GOTC: Sobs

Ace: What's your problem?

GOTC: No reviews…..

Ace: Well, maybe if you had posted more often….

GOTC: Oh, what do you know?

Ace: Well-

GOTC: That question doesn't need an answer.

Ace: Humph.

GOTC: Oh well! People won't read if nothing gets updated!! Besides, this chapter has my favorite scene in it! Squeaky!! Let's get things movin'!!

Squeak: Squeak! (Post time people! Look alive!)

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Rise of the Guardian: Ancient Power, Modern Age

CHAPTER 15: Painful Decisions

It was hard to looks away from Ace and Argon as they engaged each other. Batman knew there was something different about Ace, but the glowing arms were pushing it.

"It's called aura," Zariah said approaching the two Leaguers menacingly, guessing the question that was on their minds, "Some Martial Arts masters have trained their bodies and minds to the point where they can even stop and start the beating of their own hearts. Those two over there have been able to take that technique a step further, by harnessing their very life-force to use as a weapon."

"And how do you know so much about it?" Batman said carefully circling his foe.

"Please," Zariah chuckled, "Argon is my master, and I would be foolish not to try and learn such a powerful technique from him."

Batman tensed as he noticed a slight shift in Zariah's stalking pattern, and a smile crept over the blond's face.



"Although, I do admit I am partial to steel," He laughed a bit sadistically, "There's just something about the way it feels as metal meets flesh!"

The boy's speed was incredible. Batman hardly had the time to catch one of the blades in the spikes of his gauntlets. The other however, he saw come down straight at his head, before a hand shot out and grabbed a hold of Zariah's other arm.

"I've got him Diana," Batman said glancing at the Amazon next to him, "Go get the girl and get her out of here!"

"And what about you?" She asked, as a blast rocked the floor.

"I'll be fine, I can handle this guy, but I have a feeling this factory isn't going to last much longer with those two over there!" Batman said through clenched teeth.

"Sorry to break this up," Zariah said slamming his head into Batman's, then spun around and delivered a kick to Wonder Woman's side, "But I hate to be kept waiting!"

He charged Wonder Woman while she was still reeling from his kick, but a Batarang collided with his shoulder, and exploded. As Zariah backed out of the smoke cloud, Batman's fist connected solidly with his jaw.

"Go!" Batman yelled at Wonder Woman as he continued his assault.

With a burst of speed, Wonder Woman launched herself into the air and sped towards the supervisor's office. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see flashed of red and blue exploding in bursts somewhere to her right, followed by a loud crash and wave of heat. She landed on the balcony of the office and forced her way through the locked door. Inside was dark, and nothing moved in the office.

"Diana?" A tiny voice said peeking out from under a desk, before running at her and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Anna!" Wonder Woman said kneeling down to check the girl over, "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?"

"No," She said sobbing, "He-he said he was going to hurt Ace!"

As if on cue, Ace came crashing through the floor of the office and collided with the far wall of the office. Through the floor in the hole, Wonder Woman saw a growing red glow, and a wave of heat. Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed her from behind, and jumped through the window.

"Close your eyes!" Ace roared as they burst through the glass, just as the office behind them exploded in a fireball. Ace grunted in pain as something caught him across the back, knocking Wonder Woman and Anna out of his grip. Wonder Woman righted herself in the air, but Ace 

crashed to the floor below, as Argon charged him again. Smoke has started to billow in the factory, and Wonder Woman could see small fires starting to flare up, fueled by the numerous crates of greasy machinery parts. Wonder Woman started for the exit, when she realized Batman and Zariah had vanished, and more explosions were echoing from the floor below.

With Anna in her arms, she raced down the stairwell, only to have a cloud of greenish smoke billow up to meet her. She had to land on the stairs, as the smoke burned her lungs and eyes. As she continued down the stairs, she saw Zariah running back up at her. He didn't try to attack, but simply passed her by, giving her a smug and satisfied smirk. He heart fell as she broke into the lower floor. A green haze hovered in a thick cloud over the floor, and small fires were quickly becoming much larger ones. A small explosion caught her attention, as she saw a brick of shade become engulfed in flame, and detonate into a thousand red hot clumps, triggering a catastrophic domino effect. The shade may has well have been gunpowder. And as it exploded, a puff of the greenish smoke formed to add to the still growing haze.

"BATMAN!!" Wonder Woman yelled, trying to find her colleague in the haze, when Anna coughed violently several times before falling completely limp in her arms.

Abandoning her search for the moment, Wonder Woman rushed for the window they'd entered through, and out into the open air. She ran out further away from the building, and found Flash bundling up a group of the gunmen.

"Flash! Take the girl! I need to go back inside!" She said flying up to the Scarlet Speedster and shoving the unconscious girl into his arms.

"What? Wait!" He sputtered at the sudden command, "Wonder Woman!"

But she was already pulling herself through the tiny window, and into a living hell. The fire now had the makings of an inferno, as it swept across the factory floor with a ravenous hunger. It was hard to make out where she was in the firestorm, and the haze was becoming disorienting, clouding her mind as well as her eyes.

A sudden explosion erupted from somewhere above her, and a part of the floor above crashed down on top of her. She heard the sound of her arm break, rather than feel it, as the hot debris rained down from above. With her good arm, she managed to shove off the slab that was responsible for the break, and stagger back to her feet. She coughed again as she inhaled more of the foul smoke. Her ribs protested in pain, not broken, but badly bruised. Her head was beginning to spin in time with the dancing flames, when through the haze, she spied the outline of a prone figure pinned beneath a steel garter.

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Ace's whole body was protesting the violent treatment it was receiving, but the pain was shoved to the far corner of his mind. He was too focused on destroying the man in front of him, and 

making him pay for what he'd done to Cody. He felt the satisfying crack as his fist connected squarely with Argon's jaw and sent him reeling. Argon grabbed a hold of a crate to steady himself and began to laugh.

"I'm disappointed in you my friend," He said wiping the blood away that trickled from his lip, "Five years of brooding, and anger, and this is the best you can do?"

The words spurred Ace into a fury, barreling into Argon, then taking a hold of his collar, threw him into a wall, cracking the cement. Before Argon could recover, Ace sunk a fist deep into his gut, with a sounding crack of bone, then grabbed his throat as Argon sank to his knees.

"You haven't even begun to see what I can do," Ace snarled, "I am going to make you suffer for what you did to Cody."

"No," Argon laughed, "No you won't. That was your one flaw my friend; you don't have the stomach to do what needs to be done, even to those who truly deserve it. You've seen too much death to be the cause of it yourself-"

Ace tightened his grip around Argon's neck, choking off the rest of his sentence.

"You haven't seen me in five years," Ace said darkly, "That's more than enough time for a person to change, isn't it?"

"Then let's see you do it," Argon taunted in a hoarse whisper, "Go on, kill me."

Ace slammed Argon against the wall again, and pulled back his fist to strike. But instead of ramming it through his skull, it hovered in mid-air uncertainly. Argon began to laugh again.

"You see?" He laughed, "You're weak. You can't kill me. I however, have no problem taking out those in my way."

A sudden movement caught Ace's eye, as Argon flicked a vial at him, shattering in his face. Ace released his grip on Argon and stumbled backward, after inhaling a large amount of Shade. All at once he felt his entire body freeze, as Argon stood back up.

"Wonderful drug Shade," Argon said smugly, "Your body won't be overcome quite as quickly, and once you can move again, you'll have more enough power to hunt me down and finish your botched job."

Just then, Zariah ran up next to Argon, with a triumphant smile.

"But then again," Argon laughed quietly, "I doubt your little friends will survive long enough for you to kill me. But that's your choice, not mine."

Zariah helped Argon to another staircase on the other side of the floor, and disappeared in the smoke, but Ace could still hear his laugh over the roar of the inferno.



At last, Ace could feel his body begin to adjust to the drug pounding through his veins, but he remained rooted to the spot. His eyes were dark, and he hung his head in frustration, fists clenched so hard blood trickled over his knuckles. A single tear splashed to the dusty floor at Ace's feet.

"I'm so sorry." He said before taking off running.

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GOTC: I love that last part!

Ace: Yes…And I'll bet everyone loves it when you write a cliffhanger like that.

GOTC: Aww….come on. You got to admit that last part was good!!

Ace: I don't have to do anything.

GOTC: Then why are you in this story?

Ace: Readers, please review and shut her up. If not for her, for me. PLEASE!!