Justice League Nuptials 55
Mary Marvel soared above Gotham. No one had given her directions to Wayne Enterprises so she was searching for a building with Bruce's name on it. Finally, she came to a halt in the center of the town.
She peered down the rows and rows of buildings and her eyes came to rest on the Wayne Enterprises' logo. It was the tallest building in town, taller than the LexCorp Gotham skyscraper. She knew Luthor must hate that. She headed there straightaway. Landing on the roof, she saw that there were several comm arrays and satellite transceivers.
Mary walked back and forth between the arrays. The only thing that looked out of place was a rectangular piece of equipment situated between everything. She approached it. It had an active display that read "Dampening field stable."
Assuming this was what she looking for; she reached out and touched the control pad. She was stunned as 100,000 volts coursed through her body. She stepped back, shook her head, and looked for a different method.
Mary walked around the dampener. Except for some cables there was no external mechanism. She had an epiphany. The cables were electrical cables. Yank those and the dampener should be neutralized.
She bent over and took hold of the conduit. She yanked with all of her considerable strength and pulled the electrical cables out of the machine. She threw the conduit off to the side. Sparks erupted from the exposed wiring.
Mary cautiously touched the dampener. She wasn't shocked so she figured it was dead. She reared her fists over her head and brought them down onto the dampener. After repeating this performance a few more times she hopped atop of it and stomped it until it was virtually flat.
Stepping off of the crushed equipment, she pulled her JL signal device off of her belt. Activating it she called the Hall of Justice, "This is Mary Marvel calling from Gotham City. We have an emergency situation in Gotham. The Legion of Doom has taken over the city. I repeat, the Legion of Doom has taken over the city."
"Let me pass you on to his Greenness." L-Ron replied.
"Mary, are you all right?" J'onn asked, "Who else is there with you?"
"Nightwing and Robin are here." She explained, "They've been helping the cops wage a guerilla war. Supergirl's here as well but I haven't seen her since she was ambushed by Galatea and Supreme."
"How many Legionnaires are there?" J'onn inquired.
"It's hard to say. They seem to be scattered all over town from what I saw from the air." Mary then glumly added, "It looks like it's just about all of them."
"Could you scout around for us?" J'onn wondered, "It might be best to ascertain where the Legion is while we're coming to assist you."
Explosions rocked a nearby street and Giganta could be seen striding between the detonations. Mary assumed that more of Giganta's teammates would be with her. The giantess rarely worked alone.
"Nope." Mary informed J'onn, "I've got too much else to do. Call back later."
That said, she turned off her signal device and took off towards the trouble.
Back in the Hall of Justice J'onn turned to Superman and Wonder Woman. Before he could speak Superman declared, "I'm going to Gotham. The rest of you can catch up with me later."
"That was going to be my suggestion." J'onn dryly informed him.
He turned to Wonder Woman, "Diana; Shayera, and John are on alert. Please summon them to the next available Javelin shuttle."
"Will you be coming with us?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Yes," J'onn informed her, "but first I must speak with Captain Marvel. I'm certain he will want to become involved as well."
Wonder Woman smiled and took her leave of him. She intercepted Superman on his way out, "Be careful."
"We've beaten the Legion on a number of occasions, whether they're piecemeal or all of them together." Superman replied, "What's really bothering you, Diana?"
She held his cheek for a fraction of second, "Just be careful."
Her passionate plea endeared her to his heart…almost as much as it unnerved him. While Lois was still alive he'd never looked twice at Diana. He knew that she was beautiful and the single most magnificent woman he'd ever met. Lois had been the most intriguing woman he'd ever met and that cinched it for him.
Only now that Lois was dead Diana was opening up to him in ways he'd never considered possible before. What he was discovering was that Diana was at least as intriguing as Lois had been…perhaps even more so. He hated to admit that. It bruised a hallowed piece of his heart.
He and Diana shared much more in common than he had with Lois. They had a shared experience that Lois couldn't compete with. If she were still alive it would be another story but since she was dead there really wasn't any kind of competition.
Part of him was horrified by the thoughts he was having. Another less hysterical part wanted to see where this introspection could lead. It was just getting interesting.
All of this and more crossed his mind in the heartbeat's span that her hand rested against his face. He sought to reassure her, "I'll be careful. Remember, you'll be flying in there too. Let's both be cautious."
"Just find Kara and keep her safe." She said. Now her lips brushed his cheek and then she walked away, intent on her part of the mission.
If Superman had thought her hand worked up a frenzied morass of thought, those lips had catapulted him into neurosis. Deciding that this was no to ponder the imponderable, especially when it felt like it was going to be a paradigm shift without a clutch, he opened the Hall's skylight and flew out of it. Only the Flash would stand a chance of getting to Gotham before him.
In Gotham's manufacturing district, Supergirl was fighting for her life. Bizarro was admittedly stronger than her. It made perverse sense since Clark was stronger than her as well. She consoled herself with the fact that she seemed to be marginally faster.
That meant she could block most of his blows but the ones that got through really tagged her. She'd felt a couple of her left ribs snap a while ago and now it seemed like the gruesome mockery of life was connecting every punch there. Of course only one and three got passed her but that one was enough to wear her down.
What was worse was that Supreme and Galatea had come by to take in the show. Presumably they meant to finish her off if Bizarro failed to do so. Now that was something to like forward to, she sardonically observed.
Supergirl blocked another punch and decided she'd had enough. She fired off a shot of her own. She followed this up with another right cross, then another, and another. She couldn't change up because of her broken ribs but she figured Bizarro would be too stupid to figure it out. And, she observed, I seem to be right.
She went for an unorthodox method to double her punches. She'd deliver a right cross followed by a backhand. This seemed to perplex Bizarro even more. He eventually retreated at super speed and looked to his scornful teammates like a whipped puppy.
"Finish her!" Galatea screamed.
"Block her and then you punch." Supreme pantomimed the motion.
Bizarro seemed have caught on and he gave a thumb's up. He barreled in on Supergirl and threw a block with his right and then a half hearted punch with his left. The block puzzled Supergirl but she figured it out and was already ducking beneath the subsequent blow.
She hit him in the ribs for all she was worth. Next she drove her knee into his face. This was followed by a haymaker from the right. Bizarro went down and he wasn't getting up right away.
Galatea flew towards Supergirl. Supergirl braced herself as best as she could but she didn't know how she was going to beat Galatea in her condition. Suddenly, Galatea stopped in mid-flight. Both women looked behind her to see Superman holding Galatea by the ankle.
He spun her around and threw her into Supreme. He then angrily ordered them to, "Go home! Now!"
They angrily rose and faced him down. Bizarro was stirring and he swiftly joined them in this show of disgruntled solidarity. Looking at the blood, bruises, and swelling, Supergirl had certainly made her mark upon them. Of course, the reverse could be said as well.
"It seems Supergirl has already kicked the stuffing out of you three." Superman opined, "But, if she doesn't mind, I think I'll take over."
He turned to her, "What do you say?"
She winced as she spoke, "Have at."
Superman grinned as he faced his new opponents, "So whose first?"
They trio hesitated. After a handful of seconds Galatea's eyes narrowed and she frowned. Clenching her fists, she flew forward at super speed.
Supreme tried to grab her as she sailed past, "Tea!"
Superman moved so that she started to go by him. Instead, he took hold of her right arm just below the armpit. He spun her around and redirected her into the ground.
While she was momentarily stunned he wrapped her in steel girders stacked up for an expansion project at Dagget International. Supreme motioned for Bizarro to follow him. They both came at Superman at the same time.
Superman met Supreme's headlong charge with his fist. The Daxamite fell to the ground. Bizarro rocked Superman's senses with a mighty blow to the head. Superman staggered as Bizarro landed another lucky shot.
Captain Marvel sailed in and decked Bizarro. He stopped to check on Superman, "You all right?"
"Fine." Superman brushed off the effects of the blows that he'd received, "Thanks."
"Not a problem." Marvel grinned, "And don't go thinking that's something I ever expected to say again."
"Funny red tights man," Bizarro bellowed from a distance, "you am in me way. Me will get rid of you!"
"Holey moley but he's ugly." Marvel sighed.
"Go get him." Superman urged, "I'll handle Supreme."
"Sure give me the dirty work." Captain Marvel laughed as he took off for Bizarro.
Supreme was standing now. His offended nose was gushing blood again. Superman gazed at it and clucked his tongue, "That looks broken. You might want to have someone look at that."
"Curse your eyes!" Supreme spat, "I'll kill you and the girl for this!"
He stepped forward but Superman punched him in the nose. Supreme doubled over and spat out the blood that was pooling in his mouth. He rose up and swung a punch.
Superman blocked the sloppy attempt and bopped Supreme's nose again. The pain almost made the newly minted "Justice Lord" faint. Superman smugly stood over him.
Supergirl yelled out, "Superman!"
He turned to see what was up. All he saw was the butt end of a girder hit him in the face. He was momentarily dazed. Galatea followed up her first strike with a spin kick.
Superman dropped to one knee. As his vision was beginning to clear, she kicked him in the ribs and sent him into Dagget International. Just then, clear soprano called out to her, "It's time to face an opponent more your own size."
Galatea looked behind her. Wonder Woman stood there, all poise and confidence. There was also a sense of certainty and serenity in the Amazon's eyes. Qualities which Galatea had always lacked.
"I'll rip you apart, Amazon!" Galatea countered.
"We'll see." Wonder Woman didn't even show a single ounce of fear. This enraged Galatea and she came running at Wonder Woman.
Over at Powers Industries, a relative newcomer on the Gotham scene, Captain Marvel was exchanging blows with Bizarro. Marvel's skills and fighting techniques endowed from Achilles served him in good stead as well as his stamina from Atlas. He was beating Bizarro, and beating him badly, only the macabre clone refused to just lie down.
Finally, Marvel had Bizarro braced up against a wall and his fist drawn back. He saw Bizarro's pathetic condition and sighed. He shook his head, "I just can't do it."
He released Bizarro and stepped back and waited. Bizarro stood in that odd way of his, all angle and planes, and smiled. His uneven teeth looked broken but then again they'd looked that way before the fighting began.
"Me thanks you." Bizarro slurred. He then pitched forward and passed out.
Marvel rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I'll be…"
Meanwhile, Supreme had recovered himself well enough to take another stab at Superman. Unfortunately for him, Superman had also recovered. After three swift blows to the nose, including a roundhouse, Supreme fainted.
Superman checked his vitals and saw that he was okay. He then looked over towards where the sounds of combat were emanating from and he felt his chest go cold. He recovered within a heartbeat's span of time.
Diana could take care of herself. She'd nearly beaten him into unconsciousness. Besides which, Galatea was visibly injured. That would help slow her down.
At the threshold of Dagget International, Wonder Woman was not only holding her own, she was excelling at beating Galatea. Galatea came skidding to a halt half a block away from the Amazon Princess. She spared a second to gaze around. Supreme and Bizarro were down. Superman and Captain Marvel were rapidly approaching. In short, it was time to get out there!
She leapt into the air but she felt a steel grip take hold of her ankles. Here we go again, she miserably thought. Wonder Woman threw her into an electrical transformer hub. The explosive overload knocked out power for fifteen blocks.
Superman inspected Galatea, "It's just like when Kara hit her with that conduit from the Watchtower's main reactor. She'll survive but she won't want to for several days."
"Clark?" Supergirl asked.
"Kara!" Superman exclaimed. He rushed to her side at super speed, "How are you doing?"
"Oh, fine." She offered him a wan smile.
Wonder Woman knelt and unzipped the duffel that she'd left in Supergirl's care. It was red and marked with the Red Cross symbol, "Kara, if you could sit down?"
"Okay." Supergirl readily agreed and came to rest on the curb.
"Superman, could you examine her skeleton?" Wonder Woman requested.
"You suspect a break?" he asked.
"I know some of her ribs are broken. I just want to make sure there are any fractures she hasn't felt yet. She's full of adrenalin right now. She'd be able to block out a lot of pain without realizing it."
"Okay." Superman's X-Ray searched Supergirl's body, "There are five broken ribs on her left side. All of the false and floating ribs."
"I can deal with that." Wonder Woman assured both of the Supers, "Anything else?"
"No…wait! There's a large fracture in the right femur." Superman dutifully reported.
"I can tape and splint that." Wonder Woman announced, "I'll have to tape the ribs too. It has to be tight. Really tight. But you still need to be able to breathe."
"What happens then?" Superman asked.
"Then I take her to the closest hospital." Wonder Woman broke into a smile, "She'll be fine."
"Yah, you big lug, I'll be fine. I'm tough." Supergirl then gasped as Wonder Woman lifted her mid-riff blouse.
Wonder Woman frowned, "Remember, you're tough."
Supergirl's jaw clenched and she spoke though her teeth, "Sorry. Won't happen again."
Over by the villains' fallen forms, Captain Marvel was on his signal device talking to L-Ron, "That's right. Have Gotham's Meta-human Response Unit arrive on the street between Powers Industries and Dagget International. I don't know the name of the street or any of the street addresses."
"No problem, your Big Red Cheesiness." L-Ron happily burbled, "I can look it up on Google Maps."
"Tell them to bring the trucks with the lockdowns lit by red solar lamps." Superman instructed.
"You got that?" Marvel asked.
"Perfectly." L-Ron confirmed, "Anything else?"
"No." Captain Marvel innocently replied.
"Tootles." L-Ron signed off.
Marvel shook his head, "That robot is getting out of control."
"Probably. But at least he's our robot." Superman chuckled.
"Why do I have the feeling you're about to give me bad news?" Marvel ruefully asked.
"Because I am." Superman confessed, "And trust me, I feel the same way."
"What is it?" Marvel asked with a pained expression.
"You and I are going to have to stay here until the MRU arrives and picks up these three." Superman explained.
Captain Marvel groaned, "I knew you were going to say that. Why can't you watch them while I find Mary?"
"Because if they play possum until we're separated, they'll be able to take down whoever we leave behind."
"You've got to be joking." Marvel scoffed, "They can't even wipe their own noses. You went straight for Supergirl. I came here first. Now let me find my sister. She's in trouble. I know it."
"How do you know it?" Superman asked.
Marvel shrugged, "It's a twin thing."
Superman focused his vision and slowly spun in the air for over minute, "All right. Mary's due East and she is in trouble. Hurry over there."
"Thank you!" Captain Marvel exclaimed and then he was an eastern bound red blur.
"It's only fair." Superman murmured and then strode off to check on Wonder Woman's progress.