Phantom 32

If this continued for a moment more, Hal had genuine doubts about him living past this day, Gritting his teeth as another heavy blow tried to punch through his shield, he felt his knees buckle as if the impact was being transferred to his body by the ring. Grodd slammed another heavy fist into the emerald layer covering him, and the Green Lantern groaned. 

‘Message from Lantern Stewart. Status Important’

‘Continue’, he thought back, concentrating upon Captain Cold, as the man hurled beam after beam of freezing energy at his shield, and Hal winced as he felt the shield resonate with his desperation, thinning slightly as cracks formed upon its surface. And what was with the ring flagging every message as import-

‘Hal! Flash is fine. He has broken out of Grodd’s mental control due to some kind of awakening or something. He should be there any se-’

It all happened in slow motion for him. One moment, he was resolutely staring at Grodd's menacing visage as the ape pounded fist after heavy fist on his shield while listening to his partner's message.

The next, a flash of blue enveloped his vision in its entirety, and when the light cleared from his eyes, Hal gaped. He had known the Flash was fast. Hell, he had been a test pilot for the planet's biggest prototype Aeroplane manufacturer and researcher, flying machines at Mach 10 and seeing prototype designs half as much more capable. Yet, all of that paled in comparison to seeing the Flash move so fast that every window around them shattered from the sonic booms he was creating, dashing from one spot to the next and punting Grodd with each pass. His eyes widened as he saw Snart aim and shoot at the speedster, only for the red superhero to just tilt his head in a motion too fast to properly see, the blue beam seeming to phase through his head and strike Grodd instead.

“Having trouble controlling me again, Grodd?!” he called out, pausing for a moment, before in a streak of lightning, he was punching Snart in his chest with just enough force to make him launch back into a soda machine, and well…flashing back to Grodd just as quickly, laying a heavy haymaker upon the monkey's chin.

Snart did not rise up again.

“You have gotten faster, stronger,” Grodd commented in between blows, and a heavy grunt of pain escaped him as the Flash struck him right in the solar plexus, the giant gorilla stumbling back half a dozen meters from the force of the blow, while his fur smoked and charred from the electricity being emitted by the speedster. “How?”

“Necessity, the mother of evolution,” Flash answered between the blows that just didn't stop coming, sarcasm evident in his voice that came from a dozen different places as nothing but a red streak was visible of the superhero, zig-zagging all over the place and hitting the ape dozens of times in a single second, “Too fast for your evolved brain to handle, you fucking bastard?!”

“Enough!” the ape shouted, slamming his hands on the ground hard enough to shake it, and Hal frowned, floating upwards as his eyes flicked towards Snart. Right, still down. Which means he was now free to concentrate on offense, instead of trying to stop them. As the Flash tumbled midstep, and Grodd made to smack the relatively tiny hero with the back of his burly hand, Hal clenched his fist, shackles forming around the mutated gorilla, the bindings made from pure willpower and grit holding the surprised animal in place. They snapped taught by the force being exerted by Grodd, and Hal grunted, instantly feeling the drain on the ring's energy, as well as his endurance as the chains audibly cracked.

Super strength was no joke, he realized grimly before his eyes narrowed and he grunted, repairing the chains and creating even more. A roar of rage left both of them, as the road around Grodd cratered, human construction in no way meant to stand against the forces being exerted upon it. Chunks of the ground ripped off, and Hal narrowly dodged them as Grodd used the freed shackles like a flail, his other hand still tethered to the road.

Dispersing away the chains that were broken, Hal flew up and conjured a great hand, remembering the days when he had watched Kung Fu Hustle, and with a shout, slammed the shining Buddha’s Palm into Grodd’s surprised head. The already broken ground simply shattered as the titanic construct slammed into it, and Hal winced as the smell of sewage quickly suffused the area. Dissipating his construct, Hal blinked as he looked around, finding no sign of the speedst—A piece of broken metal hurtled past him, nicking his side. He grunted, almost faltering in his flight as he felt the sting from the cut, as well as the feeling of warm blood dripping down his side.

His vision swam for a moment, and Hal almost succumbed to the dazedness that came, his eyes barely able to see the shit-covered Gorilla jumping out of the sewers, the ape’s features twisted in a snarl of rage as he raised the giant piece of the pipe above his head. The next moment, a dull boom came from their left—catching their attention for but a moment as the very city shook…only for a bright blue streak to slam into Grodd’s surprised form. An explosion of lightning and heat blasted out from the point, and Hal instantly covered himself with a shield, harsh winds, and a wave of electricity striking against it like a storm unleashed.

“Sorry, wanted to build up some momentum for that one,” Flash’s voice came from the dust cloud, and Hal sighed in relief as he heard a heavy mass fall into water and stone. Willing a giant fan into reality, Hal blew away the billowing dust, revealing a weary, but triumphant Flash standing at the edge of the crater, looking down upon the sewage-covered Grodd. Grinning at him as he touched down upon the ground, Flash gave him a thumbs up and leaned back, joints popping across his body, “Well, guess what they say about team-ups is true.”

“Yeah, agree completely,” he nodded back tiredly before his ring pinged once, and he turned his eyes towards it.

‘Lantern Stewart is unconscious, and has been warped back to Sector 2814’s assigned ship.’

“Ah shit,” the Flash echoed his thoughts, only far more sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head, “I’m sorry?”

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“Come, daughter of mine, for we much to discuss, and very little time to do so.”

Those were the first words Diana ever heard from her father’s mouth, as Poseidon opened the gates to the Olympian throne room, revealing the nine Olympians sitting on their thrones—with Hades sitting on an eleventh one by Hestia—with her father sitting in the center, a circlet of olives and narcissus’ on his head. Zeus looked much like Poseidon, only, his eyes were a static blue, and he had short, black hair, appearing much younger than his older brother. Walking to the center of the grand chamber, Diana took a glance at all the other Olympians, each and every one of them watching her closely as Poseidon retook his throne, his trident reappearing in his hand.

“Lord Zeus,” she kneeled, lowering her head in deference and loyalty, before her eyes raised towards the stone eyes form of Hera, and she lowered her head again, “My Queen Hera, a  thousand prayers and greetings from Themiscyra.”

“Stand, my daughter,” Zeus proclaimed, his voice booming in the chamber, and Diana heard thunder rumble in the clouds outside as her father gave her a small smile. “It heartens me to see you hale and healthy. However, as glad as I am to see you after so many centuries…pleasantry is not why we have gathered here today.”

“Indeed, the fledgling God is returning, stronger than ever,” Hades’ heavy, sibilant voice commented, drawing her attention to the God of Underworld, his menacing helm with its spike horns, and those blazing amber eyes staring at her, his legendary bident laying across the Gods lap. “The last time he came to Gaea, his pantheon was still young, and his army but a shadow of what it is now.”

“But you stopped him,” she countered, her eyes meeting her father’s. “Themiscyra alone cannot stand up to such a threat, especially after Apokolips has had thousands of years to grow powerful. Even with the strength of the Atlanteans, it would be an impossible task without the aid of the Gods.”

“Silly mortals,” a honeyed voice mused from her left, and Diana watched as Apollo leaned his head against his fist, his golden eyes staring at her with amusement, “if we were to step into the field of battle again, it would change the whole world…and not for the better. There is a reason we pulled ourselves back from actively roaming the world as we pleased with the fall of Greece and the rise of Christianity. Mankind has no place for us in their heart, in their prayers…and that limits our movements in the Man’s world. Or do you think it is by our choice that we are limited to Olympus and Themiscyra?”

“Apollo is right,” Zeus continued, his lips pulling into a thin line as he shook his head, “I and my brothers are doing all we can to delay the Motherboxes from activating, while the other Olympians are blessing your sisters for the upcoming battle. Beyond this, we cannot step into the coming fight.”

“Then…why summon me?” she asked, knowing that she was treading in dangerous waters, but yet, she couldn’t shake off her question. Her mother and sisters could be attacked by the most dangerous foe yet known, and the Gods had summoned her..for a casual chat.

“Leave us,” Zeus said in response, his eyes flicking over the other Olympians, and one by one, they all disappeared, leaving them alone in the chamber. Standing up from his throne, Zeus beckoned her closer with a smile, “Come my daughter, let's take a walk, shall we? Tell me about your time in the Mortal world. It seems just yesterday when you were born to Hippolyta, but yet now here you stand—a warrior of great skill and power, and a diplomat capable enough to stand word for word with Athena herself.”

Diana stayed silent at the praise as they walked around the throne to the back of the chamber, exiting out into a balcony that overlooked a vast expanse of beautiful gardens, statues, and fountains, clouds drifting through the splendor on display.

“You must have thought we had summoned you to offer you some insight, some power, or some martial help,” he said after a few moments of silence, and Diana was almost hesitant to nod at his query, wondering if her father would take insult at the fact that yes, she had been expecting something actually helpful. He gave her an amused glance, as if reading her thoughts, “and no Diana. While I know I have cursed and killed for petty reasons, you need not fear the same from me. At least not today.”

“Why…Father?” she hedged, remembering the warnings given by her own mother, Hermes and Poseidon, as well as the thousands of instances of Zeus just doing what he wanted, getting his way by virtue of nothing but his strength, possessing a might that even Poseidon and Hades had to accepts his words as commands.

“Because we are fading away from the mortal realm,” he answered with a laugh, getting an alarmed look from her. Ignoring her shocked eyes and open mouth, Zeus turned around and laid his hands upon the railing, his eyes staring out at his kingdom. “With the decline in our worship, we were forced to just Olympus and Themiscyra, unable to venture out in a world which didn’t remember us beyond mere plays and stories. But today, my brothers and I are expending the last of our power to stop Apokolips’ forces for a while, so that you may gather with the allies and friends you have…and I get a brief moment to talk with you.”

Wait WHAT?!

“You are dying?!” she asked, incredulous in the face of the statement made by the KING OF GODS!

“Dying implies a chance at resurrection, dear daughter,” he laughed, the clouds outside rumbled slowly, lightning flashing amidst the white as he conjured two goblets filled with wine, floating one towards her, “We are Gods, Diana. There is no afterlife for us, from where our soul may be recalled and revitalized. I know not what shall befall me and my brothers once we run out of power, but I know that we shall depart this realm altogether.”

“Bu-But what will happen to Olympus?! To Themiscyra?! What shall w-no, I do?!” she cried out, anger and frustration welling up in her voice as she glared at the father she had not known for more than five minutes, adn yet, he was already at death’s door. “Why not talk to me before? Why now?!”

“Because you were not ready…and neither was I,” he sighed, looking at her with an expression that seemed as foreign on hsi face, as it was for Diana to see directed towards her, “The Olympians…our time has ended Daughter. We are naught but relics of an age long bygone, pillars of a culture that has slowly but surely been stamped out of the world. Themiscyra remains the last bastion of our worship and power…and the Goddesses shall protect it with their power till they pass into the void themselves. But I and my brothers…we are simply unneeded.”

“Bu-”

“But call you at a time like this?” Zeus raised an eyebrow, taking a swill of the wine as he looked out at the setting sun. “Because at my core, I am selfish Diana. I am not a good God, not even close. Throughout the ages, I have been petty, amorous, cruel, angry, and even opportunistic. I killed Metis, I raped Callisto, I tormented Hera with my infidelity. I never failed at a chance to humiliate my brothers, and I never missed a chance to impose my will upon anyone, sleeping around with queens and princesses in disguises or killing those who opposed my will. And today once again, I am being selfish in what are quite possibly my last moments. Apokolips cannot be stopped from coming to Earth, they can only be delayed. And in these few moments...I wish to know my daughter, to spend these last couple of hours with a child I never came to know, with the one good thing begat by me. Grant me this wish, dear daughter…let me see, let me know the one unquestionably good deed I have done in this long, dark life.”

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“Oh no you don’t,” Harry muttered, creating a shield around Arthur as the King of Atlantis was almost stabbed in his back by his undead predecessor. The trident that Atlan was wielding however simply tore through his shield with little effort, its attack slowed by just a moment. 

But that one moment was enough for Arthur to swerve away, his trident carving through the tentacle that had come for him, chopping through the limb and making the Kraken roar out in pain, “That thing is fucking dead!”

“Not yet!” he shouted back, ducking as Atlan’s spirit turned towards him, trident spinning rapidly with eh sharp prongs aiming to cut and maim him. Gathering his magic in his palm, he thrust them towards the glowing ghost, solidifying the water around it into a giant block of diamond, “We need to defeat him fast. Can’t you command that beast to go away or something?!”

“You think I would not have done so if I could,” Arthur snarked back, rearing up his hand and throwing his trident at yet another tentacle, spearing through it in one go while he caught another with his bare hands, struggling to stop the giant limb in its tracks. “It's dead! Like Atlan! Its heart is not beating, and I have already speared its brain a dozen times, but short of destroying it entirely, I don’t know what will work! It's regenerating every cut, every stab upon it within minutes!”

“Handle your grandpa then, and don’t make me save you again!”

“Who told you to come?!” Arthur shouted back, making way for Atlan as the ancient King of Atlantis ripped out of the diamond prison, his trident cutting through the stone like it was naught but wet paper, only to be met by the blonde in a stalemate. “If I find out that Orm is behind this, I will rip him a new one I swear!”

“Who’s that?” Harry asked, shooting backward through the waters, launching blasting curses one after another at the giant Kraken, forcing its attention towards him, as he once again destroyed the regenerating eye.

“Destroy that Kraken, and we can discuss that over a beer!”

“Works,” he laughed, swimming up like a torpedo and staring down at the Kraken, before he forced away the smile on his face. Cutting, blasting, and chopping off its limbs had not worked so far, and even the magical trident of Neptune had been unable to kill it, despite spearing its brain multiple times. Its heart was already dead, and neither its blood was targetable. But yet, despite all that, it was regenerating, owing to the…necromantic magic that had re-animated the creature.

And he had a couple of things up his sleeve to destroy that magic itself.

Exerting his power, Harry grunted, grabbing hold of every drop of water around the Kraken with his magic, feeling his energy drain out like a broken faucet instantly, leaving him gasping for breath. Extending a hand towards the pair fighting below him, ne narrowed his eyes and sent an overpowered banisher at Atlan, sending enough energy in that spell to send the undead King down into the abyss at Mach fuck. Though, at the rate he was losing his power, he could continue this for barely a minute, but yet, that was all the time he needed. “Arthur, give me a push!” he shouted, grunting as he dragged the Kraken upwards, forcing it through millions of tons of water, and he almost fainted under the sudden strain he was put under. Nothing had tested his magical powers like this, not even repairing Themiscyra had taken such a toll on him, as pushing a humongous monster through a literal ocean pressing down on it did.

Thankfully, it seemed Arthur heard his call, a moment later, the load upon his energy decreased massively, and he glanced down for a moment, finding Arthur with his trident raised towards him, massive amounts of magic flowing through the weapon into the water around them. Giving him a nod, Harry turned his eyes upwards at the surface, breaching through the speed of a nuclear submarine within moments, and then reaching well beyond that too as he exerted his full power, literally dragging the Kraken kicking and screaming towards the surface.

Roaring as he dragged up every inch of his power, Harry almost flagged down under the pain that shot through his brain as he reached up a hand towards the surface, his other fisted together to maintain his hold upon the struggling creature. And then, with a sonic boom that shook the very ocean around them, Hary shot through the remaining water between them, his every limb, every cell burning with the overuse of his power, and the exhaustion eating away at his brain.

One moment, he was screaming his head off, just to alleviate some of the mind-numbing fire burning through his body as he pulled and pulled on the well of power within his soul…and then next, he broke through the ocean. Transitioning from dense water to air, Harry had never known a relief so comforting, so intense as he did at that moment, the drag force on him and his quarry turning almost negligible by comparison. His Kryptonian biology went to work instantly, healing his aches and refilling his cells with energy within moments as he carried himself and the Kraken upwards still, soaking in the Sun’s radiation and feeling its warmth fill him up.

A part of his mind was still…unable to comprehend how Zod had merged him with Kryptonian cells so seamlessly, that it couldn’t even be seen where one ended and the other began. Sunlight recharged his magic the same way it did for his biological cells, and his magic was similarly made more powerful like his body with the inclusion of Kryptonian DNA. and then there were the stories Kara told, of the mighty Kryptonian race, as strong in their military might, as they were in Sciences…and not for the first time, Harry wondered that just why the Kryptonians returned to their home planet, abandoning other systems and outposts, as well as the very successful conquest they had going for them.

A screeching, warbling shrike broke him out of his thoughts, and Harry glared down at the wildly bucking Kraken. Right, he needed to destroy this stupid squid, didn’t he?  Apparating below the squid and letting his telekinesis drop at the same moment, he stared up at the falling Kraken, its whole body casting a vast shadow upon the ocean, limbs whipping around in the air and beak clicking desperately as it tried to find purchase in the air.

“Fiendfyre”
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Things were not going well for him, a fact that Bruce hated to admit, but he had long since learned to cope with his hatred of things. Usually, that fact made him train harder, learn better, and strike truer at the filth contaminating Gotham’s streets. But today, it seemed that formula would not work for him.

“MARRIED ON WEDNESDAY!”

Bruce had seen a lot in his life as a vigilante. All manners of drugs under the Sun, and some that worked under the Moon only. He had got his back broken by Bane, only to rise back up. He had learned at the feet of Ra’s Al Ghul, only to thwart the man’s plans for Gotham. Hell, lately he had even tangled with aliens and magical beings capable of wiping out entire countries on their own. But yet, all of that couldn’t have prepared him for the sight of a pasty white, abnormally large, weed-covered stinking, undead swamp monster.

A flaming wreck of a car came at him, flying unimpeded through the air, and Bruce ducked underneath it by leaning sideways—keeping his eyes upon Solomon Grundy.

Why the most probably magical mutant was reciting a nursery rhyme was anyone's guess.

Moving away from the meaty hand that came to grab him by his head, he stabbed an explosive batarang into it. Baking away swiftly, he threw an ultrasound emitter right at Grundy’s face, before detonating both at once. But he knew enough by now of the monster before him, that the rage that came from the smoke cloud was not of pain, but frustration.

He would know, he felt like letting one out himself.

“TOOK ILL ON THURSDAY!”

Yeah. He breathed out slowly, as Grundy shouted through paralytic gas he had prepared specifically for superhuman encounters, and another car was thrown at him. Dashing away from it, he thought about all that he had gleaned in the past ten minutes he had been playing cat and mouse with the swamp monster.

Blunt force wasn't an option for him.

Neither did he have some special abilities beyond his brain and his gadgets. And Grundy was a superpowered, regenerating, raging child.

He was at a heavy disadvantage in every scope of this battle. And like any disadvantaged organism, he needed to use his environment. “Alfred, the bank by us, is it empty?”

“Let me see…ah yes. It is empty, though you would owe Miss Lorentz a bottle of some wine.”

“Hn” he grunted back, running through the already open doors, feeling and hearing Grundy follow after him, his heavy stomps shaking the ground with each step. Walking towards the vault room, Bruce threw every paralytic and sound-based explosive at the floor behind him, aiming to stagger the giant for as much time as he could get. Slapping a disc upon the keypad outside the vault, he took a glance at the haphazardly opened and emptied boxes on the floor, before his eyes flicked to the camera in the corner, “Alfred?”

“Systems subverted Master Bruce,” his ever-faithful butler and friend replied with a chuckle, “Your friend is almost there, and I have the security footage."

Turning around to see yet another cloud of Arsenic and Carbon Monoxide laced gas erupt at the end of the corridor, Bruce walked backwards, shooting at the entrance of the vault. 

“GREW WORSE ON FRIDAY!” Grundy roared, spreading his hands as he spotted him, and took off in a sprint, plaster and loose ceiling falling from the force of his stomps. Sterling himself, Bruce tapped a button on his vambrace, signaling Alfred to close the vault remotely, and he watched Grundy pass through the gap just as the heavy steel gate began to swerve close. The giant paused for a moment, seeming a little confused by the items at his feet before his eyes once again turned towards Bruce, primal rage shining in them.

“DIED ON SATURDAY!”

Jumping over a chair as a hand smacked into the space he had just been standing, Bruce activated the cable. Shooting past a bewildered Grundy, he exited the vault just in the nic—Fuck.

He had underestimated Grundy's reflexes, Bruce realized with grim horror, even as he jabbed a shrapnel explosive into the hand holding his cape and dangling him over the floor. As he felt the steel shards pepper his suit, Grundy let out a roar of pain and rage, dropping him to the floor. Bruce rolled forward and turned around, watching a drop of thick brown blood fall on the floor, before he looked up at the hand…simply crushing the vault door open.

Twenty-four inches of military-grade steel was just being crumpled like a soda can before his eyes, and Bruce rapidly came to a conclusion.

This fight was just disadvantaged…it was just the worst possible matchup. He needed an equalizer, fast, he thought as he backed away from Grundy’s swiping hands.

Just as it seemed that his back was against a literal corner, a sonic boom shook the whole building, and twin beams of red energy shot through the roof right into Grundy's chest.