Breathless
Written by Unoaranya30
Chapter 9:
The Search
JLA Universe
Smallville
Jonathon and Martha Kent were used to their son's sudden appearances. He constantly tried to impress them by appearing out of nowhere, blurting out some sort of startling hello, and then disappearing to the barn, his bedroom or to the kitchen to raid the refrigerator or the cookie basket.
This early Sunday morning, Martha was making breakfast, and at the same time setting everything up for lunch, in order to save time after church. Jonathon was doing the morning chores.
He was heading back towards the house from the barn. The collar of his heavily insulated jacket was turned up protecting most of his face from the biting wind. His thick, fur lined winter hat came down around his ears and covered the back of his neck. He stepped onto the porch escaping a good portion of the biting December wind. As he did so he felt a strong, warm wind. It was wrong for this kind of month but it brought a smile to his face. "Son. One of these days you are going to give your old man a heart attack."
"Oh, I don't think a six foot two, one hundred and ninety pound, fifty year old farmer has anything to worry about in the heart attack department dad."
Clark x-rayed him just to be sure. His father was the strongest man he knew. He worked tirelessly and without complaint. He had a deep love for working the ground and for the animals they raised. It was a love and skill that he had passed on to Clark. The only things that Clark had noticed he showed more passion for than the farm were his mother and himself.
Jonathon smiled, "You didn't come back last night. What happened?"
"I don't have time to tell you everything right now, but I promise I will as soon as I get a chance. I have to leave real quick again, but just wanted you and mom to know that I'm all right and that I have some new friends. I won't make it to church with you and Mom today because I have to help my new friends with something important. Tell Mom I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you both."
Clark hugged his father and was about to go then he stopped, "Dad?"
"Yes, Son?" Jonathon answered.
Clark stood still for a moment struggling with how to deliver his next question and statement. Finally, with a deep breath, he took the plunge.
"I think the woman we saw on TV yesterday is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I think that I'm in love with her and she wants to have sex with me. But I think that she might have a boyfriend or husband. I'm not sure, but she is really beautiful and she smells nice and she kissed me and she's really strong and she makes me feel weak, and I can't think straight and she's waiting for me up at the Fortress and I want to go see her but I don't know if I should and I don't know what to do?"
Clark stared at his dad waiting for his words of wisdom. He half hoped for his blessing but knew that probably wasn't going to be the case.
Jonathon studied Clark carefully for a moment, with an amused smile and concern in his eyes, before he answered. "Ok, Clark. I'm not gonna argue the "most beautiful woman in the world" bit. I saw her myself. I've no doubt she smells beautiful as well nor am I shocked that she wants to have sex with you. Lots of women want to and many of them have no shame in saying so on live TV."
Jonathon continued, "Now I'm gonna tell you what you already know, only because I can see that you need to hear it, but what you decide to do is your business. Whatever the outcome, you are still my son."
Jonathon had to stop for a moment. For a split second he had found himself speaking to a six year old boy. His eyes misted slightly at the memory. It seemed like it had been just a few weeks ago maybe days, and now his little six year old towered over and nearly dwarfed him in size. And yet the sweet, gentle, inquisitive, obedient little boy that had followed him all over the farm and hung on his every word was still plainly visible to him.
He focused once more on the man that his little boy had become. "Clark. I understand your frustration. You are twenty-three and you've never had a special someone, well except for Lana. But kissing and having sex are very different."
"Dad! I know that!" Clark blushed deeply.
Jonathon cleared his throat and shifted his gaze down to the ground for a moment, "Right. Right. Yes, of course you do. Sorry." Jonathon began again, "If she is married then she is not for you. If she is not, then I would suggest you get to know her a little bit before you take the next step. Bring her over for dinner. Whatever you do make sure you treat her like a lady."
"You especially remember that last part!" Martha came out to stand next to Jonathon.
Clark smiled and kissed his mother on the cheek, "I promise, Mom. If I can make it back later I will."
Clark disappeared into the sky heading north.
Syndicate Universe
Ivy Town
Woods outside of the University
Owlman moved slowly over the snow. He was having difficulty tracking Protex, but he was wounded and weak enough that he left some drops of human blood in the snow and in a few places it looked as if he had dragged himself.
He was at the edge of the woods now. He felt the whoosh behind him and knew that Ultraman stood there. There was precious little he could do if Ultraman decided to kill him but he assumed that this wasn't the case at the moment.
"So, if you aren't here to kill me then what do you want?" he asked coldly.
"I want to know the whereabouts of my wife. If you have her..."
"I don't have her," Owlman interrupted angrily, "But I do know where she is. Your friend Protex had her and was about to try and do his breeding thing with her when I showed up and interrupted his fun. He escaped by teleporting the two of them into some other dimension."
"What!" Ultraman was shaking with anger. He moved until he stood face to face with the slightly shorter Ultraman. His eyes glowed red. "Where exactly is this other dimension?"
Owlman stared coldly back, "I don't know, but I believe that Protex and Ray sent me there yesterday as well as Di-ana, at different times. I was able to bring Protex back. Whatever or whoever he ran into over there almost killed him."
Owlman kept Ultraman's twin to himself, "When Protex showed back up he was engulfed in flames. I tried to finish him off but he escaped. I know he's out here somewhere in the woods. If you help me we should be able to find him in seconds."
Ultraman's eyes returned to their normal dark blue, "Very well. I will help you."
The two turned their attentions back to the search. Owlman moved forward slowly watching the ground, flame thrower ready. Ultraman used his x-ray vision, his sense of smell and his ears to try and locate the white Martian.
Another Dimension
Fourth World
Apokolips
The heavy door that sealed the war laboratory and the command center slid open. A tall, dark, powerfully built man, clothed in animal skins and armor entered the room. His eyes were dark, cold, cruel and dangerous. He was perhaps the second most feared being in this oppressive dimension. He was considered a brilliant military tactician and again he was second only to the Dark ruler of the miserable planet and dimension they were in.
A smaller man cloaked in a purple, hooded robe and a cybernetic humanoid looking creature turned from the screaming and broken forms of their latest test subjects and immediately stood still.
The large man stared at them for a moment then asked in a voice dripping with impatience, "What kind of success are we having with the Daxamite slaves, the animates that were created here in the lab and with my sea pet, in the assault against the Thangarians?"
The smaller man cloaked in purple tried redirecting his attention. "We are not sure but come look at how little pain these no good Daxamites can endure. We seem to be getting weaker and weaker specimens.
The cybernetic humanoid placed a pellet into the mouth of each of the screaming Daxamite slaves. Slowly the screams of despair and terror died down. All that was left was a look of madness. Both began to convulse and after a minute both exhaled for the last time.
When the cybernetic humanoid turned back around, he found a long blade inches from his body. The man in purple cowered on the floor.
"I demand an answer. The Dark One will not miss either of you." The large man held the blade ready to strike.
"The invasion of Thanagar has failed, great Steppenwolf. Virman Vundabar had to retreat but he managed to send the Daxamite slaves, the animate creatures and your sea monster to a planet called earth. Only seven of the original twenty one ships made it. A Thangarian vessel pursued and destroyed the other fourteen in space. We had some Khund spies aboard the ship and were able to destroy most of the crew.
"How many of the animates were able to send us information about this planet earth?" Steppenwolf asked Desaad.
"They were all able to send us information, but only briefly. Each one was destroyed by some kind of super powered being. I believe the master would be very interested in studying the inhabitants of this planet.
"So the animates have all been destroyed by super beings? What of my pet and of the remaining Daxamite slaves?" Steppenwolf asked very interested.
"Three of the seven are now dead. Two were defeated in hand to hand combat. One of these actually gave information to the enemy about us before we killed him. The third died before we could release him. It appears that the planet has a high content of the element lead. Apparently the waters surrounding the ship had a high concentration of it," Desaad informed him reluctantly.
"And what of the other four?" Steppenwolf asked coldly. He was holding his sword as if he were about to run one of them through.
Desaad cowered before him secretly plotting his revenge, "The two that accompanied your pet have just been released and are in pursuit of him and his pursuers…"
"There is something or someone pursuing my pet!" Steppenwolf echoed menacingly.
"All have met resistance, master Steppenwolf," Desaad pointed out. "The one that accompanied the yellow animate is mingling among the local vermin and the one accompanied the rock like animate is even now entering the closest town to where they landed."
Steppenwolf seemed to relax for a moment, "Very well. We will keep a close eye on the remaining four. When they engage the enemy inform myself and lord Darkseid."
"It shall be as you command," Desaad hissed.
Dr. Bedlam just nodded his host's cybernetic head.
Steppenwolf replaced his long sword in its scabbard, turned and left. He had just returned from another successful Daxamite raid. Now there were three hundred more of the amazingly powerful worms for them to mind wipe and control. Some of the females they had placed into training to become Furies and some had been set aside to be the plaything of the dark lord and the elite, not that the Furies would be safe from any of the elite should any one of them desire one.
Steppenwolf was the most powerful of the elite, and so had his choice of whatever woman or women he wished at any given time. The only elite close to him in power and clout were the Dark Lord's sons.
Kalibak was perhaps just as powerful physically as he and well trained in hand to hand combat, but he did not have the cunning mind of his uncle or his younger brother.
Grayven was currently, the youngest son of Darkseid. He was gray skinned like his father and he also had the power of the omega effect. Although he did not have the same control his father had. He had nearly as many conquests and victories as his uncle when it came to military forays and raids. And like his uncle and older brother he had an enormous appetite for the females of most of the planets they had so far encountered and enslaved as well as the females of their own home, Apokolips.
Steppenwolf had been trying unsuccessfully to win the lead female Fury to his bed for months now. Big Barda had, so far, refused his every advance. Today, he was determined to take her to his bed by whatever means necessary. With a snarl on his face he headed down to the Granny Goodness's training facility for the Furies to find his quarry.
Not far from Granny Goodness's Orphanage
"I'm leaving tonight. You have to come with me. Neither of us is safe here anymore. Not as long as general Steppenwolf is hunting you," Scott Free pleaded with Big Barda.
Scott had escaped from one of Granny Goodness's many torture chambers for what seemed like the thousandth time. He had absolutely no intention of being recaptured on this occasion.
"Where would we go where they cannot find us?" Barda asked. She was just as desperate to escape now. She feared for her own safety. None who drew the attention of the Dark Lord, his uncle or his sons ever escaped their cruel hands for long. As leader of the female Furies she had some special privileges and even some privacy, but lately she had become the focus of Steppenwolf. As powerful as she was she knew she would not be a match for him in combat and she had heard of and seen the horrors that he was capable of.
Not only was she in serious danger now, but Scott's very life was at stake. Granny was more than willing to kill him given the chance. Barda had just learned to love and she was not willing to see him suffer anymore.
"I know of a planet where there are beings capable to defeating Darkseid's clones and slaves. I heard Desaad speaking of it to Granny yesterday while they had me strapped to one of her racks." His mother box had released him from his bonds and he had slipped out under their noses. Nothing infuriated Granny more than an unbreakable spirit especially in one of such import, the son of Highfather, the mortal enemy of her master.
Scott looked into Barda's eyes pleading with her to accept his offer and leave with him. Scott was not a small man by any means. On earth he would be considered tall at six foot one. He was also gifted with extraordinary strength, being the son of Highfather and a new god. As tall as he was, he still had to look up, to look into the beautiful, dark eyes of his newly discovered love, Big Barda.
Big Barda, as her name implied, was very tall. At six foot seven, she was the tallest of the Female Furies. She was also their fiercest warrior and best hand to hand combatant and she was gifted with great strength. She was strikingly beautiful with her long, thick, black hair and her athletic and slender body.
She had personally recaptured Scott several times for Granny. She wasn't sure when it had happened but slowly she began to admire the man who could not be broken by the two experts in the field, Granny and Desaad.
Big Barda had seen all kinds of beings from across space and from other dimensions break under the cruel and wicked games and the unspeakable tortures that Granny and Desaad so eagerly put their victims to. She had been no different. She had also been tortured and brainwashed and broken by them.
Scott had changed all of that. His unbelievable strength of will and his stubborn refusal to give in had at first intrigued her. Then slowly she had developed an admiration for him. One day when she had tracked him down alone, he had surprised her by surrendering without a fight and with a mischievous smile on his face had kissed her full on the lips.
She had frozen in place for a moment, then remembering herself, she had pushed him away only to grasp his shirt and pull him back for another, deeper kiss. They had in fact spent the next hour kissing and now every time Scot escaped she would find him and they would spend the next several hours kissing.
Today was such a day. Barda did not want it to end. She was scared to leave the only life she knew, but now that Scot had freed her mind she knew she would go mad if she did not escape as well. She smiled, there were few if any happy endings on Apokolips. She had made up her mind. "I will go with you wherever you wish to go and I will die fighting before I let them again take you or me prisoner."
Scott grinned back at her, "Well, I have no intention of letting anyone kill you or me. I want to live with you for a very long time."
Having made their decision to escape together, they lost themselves in another deep kiss. As they kissed themselves breathless a shadow fell over them. They separated quickly turning to face the danger and froze as they saw Steppenwolf standing before them.
JLA Universe
The Jet
En Route to Gotham
It was a cold, grey morning. The sun hid itself behind a mass of impenetrably dark clouds. It helped a little but not much. Bruce did not relish being out as Batman in the day. The light just killed so much of the mystery and terror that surrounded his carefully cultivated image. He would have to do everything in his power to end this encounter quickly so that the Batman could vanish.
"So, let me see if I get this straight. This being that we are going to try and capture is maybe as strong and fast as Superman?" Black Canary asked. Her apprehension at coming face to face with such a foe was plain on the unmasked portion of her lovely face.
Batman's mind returned to his immediate surroundings. He looked at the Black Canary and Alfred. Both looked a bit worried. "This being isn't quite Superman's equal from what I've gathered so far, but yes, it is close. Don't worry. We know what its weakness is and we are not facing it alone." As he finished his last sentence he was already bringing the jet to a hover over the docks where they had fought the strange creature the evening before.
Hitting a switch, Batman released a probe into the cold, dark and polluted waters of the harbor. Within seconds it was transmitting images to a screen in front of Batman. The remains of the vessel of the creature they had fought were plainly visible. There was no movement but that did not mean that there was nothing inside or that the being had not already left the ship.
Batman unbuckled himself and stood up, moving back to a wall panel. He touched it and it slid back revealing a wet suit, a scuba diving tank, a powerful underwater light as well as a powerful and wicked looking spear gun, along with a number of other underwater devices and weapons.
"Sir. Do you not think it would be wise to wait for your friend Superman to arrive before you go jumping into that awful puddle to face a foe that outmatches you in every way imaginable except for a recently discovered weakness?" Alfred asked hoping to prevail with his logic but knowing that his young master would not be swayed easily once his mind was made up to do a thing.
"I completely agree with your Da…um, I mean Alfred. But if you still want to change your clothes in front of me, then by all means, go ahead." Black Canary smiled as she saw Batman stiffen. It was obvious that he had not thought this one through.
Just as Batman decided that he would indeed change in front of Alfred and the Canary, Superman's voice came over their com-links. "OK. I'm here. I'll dive in Batman. No need for two of us to have to change our pajamas."
Alfred gave a sigh of relief upon hearing Superman's voice.
Black Canary went into a fit of giggles at his comment.
"Fine. But before you dive in I want you to come onboard. There is something I want to give you," Batman conceded, opening the lower hatch.
Superman entered the jet with a friendly smile. He walked straight over to Alfred and shook his hand. When he turned to Dinah, she jumped up, gave him a hug and whispered in his ear, "I think he wanted to try and catch the bad guy all by himself and be done before you showed up."
Superman grinned down at her, winked and rolled his eyes.
Batman cleared his throat, "I am standing right here. If you two are done hugging and whispering there is something I would like you to take down to the ship."
Superman and Black Canary separated grinning. Batman handed Superman an underwater camera. "I need you to film everything you see inside the ship for me if there is no danger or threat to you once you're inside. If you need assistance just tap your com-link once and I'll be right down."
Superman took the camera, "Ok. Film everything I see. If I need help, tap com-link once. Got it. Hopefully I'll see everybody in a sec."
Superman dropped out of the jet and into the murky, dark waters. He wasn't sure how long he could hold his breath under water. He had never really pushed himself to see what his limit was but he remembered holding for over a half hour once, back when he was in middle school. He hadn't been the least bit out of breath when he had become bored and surfaced. He was certain that he would be able to hold it longer now.
He took a moment to adjust his eyesight to the murky, fluid darkness that surrounded him. He could see and hear the probe that Batman had dropped into the water as it pinged away reading, recording and transmitting information to its creator. Down at the bottom of the harbor laid the mangled remains of the alien vessel. He approached it warily.
Scanning it, he could see an unmoving corpse trapped inside. He ripped off the door and entered, keeping his eyes on the corpse the whole time. Concentrating, Superman closed his eyes and began to filter out all of the background sounds of the harbor, ships, and boat's and of the humming and pinging of the probe. There was a distinct hum coming from the ship. It seemed to be coming from all around him but they were stronger around the body of the dead alien.
Drawing closer, Superman opened his eyes and scanned the entire ship. There seemed to be a sophisticated life support system connected to the alien as well as a communication system. It seemed that the alien had to be awakened remotely. There was a sudden increase in the intensity of the humming from the ship as he approached the corpse. Without warning several beams of light shot out from the walls tracking over his body. Then just as suddenly they stopped and the whole vessel seemed to go silent. It was almost as if he had just witnessed the death of a machine.
On edge and on the defensive, Superman began to film everything he could see of the ship and the body. When he was done he exited the ship and went outside and filmed the outside of the ship as well. Finished with the visible parts of the ship, Superman pulled the ship free of muck that trapped it and continued filming the other side. He stopped, looking curiously at an insignia of a globe with flames coming out of it. This was definitely one of the ships that the Hawkmen had pursued.
Satisfied with his thoroughness, Superman shot back up out of the water and spinning at super speed, dried himself off before getting to close to the jet. Once he was dry he entered the jet again and passed the camera to Batman. "The alien was there but he was dead. The ship, however, seemed to be alive. I think it detected and scanned me. Then it just shut down. If it's ok with you, I'd like to bury the body."
Batman was looking at the video feed intently and nodded his head absently then looked up at Superman thoughtfully, "If you can, bring some of the ship with you when you're done. I want to study the metal and see if it could be used to make weapons to defend ourselves against further attacks. It will save me the trouble of getting my pajamas wet." He said the last with his back turned to his three companions.
Alfred seemed somewhat pleased. There was a relaxed look on his face.
Black Canary scrunched up her face and said, "Eeewww! You're gonna bring parts of a ship that had a wet corpse in it into the jet? You really know how to show a girl a good time!"
Superman seemed to be just as taken aback. "O…OK. How much do you want and where should I put it?"
"There's a hatch underneath the jet where you can put…On second thought, could you transport the whole ship after you bury the body?" Batman asked.
Even Alfred seemed surprised by this.
Black Canary actually seemed the most relaxed now, "So, just so I'm clear about this. We are no longer going to be riding around with some nasty parts of a ship that is full dead alien body germs on our first date?"
Superman looked at Batman curiously, "I can. Where do you want me to transport it to?"
A small smile threatened to appear on Batman's mouth, "Home."