APOKOLIPS
June 18, 13:13 UTC
The howls of a hundred thousand Hunger Dogs thundered across the Terrordrome. The broken remains of the last challenger were dragged from the arena, leaving a dark wet trail barely distinguishable from the rust red sand.
"Therrre you have it, folks!" an oily sonorous voice rolled across the arena. "Looks like Brola the Butcher just became Brola the Butchered! Just the latest to fall before your Champion - and mine - the Scourge of Apokolips, the son of Almighty Darkseid Himself… Kalibak the Crrruel!"
The aforementioned Kalibak stood at the very center of the arena, hulking and brutish, energy crackling about his hefty Beta-Club. He threw back his shaggy mane, unleashing a roar of triumph that was echoed by the cheering crowd.
Far above in his private booth, Lord Grayven watched the whole performance with undisguised disdain. He held up a silver goblet, signalling his mute, white-robed attendant to replenish the tawny liquid. "All these centuries and my elder brother hasn't changed a bit. But then nothing on Apokolips ever really changes, does it?"
"Apokolips is eternal, Lord Grayven," Granny Goodness cooed, reclining in a poofy acid-green gown.
"Calcified, stagnant," Grayven rasped. "Wallowing in its own degeneracy while its Lord locks himself away, tinkering with formulae and equations."
Granny winced visibly. If anyone else had dared voiced such brazen blasphemy in her presence, she would have opened their throat without a second thought. But it was not for her to judge the favored Son of Dread Darkseid.
Grayven smiled, relishing her obvious discomfort before turning back to the arena. "Ah, now the real show begins."
"Sixteen challengers and sixteen victories in a single day!" the unseen announcer drawled. "I wonder if our Champion is up for round seventeen, or perhaps he'd like to quit while he's ahead?"
Kalibak's lips peeled back in a tusked snarl. "I'll take on anyone or anything you can throw at me, you yapping jackal!"
"Don't say I didn't warn him, folks," the announcer crooned as a blast door on the far side of the arena slowly grinded open. "Intrrroducing our latest challenger, and newest addition to dear old Granny's fighting Furies… Despara the Despoiler!"
The ebon-clad Fury strode into the arena, wielding a sword of crimson fire. If the jeers and hisses of the baying crowd had any effect on Despara, no sign of it could be seen beneath her bone white skull-helm.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Kalibak beckoned her. "Impress me!"
Without a single word, Despara surged forward. Her burning blade flashed as she brought it down like some dread angel of war. Kalibak's Beta-Club managed to parry her first blow, which only made her second all the more furious. Sword and club clashed again and again, sending sparks flying in every direction, until a lucky hit from Kalibak sent Despara hurling into the heavy adamantine arena walls.
"Oooh, that must smarrrt!"
Far above, Grayven's thin lips drew back in displeasure.
"Is that it!?" Kalibak threw his arms wide, playing to the howling crowd. "This is supposed to be sport!"
Despara rose to her feet with ghostly silence. She split her energy sword into two smaller scimitars, charging full-speed across the arena.
"Looks like our little Fury wants to go out in a blaze of gory glory, folks! Well, who are we to deny her?" The announcer trilled with undisguised glee.
Kalibak roared as he charged forward to meet the challenger, Beta-Club held high.
"Die for Darkseid, brrrave soldier-girl!"
As the two combatants came within arm's reach, Kalibak swung his Beta-Club. The crackling bludgeon would have taken Despara's head clean off, had she not dived at the last moment, sliding past Kalibak's trunk-like legs and slicing through the behemoth's ankle tendons. Kalibak howled in agony as he tumbled face first into the red sand.
"What an upset!? But wait, folks… the show's not over yet."
Kalibak tried to drag himself towards his fallen Beta-Club, only to have the weapon cruelly kicked out of reach. The tip of Despara's flaming blade hovered mere inches from his throat. The triumphant Fury removed her skull-helm to reveal red-ruby eyes set in a grim ashy visage, dark-blond hair shorn close to the scalp.
"Yield, Kalibak," she spoke.
The baying of the Hunger Dogs filled the air, all loyalty to their former champion quickly forgotten.
"GUT HIM!"
"MAKE HIM BLEED!"
"STICK HIM LIKE A PIG!"
The crowd's howling rose like an oncoming wave; they demanded pain, they demanded blood, they demanded death.
"I said yield!" Despara demanded again.
"I'll die first!" Kalibak spat.
Nᴏ.
The Word was cold and eternal as the void. It rolled across the arena like thunder yet was soft as death. Though even Death himself would not have provoked such dread reverence in the thousands of baying Hunger Dogs who fell suddenly silent. Despara turned her head slowly, knowing she might be struck down at any moment, as was His right.
He stood atop a floating crimson energy platform high above the arena, eyes smouldering like the fire pits themselves in His visage of ageless granite. He was the Lord of Apokolips, the God of Gods, the one true Master of the Universe…
Darkseid.
Yᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴅɪᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ I sᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴇ, Kᴀʟɪʙᴀᴋ.
Despara prostrated herself on the blood-soaked sand, trying not to retch as the stale iron reek of past battles assaulted her. She silently prayed the Lord of All Things would forgive her the affront of gazing upon His Presence unbidden.
"Father…" Kalibak mewled, trying to stagger to his knees. "I… I will grow stronger. I will learn from this defeat, I promise you!"
Iɴᴅᴇᴇᴅ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴀᴛᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇs…
The Almighty's eyes suddenly blazed to life.
Iɴ ᴛʜᴇ Aɢᴏɴʏ Mᴀᴛʀɪx.
"WAIT, FATH-" Kalibak tried to plead before the Omega Beams struck, curving about him in defiance of all conventional physics.
Despara screwed her eyes shut against the burning light. By the time she worked up the courage to reopen them, the only evidence that Kalibak had ever existed was a black glassy smudge in the red sand. She kept her gaze firmly downward.
The Lord of Apokolips regarded the prostrate Fury silently for a moment. His energy platform carried Him back into the roiling ash clouds above, back to His dark heaven.
In his private booth, Grayven observed the entire melodrama wordlessly before rising from his throne. "Goodness, walk with me."
[-]
Despara stood by a wide window, her own reflection staring back. Shorn of her eight-foot-tall god-form and in the standard uniform of a Fury cadet, she was a significantly less imposing sight. Far below, thronging Hunger Dogs filed sluggishly from the Terrordrome into the grime-encrusted streets, back to their assignments in the war factories.
"There but for the Grace of Darkseid…"
"Granny?" Despara instantly snapped to attention at her mentor's voice. "I was just-"
"Wondering what might have been?" Granny Goodness chuckled, standing at her protégé's side. "To think had I not seen your potential and rescued you from the slums of Armagetto as a child, you might have grown up to be one of those nameless wretches."
"I'm grateful to you, and Great Darkseid. I just wish I could remember what my life was like before…"
"The attack? Your memories still haven't resurfaced then?"
Despara shook her head. It had been weeks since she awoke in the Orphanage under Granny's care, with no memory of her past life. An ambush by New Genesis backed insurrectionists, she'd been told. Despara had fought valiantly in her mentor's defence but had been struck from behind by one of the cowardly traitors.
"Don't waste time dwelling on the past, dearie," Granny soothed warmly. "Not when your future beckons."
"My Future?"
"Lord Grayven was quite impressed with your performance today. He wants you to lead a Fury squad on a very important off-world mission."
"Off-world?" Despara asked excitedly. "Where? New Genesis? Earth?"
"Patience, dearie," Granny chuckled. "Colonel Vundabar will brief you and your squad-mates in due course."
"Apologies, Granny. I've just never been off-world before." Despara gazed out over the smog choked skyline of Armagetto, dominated by the cyclopean presence of the Divine Palace. "I'd definitely remember that."
"Poor dearie, you must be exhausted. Why don't you head back to the barracks and rest?"
"Of course, Shadow Weaver."
Granny's lips pursed. "What was that, dearie?"
"I said 'of course, Granny'… Didn't I?"
"Of course, child." Granny smiled warmly. "Oh, and one more thing…"
"Yes, GraAAGHH!" Despara screamed as Goodness jabbed the end of her Mega-Rod into the young Fury's side, unleashing a charge of burning agony that reduced her to a sobbing heap.
"That was for hesitating to make a kill when you had the chance," Granny sneered.
"But he…" Despara wheezed, curled on the chill metal floor. "He was Darkseid's son?"
"Well, obviously Kalibak is an exception but it's the principle of the thing, child. We can't risk you developing any unseemly habits, can we now?" Granny turned to leave, pausing to shoot one last glance back over her shoulder. "I trust you can find your own way back to the barracks?"
Despara staggered to her feet, panting as she clutched her side. "Yuh... yes, Granny."
Goodness smiled benignly "That's my girl."
[-]
HOLLYWOOD
June 18, 20:28 PDT
"It's been over a week. What's the hold up?" Catra hissed into the 'burner' Whisper A'Daire had given her.
She set on the edge of the Outsider's rooftop helipad; the sparkling city spread out below, a haze of soft crimson still on the horizon. She'd never understand how people on this dumb rock thought having a giant radioactive fireball in the sky was normal.
"I've already passed your message onto my contact," replied A'Daire. "He'll get back to me in his own good time."
"Can't you make him hurry?" Catra hissed.
"We're talking 'bout an immortal cosmic being here, kid. He doesn't do 'hurry'."
"Well, he better learn before I take my deal somewhere else!" Catra hung up, slamming the fold-up phone shut.
Catra doubted the empty threat would worry A'Daire or her Apokoliptan contact much, but it was the only card she had left to play. Melog sauntered over, gently nuzzling Catra' hand. She ran her fingers thorough the fey's ethereal mane.
"Come on, Mel," sighed Catra wearily. "It's getting cold out."
[-]
Glimmer, Bow, Gar, Jill, Andie, Leslie and Tara set about the coffee table in the Hub's common room, laughing and chatting as they scarfed down fresh pizza.
"So, Glimmer, all the princesses on your planet have magic powers?" Jill asked, taking another slice.
"Mhmm," Glimmer mumbled, swallowing a mouthful of pie. "Isn't that how it works on Earth?"
"Not exactly." Tara shrugged, before scarfing down an entire slice in a single gulp.
Wingman was draped mournfully over Gar's lap. The little corgi whimpered despairingly as though in the throes of absolute starvation.
"You heard what the vet said last time, li'l bud," Gar said regretfully. "No more cheese."
Wingman's eyes glistened pleadingly, wide as twin pools.
"Gar, babe, be firm," Jill chided. "He's trying to emotionally blackmail you."
Gar winced. "It's kinda working tho."
Fortunately, Gar's dilemma was averted by Catra and Melog's entrance. Wingman immediately forgot the temptation of cheese-filled crust to dart across the common room and hop excitedly at Melog's feet, as he'd done every time he and the alien fey had crossed paths over the past two weeks.
Melog, like every other time, responded by gently tipping Wingman over with a single paw. The Corgi's upright legs waggled delightedly in the air, having the most fun ever.
Bow waved. "Hey Catra, you gotta try some of this 'peat-za'!"
Catra nose wrinkled at the greasy stench. "Pass. I'll be in the kitchen."
Glimmer and Bow exchanged worried glances. "Uh, sure. Let us know if you need anything."
"Whatever," Catra said without inflection. "Mel."
Melog reluctantly followed in Catra's wake, leaving behind a deeply disappointed Corgi.
"I'm gonna grab a soda," Leslie said. "BRB."
[-]
Catra laid a saucer of milk on the kitchen tiles for Melog before pouring herself a tall cold glass from the same carton. She sat several long minutes, silently nursing the cool beverage at the countertop, staring into space, locked in her own head.
"Mind if I join you?"
Catra glanced up at the Earth girl with the chalk-white skin and electric-blue hair. What was her name? Lexie? Lizzy? She shrugged. "It's your planet."
"Cool, cool." Electric girl grabbed a soda from the fridge before pulling up a stool. "You know, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. How about starting over?" She extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Leslie."
Catra ignored the proffered hand. "Noted."
"Okay, I see what you're doing," Leslie whispered, leaning in conspiratorially.
Catra grunted monosyllabically.
"The whole stone-cold bitch routine; been there, done that. Believe me, I get it. Keeps people from getting too close. Thing is, if you chase people off every time they try to reach out, eventually they stop trying."
Catra felt a headache coming on. She hadn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks. Why couldn't this idiot just take the hint and leave her alone?
"And don't worry about your girlfriend. Now that the Outsiders are on the case, you and Adorabelle'll be bumping uglies again in no time."
That's when Catra snapped.
[-]
Glimmer, Bow, Gar, Jill, Tara and Andie were abruptly startled by the sound of screams and the tang of ozone from the kitchen. Leslie stumbled backwards into the common room, a hand clutching the side of her face, blood seeping through her fingers. She held her free hand out defensively, electricity crackling from her fingertips.
Catra came roaring out of the kitchen, wild-eyed, claws stained red. "You wanna say that again, you mouthy little pervert!?"
"Les!?" Andie leaped between Catra and Leslie, arms spread to defend her girlfriend. "Get away from her!"
Catra would have pounced had Glimmer and Bow not restrained her as Tara and Gar dashed to tend to Leslie's wounds.
"CATRA!?" Glimmer cried. "What are you doing?!"
"It looks worse than it is," Tara said. The former assassin wasn't grateful to the League of Shadows for much, but at least they'd had the foresight to include basic field medicine in her training. "Jill, bring me the first aid kit. Andie, find Daniel."
"Right," Jill said, dashing into the kitchen.
Andie's eyes wavered between Leslie and her attacker. "But…"
"It's okay," Gar spoke confidently. "We got Les."
Andie nodded; her metahuman body dissolved into pale mist as she sped down the hall.
Once she was out of earshot, Gar's green eyes went hard as steel. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Leslie sputtered. "We were just talking, then this psycho-bitch jumped me!"
"You were just mouthing off about Adora, you mean!?" Catra snarled.
"Catra, please!" Glimmer pleaded. "We're all upset about Adora, but-"
"Are we!?" Catra shot Glimmer a look of pure venom. "'Cuz from where I'm standing, it looks like you two are too busy partying it up with your new Earth friends to even notice she's gone!"
"Maybe we should talk about this in private?" Bow said coolly.
"NO!" Catra snapped, rounding on the archer, her voice ragged. "I am sick of talking! I am sick of sharing my feelings, and I am sick of your stupid little friendship speeches!"
"Fine, 'cuz we're done talking," Gar locked eyes with Catra. "You. Pack. Now."
"Fine," Catra echoed, shrugging off the other two Etherians before storming down the hall.
[-]
Mere minutes later found Catra in her soon-to-be vacated room, furiously stuffing her meagre possessions into a duffle bag. Melog paced the floor, mewling imploringly.
"There's no point apologizing," Catra spat bitterly. "They're all useless anyway, even Glimmer and Bow. No, especially Glimmer and Bow! I'm better off on my own."
Melog leaped onto the bed, head shoving Catra away from the duffle bag.
"Quit it!"
Melog gave her another head shove.
"I SAID QUIT IT!" Catra snarled, fangs bared.
Melog jumped back, curling into themself fearfully.
Catra winced with shame. "Mel… I… I didn't mean-"
Her belt pouch buzzed as a text message came in from A'Daire. It was just two words:
Meet now.
[-]
APOKOLIPS
June 20, 01:01 UTC
Despara's side still twinged as she entered the spartan briefing room. Spotting Black Mary leaning sullenly against the back wall, Despara smiled hopefully.
"Hey, Mary!"
Mary shot her a look that clearly said 'keep moving'. Despara wished she could remember what she had done to get on the Earth Fury's bad side.
"Hey! Hey, Dez!" A younger Fury – barely fifteen standard years if that - beckoned from up front. Her platinum-blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a crimson crest emblazoned on her otherwise standard cadet uniform. "I saved you a seat!"
"Thanks, Kara," Despara gratefully took the proffered chair. "How'd the Grey Borders mission go?"
"Same old, same old. Escort duty barely counts as a real mission anyway," Kara chin-pointed over her shoulder. "The Princess of Darkness still giving you a hard time?"
"You know I can hear you, Zor-El?"
"You know I don't care, Bromfield!" Kara stuck her tongue out at the older girl.
Despara repressed a chuckle, bringing another twinge of pain to her side.
"You okay?" Kara asked. "Did something happen?"
"Nah, I'm good," Despara lied poorly. "Musta just pulled something in the arena."
"Oh, yeah!" Kara trilled, eagerly pouncing on the change of topic. "I heard you trashed Kalijerk! Did he cry? Please tell me he cried!"
Despara managed to stifle another snort without aching. She'd known Kara Zor-El less than a month but already the young Kryptonian had grafted herself onto her like a tag-along kid sister. It should have annoyed Despara - and honestly, Kara could be over-much at times - but she was one of the few people on all Apokolips who was generally friendly with her without any kind of ulterior motive.
That was weird wasn't it? Despara couldn't remember any of her friends from before the ambush. Did she even have friends before? She must have… right?
"Achtung!"
Colonel Virman Vundabar came marching into the briefing room, carrying a rolled-up map and ornate case. The mass of medals covering his blood bright uniform jangled harshly with each step.
"Guten morgen, cadets," Vundabar spoke with a tar-thick accent, adjusting his monocle. "In just of few short hours, you three will have the honor of embarking on a mission that will bring glory the Fatherworld. But first… the briefing!"
"Why does he talk like that?" Despara whispered.
"I heard he spent some time on Earth a century or two back," Kara replied low. "Went a little native; it happens."
"Hsst!" Vundabar shushed, glaring at the cadets. They immediately fell silent. "That's better."
He returned to unrolling his battle map upon a low table before producing dozens of tiny yet finely painted figures from his case. Using a ruler, he began painstakingly positioning each and every one. The three Furies' shoulders sagged despairingly; they were going to be here a while.
[-]
HOLLYWOOD
June 20, 17:05 PDT
Violet Harper, AKA Halo, stooped over the desk in the corner of their room. They'd taken advantage of the privacy to remove their hijab and were currently going over their itinerary for next weekend. Had they known volunteering to help organize the Justice League's part in the annual Metropolis Pride Parade would be so stressful, they might not have jumped at the chance so enthusiastically.
Tap-tap.
Violet glanced up to find Catra and Melog standing on the balcony in the afternoon sun. The young Earther rose, pulling back the glass door.
"Catra?"
"Hey, Rainbow. Can we talk?"
Violet grimaced uncomfortably. "You're not supposed to be here."
"I know, I know. I messed up bad… maybe too bad to come back from this time. But as pathetic as this sounds, you're probably the closest thing to a friend I have left on this dirtball."
Violet exhaled deeply before stepping aside. "Come on in."
Catra stalked across the room, leaving Melog to guard the balcony exit. "You alone?"
"Yes…? Daniel's at a shoot and the others are attending a ceremony in Central City to commemorate the first Kid Flash."
Catra locked the door. "Good."
[-]
"Yo, Vi!" Gar rapped his knuckles on the bedroom door. "We just got back from Central and I was gonna try my new tofu curry recipe out on Glimmer and Bow. You want in?"
Silence.
Gar waited a long tense moment before cautiously trying the door. "Violet?"
Locked.
He tried to reassure himself. They were probably just napping or had their headphones on or something. Still, he hadn't lasted this long in the hero biz without developing a healthy sense of paranoia.
Gar's form began to shift and shrink, a thin membrane of skin spread between long bony fingers as green fur sprouted about his tiny, compacted body. At almost two inches, the Spotted Bat's ears were the largest and most sensitive of any bat species in the Americas. In this form, Gar could hear a human heartbeat from across a football stadium.
He couldn't hear any in Violet's room.
[-]
HAPPYLAND, CALIFORNIA
June 20, 20:05 PDT
The setting sun cast a hellish aura about the dilapidated fairy-tale castle as it loomed over the abandoned theme park. Whisper A'Daire stood in the middle of the main street leading up to the faux-Gothic edifice. A sly smile crept up her lips as she spotted her 'guest' approach.
Catra stopped about fifty paces from Whisper, flanked by Melog, leading a bound and bruised Halo. The so-called 'hero's' hands were zip-tied behind their back, an inhibitor collar clamped around their neck. Their left eye was nearly swollen shut.
Whisper whistled low. "I'm impressed, kid. I didn't think you had it in you. If you're looking for a steady gig after this, Intergang can always use the extra muscle?"
"First thing's first," Catra answered.
"Fair enough," Whisper tapped her wrist-com. "They're here."
BOOOOOM!
A pale hunched figure emerged from the fiery Boom-Tube, cloaked in a hooded purple robe. Oily black hair clung to his pallid scalp like dead weeds. Behind him followed a second figure, bound and collared much like Halo.
Catra's heart skipped a beat. Adora was just as she remembered her, the same steel blue eyes, the same dark blond pony-tail and doofy hair-poof. She even wore the same red jacket she hadn't changed in years.
Whisper gestured to the hooded Apokoliptan. "Catra, Dessad. Desaad, Catra."
"Charmed, I'm sure," Desaad oozed, leering at the bound Halo. "And this must be the aberrant Motherbox that gave poor Granny such grief? I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to… examining it."
Catra stepped between Halo and the New God's predatory gaze. "Afteryou hand over Adora."
"Of course, of course" Desaad chortled wetly. "On three then, as the Earthlings say?"
"Fine," Catra replied curtly. "Three."
The two prisoners began their slow measured march, not even exchanging glances as they passed each other. Adora was barely five paces away when Catra finally broke, racing forward to embrace her. Whisper reached for her sidearm in response, only to be quietly stilled by Desaad.
"Adora… I… I thought I'd never see you again," Catra sobbed, holding Adora tight as though a stray gust might snatch her away again. "I missed you so much!"
"Awww, I missed you too…" Adora purred sardonically, dropping into a husky whisper. "Kitten."
[-]
APOKOLIPS
June 21, 03:05 UTC
"That should be everything on the manifest," Despara said, double-checking her data-pad as Kara carried a massive metal crate up the ship's embankment ramp.
"Still don't see why we can't just take a Boom-Tube?" Kara whinged. Her crate would normally take two Parademons to carry but the Kryptonian balanced it casually on one shoulder.
"Kara, we went over this at the briefing, remember?"
"Yeah… about that, Dez. I kinda, maybe zoned out half-way through."
Despara sighed; Darkseid give her strength. "Boom-Tubes are too conspicuous. Where we're going, it doesn't pay to attract attention." She tapped the hull of the ancient blocky spacecraft. "That's why we're taking this old troop transport."
"Low profile, got it," Kara said, now holding the crate one-handed. "Hey, do we have another one of these? I wanna try juggling them!"
Black Mary stood back with her arms folded, watching the other two Furies bantering between themselves. Maybe she should go over and…? No. She'd been down that road before. Best not get attached.
"Butterflies in your stomach, dear?"
"Granny?!" Mary blurted, turning to find Goodness looming over her.
"A mission from Lord Grayven himself is quite the honor," Granny cooed. "Not to mention an opportunity to make up for past… shortcomings."
Mary winced, remembering the debacle on the Godshead. "I'm ready to prove myself."
"I never doubted you." Granny took Mary aside, lowering her voice to a low whisper. "You realize of course, you'll be the only one on this mission who knows Despara's little secret?"
"Yes…?"
"I need you to keep a close eye on her. Watch for any sign her loyalty might be… wavering."
"And if it does?"
Granny smiled, giving Mary's shoulder a tight squeeze. "Then I trust you'll do the right thing, child."
Mary's eyes hardened. "I… I understand."
On the other side of the landing pad, Kara kept her ear cocked, her face pensive.
"Anything wrong?" Despara asked.
"Nah, all good," Kara lied.
[-]
HAPPYLAND, CALIFORNIA
June 20, 20:15 PDT
"YOU!?"
Catra slashed at 'Adora', who merely pirouetted out of reach. The imposter's form melted into shimmering darkness, reverting to their default form.
"Really, Kitten?" Double Trouble pouted. The shapeshifting mercenary clutched their reptilian tail in mock heartbreak. "It's been over a year and all I get is 'you'? Not 'How are you, Double Trouble' or 'You look amazing, DT'? I'm hurt, truly."
Catra ignored their taunts, reeling on Desaad. "Where's the real Adora!? We had a deal!"
"Oh, don't worry, mortal. You'll being seeing sweet Despara soon enough," Desaad said. "But first…"
The air surrounding Catra and Melog rippled as sixteen Intergang enforcers 'phased-in' out of nowhere, each wielding a deadly Apokoliptan weapon.
Deesad's lips peeled back in a ghoulish grin. "We are all going back to Apokolips… together."
"Like fuck we are!" Catra snarled, activating her stolen energy whip as Melog's mane flared bright crimson.
Desaad smirked lewdly. "Oh, I do so love it when they struggle."
"Then you'll love this!" a new voice cried from on high, before Desaad and Whisper were blinded by an exploding flashbang arrow.
Glimmer, Bow and Beast Boy came swooping out of the sky, riding atop a disc of magical violet light. Beast Boy leaped from the flying platform, morphing midair into a ravenous Martian Ma'alefa'ak as he landed among the shrieking Intergoons.
"Catra!?" Glimmer shouted angrily as she and Bow touched down. "What are you doing here?!"
"What am I doing here!?" Catra blurted. "What are you doing here?!"
"Beast Boy picked up your scent all over Halo's room," Bow nocked another arrow. "Then he had the Watchtower run a scan for unauthorized Boom-Tubes."
"Bow, don't let her change the subject!" Glimmer snapped.
"Sounds like my cue to exit. Ciao, kiddies!" Double Trouble bolted for it, barely making it ten paces before they were hit by Bow's expanding gel arrow. They shifted desperately from one form to another, only for the enveloping green goop to match them morph for morph before hardening. "Well, this is embarrassing."
"Desaad!" Whisper yelled, still blurry-eyed. "We need ta boom outta here!"
"Not without my prize!" Desaad lunged at the still bound Halo, only for his hands to pass right through the ghostly captive. 'Halo' disappeared in a flicker of green light.
"Wha… What!?"
Before Desaad had a chance to properly process what had happened, a yellow energy bolt came flying out of nowhere, sending the Apokoliptan hurling across Main Street.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting!" Halo streaked overhead, peppering the remaining goons with blasts of yellow energy as they went. "Didn't want to tip my hand."
Glimmer backhanded another goon with her glowing fist. "It was a hologram!?"
"Of course, it was a hologram! You didn't really think I'd trade Rainbow to Apokolips, did you?" Catra disarmed an attacker with her new energy whip, before reeling on Glimmer. "Wait… You totally did, didn't you!?"
"Well, what was I supposed to think?" Glimmer fumed. "You did almost destroy reality once!"
"Uggh, you always gotta play the 'almost destroyed reality' card," Catra groaned. "How many times do I have to say 'I'm sorry'?"
Halo paused overhead. "You almost destroyed reality?"
"I was in a bad place, okay!"
"Why didn't you just tell us you were planning a fake prisoner exchange!?" Glimmer demanded.
"Because I knew you would try to talk me out of it!" Catra yelled.
Bow fired a bolo-arrow. "Of course, we would have talked you out of it! It's insane!"
"Well at least, I'm doing something!" Catra snapped. "At least I-"
"At least you what, 'care'?!" Glimmer shot back. "Is that what you were going to say?! Do you really think you're the only one who's worried sick about Adora?!" The mage-queen's voice broke, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. "Do you really think you're the only one who's hurting?"
Catra tried to spit back a retort, but nothing came. All these weeks, she'd been so twisted up in her own grief and frustration, she'd barely thought about how Glimmer and Bow were coping. Had she even asked?
"Sparkles, I…"
BOOOOOM!
Catra spun to see Desaad limping toward a newly opened Boom-Tube.
"I'm sorry," she whispered softly before leaping into the fray, faster than her friends could follow.
"Catra, wait!" Glimmer cried desperately.
Catra tackled Desaad to the ground, sending his Fatherbox clattering across the asphalt. Before the Apokoliptan could clamber back to his feet, Catra snatched up the living computer and leaped into the blazing Boom-Tube.
"CATRA!?"
For a moment, Catra seemed to freeze in mid-leap, suspended within the Boom-Tube's infernal maw. But only for a moment; the vortex collapsed on itself, swallowing her whole.
Glimmer fell to her knees.
Halo clasped a hand to their face, silently praying.
By now, the last of Intergang's forces had been neutralized. Melog padded wordlessly to the spot where the Boom-Tube had vanished, pawing the air as though trying to tear aside some invisible curtain.
"She… she's gone?" Bow said breathlessly, kneeling to comfort Glimmer.
Melog's shimmering blue mane turned a dull grey as they raised a mournful wail to the pitiless stars.