The world below the waves was brighter, more colorful place than most surface dwellers realized. Coral of a hundred different colors held and housed many different species of crustaceans, octopods, and other aquatic wildlife that rivaled any forest on earth. The current moved like wind, making the seaweed and the particles on the ocean floor dance like leaves on trees.
The Manta Ray swifted along like a vile and ominous shadow through the coral forest, disregarding its beauties and dangers. Typically Black Manta did not navigate his vessel through such dangerous underwater terrain, but the Atlanteans had never experienced an attack from the coral forest and only Black Manta had the skills to safely steer them through. The Manta Ray slowed as they finally reached the edge of the coral maze and as they cleared the dense seaweed the resplendent city of Atlantis stood before them in all its oceanic glory.
The city stood proudly at the bottom of the sea, its ancient architecture mingling perfectly with the underwater world. The domes of magic and tech all pulsed with bright blue light that would have seemed inviting had the soldiers riding on large seahorses and underwater military crafts not patrolled the outskirts of the massive aquatic city.
Schools of bright, iridescent fish swam across the Manta Ray's scalloped prow, oblivious, like everything else near Atlantis, to the ship's presence. The ship was cloaked from heat, magic, sonar, radar, and visible detection making them purely invisible to their enemies and since they had come from the coral forest there were fewer patrols nearby that might physically bump into the hidden ship.
Standing stoically on the Manta Ray's bridge, heroes and villains stared out of the large, disc-like windows, assessing the look and protection of the city. A grimness hung about the desperate alliance as they realized that penetrating the city would be far harder than they realized. Perfection had not turned out all of the massive Atlantean armies to the surface world, there were still thousands of soldiers protecting the city. Atlantis was on high alert and surely all their defenders would be as well.
"Nightwing, has Perfection been spotted on the surface?" Lex asked as he stared at the city thoughtfully.
From a screen to the group's right, Nightwing shook his head. "Nothing. Only the Atlantean forces, most of them currently trying to protect the west coast."
"We're in luck, then." Lex smiled grimly. "If she's not up there then she's down here."
The arch-criminal was decked out in his own battle-suit, a huge creation colored green and purple and equipped with the best technologies human and alien mind could create. He had anti-grav boots, propulsion systems, missiles, cloaking, and hundreds of other gadgets at his beck and call, ready to take on the Atlantean host.
The rest of the team were dressed in covert dark wear or diving suits provided to them by Black Manta. They too had a form of camouflage and cloaking which would be instrumental in helping them get to their destination. M'gann was cloaking their minds, but they needed all stealth to get as close to Perfection as possible.
Conner looked slightly towards M'gann who stood at his left. She stood in her Miss Martian form, her gaze staring out at the city. While her eyes were fixed to the city Conner could tell it was an absent thing, her mind was elsewhere, fighting another battle. For remainder of the trip to Atlantis they only focused on recuperating and, on more than one occasion, making love, making up for so much lost time. They hadn't talked about the future, both of them noticeably avoiding the topic. If the sight of the Atlantean city was anything to go on it seemed very doubtful they'd make it out alive.
"I wanted to take your family markings," Conner said suddenly.
The words caught M'gann off-guard. She blinked, coming out of her reverie and looked at him in surprise. "You did?"
He nodded. The ghost of a smile sketched his mouth. He had wanted to, but it looked like now he never would, and yet he still needed her to know. It would have been his honor to take them, to show that he was her husband in the way Martians did.
"I was going to change my last name to yours," she admitted. It looked like she wanted to say more, a whole lot more, but she didn't. They were all the wants and desires of the future - a future which would never happen if they lost this fight. It would be a fight which, if the last two altercations were anything to go on, not be in in their favor.
"It's time," Black Manta said suddenly as he fitted on his helm.
The heroes and villains all silently nodded. The visor to Lex's battle-suit suctioned shut and began to circulate air through the system as the rest of the team made the last-minute adjustments for the battle of their lives.
"Before I go, you'll need this," Zatanna approached and lifted her hands, one pointed at Conner, the other at Icicle Jr. "eviG meht sllig."
The Boy of Steel's breath hitched as the magic rippled through his body and changed him. His throat twitched and felt tender and when he lifted a hand to his neck the queer feeling of gills danced beneath his fingertips.
"Woah," Junior gasp, grabbing at his neck the same way Conner had. "Neat."
Zatanna smiled though it was a nervous thing. "There. That at least will keep you from drowning. It should last a full day."
"And we've got two rebreathers apiece, just in case," Conner confirmed.
For a moment the hero team looked at one another, sensing the time had come. They were all well aware this might be the last time they saw each other, but they didn't back down, they wouldn't.
"Good luck on the Watchtower," Conner finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.
Nightwing nodded from the screen. "And good luck in Atlantis."
Black Manta strode towards Zatanna and Red X, joining them on a chalk-lined pentagram Zatanna had outlined on the Manta Ray's bridge. The criminal turned to Kaldur, giving him a terse nod. "Fight well my son." He struck a fist against his heart in salute. "If we should not meet on this side of life again, know I died proud of you. Show no mercy."
Kaldur returned the salute, his fist snapping to his heart. "Fight well, father. Do not hold back against the Atlantean scum."
"And… and watch yourself out there, X," Junior blurted suddenly.
Red X's helmed head tilted slightly to the right, surprised that he had said something directed at her. "You too, Junior," the synthesized voice replied softly. "You too."
Zatanna once more outstretched her hands and began to chant her backwards spell. The pentagram glowed from white to gold and there was a flash of light as they disappeared to the surface world to meet with Nightwing.
The plan for team Beta was disturbingly simple: get to the Watchtower and unfreeze the spell. The former Boy Wonder had managed to get one last zeta tube online and from the zeta tube they would fight their way to the meeting room, hold off the Atlanteans and free the heroes. It was going to be easier said than done, of that they were all sure, but the mission was clear.
As Zatanna, Red X, and Black Manta vanished, Kaldur strode to the controls of the ship and guided the Manta Ray closer to the city. Having been raised in Atlantis, he knew the most inconspicuous route into the city and while they had the advantage in stealth, the attack on Atlantis would be less than straight-forward. Once they slipped into the city they had to remain undetected and find their way to the palace. If they made it to the palace they would need to somehow get to the magical font in the palace and hope that Black Manta's guess on how Perfection was controlling the Atlantean's was correct. If all went correctly Perfection would have to join the assault and from there the battle of life and death would begin.
"This is as far as the Manta Ray can take us," Kaldur announced as he stalled the ship at the outskirts of the city. "It will be too large to maneuver through the streets."
"Let's get swimming, then," Conner replied strongly, heading for the Manta Ray's loading bay.
The huge boots of Lex's battle-suit clanked heavily against the metal floor as he strode behind Conner. He grabbed his shoulder, stopping the Boy of Steel and turning him around to face him. "Before we go you should take these." Lex opened the L symbol on his suit and handed the Boy of Steel a slim black box that he recognized all too well.
"No Shields," Conner growled.
"You are a fool not to use them," Lex replied cooly. "We don't have Superman so you're the next best thing."
Conner shook his head firmly. "It won't matter."
"If it doesn't matter then use them," Lex insisted, holding them out further.
Though Conner hated to admit it, Luthor had a point. Though the effects were temporary it would be able to give him that extra edge, and it was obvious they would need all the help they could get. Hating himself, Conner scowled at the box but snatched it angrily from Luthor's metal hand. "Fine," he spat, sticking the slim packet into a pocket on the black diving suit he wore.
He looked towards M'gann but she looked just as conflicted as he was.
Neither said anything about them as they entered the loading bay. A grim resignation had fallen over them. It really didn't matter if they weren't going to make it out alive.
Kaldur keyed open the security door and icy water began to flood the loading bay. M'gann morphed gills and a mermaid tail and once the loading bay was full the quintet swam down to the city below.
Save for Icicle Jr. and Lex, the rest of the team had been down to the city plenty of times. Every time they had been there the city had been bright and inviting and busy but now the streets of Atlantis were empty of civilians. Where typically the Atlanteans would be enjoying the luxuries of their technologically advanced city, it looked more like a strained night in Gotham. Homes were dark and doors were shut as people cowered inside.
Marshall law and terror reigned within the ancient city, keeping the streets deserted of everyone save soldiers, and there were a lot of those.
Atlantean troops on seahorses and scuba-swimmer patrolled the avenues and promenades, blasters at the ready to kill without question. It looked like there had already been some battles beforehand for blaster fire scored the buildings and streets. If the citizens had decided to rise up Perfection had succinctly and quickly put it down.
Like drowned ghosts Kaldur, Lex, Superboy, M'gann, and Icicle Jr. swam through the city. They lingered in shadow, hiding away from the search-lights and patrols and scurrying in the dark. The diving suits, cloaking tech, and M'gann's ability to go invisible aided greatly as they slunk through the city towards the palace, but even though they were making good progress something seemed amiss.
"There are too few sorcerers with the patrols," Kaldur commented grimly. "I believe it proves my father's assumptions correct."
"Lucky for us, then," Lex replied.
Kaldur shook his head. "Only for now. What awaits us in the palace with be a different matter."
"Can you do what needs to be done if we get there?" Conner asked with a furrowed brow.
"I can, if we make it." Even as he said the words a bright hot search light struck them.
"Intruders!" a man bearing a stylized Atlantean helm cried. At first they didn't recognize him but as their eyes adjusted to the bright lights bearing down on them they realized it was the once imprisoned Orm the First, half-brother of Aquaman. "I knew there would be vermin scuttling about. Kill them!"
"Scatter!" Kaldur roared over the link as they leapt away. "Orm is a canny foe, we will make it easier for him if we are together. There is a statue of Aquaman at the north eastern pavilion, do you see the tall crystal spire to our right?"
The team looked in the given direction as they swam, seeing the blue spire piercing the night. "There is a hidden way into the palace from there. It was installed after Orm tried to overtake Atlantis and took Aquaman's son as a hostage. I doubt our pursuers know it. Make your way to that location, I know of another way inside."
"We don't know our way around," M'gann replied, barely dodging a red-hot blaster fire.
"I doubt it matters now. Perfection is sure to know we are here," Kaldur pointed out. "But I will need a distraction, even so. I must work the magic in a trance."
The truth of his words was glaringly obvious. Their cover was blown and she would be linked to Orm probably in the way M'gann had linked them. Somewhere Perfection would be waiting for them.
"We'll buy you time them," Conner promised. "As much as we possibly can."
The rest of the promise went unsaid. They were going to buy that time with their lives.
"Hopefully your sorceress friend is having better luck up there than we are down here," Lex deadpanned.
A huge cannon of blaster fire suddenly erupted in their group, throwing the heroes and villains in all directions. They barely paused to pick themselves up as they took off through the Atlantean alleys, Lex and M'gann veering off to the left while Icicle Jr. and Superboy tacked to the right and Kaldur just seemed to disappear into thin air.
0000
"I hope they're having a better time down there than we are up here!" Nightwing yelled as he slammed the butt of an escrima stick into an Atlantean soldiers face. The man yelped as his nose was crushed and crumpled into a heap at Nightwing's feet.
The former Boy Wonder barely had time to leap away from the fallen soldier as another wave of blaster fire was leveled at him. The Atlantean royal guard was good. Very good.
"Do not focus on your friends. They will do what needs doing." Black Manta growled as he clanked his katanas together in an X formation, blocking Aquaman's trident from stabbing him in the chest. He kicked the king of Atlantis in the stomach and spun away, dodging a bolt of magic from Mera as he did so. He had his own magic wards stolen from Atlantis so her magic was less effective on him, making him more dangerous than most of the heroes in the room.
There was no one on the team who could have handled both the King and Queen of Atlantis and no one else relished the challenge like Black Manta did.
"Speaking of friends, how we doing there, Z?" Nightwing shouted. He dared a look over his shoulder and saw Zatanna hovering cross-legged in the air. Her brow was furrowed in concentration. "Almost… I think. Yes. I can untangle it. I can!"
"But you won't!" Klarion sing-songed ominously.
In a bright red blaze Klarion appeared, standing over the crystal ankh. Around his neck was his familiar, Teekl, the cat purring with delicious satisfaction. "After that dummy Vandal Savage stopped me from having my fun I decided I wouldn't miss out again," Klarion giggled impishly.
"Klarion! Whatever Perfection promised you isn't worth it!" Black Manta snarled as he parried a jab from Aquaman, grabbing his arm around the elbow and spinning it into blow against Mera.
"Oh yeah it is!" Klarion's grin turned into a wide, vile, wicked thing, his eyes narrowing to fiendish dots. "She promised me all the fun I want!"
0000
Luthor stared at the digital gauges on his gauntlet, analyzing the power core, weapons array, and the defense levels of in his suit. All the readouts were positive, many of them still over ninety percent. He simply thought of another function and the readings disappeared replaced with a 3-D model of their surrounding area hovering over his arm. "My scans indicate the last patrol has left the area, Martian. We should get moving again."
M'gann swam from the shadows of the alcove in which they hid and pulled her hood down as she turned invisible. Though she could become fully transparent he could still see her through his visors sensors which gave away her heat signature and while he could cloak his heat signature, his suit couldn't become invisible like she could, making it too dangerous for them to rush to their destination.
They swam in silence, creeping around in the dark like rats. Though they were doing their damndest to make it to the statue and avoid Orm's patrols, Lex could feel the resignation radiating off of her. It was like she was walking to the gallows, strong, composed, brave, but still with the expectation she was doomed to die.
"So you were the one," Luthor said aloud, his voice barely above a whisper as they turned a corner to a bleak alleyway.
M'gann didn't reply, still swimming silently. The fact that she hadn't told him to be silent only confirmed his suspicions.
"I thought it was Tiffany who had his heart," he admitted with a huff. "To think we're here at the bottom of the sea because I thought I could use her to get to Superboy."
That stopped her. M'gann froze and through the heat detector he saw her turn to regard him. "All of this… it was your fault?"
"Well since we're probably all about to die I think it no better a time to confess." Luthor shrugged. "I suppose if it had been her it would have worked perfectly well. Use his heart to bring him to my side. The history books are rife with men sacrificing all they are for a woman."
A swirl of bubbles rose around them as M'gann began to swim off. "You really are the scum of the Earth, Luthor."
"Better that than a love-struck fool," he parried, swimming beside her. "Oh and Black Manta told me about the marriage, he was rather amused at the sickening display of love and affection. Your soul-mate? Really my dear there is no such thing."
He could feel her anger growing like one could sense when a pot was water was about to reach the boiling point. "You know on Mars the female asks the male's family for their blessing. Had you been even an inkling of a better man I would have asked you. Had I even thought that Conner had a shred of care for you I would've asked you." She had asked Leana of course, but her anger made her lash out at him, wanting to hurt him.
The barbed stung Luthor not at all. "I'm glad you didn't bother me with such foolish sentiment. I may call the Superboy my son to try and garner some goodwill but he is nothing but an expensive piece of my property. If you want him to truly be yours, buy him. Bidding starts at eighty million."
M'gann whirled around, eyes glowing green. She floated up, poking a finger against Lex's visor. "Conner is never going to be yours again. He isn't a piece of property. He's my husband and if you try to take him from me I will be you worst nightmare."
"Then I suggest you keep that threat fully in mind," Lex replied smoothly. "Here you both are, thinking that it's the end, that these will be your last moments alive. If he's yours then snap out of this maudlin gloom you two seem to have found yourselves. Stop holding back and do what needs to be done – violently."
Surprise darted upon M'gann's face as the truth of Luthor's words struck her. Had he been trying to get her angry, trying to give her a pep-talk in his own ruthless way? Suddenly his words didn't seem all that malicious. On some level did he care?
"There they are!" a soldier yelled, firing on their position.
Sirens began to blare throughout the city. A bright light shone down on them as more soldiers began to gather at their location. M'gann's eyes flared green and Lex lifted an arm, missile ports rising up.
They prepared to battle the patrol, then, like a blur, came Icicle Jr. and Superboy joined the fray.
Junior froze the water around their guns as Superboy swam through them like an unholy terror. The soldier's screamed and continued their assault, firing away in terror.
"What are you two doing here?" M'gann asked, remembering they had taken off in the opposite direction.
"We had to backtrack, every way we took was blocked off," Conner growled, punching at Atlantean off his sea-horse. "Looks like this will have to be the distraction Kaldur needs!"
"No, you have to get into the palace to help him," Lex replied, launching the rockets from his gauntlets. "That's where Perfection will be!"
"I don't know if you've noticed, Lex, but we can't just drop what we're doing and swim there!" Icicle Jr. shouted as he launched a spear of ice at a soldier's blaster. It stuck in the muzzle and backfired on itself, causing a small explosion.
"They're surrounding us too!" Superboy said as three guards tried to latch onto him.
Dozens more Atlanteans were zeroing in on them, and hundreds more were coming. They were quickly setting up a perimeter and once the sorcerers got there they would find themselves in real trouble.
"Pitiful. I will deal with these Atlanteans," Luthor declared as he propelled himself into a knot of the soldiers.
"You're crazy, you can't keep them all off!" Conner yelled. Just as the words left his mouth a magical, electric trident shot through the water at him. Superboy grabbed the prongs of the trident on instinct but the magic within it raced through him with devastation. He screamed and stiffened with pain unable to let go of the trident as the magical lightening coursed through him.
In a flash Luthor was at his side. He grabbed the collar of his diving suit with one hand and the handle of the trident with the other, separating them. "You would be surprised at what I am capable of." Luthor smirked then with an easy heave, tossed Superboy behind him. He stood alone in front of the Atlantean host, his suit blazing green and purple. "Consider this your wedding present, son. Take your wife and stop Perfection. Icicle Jr. with me," Luthor said calmly as he released a cavalcade of missiles at the approaching soldiers. His visor darkened, hiding his face as he engaged his thrusters, meeting the Atlantean forces head on.
He shut himself off from the mental link and shouted from a speaker in his suit, drawing the attention of all the Atlantean forces. "Come to me! Come and learn that no man, alien, android, or Atlantean is the equal to Lex Luthor!"
0000
"You're losing…." A thick, dark voice said in the back of Zatanna's mind.
Facing Klarion in all his wicked power, Zatanna had no chance to challenge the voice that was certainly not her own, or the very real fact that it was right.
Klarion was a lord of chaos, a piece of the very balance of the world.
Zatanna was a sorceress in a top hat.
All around her, the fighting raged. Klarion both amplified the ensorcelled Atlanteans as well as pushing against her with his power. He was still floating above her but he had forced her too the ground. His spindly arms were outstretched before him and dark red magic blasted from his hands.
In desperation she had thrown up her own magic, purple and bright and the two clashed fantastically, both beams of magic boring into one another. There were spells twined in both beams and it was clear that whichever beam reached the opponent first would not suffer a gentle end.
And, at this rate, it wasn't going to be Klarion who lost.
Zatanna clenched her eyes shut, trying to focus the flow of magic within her but it felt like sand slipping between her fingers. She was losing concentration. Klarion was too powerful for her and they were barely keeping Mera at bay.
She couldn't do this by herself, then, she felt it, again, the voice and with it, it's shadow at the back of her subconscious. It came unto her on silent raven's wings, dark and dangerous and as old as the fabric of the universe. It picked at her brain like the beak of a raven and is spoke again. It said it could help her. All she had to do was make a deal.
"What's the deal?" she grit out.
The raven squawked in her mind. "A boost to your magical power, in return for a part of you."
Zatanna's feet skidded back as Klarion continued to wail on her with his power. She didn't have many options. "Do I get any more specifics?"
"Do you have the time?"
It was a point well made, she realized, as a crackle of Klarion's power brushed her arm, nearly making it go limp. She didn't have time. She didn't have the power. She was losing and badly. Something had to change. For the kind of magic she needed there had to be a sacrifice.
Despite her better judgement, Zatanna reached out for the shadowed, evil thing that had opportune'd upon her and the deal was struck.
Klarion cackled maliciously as he continued to bear down with his power. The beam of magic was slowly pushing back Zatanna's magical force. Soon it would crack her defenses and then he would rip her apart piece by piece.
"Oh c'mon magic girl, scream!" Klarion shouted brattishly. "It's more fun that way!"
He forced an extra surge of magical power to his beam but as he did so Teekl began to hiss. The feline familiars back arched as its orange and black fur stood on end.
Klarion cut the cat a curious glance. "What's your problem? We've got her on the ropes. Don't be a scaredy bat now!"
The cat continued to look at Zatanna, its prehensile tail raised now, flicking anxiously. Klarion continued to stare at Teekl as if the cat spoke to him in a language only they could hear. A moment later his arms dropped to his sides, not of their own volition, but by a power greater than his own.
"Oh," Klarion whimpered fearfully, the childish cruelty all flooding out of him. Terror filled the witch boy's eyes as he finally understood what Teekl had been trying to tell him.
He looked back at Zatanna, shaking his head. "Noooo, look okay, we didn't mean it, we were just having fun. We weren't going to slice you up into itty-bitty pieces, just big ones!"
Breathing hard, tingling with power, Zatanna finally looked up.
Six red demonic eyes glared at Klarion.
"Nuts," Klarion managed to say right before a mix of purple and black magic blasted him back to the chaos plane.
Zatanna screamed with a dark voice that gave even the Atlanteans pause. She raised her hands towards the ankh and let the excess power flow. The purple-black magic struck the ankh and filled it as if it was smoking filling a glass container. The ankh solidified but the power kept filling it until cracks began to race against its face. Zatanna grit her teeth, pouring the last of the powerful creature's magic into the ankh and then it shattered into a thousand dark fragments that turned into wisps of golden smoke.
The smoke filled the space where the ankh had stood, then, a blue and red blur moved through it, curling and twisting the smoke away as Superman clashed into a group of Atlanteans. A grappling hook shot out next and Batman sailed into the fray, striking Aquaman in the chest.
Despite her fatigue, Zatanna felt hope renew in her. She had sacrificed a portion of herself but the Justice League was back.
But just what portion of herself had she sacrificed she wondered.
0000
Lex Luthor and Icicle Jr were still fighting the entirety of the remaining Atlantean army as Conner and M'gann made it to the statue. Whatever sentries had been guarding the palace were almost all gone as they had left to join the fight against Luthor.
Superboy enacted his Xray vision, identifying the false panel. He ripped it free, showing the thin, magical film that sealed the water off from the palace and a dark spiral stair, dusty and dry. The two of them passed through the barrier and raced down the stair with as much haste as they could manage.
"Kaldur you in?"
"I am," Kaldur replied, his voice strained. "I am preparing for the trance. It will take me a quite a while longer to undo what Perfection has wrought. She infected the minds of the mightiest sorcerers. They're the ones controlling the rest of the Atlanteans like some sort of hive-mind. Where are you? I can hear the battling from here."
An explosion erupted somewhere far away, the sound a dull boom. "That isn't us, it's Luthor and Junior. Have you seen Perfection?"
"The throne room, I think," Kaldur grunted. "If she hasn't gone to deal with the attack, that is."
"She hasn't," M'gann assured him. "I think she's waiting for us."
"Good luck to you then, try to keep her out of the sorcerer's font."
As his voice faded over the link M'gann smiled at Conner. There was no resignation in her smile. It wasn't sad or regretful now, but filled with bravery and hope. Though Luthor was a bastard his words and sacrifice had been just what they needed and she relayed them to Conner as well. This wasn't just a fight for the world, it was personal too.
They had vowed to protect one another and they were going to do everything in their power to ensure they did. "Let's get this over with." She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You've got markings to take and I've got a name to change."
Perfection sat sideways on the Atlantean throne, her legs over the armrest, the perfect picture of a bored ruler. La'gann knelt by the throne like some sort of knight. His head bowed to her as he awaited her commands. She filed at her nails and didn't stop even as Conner and M'gann opened the huge, ceiling high doors to the throne room and calmly strode inside.
There was no grand entrance, no bursting through the floor or windows. They had expected each other, each knowing this would be the final showdown.
"Finally," Perfection snorted as a nearby boom rocked the palace. "I've been dying of boredom. You two are the only things that keep this interesting anymore." She flicked a hand towards the court's doors and they shut with a bang behind them.
"You've tried to take over the entire world and you're bored," M'gann accused.
Perfection shrugged, continuing to file her nails. "Bored and crazy I think, but who really cares in the end? I can't believe everyone is always fighting over it and not over me." She perched her fingers against her chest. "But they will soon, once my Atlanteans have over taken the globe." She stroked La'gann's shoulder. "La'gann would you be a dear and kill them for me?"
"You got it, Angelfish." La'gann got to his feet and turned. He was holding something that, once upon a time, would never have had any use in Atlantis – a flame thrower. It would have been useless had they been outside the palace but since there was a magical barrier that sealed off the water, it posed a stark danger to M'gann.
"Isn't that fun?" Perfection asked. "I brought it down here just for you, Meg. I saw someone use it on a monster in a movie once. It'll be perfect." She looked at La'gann with mock fondness. "Please char her into a briquette, babe."
"You can't even be bothered to do your own dirty work anymore?" Conner growled.
Perfection sighed. "Of course not, I'm a goddess." She slowly rose from the throne, standing at the top of the huge dais. "But, if you insist."
Perfection smiled wickedly and rushed at Conner. The Boy of Steel met her hand to hand, but he was no match for her strength. With a roar he went flying backwards, hitting the wall. Snarling and unhurt he leapt back at her, throwing massive haymakers which she dodged with Amazonian ease.
As they fought La'gann fired up the flame-thrower and raced to M'gann. The barrel hissed and smoked like a dragon's nostrils as he leveled it at her.
M'gann took to the air, keeping as much distance as she could, dodging the gusts of flames. She pushed him back easily with her telekinesis but did it carefully. It wasn't his fault he was being mind-controlled. She tried to get into his mind but Perfection had as strong of a protection on his mind as she did on the teams. "La'gann it's me!"
"Oh I know who it is. The monster!"
To her horror she saw that Perfection had gotten too deep, turned his frustrations into hatred, manipulated him into nothing but a puppet solely fixed on her will.
"I'm sorry I have to do this, La'gann." She held her arms out at him as he charged her again.
"Don't be. I'm not!" With a breath he inflated himself and jumped. M'gann tore the flame-thrower apart with a thought but she couldn't move in time for La'gann to reach her, and with him some sort of firebomb he had been carrying.
M'gann screamed as the bombed went off, searing the air with heat. She lifted her arms to protect her head and felt parts of her bio-suit sizzling away. A piece of the bombs blazing shrapnel cut against her ribs, the wound ugly and opened and searing. Her powers shrunk back into her as she fell, as the heat began to engulf her. She thought she was dead, waiting for the flames to rush over her, but then an icy freeze surrounded her, keeping the worse of the fire at bay. As she fell in her semi-frozen state, Icicle Jr. caught her as shrapnel and pieces of blazing flame thrower rained down around them. "Luthor sent me as back-up, said you two idiots were going to need it. And fuck was he right!"
The ice was already melting off M'gann as he set her down, but just as he did La'gann attacked, striking out with a piece of the destroyed flame-thrower. The twisted metal was coated with napalm-like oil and on fire, the heat burning his hand but he couldn't stop.
Icicle Jr. created and ice-sword and flung himself at La'gann, buying M'gann time to recover from the fire blast. "Hey, Superboy, I just saved Mrs. Superboy, so you really owe me this time, dude! I want that date with Red X!"
"Mrs. Superboy?" Perfection gasped mockingly as she grabbed shoulders and slammed him into the head of a large Queen Mera statue. Her eyes fell to Conner's ring. "Oh this is delicious. Really this is too much." She clutched Conner's head with her razor-sharp nails and pushed him through Mera's statue until they crashed into the ground. "And the best part is, you don't even know how you even got here!"
Conner struggled to fight his way from under Perfection as she used bits of the rubble to pummel him. He looked over at M'gann seeing her dazed on the ground, hazy from the fire-bomb that had gone off, blood dripping from her side. Icicle Jr. was barely keeping La'gann at bay, fire against ice. La'gann leapt over Icicle and expanded himself as Junior struck, bouncing the ice-criminal away. He roared as he charged at M'gann, the flaming metal slicing at her arm. She screamed in agony as she slewed to her right and it managed to only graze her arm, but it was like torture.
Icicle Jr. managed to bring up a sheet of ice to block a killing blow and took La'gann's attention again, pummeling him with razor-sharp ice spikes.
Conner tried to get to her, but Perfection kept him solidly pinned to the ground, her blows making him black out for a few seconds each time she found something heavier to pummel him with. Everything sounded like a high-pitched whine except for Perfection's mocking, grating voice. She slammed his head into the floor once more and his vision blurred.
He groped for the Sheilds Lex had given him, fingers fumbling with the slide-away top. He almost had one, almost touched one, when he felt Perfection rip them away. "You really should have popped one of these before you got here." Her eyes glowed red as she burned the Sheilds to a crisp. Their ashes falling on his face.
Slowly, Perfection rose off the floor, taking Conner with her. She had him by the throat in midair. Her fingers were squeezing, crushing his larynx. She spun him wrapping her arm against his neck, crushing his airway as she forced him to look down at the floor. "Take a good look at your wife and your pathetic friend trying to defend her. Her death is going to be the last thing you see."
Icicle Jr. kept bringing up sheilds of ice but La'gann kept coming, the flaming piece of metal he wielded glowing red hot and blazing with fire. The ice constructs didn't stand a chance against it and soon all Icicle could do was defend the weakened M'gann in a corner, fighting a doomed battle. M'gann was trying to get up, trying to help Icicle Jr. but the remnants of the explosion were still burning across the floor, draining her. Once La'gann managed to cut down Junior it would be over. He would get to M'gann and run that blazing piece of metal through her.
She would die right before his eyes.
Rage like Conner had never known built up inside him, a berserk sort of fury that made his blood rush in his ears. He hadn't felt such anger since the day Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash had broken him out of the Cadmus cloning pod. His eyes dilated as his blood boiled. It was the type of rage that was undefinable, turning him into a mindless thing of fury. He wasn't going to lose her. No one else was going to die!
His fury exploded and his body, the Kryptonian side, responded.
Snarling in rage he threw his head back landing a titanic blow to Perfection's face. It was enough to jar her arm from across his throat and he fell from the height of the court.
That Luthor stubbornness rose in Conner as he plummeted. The world wasn't going to fall to chaos under his watch. The world needed him, the Justice League needed him, his friends needed him, and his wife needed him.
He roared in rage as he landed on top of La'gann. The earth cracked beneath him and he felt the energy flow out La'gann as the blow instantly knocked him unconscious. But Superboy had no thoughts or sympathy for La'gann as he shot up to face Perfection once more. It wasn't a jump by any means, no downward velocity – he was flying.
Both arms before him, he hit Perfection like a comet. His eyes blazed red as he shot his laser vision into her face.
Below, Icicle Jr. flooded the floor with ice, extinguishing the fires the fire-bomb explosion had kicked up, allowing M'gann to recover. "Looks like Luthor was right. The rest of his powers kicked in," he sighed in relief as he helped M'gann up. "Think it'll be enough?"
M'gann shook her head as she staggered upwards. "Not alone," she said as she rose. "But together. Maybe."
0000
"You think you're a real challenge now, don't you?" Perfection taunted, matching Superboy blow for blow as they fought in the air. Laser vision blazed, ice breath gusted. Their fists cracked against one another.
"But I have all the League's power. You're just a little more interesting. You're still not going to beat me. You or your wife. Which, honestly, back to that, is fucking hilarious."
"Shut up!" Conner swung angrily at her, his chest heaving as his enraged stare fixed on her. He had never been this angry before. All he wanted to do was pummel her face until it didn't even qualify as one anymore.
Perfection tutted mockingly. "Oh the angry clone is showing, Conner, or is that the Luthor in you?" She tilted her head faintly, ducking and dodging his swings with ease. "You're about to get angrier though."
Her eyes blazed as she fired another round of lasers against him, sending Conner soaring backwards. As he course-corrected his trajectory and flew to meet her she flew to the center of the court and slipped into contact with the tech of Atlantis. Screens hidden in a walls appeared on all sides of the throne room. "Fuck I hate this Atlantean tech. Do you know how hard it is to sync up with surface world stuff? Takes me like, five seconds, what a slog."
She caught his punch as he reached her then caught M'gann's fist as she appeared from the opposite side. She grinned hideously, and pulled them forward, slamming them painfully into one another. "Oh good, you're both here. That'll make this even easier. Watch closely now!"
The screens showed the Watchtower security footage Nightwing had shown them on the Manta Ray, the footage still paused. Perfection blazed laser vision at M'gann but Conner blocked her, gripping Perfection's head, trying to gouge out her eyes with his thumbs, but she raked her claws across his face and pushed him into M'gann.
"You know it's kind of funny, Conner," Perfection laughed, sounding almost like the old Tiffany, "that you went through all this for Meg and you have no idea what your supposed mentors were doing to you. To the both of you."
With but a thought Perfection rewound the footage from the last frame where the ankh had crystalized. As the three fought, the screens all showed the same thing; the Leaguers moved backwards, punches un-thrown, the table repaired from the thousand pieces it had been broken into, to the Leaguers standing at their chairs then sitting, then donuts being put away until the reversing footage stopped just as J'onn was present his final evidence for what Batman had planned for Conner and M'gann.
After he spoke, Green Arrow shot up and pointed accusingly at Batman. "You pointy-eared son of a bitch! You want them to have a baby!"
Conner and M'gann floated to a stop, each staring at ascreen in shock. The footage kept rolling as Batman took the floor, voicing his explanation.
"Do you get it now?" Perfection laughed cruelly. "Do you get how absolutely hopeless this all was? I wanted to show you that before I kill you just to make it clear that they're all bastards. The Light, the League, all of them. Your relationship is as fabricated as I was. As you die, I want your last thoughts to be that none of it was real."
0000
The betrayal hit Conner like a blow to the chest. He stared at the screens in disbelief as Batman continued to explain his reasoning. The voice droned on but he didn't even hear it anymore.
M'gann didn't see Perfection coming as she resumed her attacks. The blow came like thunder, smashing her to the ground as she clubbed her out of the way to get to Conner.
Perfection cackled insanely and grabbed Conner by the face. She spun, flinging him into one of the screens. He hit it with a crack, screaming in agony as the electricity fried him and Perfection sent a beam into his shoulder blades. His body arched and spasmed in pain and like a boulder he fell, hitting the ground with a crash.
Barely able to stand, M'gann staggered to him. "Conner!"
"Stay away from me!" Conner screamed. He clutched at his head, his eyes wide. His world shattered. "After everything. Our marriage, our love, it was just another setup! Just another lie. Just another manipulation!" He sank to the floor, falling to his knees, his crazed eyes searching the ground as he hyperventilated. "It was supposed to be different. I was supposed to be a person! Not a tool!"
"Conner please!" M'gann was upon him now, but he swatted her aside, sending her flying to the statue's rubble. "LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
M'gann gasped as she felt him shove her away mentally. She tried to get back into his head but he had become too adept to her mind-touch, blocking her out fully. She looked to Perfection who grinned like a malevolent Cheshire cat. Perfection could feel it too, Conner's mind finally, fully, exposed and vulnerable.
"Conner please don't fight the mind-link!" M'gann begged as Perfection approached him.
He ignored her, quivering, panting, bleeding, rocking back and forth as Perfection descended. She lifted his chin with the tips of her fingers, making him look up. Her eyes blazed red as she clawed herself into his unprotected mind. She delved into his emotions of despair and horror, savoring them, enhancing them, her thoughts spilling manically into his mind. She was going to make him go mad with grief before she killed him.
Laughing, she clawed deeper into his mind, seeking out the last tendrils of his hope, but when she found it, something found her.
Like a hand of iron it grabbed her and did not let her go.
Instantly Conner's hyperventilating and wailing stopped. His eyes, though filled with pain were bright and clear. "Gotcha." Conner's smirk was distinctly a Luthor trait as he grabbed Perfection's wrists and pulled her forward. His head came up as he jerked her down in an earth-shattering headbutt, striking her enough force to cause a crack to form along her metal brow.
Perfection tried to pull away from the mental claw she had ripped into Conner's brain, but the person on the other side of the mind-link didn't let go. In fact they were using the mind-link that connected her to Conner to get into her own head.
A tinge of panic began to spot Perfection's confidence. M'gann had not been in his mind a moment before but the touch of her now was now clearly evident as she used Perfection's own mental link to pulled herself inside Tiffany's brain. "How did... You weren't linked with her!"
"Didn't have to be," Conner slammed a punch into her metal face as he rose, flying her into the air. "I trust my wife."
M'gann's mind assaulted her through Conner's like a trojan, bombarding her with her substantial power as Conner's punches crumpled the android metal of her face.
The Martian rose from the ground as well, her eyes like bright emeralds as she focused on Tiffany's brain and Conner shredded the android metal. "There's something neither you or Amazo could never understand, Tiffany," M'gann said mentally, the voice like booming bells in Perfections mind. "Despite the hardships, the secrets, the manipulations that got us here, our love is real. You called it my weakness back on Santa Prisca, but you're wrong. It makes us stronger."
The bombardment of M'gann's mental strength caused Tiffany's mind to waver while Conner's anger-fueled punches crushed the chips and circuitry of Amazo. The form of Perfection began to twitch and glitch, sparks frizzing from her body.
For the first time in what felt like forever her eyes closed….
0000
"...Tiffany, breakfast is ready, honey!"
Tiffany sat up in bed, gasping and panting hard. Her heart slammed against her chest as she clutched her pink blanket. She looked around at her bedroom with its fluffy pink décor, posters of her favorite boy bands, extensive closet, and racks of shoes.
It was all familiar, all right.
"Tiffany!" her mother called to her again and knocked on her door. "You'd better get up soon sweety! It's your first day of High School, you don't want to be late!"
Tiffany gulped as what felt like a bad dream faded to the excitement that bubbled within her. High School! Reaching over to her nightstand she picked up a hand mirror and admired herself, smiling as she gazed adoringly her pretty face. There was not a pimple in sight and she could throw on all her make-up in no time. She knew exactly what she would wear and she knew she would be the most popular girl in school. It would be perfect.
0000
By the time Aquaman and his remaining forces zeta'd back to Atlantis the fight was over.
The sorcerers Kaldur had freed were doing their best to tend to the wounded, especially La'gann, and put out the fires that Lex Luthor had started in his rampage while others were doing their best to recall soldiers from all across the globe home.
Black Manta had been arrested after the battle and was now on route to Bell Reve. The returned Aquaman had attempted to locate Lex Luthor, but they only found his abandoned, broken suit with Orm the First's skull crushed beneath the heel of the battle-suits boot.
Icicle Jr. was the last remaining villain at bay but he too had disappeared and where he had gone neither Conner or M'gann would say.
The only criminal left in the vicinity then was Perfection and she was no trouble to anyone anymore. The powerful half-android lay on a stretcher in the throne room, her crushed in metallic face one of serenity.
"What'd you do?" Kaldur asked M'gann as the Atlantean scientists lifted the stretcher to take Perfection away.
M'gann stared thoughtfully at the peaceful Perfection and gave a sad little smile. "I gave her what she wanted before all this. She's going to be the most popular girl in High School forever." She sighed. "I didn't want to do it at all, but there was no other way I could think of stopping her. I did what needed to be done. I turned her mental power onto itself, sending her into a catatonic state. I wasn't powerful enough to forcefully enter her mind but when she mind-linked with Conner I jumped in too and got inside her head through him."
"You gave her something nice though." Kaldur turned and regarded her curiously. "After all she's done I thought perhaps you would have sentenced her to a worser dream."
She shook her head. "I couldn't do that to her. Besides, if I had never had that altercation with her in the hall, I might have never decided I wanted Conner as my boyfriend. She was another turn in the road that led me to him."
Her eyes searched the ruined Atlantean court until they settled on Conner and she smiled simply to see him again. He was speaking in low tones to Aquaman but he seemed to sense her and once their conversation was over he looked up and smiled lovingly at her. "Aquaman says they've decided to house Perfection down here in their high-security prison, just in case someone wants to try and take Perfection out of her dream. Once we're done here the League wants to meet us in Happy Harbor."
M'gann's smile faded. "I'm guessing they're going to tell us about Batman's plan."
Conner said nothing through the link but grim frown and a faint nod said it all.
0000
The zeta tube in Mount Justice brought them back to Happy Harbor in the blink of an eye. Conner and M'gann walked out alone and both flew to the seashore where the League waited.
Their faces were unreadable, but as Conner spotted Batman he marched forward, hands curled into fist. He was almost upon him with Superman stepped between them.
"Judging the way you were making a B-line for Batman I assume you both know," Superman said steadily.
Conner and M'gann nodded.
Superman frowned. "I'm sorry and trust me, we had no idea he had planned this. It is no consolation, but it was a unanimous vote to remove Batman from the League for what he did." He shook his head. "I can't imagine what you both must be feeling."
"No, you don't," Conner replied.
Superman sighed and stepped to his left leaving Batman facing Conner and M'gann.
The Dark Knight did not move, did not look away. He wasn't sorry about what he had done. He wouldn't back down or ask for forgiveness.
Conner stared at him eye to cowl. "You manipulated us. You used us like the Light wanted to do me. You stuck us in that cave like guineapigs. You used me but I'm used to that, I was created to be a weapon, but what I can't forgive is that you used M'gann." The thought brought rage to his eyes and he lashed out, punching Batman across the jaw. The Dark Knight went flying, taking the blow without a word of complaint. He rose steady, working his jaw.
"I deserved that," he admitted. "But you won't get another shot."
"I'm not going to hit you again," Conner snarled. "I don't want to ever see you again. You stay far away from me and you stay far away from M'gann. There is only one thing left I have to say to you, Batman." He slowly, reached over and grasped M'gann's hand, holding it. Their rings glinted in the icy daylight as he said, "We're keeping the house."