Justice League Nuptials 39
Supergirl and Mary Marvel slowed as they entered Gotham's airspace. Supergirl came to a halt directly three miles over the city center. Mary grew concerned.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Don't you hear that?" Supergirl wondered.
"Nope. The Olympian goddesses didn't bestow super senses on me." Mary wryly reminded her friend, "Whatever you're hearing, you're hearing it by yourself."
"Everyone's panicking." Supergirl reported, "I'll take a look with my telescopic vision."
Before she could do so a white gloved fist hammered an uppercut to her jaw sending her in a ballistic arc that ended with her plummeting to the ground. Galatea exulted in her victory.
"Yeess!" she exclaimed, "Take that Super Slut!"
Before Galatea could properly register Mary's presence, the Marvel delivered a right cross, spun and hammered the Argoan clone with a left handed backhand. It was Galatea's turn to be hurled away.
Mary dove for the ground. She followed Supergirl's course for as far as she'd seen it. Although the Goddesses hadn't bestowed Mary with super senses they had sharpened her physical senses to the human extreme. Flying low enough, she spotted Supergirl sprawled out in an impact crater atop LexCorp Gotham.
Mary landed beside Supergirl, "Kara, are you all right?"
There was no reply to her desperate query. Mary knelt and checked Supergirl's vitals. Everything was steady. She'd just been knocked cold.
"Care to try your luck with me?" Supreme taunted from behind her.
Mary snapped into action. She spun and threw a punch from her shoulder at the same time. Supreme caught her fist in his left hand and began to squeeze. Mary gasped.
"You've humiliated me for the last time." Supreme vowed, "Now I'll destroy you."
He released her hand. But while she registered that fact, Supreme cocked back his fist and decked her. She went crashing through the adjacent skyscraper and fell to the streets below. Supreme chuckled to himself and wondered what he should do about Supergirl's insensate form?
At street level, Montoya's group of police officers came to Gotham's 43rd Street US Bank branch. Outside of it were Atom Smasher, Volcana, and Rag Doll. They were contentedly chuckling amongst themselves.
"I don't know why the Riddler insisted on having Grundy pull the safe apart when I could've done it, but more power to him." Atom Smasher said.
"What I don't know is why we're keeping lookout." Volcana laughingly complained, "There's no Batman and the cops are paralyzed. Who are we watching out for?"
Nightwing motioned for Montoya to hold and then he went running at the Legionnaires. He flew into a kick that landed squarely onto Atom Smasher's chest…and bounced off. Nightwing recovered but he was admittedly surprised.
"Sorry." Atom Smasher derisively chuckled, "You were thinking of the old Atom Smasher. Facing you today is the supposedly improved Atom Smasher."
"Whatever you are," Nightwing growled, "you're still a murderer."
"Sticks and stones." Atom Smasher laughed, "Rag Doll, have some fun."
"My pleasure." Rag Doll said with glee. He came at Nightwing in a martial arts style that was one part form and one part acrobatics. They exchanged blow after blow but Nightwing was taking the worst of it. Rag Doll's triple jointed body rolled with every strike whereas Nightwing felt the full force of every punch and kick.
Nightwing reeled backwards and then threw a bolo around Rag Doll. While the Legionnaire was contorting his body to free himself Nightwing rushed him and pinned him up against the bank's outer wall. He then threw punch after punch, pummeling his opponent. Rag Doll passed out and slumped to the ground in a heap.
"Nice move, Sugar." Volcana grinned as the air around her hands ignited. "But that won't work on me."
Robin chose that moment to intervene. He'd scurried across the street and gone to rooftop level during the fight. He now came swinging down and kicked Volcana in the head. She sailed away from his kick headfirst into the wall. Out cold, she joined Rag Doll on the ground.
"You're going to pay for that, kid." Atom Smasher warned.
"I don't think so." Robin threw a handful of exploding gas balls. The tear gas overwhelmed Atom Smasher and he ended up on his hands and knees desperately trying to breath.
Solomon Grundy came through the bank's entrance. He was followed by the Riddler, Mirror Master, and Copperhead. The Riddler saw the scene and immediately reacted, "Grundy! Kill those costumed fools!"
Grundy wasn't sophisticated enough to register the irony inherent in the Riddler's statement. Instead, he began shuffling towards Nightwing and Robin. They both threw gas balls. The other Legionnaires moved away to get upwind of the gas cloud. The massive zombie, not needing to breath, was immune to the attack.
Nightwing swept Robin behind him and desperately tried to plan an effective tactic to stopping Grundy from grinding their bones to powder. His salvation came from an unexpected source.
Mary Marvel came crashing through the neighboring building and hurtled straight into Grundy. Both were stunned and lay in an intertwined pile. Mary recuperated first and extricated herself from the tangle.
Grundy rose to his feet, "You hurt Grundy. Grundy smash you."
Mary held up her hands to ward him off, "Wait. It was a mistake."
Grundy moved faster than one would have thought possible. He drove his left fist into Mary's stomach. Winded, she was in no position to block the right that followed. She went down on her hands and knees.
Chivalry didn't register in Grundy's brain. He kicked Mary's head and sent it into the closest wall like a football. She limply slumped to the ground.
Grundy turned on Nightwing. Montoya ordered her troops into action. A SWAT officer unleashed a LAWS rocket. Grundy staggered but then resumed his inexorable march towards the JLers.
Mary recovered her wits. She wiped the blood from her bleeding nose and lip. Rising to her feet she spat the blood out of her mouth. Seeing her teammates' predicament, she sallied into action.
She grabbed Grundy by the back of his tattered shirt and began to spin him around. She threw him into the bank and bounced him off of the vault. Flying in after him she picked up the massive door torn off of its hinges and bashed Grundy over the head with it.
She repeated that exercise over and over again. Finally, Grundy stopped stirring. Mary had no fears of killing him, he was already dead. Next she turned on Grundy's companions.
Outside, Montoya's cops had the Legionnaires pinned down behind a parked car. Copperhead slithered out from their position and headed for the police. Mirror Master selected a polished roundel.
Nightwing tagged Copperhead with a taser. The humo-reptilian was shocked into unconsciousness. Mirror Master's mirror erected a reflective field around the Legionnaires. It deflected the officers' bullets back at them. They immediately ceased fire.
Atom Smasher reared up behind Nightwing, lifting his fists into the air intending to bring them down on the JLer's head to crush his skull. He was saved by Mary sailing flying into Atom Smasher. They smashed through a concrete wall and the fight began in earnest.
At the LexCorp building Supergirl's eyes fluttered open and she gasped. Her vision was blurry as she gazed upon a nearby face. She was still befuddled as she asked, "Clark?"
"Not quite." Supreme chuckled.
That voice brought her to razor sharp clarity. She sat up to find Supreme standing watch over her, "What are you doing here?"
"We're watching over you." Supreme inclined his head to indicate others.
She twisted her neck and her waist. Galatea and Bizarro completed the trinity surrounding her. A sick sense of dread crushed her heart.
"I hate to ask but what's going on?" Supergirl finally asked.
"The heavyweight bout of the century." Galatea answered with a demented gleam to her eyes, "You versus the three of us. Winner take all."
"Are you sure you like the odds?" Supergirl sarcastically quipped, "Sure you don't need Wonder Girl, Superwoman, and Black Adam to round out your little group?"
"I don't even need the others!" Galatea snapped, "I'll beat you by myself."
"We'll see." Supergirl defiantly replied. She slowly stood. Stretching her back and then twisting her torso and then limbering up her arms and legs she faced Galatea, "Ready?"
"Any time!" Galatea screamed and flew into Supergirl.
Back at the bank, Nightwing and Robin headed straight for Mirror Master and the Riddler. Edward Nigma twirled his question mark shaped cane and then aimed the apex of the mark at them. Concussion bolts discharged out of it. The JLers weaved an acrobatic dance around them.
"A little help?" the Riddler queried Mirror Master, "There are two of them."
"I'm busy." Mirror Master growled, "You're the genius. You deal with them."
Robin got past the blaster first. He kicked the Riddler in the stomach. As the Legionnaire doubled over, Robin karate chopped the Riddler's wrist. He dropped the cane and Robin picked it up and tossed it aside.
Nightwing approached. Robin gave him a thumb's up, "I got this."
Knowing the Riddler posed little in the way of a physical challenge, Nightwing turned on the Mirror Master. Seeing that he was in imminent danger, Mirror Master redirected his mirror towards Nightwing. Montoya saw this and opened fire.
Mirror Master ducked and held his mirror between himself and the GPD. Nightwing resumed his relentless march towards the Legionnaire. Mirror Master dropped his mirror and stood while holding his hands above his head.
"I give up already." Mirror Master said in a panic.
Nightwing took hold of one wrist and locked a pair of handcuffs to it and then he bound the other wrist behind the Mirror Master's back. Next he emptied Mirror Master's utility pouches. He gave the mirrors to Bullock, "Here's a present."
Witnessing Mirror Master's surrender, and facing a whirling dervish of a teenaged devil, the Riddler gave himself up. Robin clasped his wrists behind him.
"Got you, sucker." Robin boasted.
"Who's got whom?" Black Adam asked as he hovered a few feet of off the ground.
"Whoops." Robin remarked.
Nightwing and the police tensed up. Black Adam surveyed them. He also took in the sight of all of the damage. Something, or someone, else was at play here.
Inside of the Nogura Tower Mary and Atom Smasher faced off. She caught him with a left cross. Atom Smasher shrugged it off and replied with a knee to the stomach. He followed this with a left cross and then a right. Mary staggered. He took her head and drove it into his knee. She was out so he lifted her above his head and with a roar threw her through the closest wall back out into the street.
Out on the before mentioned street Black Adam saw Mary burst through the wall.
"Mary!" he exclaimed and went straight to her. He knelt next to her and cradled her bloody head, "No, child. Please respond."
Atom Smasher emerged from the tower, "Get away from her. She's mine to finish off!"
Adam gently laid her head back to the ground. Standing, he faced the enraged Atom Smasher, "You aren't finishing off anyone. Mary is under my protection. Tend to Volcana. That is the best use of your time.
"The girl is mine!" Atom Smasher bellowed, "I'll fight you if I have to."
"You will." Black Adam warned.
Atom Smasher charged him. Adam flew into him and reentered the Nogura Tower. There they exchanged blows over the fate of Mary Marvel.
Beside Mary, Nightwing gently examined her wounds. Montoya came to rest beside them, "Will she be all right?"
"I don't know." Nightwing said, "Her powers are based on a magical source. No one really knows how much she can take. Her brother went head to head with Superman so there's hope."
"What can we do?" Robin asked.
"If we can get her awake she can heal herself with one of those lightning bolts she and Captain Marvel specialize in." Nightwing remarked.
"And if we can't?" Robin had to ask the obvious question.
"I don't know." Nightwing grimly admitted.
"What about Black Adam?" Montoya wondered, "Why's he defending her? What's he want? Can he help?"
Nightwing shook his head helplessly, "Like I said, I don't know. All I know is looks bad. Real bad."