And now the final chapter of Herald of Death Book One. I decided to not to respond to reviews for the last chapter. The short catch all answer to what the big problem is was "this chapter explains much." This is one of those chapters where much will be explained but a lot is left open for the sequel in Book Two, coming this July.
Chapter 61: The Ultimate Destroyer Part One.
"We, the Higher Ups, commune on this day, not to judge the Heralds of Death but to judge Death herself, for the malicious use of her abilities and the interference of the natural progression of matters on the planet known as Earth. Death will be allowed to state her case but should she be found guilty, she will be forced to step down from her position as the gateway to the afterlife and a new one will be chosen in her place. Our first and potentially most damning piece of evidence is the full scale and senseless destruction of what mortals refer to as the dinosaurs."
Defiance was a quality that Harry Potter utilized many times in his life; when authority figures shoved him around and tended to undermine him. The fact of the matter was despite the edict from the higher ups, he was not going to stand by and let this matter go unchecked, not if he could help it anyway. The dark haired wizard prepared to figure out what to do and came to one conclusion. His two blonde wives waited beside him, the third one staying at the Shining Light Foundation to track Doomsday's progress for Clark.
"I'm beginning to see why all of the other Heralds lost their minds and swore a vendetta on Death," Kara responded when she clutched her arms and inclined her head over to the side. Her eyes closed when she thought about everything but there was a look of thought and concentration on Harry's face.
"I'm not sure if Death was directly involved with this one," Harry answered when he clutched his hands.
Karen gave Harry an incredulous look when she asked the extremely obvious question. "If it's not that meddlesome bitch, than who else could it be?"
Harry decided to enlighten her on the process. "I'm….I'm….well Death stated that there were higher ups, at least we're assuming its Death .But if Brainiac found a way to stop my powers temporarily, then it stands to reason that other people might have found out a way to do so as well."
Harry, Karen, and Kara thought about that point and to be honest, that was something to think about. They came so far, they came so close, that they were able to taste the victory. Clark was taking a huge step towards achieving what he was put on this planet for but that hinged on his ability to defeat Doomsday. The three Heralds remembered one thing that haunted them.
The reading that they saw from the Lifeline before Death yanked their powers that echoed throughout the back of their heads. The fact of the matter was Clark went black which meant that there was a ninety five percent likelihood that he was doomed to die. Granted there was a five percent likelihood that he could live but who would want to play odds like that.
"We're running out of time," Karen answered when she looked nervously and she checked in with Chloe. "Any news on our destroyer?"
Chloe bit her lip when she checked the latest news.
"He's after Clark, Oliver and his rag-tag group of heroes….well they're going after him to stall him while Clark gets ready," Chloe answered but Harry turned away.
He was not about to tell Chloe to tell Oliver that what he was trying to do was a suicide mission, rather he was going to let him do what he needed to do. The heroes of the world would not stand by idly and wait for Doomsday to destroy it. Or wait for Clark to get his ass in gear.
"Lana's going stir crazy in here and Lois…she's still MIA, and Raya's gone to the Fortress to help Clark out in any way she can, being the only one of those three who still have powers," Chloe told Harry, mostly talking to herself than him. "Do you think there's a chance….of our powers returning?"
Harry wished he could say that there was. He got a sense that Death may have also thrown then under the bus as a scapegoat for something she got in trouble with from the higher ups.
"I don't know Chloe, we're checking into something, we're going to keep you posted," Harry answered when he turned around and thought about everything that he had to do.
"Don't suppose a miracle could happen, could it?" Chloe asked when she paused.
Harry did not answer, at least right away. To be honest, he did not believe in miracles but he believed in results. And resourcefulness, there was only one person on Earth who could find a way to restore the powers. She had access to a realm of magical knowledge that would be able restore them.
"I don't know, but we're meeting with someone, Rachel, she'll hopefully have something that could bring our powers back behind Death's back," Harry answered but Chloe paused.
"You do realize that there's a good chance that Death will come down here personally and ring your necks if you undermine her like that?'
"Good, let her come," Kara answered, showing no fear in her voice or her eyes. "We're ready, we earned these powers, and she has no right to take them away because of all of these stupid rules."
"Again, I'm beginning to see why all of the former Heralds grew to hate her," Karen responded when she folded her arms and looked up into the sky. "I hope….I hope that there is something that we can do."
Harry once again was not sure that Death was the one behind this mysterious loss of powers, call him crazy, he was called worse but that's the way he thought. There was something unsettling with when this happened just now, the moment before Clark went forward to face Doomday. And the fact the life line reading turned black before their powers got lost.
Well, it was not like he could think about that, he knocked on the door, with the young mage waiting and the door opened, for Rachel to poke her head out.
"Harry, I….after all that's happened I didn't expect you to come by," Rachel responded to Harry before she looked at the three Heralds of Death. She commented in a sardonic voice. "There wasn't a problem with my training last time, was there?"
Harry took a turn to smile back at her. "No there wasn't a problem, far from it in fact. But we do have an issue, we need to travel to your realm and access the library."
Confusion reigned over Rachel's face before she asked what she assumed to be a very obvious question. "And why couldn't you do that?"
Kara chimed in with an explanation. "Our powers have been yanked and we're hoping for a way to restore them."
Rachel mused that these three had among the very worst luck in the world that much was for certain. The young half demon sorceress took a moment to mull over everything that transpired and closed her eyes, before deciding to help them. After all, after the big time they helped her, she'll be forever in their debt.
"I'll help you, it's no problem, if Kal-El doesn't succeed, much will be lost after all," Rachel answered after they gave her a brief summary of what the situation was. She engulfed them in a bright light and sent them to the realm.
It was an amazing place with a huge library, somehow the citizens of this dimension managed to save most of it from Trigon and after her father's demise, Rachel went back her to persue the books, flipping through them a little bit at a time and learning about new bits of magic. Naturally she would allow Harry, Kara, and Karen to go into the library.
"Thanks Rachel, I appreciate that and I'll find a way to make your help worth your while," Harry answered and Rachel looked at him.
"Ah, that's quite the promise, isn't it?" Rachel asked in a stoic voice before she walked forward and flipped through the books. There were many legends of the Heralds of Death in this library, not to mention other magical artifacts. She continued to flip through the books with the help of Harry, Kara, and Karen.
There was a moment where Kara gave a triumphant smile and turned the book over to them.
"There it is, the solution to our problems," Kara answered and Harry looked at her before he gave her a kiss on the lips, which she returned.
"You're brilliant."
Kara smiled before Karen offered him a mock pout, shaking her head.
"How about me?"
Harry kissed Karen on the lips a little bit and Rachel looked at him, about to open her mouth. "You're brilliant, you too Rachel."
Rachel opened her mouth but in the heat of the moment, Harry offered her a slight kiss on the lips. His mere touch caused her brain to nearly shut down and the young half demon to go into a catatonic state. New emotions bombarded her mind.
"You're…you're….you're….w-w-elcome," Rachel stammered when she closed her eyes and shook her head. "But you know that altar, while powerful, is also dangerous. It will either restore your powers or destroy you utterly."
"We're up for the challenge, I think," Kara answered, they would do anything to restore their powers and this altar would restore the powers, even if the risk was greater.
Harry, Kara, and Karen prepared to depart for the last known location of the altar, a museum in South America, and they hoped that it was there. They needed their powers back, so they could help prevent the upcoming Doomsday.
Green Arrow dropped to the ground; they were in the Northern Part of Canada where the monster showed up. Black Canary, Cyborg, and Impulse followed him up the banks of snow and ice. Aquaman took the water; that was naturally in his element.
Oliver peered from underneath his hood, they were in a fisherman town, that's what the community seemed to thrive on.
"How do we know when he shows up?" Dinah asked to break the rather awkward silence.
"Follow the sound of the screams?" Bart asked when the others looked at him and sure enough there were screams.
The destroyer arrived on the field, more hideous than he had been described and Oliver felt rather underequipped with the arrows that he had. They would not do him as much good as he assumed against this monster, against this creature, whatever he was. Yet, he had to try and he aimed his arrow, before he shot it.
The monster got the arrow in his hand but he ripped it out. Briefly, a nasty kind of blood spurted from his hand, before the monster stood on the ground, rushing forward with each passing step. The villagers scattered.
Bart ran around the world to gain the necessary momentum to try and take the creature out. He circled the entire planet and came back around the other side of him but the monster knocked him down onto the ground with an impact. The speedster rolled over, clutching his back and was down, groaning.
"I thought…I thought that would work," Bart stated with a grimace when he tried to sit up but he failed. The young speedster shook his head a little bit and was helped to his feet.
Cyborg was the next one to get smacked down by the destroyer who sensed that he was getting close to his query. These insects were not something that he would allow to stop him from destroying the last son of Krypton. That was his mission, he would not….
Green Arrow fired a rapid barrage in him, unloading twelve, thirteen, fourteen arrows into him, all of them entering his chest. Doomsday stepped forward, grabbing the archer by the throat and shaking him like a ragdoll.
"Canary, now," Green Arrow managed when Doomsday hoisted him up and prepared to crush him with the impact.
Black Canary opened her mouth to send a sonic cry at Doomsday. The monster felt a bit of discomfort and for a brief instant, they thought it was working. His ears began to bleed slightly and for a second they thought or perhaps at least hoped that the danger was passed.
The danger was still present and clear; Doomsday pushed her down to the ground and slammed her head down onto the ground. Canary grimaced from the impact but something else knocked the monster back, a few inches.
The monster dropped to his knees a little bit, the psychic assault bombarding his mind and threatening to shut him down with extreme prejudice. Megan tried to lock the monster within a prison of his own mind.
"Don't worry, I was sent here by Arcane, Supergirl, and Power Girl to help you," Megan answered when she tried to push him back, the hood over her head obscuring her facial features, not that she needed it with her shape shifting abilities.
"And who are you?" Oliver wondered when Doomdsay almost stopped in his tracks.
There was a pause when Megan turned out the mental juice, trying to push through the frontal lobe of the monster, his brain was more complex than ever before. The young Martian tried to force her way into the mind of Doomsday, but blood dripped from her nose when she pushed herself to the fullest.
"You may call me…Miss Martian," Megan stated, she was not in the mood to come up with a more creative codename now.
"Really, that's it. You couldn't….OW!"
Oliver felt a smack in the back of his head from an invisible hand.
"Sorry, my mind slipped."
Megan flew backwards with an impact, landing onto the ground with a solid thud and Doomsday had a throbbing motion through his head.
"Where is the trio,now?" Oliver wondered when Megan's head thumped, thumped, thumped.
Megan could not answer the question with any form of clarity but another figure popped up, sending a grappling hook at Doomsday to try and hold him into place. Batman arrived on the scene and his strongest grapple could not hold the monster into place. He grappled up and hooked it to the Batwing, which was on auto polite.
He gave the signal and tried to drag Doomsday out of harm's way but that worked out a bit better in theory than it did in practice. The monster busted loose and dropped on the ground.
The group of heroes tried a team assault but they were all knocked down like nine pins with Doomsday not in the mood to engage them. He continued his rampage further and further north, sinking his feet into the ground and giving a loud growl. The monster rampaged even further up North.
"He could have killed us but he let us go," Bart remarked when he shook his head, granted his body ached all over but the pain meant that he was still alive or not crippled.
Megan dropped to her knees, her eyes and head burning from trying to read his primitive and destructive mind of this menace, this monster. She never felt anything like this and the savage fury threatened to overwhelm her. It was a small wonder that she was able to pull out when she did otherwise it could have destroyed his mind. The young Martian sighed when she tried to bring herself back to life.
"Fine, just fine, I'm just fine, "Megan answered when she got the looks, ignoring the throbbing in her temples in the back of her head and she twisted her head around a little bit.
"He's not after us, but I think you've figured that out already, Queen," Batman answered when he looed at the Green Arrow and managed to activate the tracking device that he planted on the artic. He switched communications. "Sullivan."
"How in the hell did you get this frequency?" Chloe asked in an indignant voice when she heard Batman of all people talking to her through the supposed private communication link.
Batman offered no response other than getting straight down to business. "Tell Kent that the destroyer is on his way to the Artic .If he's going to step up, now's the time to do so. We did all that we could to delay him but it has to be him."
There was a moment of communication on the other end and Batman heard Chloe say, "No, Lana, it's suicide!" before she returned back to him.
"I'll relay the message to him," Chloe offered in a tense voice.
Batman did not answer and the rest of the heroes turned around to talk for each other for a moment.
"I think we better get back to Metropolis, in case the monster returns there," Oliver suggested and the other members of the team nodded, before he turned around to ask Batman for his input.
There was only one problem and that was Batman decided to slip out. Oliver grimaced, he hated when Batman did that. One day he would figure out the secret.
Clark waited outside the Fortress but he decided not to wait for much longer. Everyone was right, this was his moment, it was time to man up and face the music, face this menace, this monster, he was going to take on Doomsday.
"Kal-El, you do not have to stand alone against him."
These words from Raya gave Clark a great deal of pause and caused him to stand around. The young woman stepped forward to face off against the Last Son of Krypton, waiting for what he had to say and her heart thumped a bit against her chest. The blonde crossed her arms and tapped her feet on the ground, while she waited, watched, and prepared alongside him.
"It's my battle to fight, Raya," Clark argued when he looked at the woman but she shook her head.
"Your destiny, while yours, is not meant to be embraced alone. With this monster, and believe me when I say this for it is the truth, you are in a war. And this war cannot be won alone. Wars are won by a collaborative effort and not because one person stepped in alone to fight the battle. While the victory will be yours in the end, you do not have to stand alone."
Raya placed her hands on either side of Clark's waist and pulled him in, staring him directly in the eyes. There was a long moment, before she leaned forward and lightly pressed her lips against his. The Kryptonian returned the favor, feeling the soft and tender kiss that the two shared in the blowing Artic winds.
"I have been entrusted with keeping your personal safety and that's what I'm going to do," Raya answered when she looked at Clark and saw him standing there. He still had the red blanket draped over his shoulder, almost like a cape that flowed over him. He wore a blue top and blue jeans but the Kryptonian before him frowned.
There was something missing.
She focused her heat vision, and cut a symbol into the shirt that Clark wore. It looked like an "S" incased in a diamond.
"Your family's crest, the crest of the House of El ,for luck," Raya remarked when Clark gave her a quizzical look at this and he nodded.
Clark thought that he needed more than a little bit of luck to allow him to survive today's battle but that could be done later. He stepped forward and he would do so with his head held high in the air. It would be a battle that he did not relish happening but it would be one that he would face.
'No matter what my son, I will know that you have done what you must to protect those in the world, to the very end.'
The ghostly voice of Jor-El echoed from the Fortress of Solitude before Clark took more steps into the frozen ice and tundra, his feet cracking underneath the ice when he walked but he shook that thought off. He heard the rumbling coming forward, Doomsday was coming, he reached closer when the time ticked by.
A loud growl indicated one thing and one thing alone to Clark Kent and that was that Doomsday was here and he was ready. But one had to realize something, after all of the trials Clark went through, he was born ready and he stepped forward onto the Fortress. He stood on the ice, his footprints pressed into the snow and his expression flickered off to the side.
"He's here," Clark stated when he rushed off at super speed, going faster and grabbing the monster around the head.
With a mighty toss, Doomsday was hoisted off the ground by the force of Clark and threw to the ground. The monster flew down onto the ground and the young man did not let up the assault at all. Another huge shot sent him flying backwards. A series of rapid fire punches rocked the monster, causing him to buckle his legs, before he kept fighting. Punch, punch, and kick sends him down to the ground, before the monster rushed around, grabbing him around the head.
Doomsday shrugged Clark off to slam him down onto the ground. The monster smelled the blood of the House of El that had been drawn when the young man cut himself. He rolled over, massaging his busted up forearm, and the yellow suns healing rays did not hold him fast enough.
Raya connected with a kick to the back of the head, true to her word she did not allow Clark to stand alone to face this menace. This monsters leg's rolled out from underneath her, before the young woman hoisted him off the ground a little bit.
The normal Kryptonian gifts underneath the yellow sun were not enough to defeat the monster with Raya flying backwards before she crashed onto the snow. Doomsday hoisted up a huge chunk of ice and tried to smash her skull in.
Immediately, Clark zipped forward to the attack, and felt the ice shatter over his head with titanic force. His knees buckled and his head rang when his eyes felt a bit of swelling. That was not good, far from it, the young man dropped down.
The sharp bone spikes from his body stabbed into Clark once, twice, and three times. They each opened up cuts and knocked him down.
"NO!" Raya yelled before she focused her super breath and tried to knock Doomsday off balance.
The monster forced his way through the gale winds, and the ice and snow that had been kicked up. He grabbed Raya around the head and squeezed the air out of her. The woman dropped down onto the snow and ice and he yelled.
A huge uppercut punch rocketed Doomsday in the chest to send him sliding backwards and then with another movement, Clark zipped from behind him and nailed him again with another punch. Another movement and another punch, again, and again when he busted his knuckles off Doomsday's jaw.
"Come on, you want to go, come on!" Clark yelled before he grabbed Doomsday around the waist before he leapt into the air hard as he could.
They slammed down onto the thin ice, causing it to crack and break through, sending them plunging to the frigid waters below. The two survivors of Krypton sank to the bottom and for a brief moment, it seemed like they drowned.
Clark poked his head out from underneath he water, completely wet, his hair dampened but suddenly Doomsday grabbed him and pushed him down beneath the water. The destroyer plunged him beneath the water, trying to drown him.
Raya rushed over, recovering from her attack and knocked Doomsday back, before she scooped up Clark and flew him out of the way. He was half awake, half breathing, covered in blood, and completely damp.
"We got to get you out of here," Raya stated, wincing as the wounds from her own body had not healed. "He's got the scent though, I've got to throw him off."
Doomsday scented the blood of his victim and would not let up. He got a small taste, all he needed was one touch and then he would have his prey. Nothing in this world could stop him once the traveler was taken down and his objective would be delivered. The Last Son of Krypton, the son of Jor-El, he would pay with his blood.
The danger the altar presented could either jump start their powers back to where they should have been, it could destroy them, or it could change them into something completely different. There was a certain amount of risk when dealing with many magical artifacts. With everything that was on the line, one small slip out could set them back a long way.
There was one thing to be thankful for and that was the altar was left here at this place, untouched and untainted with the dark haired wizard moving his way into battle, pausing and pondering his next move. The two blonde Kryptonians walked towards him, hovering a few inches above the ground. The currently benched three Heralds of death managed to disable the security and enter inside.
It was nothing but a stone pedestal with strange markings on it. If they had their powers, they could translate it but naturally if they had their powers, they would not be here in the first place. That was one thing that they could take to the bank. The three of them walked forward.
"Well this is it," Kara answered and there was a moment where Harry nodded, knowing what he had to do. This was in fact do or die.
"We can't even open up that last box if we had it, not without our powers," Karen stated when she wished they would have found it sooner. Yet, there was nothing with them, and now they stepped forward.
Harry took risks many times, to the point where he did not really need to take such risks. There was countless times where he felt that with everything on the line, he needed to let it all hang out. That being said, he never took a risk where there was this much on the line.
"Neither of you have to do this, I'll be the one that touches the altar," Harry answered when he turned to his beautiful blonde brides next to him. "If I touch it and it's safe, then you can touch it. If it's not safe…"
"You'll be killed," Karen answered, her eyes not leaving Harry for an instant before she inhaled and exhaled her breath slightly. "No chance, no way no how. We stand together, and we die together. The altar will either empower us all or destroy the three of us."
Kara agreed when she looked at two of her lovers. "Don't think that you have to stand alone, not this time, not ever again. The three of us, we're Heralds United, even if we don't have our powers, and we'll get them back, get the power back we've been cheated out of."
Harry, Karen, and Kara clasped their hands together, walking a few steps forward. There was little time to waste, on their way down here, they heard of the monster's rampage.
"Clark's in bad shape," Chloe interjected before they could touch the altar.
'Oh, why does she have to give me bad news, now?' Kara mentally asked to herself in a fretful manner.
'There's never not a time for bad news, is there?' Karen asked and they shook their heads.
'I guess there isn't, but that's not the point,' Harry thought to them both, placing hands on theirs.
"Explain, please, we're going to try to get our powers back," Harry answered and Chloe seemed surprised.
"I'll wait but if you can't do it, I'm going out there to stand by Clark regardless," Lana stated but then Kara seemed flooded with alarm.
"No, Lana, you'll be killed."
"I'm not useless without my powers," Lana persisted in a stubborn voice before the blonde Kryptonian amended, gritting her teeth.
"No one's saying that you are Lana, all I'm saying is Doomsday is a danger that you can't face alone even with your full powers."
"I won't be alone, Clark will be beside me and I'll be beside him," Lana argued without even given anything else the consideration needed. "Speaking of people who should be beside Clark, did any of you three hear from Lois?"
There was a shrug between Harry, Kara, and Karen before they shook their heads. They had not heard from Lois in over a day.
"No, I can't say we heard from her and….since she left the Shining Light Foundation the other day, come to think of it," Harry answered, you can take the powers out of the protector but you cannot take away their desire to protect the charge that they had.
That was why Harry found a bit of trepidation, if that was a good word, at what Lois was going to plan. There were instances where the woman did tend to be a bit headstrong, or maybe high strung was a good word. The young mage chuckled, he could have been talking about himself at that point but that was beside the point.
"Let us try this," Harry answered firmly and the two blondes nodded beside him.
They were all in this together.
"On three," Kara prompted firmly.
"One, Two, Three."
They touched their hands to the altar and for an instant nothing happened. The Herald Trio thought that they felt something, anything, a buzzing, a tingling sensation, and it vibrated beneath their hands, rocking back and forth with the three of them shaking.
"What's happening?" Kara asked when her hair flung around in the wind.
"I'm not sure," Harry answered when he shook his head.
"Something's happening, but I'm not sure it's our powers coming back!" Karen yelled, wondering what was going to happen now.
The vibrations continued to kick up and suddenly a light show took place, before the three of them were engulfed by multicolored fire. All three of them vanished into a blinding flash, leaving nothing left, not even a smudged footprint on the ground where they stood.
Chloe, on the other hand, was completely lost.
"Harry,Karen, Kara, what happened?" Chloe asked but sure enough there was no sound on the other side, it was like they were there one minute and gone the next.
Clark's eyes flickered over, the yellow sunlight healed his body although for some reason, the energies that Doomsday gave him, it was a much slower process. Raya cradled him in her arms and dropped down in the field in Smallville. In an odd coincidence, this was the very same field where his ship crashed all those years ago, where his parents found him.
"Kal-El, I know it must hurt," Raya stated when she tried to rifle through her bag and found something to put on the wounds, a solution derived from Earth plants that helped absorb the yellow solar radiation faster and allowed him for greater healing powers. "But you need to pull yourself together. When the destroyer is on a rampage, he will stop at nothing to ensure that his prey is caught."
"Thanks for the tip," Clark managed when he pulled himself to his feet, his shirt ripped slightly, torn down the center of the crest.
Doomsday would come whether Clark wanted him to or not, the problem was whether or not he could meet the monster head on. His hands trembled a little bit, he felt a burning stinging in them. His knuckles scraped while he punched the destroyer in the face.
"It has to stop now," Clark stated when he stood up. "He's killed far too many, I've got to bring him down or die trying."
Raya's face flickered with a little bit of a grimace when she heard that Clark was willing to die in order to save countless lives. In some ways, she imagined that was a good quality to have but in other ways, that was kind of a reckless quality to have. Regardless of the fact, the son of Jor-El stood forward and the young Kryptonian woman watched him walk off.
"Your father would have done the same thing if he could to save all of Krypton," Raya responded quietly and Clark nodded, his head held up stiffly.
Clark stepped forward and rushed down the road at the rumbling sound.
CRASH!
The sound of Clark's fist impacted Doomsday rattled for miles, the destroyer sliding back a little bit but still not budging. It struck Clark at this very point that when he was under the influence of the Lazarus Pits as Kal-El, he simply barely held his own against Doomsday. Now he was fighting the monster who was stronger while he was weaker.
That kind of defeatist attitude would have to be put on hold, for more punches rattled against him. Punch, punch,, roundhouse right, haymaker, left jab, right hook, and an uppercut punch but Doomsday stood on the ground not moving. The monster absorbed every single blow before he picked up an old tractor and smashed it over Clark's head with ballistic fury.
The monster had no reason, no conscious, no feeling, and the scrapes and bruises on Clark got worse. It was almost like the harder he fought, the weaker he grew. Blood splattered from his chest, the cuts and bruises more intense but he shook his head. There was no time to waste and no easy way out.
"Is that are you got?" Clark asked and sure enough, Doomsday rattled him with a punch.
Raya rushed forward, stabbing Doomsday with a knife in the chest. While she knew that would not hold him for long, it could slow him down so Kal-El could do what he needed to do. The monster ripped the knife out of his chest but smartly, she sped out of the way, keeping her distance.
Clark jumped high into the air as he can, he could leap a tall building in a single bound, and smashed into the head of Doomsday, before hoisting him up, and flinging him into the air with all the strength he could muster. An uppercut nailed the monster in the face and propelled him backwards into a water tower.
Doomsday landed out on the other side, crashing to the ground with a fury that could not be matched. Clark bolted over, faster than a speeding bullet and hit the monster with a punch more powerful than a locomotive.
Another impact but Doomsday weathered the storm.
'He's getting stronger,' Clark thought to himself, no matter what, his best shot was not good enough.
As Clark and Doomsday were fighting, a car drove off the road into a ditch with the pedestrian fearing for their very life. Why did this happen? Well as it turned out Lois Lane made her way up the road driving said tank and she saw Doomsday was here.
Clark and Doomsdy continued their brawl in the field and Lois could have sworn she heard a scream from a person about having the "right of way". There was one thing that her father taught her, well actually there was many things her father taught her. But there was one thing that General Sam Lane taught his oldest daughter and that was the person in the tank always had the right of way.
Okay, maybe he never really said that but Lois figured that he would have said that, if he would have taught about that.
She hated to do such damage to the corn but hey sacrifices needed to be made.
"Move it Smallville, double time!" Lois yelled in a voice that she was sure that he could hear.
Clark sped out of the way, not wanting to be anywhere close to Lois when she fired at Doomsday. He knew better not to be in the line of fire.
Doomsday looked up with a growl and suddenly the tank fired a large shell. It ripped through the air and slammed into the stomach of the monster, sending him flying back down with hard fury. The blood splattered when Lois connected and the beast dropped backwards to the ground, spurting blood out of its stomach like a water fountain.
For a moment, Lois thought she did it.
"See, I don't need super powers to cover your ass Clark!" Lois yelled triumphantly but then there was another scream that cut off her victory party short.
"LOIS WATCH OUT!"
Lois watched out as the monster smashed onto the top of the tank, his injuries healed.
'You've got to be kidding me,' Lois grimaced, unable to believe that the monster shrugged off getting blasted with a tank full force in the stomach.
It defied believe for it was unbelievable and Lois shook her head, trying to push her way out but thankfully Clark was there to rescue her, knocking the monster back with another ballistic fury.
Raya was on the scene when Clark drove the destroyer off.
"That was reckless," Raya remarked to Lois when she helped her out of the tank.
"It would have worked if that thing didn't have super tough skin," Lois remarked when Raya answered. "Please tell me this monster has a weakness."
"So far, we've been unable to find it," Raya stated in an apologetic voice.
"And….now Clark's….he's got to win," Lois answered when she looked into the sky; there was not anything up there. Not even a bird, not even a plane.
Tess watched from the window of her office, peering down at the city below her and hearing the news coming in through her ears. The destroyer went North up by the Artic and then continued his rampage throughout the United States. He was after someone and the woman tried to get in touch the Shining Light Foundation.
No one, in fact, she had a sense that it was like Harry Potter, along with his wife, Clark Kent's cousin, dropped off the face of the Earth. The phone was busy. Tess wanted to punch a wall or something but she remained calm. Losing her composure at this juncture would not be a good thing. The woman stepped forward a little bit, crossing her arms and tapped her foot on the ground. The red haired woman swayed her hips and watched.
"Miss Mercer, someone is coming…it's him."
Tess bolted when she looked out the window, sure enough someone was coming, the monster was here and he was not alone, oh no he was not alone, far from it, in fact the young woman clutched her hands together. She waited and watched, seeing a blur go down the street. It was not any blur, it was the blur but despite all of the advancements that happened, there was no way to get a clear shot of his face. He moved way too fast.
She tapped her hand and a loud crash echoed from above her. Tess had to get closer, but how she would get closer, she had no idea. The young woman pushed her office door open, determination flickering on her face, and then she walked down the steps before taking a moment to go down the steps. Despite the danger, she felt a need to look at everything.
Meanwhile back on the streets, Clark smashed through a street light, every single attempt to take down Doomsday lead to more pain, blues, and agony for the Last Son of Krypton. Stubborness was the name of Clark Kent and pushed himself to his feet. He pushed himself to his limits and then beyond.
He beat him before, he could defeat him again, and this time he could put him down. The ringing in his head would not slow him down, not even at the slightest, and taking a step back the young Kryptonian took a deep breath. He blew a gust of wind to try and slow him down.
Doomsday offered a different tact, it crushed the ground beneath him, and rushed forward. It knew of the greatest weakness of this individual, now it was clear to him as day. The Last Son of Krypton, the scion of the House of El, it felt it had one weakness. This weak sack of flesh cared for the even weaker sacks of flesh on this primitive world and would do anything to save them.
In addition to evolving in strength, the monster got more intelligent and recognized the patterns in the behavior of these meat bags. He jumped up and suddenly he tried to bring down a building on some hapless bystanders.
Clark moved in as fast as he could and sprinted into the area, saving the bystanders before they could be crushed.
"I think that was the blur."
"What did he look like?"
"A blur."
Clark had no time to waste for idle chatter before he smashed into Doomsday. Swing for the fences one more time and Clark connected his fist into the chest of Doomsday as quickly as he could. Another swing and another shot to the chest of the destroyer, to stun him and take him down.
A back hand shot knocked Clark down and toppled him down to the ground, rolling him over to the ground. Doomsday stomped the back of his head, sending the young male Kryptonian smashing into the ground. Another furious fist and he was slumped against the ground, waiting for the kill.
Lana rushed in, dressed in the body armor she borrowed from The Shining Light Foundation, and it amplified her strength before smashing into the enemy.
"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"
A jumping kick rattled Doomsday but he grabbed her foot and cracked it back. Lana gave a hearty scream of pain before the monster hoisted her up and hurled her down to the ground.
Lana smashed hard with a sickening thud and she felt her arms and legs go completely numb. Without her power, she was as mortal as anyone else and Doomsday prepared to ram the spike into her heart.
Clark rushed it and took the hit, the bone spike slamming into his heart instead. Doomsday felt satisfied, its target went down, crashing down to his knees, on the ground. Blood spilled from the chest of the Last Son of Krypton when Doomsday lifted his hands into the air and gave a mighty roar at the accomplishment of what he did.
Not done yet, Clark pulled himself, blurred vision, lost blood but somehow, someway, he would not let Doomsday live. With all of the remaining strength the Last Son of Krypton could muster he grabbed the Ultimate Destroyer around the head and buckled his knees before jumping up into the air as high as he could.
Doomsday was fighting but Clark jumped higher, higher, higher, the friction burning against his body when he picked up super speed and the monster lit up in his hands like a super nova. He used the momentum, perhaps flight, perhaps not, it was hard to tell. All the Son of Jor-El worked on was pure adrenaline, his blood pumped through his body when it splattered from his mouth.
Clark smashed Doomsday into the ground, pouring his strength into him, and then once again he hoisted Doomsday up before he flung him into a tower. The monster flew backwards and then the Last Son of Krypton super sped in front of him. A huge punch rattled the monster and sent him down to the ground once again, one more time.
"No, I'm not letting you hurt anyone again," Clark breathed when his shirt was nearly ripped off, splattered in a coating off both his and monster's blood.
"You will die," the monster growled when Clark hoisted him up into the ground, he tried to push him up and then slammed down to the ground.
The monster rattled with one shot when Clark summoned strength and punched him hard, before he grabbed an electrical cable and hoisted it up. He impaled it through the monster's abdomen.
A loud pop resounded when both Clark and Doomsday were overwhelmed with a lethal dose of electricity. The monster screamed in anguished fury, smoking and melting into the ground, sinking both of them deeper.
"Get away, you won't hurt them, ever again," Clark stated, the blood splattering from his mouth with each word when the cable shocked more despite his hands blackened and burned.
The molten lava hardened over Doomsday, with Clark directing his heat vision to seal him underneath the ground.
Doomsday was done and then so was Clark. His body gave way and he collapsed in a pool of his own blood in the smoking crater he created.
Lois arrived in Metropolis when the dust cleared and she took a few tentative steps forward, wondering if she missed all the excitement. The ambulance sirens echoed and she spotted Lana on the ground.
"LANA!" Lois yelled when she stepped over to see Lana on the ground.
"I'm fine, feeling's coming back, in fact, that's not the only thing that's coming back," Lana answered when she tried to push herself up but her powers did not return yet. At least she could feel her legs, even though they were in racking pain. "I'm a bit shaken up, that wouldn't be fun, even with full strength."
Raya was there and moved the debris off of the bystanders the best she could.
"I'll go see what I can find out about Clark," Lois stated and Lana was glad, she had no idea where he went and it was not like she could move anyway without the healing abilities of her powers.
Lois sped off to the side as quick as she could before she stopped and stared at the crater.
The scene was nasty and then she saw him, in the crater, barely moving, barely breathing.
"CLARK!"
Lois rushed in and went down into the carter, to see Clark up, his face covered in blood, a hole through his shirt, no a hole through the chest. The young man tried to lift his head up, shaking his head and he collapsed down into a motionless husk, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Lois," Clark murmured when he looked at her, through blurred vision that faded fast.
"What happened, what happened to Doomsday?" Lois asked when she held up Clark but he collapsed, a bloody and battered mess in her arms. "Hold it together Clark, we can get you help."
"No, Lois, I can't….I've done it, I've saved the world from the destroyer, the ultimate one, that's my destiny," Clark breathed when blood continued to spurt from his chest. Lois tried to do what she could to stop the bleeding when she cradled Clark in her arms.
He took a hell of a beating. The sun healed him but it was not fast enough.
"Damn it Clark, if you die on me, I will kill you!" Lois yelled at the top of her lungs, but he saw his face, mangled and bruised beyond all recognition.
"I'm not….I'm not….sorry Lois, whatever happens, it happens," Clark answered when his head slumped back and he coughed a little bit. He felt completely battered and wrecked.
Raya turned up before Lois but she barely had any time to register that the other woman was there.
"Clark, this isn't the end," Lois whispered when she looked at him.
"Goodbye, Lois," Clark managed when he closed his eyes and his breathing stopped.
Lois tried to hold it together, she really tried to hold it together, but her heart beat a little bit. Panic rose through her body and she felt his limp body in her arms.
"His heart still beats but it's very faint," Raya stated clinging onto that point, the only one who had super hearing. She tried to remain calm. "If….if his body is still warm, there is a chance, but I must hurry."
Raya pulled Clark's battered form gently from the arms of Lois and pulled him away, before she sped off.
The ear piece in Lois's ear came to life.
"Lois, I heard what happened, is everything alright?"
That was Chloe.
Lois was not prepared to tell her the news.
"Lois?"
"Clark….he's gone."
Chloe remained silent for a moment.
"Chloe?"
"I….it's not….it's not possible, is it?"
Chloe hid a sob even though Lois could tell what was happening. She was on the verge of having a minor breakdown herself. Despite her best efforts, she failed to protect Clark.
"Raya….Raya says there might still be a chance," Lois stammered when she looked over. "Lana's being taken to the hospital, my powers aren't back, are yours?"
"Only the meteor ones," Chloe responded but her voice was flat and dismal.
There was no more to say between the pair of them. Lois's kneeled in the crater, amidst the blood and carnage and breathed heavily.
Tess heard what happened downtown and there was a brutal batter. Doomsday was buried so far underneath the ground that he would not be coming back, at least any time soon. She felt the need to make arrangements to ensure that it stayed that way. The red haired woman walked down when she heard another humming from her study. The orb made weird noises all the time and spoke in cryptic tones but what happened was the strangest of them all.
The orb was gone.
Where was it?
"I'm sure you're confused."
A voice behind her caused Tess to tense up.
"I set the orb to open when the Traveler put down the Destroyer."
"How could you?"
"It's magic, it can do anything."
She turned around and saw a woman dressed in black, with red hair and the same green eyes that Harry Potter had. That was the last thing Tess saw before a purple light struck her in the face and knocked her unconscious.
"Just when you thought you had all of the answers, I keep changing all the questions."
Lily Evans spun around, looking outside the window, seeing the bright lights from as far of the eye could see. She smiled.
Everything was going according to her plan.
Chloe's mind was going a million miles a minute after everything that happened and what was worse, Harry, Kara, and Karen were missing in action. She sat in the main office of their temporary headquarters, peering over the city of Metropolis. There was still chaos after what happened with the battle between Clark and Doomsday. She tried to keep her wits about herself but she figured that what happened….maybe they were doomed for that to happen.
No Chloe refused to believe that, rather she decided to take decisive action. She made up her mind rather quickly about everything and bit her lip. It was time, do or die, there was no question about it. The blonde reached into the box that Harry gave her and opened it. The glint of the ring flicked in her eyes and she took a look at it, mulling over the options in her mind.
Could she change what happened?
Chloe had reservations about using the ring for something like that and Harry warned her to only use it in a case of an emergency. The blonde kept looking at the ring, thinking about everything that happened. She turned her head around and thought the situation over, clutching the ring in question in her hand. It was like fire she held and it threatened to burn her.
Should she or should she not?
That was the question really and Chloe felt butterflies beat a path in her stomach and her body shiver oh so slightly when she rocked back and forth on the heels of her feet. The blonde took a moment to look at the ring.
Suddenly she felt her body immobilized. She could only blink and talk.
"Where is the traveler?"
This voice was nasty and cruel and Chloe knew that this woman, whoever it was, meant business. She was spun around, to see a psychotic looking woman dressed in black robes, with long black hair and sinister violet eyes, staring down at her. Chloe struggled to free herself but she realized that this was some kind of magical spell. Therefore she would not be getting out of her predicament any time soon. No matter how often she struggled and her limbs twitched, she was not going to get out any time soon.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The woman's expression was nasty and she lifted a wand, or so Chloe assumed. Harry didn't need one to use magic and neither did Kara or Karen.
"CRUCIO!"
Chloe screamed out loud when she felt the pain of a hundred burning hot knives stab into her body and she never felt anything this horrible in her life. Her limbs twitched and turned, and she thrashed in a screaming, burning, agonizing pain. The blonde's eyes flickered for the most part and her heart beat heavily against her chest. It was very agonizing to suffer something like this.
"Now, did that loosen your tongue, you filthy little Muggle?"
Chloe dropped to her knees, the sweat rolled down her face and she breathed heavily, before she turned around, her eyes flickering with pain but despite the numbness in her hands, she refused to be bullied by this person.
"Go…to….hell…"
The woman's face contorted into a nasty grin before she grabbed the ring in her hand.
"I believe this is important, I'll be taking this," the woman responded when her eyes flickered nastily. "And since, I don't need you anymore, it's time for you to go for a nice, long ride."
Chloe realized that she was going to die.
This witch banished her through the glass windows from the highest windows in Metropolis and Chloe flew backwards, glass cutting into her when she screamed. It was funny how much time slowed down when she fell.
Another figure swooped in out of nowhere and caught Chloe in her arms before she descended to the ground. Chloe's vision was blurred with her body cut up from the glass. She saw an image of a head of blonde hair and blue eyes. She couldn't tell who it was, whether or not it was Kara or Karen, before she blacked out.
The wicked witch was another matter. She left with a Legion ring in her possession.
On a distant planet far away from Earth, a stasis chamber containing a girl of about twenty three years of age opened. She had long brown hair going down her back and bright brown eyes. Her robes had her family crest on it and were a combination of red and yellow. She had an emblem on her robes that resembled the phoenix of Earth mythical origin but it was a Kryptonian legend.
Thara Ak-Var was part of a group of Kryptonians who tried to escape the planet during the civil war. They settled on a distant planet that was much like Krypton, in fact it had been colonized by Kryptonians several years ago. She stepped forward, clutching a locket in her hand. The planet known as Argo was a sanctuary that was until the main planet blew up.
Several planets suffered from the explosion of Krypton and Argo was no exception, most of the people on it died immediately, while others were sick. Thara tirelessly worked on a cure but by the time she got it done, it was much too late, everyone on her planet was dead but her. She could have got off but she put herself in suspended animation as punishment for her failures and her inability to save the people of this planet.
She knew about the orb that was sent to Earth, her parents worked with Jor-El on the experiment, as did Kara's mother. Her parents never gave their blood but Jor-El and Alura did. She felt a pang of her heart when she thought about her best friend. She was likely to die with all of Krypton, the explosion claiming her and that brought a tear to her eye when she thought about it.
She opened up the locket and saw the picture of her and Kara, in happier times, much happier times. They were so innocent back, then, so full of life.
If she woke up, that meant the orb was opened and the Kandorians were released. And that meant that they were on Earth. Thara dreaded the possibilities of what would happen should they restore their powers. She knew one thing, she had to get to Earth and warn everyone, because Zod and his army would conquer it. While the clone was not the man Zod become, he could in fact become that man.
Thara activated the portal and stepped through, hoping that her journey to Earth would be successful. She crossed her fingers and hope for the best, even though the worst was something that she would and could very well expect.
Lois Lane felt a feeling of the most mortal dread when she stepped forward and shook her head. She got back to the hospital, Lana was there and now Chloe was there. This was not one of her better days. As for Clark, well Raya said that there was a chance that she could save him, if the body was still warm. What she meant by that, well she was too much in shock to ask.
She scoffed, it was rare that she was at a loss for words, but she saw it was happening.
There was another problem, Kara, Karen, and Harry went off to try and restore their Herald powers and with each moment that her own did not return, Lois thought that Harry became unsuccessful. The woman stepped forward, wondering where they were. Did they….no she did not even want to think about it. After everything that happened.
Lois also dreaded the fact that before long she would have to call Martha Kent o break the news, the news that no mother wanted to hear about their son. With Lana out of commission, Chloe down, and Harry, Kara, and Karen all missing, the burden was left on the shoulders of Lois. She hitched in a breath, and hoped that whatever mad scheme Raya had up her sleeve would work.
She stopped and stood rigid when she saw a flash of somewhere nearby. She blinked, hardly able to believe it.
"Kara?"
She saw the hair of blonde hair, the blue eyes, and the woman turned around, to look at Lois like she was insane.
"Kara, there you are, I've been looking all over for you, Clark's…." Lois stated but the woman interrupted her.
"Kara…I don't know what or who you're talking about."
Lois bit her lip, whatever Kara tried; it gave her some form of amnesia.
"Kara, we'll get you back, find Harry and Karen, everything is going to be…."
Lois stopped, she did not want to say what everything was going to be. Saying everything was going to be alright seemed so shallow, so hallow, that she could not bear saying such a lie to herself. It slapped her in the face and that was the harsh reality of them all. The woman stared back at Kara.
"I don't know who you're talking about," the woman stated in a calm tone before she turned and sped off.
Alura In-Ze wondered who this strange woman was talking about, calling her by that name. She only knew two people in her life by that name. One was the goddess that symbolized hope and courage on Krypton. The other was her younger sister, who was killed by Black Zero.
Hearing that name brought back so many memories that she suppressed but Alura remained strong and knew that she was on Earth.
She found a way to restore her powers under the yellow sun, at least for a short spell. If Zod and his army found out that she knew, Alura would be in danger.
It was time for her to disappear. She snuck Lara's DNA into the orb, unknowing to Jor-El, but she had to find him before Zod did.
Lois frowned when she looked at the woman's dust, if that wasn't Kara that sure as hell looked like her twin.
"We have found Death guilty for her actions and have sentenced her to eternal torment. A replacement will be named shortly but the higher ups have decreed that several of Death's actions will be repealed."
"First, Harry Potter, Kara Zor-El of Earth One, Kara Zor-El of Earth Two, Chloe Sullivan, Lana Lang, Lois Lane, and Raya will be having their full powers restored, along with amplifications as an apology for the inconvenience the previous Death's actions have caused."
There was humming.
"Second, Death has ordered several deaths over the past several years out of spiteful means. Many of them will be reversed and these individuals will be restored back on Earth. They are as follows."
There was a humming pause.
"Dolores Umbridge of Earth One….will not be considered for resurrection and we feel that Death was too soft on her eternal torment. Therefore her eternal torment will be increased."
The list was read off for real.
"Hermione Granger of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Nymphadora Tonks of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Luna Lovegood of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Sirius Black of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Bellatrix Lestrange of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Regulus Black of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Daphne Greengrass of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Astoria Greengrass of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Alicia Baker of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Narcissa Malfoy of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Andromeda Tonks of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Dobby the House Elf of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Rose Evans alias Rosalina Sinclair will be given a second chance at life."
"Severus Snape of Earth One will be given a second chance at life."
"Clara Jor-El of Krypton will be given a second chance at life."
"Alexandra of Earth One will be given life."
"Alison of Earth One will be given life."
At least the ringing in his head ceased to happen, that was always a good sign as far as Harry was concerned. What was less of a good sign was the fact that no matter what, he could not figure out what happened. At least his memories were there, he remembered that he was married to several beautiful women, he was a wizard, his name was Harry Potter, there was something about Doomsday, and oh yes, he touched a mystical artifact in a desperate gambit to restore his powers that Death unfairly stripped him of and ended up here.
Things could have gone better all things considered but on the other hand, things could have gone worse. Harry found himself face down on a tropical island and rolled over. He felt an experience that was foreign to him, at least since he received his Herald of Death abilities. A stabbing pain filled his body, the aches and groans, not to mention the moans rocked his body when he tried to sit up.
The key word was try, for he could not.
'Kara, Karen,' Harry thought to them, trying to pick them up on the mental link they shared.
They weren't there, he could have sworn that they were standing next to him. He pushed himself to his feet but then collapsed. The beating he took when he touched the artifact made him feel like his body was rearranged inside out and every which way, he could not even begin to describe what he felt. He tried to pull himself up and then he collapsed once again, his shoulder and legs killing him.
Footsteps could be heard.
Were they the friendly kind of footsteps? Or Death coming to gloat before she dragged him onto the afterlife, branding him as yet another failure?
Harry opened his eyes and saw her standing over him, with a surprised expression on her face. She was a young woman, of about twenty one, maybe twenty two years of age. She had dark hair that went down her back and blue eyes. She was quite tall as well. She wore a white shirt that wrapped around her bust tightly and blue jeans that fit snugly around her shapely hips. He could tell despite his situation that she was beautiful. A pair of silver bracelets and a choker was around her neck.
"You're….you're hurt."
Harry hated to admit this but she was right.
"Yeah, I don't know how I got here or where here is," Harry responded.
"Diana, mother told you to come back here and not to wander off like that."
"In a minute, Donna, someone washed up on the island, he's hurt," Diana responded when she looked over her shoulder. "Um, my name is Diana, and you're….on Themsyscira, or Paradise Island as it's better known. It's the home of the Amazons. We need to get him some help."
Donna, who Harry assumed as Diana's sister, popped up, she had black hair and looked like her miniature, maybe about five or so years younger.
"Hello," Donna stated, eying Harry appraisingly. She had heard of men but this was the first one she saw up close. And not a bad first one if she might say so herself.
"Donna, help me get him to the medical wing, he needs help, and tell mother of the circumstances."
Donna nodded, as it appeared that he lost a lot of blood and could barely move.
Diana hoped that she would not catch hell from her mother for this but given the circumstances, she supposed that it could not be helped. The two sisters helped Harry back onto the island.
Harry would need to recover before he could find Kara and Karen, or maybe they would find him first. It was not like he was going to be in any condition to do anything for a little bit yet.
Then his powers returned. But he was still feeling the burn from what happened. There was something different about his powers but he could not place it.
To Be Continued in Herald of Death Book Two, Coming in July.