Chapter 3: True Colors
More chapters on my (P)atreon at Saintbarbido.
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(General P.O.V)
Cheshire landed on the wall behind a stack of yoga mats and flipped onto the ground, twirling her Sais.
"Fuck."
Sportsmaster backed up, going for the hockey stick behind him.
"You stupid girl."
He ground out.
"Sportsmaster, Cheshire, we need to leave. I will incapacitate him while you create a boom tube."
Manhunter's form ballooned out as he changed shape. A second later, a White Martian was standing in his position.
All three of the villains were facing a different Davian, one who sent a shiver of terror down their spines. He was crouched low on the ground, grunting as thick white liquid came out of his nose, mouth and ears, covering his face. Purple light pulsed out, an aura around his form.
His eyes flashed inside the quickly materializing mask. They were cruel, dismissive but most of all, angry.
"This was not the plan, little girl!"
Sportsmaster grabbed the Fatherbox out of the air before using it to open a boom tube to the side.
Davian in his hollow form leaned forward, his fingers, lengthening and changing to thin needle like claws.
He took a step and blurred forward.
Clang! Cheshire jumped in and tried to block the claws from getting to her father, but the collision sent her spinning back. A cry rang out as both her arms were slashed by what seemed to be invisible winds.
Her shoulder clipped Sportsmaster and sent them both spiraling to the ground. Davian took a leap and came down on the both with his claws at the ready. A form tackled him out of the air, smashing onto the glass mirror above the treadmill. Both landed on the aforementioned machine and jumped away from each other.
The White Martian sank to the floor while trying to send telepathic attacks Davian's way. The masked Davian opened his mouth, creating a spinning energy attack then sent it flying towards the floor.
Sportsmaster dragged Cheshire behind a weight bench. There was an explosion of concrete, revealing sections of the floor below the training room. Something sped up out of the ground from Aden's back.
The White Martian shifted his form into a rubber like state, wrapping himself around their target.
"Sportsmaster!"
The White Martian yelled into Sportsmaster's mind.
"Open the portal!"
The previous one had deactivated after Cheshire had crashed into Sports Master.
Davian flexed but found himself immobilized.
"Calm Down! Calm dow..."
A scream tore out of Davian, drowning the White Martian's words.
Sportsmaster activated the Fatherbox, aiming the boom to appear over Davian and the White Martian. The latter held on tight, before levitating towards the portal. Reiryoku begun to boil inside Davian and in a mighty jerk, an explosion of power slammed out of him, ripping the Martian into numerous pieces, patches of flesh that fell to the ground lightly smoking.
Above his mouth, a cero formed that he aimed at the center of the boom tube. On the other side, was a courtyard. This courtyard was part of a compound in an island belonging to a very special group. The League of Assassins.
The boom tube manifested right before Sensei who was busy meditating. He cracked his eyes open before they widened further. Sensei immediately ducked to the ground, avoiding the ball of purple energy that sped out of it. The ball landed on the side of the cliff overlooking the League of Assassins' headquarters.
The resulting explosion was massive, shaving a side off the cliff. Boulders and rocks fell on the buildings under it, destroying many of them.
The Boom tube disappeared, leaving a stunned Sensei as he got to his feet. Behind him a contingent of Ninjas landed. Sensei scowled, shaking with rage.
"Someone will pay for this."
He promised.
The masked assassin stood in the center of the room, her twin sais glinting in the light. Cheshire faced down the monster in front of her with a panicked expression underneath her mask. He had just killed the White Martian! Sweat dripped down her forehead, falling into her eyes.
She breathed out, trying to use her training to stay focused. To keep the fear at bay. The explosion had drove a bar through Sportsmaster's side, her father shifting his body to take the blow meant for her. It was almost touching before the man groaned,
"I'm...charging you 2 mil for the save little..."
Cheshire chopped at his neck, sending him to dream land. Then she hit a few pressure points to slow down his blood pressure. She couldn't administer first aid because of the danger Davian posed.
Cheshire tapped at her ear piece.
"Romeo One, we have a major problem."
She informed whoever was listening on the other side.
"What happened?"
A deep voice asked.
"The asset went out of control. The Martian is dead, Sportsmaster's out of commission too."
There was a sigh on the other end. Almost inaudible.
"Can you still incapacitate him?"
Cheshire looked at the boiling energy surrounding Davian. His clothes were now burning away, the purple Reiryoku surging up, filling him with a rush that made him screech in anger, claws extending further out. Then Cheshire looked down at the pieces of the White Martian lying around.
She narrowed her eyes.
"No."
There was silence for a bit.
"Lethal force permitted."
The voice simply instructed and Cheshire bit back an angry response. How the fuck did he expect her to fight something like this with only her Sais? Fuck it, at least she would get to go all bloody.
Then an idea came to her. She didn't need to fight with the intent to end this, she only needed to fight to draw attention to them.
Cheshire stepped forward, fully revealing herself through the smoke and dust that had otherwise covered the entirety of the room.
It only took a split second for her to be noticed by her opponent. Davian immediately jumped at her, hand pulled back and ready to rip her to shreds.
The room was filled with various exercise equipment, giving the assassin plenty of options to evade Davian's attacks. She flipped over a treadmill, narrowly avoiding a wide beam of cero that blasted through the machine and out into the surroundings, which turned out to be a warehouse near the docks, thankfully far from civilians.
Davian charged again, swinging his claws in a wide arc. Cheshire dodged to the side, sliding under a weight bench and kicking it towards the similarly masked individual. He split the bench apart with a single swipe of his long nails, separating it into numerous pieces, but it gave the masked assassin enough time to launch a counterattack.
She leaped onto a set of parallel bars, twirling around them to gain momentum. With a fierce cry, she launched herself at the main character, her sais flashing in the light. He parried her blows with ease, almost too aware of her next moves. However, the assassin was too skilled for him to hit.
The fight continued, the two combatants trading blows and dodges around the room. Davian's attacks were wild and uncontrolled, but they packed a punch that could shatter stone. Cheshire's movements were graceful and precise, her attacks aimed at the former's vulnerable spots.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Cheshire saw an opening. Davian had overextended himself, leaving his body open for a split second. The assassin seized the opportunity, driving both her sais deep into his chest, then she jumped away, avoiding another uncontrolled cero that smashed the wall before him into nonexistence, revealing the ocean air.
The sais plunged through his lungs slowed him down and Davian stumbled back in sudden agonizing pain. He groaned, falling to his knees, his shoulders slumping. From a perch on the ceiling, Artemis landed, breathing heavy and her body in pain.
She had avoided direct attacks but the shockwaves produced by a single swipe or the powerful energy cloak surrounding Davian had managed to take its toll on her as well. Her hands were burned, slashed and her muscles ached.
"You're a stubborn bastard, aren't you?"
She commented, blood dripping down Davian's mask, through the gaps in the mask's teeth.
"I apologize for the rough treatment handsome. But you know how it is..."
She grabbed the handles of her Sais, aiming to remove them when her hands were grabbed by Davian.
Cheshire's eyes widened behind her mask, establishing contact with the purple and cruel glint in Davian's eyes. Purple light begun to gather before her target's mouth.
"No..."
She understood what was about to happen. The cero would leave nothing but ashes of her body. Cheshire tried to push him away.
'... little kitty has claws...'
Her eyes widened in shock at the voice that came out of the mask.
She slammed a kick on one of the Sais, hoping the pain would distract him enough that she could extricate herself.
It started low. A screech of not pain as she had expected but one of savage sadistic glee. The purple cero grew to the size of a marble.
'I... I am sorry, Artemis.'
Cheshire's last thought was seeing the faces of her broken family. Her mother, sister, hell, even Crusher.
The cero shot out...
"Azarath metrion Zinthos!"
A female voice announced, diving in from the hole on the wall with a dark aura covering her fists and eyes.
In response to her chant, a black dome appeared over Cheshire, covering her entirely and protecting her from the cero. However, the attack proved to be a little too much and an explosion of both purple and darkness washed out across the entire room, shaking its foundations.
The pressure blast slammed onto Raven, pushing her out of the air. She shook her head, standing up from a wrecked container that she had fell upon.
She landed on the ground as a few more feet descended from the sky. Manchester Black had used his powers to levitate them the rest of the way after the Truck had been decimated by vines. That particular... altercation had almost led to one of them getting their heads blown up. King Shark had gone bloodthirsty for a few seconds there, after being hit on the nose with a baseball bat by Harley Quinn.
"Hope we were not too late to the party."
Deadshot told her, cocking his wrist guns.
"No."
Raven informed them as they watched the smoking hole in the building.
"He's not alone. I sense two more minds inside."
Manchester told Deadshot.
"I say we charge right in and kill every last one of them wankers."
Boomerang growled out, nursing a broken jaw.
"No, we're not Killing anyone if we don't have to."
Raven denied that idea, though the rest did not look particularly bothered by it in the first place.
There was a growl from inside the building and then in a spectacle that left them wary, the whole thing exploded in a haze of glory, flames burning the debris of the building as a figure appeared in the sky. Gone were the Sais plunged in his chest. Davian looked whole now.
His mask was fully formed and on his back was a massive scissor-sword. His short silver hair, extended past the shoulders, rippling in the wind by an unseen current. The orange prison uniform was mere strips of clothing that did nothing to hide his toned body. Spiritual energy gathered around him like a vortex.
"We. Are. Fucked."
Killer Frost stated.
(General P.O.V)
"So are we fighting?"
Killer Frost asked.
Everyone turned to stare at Deadshot.
"Waller. Come in Waller."
He exhaled in frustration.
"Something is messing with the ear piece."
He informed them.
"One guess as to who is responsible."
Boomer answered, pointedly staring at the god of death looking down at them.
"You know, I once fought Superman."
Manchester stated, stepping forward, eyes blazing with a barely restrained excitement.
"Oh yeah, I heard about that. You're the blokes who thought they could one up the blue boy scout."
Boomer told him while laughing.
"Got your can kicked that day, you did."
Manchester glared at him from the corner of his eyes.
"Look who's talking. A grown man whose only gimmick is throwing Boomerangs at his problems. Boomerang this."
Captain Boomerang's eyes widened as a trail of blood crept down his eye.
"Oh you son of a..."
His head promptly exploded, sending blood and pieces of brains flying out. Raven stood with wide eyes as a piece of Captain Boomerang's brain slid off the shield she had created almost instantly.
"What the fuck did you do?!"
Deadshot angrily grabbed Manchester's trench coat.
"Nothing. It must have been an accident." The British supervillain answered with a smirk.
"An accident that might occur if you don't let me go."
He added with an undercurrent of violence.
Deadshot pointed his wrist gun at Manchester's neck.
"Still want to bet you're faster than a bullet?"
The Marksman asked.
"Shit. I got some of it in my mouth."
Killer Frost gagged to the side while King Shark eyed Captain Boomerang's body with a ravenous look.
"Guys..."
Raven came in between the two men about to fight, eyes pointed at something past them.
"We have better things to deal with!"
Her palms were covered by an aura of Darkness.
"Azarath metrion Zinthos!"
A dome appeared around them.
(Gotham)
A massive explosion ripped out across the Gotham skyline, painting the night in a purple glow.
"There's that explosion again."
Ivy informed the other two.
"Ooh oh oh let's go check it out! We can do it as a team!"
Harley gasped.
"No."
Catwoman quickly put that idea to rest, turning around to walk off the rooftop that they stood on.
"It's bad for business if I leave the club unattended for too long. Besides, this is not our problem."
"Oh come on Selina, quit being such a Batman! He's the fun police!" Harley pouted, causing Ivy to snort at her antics. Catwoman merely sighed, not stopping for even a second.
"We can call ourselves the awesome 3!"
Harley added.
Catwoman visibly shivered at the name.
"How about, hell the fuuuuuck no!"
She threw over her shoulder before her chest smacked into something hard. Harley gasped as Ivy readied herself.
"It's the fun police!"
The former shouted, swinging her bat to point at the grey and black figure standing before them.
Catwoman looked up, body tense. The image of Batman's chiseled chest and square jaw made her purr.
"I don't mind you taking me in."
She said coyly, running a finger down his chest.
Batman grabbed her hand.
"I'm not in the mood for games tonight Selina."
He growled.
"When are you ever?" Catwoman responded, rubbing her body onto his.
"I'm the one who does all the work."
"Ummm...what's happening?"
Harley asked in a dumbfounded voice. Ivy merely face palmed.
(At the docks)
A dark dome appeared on top of a red container. Their previous position was torn apart and burning.
"That was too close. What is this guy?!"
Killer Frost yelled in panic. Panic that was well warranted.
It was a scene of complete chaos. The wooden planks of the dock had been torn apart by the cero, that left a massive hole in the center of the structure. Overturned containers lay strewn about, some of them cracked open to reveal their contents, while others had exploded in the intense heat of the blast. Flames licked at the edges of the destroyed liners, sending black smoke billowing into the night air.
"I can take him."
Manchester told them, moving forwards.
"Hey! we are not done here!" Deadshot yelled, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"What is it to you?"
The Brit shoved him off.
"You hated the guy."
"That doesn't mean you kill him in cold blood."
Raven interjected. Manchester looked at all of them.
"Are you all fucking serious? You want to do this now? Bloody hell! The wanker had it coming to him, running his mouth with no concern as to who he offends. I say good fucking riddance."
He turned around and kicked Boomerang's body.
Deadshot aimed the gun on his wrist at Manchester and fired. The bullet stopped before it could slam into his forehead. The telekinetic villain smirked.
"Well what do you know. Guess I am faster."
His smirk turned deadly.
"You know, I've just about had it with you fucks. How about I kill each one of you and tell Waller the target did it?"
Whoosh!
Bam!
Something landed behind Manchester, a purple light flashing out as a massive blade shot out of his chest. Blood sprayed out of his mouth.
It was sudden and alarming.
Manchester had his eyes wide open in rage and indignation. He turned his head around with a lot of effort, staring deep into the wrathful eyes of the creature behind him.
"DIE!"
An inhuman voice came out of it's mouth.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!"
The Brit coughed again.
"You...ghjj"
He gurgled, chocking on blood. Psionic energy begun to gather around as Davian's hollow form opened its mouth, screeching in anger.
Deadshot groaned as something heavy slammed onto all of them, taking them to the ground. The purple energy washing out of the beast was immense and made all of them nauseous. Their visions swam. The heaviness was Davian's spiritual pressure bearing down on all of them.
Deadshot tried to bring his hand forward to shoot but felt his ears pop as their target opened its mouth and screamed.
There was a telekinetic blast of power that threw everyone away from the pair. Manchester's groan turned into a wordless roar as he stretched his abilities to their absolute limit. For the second time another explosion rang out. This one was more impressive.
The shockwaves from it rippled across the atmosphere, causing a certain speeding object to shudder and groan.
"Talk to me Alfred."
Batman growled in the cockpit of his batwing.
"Authorities are out by 5 minutes' sir. I suggest you call for back up."
"No time."
The Bat replied, jerking his jet to the sky as the pressure blast from the explosion became a bit too much. He grunted at the effort it took, his eyes surveying the smoke and dust rising up from the location of interest.
"I'm going in."
Raven felt something drip from her forehead as she rose on one knee. Her demonic energy covered her like a cloak, making her eyes and the red gem on her forehead glow. She had saved her other teammates again but in drawing out so much of her power...she started hearing him.
"Let me in daughter..."
A voice sounded in her mind. Her father.
"No."
Raven replied stubbornly.
"You need ME RAVEN! LET ME IN!"
"No! I don't need you! Or your power! I WILL NEVER need you!"
She yelled.
Bam.
Something hit the floor, blood splashed across Raven's wide eyes as the dust and smoke cleared to reveal...King Shark's headless form.
The head was grasped, still dripping with blood in the clawed hands of their target. Raven knew monsters. She herself was a monster, but this...this was on a whole other level. Her heart pumped as she scrambled away, the monster taking steps towards her while the aura of the Reiryoku covering it grew bigger. It's eyes, those beautiful deceptive eyes were narrowed in corruption. Narrowed in animalistic and feral anger. It wanted to kill. To destroy.
"Snap out of it!"
Killer Frost's shout was accompanied by an attack.
With a quick flick of her wrist, she conjured multiple small ice shards and sent them flying towards Davian's chest. The shard pierced through the air, only to be blocked by the side of the blade in its hands.
Then it swung the scissor-sword and a cone of wind burst out from its position throwing everything back. Or it would have if Raven hadn't intervened quickly.
"Azarath metrion Zinthos!"
A shield of darkness covered her and the other two.
"Hold that shield! Frost time to go all out!"
Deadshot ordered, as bullets begun to rain out of his wrist guns, landing on Davian's form and doing nothing. Killer Frost on her part, skated across the wrecked docks, heading towards Davian who seemingly waited as the barrage of bullets assaulted him.
"Take this!"
Frost quickly cleared the distance between them, riding on a slide of Ice, passing by his body and sending a freezing breeze of cutting winds that covered Davian's position.
"Azarath metrion Zinthos!"
The shield that covered Raven and Deadshot sped forwards, shifting shapes into a drill construct aimed for the creature.
Then a sonic boom sounded out as the very air was shredded apart.
"Frost behind..."
Killer Frost felt her spine shiver in fear. That speed. It was behind her.
Winding quickly, she created a shield of ice that shattered as a glowing sword cut through it, headed for her neck.
Bang!
The Batwing dove in and collided with Davian on its nose cone, speeding away and pushing the feral teen out into the sea.
"It's Batman! Fuck! This just got more complicated."
Deadshot spoke up, tapping his earpiece two times.
"Deadshot! Where the hell have you been!"
Waller's voice came through all their comms.
Killer Frost and Raven shared a look as the Batwing wound in its trajectory, turning back towards them.
"We need to go."
Frost informed them, landing on the ground beside them.
Deadshot held up a hand as he continued his conversation with Waller.
"Finally! something was disrupting our comms. We are in a combat situation. Things have...derailed massively." Deadshot answered grimly.
"We lost Boomer, the Shark and that dick, Manchester Black. He's the one who took out Boomerang."
Waller was silent.
"And the Target?"
She growled out.
"He's gon..."
Before the words were fully out of his mouth, a huge beam of purple Reiryoku burst out of the boiling water, crashing through the wing of the Batwing and destroying it.
The Batwing spun uncontrollably in the air before colliding on a warehouse near the docks, going up in flames.
Batman had quickly ejected, his cape unfurling behind him, as he ran an electric current across the cloth, changing it into something hard. Something strong enough to glide. The Dark Knight was not out of danger yet. The monster appeared in the sky behind Batman, sword raised up.
Before their shocked gazes, a huge purple sword aura burst out of the weapon, heading towards the Dark Knight.
"Azarath metrion Zinthos!"
Raven chanted, taking steps towards the pair. Her form rippled out, enlarging into a huge figure made up of pure darkness, over 50 feet tall.
The figure's hands gripped a sword and a shield that bared resemblance to Wonder Woman's. It raised up it's shield, tanking the sword aura. The crash made the sea churn and Batman was thrown away by the air blast, spinning away until he managed to use his grappling gun to bite into a crane, swinging away with the momentum.
Batman tapped his wrist computer upon landing with a grunt. Maybe Alfred was right.
"All available Justice League members, mobilize."
(General P.O.V)
"Oh god, thank you! Thank you!"
The guard said profusely, as Batman dropped him off outside the docks. Already, there was a cordon around with authorities preventing the news reporters from going in.
The paramedics carted the man away for a checkup as Harvey Bullock ran forward. There was a tension between Batman and the police after Jim's death. Not all of them were as trusting of the caped crusader as he had been. However, Bullock could understand that this was neither the time or the place.
"What's the situation?"
Harvey asked the Dark Knight before he could go back in.
"Move the cordon further back. The fight might spill out into the main streets."
Then Batman slinked into the Darkness, vaulting over the entrance before he started running on top of the containers, trailing after the fight that was happening.
"You heard the Bat." Harvey turned to his officers.
"Move the goddamn cordon."
Raven took a few steps back, sea water sloshing around her knees. Her shield was pushing against one of Davian's hands. The hollowfied teen screeched as his claws and sword landed multiple slashes on the shiped of darkness, steadily pushing back the gigantic figure. Sparks flew from the point of contact and every blow that Raven tanked seemed to grow in power.
She gritted her teeth and held on to the spell. This guy was relentless.
"Raven! Now!"
Deadshot shouted from the top of Raven's construct head. Raven slapped the ocean with the flat side of her sword, causing a tide to rise up headed for their target. Then on an ice platform near Raven's feet, Killer Frost submerged her palms into the water, flash freezing it and the tide that was now covering Davian.
Raven then yelled, spinning around for momentum before slapping away the frozen chunk of ice holding Davian with her shield.
"Stay down!"
Raven shouted at him.
Davian's form bounced across the ocean surface, covering a distance of more than 2 kilometers due to the force behind the blow.
"Move in!"
Deadshot ordered but Raven was already taking large steps deeper into the ocean. The ground shook from her advance. Only for a massive shockwave to explode out of the water, sending forth a beam of pure spiritual energy that could be seen and felt for miles.
All around the country, supernatural entities turned to face Gotham. The spectacle gathered the attention of both good and bad forces. At ground Zero, Raven's large figure was thrown away, feet rising off the water. Her body landed on more containers, further destroying shipments and liners.
Killer Frost managed to create an ice slide under Deadshot's falling form, saving his life in the process.
The real Raven groaned from the middle of the huge Avatar. The strain on her abilities was immense. However, she knew that there was no one else to hold it back. She stumbled back up, pushing off the destroyed docks.
Her eyes widened from within the Avatar when something fast and hard struck her on her chest. Raven jerked her real body to the side as Davian burst straight through carving a hole on the left side of her Avatar's burst. Then he blasted out of her back, further destroying the construct.
The darkness lost cohesion and Raven cried out in pain as she tried to regain control and failed, getting hit by the backlash. The spell destabilized, causing her to revert back into her normal form, falling from the sky and headed to the murky waters of the Gotham coastline.
The Hollowfied Davian looked up, body tensing. A few figures grew bigger in the skyline of Gotham. No longer was he concerned about the falling Raven. He fully turned to face what it knew was the real threat.
Meanwhile Batman swung on his grappling gun, managing to scoop Raven out of the free fall before landing roughly on top of a blue container. Deadshot immediately turned one of his guns Batman's way, the other was aimed at Davian who was floating in the sky.
"Step away from her Bats. You know I can shoot accurately even without line of sight."
He warned.
"You should be in Belle Reeve, Floyd."
Batman stated, secretly taping at his wrist device while holding onto Raven.
"Yeah well, decided I needed some fresh air. Now let her go."
Deadshot insisted.
Batman narrowed his eyes while the Marksman clenched his jaw, eyeing him from the corner of his eyes.
"I won't tell you a second time, Batman."
An engine roared and Deadshot ducked onto the ground, evading the barreling vehicle that zoomed above him. Deadshot rolled away and begun shooting at Batman, cursing the while mission in the first place. Things had changed.
Batman spun with Raven in his arms, hiding behind the Batmobile. A sheet of ice covered the corner of the vehicle as Killer Frost arrived and begun to try to kill Batman. The three of them begun their fight.
Over in the sky, the figure of Davian screeched as it held up it's sword. Spiritual energy begun pouring out of the weapon in a torrential wave.
The figures fast approaching, turned out to be some of the members of the Justice League. Captain Atom, Lantern Stewart, Canary who was shrouded in a green environmental suit by the Green Lantern, Superman and Shazam. The rest were on console duty, handling other cases or in the case of Wonder woman, watching over the Flash to get rid of the mind control.
"The amount of energy I sense in that weapon is enough to take out half of Gotham if he misses."
Captain Atom informed the others.
"I sense it too."
Superman agreed with a serious look on his face. His gaze swept across the burning docks.
"Let's split up. I'm on damage control, we need to put out those fires before they expand. The rest of you, try to stop him."
Superman said, changing course for the docks.
Stewart looked at the others, a little of his military experience leaking out with his next statement.
"With the threat of that attack he's charging, talks are out. We need to take him down. Hard."
Stewart said, moving in fast.
"Canary and I will distract him while the two of you try to incapacitate him."
There was no objection and Black Canary along with Stewart moved on ahead.
Shazam and Captain Atom flanked their sides, increasing their speeds to cut off any of Davian's escape routes.
A construct that was a device sharing similarities to a choker, appeared on Canary's throat. She faced Stewart with a questioning glance.
"That's a mega sound relay device." He answered.
"It is used by Mongul in Warworld to announce and commentate the death battles. It should help you go louder, much safely without bursting your throat apart."
Then the Lantern fully focused on the figure they were quickly approaching.
"Ring, anything on the energy analysis?"
"Negative, John Stewart. The database lacks any related information concerning this new type of power. I advise you approach with caution."
Stewart's frown deepened.
"Yeah." He added.
"We need to stop this. Fast."
There was nothing he hated more than having no or little information.
"Let's do it."
Canary replied, getting ready.
20 meters away from Davian, and Stewart had to clamp down on his fear with willpower. Those eyes, they spoke of mindless rage and negativity. It was enough to make him falter. He wasn't facing a regular foe, there was something different about this one. Stewart felt it in his guts.
"Hey, don't hold back."
He told Canary, uncharacteristically serious.
"Only up until he's down."
She agreed on condition.
"Ring access comms: Superman, Shazam, Atom, brace for impact. This is going to be a big one."
He then turned to Canary.
"Now!"
Stewart took a sharp corner before they could collide on Davian, the latter reaching out to swing his weapon at the two, only for them to split around him.
Then Canary activated her metahuman ability, aiming it at Davian. The air was ripped apart as a sonic scream, much more devastating than anything Black Canary usually used, blasted out of her mouth, hitting Davian point blank.
The eyes underneath the mask went wide. The whole space was trembling. Davian's own body was trembling. The hand holding the sword was thrown back, the sword sent sailing away towards the ocean.
'told you ...not ready..."
The clothes Davian wore were completely shredded, leaving him with only a modest pair of torn pants around his groin.
The pressure blast completely threw the debris of the destroyed dock away, necessitating the need for Batman, Deadshot and Killer Frost to stop fighting and save themselves.
Luckily, Canary had aimed the impact of the sonic scream towards the wide expanse of the ocean. So while the resulting wave was massive, enough to reveal the ocean floor, it wasn't too unmanageable. Superman dove in and used his ice breath to freeze a major part of the water before it could impact the shores.
Killer Frost helped as well, momentarily taking a break from fighting Batman to blast out chilling winds at the incoming Tsunami. The wave of water shifted states, becoming an ice wall. When she was done she looked behind her and heard a whisper,
"5 minutes, then I'm coming after both of you."
Back in the air, something had gone wrong.
Davian had initially tried to endure the sonic blast, placing a hand in front of him to shield himself, but the shockwaves threw him back. The horn above his head cracked slightly. Spiritual Energy begun leaking out of the crack in a shocking amount. The Canary cry while not lacking in power seemed to be scarily effective against this brand of an opponent.
Green metallic clamps enclosed Davian's body fully, leaving only eye holes in the massive metal coffin. Green Lantern and Canary floated down towards the coffin.
Canary rubbed her throat as the choker disappeared.
"That was not pleasant."
She commented, making Stewart chuckle.
"I know. Luckily it's over."
The rest of the League quickly arrived.
"Green lantern, well done. You guys didn't even need us to intervene."
Shazam commented with a smile.
"It was all Canary."
Stewart praised her.
"Wow! that attack was wild, Black Canary."
Shazam added, making the blonde superheroine smile.
"Now then..."
Stewart begun before he went silent. All of them did in fact. There was a sudden hum as the color pallet of the whole world went bleak. There was a feeling...a dawning horror that sprouted from deep within their souls.
"WEAK!... HOW DARE YOU BE WEAK!? NO WIELDER OF MINE SHOULD EVER BE WEAK!"
The voice was angry, deranged and most of all sadistic.
A pulse escaped out of the metallic construct holding Davian captive. A pulse that brought with it a fresh wave of Spiritual Pressure. This one was full of malice, painting the sky a deep purple.
The effects this time were more devastating. Black Canary and Green Lantern immediately passed out, both falling off the sky.
"Warning! Insufficient Willpower detected!"
The ring on Stewart's finger blared out.
Captain Atom and Shazam on the other hand, could not move. With wide eyes, Shazam allowed himself to fall towards the coffin. He landed on it, feeling his arms flail like noodles, not able to leverage his immense strength.
Luckily that hadn't been the plan. All Shazam wanted was for this to end.
"SHAZAAAAM!"
A streak of blue Super-hot bolts of mystic lightning fell from the sky, briefly covering their position. The shockwaves were enough to throw Captain Atom away, helping the former marine to break out of the spell and do something.
He flew after Canary and Green Lantern, managing to grab both before they could impact on the surface of the ocean. Another body fell towards the sea at fast speeds but Superman was there to save the young boy.
His eyes blinked in shock at the fact that Shazam one of the few heroes who could actually give him a ran for his money, was actually a kid. He managed to bring him back towards the destroyed docks and over the massive ice wall.
Passing over Batman to give Billy over to the paramedics, Superman established eye contact with the Dark Knight.
"You and I will need to have a talk after this, Batman."
The Dark Knight looked back unflinchingly, then turned his attention to the purple energy covering Davian's last position.
"Let's save the city first."
(General P.O.V)
A few things happened almost at the same time. The eruption of power instigated by the clash of the divine and Spiritual energy would not have looked out of place in a battlefield. Streaks of lightning washed out, blasting everything at close range.
Captain Atom being the only thing at that proximity, took the blunt of the attack. The energy was nullified by his own aura of nuclear energy, failing to really hurt him. What it did was obscure his vision. When the light show ended, it was to find that Davian was nowhere to be seen. Somehow he was gone. That took a backseat to something more immediate.
Captain Atom wasted no time to dive after his teammates, their descent aided by the massive pressure blast caused by Shazam's lightning and Davian's own power.
He managed to grab Green Lantern on his right hand and Canary was safely soon held by his left arm. The fall slowed down as Atom directed their flight path towards where he could see some of the other Leaguers.
Atom went over the cordon before the eyes of the many officers, stopping next to Superman who was watching the child form of Shazam get attended to by the authorities. Welp, that was definitely going to be a problem later as the backlash from the public came in. No one would be okay with the fact that one of the League members was a kid.
"Are they both okay?"
The man of Steel asked in concern. Batman was there in a flash, kneeling over Canary and checking her vitals.
"She's fine. Merely unconscious."
Superman's eyes lost the glow as he deactivated his supervision to see past Green Lantern's environmental cloak.
"Stewart is okay as well."
He turned around to face the sky.
"He's gone..."
Captain Atom's fists powered down. Superman was right. There seemed to be nothing in the sky.
A different figure descended from the sky. Wonder Woman looked at the devastation caused. The docks were no more, just a flat piece of space with broken and shredded metal, a few spoiled commodities and nothing much.
"What happened?"
She enquired looking around at the destruction.
"A hundred million worth of damages."
Batman growled out, quickly tapping on his wrist device.
"I've called for the Batwing; it would not be wise to leave League members with the authorities in case their secret identities are compromised."
He added, obviously referencing Shazam and the other two.
Superman and Wonder Woman shared a look.
"That's obvious isn't it?"
The Themiscyrian princess wondered.
"Mmmh."
Batman grunted as he walked away, approaching Harvey who was standing around with his officers, before one of the only intact shipments to survive the fight.
"How's Flash?"
Captain Atom questioned Wonder Woman.
"The same."
She sighed.
"I had to restrain him with my truth lasso and order him not to escape."
"Wait, you can do that?"
Superman wondered.
A cheeky smile was all he got. Then Diana's face changed.
"What really happened?"
The expressions on both Supermen changed.
"A lot."
"Batman! Batman!"
A few reporters called out as The Dark Knight crossed the distance between him and the police.
"Yes?"
Batman growled at Harvey Bullock, not in the mood for small talk. He'd walked over after noticing how the Stand in commissioner was eyeing him. It was clear he wanted to talk.
"We found something."
Bullock replied before addressing the cops with him.
"Rip it open boys."
There was a grating sound as the metal was pulled apart by their combined effort, exposing something that made everyone recoil in shock. Bodies, pale and very clearly dead were revealed. Some looked to be no older than 10, young children exposed to the cruelty of life. Further in and the bodies were burnt or crushed into meat paste owing to the fight that had ensued.
The smell was bad. Enough to make everyone around but Batman start retching in nausea. Batman on the other hand was not amused. Something had been going on. Something that had happened right under his nose.
His mind was clearing up somewhat and that allowed him to see some inconsistencies with his memories. For starters, he did not remember having any base this close to the docks. It was too risky. Secondly, how had he missed this? He knew himself, he would have picked up on the clues.
"Something isn't right here."
One question remained. Who was the enemy? And where were they hiding?
(Elsewhere)
Psion and Deathstroke watched the scene from a different space entirely. A dimension created by mirror master.
"What should we do?"
Psion enquired.
"We not only lost the asset, the white Martian from Maalefalaak's insurgent group is very much not alive. This is...bad."
Deathstroke hummed, tapping the fingers of his left hand on the forearm of his other arm.
"Nothing much. What we need to do is make sure that we erase our tracks. Deploy the agent."
Back on the scene of the dead bodies, a green cloud of gas exploded from within the container.
"Everyone get back."
Superman informed them, flying in as the ground around the container was quickly devoured by the acid.
"What about the bodies?"
An officer asked.
Batman straightened up from his crouch, holding up a swab stick, with a D.N.A sample from one of the corpses. The acid quickly ate through the bodies turning them into a gooey mess.
"There's nothing we can do. The acid is fast acting."
He narrowed his eyes.
"They were prepared."
"I'll grab Shazam."
Wonder Woman informed them as the scene started crawling with more law enforcement agencies and reporters. The League might have been recognized by most but there were definitely outliers that chose to display their blatant dislike for them.
"Sometimes I hate Gotham." Superman uncharacteristically told Batman as both watched the bodies dissolve.
"It feels as if nothing good can come out of this place."
The hum of the Batwing arriving cut off anything Batman was going to say.
The Dark Knight had a lot of questions. And, he was only now realizing that maybe, just maybe, this was deeper than Jim Gordon's death, deeper than Davian Mabuz, deeper than the Batman's revenge of a fallen friend.
(Davian's P.O.V)
I'm floating. I don't know where or why but I'm floating. Body suspended in zero gravity. A heavy and light feeling pressing and pulling on my skin and flesh. The weight of my own Reiryoku like a thick blanket, smothering and incredibly warm. Too warm.
A pair of Turquoise eyes, appear before me. Bright and mischievous. Following the eyes, white teeth set in a too wide smile become visible. Slowly the face becomes visible. A cat, a really huge cat. Its gaze makes me feel like a mouse.
"Oh stop it. I'm not in the mood to chase and hunt right now...hahaha."
A deep voice rumbled out of the cat. I immediately wish I could get control of my body and just...escape this thing.
It rolls its head in a complete 360 degrees.
"I haven't introduced myself and you are already spooked? Nice, I must be doing something right then."
It states, disappearing into the nothingness of the darkness and appearing close to my left ear.
"So... you want to know me?"
It asks and I find myself nodding in response, despite the terror of the unknown before me.
"As you wish, you can call me... ch!;'*$+((-" #. "
It paused, the grin washing of its face as a disinterested look comes over it.
"I thought for sure this time would work."
It muses.
"Oh well," I felt an impact on every single inch of my body.
"Run along little mouse. You are not ready."
My eyes widened as I sprang awake. Looking around, I panicked a little upon seeing the different environment. I was no longer chained to the chair as Batman's prisoner. Then I asked myself why I was panicking over that. I was lying on a bed in a small generic room. It had a table and a wooden chair with a few clothes slung over it.
I brought my palms to cover my face in relief. I was out...I was free. Kinda...
What the fuck had happened? Then there was that dream...yeah you know what, let's just forget about the dream.
My body felt sore and ached all over. I removed the sheet covering me and found myself wrapped in bandages around my mid-section. Pressing a palm over the tender flesh made me wince in a little pain. I swung my legs off the bed with another sigh.
When I tried to stand on my feet, I was hit with a momentary feeling of vertigo, groaning before sitting back down on the bed.
No... I couldn't stay. Not without knowing where I was. All I wanted to do was go back inside the sheets and sleep for an eternity. Something forced me not to. I can't explain it, it could have been self-preservation or fear but I forced myself to stand up and wear the clothes.
A simple button down shirt and grey pants. Then a pair of sneakers completed the look. I looked at myself on the mirror in the small bathroom inside the room. Good enough, if you consider that I had basically not had a moment of peace since coming to this world. There was a light stubble on my chin and my hair was singed in places.
"Work with what you got Davian."
I slapped myself lightly, before turning on my heels. I still felt the urgent need to leave and go... somewhere. A sort of pull that I could not see, merely feel.
And so, I chose not to ignore it any longer, lest it got annoying. As I was walking out of the room, my legs tripped on something placed at the corner of the bed. I frowned, reaching down to grab... a... sword? The handle was matte black and the length from the cross guard to the tip of the sheathed weapon was about 3 feet long.
I grabbed the body of the sheath and pulled out the blade, whistling at the straight, double edged Longsword. There was also the matter of the familiarity, I could feel from the sword.
"I don't know where you came from but I'm not leaving you alone in here."
I muttered, instinctively placing the weapon behind my back.
Somehow it stayed there without falling off. I hoped I wouldn't need it to face whatever was outside the door. I pushed it open, expecting something crazy.
The hallway revealed on the other side was at first glance, almost too normal. The walls were covered with renaissance-era styled paintings, depicting nobles, knights, and battles. As I walked further down the hallway, I noticed the style of the paintings change, and they depicted life in the 1700s, then the 1800s, and finally the 1950s.
At the end of the hallway, I was met with a strange staircase, where going up meant going down, and going down meant going up. It was... uncomfortable for my eyes. Space seemed to warp and twist. This place was definitely not normal. I grabbed the handle of the longsword behind me and then stepped on the staircase.
The world stop spinning but I found myself walking upside down. After what felt like an eternity, I reached the top/bottom of the staircase and pushed open the massive wooden door in front of me. I wanted to get as far away from the strange staircase as I could.
To my surprise, I found myself inside a huge chamber outfitted with large suits of armor lining the walls. The suits all had the same color pallet and make. Weirdly enough, it felt as if something was watching me. The grip on the sword tightened. I wasted no time, crossing the distance to the end of the chamber, stopping in front of another door.
I then pushed it open.
This particular one was different. It swung open to reveal a massive library. One filled with books of all shapes and sizes. Books that were actually flying through the air, sorting themselves out on the shelves. My jaw almost dropped as I looked around, taking in the sheer size and beauty of the library.
It was massive, almost too massive. Opulent chandeliers hang overhead on a ceiling that shifted color to show voluminous grey clouds. The walls were laden with flashing symbols, glowing with power. Power that made my skin shiver. I won't lie, my hold on the handle of the longsword behind me was a vice grip.
This...none of this was what could be termed as normal
It was hard to believe what I was seeing. I has no idea where I was or how I got there. Suddenly, one of the flying books swooped down towards me, hovering in front of my face. I reached out to touch it, but it quickly darted away.
"It's like magic." I muttered.
"It is magic. Oh and seems like you're awake."
I felt a presence to my side and quickly turned to face whoever it was, unsheathing the sword and pointing it their way.
An older gentleman with gray hairs and a bright but mischievous smile looked at me. Next to him was a girl dressed in a purple leotard and a hood that covered most of her head. I blinked in realization. She was very familiar. I think I was staring at Raven.
"We have much to discuss, Davian Mabuz. You can call me Kent Nelson."
The man told me.
Kent Nelson? Wait... isn't that the identity of Doctor Fate?
(General P.O.V)
"I guess...I don't know what to feel. Everything happened so fast."
Raven looked up at the wizened face of Kent Nelson.
"A lot of people died."
The older man hummed.
"A lot of people die all the time. Why was this any different?"
He asked, taking a sip of his own cup of coffee.
Raven blinked.
"I... that's a bad outlook, isn't it?"
The older man laughed.
"My dear, live to be as old as I am and you understand the value of speaking what's on your mind."
He pointed at Raven's untouched cookies and milk.
"I used my dear Izza's recipe for the cookies. They're mint. Go on, try them."
Raven reluctantly obliged, biting on a cookie before closing her eyes and moaning at just how good it was. Then she flushed and looked away.
"You haven't answered my question. Why was this different?"
Kent pushed.
Raven took a sip of her milk.
"Because... because I wish I could have done more. I wish I could have stopped Manchester from Killing Boomerang. I hoped that I could protect them. Instead I ended up being useless."
The old man leaned back on his seat, shaking his head slightly.
"Oh dear...Raven. There is responsibility and there is arrogance. You are a child, granted, one with incredible power and an unfathomable potential, but still a child."
Raven's grip on the cup tightened as Kent continued.
"It is not your job to be responsible for every single person you come across. You, better than most know how draining that can be. You have been fighting a one sided battle with your father's crazy cult while also looking for a way to get your mother back. That's too much pressure on young shoulders, my dear. You cannot add more. You will break under the strain."
Raven sighed.
"I... I have this...terrible power for a reason. What does it mean if I can't use it to defeat my opponent?"
She looked up, establishing contact with Kent's eyes.
"Terrible it may be but it's how you chose to use it that defines you. The both of you should learn that."
Raven cocked her head to the side.
"The both of us?"
Kent smiled getting up.
"Your 'opponent' is up. I say we go meet our guest."
(Davian's P.O.V)
I finished munching on the cookies, pleasantly surprised at how good they were.
"These are actually really good."
I wiped the plate clean.
"Thanks."
I told the host of Nabu.
Feeling Raven's stare dig holes through my head, I turned to face her.
"Yes?"
"How can you calmly sit there and act as if nothing is wrong. After everything I've told you!"
I narrowed my eyes, not understanding why she was so worked up.
"Easy. That's the life I grew up on. Motherfuckers..."
Kent cleared his throat.
"Oh, sorry."
I apologized.
"What I meant to say was that people have tried to kill me many times before. This is not the first time nor the last. Waller will get what's coming to her. They all do in the end."
I shrugged.
Raven sucked in a breath.
"So what do you plan to do?"
The younger teen wondered.
"Go after her and kill her? Continue this cycle of death? As if that will bring back anything you've lost."
This girl... She was getting on my nerves.
"I only kill when it's necessary. And only those people who deserve it. I'm not a monster."
Our gazes crashed in midair.
"Hey now, everybody calm down."
Kent tried to kill the tension.
"Killing is wrong. You cannot justify it."
Raven stood up to leave. Gah!
"Are you always this stubborn?"
Raven looked over her shoulder.
"Only when I'm right."
I rolled my eyes at her self-righteous answer.
"Sorry Raven, but you're naive."
"And you're insufferable."
The door shut behind her and she was gone, leaving me alone with Kent. He was giving me a look.
"Fine. I'll apologize."
The old man nodded.
"Later when she has calmed down. She is similar to my late Izzah in that way. Both are firecrackers."
The two of us chuckled.
"Hey Mr. Nelson. Can I ask you for a favor?"
I finally worked up the courage. Recent events had shown me, simply having a bigger stick did not mean I knew how to use it. Raven was right about one thing; Waller would not give up. Not really. She sent the frigging Suicide Squad after me! That's some next level bullshit. Hell nah, I need power. The kind that would show her not to mess with me. Her and Batman. I had a bone to pick with that fucking bastard.
Kent straightened up in his seat. The lanterns on the wall cast a gloomy light on his visage.
"Go on."
"I need to know how to defend myself."
I leaned in.
"I'm used to guns or fists, but I realize that I'm playing on a different level."
"From what I heard, you can handle yourself pretty well."
He pointed out.
I shook my head at his comment.
"No, while I'm powerful in that form, it's not really me at the helm. I lose control and start destroying everything wantonly. I need to learn how to control it."
Kent hummed.
"And why do you think I can help you?"
"Oh come on." I gestured at our surroundings.
"The weird staircases, the flying books. You are a wizard."
"I have the ability to wield magic. I'm not a wizard."
He corrected.
"Sorry, I didn't know there was a difference."
He waved off my apology.
"Besides, magic and whatever you have at your disposal are two different things. Why are you certain I can teach you how to control your power?"
I couldn't disclose that I knew he was the most powerful Sorcerer on Earth now could I? I would die before I revealed my meta-knowledge. With the kinds of villains running around, my memories would basically fuck the world.
"Because I have no one else. I have no choice. Batman and the rest of the League think I killed Commissioner Gordon, I didn't. I have his soul stuck in this...space of being that is the source of my powers. The only way he's getting out is if I learn how to manipulate this energy."
As an example, I fell into my mantra of push and pull. My hand began glowing with purple energy, sparks of power flashing off my fingers.
"My word."
Kent leaned in, grabbing his walking stick and hovering the hand holding it above the roiling energy.
"So... pure. I have never sensed this kind of energy before."
He stiffened, eyes narrowing before he leaned back on his seat.
"That's a problem."
He scratched his chin, more serious than I'd seen him.
I cut off the Reiryoku.
"What is?"
Kent looked at me dead in the eyes.
"I don't know how to say this but... you reek of evil."
"Huh?"
(General P.O.V)
"We have been compromised."
Batman began, looking around at the gathered Leaguers.
The mood was somber. In part due to the new information disclosed by the Dark Knight. Inconsistencies that one might have ignored if it weren't for the frankly astonishing betrayal.
"The League begun as a way to save the world. 7 initial members. The founders. Then we inducted 7 more heroes. Or so we thought."
Batman concluded, clicking something on his wrist computer.
An image of a red colored android appeared above the table.
"This is Red Tornado. An android created by T.O. Morrow to infiltrate the Justice Society. He turned away from his original programming however and became a member, helping the Society save the world multiple times throughout the 70's 80's and 90's."
Green Arrow whistled.
"With a resume like that, let me be the first to vote yes on him joining the team."
But his mood turned solemn as he added,
"Especially with Barry's current condition."
His crest fallen look was shared by everyone present.
"The Flash is getting all the care he can from the Guardians. Green Lantern assured that he would be back in no time."
Superman said, trying to lift their spirits.
But Batman cut in.
"You misunderstood me, Arrow."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Green Arrow scratched his head in confusion.
"Red Tornado is not a candidate. Red Tornado is a Justice League member. Has been for the last year."
There was a brief silence as the news sunk in.
"How?!"
Hawkwoman and Zatara both wondered out loud.
"The same way I gave the go ahead on a mission to break out Davian Mabuz from a prison truck headed for Belle Reve. The same way the memories of the 5 deaths that occurred after the Royal Flush Gang hit the transport were erased from both the Flash and my mind. Mental Tampering. The Martian."
He growled.
"J'onn..."
Superman muttered.
"I still can't believe he would do something like that."
Wonder Woman said with a shake of her head.
"No one did."
Batman added.
"That's why I believe he wasn't the real Martian Manhunter. D.N.A analysis from Star Labs indicate that while the genetic blueprint is from a Martian...it wasn't a green Martian. The melanin is lighter."
"A white Martian."
Hawkman figured.
"Exactly."
Batman said, pulling up a black and white image of a white Martian, a humanoid alien with long limbs and white skin.
"We have always kept minimal contact with our neighbors. This picture is from the era of the Justice Society. There are different castes and factions on Mars. As is the case with a sapient civilization filled with a free thinking and diverse people, racism is prevalent and The White Martians have faced the blunt of it for centuries."
"God."
Zatara rubbed his forehead.
"Wait, so let me get this right, our Martian Manhunter, the real one, was replaced by an imposter. Then somehow that imposter managed to wipe away all of our memories about Red Tornado as well as cover any discrepancies by even wiping the database clean?"
Green Arrow incredulously asked.
"I mean, guys, let alone the skill you would need to tamper with the mind of the Flash, who quite literally thinks at the speed of light, how would you go on about erasing Red Tornado from the minds of the public?"
The question was reasonable enough, but it wasn't something that the Batman hadn't asked himself as well.
"Zatara?"
The Dark Knight prompted.
The resident magician sighed.
"It's not... entirely impossible with magic."
He cast a serious look their way.
"But that would require tapping into a force that is not of mortal origin."
"Could it be divine?"
Wonder Woman asked.
"Because if so...I know of a few parties who wouldn't mind throwing in their lot with whoever our enemy is."
Batman grunted.
"Diana, pursue that angle. I have a feeling you might be right."
She nodded.
"We now know of the problem." Captain Atom spoke up.
"What is the solution?"
The Dark Knight was silent for a few seconds, fingers stapled together. The situation was not...ideal. Batman did not know if he could trust himself or his teammates after the Flash debacle. He needed to make some plans just in case.
"We need to begin a search on our missing members, Red Tornado and the real J'onn J'onzz. Then, we need to flush out our enemy."
He explained.
"And how exactly do we do that?"
Black Canary wondered, the same as everyone else in the room.
"We give them want they want. We give them...Davian Mabuz."