Disclaimer
The characters used in the story are the property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. I used them in my story which is entirely a product of my own imagination.
Note: Gods in Justice League is definitely not my forte. I am not a reader of comics, I love cartoons though, and I base my story on the limited knowledge I gained from the cartoons. I only watched two episodes which featured Darkseid and High Father, and that is as far as my knowledge goes. So, if you feel I have goofed up somewhere, let me know, so that I can correct in the future works.
And FYI, I am not very good in narrating action sequences. I'd wish that I were an artist or animation wiz to bring forward what the characters play in my mind. But I hope you'll be able to understand them and enjoy.
Chapter 12
"Have you ever been to this place, Kal EL?" Darkseid asked as they finally halted. It was a vast open space, more like a sports field. Superman remained silent
"Of course you have," Darseid laughed, "This is where you were trained."
"This is where you hit dust," Superman muttered angrily. Darkseid's smile vanished and gave way to a frown. One of the guards hit him in the gut and he flinched.
"That will not be good enough, Darkseid," Superman uttered discretely. "I'll make sure that this is the biggest mistake will ever make."
"What will you do, Kryptonian?" Darkseid grunted, "Kill me?"
"Nothing will stop me from doing that, Darkseid," Superman said.
"Not even the safety of your friends?" Darkseid made a gesture which is equivalent to raising an eye brow. Superman looked in the direction. The Leaguers lay unconscious surrounded by some kind of force field. As he shifted his gaze to the right, he saw Orion and High Father, being escorted to the spectator area. His fists clenched automatically.
"Why, High Father?" he muttered.
"He had no choice," Darkseid smiled, "He had his world to save." Then he came closer to Superman and whispered, "Not that I am the one who keeps his promise."
"Get him to open the casket and take all the powers, father," Kalibak suggested.
"He cannot open the casket, Kalibak!" Darkseid said, "I'll have to."
"Then do it," he pressed eagerly.
"Of course, not, you idiot!" Darkseid scowled, "If I open it, all that power will burn me down before I can assimilate it. I should not touch it by myself."
"If the power will burn you down, how did you put it in the casket?" Kalibak asked.
"I didn't put it in the casket, of course." Darkseid said, "The casket took it by itself. I only had to get it out of High Father. I never directly came into contact with it, and I never will."
"You are a coward, Darkseid," Superman muttered. Darkseid smiled as Superman's remark only earned him a punch in his face.
"What do you intend to do then?" Kalibak asked. "You killed the only other man who could open the casket."
"I told you, Kailbak, that is not my priority," he said, and turned to Superman, "Now that you are here, Kal EL, how about we train, like we used to."
The two guards holding Superman till then left him free.
"I won't be unjust to you," Darkseid said. "Let's play. I'll play my card," Darkseid smiled deviously, "Of Granny's choice!"
Superman grunted his teeth and squinted at him.
Darkseid ignored him.
"If you win, you and your friends are free to go. If I win, well…we'll decide what to do then."
"Bring as many as you want, Darkseid," Superman said, "I'll pound them all."
"I'm sure you will," darkseid said, looking perfunctorily at his nails, "Especially when I tell you that my card was responsible for bringing all your friends down in less than a minute. An expert marksman."
"I'm sure I have enough reason already, Darkseid," Superman said, "And today, it'll not just be him!"
"Who said anything about him?" Darkseid squinted. Superman involuntarily took a step back.
"A woman?" he frowned.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Darkseid said, "But I can give you one hint. I call it my son, and you will stand no chance!"