Chapter 4
-part1-
"This is the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen," Kara said. Shifting her head to meet Mon'El's eyes as they sat together on an outcrop of rock, high on a mountain dressed in full forest greens. Where? Kara didn't care in the slightest.
"Did you know I still have my glasses?" He said to her with a playful expression.
"Glasses?" she inquired with a slight laugh. It hit her what he meant. "Your secret identity glasses?"
"Those." He nodded turning back from her eyes to look out into the nearly set sun casting such warm hews of orange, yellow, and red across the cloud-spotted sky. "I had them in my pocket when I left Earth. It was fun for me... Pretending you know. While still trying to make it all worthwhile."
Kara too turned her gaze out to the sky. "You were so bad at it." Her giggle endorsed the humor.
"I know. But I wanted it." Mon'El took a deep breath and let out a huff. He returned his gaze to her and she to him. He looked like he wanted to say so much. "Kara..."
"Me too." She cut him off. Feeling the pang of truth that was her inner monologue. ~What it was.
"No Kara, you have to wake up now." He smiled full of pity.
Confused Kara just looked at him wordlessly.
His face turned serious and he began to yell, "You have to wake-"
Kara's reality shattered into burning rain and monstrous thunder and wind. A Man knelt over her screaming in her face.
"You have to wake up or you're going to die!" His voice was raspy deep and demanding. He wore an all-black armored suit.
Kara tried to speak as nails drug threw her veins. She burned inside and out. Every nerve wished to escape her.
"AHH!" She screamed, fighting with instinct. Something here was so very wrong. The lighting. The rain. It was all kryptonite.
"You have to get up." He said. Not giving her a choice he strong-armed her straight up. Her feet didn't hold her weight, but the stranger didn't let her drop back down.
"What's happening!" Kara yelled at the man over the storm. "Im dying!"
"If you want to live you'll listen to me." Using both arms as he held her standing he turned to reposition her to fully face him. "You have to go above the clouds Kryptonian. These storms blanket the entire earth. There's no were to run."
"How do you know..." she started but the pain pushed the desire for answers away. Now was the time to survive.
"I'm going to inject you with this." He wrapped his arm around her waist and she, fighting with every ounce of her being, held some of her weight. From a yellow belt, he pulled a syringe. It glowed a bright yellow in the dark shrowded sky.
"What is.." Kara yelped at the sight of it. Futilely attempting to push at the man. To make some distance between them, but he held her close. His grip is unyielding. Without further warning, he pierced her neck with it. Kara with shock-like adrenaline pushed the man away with such force he launched two dozen feet away. Only to flip and land on foot and knee. Quickly to his feet again he yelled at her with force.
"Fly Kryptonian!"
Kara didn't hesitate. Despite the pain, she launched up and threw the clouds in an instant. Her speed took her miles above the storm. Feeling the weakening of the kryptonite as she took in the rays of the sun.
With her superhearing, she could hear the man who saved her say. "And now Kryptonian, we wait."
-part2-
The laughter was coming from the main chamber of the fortress of solitude. Gaurdian had faced a few crazed supervillains in his time and had even been horribly tortured by Lex Luther himself and even the memory of then. The fear contained inside it. Was nothing compared to his mind's reaction to the alternate Superman's never-ending laughter.
The Martian Man-Hunter leading the way. Stepping over or going around random objects. From a tractor to a fishing boat to a full-grown pine tree. All looted and scattered about by the Laughing Superman. J'aun maintaining maximum focus understood that if this version of Superman had the same powers as Clark and Kara, then it was a real possibility that the Monster already had heard their approach. But he hadn't attacked. Was he waiting for them? He tried to ignore his thoughts only to hear them echo psychically in James' mind.
Both men stopped under the great crystal arch of the main room. The stench coming from inside was retched and blood from an eviscerated beast hung speared on the arch itself and dripped in a pool in front of them. Not enuff of it to even recognize what it had been. Bravely they entered to see the source of the laughter. Superman was there indeed. Sitting on a crudely cut thrown of crystal. His appearance has changed drastically. His belly was extended as if he was carrying a 100-pound tumor. He sat with his head hanging overtop the backing of the thrown. Laughing up at the ceiling. Then came the source of the horrible smell. Laughing superman stopped laughing long enuff to belch. Putrid green gas expanded out from his mouth and filled the air.
Winn was watching this all threw Gaurdians chest cam and was ready to remotely activate any tech as needed for his friend.
"I'm watching buddy and help is on its way right now. Just keep in mind that you can't match his strength but the force field should negligent any stress put on you from that monster directly."
Superman lifted his head and looked right at the two superheroes. Both did their best to look unfazed.
"I don't know where you came from." started the Martian Man-Hunter. "But you don't belong here. You can come peacefully or we can take you by force. "
Laughing Superman just laughed harder. He even slapped his leg the force shaking the entire fortress.
Both men took a step forward and Superman lept up. When his feet hit the ground it shook everything. It was like he weighed tons upon tons. His belly-flopped like it was made of fresh doe. A moment stare down and Superman charged. He laughs coming is screams. J'aun charged back followed only a moment later by James. Superman lunged to wrap his arms around J'aun but he fazed threw him leaving James to come into the awkwardly stumbling Superman. At the last second activating his gauntlet and slamming the shield into the Laughing face of his opponent. The Nth metal in his shield does its justice and knocks Superman back in the opposite direction. J'aun followed quickly with a jumping spinning kick to the back of his head. This prompted a whoop from the laughing maniac who against his new moment swung a back fist to the Green Martian who quickly fazed again. James readied for another strike as J'aun fazed back in. For a brief moment, he had a new look of confidence immediately covered up with the now obese hand of Superman. The monster tore back and launched J'aun straight into the crystal wall shattering the outer layer to the floor. Superman then let his heat vision burn. Striking the hole in which the Martian was encased. Flames build in the crater as Gaurdian swings his shield again and again with no effect other than to prompt a second backhand in his direction. Hitting his shield and leaving Gaurdian undamaged.
"Stop you son of a bitch!" Another blow. Superman continued to burn into the wall. "I said STOOOOP!" James winded back for a blow with everything he had. At the same time in perfect sink, Winn shifted the suit's power into the Gauntlet causing it to hum as Gaurdian hit him again. This time causing him to stop his incinerating. He turned to face James. His laughing dropped low to build back up to its high pitch.
James started to take a few steps back. That was the most he could do. If he couldn't subdue Superman and put DEO cuffs on him then it was over.
Superman closed the gap with one best step. His newfound body mass quaked the earth so badly that James momentarily lost his balance. By the time he refound his footing Laughing Superman was upon him. He raised a ham fist and brought it down like a mallet. James raised his shield to take the blow. It worked but he felt some of the impact. It was almost too much for the shield. Again and again, the Massive fist struck his shield. The great mighty force and reverberation with the DEO shield cracked the ground beneath him. James fell to his knees. It felt like every bone and joint in his body just become compressed and his ears began to ring. He tried to lift his shield for one last defiant block but his arm just couldn't rise. All he could do was look up at his impending doom. He refused to close his eyes. He would see it coming.
As Superman's meaty fist swung down for the killing strike the world blurred for James and found himself outside the fortress next to a slightly winded Flash.
"We have to go back! J'aun is still in there!" James screamed trying to run back towards the fortress but falling full flat chest to the ground after just one step. The man couldn't even break his fall. He had nothing left after just a few blows from the Man Of Steel counterpart.
Berry knelt by him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"Berry get him out of there!" Winn screamed into their comms just as the fat blob that was Superman stomped his way out of the fortress.
"Right." Berry agreed aloud and using his super speed picked up James and began to run across the ice. Laughing superman took to the sky immediately in pursuit and was quickly gaining on them. If Berry ran any faster he would risk doing even more serious damage to his passenger. He had to do something!
He stopped and set down Berry allowing Superman to catch up to them. Superman descended slowly down. Hands on his massive hips and shrieking now with laughter.
"Man, you're messed up inside." The Flash called to him before going supersonic. He ran circles around the MegaTon Superman to distract him long enuff to come up with a plan.
~I gutta stop running headfirst into crazy situations. He thought to himself.
Gaurdian watched as the blur of red circled Superman. Despite his body screaming and his head pounding he rose to his feet but could not stand up straight. What could he do? He was useless. He couldn't even shake his arm to activate his gauntlet...
Superman in an effort of speed not yet seen reach out with an open hand and landed a perfect smack across the face of the Flash sending him sailing to land back by Gaurdian.
"O damn. I think the speed force felt that! OUCH!" Berry said getting back to his feet.
"I have a plan James said to him." Still struggling just to stand up. Can you distract him one more time?"
"Sure thing. Just let me shake off being pimp-smacked."
"Trust me" Dark patches swirled in Gaurdians vision. "Winn when I say. Activate the Nth board."
"I understand," Winn replied nerve racked.
Gaurdian and the Flash shared a last here goes nothing glance before Berry blurred away to circle him again. This Superman was so obviously enjoying it all that he jumped up and down a few times and even clapped.
Gaurdian watched for his opening and there it was. Superman was focusing on the blur and timing his attack.
"Now!" Yelled James. Winn activated the Nth board on his end and it erupted off the slumped Gaurdians back and slammed into the belly of Laughing Superman at max speed. Superman took the blow on his feet but the board sunk deep into his abdomen before flicking back out and onto the ground. Supermans laughing turned first into broken cackles. Then it stopped altogether as he swayed. His face turned pale and he fell to his knees.
The Nth board lept back into the air and raced to James who crawled onto it. Feeling his consciousness start to slip away completely. The last thing he saw before slipping into total darkness was the great abomination Retch like a fire hose.