Nobody panic, I have arrived with a new Chapter!
Isn't it amazing how fast two weeks can go? Not that I really mind though, I enjoy updating for you guys as it really makes me happy.
Also can you guys believe we're halfway done with season 2?
I won't spoil how many chapters we have left but do believe they're going to be enjoyable and lengthy for your reading pleasure. Like I said before though, the rest of Season 2 is going to raise the stakes on the whole story in general and when we get to season 3 you guys won't be ready.
In fact, without giving too much away, there will be some artwork toward the end of the chapter that will tease the next Paragon threat without giving anything away. The scene might seem a little weird to you guys but I promise in season 3 we will explore what it means.
So on with the chapter we go, as always I hope you guys enjoy and I'll see you at the end!
Chapter 16: Techno Takeover Part 3
-The Junkyard-
"Fang Doomed!" Being a survivor of war had made Garfield tough as nails when it came to confronting perilous situations. His past survival tactics however didn't prepare him for being trapped in a junkyard with his brainwashed teammate in a powerful almost indestructible armor.
"Friend, you have to run!" Although Lunar may have been stuck thanks to the virus, he could still force himself to warn Garfield about the threat that was before him now. No sooner than he let out the warning did Paragon Thrust launch himself forward with all four of his massive arms. Like a shooting rocket leaving its launchpad, Thrust threw his entire weight in Garfield's general direction.
"Dude!" Garfield's eyes were wide as saucers as Thrust's body came upon him. Although not the brightest tool in the drawer his senses kicked in at the last minute causing him to barrell roll out of the way to safety. "Lunar, little buddy I need some help!"
"I'm trying!" The Piparoid grunted as he fought against the stressors of the virus's programming. Although he tried to get away from his spot to assist his friend, he was forced to chew down on some nearby destroyed car remains
As if Garfield's situation couldn't get any more worse than it was now, Paragon Thrust soon got to a standing position before going for a golden cog in his belt. Loading the cog into the bracelet on one of his massive arms, Thrust was soon given his personal weapon of choice, a ball and chain.
The chain itself was sturdy, made of complete titanium that was perfectly cradled by Thrust's four massive arms. The ball of the weapon was large in size and much like his armor contained spikes as well as spinning saw blades.
Now with his weapon in hand, Thrust eagerly went to work. Holding the weapon sturdy he twirled it fancily in several directions before unleashing it all around the junkyard.
It's first target went through a bunch of old cars, in one fail swoop the vehicles were bashed and sliced into nothingness. From there Thrust got an evil idea as he set his sights on the sitting duck of a piparoid.
"Lunar!" Garfield wept as his eyes were trained upon the weapon.
"Friend no!" But it was too late. Unwilling to let his partner be damaged by the weapon, Garfield threw his body in front of him like a human shield. The changeling soon let out an echo of screams as the ball went into his backside. Although it was for only a few seconds, Garfield's body hunched over in agony as the spikes and blades easily pieced his skin as if it were paper.
By the time that Thrust retracted his weapon, Garfield slummed to the ground while his blood drenched through the back of his shirt.
"You big meanie, you'll pay for hurting my pal!" Lunar arched his back in a threatening manner. Although the virus still coursed throughout his system, the pipariod thought only for his friends safety. For a split nanosecond Lunar fought through the virus's programming before launching himself onto Thrust's armored arm.
"Lunar no!" Garfield called out. Having bit down on the armor Lunar now clung to Thrust like a vampire bat longing for substance.
"Garfield run, I can handle him!"
Lunar may have tried to help best he could, but even his tiny fangs could not bite off the paragon armor that protected Thrust. Soon seeing the annoyance that was on his arm, Thrust thrashed around violently with his ball in chains trying to get the piparoid off.
Garfield wanted nothing more than to tag team with Lunar to take Thrust down, but in his condition he stood no chance against the paragon. Wincing in pain while moving, Garfield soon heeded his partner's advice as he grabbed onto the dirt and dragged himself away further into the junkyard.
"Off Kitty!" Paragon Thrust ordered as he swatted the piparoid with one of his arms. He had only meant to get Lunar off of him, but due to his strength he mistakenly shot Lunar up in the sky and out of the junkyard. Thrust sweat dropped nervously as the tiger cub's body was soon launched into the unknown. Paragon Taurus was going to be extremely displeased with him when he learned that he had lost the piparoid.
"Lunar!" Garfield shouted from behind some debris as he watched his little buddy be hurdled away.
Despite losing Lunar, hearing Garfield's voice reminded Thrust that he still had one target left to capture. Resuming his assault the paragon started to swing his ball in chains once again, demolishing the junkyard with every step that he took. As Garfield hung close to the debris he kept his breathing still hoping that he wouldn't be caught by Thrust's rampage.
-Elsewhere-
-A Few Blocks Away-
A swirling portal of dark energy opens up among one of the streets of New Metropolis. Rushing out of the portal was Raven herself, determined to get to the Junkyard where her beloved Beastboy needed rescuing. Her attempts to save him would be halted however as the hooded stranger followed her outside the portal and held onto her arm.
"What are you doing?" She asked with an annoyed look.
"How exactly do you plan to confront Paragon Thrust and save Garfield?"
"I have powers and I know how to fight duh?"
"Your fighting prowess is ametur at best!" He quipped calmly, causing Raven to stare at him in annoyance. "In your haste you fail to realize how outmatched you will be." He stated.
"Stop sounding like a fortune cookie and tell me what that means!"
The canary cry, although powerful, will do no damage to the Paragon armor, and your magic must be saved if you are to keep Black Siren depowered in your mind."
As Raven attempted to protest against the hooded man's advice, he caught her off guard when he suddenly placed two firm fingers atop the diamond on her forehead. Through his hood Raven could see his eyes illuminating with power as his fingertips did the same. The sorceress brain soon lost control and receded into its memory core.
Raven, unsure of what was happening stood idly by as she gained images of a beautiful redheaded woman with pink eyes and a very bright smile. This woman was in several forms, transformed and untransformed, fighting against the forces of evil with a tiny wolf cub at her side. Although images of the woman were only for a few seconds, Raven stood in awe as she saw several scenes of her heroic antics in action.
By the time the hooded figure released his hold on Raven, she had seen all the memories she needed to see. Although he only messed with her mind, the titan felt the hairs on her neck stand up while her senses were burning with awakening. "What did you do to me?"
"If you are going to join Garfield in his fight you'll need the armor!" He explained calmly. "To such ends I have given you the memories of Jade!"
"Jade?"
"Jade was the original Paragon Black Siren and If I do say myself one of the best damn fighters I've ever known!" The Hooded Man added. "With those memories I gave you, you should have no problem remembering her battle style!"
"Great so now I have another person's memories inside my head." She replied sarcastically. "As long as it'll save Garfield I don't care what it does!"
"One more thing!" He said. "I advise you not to stay in the Black Siren armor too long. Until I can find a way to free the Piparoids and undo your brainwashing, being in that armor could be a risk to awaken your evil half."
Raven couldn't help but roll her eyes at his explanation. It was always something that would make her life more complicated than it needed to be.
"You may do as you like for now on, but do not forget our partnership or what I require from you young titan!"
"Believe me I won't forget!"
"See that you don't!"
-MetaHuman Detention Center-
All hell had broken loose at the MetaHuman Detention Center. Under DR Rhyme's villainous intentions, the inmates were now running the building and anybody in their way was targeted for extermination. Much like how her bestie Garfield, Ryan also found herself hot under the gun, literally. Cornered like a rat while the Inmate known as Hotstreak inched closer to her, with palms ablaze.
"What's the matter Ryan, don't tell me you're afraid of a little fire?"
Hotstreak took sadistic pleasure upon seeing the tiny little beads of sweat form upon Ryan's head. Taking the vantage shot, he unleashed a hellish wave of heat in the cornered girl's direction. Although outmatched and unable to escape Ryan stood her ground as the flames hit her like a runway freight truck.
The intensity of the fire blast forced her against the steel backing of the prison wall. Crashing to the ground hard, Ryan rolled her body from side to side while screaming in sheer agony. Parts of the Afro girl's legs and arms lay scorched with third degree burns while sections of her clothes, and hair were also singed leaving a trail of ashes all around her.
"That was only lightly crispy bitch, it's time for the real burn!" The flames in Hotstreak's hands grew wider as did his wicked smile as he prepared himself to put Ryan out of her misery.
"Leave her alone!" A voice called out from behind Hotstreak. The pyromaniac didn't have time to look behind him as suddenly he felt a swift shower of pain hit his back. Falling over toward the ground, the metahuman grimaced in pain before noticing Virgil's pal, Nia Nal standing behind him with a shovel in her hand.
"Nia?" Throughout the pants for air Ryan somehow managed to form a gratitude filled smile.
"Ryan, are you ok?" Nia inquired as she rushed to her side. "Here let me help you!"
Despite her short stature, Nia was able to help the wobbly Ryan to her feet. Although she may have been saved Ryan's skin stung with warm popping sensations as ports of blood trickled from her burned skin.
"Stupid tranny, I'll get you!" Hotstreak sneered. As retribution for what he did to her earlier, a pissed off Ryan found herself grabbing the shovel from Nia before swinging it directly into Hotstreaks face. The gangbanger felt the bones in his nose crumble to pieces as blood started to drip on the ground like a faucet. "You stupid bitch, you broke my nose!"
"That's for the outfit, and for burning my edges!" For the second time Ryan throttled Hotstreak with the shovel, this time knocking him out for good.
"Come on, we gotta save Virgil before Ebon gets to him!" Nia informed.
As if being burned by Hotstreak wasn't enough, Ryan couldn't help but look at the ghastly sights off the officers struggling against the freed inmates. As much as she wanted to help them the best she could, her condition made the situation already worse than it was. On Nia's urging, Ryan had little choice but to kneel onto her while they hobbled into the hallways. Lucky for them the prisoners didn't notice they were sneaking about. If only the rest of the journey could be that simple, then they might be able to find Virgil and formulate a plan before things got even further out of control.
-The Warden's Office-
"P-Please d-d-don't h-h-hurt m-m-me!" Inmate 515608 AKA Peyton Riley couldn't find more appropriate words to express her feelings in this situation. Having woken up still tied to the medical stretcher, the blonde woman's body shook heavily as she kept her eyes trained onto the large blaring lights that made her feel like she was being interrogated. "Please, -I-I d-d-didn't do anything w-wrong!"
"But my dear Peyton, I'm afraid you did!" DR Rhyme articulated to her as she stepped into her vision. The Psychologist had a creepy grin plastered on her face as she produced two unique photographs.
The first photograph was a well-suited man with a mustache and wavy hair. The second photograph was of the same man, only face down in a pool of his own blood while a sea of bullets also lay around him.
"J-J-Johnn-y-y!" Was all Peyton could make out in her fearful state as she refused to look at the photograph.
"That's right darling, Johnny Sabatino!" DR Rhyme replied. "Your beloved ex-husband, the same ex-husband that you shot down in cold blood a few years ago!"
"I didn't do that!" Peyton screamed out. Unsettled by the memories that came with seeing Johnny, she violently rocked back and forth in the stretcher to get free but to no avail. As DR Rhyme put the photographs closer to her face, a terrified Peyton could be seen breaking down in tears as she tried to forget the events that happened.
"Why did you do it, Peyton dear?"
"I didn't, they did!"
"Who?"
"The voices!" She contested. "Johnny was hurting me, and the voices kept shouting at me to do something. I tried to keep them away but I couldn't stop them, they were the ones that killed "Johnny!"
"What kind of voices are they Peyton!"
"They're just scary, please I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt him, please let me go!"
Retracting the pictures, DR Rhyme went over to the large duffle bag and pulled out a tape recorder while Peyton continued to wail uncontrollably. Clicking the button on the device, DR Rhyme kept it close to her face while continuing to rifle through the bag. "Patient has all the classic symptoms of multiple personality disorder combined with certain elements of schizophrenia. In my medical opinion MS Riley can be extremely useful to Black Mask's cause only if properly trained from a higher authority that mimics Johnny Sabatino's personality."
After a few minutes of going through the back, DR Rhyme successfully managed to find what she was looking for. Turning the tape recorder off, the demented offical walked forward while hiding the object behind her back.
Peyton was fearful as DR Rhyme walked toward her and undid the bindings on the medical stretcher, allowing her to be free once more. "Please dont hurt me?"
"Peyton my dear I'm a DR I'm here to help you!" DR Rhyme spoke with a faux motherly tone while brushing her hand softly against Peyton's blonde hair. "I know you didn't mean to kill Johnny, the voices made you do it!"
"They did!" She insisted.
"I also know that you just want somebody to love you and not hurt you anymore!" She said. "I think I have someone here who can take the pain away, make you really feel good about yourself!"
Presenting the heavy object behind her back, Peyton stared back at it with great confusion before turning her attention to DR Rhyme. "What is he?"
"A special friend, who's going to treat you like the queen you are!"
Although DR Rhyme's words were confusing to her, Peyton herself couldn't help but notice the object's black eyes and scarred features which were staring right back at her. The longer she seemed to stare at it, the more the numerous voices in her cranium began to subside, we'll all but one anyway. By the time that the single voice had triumphed over the others, Peyton grabbed the object and cradled it close to her while DR Rhyme looked back with an ever so satisfying smile.
-Star Labs-
The appearance of Brainiac's Skullship as well as his bottling of New Metropolis was more than enough to send the scientists at Star Labs into a heightened frenzy. Fearful that their establishment may have been next on his target list, the superior sounded the alarms. As echo's of a warning siren went off throughout the hallways, crowds and groups of people flooded the hallways looking for the exit.
This was all the distraction that Ryan Choi needed to get through the heavy security that was usually dominant at the front entrance. Like a salmon swimming upstream, the Ivy league student fought through the strong tide of people, making his way back to the old laboratory that he used for years.
Much to his excitement his old quarters were exactly how he left them this morning. Thinking of his friend's imminent danger, he scurried to one of his storage trunks and began to look throughout its contents. Like a kid selecting a certain toy for their pleasure, Ryan Choi surfed through the ordered objects that he worked with on a daily basis.
Scalpels, microscopes, vials of unknown chemicals, goggles, lab coats, everything was there neat and stored yet no sign of the one object that his mentor used for heroic duties.
"Looking for something MR Choi?"
Ryan chomped on his tongue in displasure as he slowly turned around toward the entrance. As much as he thought he was in the clear, his old boss Katherine lane leaned on the door frame while swinging the atoms belt in her hand. "Looking for this!"
"Ms lane I just came back for-."
"Whatever dribble you're going to spill, save it, I saw you on surveillance!" She confessed."Even though I've already called security, wanna tell me what your doing in my building?"
Ryan's timid nature kicked in, causing him to go silent when he asked the question. He didn't exactly know where to begin. Should he start where he got robbed by gang members, or perhaps he should spill that he wanted to save his friend from certain doom?
Whatever the case the amount of solutions weren't going to matter to MS Lane. She put profits above helping people and would never see to what he wanted.
To no end though, Ryan couldn't help but try the nice guy approach. "I need Ray's atom belt and protection suit please!"
"The protection suit has already been sent to the incinerator and no you're not getting the belt!"
Ryan sighed.
Ok so the nice guy routine wasn't going to work. Drastic measures were now in effect
"You called MS Lane!" A security guard called out as he and two more of his comrades came to MS Lane's side.
"Please escort MR Choi off the premises until the proper authorities can be contacted!"
As the guards spread out throughout the room to follow MS Lane's orders, a desperate Ryan grabbed the first thing he saw, an array of beaker chemicals. With these now in hands he held them over head in a threatening manner. "Stand back or I'll drop them!"
"What the hell are you doing Choi?"
"These are specialized chemicals I was creating for a nuclear energy project, If I drop these, it'll blow this entire place to kingdom come!"
"Woah hold it boys!" Although MS Lane wanted to ignore whatever stunt he was trying to pull, she couldn't take the risk. Over the years as Star Labs supervisor, MS Lane had seen her scientists pull off baffling feats with the tools at her disposal. Having not had the proper time to go through Ryan's laboratory she couldn't risk wavering away that those chemicals were harmless. "Don't do anything foolish Choi, put those down!"
"You're right MS Lane, you take it!" Unexpectedly Ryan Choi tossed the entire array of chemicals up into the air with carelessness. MS Lane found herself dropping the atomic belt and going for the chemicals, as did her guards. In a failure of epic proportions, they collided amongst one another while the chemicals crashed to the ground on top of them.
With MS Lane and the guards busy, Ryan crept to the door, grabbed the atom's belt and hauled ass down the hallways of Star Labs.
"You buffoons, get off me!" MS Lane bellowed as she struggled to get through the security guards atop of her. To make matters worse, a tidbit of the chemicals went into her mouth by mistake making her realize she had been duped. Turns out the chemicals themselves were homemade soda made by Ryan himself and not anything deadly to the building.
-The Junkyard-
"Come out!" If Paragon Thrust could probably string more than two words together at a time, he probably would have said something along the lines of 'Come out Moon Fang, there's no escape' or some other snappy villain banter that he learned from his teammates.
Despite this he didn't need to say anything at all. His hulking body alongside that armor and that mace weapon were enough to strike fear into even the strongest of men. Although he screwed up in his attempts to capture Lunar, Thrust knew he had this in the bag. Having destroyed most of the junkyard with his weapon, the amount of hiding places Garfield could have gone were decreasing with every passing minute.
Hiding inside a nearby barrel container, Garfield started to feel like a final girl in a horror movie as Deja vu suddenly hit him. First Sparrow, Black Siren and now Thrust, how many more times was he going to get caught in a situation like this? To make it even worse without Lunar he couldn't transform. All he could actually do this time was nestle the wounds in his neck and hope Thrust wouldn't find him.
"Come out!" Tired of the game of cat and mouse, an enraged Paragon Thrust started to swing his weapon throughout anything he could see. Due to Garfield's unfortunate luck, one of those things happened to be the barrel he was hiding in. With one hit from the ball and chain, Garfield was ejected face first into a pile of nuts and bolts. "Found you!"
"Get away from him, Wildebeest!" Raven's voice called out to him from across the junkyard.
Confused by what was happening Paragon Thrust tilted his head in confusion at her, while Garfield composed himself in time to see Raven standing before them.
"Black Siren?" Garfield inquired as his eyes displayed overwhelming question marks.
"Gar quick move!"
"Wait, is this some kind of trick I-!"
Despite Paragon Thrust being confronted by Raven, he ignored her before setting his sights back on Garfield. Gripping the chain tighter then he did before, he flung the weapon with the purpose of knocking Garfield out for good.
"Move Dip-shit!" Raven found herself swan diving at Garfield last second and pulling his skinny frame out of the way. Now protected against Thrust, Raven quickly escorted him to a secluded section of the Junkyard. "Stay here!"
"Wait, what's going on?" Garfield's mind failed to click as he couldn't understand why Black Siren was helping him.
"Watch and learn BB, I'll be with you in a second!"
Before Garfield could protest against Raven and the strangeness of the situation, she was out in the clearing of the Junkyard once again. An enraged Thrust howled with beastly ire as he stomped up and down in frustration. "Siren betray?"
All Raven could do was smirk in victory as she thought of how she took her evil counterpart down for good. With one less threat to deal with, it was now time to get back in the game. Being out of the war for so long, Raven knew this was the perfect time to make an entrance and warn Darkseid of what was to come.
"Hail Darkseid!" Although she had to shout out a phrase she hated, Raven complied. Proudly balling her first she crossed her arm in front of her chest with the gemstone on her bracelet facing outward.
Both Garfield and Paragon Thrust watched in awe as Raven was covered in unknown energy which soon cascaded changing her into her armor.
Raven was now equipped head to toe in sleek and flashy armor. The Black Siren armor was black in color with metallic pink oriental designed flowers that went all throughout it. The breastplate was modeled after an Egyptian warrior and had the imprint of a wolf design on it's face. The armor contained a skirt on it's lower half, and gauntlets that resembled wolf claws. At her feet were elegant gladiator sandals and her back was protected by a flowing heroic cape. The Helmet of the armor was modeled after an Indian wolf and like all paragons she had a belt containing her cogs for battle on her side.
"Woah!" A child-like gleam seemed to invite itself into Garfield's eye as he layed eyes upon the transformed Black Siren.
"Not bad, even if it is pink." She murmured.
"Smash Siren!" Paragon Thrust bellowed into the atmosphere as he whipped his ball and chain around at his newest adversary.
With the memories of Jade infused into her, Black Siren was ready for anything that was to be thrown at her. Shifting her weight against that of the armors, Black Siren easily dodged the ball and chain before it landed with a meteor-like crash. From there an opening presented itself allowing her to strike back.
Preparing a cog into her bracelet, Black Siren stood by while her weapon a choice a compound bow and arrow, formed itself directly in her hands.
From there it was open season on Paragon Thrust as Black Siren pulled back the leveling system on the bow. In a one fail swoop she began unleashing a hailstorm of laser focused arrows, each one resembling her armor's color.
Two for his knees, two directly into his chest, one against his head and one for each of his arms. On contact with Thrust's armor, the arrows explode like dynamite while the laser energy shocked itself through his system weakening him greatly.
"Awesome!" Garfield shouted as he cheered from the sidelines like a preppy schoolgirl.
"Too easy!" Black Siren laughed audibly as she ran at Thrust with her bow ready to strike him.
"Not over!" Was Thrust's response as he grabbed for another cog in his arsenal. Unlike most cogs that give the Paragon's some sort of weaponry, this one was not something that neither Garfield or Black Siren was prepared for. Upon inserting it into his bracelet, Thrust became surrounded by a foggy mist.
From there the mist swirled around his body in a counterclockwise direction, all the while Thrust's body mass and height were beginning to increase. Black Siren stopped her attack midway as her foe started to grow. The mist would keep swirling around him until Thrust had become several hundred feet high.
"Oh crap!" Garfield sweat dropped nervously.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Black Siren uttered fearfully. In her days as a titan, she had only seen this ability come from two people. One belonged to Atom Smasher, the other belonged to Giganta. Both meta-humans had the power to change their height at will making them fierce giants in battle. Having to deal with Giganta was bad enough but having to deal with a Paragon with the same ability would make things even worse.
"Siren die!" The newly grown Thrust bellowed with ire.
Black Siren stood to defend herself against the fiend, but was no match as he stomped a single foot shaking the entire junkyard as if an earthquake were happening. Losing her balance Black Siren fell on her backside while her weapon went flying elsewhere.
Black Siren was poised to get up but was stopped short as Paragon Thrust started to use his four muscle arms to pound her into submission.
"Nooo!" Garfield cried out.
One fist, then two and finally four. All four fists one after the other, bared there respective weights as they came down on Black Siren.
Inside the armor Raven felt like an ant being stomped by a child out in the grass. Her entire body seized up with bone breaking pain as the intensity from the punches was being inflicted upon her.
"Hang on, I'm coming!" Garfield cried out.
Noticing Black Siren's bow just a few inches away, Garfield fought through the pain in his back and scrambled to the ground to get it. Once squarely in his possession he fired off a single arrow which pierced itself right into his helmet. The arrow was more than enough to force him back, allowing Black Siren to scramble out of his way and make a break for Garfield.
"You alright!"
"Oh sure, a few broken bones but nothing a little rehab won't fix!"
"Sarcasm!" Garfield's face was star struck as he instantly started to recognize the change in Black Siren. "Rae, is that really you?"
"I hate it when you call me Rae!" Was the only thing she could mutter from underneath the armor before she went back out into the field to fight Paragon Thrust again. A shocked Garfield couldn't help but stay in place as he watched Raven go back to protect him.
-New Metropolis Detention Center-
"What the hell's going on out there?" A confused Virgil questioned as the piercing sound of the alarms suddenly woke him up. After his meeting with Ryan the inmate retreated to his cell to grab a quick nap before the rest of the day caught up with him. He wouldn't sleep long however as the noises from outdoors kept bothering him.
Getting to his feet and going up to the bars, Virgil was shocked to see inmates running about the hallways of the detention center while freshly killed security guards and staff were scattered about like children's toys.
"Virgil!" Nia called out to her friend. Much to his surprise, she came sneaking about through the shadows with Ryan to avoid the inmates the other way.
"Nia, what's going on?"
"Prison break, Ebon and his crew got their powers back!" She responded before pulling Virigl's cell wide open, much to his surprise.
"Whole place is going down, we better book it fast!"
"You can't!" Ryan said while trying to steady her standing. "The whole outside has been covered by an unbreakable forcefield!"
Virgil's expression soon turned hostile as he noticed Ryan for the very first time. "Why is she here?"
"She needs our help Virgil, Hotstreak burned her real bad!" Nia confessed before pointing to the untreated scorched marks that stained her perfect skin. "We need to get her to the medbay!"
"Forget it Nia!" He shot back. "MS Wilder here can worry about herself, we need to get to safety!"
"But Virgil, we can't just leave her to die!"
"Why not, she's just like all those other suits who wanna use us for our powers!"
"Yo Hawkins!"
Having been in the moment of arguing, the trio failed to notice they were being watched by Ebon, his brother Rubber and several other inmates that were just down the hall.
"Nia come on, we gotta move!"
But it was Rubber who made the first move to get the drop on him. Using his powers over elasticity he stretched his arms at a fast-moving pace until it wrapped itself around Nia. Virgil watched in horror as his friend was yanked from his side and brought before the mob of inmates who now restrained her.
"Virgil help!" She cried
"Nia!"
Ebon couldn't help but snicker as he looked upon the captive girl. "If you want your little sidekick back Hawkins, come and get her!"
Leading the charge Ebon and his cronies soon hightailed it down the hallway, leaving Virgil to give chase. Uncaring for her wellbeing, Ryan was once again left to her own vices. As the third-degree burns kept her from moving herself to safety, Ryan's vision became blurred before she passed out from the pain.
-New Metropolis Boardwalk-
Lunar was beside himself.
As if landing in the ocean on the other side of New Metropolis wasn't bad enough, the poor tiger cub now found himself completely isolated and alone on a wooden boardwalk.
Fortunately for him with no metal around the virus calmed down and allowed him to control his body once more. With a heavy stomach and tortoise pace the piparoid found himself only thinking of his pal Garfield as he tried to figure out a way back to the junkyard.
His actions while brave proved foolish as Thrust throttled him on his own, this left Garfield without a way to fight back. Even without the use of the Moon Fang armor, Lunar had to get a way back to him or find a way to contact Ryan, anything to stop Darkseid's villainous plans once again.
As Lunar soon reached the end of the boardwalk, he immediately stopped upon hearing the voice of many families. Peering down one of the streets, the piparoid could see the sights of a giant ferris wheel amongst dozens of other carnival rides.
Granted Lunar wanted to go to the carnival and have fun, the virus had other ideas. Retaking control over him once more, Lunar steered off with bared fangs, no doubt to consume everything at that place he saw in sight.
-New Metropolis Regency Hotel-
The sound structure of a wooden door was no match for a single kick from Catwoman's thin but muscled legs. The one quick attack was enough to throw the door off its hinges and allow her access inside the hotel suite that was before her.
Today was Selena's day off. She originally had planned to spend it at the local spa gorging herself to a much-needed massage and some wine. Due to Paragon Taurus hijacking of the Skullship however she was quickly returned to active league duty. Superman, Deadshot and many of her other teammates were unfortunately trapped in the force field bottles, leaving her to gather a squad to come up with a plan.
The only two available members were Mento & Rita who planned to spend a quiet afternoon at a luxury hotel. Upon contacting them however Selena was instead greeted by an unknown emergency broadcast system.
Unsure what could have happened to her comrades, it was Catwoman to the rescue as she made her way over to the building.
Now inside the honeymooner's suite, Catwoman crept across the floor as she looked for the lost couple.
"Mento, Rita, you guys here?"
"S-S-Selena!" She heard a weak voice call out to her. Looking from the corner of her eye, Catwoman could easily see Rita tossed aside in a nearby corner. The heroine was still in her night clothes, draped in the hotel comforter while her face lay bludgeoned with a black eye and several bruises.
"Oh my God Rita!" Catwoman exclaimed before rushing to her side to render aid. She was barely conscious and the marks on her face were fresh with affliction. "Rita, who did this to you?"
Before Rita could answer her, an echo of giggles suddenly erupted from further in the room. Catwoman found herself jumping to her feet and going for her whip before a figure emerged to greet her. "You!"
"You were expecting maybe Batman?" Dressed to kill in the new outfit that Black Siren gave her, Paragon Vipress faced Catwoman while carrying the unconscious Mento by the scruff of his shirt.
"Jinx?"
"No Jinx, just Paragon Vipress kitty cat!"
"What did you do to Rita?"
"Nothing!" She admitted with a smile. "Her dear husband was beating the hell outta her, had I not arrived she surely would be dead!"
"What are you doing with Mento then?"
"Since Superman and the other heroes are trapped, I decide to seek out someone who can help me." Vipress began. "Unfortunately for me, Mento doesn't have what I need so it's useless!" Dropping Mento to the ground, Catwoman backed away as she noticed Vipress's fingertips were glowing with a strange color.
"It's a good thing you showed up Catwoman, now I can get exactly what I need!"
"Dream on freak!" Catwoman hissed before snapping her whip at her. Paragon Vipress was faster however and avoided the weapon on the first try. From there she ran up to Catwoman and placed her hand directly on the woman's head.
Catwoman screamed out with surprise as her mind went blank for a couple of seconds, all the while a strange energy was soon transformed from her forehead and into Vipresses hand. Whatever she had accomplished the process took only a few seconds, after that the paragon backed away and headed for the door.
"What the hell did you just do to me?"
"It's not what I did to you but rather took from you!" Vipress explained. "Well until next time losers, give the Highfather my regards!"
Catwoman contemplated giving chase against the Paragon but ultimately thought against it as Rita tugged on her arm and pointed to the knocked out Mento. Unsure of what Vipress was up to, Selena had no choice but to let it pass for now and give her comrades some medical attention.
-Junkyard-
"Come on Rae, you've got this!" Finally content with letting himself heal from the earlier attack, Garfield retook his hiding position and watched the battle unfold. The effects of Paragon Thrusts enlargement cog had finally worn off returning him to his normal size. With this new development, Black Siren went back into battle using every ounce of her arsenal to overcome him.
While Paragon Thrust resorted to a Donkey Kong style of attacking with a couple of cars that he found, Black Siren stood her ground with her bow blasting every projectile that was thrown at her. "Doesn't this guy ever give up?"
"Crush Siren!" He kept repeating with a dominant pounding on his chest.
With a nanosecond of freedom under her belt, Black Siren went for another cog to change the tide of this battle. Her archery weapon soon vaporized into pure energy, while another one took it's place. This time the cog had summoned a heavy shield that resembled the head of a rose.
"Flower?" Paragon Thrust questioned in confusion as he laid eyes upon it's design.
Inside her helmet Raven was smirking more than she had ever done in her real life. It may have looked like just an ordinary flower to him, but it did so much more than he would ever know.
Digging her boots deep into the dirt, Black Siren prepared herself with a stance while her cape started to flow wildly even though there was no wind present. As the rose shield started to glow, a flash of light blinded the area for a mere second.
The moment the light subsided, Paragon Thrust watched in awe as the entire junkyard was covered in a storm of black rose petals. Thousand upon millions of rose petals covered all as the eye could see, but there was no sign of Black Siren.
"Cheap Trick!" Thrust bellowed while swatting his way through the storm of petals.
"I'm right here loser!" Black Siren shouted as she appeared from seemingly out of thin air. With Paragon Thrust distracted by the rose petals, she used her shield like a blunt object and struck him square in his helmet.
Upon realizing that he had been attacked Thrust tried to grab Black Siren in order to subdue her. The female Paragon merely laughed as her entire body disappeared within the rose petals.
The confused Thrust became victim to her assault once again as she reappeared and struck him with the shield. From there she continued a cycle of vanishing and rematerializing, striking Thrust over his body multiple times.
Despite his superior strength and endurance for combat, Thrust was not fast to defend himself, combine that with the rose petals blocking his view he was completely handicap. Black Siren herself would continue with this all out strike fest until parts of Thrust's armor started to spark from the damage.
"Finish him off Rae!"
But Black Siren would never get a chance to lay any more blows upon him. Unexpectedly Paragon Thrust jumped from out of the Junkyard and back onto the streets of New Metropolis. Now away from Black Siren, the Paragon de-transformed, turning himself back into plain old Wildebeest. Now out of harm's way the Paragon cried with displeasure as he started to retreat back toward the direction of Brainiac's Skullship.
"Huh, that's a surprise, usually they fight to the very end!" Black Siren commented.
"You did it Rae!" Garfield cheered as he emerged from his hiding spot.
"I'm surprised myself!" She added. From there Black Siren also de-transformed making the rose petal storm, her weaponry and her paragon armor go back into the bracelet.
A moment of silence seemed to wash over Garfield and Raven as they finally got a chance to oogle over one another.
After five years of torment, they were finally reunited.
No enemies, no interruptions, no distractions, just them.
"Raven." No longer a dream, no longer a fantasy. After all his praying, bargaining and searching, she was finally back with him. Her pale skin, her long hair, her piercing amethyst eyes, everything that he loved so much about her was standing in front of him.
"Gar." Even Raven couldn't hold her usual icy personality. With all the obstacles finally cleared out of her way, she could finally touch the person whose face kept her strong throughout all those hard times.
Two Lovers
One Dream
To overcome the odds and be with one another once again.
Garfield could feel his green skin turning scarlet as a smile danced upon his fresh young face. All the while Raven's face had contorted into a worried expression, combined with a single tear that eagerly ran down her cheek.
They could feel one another's heartbeats booming with each passing second as they inched closer and closer to one another. Garfield softly brought Raven closer to his face, as he found himself mesmerized by her timeless beauty. All his worries about everything seemed to melt away into nothingness as he thought about the future they would build.
From that single tear erupted a stream of water works as Raven allowed herself to be vulnerable for once. Holding one another close, the two lovers locked lips forming a kiss that even Romeo and Juliet would be jealous of.
As they parted from the kiss, they held each other for a few moments allowing the tenderness to finally sneak in.
Even Darkseid couldn't keep them apart
After all these years Garfield & Raven were finally united.
-Skullship-
"Thrust you empty headed numbskull, get back there and finish the mission!" Paragon Taurus flexed his anger at the situation by slamming both his fists on the Skullship control panel. Even though he was screaming into the monitor like a spoiled brat, Thrust couldn't hear an echo of what he was saying.
The visual image of Garfield embracing Black Siren or rather Raven, confirmed what he had suspected. The real Black Siren had been mentally subdued by Raven.
This stunning revelation poured itself into Taurus's mindset as he nervously started to chew on his fingernails. Having Moon Fang against him was one problem, but now he had a second Paragon to deal with. That would surely cause problems for him and his master plan for trying to deliver New Metropolis to Darkseid.
"What am I gonna do?" He murmured to himself before pacing the floor. There had to be some way he could deal with both Moon Fang and Black Siren before they found a way to wreck his plans.
The Paragon soon found himself going back toward the control panel to shift through the ship's weaponry, perhaps something there could aid him in preserving his mission.
Taurus's hopes were instantly dashed as the computer refused to accept his commands. Colliding his fingertips with the keyboard and controls, the entire Skullship sat dullessly without responding to his command.
"What's wrong with the computer?" Paragon Thrust murmured to himself once more as the machinery didn't respond. Much to his shock the control panel soon took an eerie reddish glow before the monitors began displaying an endless set of unknown functions and commands. "What's going on?"
"System revitalization activated, initiating Skullship reprogramming!" The computer system announced.
"Reprogramming?"
"Victor Stone. The pinnacle of human evolution, now an advanced creature known as Paragon Taurus!" The computer responded. "Your quest for my weaponry has reignited my lost consciousness!"
As the robotic voice became more clear, Paragon Taurus's heart dropped outta his body as he started to recognize what was happening around him. In his foolish attempts to take down Moon Fang, he didn't foresee the programming of the Skullship, a program that would bring back the ships original creator.
Before Taurus even had a chance to flee, robotic tentacles latched onto his limbs from up above in the ceiling. Once fully surrounded, the tentacles suspended him in the air and kept him from fighting back. As if Paragon Taurus couldn't be more fearful for his existence, his skin went white as a ghost as a tri symbol appeared on the Skullship's monitor.
"You are defeated! Any unique information that dwells within you will be digitized. Your physical form will be deleted, such is the ultimate fate of this world. This is the will of Brainiac!"
End of Chapter 16:
We shall stop here for now!
Brainiac is reborn! *Suspenseful music*
I'm so happy that I finally got that twist in as it really complicates not only Paragon Taurus's plans but also will mess with Garfield in the upcoming chapters.
I'm also so happy to see Raven & Garfield reunited once again, originally I had a different way I was going to get them together but this just made more sense in the long run.
I hope you guys enjoyed that lovely tease of Paragon Vipress. What is she up to? I can't tell you yet but she will be the main antagonist of Season 3 when we get there.
Once again special shoutout to my friend Bia for that amazing artwork. Love you Bia and thank you for making my story come to life!
Somewhere down the line too guys she will be making full length sketches of the Paragon armors, weaponry etc, so that's something to look forward to as well.
So Chapter 17 guys will be in two weeks or more as normal. To be fair it already is typed up and ready to go but I want to hold out for more reviews because It's been a while since I heard from some of you guys.
Did you enjoy the chapter?
Is there anything you want to see in the future/special requests?
I want to hold out for at least two comments if I can, if not I'll still continue to post. Remember guys your feedback is important to me and it helps with my writer's block.
Until then, I wish you guys a happy week and safe travels out there in this crazy world.
Arigato!
Z!
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