and provide a distraction so Batman, Nightwing, and Wonder Woman have a clear path to the second floor."
Kara and her two female compatriots nodded in acknowledgment of the plan before lining up behind the boy wonder. Robin withdrew a batarang and hurled it at a nearby cluster of fluorescent bulbs high in the rafters. As soon as the lights in the immediate vicinity went out, they moved. The group of armed guards in their path went down without knowing what hit them. Robin followed up with a hand gesture to indicate they should take the high road. Kara grabbed his wrist and tossed him upward before she, Koriand'r and Wondergirl followed. After landing on the high perch, she took a moment to focus on her newly developed ki senses and felt her three adult companions begin to move silently in the direction of the office. Wondergirl tapped her on the shoulder, breaking her concentration, to let her know that Robin and Starfire were moving ahead without them. They still had several scattered clusters of guards to take out to thin the opposition's ranks.
OoooooO
Trunks touched down, without pomp, in the backyard of a modest single story home surrounded by a canopy of thick trees. As a reflex, he scanned the interior with his senses and was pleased to find what he was expecting; a female with marginally higher than average ki and a man absent of anything notable. He reached the sliding glass door and raised a hand to tap on it in the agreed upon pattern but was unable to avoid creating spider-web cracks that spread along it's surface. Clearly, his fine motor control while in super mode still required some tuning.
A young woman with fiery red hair thrust aside the shroud of curtains in response to his signaling. She was joined by an older man with tanned skin and a shaved head. "Goldwing, right?" she asked, after sliding the door open and beckoning him inside in a rush.
"Yeah, that's me," Trunks replied, stepping inside. "Sorry about your glass," he added.
"I'll send you the bill," she added, before extending a hand to shake. "Detective Barbara Gordon. This is Hector," she added with a thumb jab in the man's direction. "Is it just you? Where's the two you were supposed to bring?"
"I- uh... well, about that..." Trunks responded with a despondent hanging of his head.
Hector shoved himself between them and grabbed the collar of Trunks' leather jacket while emoting a mixture of fear and desperation. "Where's my family?"
"There was someone already there by the time I arrived. Your wife was shot before I could intervene. Your son is okay, though. I took them both to a hospital on the east side of town. She was still hanging on when I left but the rest is up to her and the doctors. I placed one of Batman's trackers on the boy so you should be able to find them, right Barbara?"
Barbara nodded and placed a reassuring hand on Hector's shoulder. "It'll be okay. Thank you, Goldwing."
"I'm sorry I couldn't do more," Trunks replied. "For what it's worth, that boy of yours is handling it better than most kids his age would. He's strong. You should be proud."
Hector, seemingly having lost the strength to maintain his adrenaline, let his arms drop from Trunks and took a step back. "This is all my fault..." His despair was palpable.
Trunks opened his mouth to say something but Barbara shook her head before ushering him off with a gesture of her hand. "Go finish the mission," she said, sternly. "I'll take it from here."
He clenched his jaw, nodding, while pushing down the regret and backpedaled until he was clear of the house. When he launched himself into the night sky, it was with a renewed vigor and a determination to make sure the people responsible paid the price for their misdeeds.
OoooooO
Tom, an armed guard clad in all black, was positioned on the catwalk outside of the second floor office, making his rounds, when he noticed one of the warehouse lights go out. He wasn't a paranoid person by nature, but he had been paid handsomely to be extra vigilant this evening. There was no obvious noise or sign of struggle so he attempted to write it off as a fluke – bad wiring maybe – while redoubling his effort to scan the floor below. When the second light went out, only minutes later, he got suspicious and decided to radio the team positioned in that section. When more than a minute went by with no reply from them, he decided to radio the closest group so they could go check in on them. They too, unfortunately, went silent shortly afterward.
"C-squad, report in! Damn it to hell..." he grumbled. "Jerry, take over for me will you? I gotta go take care of something." Jerry, the other guard stationed outside of the office, nodded his head in the affirmative.
Tom, now free to leave his post, lightly jogged down the long portion of the catwalk toward the area in question. On the way, he heard a clang echo behind him and reflexively took cover. As he peered over the railing, he discovered Jerry was no longer standing guard outside of the office. That settled things in his mind. There was definitely some sort of insurgency taking place right beneath his nose. Unfortunately, since they'd made it this far, it was unlikely there was enough time or personnel left to mount a traditional counter offensive. Being that his directive was to guard and oversee the dismantling/erasure of facility operations, Tom was left with only one final option.
"They better pay me extra for this..." he grumbled before stealthily continuing onward at a crawl.
OoooooO
"Bingo. I'm in," Dick said, smirking, as he punctuated his successful hack with a flourish of keystrokes.
Bruce, who had been rummaging through file cabinets with Diana, set down his stack of papers in favor of joining his former protege inside of the office cubicle. The princess of Themyscira was right behind him. By the time he leaned over the younger man's shoulder to peer at the monitor, there was a loading bar onscreen indicating a download progress of fifteen percent. "Good job," he said. "Go ahead and open one of the completed documents. Let's see exactly what we're dealing with."
"Gotcha," Dick said, bringing up a new window and opening a folder with a list of video thumbnails inside. Just as he was about to click on one, the computer froze (it's screen going red) and the power to the office went out. "What the hell?"
Before anyone else could respond, the first shock wave in a series of small explosions shook the floor beneath them. Through the glass, they saw the pitch black of the warehouse being lit up by brief flashes of light coinciding with an explosive chain reaction tracing a path along the building's interior perimeter.
"What's going on out there?" Bruce said, tapping his ear piece and breaking comm silence.
"One of the guards triggered a self destruct before we could disable him." Damian said, sounding winded. "Batgirl, Starfire, and Wondergirl are carrying out the unconscious personnel right now," he added.
"Yeah, that's not going so well," Cassie said, jumping in. "The outside patrols have just opened fire on us! We're fully exposed now!"
Diana held Bruce and Dick steady as the integrity of the suspended office was rocked by another explosion. "We should go," she said.
"But I only got about twenty percent of the hard drive copied," Dick replied.
"Stand back," Bruce said, allowing Dick to slide out of the way, before upending the desk and grabbing hold of the computer case. He pried the plastic box open with his bare hands and ripped the hard drive free of it's clamps, wires and all, before slipping it into a pocket on his belt. "Problem solved. Let's go."
An explosion, much closer to the center of the warehouse this time, blew out the office windows and showered the trio in a hail of glass shards just before they reached the exit. Diana took the brunt of it, not fazed in the slightest, as she kicked the office door off the hinges and sent it flying into the dark distance. "Hang on," she said, grabbing both of them by the wrists. "We're taking a shortcut." Her powerful leg muscles coiled just before she sprung into a vertical leap that sent them ripping through the warehouse ceiling. She continued her path until they were safely suspended in the air above the crumbling and burning building below.
"Well, this is dignifying," Dick said to Bruce as they hung from their amazon companion's stone-like grip.
"You're welcome," Diana said, with the ghost of a smirk.
"Are you guys clear yet? It's getting pretty heated over here," Kara said over the background of gunfire. "Also, it would be great if I could cut loose a little," she added. Her not-so-subtle request was taking a jab at the fact that Bruce, prior to the mission, had pulled her aside and instructed her to avoid getting caught using any abilities that would identify her as a Kryptonian.
"There," Bruce said, indicating the firefight taking place between the rest of their team and a growing number of armored guards on the south side of the building. Cassie was doing a decent job of deflecting bullets with her gauntlets while Koriand'r and her starbolts provided the return fire but it was basically a stalemate. No doubt Kara could've swung the battle in their favor with the careful application of her laser vision but, again, it would've given her away. "Sit tight, Batgirl. We'll come and draw their fire so you guys can get clear."
"That won't be necessary. I'm almost in position," Damian said. A few seconds later, a gas bomb exploded at the center of the enemy line. The son of Batman vaulted off of a parked shipping container, flanking the opposition, and demolished the stunned guards while they were busy hacking and coughing. "We're good to go," he added, dusting himself off. "Meet you at the rendezvous in five."
"He's good," Diana said, glancing down at Bruce. "You might be able to retire early if he keeps going at his current pace."
"Are you calling me old?" Bruce asked, using his intonation to highlight the irony of Diana commenting on anything age related.
OoooooO
(A.R.G.U.S. Regional Headquarters: San Diego – Twenty minutes ago)
Colonel Rick Flagg paced up and down the aisle behind the computer technicians inside of the command center. His eyes were glued to the digital clock in the corner of the giant wall screen as he counted down the minutes until his relief arrived. Having worked a double shift, he was both tired and irritable. He was also ready for a stiff drink.
At twenty-five minutes to the new hour, a warning chime pinged on a nearby tech's console. It was immediately followed by the light tapping of fingers across the standard issue ergonomic qwerty interface. "Sir... a wanted superhuman was just reported leaving a hospital in east Los Angeles. Facial recognition on the security footage is a ninety-eight percent match for the male companion to the House of El Kryptonian observed engaging Lex Luthor last week," the young man said, with his swivel chair turned toward the Colonel.
Rick clenched his jaw and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Alert our field agents and tell them to assemble in the hangar bay."
"Yessir!" the tech replied.
OoooooO
The glittering lights of the metropolitan area were little more than a blur as his flight carried him closer to his love. Trunks ignored the verbal updates from his wrist GPS as he neared the site of his team's primary mission. A large portion of his senses were always tuned in to Kara so he didn't need anything to aid in finding her. When he got within visual range, he unconsciously tensed as he saw the warehouse ablaze. He could sense she was distressed but not because she felt threatened. From what he could glean, the danger of the situation had her concerned about the well being of their newfound friends. Without giving it a second thought, he sparked his golden aura and angled toward decent.
With his attention so diverted, he failed to detect the missile launched at him until the last second. He brought one of his forearms up to slap the projectile away and was rocked by the concussive force as it detonated near his face. He wasn't hurt, of course, but the noise and pressure did disrupt his equilibrium long enough for an unknown individual to land a solid kick to his chest. The strength behind the foot wasn't overwhelming on it's own, but there was some sort of extra pressure (which didn't feel like ki) reinforcing it that amplified the effect enough to send the young Saiyan crashing to the beach just outside the dockyard.
Trunks looked up from his sandy crater and saw a green woman with red hair hovering in front of a heavily armed helicopter. She was clad in a black jumpsuit with a red "X" emblazoned across her chest. The heavy wind generated by the aircraft whipped her blue cape and loose hair into a frenzy as it angled toward the earth to allow for a platoon of soldiers to rappel from it's open doors. He could sense his team approaching from his rear as he climbed to his feet and brushed some of the sand out of his hair. Kara and company arrived just as the green woman alighted onto the soft earth. Her companions had already formed a line, at this point, with seven out of the ten targeting them with laser tipped assault rifles.
The only man not wearing a mask or helmet (allowing his furrowed brow, strong jaw, and military style haircut to project his obvious authority), cleared his throat before yelling over the wind to address them. "Well, this is a surprise. I came expecting to find mister blondie and maybe his Kryptonian friend here. I never imagined I'd get so lucky as to have Batman, Wonder Woman, and your little team of sidekicks as an added bonus. Wilson, this is right up your alley, isn't it?"
The soldier directly to the speaking man's left, lowered his weapon so he could remove his helmet. Aside from wearing an eye patch and sporting a goatee, the middle aged man wasn't very striking. However, the growl from Nightwing and sudden flaring of Starfire's ki told Trunks there was more to this guy than appearances.
"Slade... you scum," Nightwing said, his words dripping acid. "You're working with ARGUS now?"
"Nice to see you again too, my favorite boy wonder," Slade replied, reaching behind his back to withdraw a katana blade from the sheath strapped to his back. "I'm an enterprising individual, son; meaning I go where the money is. I do find the irony of this situation almost as fulfilling as the paycheck, though. I never would've guessed that we'd find our sides of the law switched. I'll make sure to savor the experience."
"Colonel Rick Flagg," Batman said, directly addressing the leader and purposely ignoring Slade Wilson's goading. "I didn't think you'd still be working for Amanda Waller after the way she threw you under the bus."
"I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment," Rick said, with thinly veiled sarcasm. "You guys are all officially considered enemies of the state, you know. I have open authorization to bring you in dead or alive. For your sake, I suggest you surrender and come along quietly."
"You know I can't do that," Batman replied, before turning his attention toward the green woman. "M'gann, I know you think you're avenging J'onn and Connor by working with the authorities, but there's more going on here than you realize. You should be helping us uncover the truth instead of buying into the new propaganda machine."
"Truth?" M'gann replied. "The only truth I know is that the two most important people in my life were murdered by your friend, Superman. No conspiracy theory will change that fact. Turn over the Kryptonian girl or, I swear, I won't hold myself back."
Trunks could clearly sense the killing intent being directed at Kara from this M'gann woman. He wasn't about to let anyone lay a finger on his girl. "She's not going anywhere with you," he said, clenching fists, as he re-ignited his aura. A whirlwind of sand dust was kicked up by the pressure of his blazing ki and illuminated by the sharp golden glow radiating around him.
"You're not Kryptonian, are you?" M'gann said, as more of a statement than a question.
"Pfft, obviously," Trunks snorted, folding his arms over his chest. "I'm just as dangerous, though. You'd do well not to take me lightly."
"So, it's gonna be the hard way, then, eh Batman? You've really got these kids wrapped around your finger, don't you?" Rick said with a sigh. "So be it," he added before signaling his men with a nod.
The soldiers opened fire without skipping a beat. However, their opening round was stopped short by Trunks' hastily erected ki shield. The young Super Saiyan's frown deepened as he noticed all of the fired slugs had a green tinge to them. "Kryptonite bullets..." he muttered under his breath as he watched the projectiles fall to the ground. "Kara, get back!" he shouted before lashing out with a sweeping backhand to accompany his retaliatory blast wave. A couple of Rick's men were knocked off of their feet from the force but the brunt of his response was negated by M'gann positioning herself ahead of them. Again, he observed a powerful presence other than her ki that was strong enough to challenge him. It immediately became clear that she was going to be his primary opponent in this exchange. "Not bad," he said, acknowledging her, before taking to the air.
"This isn't a contest!" M'gann growled, lunging after him as he increased his altitude. "I will kill you, if that's what it takes!" she yelled, with fiery energy literally radiating from her eyes.
Trunks narrowly managed to deflect the optical blast she sent his way and was surprised when the impact left a burning sensation on the back of his hand. Whatever power she was employing seemed to be very potent. Clearly, this wasn't someone he could afford to be lax with. "Alright. I won't hold back with you, then," he replied, before phasing into a burst of superspeed and zooming in to deliver a quick melee combo meant to overwhelm her. A rapid echo rang out like thundering machine gun fire as he pelted her torso with precision strikes from his flurry of fists. She appeared to be staggered as he twisted his body in preparation for a mid-air heel kick meant to drop her back to earth but, just as his foot was about to make contact with the top of her head, he was stopped short by an invisible force.
"Not so fast," M'gann said, through gritted teeth, as she pierced him with a glare. Trunks reflexively pulled back, or attempted to, but found himself almost completely immobilized.
"What the..." Trunks said, breaking a sweat, as he ever-so-slowly managed to overcome her resistance. "You... what are you?"
"M'gann M'orzz, last of the Martians," she said as her eyes began to glow once again. "And I'm just getting started. Where I'm from, using fists and feet is only half of a battle. I can see into your mind. You're defense is weak. This Super Saiyan transformation of yours... is easily broken!" she shouted before unleashing a wave of invisible energy.
Trunks doubled over and emptied the contents of his stomach as he was taken for a spin. The golden energy of his aura vanished in a wisp of smoke and his hair fell limp under the weight of M'gann's mental pressure.
"Give up now or else..."
"Heh... sorry, but that's not an option," Trunks said, wiping his mouth, as he slowly straightened up. "I'll give you props for being able to suppress my transformation but I don't need it to defeat you. Besides, how effectively can you defend yourself while devoting that much focus on my energy?" he asked before launching himself at her.
OoooooO
Dick vaulted from his hands into a series of backflips along the watery shoreline as he dodged the ethereal flamethrower his attacker was projecting from his hands. "Seriously? Freaking El Diablo is working at ARGUS too?" he yelled, getting clear just in time for Kara to cut a burning trench into the sandy earth to separate him from the wrath of vengeance.
"I'll take care of this one," Kara said. "Go help the others get rid of the Kryptonite guns!"
"Gotcha!" Dick said, with a quick salute, before launching into a sprint. He reached behind his back and pulled his collapsable staff, extending it, before flinging it at one of the gun-toting soldiers engaging the rest of his team. The projectile struck home, grounding the enemy, and freeing up Damian to join Bruce in facing off against the sword wielding Slade.
Diana and Cassie, as the two mystically enhanced Amazonian women, were occupied deflecting the continuous machine gun fire coming from the helicopter so that the vulnerable portion of the team could avoid getting swiss-cheesed. "Damn it... this is bad," he said.
OoooooO
Kara touched down just as the self described devil stepped through a wall of fire, shedding his military jacket and exposing his intricately tattooed body. "So, you're El Diablo?" she asked.
"No... that's an old name - from another life. I'm just someone who lost what little he had left because of your people. I had sworn off taking lives for a long time now, you know... but, for you, I'm willing to make an exception," he added, turning his palms up and sparking balls of fire. He howled a battle cry as he hurled twin spheres of roiling plasma at the Kryptonian.
Kara twisted her body, to avoid the flame, and vaulted into a front flip to close the gap. She landed inside his defense and swept his feet with a low kick before following up with an elbow to his chest. The force of her blow sent him skidding across the sand until he made a heavy splash along the encroaching tide. "Guess you weren't so hot after all," she said, spinning on her heel, as she turned her back and looked upward to where Trunks was engaging the Martian calling herself M'gann. For some reason, Trunks had dropped his transformation. However, he still seemed to be quite effective. Perhaps he'd decided to conserve his energy.
The green woman's ferocity was a clear indicator of how serious she was, but Trunks could handle her – she was sure of it. She levitated in preparation to zip back in to help the rest of the team but was abruptly thrown face-first into the sand by an unexpected shock-wave. As she picked herself up, she looked over her shoulder and felt her jaw drop. A giant made of molten fire and more than five times her height lurched up from the splashing shore and glared down at her from behind glowing eyes. "W-What the... hell?"
"You think a little water is enough to put me down?" El Diablo yelled, his booming voice shaking the very air that carried it. A cloud of steam rose up around him as the salty ocean water evaporated on contact. "I'm just getting started!"
The last daughter of Krypton caught the giant's fist, stopping it just short of slamming into her head, and was surprised that the force behind it was enough to cause her feet to create a trench as she slid backward. "Well, if water won't work, then I'll just have to fight fire with fire," she bit back, eyes ablaze. "See that you stay down this time!" she yelled, unleashing a furious optical blast.
The focused energy struck the giant right between the eyes, whipping his head back, and throwing his massive body backward with the force. He sailed several hundred meters before crashing onto his back, unconscious. Kara waited, dusting her hands off, just to be sure he didn't get back up. When the fire monster's form shrunk back to the size of a normal man, she sighed a breath of relief that she wouldn't have to fight him to the death. His words had carried real weight as the empathetic side of her mourned the losses he must have suffered. Her time spent on Trunks' world had enlightened her by bearing witness to the very real worse case scenarios that had befallen many families. Her untrained sixth sense was still sharp enough to feel this Diablo man's pain and her lessons with Goku had taught her to give extra consideration to such. The fact that she was now coming face to face with the realities of her cousin's deeds made her feel sick to her stomach. She desperately hoped that this ended up being merely a bad dream she could wake up from.
Sadly, her moment of reverie was cut short when a glowing green bullet came out of nowhere and struck her in the abdomen. The combination of Kryptonite burn and physical injury dropped her to her knees in an instant. She rolled onto her side and gasped for air as her vision began to swim. The last thing she saw before blacking out was a rifle style laser pointer shining from someplace off into the dark distance.
OoooooO
"Noooo! Trunks screamed, a hoarse cry, hearing the shot and sensing the result before turning his gaze down and watching his beloved fall flat onto the sand. He abandoned his assault on M'gann and rocketed into a descent down to earth. He scooped her blood soaked and limp form up into his arms, before his senses unconsciously trained themselves on a distant tower built upon an outcropping jutting into the bay.
Floyd Lawton, AKA Dead Shot, lowered his sniper rifle from the window ledge of the lighthouse and ejected the spent shell from it's chamber. With his primary mission a success, he quickly replaced the magazine with one that was loaded with traditional ammunition as the special rounds were extremely expensive and not to be wasted on anything other than a Kryptonian. In the moments it took him to exchange the cartridge, he missed what happened next.
"Masenko!" Trunks yelled, launching a one-handed version of the beam at the person occupying the narrow spire.
Floyd noticed the bright yellow light in his peripherals just quick enough to look up and see death staring him in the face. His body, along with the lighthouse, was vaporized before he could blink.
"Hang on, Kara," Trunks said, tightening his grip on her after lowering his blast arm. He looked back up to the sky and was taken by surprise when M'gann's fist slammed into his face. The impact sent him flying backward and he dropped Kara in the process. He crawled out of the sand crater and wiped a trail of blood from his mouth as M'gann displaced a hefty amount of the wet earth with her rough landing. "You got around my senses... how?"
"I've been inside your head, Trunks," the Martian woman replied, as if that explanation alone was enough. "Although your strength and power are impressive, you're practically an open book. I could crush you at any moment. There's no need for that to happen if you give her up and stand down, though. You can still make it through this. Think of your mother. You're all she has left. Don't throw your life away over a woman."
Trunks' reflexive scowl was channeling Vegeta heavily as he replied in a low growl. "Don't underestimate me. And stay OUT of my head!" he shouted, exploding his aura, and forcing the transformation back into Super Saiyan. He doubled over and strained to raise his power as high as it would go until his muscles started to grow and bulge. A hurricane force wind rolled away from his aura in all directions, buffeting M'gann and everyone else in the vicinity, as his Ultra state reached peak. "Crush this!" he yelled, as a challenge, while lunging at the Martian.
M'gann was actually taken by surprise, having not expected such a burst of hidden potential. She thought she had seen his full power from the beginning. What had previously been more than manageable, suddenly became a struggle. Contending with this level of power was going to take everything she had. That meant dropping her disguise and reverting to her natural form. By the time his fist got within striking range, the petite green martian was gone. The powerfully sculpted and towering white frame that was her true form met him in a clash. Her palms struggled to hold his fists back as they grappled in a contest of pure strength. Due to his sheer power, most of her focus was devoted to holding him back with very little left for attacking his mind. It was, essentially, a stalemate.
OoooooO
Koriand'r was in the midst of carrying an injured Damian and Dick (one nursing a bloody sword slash and the other unconscious) back to the jet when the light show began. Slade, who had turned his attention to Bruce after dispatching the man's two proteges, was caught flat-footed by the spectacle just before being knocked off of his feet by the strong wind. Flagg, his team of soldiers, and their air support were taken out by the residual effects of Trunks' outburst. If Diana hadn't stepped in, Bruce might also have been flung about from the force.
With the chaotic energy buffeting all and causing confusion among their enemies, now was as good a time as any to beat a hasty retreat. Koriand'r quickly loaded her two passengers into their seats aboard the Bat Wing before spooling up the engines and using the comm channel to alert the rest of her team that it was ready to launch as soon as they got aboard.
"Don't wait for us. Just get off the ground already," Bruce said, over the air. "Wondergirl is grabbing Batgirl and then we're meeting you up there."
"What about Goldwing?" Koriand'r asked as she manipulated the joystick and brought the nose of the aircraft around.
"He's doing a good job of keeping Miss Martian's attention off of us. As soon as everyone else is safely aboard, we'll help him disable her so we can all go home."
"Understood." Koriand'r punched the thrusters and put some distance between her and the battle site.
"Oww... warn me next time you're about to do that," Damian hissed, as his seat's safety harness dug into his fresh wound.
"Sorry..." Koriand'r replied, cringing slightly.
"Open the bay doors and have a first aid kit ready," Bruce said. "She's got a Kryptonite bullet still lodged inside of her." The urgency in Bruce's voice was apparent.
"On it," Damian said, sliding out of his seat while still tentatively holding a hand over his abdomen.
Moments later, Cassie arrived with a limp Kara in her arms. Diana, with Bruce in tow, was right behind her. Damian's background with the League of Assassins made him one of the most qualified to treat life threatening injuries in the field so Bruce left him to it and made his way up to the co-pilot's chair next to Koriand'r. As soon as he was seated, he took over the controls and brought the Bat Wing to bear. "Goldwing, be ready to get clear of Miss Martian," Bruce said. "It's about to get really hot."
Through the windshield, Koriand'r watched Bruce launch two incendiary missiles at the pair of super beings locked in a struggle down below. At the last second, their Saiyan teammate broke away from the Martian and was high above when the blazing inferno erupted around her. Koriand'r shuddered as M'gann's blood curdling scream rang out clearly through the high winds blowing by the open bay door. Seconds later, Trunks planted his feet on the grated flooring and Bruce accelerated the craft to escape velocity before the door was fully closed.
"How is she?" Trunks asked, kneeling beside Damian as he tended to her.
"Not good. Now stop breaking my concentration," the boy wonder replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "The jet's noise and vibration are making this hard enough."
Kara's Batgirl tunic was cut open around her ribcage to expose the wounded flesh. The skin around the area had a rapidly spreading spiderweb of green veins that looked highly toxic. Trunks, along with everyone else, was considerate enough to keep silent while waiting with baited breath for an update. After several minutes of digging around the wound with narrow tipped pliers, the son of Batman removed a glowing green sliver and dropped it on the inside of the open lid of the medkit.
"Is that it?" Cassie asked, before Trunks could open his mouth.
"No, the bullet is fragmented inside of her. That was just the biggest piece I could..." he trailed off before falling forward slightly. He caught himself quickly, slapping aside Trunks' helping hand, and shaking his head in an effort to clear it up. "I'm fine. Just the adrenaline wearing off."
"You have bled out quite a bit, Damian," Koriand'r interjected.
"If you've done all you can do for now, then patch yourself up and take a rest," Diana added. "Kara is strong and we'll be home soon."
"It's fine," Trunks said, treating the younger teen with a grateful expression. "I appreciate you trying. I think I might have something back at base that can help her anyway. We just gotta get there."
"Do you want to fly ahead?" Diana asked.
"I could - but, with the state she's in, I'd rather not move her. And I won't risk leaving her behind in case of something else happening," Trunks replied.
A tired silence fell upon the team as they settled in for the long flight while licking both their physical and mental wounds.
OoooooO
(Somewhere in deep space...)
A Kryptonian dreadnought, with battle scarring etched along its outer hull, was parked inside a shadowy crater on the surface of a massive asteroid surrounded by a cloud of interstellar dust. It was dark, save for the single source of dim light that emanated from the bridge at it's narrowed nose.
"Have they moved on yet, brother?" H'El rasped from his reclined (and haphazard) position inside the captain's chair.
"Just about," Kal replied, sitting upright, as he scrutinized the holo-projection above his crystal console. "Another thousand units or so and we'll be out of their range."
"Good," H'El said, sliding a leg off of the armrest and planting his feet onto the floor. "As soon as we're clear, set a course for the Vegan super-cluster. No Green Lantern will be able to follow us in there."
"Understood."
"And Kal?"
"What?"
"Liven the hell up, will you? You've been stone-faced ever since we left that poisoned rock you used to call home. We're gonna revive our race and be declared heroes soon enough so you'd better be ready to relight that fire in your soul. Got me?"
"Sure."
"Pfft, fine. Be like that. I'll be in my quarters," H'El said, before slinking off down the main corridor.
Kal listened to his companion's echoing footfalls disappear slowly until they were out of range. As he did, he stared past the holo-menu and into his reflection on the console's glossy surface. For the briefest of seconds, he thought he saw his own face screaming at him in silence. It was gone just as quickly, though; replaced with an ear splitting headache. "Damn it, not again..." he grumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
OoooooO
!What up peeps?
Shoes here. Did you like this latest chapter? I did. Sorry for the wait, but I think it was worth it. Not a whole lot of attention on the last chapter, though. I wonder if people have lost interest... Anyway, doesn't matter. The second arc draws one step closer to it's climactic finale!
Which brings me to my next point. You guys, as fellow members of the DB fan community, are surely aware of the new movie due to be released at the end of this year. As most (if not all) of you know, it supposedly details the events that transpired on Universe 7's version of the Saiyan birth-world (Sadala) and may potentially feature Yamoshi (the original SS God). Well, I've had a long running series of notes outlining my version of Saiyan origins for the past 3 or 4 years and I feel like I must put them out there before Toriyama's definitive version makes them totally irrelevant. If I do go forward with that, then updates on The Sun And The Moon will slow down considerably more than they already have.
However (caveat time!), my implementation will be limited to a contained short story consisting of 3 to 6 installments spanning a wide length of time and honing the focus onto key players, events, and the galactic politics that shaped the state of the universe leading up to the demise of the Saiyan civilization. I have some really creative ideas on how to use lesser known established characters that may add a level of depth and realism previously unseen.
Anyway, let me know in the reviews what you think of this idea. Also, if you want, I will post some sort of extended synopsis or sample at the end of the next chapter of TSATM. Until then, stay cool my friends.
-DirtyShoes