Chapter Twelve
Ellis Island was a rubble strewn disaster area as Bizarro didn't hold back this time against Superman. All Superman could think about was Linda's change of hair color. When she'd left that morning she was still her typical redheaded delf. But Superwoman showed up with white hair. Along with wearing the new armor she'd received from Natasha Irons.
The armor helped Linda focus her power and enhance it to even greater degree. It also boosted her physical strength and amplified her durability. Nothing he would complain about. Still, the hair was a surprise.
She'd complained then she wasn't overtly manifesting her powers she was too visible as either Lana or Linda Lang. Especially now that Linda was beginning to get in front of the news broadcasting cameras. She'd gone from being Galaxy Broadcasting's top science researcher to their talking head for that news. So Superman understood her desire to obscure her identity but she wasn't wearing a wig and simply bleaching her hair and dying it white wouldn't solve the issue. So what was her work around?
Bizarro's unrelenting fists brought him back into the game. Superman had always been more of a brawler than a fighter despite Diana and Wildcat's best efforts. But Bizarro was just pure, unrelenting savagery. Clark couldn't understand the change in him. But Bizarro was slowly killing him. Superman decided, as he had with the pretender Superman, Bill Dunn, that an offense was a better defense.
So Superman went wild as well, knowing Bizarro could take the punishment if he could. It ground down to who could take a beating the best. Superman felt justified when Bizarro's eyes tolled in his head and he fell over. But he didn't feel that way for long because he also passed out seconds later.
Superwoman led Bizarro Girl on a chase to upper Greenland. Their earlier duel was superheating the buildings around them and Linda opted for a change of venue. Bizarro Girl opted for a physical attack, where even with her new armor, Superwoman was outclassed. But she could feel the erosion of Bizarro Girl's stored solar energy.
So Superwoman began drawing it off of her her while struggling to stay alive and ahead of Bizarro Girl's fists of fury. Finally, the punches gradually grew weaker and weaker. Superwoman continued her power draw and began comverting the sun's yellow rays into red ones around Bizarro Girl.
If the distorted clone ever caught on to what was happening, she never showed it. She simply wound down and passed out without Superwoman even punching her. She kept drawing Bizarro Girl's power until the clone was in a death-like state. Then Linda headed back for Gotham
Supergirl was attempting to lead Superior Girl out across the Pacific to an uninhabited atol in the Azores. But Superior Girl caught her above National City just as they were reaching the West Coast. Downed, Supergirl knew Alex and the DEO would respond. She had to end things quickly.
"Not so tough after all, huh, Stupid Girl," Superior Girl said smugly. Supergirl used push-shoves to augment her already considerable strength to dleiver what Power Girl had described as her "Kryptonian killing combo". Supergirl assumed Galatea knew what she spoke of. even after driving Belinda Zee to her knees, Supergirl didn't relnt.
She hammered away at Superior Girl with her Telekinetic Vision until she'd pounded Superior Girl into hapless oblivion. Then Supergirl happily joined her there. Alex Danvers personally led the DEO recovery team. They quickly hustled Superior Girl into a detention cell cvapable of holding her and allowed Linda Danvers to spare herself some much needed rest.
The Flash had spent months working with Shayera and John over his fighting skills. Or lack thereof. Shayera had hounded him for years to let her and John train him up. They felt it was their responsibility as they made up the "other" Justice League Trinity. The only one left in fact.
Now John was the Chief of Security, Deputy Ops Director, and the Training Officer for the JLI so it was officially his job to train Wally now. Shayera did it just for fun. That and out of her concenr for him.
It seemed Eobard Thawne had been getting some practice in as he went across the world killing speedsters. Wally had lost some people to fulfill the Reverse Flash's quest. But the Reverse Flash had seemed to kill off Streak Carter only to replace him with a new her. Inertia had abandoned him. Rival was equally that for both Jay and Reverse Flash. Savatar had died at Thawne's hands. The Flash hadn't even been certain that could be achieved.
Then another time traveler, Godspeed, had arrived to be killed by the Reverse Flash. The Kapitalist Kouriers had been decimated. Lady Flash had only escaped with her life with Team Flash's assistance. Jesse Quick was safely retired but Thawne had killed her father, Johnny Quick. A development that healed the rift between Jesse Chambers and her estranged mother, Libby Lawrence.
Libby had once been Liberty Belle and a direct descendant of Miss Liberty. They'd been reunited in time for Jesse to give birth and introduce Libby to her grandson. It was hard to tell who was prouder, Rick Tyler the actual father or Rex Tyler the grandfather. Rex had also been thrilled to finally meet Libby. A new life helped celebrate a life taken away and the hopes that the new life would have a brighter tomorrow.
But Reverse Flash, always psychotically obsessed with killing Wally seemed possessed by that desire like never before. They didn't fight on the average space-time chronology but in Flash Time after the time echoes faded, which was a first. Even then, Reverse Flash vibrated at an intensity that would burn out his ability to maintain these personal speeds for any length of subjective time though mere seconds would pass objectively.
As the battle raged, the Flash had many reasons to thank John and Shay for their attentiveness. But Eobard seemed to be less than himself. Finally, Reverse Flash dropped out of Flash Time and the Flash slowed with him.
"It's over," the Reverse Flash rasped.
"Not that I mind, but why the change of heart?" the Flash inquired as Reverse Flash seemed on the verge of collapse.
"I brought forward time echoes to help me defeat Savatar. An enemy even you and Garrick couldn't overcome even with Max Mercury and Trajectory's help. He killed them all before I delivered the fatal blow. Me! Eobard Thawne killed the self proclaimed 'god of speed'," Reverse Flash spat blood out.
"These time echoes were from your direct past, weren't they?" Flash understood now, "You died in the past so your present self is now the time echo."
"Very good, West. You're learning," Thawne gloated, "I'd like to think I contributed to that."
A portal opened overhead and Time Wraiths could be seen circling as they emerged from the portal..
"My last chance to kill the 'Fastest Man Alive' and I failed again," Reverse Flash chuckled at the irony, "In the end I only killed myself by being too clever."
"I can help you," the Flash pledged.
"No one can help me now, West. It's over for me. It has been going for months that I've lived on impossibly borrowed tome," Reverse Flash grinned after spitting out more blood, "It seems Savatar did more damage than I originally thought. Know this Flash, a version of me will be back."
Thawne was impossibly laughing as the Time Wraiths dragged him off to oblivion. the Flash was too stunned to move.
Jessica was taking a pounding from Hal Jordan. He was right, of course. She was afradi of him. He was considered the greatets Green Lantern that had ever lived until his mind and heart had broken. He couldn't get past Sapphire law that declared Carol Ferris' originally forced marriage to Kyle Rayner irrevocable.
Of course, that same law allowed for Carol to have any number of consorts. But after Hal rejected Carol, Kyle and Kara In-Ze made the unthinkable, to Hal, choice for Kyle to embrace his marriage to Carol and Kara to marry her as well as him. Polygamy was distasteful to Hal that he couldn't accept that they willingly all chose to be married to the Sapphire Queen. Carol had originally manipulated Kyle into marrying her. She had to have the same to Kara as well.
Which meant her relationship with him had always been a lie. Even before then, consumed by doubts and jealousy, Hal had rejected Carol and went on the warpath against John Stewart. John's happy marriage to Shayera was antithetical to Hal's new paradigm that Green Lantern Corpsmen should now battle injustice alone and rejecting love as well as the Emotional Spectrum of Love.
Green Lanterns would now wage open warfare against Star Sapphires as they did against Red and Fear Lanterns. The Third Army had been defeated, the Power Ring Corps was still rebuilding, and Black Hand was in hiding rather than creating a new Black Lantern Corps. Kyle had been the last of the White Lanterns to be stood down.
So Hal went to war against John and dragged poor Kilowog into it. Hal's ring self destructed rather than allow Hal to kill John after he'd destroyed John's power ring. No GL ring would choose him afterwards. A Ring of Volthoom had enslaved him but a yellow power ring liberated him after he mastered the Ring of Volthoom and displayed his sadistic ability to inflict fear to feed the ring. Having mastered his own fear and the ability to create it, he'd been chosen to lead the Fear Lanterns.
But Hal betrayed them all as he destroyed the Fear Lodge. The Thunderers banned the Fear Corps from Qward afterwards. The New Guardians chose to allow the Fear Lanterns to base from Oa in a reconcilatory move. The New Guardians having been chosen to lead each Lantern Corps individually and together.
Appa Ali Apsa chose to oversee the Green Lantern Corps. Ganthet chose the Indigo Tribe, Scar the Red Lanterns, a re-embraced Krona received the Fear Corps, Sayd chose the Blue Lanterns, Herupa Hado Ho was the Zamaron selected by her sisters to join the Guardians and overlook the Star Sapphire Corps, the only unfortunate case was that Dennap chose to shepherd Larfleeze, the Agent Orange. Each was a living embodiment of mastery over their chosen Emotional Spectrum.
Krona alone spared Hal from being declared a renegade by the Fear Corps. A surprising move considering how many times Hal and Krona had clashed over the past few decades. He'd spared Guy Gardner the same fate as well.
Carol had intervened on Remoni-Notra's case with Herupa Hado Ho to allow Remoni-Notra to have responsibility over Earth alone. Joining the Justice League would be her penance for abandoning her sister Star Sapphires to their deaths. Carol just chose to make Remoni-Notra's life on Earth a very comfortable one. It also served to sever Carol's ties with Ferris Air.
Hal had mastered fear but his will had been broken and Jessica had recently tapped into her hidden reserves and discovered just how powerful her willpower was. Enough to break the spirit of a Ring of Volthoom and to make her declared the Limelight of the Green Lantern Corps. So Jess rallied against Hal. In the end, it was Hal, who'd broken in fear, and fled the scene. But all Jessica wanted to do was collapse and sleep for a year. Then wake up and go to her favorite waffle house.
Only the fact that Wonder Woman's shield was forged from Amazonium kept it from buckling under Magnificus Sivana's battering. Artemis herself had a broken arm and each blow also let her know several of her ribs were cracked from the impact of his blows upon her armor. Finally, she took the opportunity to stab him through the heart. Superman would never understand but Steve would and Steve Trevor was the only man whose opinion mattered to her.
But the stricken Magnificus lived long enough to shout his last name. Black lightning descended he reverted to being his mortal self, healed and whole. Wonder Woman used her Gauntlet of Hercules to make certain that Magnificus wouldn't be waking up, if ever. Then she collapsed to her knees, only propped up by her sword. Artemis had never been beaten but she'd nearly been killed. She dreaded the thought of facing yet another foe. But she would if called upon to.
In the battle of Simon and Simon, Baz began to overshadow Hawke. Red Lantern made a desperate lunging move and speared Baz through the side. The Green Lantern Corpsman summoned all of his strength to smash through Red Lantern's defenses and squash Hawke like a bug. Simon Baz was the only Green Lantern Corpsman to ever have healed someone with his power ring. Using that same force of will, he knitted his wounds together. Then he passed out.
Dt. Polaris' assault seemed never ending. Yet Star Sapphire still loved him simply for being a fellow sentient. She pitied his evil choices. She'd made her own and knew what they cost a heart and soul. But even her love wavered at the unrelenting nature of Dr. Polaris' raw hatred.
Dr. Polaris had been imprisoned during most of Guy Gardner's turns at defending the Earth. She thought the ever volatile Gardner would have enjoyed breaking Dr. Polaris. Remoni-Notra put the sum total of her being in maintaining her defenses against Dr. Polaris' crushing attacks while beaming an emotional plea directly into his heart with her power ring.
Dr. Polaris' relented for mere seconds as his heart broke over his life's choices
then Star Sapphire struck and knocked Dr. Polaris out. But afterwards she was so spent as to feel numb towards everything and everyone.
"I didn't want to kill you. Other Wonder Women were my preference," Cheetah confessed as a broken and bleeding Nubia backed away from the feral Barbara Minerva.
"I especially wanted my first kill to be Diana or Hippolyta," Cheetah's smile revealed her fangs, "But you'll do for now."
Nubia noted with some satisfaction that neither Artemis nor Donna Troy made the list.
"Of course, Troy would've made an excellent kill as well," Cheetah amended. That drove Nubia over the top. she rallied against Cheetah. But it was short lived. then they were back on equal footing. However briefly.
Nubia could sense the work of her gods upon Barbara Minerva. The Amazons were blessed by the Greco-Roman goddesses with immortality, strength, and vitality but Nubia wasn't a goddess like Donna nor a demi-goddess like Diana despite their sharing a mother. Donna didn't even want to be Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon's sister. She'd preferred Hippolyta's lie that Donna had been rescued from the wreckage of Troy during the Greek alliance's battle with the colony. Achilles' being crippled distracted everyone from the fact Helen still escaped judgment with Paris.
Diana and her older sister, being Nubia, took Donna in as a younger sibling. Hippolyta had kept many secrets from daughters. Nubia had recently learned she had a brother who had lived and died in Man's World. Antiope had splintered the Amazons over Hippolyta condoning Hercules' rape of her own sister. Artemis came from that tribe of Amazons that had lived in the deserts of Egypt. They'd lacked Hera's gift of immortality.
So Artemis really was just a twentysomething warrior recently introduced to Themiscyra and no stranger to growing older and seeing her sisters wither and die.
Nubia knew that she also aged away from Themiscyra. just as Hippolyta and Diana had as well while parted from the island as the first to two to be a Wonder Woman. Having seen Man's World for herself, Nubia wondered why her mother had left Paradise three times now for it. If not for her sacred charge from Queen Diana, Nubia would have never taken up the mantle of being a Wonder Woman. Artemis wanted it. Donna Troy was born into it and it was Hippolyta's legacy for all of them so let them all have it.
But Diana was her queen and kin, so she wouldn't disappoint despite her preferring her days as chief priestess to the gods. Cheetah caught Wonder Woman's distraction and raked her claws across Nubia's throat. Nubia tried to staunch the blood flow.
"You won't die, my pretty plaything. But you will lose consciousness long enough for my employer to take up arms against you and you'll be in no shape to stop her," Cheetah gloated, "But just remember this: I could have killed you and decided to spare you. But I pity you for my doing so."
Then Cheetah just prowled away while Wonder Woman lost consciousness wondering who or what threat Cheetah spoke of.
Multiplexes shattered as Toyman's "soldiers" shot them. General Glory managed to commandeer a tank and rip apart the AI's connections to it. Fortunately Arven Hauser had seen to it that human intervention could manually override the AI should it get buggy or outright fail. Even Hauser hadn't recognized the possibility of it being intentionally disabled.
Fortunately, the main gun's auto loader wasn't dependent on the AI. General Glory switched the loads from High Explosive Anti-Tank, or HEAT, rounds to simple bullet-like sabot rounds. And he began punching holes in armored Bradleys that still had Multiplexes aboard them and the tanks "supporting" him since the AI still recognized his tank as a friendly. Then General Glory rode off to find and disable the forces that Toyman and Multiplex undoubtedly had sent against his friends.
Byte began her hacking attempt just as Cyborg was isolating control over his weapons systems to manual override only. Then he ordered his servo motor encryptions be reinforced with a cipher key known only to his brain in order to slow Byte's progress down. Victor moved on to disconnecting his autonomic support systems from the primary computer AI and place them on emergency, independent action.
Cyborg could see Byte's scowl even through her semi-opaque face plate, "You're no fun at all."
Cyborg's left arm was still under semi-autonomous operation, performing a preprogrammed task: operating his right arm and its weapons system. He shot Byte with his white sound cannon, rendering her unconscious. Then the slow part began. Disengaging all these systems had taken just a few minutes but now he wait for the timing mechanism to release his left hand so that he could manually input the cipher into his right arm and then both of his legs before performing the necessary lockout bypasses and releases to restore his systems back to normal. In the interim, he'd simply shoot Byte again if and when she began to stir.
Strange Visitor attempted to utilize her powers against Lady Lunar and Moonman only to be the first to discover their secondary ability: to control electromagnetism. They inverted Strange Visitor's powers and redirected them at herself, bending and twisting their signature along the way so she wouldn't be immune to the discharge. with Strange Visitor unconscious, Lady Lunar and Moonman celebrated.
"Too bad we were ordered to withdraw." Moonman complained.
"Only to wait for the main event," Lady Lunar chucked him under the chin.
While Owlwoman thought she was fighting Casey Krinski, she was in fact fighting an illusion existing over the top of Jack O'Lantern. Liam McHugh refused to use his powers on Wenenoha Littlebird so he was just trying to avoid injury. but given Owlwoman's rage it proving increasingly difficult. Then Casey struck again. this time time making physical contact with Jack O'Lantern to duplicate his powers instead of Owlwoman's, which were fading anyway.
But since his were magical in nature, it backfired and nearly fried the teenager. The backlash of the power wave that nearly ended her life also nearly knocked Owlwoman out of the sky but Jack caught her. Lady Spellbinder was also hit by the wave and neutralized as she was also knocked unconscious.
"What the hell?" Owlwoman asked as she groggily recovered, "Where'd the girl go?"
"So that was yer problem," Jack chuckled, "Ya haven't been fightin' no girl. Ya've tryin' to tear me ta ribbons."
"So what happened to the girl?" Owlwoman was instantly alert.
"She tried ta whammy me and was knocked out," Jack pointed down at the street where Casey was sprawled out, "Seems her friend was whammied instead."
"I recognize her. She's Lady Spellbinder of the Legion of Doom. She casts illusions," Owlwoman was embarrassed now as the implicatiosn caught up with her.
"Which is explainin' why ya were hellbent on killin; me," Jack understood now.
"You're weren't fighting back," Owlwoman realized.
"Now why would I go and do a thing like that?" Jack teased her.
"Very chivalrous, Liam. But I could've killed you. For real," Owlwoman chided him.
"Somehow I don't think the fey who gave me these powers would'a let ya do that considerin' what happened to the wee girl when she tried ta do whatever it she does," Jack opined.
"She copies powers," Owlwoman showed him her cuts, "Very precisely."
"Let's take a look at those. Lucky fer you I carru a first aid kit wit' me," Jack guided her to the street.
"You do?" Owlwoman was surprised. She'd never known that before.
"I could regale ya wit' the lives and times of bein' a terrorist but it ain't nuthin' I'm proud of," Jack told her as he unclipped the pack from his belt.
"You believed in a Cause," Owlwoman told him, "There was no shame in that. You just chose your cause poorly."
"Which there's plenty ta be ashamed ta be ashamed over," Jack's power field faded and he reverted back to human. Owlwoman suddenly drank him in with a deep and passionate kiss. She didn't need Sussa Many Hearts to confirm how she felt.
"Maybe I shoulda let ya almost kick my ass before now," Jack chuckled, "I'm afraid a coupla these are gonna require stitches."
"You can do that?" she was surprised again.
"Best o' me brigade, darlin'," Jack promised, "`Course, we ain't got no local anesthesia so yer just gonna have to brave it out."
"I was wondering how you got so scarred up and lived," she smirked.
"Yer gonna have yer fair share after today," Jack advised her.
"Conversation pieces," she grinned.
"Jaysus, I'd hoped not ta have that conversation again," Jack groaned.
"Who says it'll be with you?" she teased again.
"Ya gotta point," he focused on his task now. She tried not to wince too much.
"Stay down," Trajectory warned Dawn Allen.
"Now I see why you were considered a 'thing' in the Age of Heroes," Dawn sought to distract Trajectory.
"We both know that won't last," Trajectory grimaced, "Every age dies."
"So you've sen the horrors that are coming," Dawn grinned.
"I know people like you made them possible," Trajectory countered. Dawn bum rushed Trajectory...again. This time Trajectory delivered fifty full power punches in less than three seconds. Even the impact resistant Dawn went down afterwards.
"What to do with you?" Trajectory asked herself.
"You're not that bad of a fighter, Chief. Of course, you're not as good as I am. Even if I'm used to working with my sisters as a team," Skylark opined. Frankly, Chief Man-of-Bats thought Skylark was doing just fine on her own. She'd delivered an epic beating and she was hardly winded to add insult to injury.
"Nighty night," Skylark's unexpected backspin kick put Chief Man-of-Bats down.
"I have to save you for the main event or I'd end this," Skylark told his unconscious form, "But it's been real fun. Cathartic even."
Capt. Atom had no idea what to expect as Bag O'Bones grabbed a hold him. Then the radiation began pumping into him. He had no choice but absorb it or the entire neighborhood and probably several around it would filled with immediate casualties and blocks beyond affected by radiation sickness in the short term and cancers in the longer terms. Capt. Atom eventually cried out and collapsed. Bag O'Bones staggered backwards.
"I knew I could do it," he slurred before he too passed out.
Ice froze the main battle tanks first, "Beatriz! Superheat them! Now!"
Fire complied and the tanks' metal cracked and partially melted.
"Uh-oh," the Multiplexes said as one.
"Now for them," Ice broadcast a cold snap that froze everything.
"Even Multiplex?" Fire asked.
"It isn't really him," Ice explained as she found a perch to sit down on. Fire dealt with the frozen vehicles and popsickled Multiplexes, that shattered into crystalline shards.
"Point taken," a winded Fire sat down beside Ice, "How'd you know?"
Ice offered a wan smile, "When has Multiplex ever directly confronted someone?"
"Again, good point," Fire conceded.
"Would you ladies like some coffee and something to eat?" an elderly woman asked.
"Love some," Fire blurted before Ice could refuse. The neighborhood came out in force to thank them. Fire beamed with joy while Ice was merely embarrassed.
"Suck it up, Tora. It's good for you to get some recognition," Fire chided her friend.
Black Vulcan quit trying to one-up Shock Trauma and instead began drawing current off of the teen. Static had shown him this trick when he'd used it against one his instructors who happened to be Black Lightning one day when Black Vulcan was guest lecturing for Young Justice.
"Wait! Stop! Shock Trauma began to plead and then beg. Black Vulcan didn't relent until the boy had been down and out for several minutes. He checked the kid's vitals and they were weak but ongoing.
"I think I'm going to puke," Static hadn't warned him about how it felt to metabolize that much power. Fortunately for Virgil Hawkins, Jefferson Pierce had surrendered when he realized there was no way to escape Static's trap. Black Vulcan had just wished he'd thought of it during his old sparring sessions with Blakc Lightning.
Samurai finally watched Breathtaker pass out from her exertions. He nearly lost control of the winds he was attempting to generate. Then he found a quiet place to sit and meditate for a while to restore his chi.
Atomica had an advanatge against the third Atom: she was ruthless. So Ryan Choi regrew to his normal height. Which wasn't much different then Rhonda Penita's own.
"Pussying out on me?" she laughed.
"Nope," he touched a control on his gauntlet. His hand enlarged to giant proportions and crushed Atomica underneath it as he swung his fist down, "Just wising up."
It took Atom a minute to recover afterwards. His Atom suit was good at shrinking but growing took a huge physical toll on him. He'd need a while to recover just from that little bit.
"Yield," Katana commanded I, Syper when she'd tracked him down. She slice d his last arrow out of the air. She had to give him credit, he was as talented as Arrow or Red Arrow at using his bow as a stave. But she sliced that in half as well.
"Uncle?" I, Spyder asked after he'd thrown his last dart at her after losing his bow.
"It's too late for that mercy," Katana decided.
He jumped out the window despite its fifth story height and the fact that the ramshackle fire escape collapsed underneath him, burying him underneath its wreckage.
"My way would've been less painful," Katana told the absent I, Spyder as she gazed out the window. She had to nick him at least to fulfill her vow to him.
Catwoman displaced Mutiplex on a Bradly clone and began shooting the Multiplexes. Then she climbed inside the Bradly while Toyman attempted to update his AIs to discriminate from friend and now foe. She blew apart both M-1 Abrams MBTs before swiveling the main turret around to decimate the other armored fighting vehicles.
Holly climbed into the driver's position and ripped apart the computer guidance system that allowed the AI to function. Then Catwoman drove off in the Bradley looking to find Toyman and Multiplex for a little payback.