Raven had only ever heard stories of the dark planet: Apocalypse. She had heard of the mile wide fire pits that spat torrents of flames high into the air; of the blood red sky that stretched to the far reaches of the planet; of the massive monolithic structures that decorated the ravaged landscape; of its nightmarish occupants; and of course of its savage dictator with a heart blacker than the blackest night that ruled them. Now that she was here, she realized that no amount of words could match seeing the monstrosity in its entire horrific splendor. She would have been terrified if not for one thing: Raven had known true hell once before.
After coming through the boom tube, the duo found themselves on the outskirts, just outside Apocalypses capital city; the cold, industrial quality of which was enough to make any Earthen environmentalist weep uncontrollably.
Raven and Batman made their way to the top of the nearest ridge, giving themselves a perfect view of the monstrous city as Batman produced a pair of binoculars.
"Is he here?" asked Raven.
"You tell me," said Batman, handing her the binoculars.
With them, Raven could clearly see dozen bodies lining the streets. All sorts of vicious looking creatures lay strewn about in varying conditions, some in crumpled heaps, some with missing limbs, some even ripped in half. Raven couldn't help swallowing nervously.
"Darkseid's Palace is in the center of the city," spoke Batman. "It houses the planet's most advanced technology."
Raven readjusted her gaze and spotted a massive tower, the top of which disappeared into the black clouds above. It was as if the architecture pierced the sky itself.
"Then that's where we're going," said Raven standing.
With a wave of her hand, a protective bubble surrounded Batman and herself, and in the blink of an eye, began rocketing them towards the gargantuan structure in the center of the city.
Starfire had seen much of the galaxy. She had been to many different words, spoken with an enormous variety of alien species, and had done battle with many fiercesome creatures. But never in her life had she seen anything like the monster in front of her.
Doomsday was almost beyond comprehension. The beast spoke not a word and seemed to understand nothing but destruction. It's appearance was nightmare inducing. It's body, a solid mass of grey muscle with jagged, white spikes, capable of piercing the most durable alien metal, jutting out from his hands and back and knees. It's eyes, black as nothingness, contained red irises that seemed to stab at one's very soul. When those terrible eyes became fixed on a target, death was almost a guarantee, and now they were fixed at the entire Justice League.
The League stood strong as the creature came into view. Wonder Woman at the front, flanked by Green Lantern, Hawk Girl and Flash. Just behind them were Starfire, Nightwing, Cyborg, Black Canary, Captain Atom, Red Tornado, Hawk and Dove, and dozens of others all ready and willing to stop Doomsday's onslaught. They were a multicolored army of brave and gifted men and women, each prepared to lay down their lives for the sake of protecting those who didn't have the means to protect themselves.
For a moment Doomsday stopped his march and simply stared at the collective in front of him. A soul crushing silence came over the battlefield, the calm before the storm. Then without a sound, the creature broke into a run, quickly closing the gap between he and the group of costumed heroes.
"This is where we draw the line," commanded Wonder Woman as she soared high above the group. "This is where we hold him. Doomsday gets no further."
Without even waiting for a command to attack, the heroes charged, some flying, some running, but all heading straight for the beast.
The streets of Metropolis were empty. They had been cleared in preparation for the oncoming battle that could come spilling into them at a moments notice. All was quiet. Voices were hushed; there was no traffic, no people, only silence.
Then came the fury; a cavalcade of thunderous booms echoed through the air as several miles outside the city, incredible forces of nature, science and the like did battle. It was surely a spectacle that most wished they could see, but hoped they wouldn't.
The number of bodies seemed to increase, as the duo got closer to the massive tower in the center of the city. Logic told them they were heading in the right direction. Eventually the main entrance came into view, and a thought occurred to Raven.
"What happens if we run into Darkseid?"
Batman didn't turn to face her, but rather kept his eyes straight ahead.
"I don't think that's going to be a problem."
Raven followed Batman's gaze and what she saw did nothing to boost her confidence. Slouched against the massive doors of Darkseid's palace was the dictator himself; his face, horribly bruised and beaten, and each of his limbs snapped like a twig.
"Trigon's been busy," said Raven dryly.
"I don't think Darkseid ever really knew how much Superman was holding back when they fought," replied Batman.
"I think he knows now," said Raven.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, the duo rushed through the entrance of the palace.
It was imperative that they find Trigon as fast as possible, so focusing her thoughts, Raven recalled the intense rage she felt from him back in Metropolis. Using that as a guide, she led the duo through halls of the palace. More bodies greeted them as they traveled, the different uniforms suggesting they were scientists of Apocalypse. The scenario was playing out much like the encounter at Star Labs.
They were getting closer; Trigon's presence was getting stronger. Finally, Raven and Batman approached a massive set of double doors.
"He's in there," said Raven.
"Are you certain?" asked Batman.
Raven nodded.
"Are you ready?"
Again Raven nodded.
With a swift kick, Batman forced open the doors, revealing a great hall with a mile high ceiling and a dark gothic layout. In the center of the room, with his back towards the pair, still in Superman's body, stood Trigon.
"I was wondering when you would arrive," he said. From the way he was standing, he appeared to be hiding something.
The pair took several steps into the room.
"Superman's hearing is quite amazing, isn't it?" said Batman plainly.
The demon snorted indignantly.
"It was acceptable," said Trigon, still with his back turned. "It at least warned me of your arrival," The beast turned around and took a revealing step to the right.
Now Raven and Batman could clearly see what he had been hiding. To his right, sitting on a kind of tripod was a large device, the size of a car engine. It was rectangular shaped with rounded corners: on one end two sturdy handles, and on the other a kind of long cylinder. It was adorned with buttons and switches and the entire look of the device resembled the Phantom Zone Projector.
"What I found most useful was the Kryptonian's speed," he said smirking. "Once I had gathered the proper intelligence, it allowed me to construct my transdimensional portal device quite swiftly." Trigon turned back and ran a longing hand over the machine. "With this, I will finally be able to reclaim what is rightfully mine."
"I wouldn't count on that," said Batman plainly.
At that, Trigon burst into laughter.
"And why would that be? I'm the one with all the power."
"You've forgotten," said Batman dispensing a remote from beneath his cape. "Every strength can be turned into a weakness."
With the press of a button an intense high-pitched tone filled the room. Trigon roared in pain as the noise ravaged the super sensitive hearing of his Kryptonian host. Throwing his hands over his ears, he did his best to block out the horrible noise, but still it persisted. Losing the will to even stand, he dropped to his knees and doubled over in pain.
"Do it now," commanded Batman.
Raven nodded and approached the debilitated monster.
"Good-bye, Trigon," she said disdainfully, her hands and eyes beginning to glow.
Wonder Woman yelped in pain as another thunderous blow from Doomsday sent her crashing to the ground. Black Canary opened her throat wide and bombarded the beast with a sonic scream, as Booster Gold pelted him with energy blasts. Every attack was simply absorbed by the mindless behemoth as he turned his focus from one hero to the next.
Green Lantern gripped Doomsday in a massive green fist while Supergirl leveled the beast with lefts and rights, and Captain atom blasted him with radiation. Summoning impossible strength, the hulking monstrosity overpowered Green Lantern's will and broke free of the green energy. Gripping Supergirl by the throat, he drove the blonde into the ground and then hurled her body at Captain Atom, knocking him out of the sky.
The beast was unlike anything Starfire had ever encountered. Like everyone else, she had taken her own shots at the monster. Every blow she threw at it felt like punching granite, and only succeeded in bruising and bloodying her knuckles, and her star bolts and eye blasts were no more affective. Breathing heavily she settled down next to Nightwing who, after tossing every exploding, freezing and acidic birdaring he had, found there was little more he could do.
"Starfire, are you okay?" he asked.
"Regrettably I am not. All of my attacks seemed to be completely ineffectual.
Nightwing racked his brain for a solution, but ultimately he came to only one conclusion.
"Star?"
"Yes?"
Nightwing's tone became grave.
"I think we only have one choice."
Starfire thought deep about what Nightwing was suggesting. It was an attack that, because of its sheer power and uncontrollable nature, was only used for the direst of emergencies.
"I believe you may be right," she replied firmly. "Clear the area."
Nightwing nodded and watched as Starfire took off into the sky.
'Get back! Everyone!" shouted Nightwing. "Everyone get clear."
High up into the sky, the Tameranean goddess soared, bathing every inch of her being in the sun's nurturing light. Her pores opened wide, absorbing as much radiation as she could until her body glowed with a brilliant incandescence and her long luxurious mane resembled a roaring fire.
Brimming with all the energy of the brightest star, the Tameranean shot back to Earth, heading straight for Doomsday. Eyes full of determination, and letting loose a primal yell heard for miles, she collided with the brute and expunged every bit of energy in her body in a massive solar flare, the resulting flash being so bright that none in the area could stand to look.
After a few seconds, the flash faded and Nightwing dared a look. There was a giant crater where Doomdsay once stood, and a few yards away lay a motionless Starfire. Quickly Nightwing ran to her side.
"Starfire," he said, his voice full of worry.
The Tameranean voiced a small moan in response.
"Star, are you alright?"
"I believe so," she replied, opening her eyes half way. "I am very tired."
Nightwing chuckled lightly. He leaned in to place a gentle kiss on the exhausted woman's lips, but stopped when he heard a rustling sound. Dreading what he would see, he looked to the crater to catch Doomsday pulling himself to his feet, appearing largely unscathed. The battle was not yet over, but if something was not done, Nightwing feared it soon would be.
The sacred words of a long dead language danced gracefully over Raven's lips as her hands and eyes glowed a brilliant white, Trigon's host body glowing the same white in response. The glow became brighter and brighter as the spell reached its peak, bathing the entire room in the intense light, until finally the spell reached its conclusion.
With another button-press, Batman silenced the ultrasonic noise, and Raven cautiously bent down to examine Superman's body. She wasn't sure if she had succeeded. Trigon's presence had not entirely disappeared, but it was certainly not as strong as it had been.
"Superman?" she asked hesitantly.
With a groan, the man of steel slowly pulled himself into a sitting position.
"I'm…I'm in control again," he said incredulously as he stared at his hands.
Raven allowed herself a small sigh of relief. She was certain that the demon was no longer in control of Superman, and yet it's presence had not entirely vanished. It was faint, but she was certain it was still there.
Realization came like a shot.
Snapping her head up she spotted Batman, the device in his grasp.
"Now, your world ends," he bellowed, swiftly activating the device.
Instantly a white beam shot forth from the machine, tearing through reality. With a deafening boom a large portal opened in the center of the room.
Raven watched in horror as an ethereal, red energy shot from Batman's body and entered the portal. There was a brilliant flash, and before she could vocalize any sort of response, the demon king, Trigon once again set foot in our dimension.