Klarion and Greta: On the Darkside, chapter 8: Escape

The four instantly snapped to battle stations, guarding each other's backs. Klarion readied a fire attack from his left hand, but conjured up a wicked-looking Scottish shiavona-type sword for his right. He obviously didn't trust just his magic. "You know how to use that, Klarion?" asked Jason, glancing around to see if there was anything he could use.

"But of course. I may not be the master of swordplay that you are-and that reminds me, here-" and he handed the sword to Jason, while drawing another out of thin air for himself, "but I have had some training with edged weapons. Secret, get in the middle. The rest of us will—"

"The hell I will. This is my fight, too, Klarion, and don't you forget it."

Klarion smiled wryly. "You've got to meet my sister, Beulah. She never backed down from a fight, either. I think she rather enjoyed them."

Secret smiled. "Beat up on little brother a lot, did she?"

"Actually, last time I went home, she tried to burn me at the stake, but that was only a minor misunderstanding…" He saw her shocked look and shrugged. "It's family. I try not to take it personally."

The Thanagarian captain stepped forward. "Come now, Mr. Blood. Surely you see resistance is not just hopeless, but actually counterproductive. I ask you, as one warrior to another: give yourself up. Save not only the lives of these your companions, but the universe itself. Surely, no warrior could ask for any better death."

Klarion cleared his throat. The Thanagarian captain glanced at him, but addressed Jason Blood. "It seems a shame to waste such young lives, for nothing. Even if you succeed, and, by some dark miracle, triumph over all of us, you will still be signing the death warrant for all creation. Is that what you want?"

Klarion spoke up. "I would respectfully like to point out three things, if I may." And he waited.

The captain sighed. "Very well, speak your peace, young one."

"One, the Justice League is aware of your activitities, and is even now homing in on you. You won't be hard to find.

"Two: the construction of necronium is perhaps a bit more complicated—not to mention dangerous—than you realize. You do realize, don't you, that pure necronium, in its active state, will immediately begin to drain the life from anyone and everyone present, in an ever-expanding field of radius, don't you?
And not just life, but energy, as well. So any means of containment would be temporary, at best."

The captain looked at him with new respect. "You speak as though you are familiar with this substance."

"I am. And that is my third point: you have here, in your midst, one who is quite knowledgeable regarding these things. I offer to assist you in this project—in exchange for the lives and freedom of my companions."

The captain shook his head. "This matter is too serious for negotiation. I will admit, your argument makes sense. Perhaps you can be of assistance to us, but we still require the demon to create the necronium. I see no way around that."

Klarion looked at him somberly. "Am I to take it then, that you are refusing my offer of cooperation?"

"You may. Warriors, seize them." The Thanagarians moved in, nth metal weapons at the ready.

"Then you leave me no choice. Remember, I tried to be reasonable. And I WILL leave here with my companions." Now Klarion raised his voice, reaching into his pocket and holding up the cruciform he always carried there: "Grundy, smash!"

Down in the guts of the starship that was the Thanagarian station, the Grundy that had been John Williams heard. "Grundy smash!" The Grundy gleefully smashed away at anything fragile-looking. It didn't have superhuman strength, but it also didn't care if it broke its own bones, either. Such concerns belong to the living only.

Lights flickered. The Thanagarians looked around in startlement and dismay. Their sensors had determined that only three alien life forms had teleported in. It never occurred to them that there might be a fourth…..

…..who wasn't a living life form to begin with.

The shuddering within was answered by a shuddering from without, as something massive or powerful slammed into the side of the Thanagarian ship. The Justice League had found them.

"Warriors! To your battle stations!" the captain barked. He then turned to look at the three. "I hope you can live with the consequences of your actions. You may have doomed the entire universe, due to your stubbornness. And to think: I once had respect for you." Then he was gone, presumably to see to the defense of the ship.

Batgirl cast around. For a moment, they were in the clear. "Klarion! Can you teleport us outta here?"

"Not from right here. Too much nth metal in the way."

"Never mind, guys. I think I can." Greta frowned, a look of concentration lining her face.

"You?"

"Don't look so shocked. It's….just a way of thinking…." And she diffused herself, expanding to include them all…

…and suddenly moved in a direction nobody could see, dragging them with her. Surreal shapes and colors nobody could easily define swam before their eyes….

….and they found themselves back in Jason Blood's apartment, with a bored looking Teekl washing himself. He jumped, arched his back and spat, before he recognized his familiar and friends.

They took a moment to settle down. Whatever Greta had done was disconcerting, to say the least. Then Jason Blood spoke up. "Ah, any chance you might get this thing off my throat?"

…

"How did you do that?" Klarion asked Greta, while Batgirl worked to pick the lock on the throat device on Blood.

She looked off. "Not really sure. It wasn't magic, I know that. It was more like…I can see things differently now. Maybe I'm seeing in multiple dimensions or something."

"Perhaps it's a side effect of your stay in Neron's realm. Whatever the case, it definitely seems useful."

She smiled a naughty smile, looking him up and down. It actually made him a bit nervous. Just what was she seeing? "Yes. You've no idea how useful."

Meanwhile, the throat device finally yielded to Batgirl's pick. "Good thing they didn't deadman switch you."

"Yeah, that would've been…..bad." He rubbed his throat where the device had been. "But you know, people, we still have a problem."

"What, the Thanagarians? The Justice League-*"

"I've no doubt the Justice League can handle one boatload of Thanagarians. No, I'm referring to the Taker. That Thanagarian captain wasn't lying to me; there is such a threat. And only we know about it."

To be continued...

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