FIC: "Necessary Force" Part 1 (JLA)
So.
Today's the Day.
After a very long time (literally years) of working on this particular story, and holding onto it, unpublished, for even longer, I've been finally convinced by several dear friends to start sharing it, and so, finally, I'm posting it here. Today. The end of September.
Amongst a certain circle, this Justice League story is known as "The Epic", but that's mostly due to the enormous struggle I've had with writing it as it grew, and its ages-long status as a 'Work in Progress'. (though it does have a a bit of a complex and involved plot-line as well!)
I'll try to post each successive part or chapter in increments, (of which there are 14 at present) as I dig them up and dust them off somewhat! :-) While proofing it again recently, I've been interested to see how I've developed a little as a writer since the initial scribbling of this fic! (I am feeling a little ... weird right now. For the longest time I've been hoarding this piece, and it's a lot harder than I thought to let it go. I'm excited and scared and worried and relieved all at once! It's very odd.)
I sincerely hope you enjoy this much be-laboured and close-to-my-heart little work of mine. :-)
Paxwolf, No Longer Procrastinating ^_^
FIC: "Necessary Force - Part One: In Terrorem"
Fandom: JLA (Justice League) (Comicverse)
Author: Paxwolf
Genre: Drama/Adventure (& a little hurt/comfort)
Rating: R for Violence and Mature Themes
Beta-Readers and Disclaimer: under the Cut.
Major Characters: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Flash, Aquaman, Plastic Man, other Leaguers, Original Characters
Summary: The Justice League faces one of the most dangerous adversaries they've ever encountered, where not only the safety of the world is threatened, but everything the League stands for, and for some of them, the danger strikes frighteningly close to home.
JLA
"Necessary Force"
By Paxwolf
Note: This fanfiction story originally was begun some years ago, (one of my very
first fanfics and older writings!) and is therefore set current to the (comic book version!)
JLA lineup at the time, specifically during the Grant Morrison and Mark Waid runs on
the title, and with certain details from that era still intact. It is therefore a kind of 'blast
from the recent past', and has taken, oh man, several YEARS to see fruition! (eeep!)
So, please be aware that certain discrepancies and dated information - in terms of
continuity - will probably be contained within.
This 'Epic' fic actually began life as a simple 'doodling excercise' (smack in the middle of the story,
no less!) when I was bored to tears one week while working at my ComicShop back in the day,
and then just kept growing, and growing, and growing ... ! I've never posted it, but have finally
been convinced by some good friends to Just. DO. IT. Already!! And so here, at long last, we are! :-)
Warnings: Violence, Language, and Mature Themes. Readers' Discretion
is advised.
Disclaimer: Superman, Batman, Justice League of America, and their associated
characters are owned and copyrighted by DC Comics and Time Warner. No
income is being generated by the Internet publication of this story.
(Which really is quite a pity as I am dirt poor - and it would be oh so
fun to be able to earn a living playing in DC's grand Playground!)
(Lucky, lucky pro writers and artists!!) Original characters do also
exist in this fic and I suppose that might make them owned by me. ;-)
Beta Thanks To: (1st 12 parts)
kungfunurse , without whose initial skilled beta-reading,
enthusiasm, and sweet encouragement this epic may never have been
developed further, and to the kind and helpful (years-long!) feedback supplied by
the gracious Gwil and the lovely Janet Coleman Sides, both of whom
stepped out of their own fandoms (Stargate:SG-1 and Gatchaman
respectively) in order to read about the denizens of the DC Universe.
Additional Thanks To:
jen_in_japan, arch_schatten,
cmer , tmelange, and (the AMAZINGLY persistent)
pervyficgirl, whose extraordinarily patient prodding and cajoling (a relentless 'hounding posse', really!) gave me the kick, erm, - the encouragement I desperately needed to finally post this Epic, and get
to a place where others might derive some enjoyment from it. (I hope you do!) Thanks very much, guys!
I hope you find the long wait worthwhile. :-)
Part One:
"In Terrorem"
"Are you ridiculously insane? Run!"
The words came pounding out of Aquaman's throat as he rolled,
tumbling to the ground, his grapple already shooting out to pull away
the imminently-in-danger Green Lantern.
His breath whooshing out of him as he hit the frost-hardened
prairie surface without benefit of Ring-shielding, Kyle Rayner
struggled to see past the red haze in front of his eyes.
Who were these guys? How did they get up here from Brazil so
damned fast? And most importantly from Kyle's point of view, how did
they drain Ring energy so horrifyingly completely?
"Your little rag-tag team doesn't stand a jellyfish's chance of
stopping us, Sea-King!" sang out the apparent commander of the
mysterious attack force. "Stay outta our way, and maybe our boss
won't hurt you." He leered. "Too badly, that is."
The heavily armoured man let out a guttural laugh, and the
surrounding men and women joined in, even as they cocked several more
of their devastating new weapons at the ready. The disdainful sneers on
their faces were clear evidence of their utter confidence at facing down the
Justice League, which was alarming in and of itself.
"I wouldn't mind hurting that big mouth of his," muttered Kyle,
straining to catch his breath, still dazed at how close that last
blast had come to incinerating him. If Aquaman hadn't …
Aquaman stood up and faced them. "You would not want to fall in
amongst a group of jellyfish," he smiled without a trace of humour.
"They have quite the sting, you would find. As do we."
"Stay low, Kyle," advised the Flash, as he appeared beside the
breathless Green Lantern. "See if you can inch towards that rock
piling. Let's try to distract 'em, while Arthur and Diana go for the
Drill's online targeting computer."
"Will do," Kyle grimaced, irritated as his helplessness.
He hated not being able to pull his own weight on these missions.
Even now he could see both Aquaman and Wonder Woman diving at
the titanic and thundering Mantle Drill, set to bury its volatile payload
deep in the frozen earth below, while Flash threw up a windscreen as
best he could at the mercenary forces.
Kyle swallowed. All three of his teammates looked
worrisomely ragged.
This isn't looking too good.
The vicious attack had been quick, efficient, well-coordinated,
and most disconcertingly, extremely well-armed. Although the four
Justice Leaguers' response had been immediate, teleporting directly to
the threatened site, this time their enemy was prepared for them.
And if their mysterious adversaries were so ready to engage them
now, when they had been taken by surprise by the League's arrival the
previous day back in Rio, and still had nearly trounced the
entire JLA then, things were looking distinctly … ominous.
Just how much trouble are we in here?
Kyle dodged another blast aimed his way and scrambled to reach
cover.
I'm beginning to wonder if even we are out of our league this time
'round. Man.
Wonder Woman had nearly reached the gargantuan Drill, swiftly
cutting a path through ranks of determined but hopelessly outclassed
mercenaries, while Aquaman drove a deep gash in the device's
mechanical topside. Deftly avoiding an energy blast from the opposing
attack force, Diana flew up and powered a damaging kick to the sides
of the machine. A shower of sparks flew up as the Drill's exterior
crackled with ominous green energy.
"Hoy! That's private property, Princess! Yinekon!"
Diana blinked at the man's non-English command, but didn't cease
her attack.
"Prosohi parakalo, Astinomia! Kinthinos!" the commander barked
at his cronies and then turned to train his bolt cannon directly on the Amazon.
The Flash raced forward, trying his utmost to untangle himself
from the attacking contingent's energy-snares that they had flung at
him, but it was obvious that even he wouldn't be fast enough, not
slowed down as he was.
"Look out, Diana!" Kyle shouted at the top of his lungs,
lunging forward, trying to distract the commando with desperately
thrown stones.
Gawd, I'm reduced to flinging rocks, he thought disgustedly.
How pathetic is that?
Wonder Woman heard his cry and spun in mid-air, reflexively
raising crossed braceleted wrists, but the force of the unavoidable
bolt was great enough to thrust her back and into the frost-ridden
ground. At once, the others fired in unison, and skilled and swift as
she was, she was unable to ward them all off.
"Othisate!" screamed the commander, a manic gleam in his eyes,
and the firing intensified.
Wonder Woman crumpled under the heavy assault, and fell, dazed,
to the ground.
"Efharisto, Princess," the mercenary commander smiled as he
strode up to her, and aimed his weapon anew. "Andio."
"Oh, no, you don't, pal."
Flash urged his hobbled legs faster and
slithered at half speed along the ground in front of the line of fire,
kicking up a miniature but impenetrable dust storm.
"Damnit! Get out of my way, speedster!"
Flash ducked low as more shots were fired his way, but his dust
trail had managed to obscure the Amazon's downed position.
All right, Wally! Kyle crowed jubilantly. Let 'em eat dust!
Aquaman had paused at Kyle's shout, but seeing Diana temporarily
hidden from direct fire, had instantly swung around to the far side of
the Drill, which provided some measure of brief cover from the
incoming hail of fire. He continued his physical assault on the
menacing machine, which quivered even more violently, as if nearing
final discharge.
"Lantern to Watchtower!" Kyle cried into his communicator as
soon as he'd regained his breath, watching as Flash limped to Diana's
side, just as both he and Arthur knew he would, checking her
condition. "We're getting creamed down here! Where's that backup?"
"Yeah, yeah, keep your lime pants on, GL," Plastic Man's voice grumbled
out of the comm. "We're a little run off our asses up here, y'know."
Kyle could see that Diana was stunned, but thankfully only
semi-conscious as Flash hoisted her upright.
"I'd pants you in a heartbeat if possible, O'Brian!" Kyle
rasped. "Send help! Now!"
"Stop them from further damaging the Payload on the Drill!" rang
out the command of the troop's leader. "You know what happens if we
fail!"
The attackers regrouped immediately in an impressive disciplined
order, beginning to completely flank the Drill, leaving Aquaman no
cover from which to continue his own assault.
Green Lantern was forced to scrabble back among the nearby
brush, frantically looking for the pile of boulders Flash had mentioned
and thumbing his emergency signal. He inwardly cursed the mercs'
strange magna-coil device that, somehow, was managing to keep
his Ring mysteriously impotent.
He could see the Flash gracelessly pull Diana over his shoulder and edge
towards the perimeter of the battle-zone. Kyle tried to keep an eye on the
advancing soldiers as he darted for the copse of trees, but even now they
were resettling their bolt cannons and directing them Flash's
way, where he stood a clear red target against the exposed
prairie. He knew Wally was unable to run fast enough to escape, now
that the damnable hobble-bolt had clamped itself to his ankle, slowing
him significantly down.
And any second, Aquaman would be picked off the side of the
Drill like a fly and their window of opportunity to take the thing out
before it bore its horrible burden beneath the crust would be lost.
"C'mon, League," muttered Kyle to himself, as he ran out to help
Wally haul Diana to his own none-too-secure position, tamping down
on his desperation as best he could.
"Uh, Kyle …" Flash's gaze was centred over Kyle's left shoulder.
He whirled to spy the secondary merc contingent getting the drop on
them, cornering the three Leaguers under the lone oak tree.
"Uh oh. Looks like we're outta options here ..."
"Ne! Sindoma!" crowed the commander, dark eyes gleaming.
"We've got 'em all against the wall!" He waved his troops forward,
and grinned nastily. "For the glory of our lord! Go for kill!"
"Kill!" repeated the mercenary force, and Kyle swore he could
see frenzied bloodlust suddenly burn to life in their eyes.
They began to fire as one, deadly accurate in their aim. Even
as Green Lantern and Flash threw themselves forward, dodging, they
could see Aquaman fighting a losing battle to deflect or avoid the
bolt blasts in his pinned-down position.
Kyle heard Wally cry out in fury and pain, and suddenly knew
that this merciless bulldog enemy would take no prisoners, give no
quarter. He and his allies were actually going to lose this one.
Damnit, damnit, no!
Bile rose up in his throat as he fought both to increase his
efforts, and not to scream out his revulsion at these men who would so
willingly die or kill for the monster they called master.
"Kill!" snarled the nearest merc, and grinned insanely as he saw
how utterly defenceless his intended targets now were. "Auf
Wierdersehen, Justice League."
The soldier hefted his weapon, sighting along the barrel, and
Kyle abruptly knew that the game was up. He watched as the bolts spit fire,
death coming in a red tide, tried in vain to throw Wally and Diana to
the ground and out of their path knowing it would be too little too
late, when all of a sudden he felt his ears pop and a violet blur from
the edge of his periphery was suddenly in front of him, shielding them
all from the multiple energy bolts that smashed in red fury and
thunder against the unshakeable body of the abruptly still Superman.
Kyle sagged to the ground beside Diana, weak with relief and
spent adrenaline, heart thudding painfully in his chest.
My god ...
Superman lifted himself into the air and without any warning,
slammed his hands together, arms stretched in front of him. The
resulting air and sound concussion threw the majority of the troops
onto their backsides, many losing their grips on weapons, most
crushing their hands to their ears in pain.
Superman risked a quick look of concern over his shoulder.
"Now I know what most Metropolitans feel like on a good day,"
Kyle gasped, catching his breath. "Yeah, we're fine. Now do us all a
favour and stop that thing!"
Giving a simple nod, Superman shot forward, not sparing time for
further words, pausing only to quickly turn the fallen bolt cannons
into melted slag.
Kyle could now see the Martian Manhunter hovering beside the
Drill, covering Aquaman from further attack as they both gouged into
the circuitry in the Drill's armoured hide in an attempt to reach the
shielded computer. He twisted his head to see Batman sweep down into
the thin copse of birch trees to drop soundlessly beside Flash, easily
picking off running mercenaries one by one with expertly pitched
batarangs.
"Once again I'm a believer in the coming of the cavalry," Kyle
muttered, bending to check on the reviving Wonder Woman. "JLA
teamwork sure is something for that ole inherent faith thing."
The battle was pitched, and the Drill hummed even louder than
before, vibrating in painful, thrumming cadence.
"Tha ithela na miliso ston … ne!" The commander screamed into his
wrist-com, gesturing for his lieutenants to cover him as he contacted
HQ. "I epigoosa anagi! Ah, m'lord, sir, Stipolous here. They've
just called in their big guns!" He turned to add additional fire at
the seemingly oblivious Man of Steel who was proceeding to speedily
disarm the bulk of his troops. "Whaddaya mean, precisely who? Uh, sir.
Sorry, m'lord. But how's that relevant right now? We're now losing it here!"
He paused to order flame-throwers activated to keep the Martian
separated from the more vulnerable amphibian man. "Singnomi! Er,
apologies, sir, but any second Big Blue's gonna notice my itty-bitty
mosquito bites and … What? Then katalaveno? Yeah, sir, he's one of 'em.
Uh oh. Damn! Here he comes! My lord, you gotta send help! Parakalo!
Parakalo!"
Superman arced down like a comet, brushing the scattered shots
of force bolts aside as if they were flies, but the commander could
see at near proximity that the bolts did have some small effect on the
alien at least. But he suddenly became too up-close to use his
observation to his advantage as Superman yanked him up by his
ammo-belt and into the air, grasping his cannon at its mouth in one
steely hand.
Herete, Superman, the commander thought grimly, and maintaining
his composure even as he was hoisted into the sky, fired his weapon
point-blank when the alien's attention was momentarily diverted by a
scream from far below.
He heard Superman's sharp intake of breath, and saw the grimace
of pain etch itself across the chiseled features, the awful burns
appearing on the fine skin and then healing nearly too rapidly to
spot.
Nearly.
"Do you want to keep your fingers?" the commander suddenly
heard, the anger in the deep voice more than terrifying in its utter
restraint.
Understanding the better part of valour, he hastily slipped his
gloved hand from the trigger mechanism before Superman wrenched his
force cannon away, crushing it into a tiny, twisted metal ball as it
went.
"Xerete poo ine?" Superman asked, staring directly into the
startled commander's face, and the man was sure that the Kryptonian's
eyes were glowing.
He didn't answer, flicking his eyes at him, and Superman's
mouth tightened.
"Fine. English it'll be then. Ayestrom. Where is he."
The question was more of a demand, and the commander swallowed
as he looked between his dangling feet at the ground now so very far
beneath him. But his leader would do far worse to him if he were
betrayed.
Rule One, he thought in his native language, never sever your
ties to the big money or power before its time.
"You and your precious League don't stand a chance against us,
Super-cop," he sneered aloud, thinking of the secret he was privy to. "And
the sad thing is, you'll never figure it out. You keep interfering in
his work, he'll mop you freaks up and eat you for proino!"
"Ena trapezi ya thio, parakalo." There actually seemed to be a
slight smile on the alien's lips.
The commander stared. The boy scout was making jokes?
A table for two?
"Ti tha protinate?" Superman then asked, an impudent grin on his face.
"What I recommend is that you surrender," the commander snarled
back in English, regaining his poise. "Surrender to him! He may not
show you yourself mercy, that would indeed be very doubtful, but on
his honour, he will keep the civilian casualties to a minimum."
"And if I decide not to surrender?" The question was mild, as
if the man was merely gathering information and wasn't at all
concerned about the threat to the planet or his team.
"Then expect to be his guest for fayito. You'd make a very
splendid dish indeed." He couldn't help the nasty smile that tugged
out at the thought. "Alien vrasto, perhaps."
"Then I don't suppose your master's a vegetarian, is he?"
The commander stared again, then gnashed out enraged, "You are a
bloody fool! He's - we are more powerful than you can begin to
grasp!"
To his surprise, Superman merely nodded and his mouth quirked up
at the corner.
"I don't know, Commander, I can grasp quite a bit. And if he's
so all-powerful, for what does he need mercenary stooges like you?"
The alien's expression suddenly hardened, and the commander felt a quick surge
of fear colder than the frigid wind course through him. "And for what
purpose would he need hostages?" He shook his head. "Honour? Only a
dishonourable coward need hide beneath a blanket of children."
Superman quite obviously could not conceal the revulsion in his
voice. The mercenary commander could no longer control his body's
slight shaking as vertigo overcame him when he looked away from the
grim visage before him and saw only clouds where before there had been Earth.
Rule Two, he thought dizzyingly to himself, don't ever make a
Kryptonian under a yellow sun angry.
He wondered if the stories about Superman never taking a human
life were just rumours and he'd soon find himself suffocating or
freezing to death in the upper atmosphere, or broken into a zillion
bits on the frozen ground so invisibly far below.
He suddenly thought he felt the steely fingers on his armour
slightly loosen their grip, and before he could help himself, he was
wildly grabbing at Superman's arms and shoulders, his heart in his mouth.
Xristos! He didn't want to fall.
"Mi, mi, parakalo! O-okay. O ithios. Just … just don't let go of me."
"I'm listening."
The commander swallowed, not easing his own death grip on
Superman's forearm.
"Well, ehete …?" Superman prompted.
"I said okay!" he practically screamed out, trying vainly to
keep his quavering voice steady. He drew a breath of freezing air and
was grateful for the burning in his lungs. He couldn't serve his master
if he were dead, after all. "My lord, he … Ayestrom's hiding out in the
Nethe -"
His divulgence was cut off when Superman's attention was suddenly
pulled elsewhere, as if he was listening to something, and quite abruptly the
commander was on the very solid-seeming ground, gasping, completely breathless
after the super-speed plummet to Earth.
"It's about to drop payload!" Batman was shouting, whipping
around even as he easily dispatched the last of the commander's men
with precise kicks and blows. "Superman!"
Aquaman was already on the ground, cursing in Atlantean as the
Drill's whine increased to a painful volume, staring balefully at the
machine. The Martian Manhunter lay in the dead grass, clearly
suffering from recent exposure to pure flame, struggling to pull
himself up with Wonder Woman stumbling over to help him.
The Drill rumbled alarmingly, apparently undeterred from its
programming despite Aquaman's and the Manhunter's attempted damage.
It was obvious that it was microseconds away from driving itself into
the crust.
"Arthur, back off! NOW!"
Aquaman instantly sprang into the air, rolling forward out of
the monster's range even as Superman drove himself bodily straight at
the Drill, eyes already afire.
The resulting explosion shook the ground for miles around. Kyle
and Wally were completely knocked off their feet. Frozen chunks of
dirt and prairie grass rained down like bullets as Batman swiftly
pulled Flash and Green Lantern under the dubious shelter of the lone oak,
and Diana deflected the hail of debris from her and J'onn with
her bracelets.
As the bucking of the earth subsided and the sky stopped
falling, Batman, the only one relatively unfazed, vaulted over the lip
of the newly formed crater and disappeared into the black smoke
that roiled out in thick, oily waves.
Arthur and Diana looked at each other and immediately followed,
trying not to breathe in the acrid fumes. After several blind
minutes, they came across Batman more by luck than by anything else.
As the worst of the smoke dissipated, they found the Dark Knight
crouching over the prone figure of Superman, who lay half buried in
rock and mud, clearly having been smashed into the side of the pit by
the incredible force of the explosion.
He wasn't moving, and the familiar red and blue uniform was
dreadfully torn up; not a good sign.
"Is he …?" Diana forced herself to ask in between coughs,
battling her fear as she watched Batman, breathing filter already in
place, feel for a pulse in Superman's exposed neck.
Was that mud or was it blood oozing its way down the too-pale skin?
"He's alive," Batman answered curtly, reaching to lift
Superman's head free of the dirt. "But pulse is thready."
"Breathing?"
"No."
"He's bleeding," Aquaman noted hoarsely.
Batman only nodded, working frantically to clear an airway
through the muck.
"Come on, Clark," he whispered, tearing off his filter and
leaning down to tilt up Superman's head, and push a breath into
the open mouth. "Don't you dare quit on me now."
Diana turned and threw a fist into the rock. The resulting
cracks freed the right side of Superman's body from its prison of
stone and clay. As they pulled his body free, Batman ceased applying
mouth-to-mouth, and felt again for a pulse. At his glance of alarm,
Aquaman flung himself to his knees and began CPR.
Batman nodded at Aquaman to continue his chest resuscitation
while he continued to breathe air into Superman's unresponsive lungs.
"How long can he go without oxygen again?" Diana asked,
dropping down to grip Superman's shoulder tightly, face pale.
"Not applicable here," Batman grunted. He pushed another breath
through, and leaned over to peer at the closed eyes. Not even a
flutter. "Come ON!" he almost shouted, the first sign given of his
own concealed fear and anxiety.
As if hearing, Superman's body suddenly galvanized, and he came
up spitting out blood and dirt and choking in the smoky air,
struggling weakly against the restraining arms of the three Leaguers.
"Thank Poseidon!"
"Rest easy, Kal," Diana said soothingly, brushing more mud out
his eyes with gentle fingers as he looked around, clearly disoriented.
"We'll get you out of here."
"C-can't … breathe …" he choked, and Batman leaned over and took
his face between his hands, forcing him to focus on him.
"It's all right, you're sa- we're here."
Superman stared up at him, eyes wild for a split second. And
then he drew a sharp, painful breath and managed a short nod as his
senses returned and he tried to calm himself.
"We'll have to move him," Batman said, voice hoarse, and he and
Aquaman carefully extracted him from the collapsing mud wall and eased
him to his feet.
Superman bit his lip hard as his three teammates helped him
stagger to the slick sides of the huge pit. Halfway up the slippery
climb, he stumbled and hitched over, a silent gasp escaping his lips,
right arm pressed tight against himself. Batman gently but firmly
moved the arm and slid an expert hand over his side.
"Broken ribs."
"They'll heal," Superman said through gritted teeth and took
another unsteady step forward.
The others were gathered a bit away from the edge of the crater
where the smoke was gradually thinning, putting out the numerous small
fires from burning Drill parts and guarding the dazed and disarmed
mercenary troop force.
"Man oh man," whistled Kyle as Batman and the others appeared,
supporting a horrific-looking Superman. "You look like you just took
on a getaway planet, Supes. And lost."
"Big time," added Flash, looking up from where he was sitting on the
ground, trying to hack off the hobble on his leg with a metal bit of Drill.
"What happened?" Superman asked thickly, shaking his head to
clear it and trying not to wince at the pain that caused.
"Well, you stopped the Drill," Flash said unnecessarily.
"But, it shouldn't have …"
"No, it shouldn't have," Batman said, removing his filter again and
looking daggers at the sprawled mercenary commander who was just now
regaining consciousness. "It was rigged to detonate if struck with
too great a force, wasn't it?" His gaze narrowed. "Or possibly if
extreme heat were applied."
The commander curled his lip at him but didn't respond.
Moving with the speed and lethal grace of a panther, Batman strode over to
where the hapless man lay and grabbed him by the neck, spearing him
with a fierce glare.
"Almost as if it were a trap. For either the Manhunter .... or Superman."
The commander's thick lips split into a sneer even as he shrank
weakly from Batman looming over him. "Too lete oti tilefonise o/I
Ayestrom."
The man's head lolled back in Batman's grip as he relaxed back
into unconsciousness. Batman let him go in disgust, and turned to
meet Superman's eyes.
Superman looked across at him, mouth tightening, but saying nothing.
"What did he just say?" Kyle inquired, lost.
Wonder Woman was looking down at the mercenary with a frown. "He
said, 'Tell him Ayestrom called.'" She looked up at the others. "He
was speaking Greek."
"Odd," Flash said. "I swear I heard one of the others say
something in German."
"Guess they're a multi-lingual mercenary force," Kyle shrugged, partly to
hide his moment of being impressed. "We already know they're not American,
right?"
J'onn was gazing at the bedraggled Superman.
"With that flame, the explosion would have certainly killed me
if it had been I in there instead of you, Kal-El," he said quietly.
"It has very nearly crippled you."
Superman squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, taking a deep
breath and immediately thinking better of it as his ribs protested in
white-hot agony.
"Thank God, then, that neither is the case," he said softly,
doing his best to hide the degree of discomfort. He looked up to see
Batman watching him knowingly.
"Yeah, well, that was some blast," Kyle remarked.
"Master of the obvious," Flash commented with a grin.
Kyle pointedly ignored him. "What was in that thing, anyways?
If we'd been any closer ourselves, we'd all have been taken out, easy
as pie." Kyle snapped his fingers. "And what a way to go, splattered
into a billion bits by a freaking ginormous drill, of all things, especially
without the protection of my Ring, which, oh, hey, is now back online, kids!"
He looked surprised even as he said it, as instantaneous green
energy poured out of the ring on his hand and formed a giant hamster
cage, complete with wheel, around the number of reviving soldiers. He
let out a whoop of relief, and added a water bottle and food
dispenser, full of green pellets.
"There may have been some device contained in the Drill itself
that emitted a signal serving to block the Ring's power," Batman
deduced thoughtfully. He pocketed several bits of debris from
the ground and rose slowly. "Ingenious."
"Clearly some foresighted strategy was put into this … this
scheme of Ayestrom's," Superman agreed, straightening with an effort
and leaning imperceptibly away from Wonder Woman and Aquaman's
supportive arms.
"Too much foresight," said Batman forebodingly, "and far too much power."
The implications settled on them all, dark and awful, like the
falling ash that still drifted down from the smoky sky.
"Well, let's look at the bright side," Kyle quipped, more to
break the somber mood than anything. "At least we've got prisoners
this time."
Wally suddenly noticed a shimmering distortion between the bars
of the Ring-willed hamster cage.
"Not for long we don't!" he cried, zipping over to the makeshift
prison, even as the others spun around.
The mercenaries and soldiers, conscious and not, were fading from view.
"Arrivederla, heroes!" a female merc called out cheerily, with a
jaunty wave.
"Ayestrom's retrieving them! Damnit!" Batman swore, even as
Kyle instantly willed a solid green shield over the prisoners, to no
avail.
"What's this guy got? A teleporter too?"
"Terrific."
Aquaman rubbed at his bruised arm, glaring at the empty prairie
before them as the useless Ring-shield winked out, flinging an
additional glare at Kyle.
"Hey, not my fault!" protested Kyle, backing up hastily.
"Now we'll not be able to find out where the demon has taken the
hostages," Diana said tiredly, clenching her fists around her golden
lasso in frustration.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Superman said slowly, scanning
the area around him, his gaze distant. "We may have something of a
clue this time."
The others turned to him inquiringly, hope naked on their faces.
"The commander you grabbed talked," Batman stated. Superman
gave him a look and Batman smiled grimly. "Your little stratospheric
tour must have been quite … persuasive."
Kyle looked up at Superman - he hadn't even seen the Big Guy
grab any bad guy stooge off the ground.
"It started to be," Superman answered, finally giving up on the
sky and obviously pulling in telescopic or ultra-violet or heat-energy
vision or whatever it was he was using to glance back at Batman. "We
were interrupted."
"Did he say anything?" Kyle himself interrupted, then blanched
as five Leaguers each turned a glare on him.
Geez, if looks could kill …
"He did happen to mention that Ayestrom enjoys dining in
Holland, and parts thereof," replied Superman with a tight grin.
"Might indeed be a very good place to start investigating."
"If there is anything unusual there," J'onn agreed in all
seriousness, "we shall find it. And we shall prevail."
When Superman said nothing further, but only stared down at the
ground and seemed to be concentrating on breathing, and Batman seemed
preoccupied with his thoughts, J'onn turned to the others
authoritatively.
"I suggest we reconvene at the Watchtower. We will attend to
our wounds," he flicked a look at Superman, "and gather our strength,
and perhaps marshal a strategy of our own, utilizing our informant's
information."
"Capital idea, my Martian fellow," said Flash loftily. "I
really want to get this hobble thingamajig off my leg. Maybe Steel'll
want to analyse its parts later, derive something useful outta its
tech."
"The information's good only if that Greek freak doesn't squeal
to Ayestrom about squealing to Superman," Kyle said, then blanched all
over again at the look from Diana. "Uh, I should add here for the
record that I really did enjoy learning about ancient Greece in college ...
fave subject, in fact ... top grades ... thought about grad school ..."
"All well and good, Manhunter," Aquaman said, huffing out a
breath in impatience. "But I think we should have a few of us attempt
to track down Ayestrom's lackeys immediately. Before that merc
commander's little leak slips out. Before we lose any advantage we
gained."
J'onn nodded. "That is perhaps a wise id-"
"No."
They all looked at Superman, who, although swaying slightly on
his feet, looked back at them determinedly.
"We stick together. For now. We have seen the level of power
at play here, and several of Ayestrom's assets. His troops, the
super-powered metas, the weapons … no, we can't afford to go off
half-cocked. We plan first. Together. Then, and only then, will we
… retaliate."
Everyone nodded, even finally Aquaman, although obviously irritated.
He snapped out his communicator and raised the Watchtower.
"Meanwhile," J'onn remarked soberly, "we should also contact the
Canadian government and endeavor to explain why there is a hole the
size of a city block in the middle of this province."
"Absolutely," Diana sighed, and surveyed the destruction around
them sadly. "At least we can be thankful that the damage we leave behind is
not to a city block - this time."
"Indeed."
"So far I'm not overly impressed with the famed Canuck
hospitality," Wally whispered to Kyle, shivering slightly. "It's cold
as hell here, and no locals around to even care that we just saved
their collective backbacon."
"American snob," Kyle returned, rolling his eyes as he gathered
up a few more pieces of Drill parts for Steel's lab. "They're probably
too polite to ask what a battle like this was even doing in the middle of
big, fat nothingness, nowheresville even by their standards."
"Can't figure it myself. But then, that's our resident detective's
department, thank god."
They got into position for teleportation after making certain
that every one of the small fires burning all over the site were put
out. At least no prairie fires would result from the day's battle.
"Look at his arm and his head," Batman observed quietly to
Wonder Woman, who finished stamping out a smoldering bit of wreckage
with her boot and turned to gaze at the indicated Superman. He was
leaning wearily against the lone oak tree, arms folded over himself in
a rare posture of ... of vulnerability. She frowned.
"It has been several minutes since we pulled him out of the pit.
Shouldn't he have stopped bleeding by now? The sun …"
"Umm-hmm," Batman only said, narrowing his eyes.
"He'll be all right," Diana said, her chin raised. "He just
needs rest and time. We'll make him let J'onn take a look in the
infirmary when we get back."
Batman only lifted a shoulder in reply, and then he, Diana, and
Superman were teleported away.
Kyle stepped to the spot where the senior members of the team
had disappeared, ready to be zapped up to the moon. He looked around
at the battle zone, and something in his heart clenched. "This isn't
gonna be a walk in the park, is it?"
Wally hobbled up, taking a spot beside J'onn and Arthur. After
a second, he glanced at him before looking down, expression
uncharacteristically grim. "No," he said softly, and Kyle followed
his gaze and saw his eyes were trained on a smear of blood, bright
against the dead grass and its thin coat of frost.
Superman's blood.
Flash turned away. "Somehow, Kyle, I don't think it is."
Kyle bit his lip.
Why do I have a spectacularly bad feeling about this?
And then the teleportation beam was taking them, and the
blackened and scorched prairie landscape faded into darkness around
him.
------
Part Two - Coming Soon! (really!)
All Parts to the Story So Far can be found HERE!
Today's the Day.
After a very long time (literally years) of working on this particular story, and holding onto it, unpublished, for even longer, I've been finally convinced by several dear friends to start sharing it, and so, finally, I'm posting it here. Today. The end of September.
Amongst a certain circle, this Justice League story is known as "The Epic", but that's mostly due to the enormous struggle I've had with writing it as it grew, and its ages-long status as a 'Work in Progress'. (though it does have a a bit of a complex and involved plot-line as well!)
I'll try to post each successive part or chapter in increments, (of which there are 14 at present) as I dig them up and dust them off somewhat! :-) While proofing it again recently, I've been interested to see how I've developed a little as a writer since the initial scribbling of this fic! (I am feeling a little ... weird right now. For the longest time I've been hoarding this piece, and it's a lot harder than I thought to let it go. I'm excited and scared and worried and relieved all at once! It's very odd.)
I sincerely hope you enjoy this much be-laboured and close-to-my-heart little work of mine. :-)
Paxwolf, No Longer Procrastinating ^_^
FIC: "Necessary Force - Part One: In Terrorem"
Fandom: JLA (Justice League) (Comicverse)
Author: Paxwolf
Genre: Drama/Adventure (& a little hurt/comfort)
Rating: R for Violence and Mature Themes
Beta-Readers and Disclaimer: under the Cut.
Major Characters: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Flash, Aquaman, Plastic Man, other Leaguers, Original Characters
Summary: The Justice League faces one of the most dangerous adversaries they've ever encountered, where not only the safety of the world is threatened, but everything the League stands for, and for some of them, the danger strikes frighteningly close to home.
JLA
"Necessary Force"
By Paxwolf
Note: This fanfiction story originally was begun some years ago, (one of my very
first fanfics and older writings!) and is therefore set current to the (comic book version!)
JLA lineup at the time, specifically during the Grant Morrison and Mark Waid runs on
the title, and with certain details from that era still intact. It is therefore a kind of 'blast
from the recent past', and has taken, oh man, several YEARS to see fruition! (eeep!)
So, please be aware that certain discrepancies and dated information - in terms of
continuity - will probably be contained within.
This 'Epic' fic actually began life as a simple 'doodling excercise' (smack in the middle of the story,
no less!) when I was bored to tears one week while working at my ComicShop back in the day,
and then just kept growing, and growing, and growing ... ! I've never posted it, but have finally
been convinced by some good friends to Just. DO. IT. Already!! And so here, at long last, we are! :-)
Warnings: Violence, Language, and Mature Themes. Readers' Discretion
is advised.
Disclaimer: Superman, Batman, Justice League of America, and their associated
characters are owned and copyrighted by DC Comics and Time Warner. No
income is being generated by the Internet publication of this story.
(Which really is quite a pity as I am dirt poor - and it would be oh so
fun to be able to earn a living playing in DC's grand Playground!)
(Lucky, lucky pro writers and artists!!) Original characters do also
exist in this fic and I suppose that might make them owned by me. ;-)
Beta Thanks To: (1st 12 parts)
kungfunurse , without whose initial skilled beta-reading,
enthusiasm, and sweet encouragement this epic may never have been
developed further, and to the kind and helpful (years-long!) feedback supplied by
the gracious Gwil and the lovely Janet Coleman Sides, both of whom
stepped out of their own fandoms (Stargate:SG-1 and Gatchaman
respectively) in order to read about the denizens of the DC Universe.
Additional Thanks To:
jen_in_japan, arch_schatten,
cmer , tmelange, and (the AMAZINGLY persistent)
pervyficgirl, whose extraordinarily patient prodding and cajoling (a relentless 'hounding posse', really!) gave me the kick, erm, - the encouragement I desperately needed to finally post this Epic, and get
to a place where others might derive some enjoyment from it. (I hope you do!) Thanks very much, guys!
I hope you find the long wait worthwhile. :-)
Part One:
"In Terrorem"
"Are you ridiculously insane? Run!"
The words came pounding out of Aquaman's throat as he rolled,
tumbling to the ground, his grapple already shooting out to pull away
the imminently-in-danger Green Lantern.
His breath whooshing out of him as he hit the frost-hardened
prairie surface without benefit of Ring-shielding, Kyle Rayner
struggled to see past the red haze in front of his eyes.
Who were these guys? How did they get up here from Brazil so
damned fast? And most importantly from Kyle's point of view, how did
they drain Ring energy so horrifyingly completely?
"Your little rag-tag team doesn't stand a jellyfish's chance of
stopping us, Sea-King!" sang out the apparent commander of the
mysterious attack force. "Stay outta our way, and maybe our boss
won't hurt you." He leered. "Too badly, that is."
The heavily armoured man let out a guttural laugh, and the
surrounding men and women joined in, even as they cocked several more
of their devastating new weapons at the ready. The disdainful sneers on
their faces were clear evidence of their utter confidence at facing down the
Justice League, which was alarming in and of itself.
"I wouldn't mind hurting that big mouth of his," muttered Kyle,
straining to catch his breath, still dazed at how close that last
blast had come to incinerating him. If Aquaman hadn't …
Aquaman stood up and faced them. "You would not want to fall in
amongst a group of jellyfish," he smiled without a trace of humour.
"They have quite the sting, you would find. As do we."
"Stay low, Kyle," advised the Flash, as he appeared beside the
breathless Green Lantern. "See if you can inch towards that rock
piling. Let's try to distract 'em, while Arthur and Diana go for the
Drill's online targeting computer."
"Will do," Kyle grimaced, irritated as his helplessness.
He hated not being able to pull his own weight on these missions.
Even now he could see both Aquaman and Wonder Woman diving at
the titanic and thundering Mantle Drill, set to bury its volatile payload
deep in the frozen earth below, while Flash threw up a windscreen as
best he could at the mercenary forces.
Kyle swallowed. All three of his teammates looked
worrisomely ragged.
This isn't looking too good.
The vicious attack had been quick, efficient, well-coordinated,
and most disconcertingly, extremely well-armed. Although the four
Justice Leaguers' response had been immediate, teleporting directly to
the threatened site, this time their enemy was prepared for them.
And if their mysterious adversaries were so ready to engage them
now, when they had been taken by surprise by the League's arrival the
previous day back in Rio, and still had nearly trounced the
entire JLA then, things were looking distinctly … ominous.
Just how much trouble are we in here?
Kyle dodged another blast aimed his way and scrambled to reach
cover.
I'm beginning to wonder if even we are out of our league this time
'round. Man.
Wonder Woman had nearly reached the gargantuan Drill, swiftly
cutting a path through ranks of determined but hopelessly outclassed
mercenaries, while Aquaman drove a deep gash in the device's
mechanical topside. Deftly avoiding an energy blast from the opposing
attack force, Diana flew up and powered a damaging kick to the sides
of the machine. A shower of sparks flew up as the Drill's exterior
crackled with ominous green energy.
"Hoy! That's private property, Princess! Yinekon!"
Diana blinked at the man's non-English command, but didn't cease
her attack.
"Prosohi parakalo, Astinomia! Kinthinos!" the commander barked
at his cronies and then turned to train his bolt cannon directly on the Amazon.
The Flash raced forward, trying his utmost to untangle himself
from the attacking contingent's energy-snares that they had flung at
him, but it was obvious that even he wouldn't be fast enough, not
slowed down as he was.
"Look out, Diana!" Kyle shouted at the top of his lungs,
lunging forward, trying to distract the commando with desperately
thrown stones.
Gawd, I'm reduced to flinging rocks, he thought disgustedly.
How pathetic is that?
Wonder Woman heard his cry and spun in mid-air, reflexively
raising crossed braceleted wrists, but the force of the unavoidable
bolt was great enough to thrust her back and into the frost-ridden
ground. At once, the others fired in unison, and skilled and swift as
she was, she was unable to ward them all off.
"Othisate!" screamed the commander, a manic gleam in his eyes,
and the firing intensified.
Wonder Woman crumpled under the heavy assault, and fell, dazed,
to the ground.
"Efharisto, Princess," the mercenary commander smiled as he
strode up to her, and aimed his weapon anew. "Andio."
"Oh, no, you don't, pal."
Flash urged his hobbled legs faster and
slithered at half speed along the ground in front of the line of fire,
kicking up a miniature but impenetrable dust storm.
"Damnit! Get out of my way, speedster!"
Flash ducked low as more shots were fired his way, but his dust
trail had managed to obscure the Amazon's downed position.
All right, Wally! Kyle crowed jubilantly. Let 'em eat dust!
Aquaman had paused at Kyle's shout, but seeing Diana temporarily
hidden from direct fire, had instantly swung around to the far side of
the Drill, which provided some measure of brief cover from the
incoming hail of fire. He continued his physical assault on the
menacing machine, which quivered even more violently, as if nearing
final discharge.
"Lantern to Watchtower!" Kyle cried into his communicator as
soon as he'd regained his breath, watching as Flash limped to Diana's
side, just as both he and Arthur knew he would, checking her
condition. "We're getting creamed down here! Where's that backup?"
"Yeah, yeah, keep your lime pants on, GL," Plastic Man's voice grumbled
out of the comm. "We're a little run off our asses up here, y'know."
Kyle could see that Diana was stunned, but thankfully only
semi-conscious as Flash hoisted her upright.
"I'd pants you in a heartbeat if possible, O'Brian!" Kyle
rasped. "Send help! Now!"
"Stop them from further damaging the Payload on the Drill!" rang
out the command of the troop's leader. "You know what happens if we
fail!"
The attackers regrouped immediately in an impressive disciplined
order, beginning to completely flank the Drill, leaving Aquaman no
cover from which to continue his own assault.
Green Lantern was forced to scrabble back among the nearby
brush, frantically looking for the pile of boulders Flash had mentioned
and thumbing his emergency signal. He inwardly cursed the mercs'
strange magna-coil device that, somehow, was managing to keep
his Ring mysteriously impotent.
He could see the Flash gracelessly pull Diana over his shoulder and edge
towards the perimeter of the battle-zone. Kyle tried to keep an eye on the
advancing soldiers as he darted for the copse of trees, but even now they
were resettling their bolt cannons and directing them Flash's
way, where he stood a clear red target against the exposed
prairie. He knew Wally was unable to run fast enough to escape, now
that the damnable hobble-bolt had clamped itself to his ankle, slowing
him significantly down.
And any second, Aquaman would be picked off the side of the
Drill like a fly and their window of opportunity to take the thing out
before it bore its horrible burden beneath the crust would be lost.
"C'mon, League," muttered Kyle to himself, as he ran out to help
Wally haul Diana to his own none-too-secure position, tamping down
on his desperation as best he could.
"Uh, Kyle …" Flash's gaze was centred over Kyle's left shoulder.
He whirled to spy the secondary merc contingent getting the drop on
them, cornering the three Leaguers under the lone oak tree.
"Uh oh. Looks like we're outta options here ..."
"Ne! Sindoma!" crowed the commander, dark eyes gleaming.
"We've got 'em all against the wall!" He waved his troops forward,
and grinned nastily. "For the glory of our lord! Go for kill!"
"Kill!" repeated the mercenary force, and Kyle swore he could
see frenzied bloodlust suddenly burn to life in their eyes.
They began to fire as one, deadly accurate in their aim. Even
as Green Lantern and Flash threw themselves forward, dodging, they
could see Aquaman fighting a losing battle to deflect or avoid the
bolt blasts in his pinned-down position.
Kyle heard Wally cry out in fury and pain, and suddenly knew
that this merciless bulldog enemy would take no prisoners, give no
quarter. He and his allies were actually going to lose this one.
Damnit, damnit, no!
Bile rose up in his throat as he fought both to increase his
efforts, and not to scream out his revulsion at these men who would so
willingly die or kill for the monster they called master.
"Kill!" snarled the nearest merc, and grinned insanely as he saw
how utterly defenceless his intended targets now were. "Auf
Wierdersehen, Justice League."
The soldier hefted his weapon, sighting along the barrel, and
Kyle abruptly knew that the game was up. He watched as the bolts spit fire,
death coming in a red tide, tried in vain to throw Wally and Diana to
the ground and out of their path knowing it would be too little too
late, when all of a sudden he felt his ears pop and a violet blur from
the edge of his periphery was suddenly in front of him, shielding them
all from the multiple energy bolts that smashed in red fury and
thunder against the unshakeable body of the abruptly still Superman.
Kyle sagged to the ground beside Diana, weak with relief and
spent adrenaline, heart thudding painfully in his chest.
My god ...
Superman lifted himself into the air and without any warning,
slammed his hands together, arms stretched in front of him. The
resulting air and sound concussion threw the majority of the troops
onto their backsides, many losing their grips on weapons, most
crushing their hands to their ears in pain.
Superman risked a quick look of concern over his shoulder.
"Now I know what most Metropolitans feel like on a good day,"
Kyle gasped, catching his breath. "Yeah, we're fine. Now do us all a
favour and stop that thing!"
Giving a simple nod, Superman shot forward, not sparing time for
further words, pausing only to quickly turn the fallen bolt cannons
into melted slag.
Kyle could now see the Martian Manhunter hovering beside the
Drill, covering Aquaman from further attack as they both gouged into
the circuitry in the Drill's armoured hide in an attempt to reach the
shielded computer. He twisted his head to see Batman sweep down into
the thin copse of birch trees to drop soundlessly beside Flash, easily
picking off running mercenaries one by one with expertly pitched
batarangs.
"Once again I'm a believer in the coming of the cavalry," Kyle
muttered, bending to check on the reviving Wonder Woman. "JLA
teamwork sure is something for that ole inherent faith thing."
The battle was pitched, and the Drill hummed even louder than
before, vibrating in painful, thrumming cadence.
"Tha ithela na miliso ston … ne!" The commander screamed into his
wrist-com, gesturing for his lieutenants to cover him as he contacted
HQ. "I epigoosa anagi! Ah, m'lord, sir, Stipolous here. They've
just called in their big guns!" He turned to add additional fire at
the seemingly oblivious Man of Steel who was proceeding to speedily
disarm the bulk of his troops. "Whaddaya mean, precisely who? Uh, sir.
Sorry, m'lord. But how's that relevant right now? We're now losing it here!"
He paused to order flame-throwers activated to keep the Martian
separated from the more vulnerable amphibian man. "Singnomi! Er,
apologies, sir, but any second Big Blue's gonna notice my itty-bitty
mosquito bites and … What? Then katalaveno? Yeah, sir, he's one of 'em.
Uh oh. Damn! Here he comes! My lord, you gotta send help! Parakalo!
Parakalo!"
Superman arced down like a comet, brushing the scattered shots
of force bolts aside as if they were flies, but the commander could
see at near proximity that the bolts did have some small effect on the
alien at least. But he suddenly became too up-close to use his
observation to his advantage as Superman yanked him up by his
ammo-belt and into the air, grasping his cannon at its mouth in one
steely hand.
Herete, Superman, the commander thought grimly, and maintaining
his composure even as he was hoisted into the sky, fired his weapon
point-blank when the alien's attention was momentarily diverted by a
scream from far below.
He heard Superman's sharp intake of breath, and saw the grimace
of pain etch itself across the chiseled features, the awful burns
appearing on the fine skin and then healing nearly too rapidly to
spot.
Nearly.
"Do you want to keep your fingers?" the commander suddenly
heard, the anger in the deep voice more than terrifying in its utter
restraint.
Understanding the better part of valour, he hastily slipped his
gloved hand from the trigger mechanism before Superman wrenched his
force cannon away, crushing it into a tiny, twisted metal ball as it
went.
"Xerete poo ine?" Superman asked, staring directly into the
startled commander's face, and the man was sure that the Kryptonian's
eyes were glowing.
He didn't answer, flicking his eyes at him, and Superman's
mouth tightened.
"Fine. English it'll be then. Ayestrom. Where is he."
The question was more of a demand, and the commander swallowed
as he looked between his dangling feet at the ground now so very far
beneath him. But his leader would do far worse to him if he were
betrayed.
Rule One, he thought in his native language, never sever your
ties to the big money or power before its time.
"You and your precious League don't stand a chance against us,
Super-cop," he sneered aloud, thinking of the secret he was privy to. "And
the sad thing is, you'll never figure it out. You keep interfering in
his work, he'll mop you freaks up and eat you for proino!"
"Ena trapezi ya thio, parakalo." There actually seemed to be a
slight smile on the alien's lips.
The commander stared. The boy scout was making jokes?
A table for two?
"Ti tha protinate?" Superman then asked, an impudent grin on his face.
"What I recommend is that you surrender," the commander snarled
back in English, regaining his poise. "Surrender to him! He may not
show you yourself mercy, that would indeed be very doubtful, but on
his honour, he will keep the civilian casualties to a minimum."
"And if I decide not to surrender?" The question was mild, as
if the man was merely gathering information and wasn't at all
concerned about the threat to the planet or his team.
"Then expect to be his guest for fayito. You'd make a very
splendid dish indeed." He couldn't help the nasty smile that tugged
out at the thought. "Alien vrasto, perhaps."
"Then I don't suppose your master's a vegetarian, is he?"
The commander stared again, then gnashed out enraged, "You are a
bloody fool! He's - we are more powerful than you can begin to
grasp!"
To his surprise, Superman merely nodded and his mouth quirked up
at the corner.
"I don't know, Commander, I can grasp quite a bit. And if he's
so all-powerful, for what does he need mercenary stooges like you?"
The alien's expression suddenly hardened, and the commander felt a quick surge
of fear colder than the frigid wind course through him. "And for what
purpose would he need hostages?" He shook his head. "Honour? Only a
dishonourable coward need hide beneath a blanket of children."
Superman quite obviously could not conceal the revulsion in his
voice. The mercenary commander could no longer control his body's
slight shaking as vertigo overcame him when he looked away from the
grim visage before him and saw only clouds where before there had been Earth.
Rule Two, he thought dizzyingly to himself, don't ever make a
Kryptonian under a yellow sun angry.
He wondered if the stories about Superman never taking a human
life were just rumours and he'd soon find himself suffocating or
freezing to death in the upper atmosphere, or broken into a zillion
bits on the frozen ground so invisibly far below.
He suddenly thought he felt the steely fingers on his armour
slightly loosen their grip, and before he could help himself, he was
wildly grabbing at Superman's arms and shoulders, his heart in his mouth.
Xristos! He didn't want to fall.
"Mi, mi, parakalo! O-okay. O ithios. Just … just don't let go of me."
"I'm listening."
The commander swallowed, not easing his own death grip on
Superman's forearm.
"Well, ehete …?" Superman prompted.
"I said okay!" he practically screamed out, trying vainly to
keep his quavering voice steady. He drew a breath of freezing air and
was grateful for the burning in his lungs. He couldn't serve his master
if he were dead, after all. "My lord, he … Ayestrom's hiding out in the
Nethe -"
His divulgence was cut off when Superman's attention was suddenly
pulled elsewhere, as if he was listening to something, and quite abruptly the
commander was on the very solid-seeming ground, gasping, completely breathless
after the super-speed plummet to Earth.
"It's about to drop payload!" Batman was shouting, whipping
around even as he easily dispatched the last of the commander's men
with precise kicks and blows. "Superman!"
Aquaman was already on the ground, cursing in Atlantean as the
Drill's whine increased to a painful volume, staring balefully at the
machine. The Martian Manhunter lay in the dead grass, clearly
suffering from recent exposure to pure flame, struggling to pull
himself up with Wonder Woman stumbling over to help him.
The Drill rumbled alarmingly, apparently undeterred from its
programming despite Aquaman's and the Manhunter's attempted damage.
It was obvious that it was microseconds away from driving itself into
the crust.
"Arthur, back off! NOW!"
Aquaman instantly sprang into the air, rolling forward out of
the monster's range even as Superman drove himself bodily straight at
the Drill, eyes already afire.
The resulting explosion shook the ground for miles around. Kyle
and Wally were completely knocked off their feet. Frozen chunks of
dirt and prairie grass rained down like bullets as Batman swiftly
pulled Flash and Green Lantern under the dubious shelter of the lone oak,
and Diana deflected the hail of debris from her and J'onn with
her bracelets.
As the bucking of the earth subsided and the sky stopped
falling, Batman, the only one relatively unfazed, vaulted over the lip
of the newly formed crater and disappeared into the black smoke
that roiled out in thick, oily waves.
Arthur and Diana looked at each other and immediately followed,
trying not to breathe in the acrid fumes. After several blind
minutes, they came across Batman more by luck than by anything else.
As the worst of the smoke dissipated, they found the Dark Knight
crouching over the prone figure of Superman, who lay half buried in
rock and mud, clearly having been smashed into the side of the pit by
the incredible force of the explosion.
He wasn't moving, and the familiar red and blue uniform was
dreadfully torn up; not a good sign.
"Is he …?" Diana forced herself to ask in between coughs,
battling her fear as she watched Batman, breathing filter already in
place, feel for a pulse in Superman's exposed neck.
Was that mud or was it blood oozing its way down the too-pale skin?
"He's alive," Batman answered curtly, reaching to lift
Superman's head free of the dirt. "But pulse is thready."
"Breathing?"
"No."
"He's bleeding," Aquaman noted hoarsely.
Batman only nodded, working frantically to clear an airway
through the muck.
"Come on, Clark," he whispered, tearing off his filter and
leaning down to tilt up Superman's head, and push a breath into
the open mouth. "Don't you dare quit on me now."
Diana turned and threw a fist into the rock. The resulting
cracks freed the right side of Superman's body from its prison of
stone and clay. As they pulled his body free, Batman ceased applying
mouth-to-mouth, and felt again for a pulse. At his glance of alarm,
Aquaman flung himself to his knees and began CPR.
Batman nodded at Aquaman to continue his chest resuscitation
while he continued to breathe air into Superman's unresponsive lungs.
"How long can he go without oxygen again?" Diana asked,
dropping down to grip Superman's shoulder tightly, face pale.
"Not applicable here," Batman grunted. He pushed another breath
through, and leaned over to peer at the closed eyes. Not even a
flutter. "Come ON!" he almost shouted, the first sign given of his
own concealed fear and anxiety.
As if hearing, Superman's body suddenly galvanized, and he came
up spitting out blood and dirt and choking in the smoky air,
struggling weakly against the restraining arms of the three Leaguers.
"Thank Poseidon!"
"Rest easy, Kal," Diana said soothingly, brushing more mud out
his eyes with gentle fingers as he looked around, clearly disoriented.
"We'll get you out of here."
"C-can't … breathe …" he choked, and Batman leaned over and took
his face between his hands, forcing him to focus on him.
"It's all right, you're sa- we're here."
Superman stared up at him, eyes wild for a split second. And
then he drew a sharp, painful breath and managed a short nod as his
senses returned and he tried to calm himself.
"We'll have to move him," Batman said, voice hoarse, and he and
Aquaman carefully extracted him from the collapsing mud wall and eased
him to his feet.
Superman bit his lip hard as his three teammates helped him
stagger to the slick sides of the huge pit. Halfway up the slippery
climb, he stumbled and hitched over, a silent gasp escaping his lips,
right arm pressed tight against himself. Batman gently but firmly
moved the arm and slid an expert hand over his side.
"Broken ribs."
"They'll heal," Superman said through gritted teeth and took
another unsteady step forward.
The others were gathered a bit away from the edge of the crater
where the smoke was gradually thinning, putting out the numerous small
fires from burning Drill parts and guarding the dazed and disarmed
mercenary troop force.
"Man oh man," whistled Kyle as Batman and the others appeared,
supporting a horrific-looking Superman. "You look like you just took
on a getaway planet, Supes. And lost."
"Big time," added Flash, looking up from where he was sitting on the
ground, trying to hack off the hobble on his leg with a metal bit of Drill.
"What happened?" Superman asked thickly, shaking his head to
clear it and trying not to wince at the pain that caused.
"Well, you stopped the Drill," Flash said unnecessarily.
"But, it shouldn't have …"
"No, it shouldn't have," Batman said, removing his filter again and
looking daggers at the sprawled mercenary commander who was just now
regaining consciousness. "It was rigged to detonate if struck with
too great a force, wasn't it?" His gaze narrowed. "Or possibly if
extreme heat were applied."
The commander curled his lip at him but didn't respond.
Moving with the speed and lethal grace of a panther, Batman strode over to
where the hapless man lay and grabbed him by the neck, spearing him
with a fierce glare.
"Almost as if it were a trap. For either the Manhunter .... or Superman."
The commander's thick lips split into a sneer even as he shrank
weakly from Batman looming over him. "Too lete oti tilefonise o/I
Ayestrom."
The man's head lolled back in Batman's grip as he relaxed back
into unconsciousness. Batman let him go in disgust, and turned to
meet Superman's eyes.
Superman looked across at him, mouth tightening, but saying nothing.
"What did he just say?" Kyle inquired, lost.
Wonder Woman was looking down at the mercenary with a frown. "He
said, 'Tell him Ayestrom called.'" She looked up at the others. "He
was speaking Greek."
"Odd," Flash said. "I swear I heard one of the others say
something in German."
"Guess they're a multi-lingual mercenary force," Kyle shrugged, partly to
hide his moment of being impressed. "We already know they're not American,
right?"
J'onn was gazing at the bedraggled Superman.
"With that flame, the explosion would have certainly killed me
if it had been I in there instead of you, Kal-El," he said quietly.
"It has very nearly crippled you."
Superman squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, taking a deep
breath and immediately thinking better of it as his ribs protested in
white-hot agony.
"Thank God, then, that neither is the case," he said softly,
doing his best to hide the degree of discomfort. He looked up to see
Batman watching him knowingly.
"Yeah, well, that was some blast," Kyle remarked.
"Master of the obvious," Flash commented with a grin.
Kyle pointedly ignored him. "What was in that thing, anyways?
If we'd been any closer ourselves, we'd all have been taken out, easy
as pie." Kyle snapped his fingers. "And what a way to go, splattered
into a billion bits by a freaking ginormous drill, of all things, especially
without the protection of my Ring, which, oh, hey, is now back online, kids!"
He looked surprised even as he said it, as instantaneous green
energy poured out of the ring on his hand and formed a giant hamster
cage, complete with wheel, around the number of reviving soldiers. He
let out a whoop of relief, and added a water bottle and food
dispenser, full of green pellets.
"There may have been some device contained in the Drill itself
that emitted a signal serving to block the Ring's power," Batman
deduced thoughtfully. He pocketed several bits of debris from
the ground and rose slowly. "Ingenious."
"Clearly some foresighted strategy was put into this … this
scheme of Ayestrom's," Superman agreed, straightening with an effort
and leaning imperceptibly away from Wonder Woman and Aquaman's
supportive arms.
"Too much foresight," said Batman forebodingly, "and far too much power."
The implications settled on them all, dark and awful, like the
falling ash that still drifted down from the smoky sky.
"Well, let's look at the bright side," Kyle quipped, more to
break the somber mood than anything. "At least we've got prisoners
this time."
Wally suddenly noticed a shimmering distortion between the bars
of the Ring-willed hamster cage.
"Not for long we don't!" he cried, zipping over to the makeshift
prison, even as the others spun around.
The mercenaries and soldiers, conscious and not, were fading from view.
"Arrivederla, heroes!" a female merc called out cheerily, with a
jaunty wave.
"Ayestrom's retrieving them! Damnit!" Batman swore, even as
Kyle instantly willed a solid green shield over the prisoners, to no
avail.
"What's this guy got? A teleporter too?"
"Terrific."
Aquaman rubbed at his bruised arm, glaring at the empty prairie
before them as the useless Ring-shield winked out, flinging an
additional glare at Kyle.
"Hey, not my fault!" protested Kyle, backing up hastily.
"Now we'll not be able to find out where the demon has taken the
hostages," Diana said tiredly, clenching her fists around her golden
lasso in frustration.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Superman said slowly, scanning
the area around him, his gaze distant. "We may have something of a
clue this time."
The others turned to him inquiringly, hope naked on their faces.
"The commander you grabbed talked," Batman stated. Superman
gave him a look and Batman smiled grimly. "Your little stratospheric
tour must have been quite … persuasive."
Kyle looked up at Superman - he hadn't even seen the Big Guy
grab any bad guy stooge off the ground.
"It started to be," Superman answered, finally giving up on the
sky and obviously pulling in telescopic or ultra-violet or heat-energy
vision or whatever it was he was using to glance back at Batman. "We
were interrupted."
"Did he say anything?" Kyle himself interrupted, then blanched
as five Leaguers each turned a glare on him.
Geez, if looks could kill …
"He did happen to mention that Ayestrom enjoys dining in
Holland, and parts thereof," replied Superman with a tight grin.
"Might indeed be a very good place to start investigating."
"If there is anything unusual there," J'onn agreed in all
seriousness, "we shall find it. And we shall prevail."
When Superman said nothing further, but only stared down at the
ground and seemed to be concentrating on breathing, and Batman seemed
preoccupied with his thoughts, J'onn turned to the others
authoritatively.
"I suggest we reconvene at the Watchtower. We will attend to
our wounds," he flicked a look at Superman, "and gather our strength,
and perhaps marshal a strategy of our own, utilizing our informant's
information."
"Capital idea, my Martian fellow," said Flash loftily. "I
really want to get this hobble thingamajig off my leg. Maybe Steel'll
want to analyse its parts later, derive something useful outta its
tech."
"The information's good only if that Greek freak doesn't squeal
to Ayestrom about squealing to Superman," Kyle said, then blanched all
over again at the look from Diana. "Uh, I should add here for the
record that I really did enjoy learning about ancient Greece in college ...
fave subject, in fact ... top grades ... thought about grad school ..."
"All well and good, Manhunter," Aquaman said, huffing out a
breath in impatience. "But I think we should have a few of us attempt
to track down Ayestrom's lackeys immediately. Before that merc
commander's little leak slips out. Before we lose any advantage we
gained."
J'onn nodded. "That is perhaps a wise id-"
"No."
They all looked at Superman, who, although swaying slightly on
his feet, looked back at them determinedly.
"We stick together. For now. We have seen the level of power
at play here, and several of Ayestrom's assets. His troops, the
super-powered metas, the weapons … no, we can't afford to go off
half-cocked. We plan first. Together. Then, and only then, will we
… retaliate."
Everyone nodded, even finally Aquaman, although obviously irritated.
He snapped out his communicator and raised the Watchtower.
"Meanwhile," J'onn remarked soberly, "we should also contact the
Canadian government and endeavor to explain why there is a hole the
size of a city block in the middle of this province."
"Absolutely," Diana sighed, and surveyed the destruction around
them sadly. "At least we can be thankful that the damage we leave behind is
not to a city block - this time."
"Indeed."
"So far I'm not overly impressed with the famed Canuck
hospitality," Wally whispered to Kyle, shivering slightly. "It's cold
as hell here, and no locals around to even care that we just saved
their collective backbacon."
"American snob," Kyle returned, rolling his eyes as he gathered
up a few more pieces of Drill parts for Steel's lab. "They're probably
too polite to ask what a battle like this was even doing in the middle of
big, fat nothingness, nowheresville even by their standards."
"Can't figure it myself. But then, that's our resident detective's
department, thank god."
They got into position for teleportation after making certain
that every one of the small fires burning all over the site were put
out. At least no prairie fires would result from the day's battle.
"Look at his arm and his head," Batman observed quietly to
Wonder Woman, who finished stamping out a smoldering bit of wreckage
with her boot and turned to gaze at the indicated Superman. He was
leaning wearily against the lone oak tree, arms folded over himself in
a rare posture of ... of vulnerability. She frowned.
"It has been several minutes since we pulled him out of the pit.
Shouldn't he have stopped bleeding by now? The sun …"
"Umm-hmm," Batman only said, narrowing his eyes.
"He'll be all right," Diana said, her chin raised. "He just
needs rest and time. We'll make him let J'onn take a look in the
infirmary when we get back."
Batman only lifted a shoulder in reply, and then he, Diana, and
Superman were teleported away.
Kyle stepped to the spot where the senior members of the team
had disappeared, ready to be zapped up to the moon. He looked around
at the battle zone, and something in his heart clenched. "This isn't
gonna be a walk in the park, is it?"
Wally hobbled up, taking a spot beside J'onn and Arthur. After
a second, he glanced at him before looking down, expression
uncharacteristically grim. "No," he said softly, and Kyle followed
his gaze and saw his eyes were trained on a smear of blood, bright
against the dead grass and its thin coat of frost.
Superman's blood.
Flash turned away. "Somehow, Kyle, I don't think it is."
Kyle bit his lip.
Why do I have a spectacularly bad feeling about this?
And then the teleportation beam was taking them, and the
blackened and scorched prairie landscape faded into darkness around
him.
------
Part Two - Coming Soon! (really!)
All Parts to the Story So Far can be found HERE!