Post by DiscipleofBob on Oct 9, 2015 22:47:46 GMT -5
Justice League #2
War of Krypton
War of Krypton
By DiscipleofBob
Previously on Justice League...
General Zod declared war on Earth, demanding total subjugation in response to a deadly biological weapon pre-emptively launched by ARGUS. With an army of soldiers, each as powerful as Superman, they seem unstoppable. Lex Luthor in his modified power suit leads into battle ARGUS's secret anti-Superman force, an army of mindless Bizarro clones and Metallo robots. War seems inevitable. The magician and apprentice of Fate, Zatanna Zatarra, dons the Helmet of Fate against her master's wishes, and in a surge of nearly uncontrollable power, summons the greatest heroes of Earth: Aquaman, Batman, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman to the Arctic where the two armies ready for a bloody battle that will determine the fate of the world...
-- J L --
[Arctic Tundra, Between ARGUS Base Camp and Zod's Dreadnought]
Even for four individuals with as colorful a history as them, being teleported across the world by a being claiming to represent Fate was still a first. "Who are you all? What's going on here? Are you in league with this woman?" Aquaman demanded as he pointed his trident at the unconscious woman between them. For years, he'd been adjusting from the life of a normal, albeit telepathic teenager to the son of an oceanic god and eventually becoming the monarch of an underwater civilization. To a man capable of summoning his Atlantean people and all sea life under his domain at will, being forcefully summoned himself put the ruler on edge.
Wonder Woman quickly interposed herself in his way, trying to gently nudge the trident away while speaking calmly yet firmly, "Peace. I was brought here without a say in the matter as well. It is my understanding we all were."
"Then who is she to summon us?" Aquaman returned.
"Her name is Zatanna," the emerald archer spoke, immediately regretting it when he drew glares from the other three. "Hey, look, don't get the wrong idea. I didn't to ask to be brought here either, but I've met her before. She works for someone who calls himself Dr. Fate, some big hotshot wizard-type pain in the ass. Of course it's usually a guy in the helmet, so this is new even for her."
"Then she has even more to explain. Is she a thief as well as a kidnapper?" Aquaman replied.
"I'd be more concerned with them," said the, until now, silent Batman, motioning to the skies where on either side, flying armies gathered in formations. They all stopped some distance away, hovering in midair.
"What exactly are we dealing with?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Kryptonians. Hundreds of them," said Green Arrow ominously, once again drawing expectant looks from the other three.
Aquaman's trident found a new target to point at. "You seem to know an awful lot about our situation for someone who was just teleported here with the rest of us."
"Oh, come on, don't you watch the news?!" Green Arrow asked, to the response of three silent, expectant heroes. "Okay, Captain Ahab and Xena I can understand, but you, Bats?"
"I only know the basics. I can only assume something else happened while I was busy busting Scarecrow. Why don't you fill us in? Then we'll decide what to do."
Aquaman scoffed. "I'm a king. Don't assume I'll be following anyone's orders."
Wonder Woman interceded, "We will all decide how to act, once we know everything. If this young woman's words were true, Fate summoned us all here for a reason. We might be the only ones capable of making a difference." Reluctantly, the Atlantean nodded and rested his trident for the time being. "Now, Green Archer, please proceed."
Green Arrow glared but didn't bother correcting him, taking a deep breath, shivering as he did so. He was the only one without some kind of superhuman endurance or a full bodysuit capable of taking on Mr. Freeze, so he tried to look tough as he explained, "All right, I assume you all at least know of Superman?"
-- J L --
[ARGUS Base Camp]
Lex Luthor commanded his armies to stop in formation, hovering in midair to form a blockade. Various radar systems confirmed the Kryptonians were still aboard their destroyed ship, scrambling to recover. Now would have been the perfect time to strike, but a bright flash of light appeared in the middle of the tundra, depositing a few individuals in the center of the battlefield.
"What is it, a Kryptonian weapon?" Amanda Waller's voice again buzzed in his ear like the annoyance she was. This was going to be Lex's shining moment, and while Amanda was a necessity to keep the troops in line and the politicians off his back, her incessant complaints made Luthor feel a twinge of compassion for all his past chauffeurs and the backseat driving he had sometimes inflicted on them.
"Not unless Kryptonians have taken a liking to Egyptian Ankhs. It'd make a lot of UFOlogist crackpots very happy, but I doubt it."
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"I don't like wild cards," Lex said calmly. "I need to know if they're with us or them. Besides, we only have a vague idea of how much damage General Lane's stunt actually did. Until our scans give more information, I don't want to march my entire army into a situation that favors the enemy."
Amanda reluctantly sighed. As much as she tried to keep this operation under control, the most she was able to do was keep General Lane behind. After what he just pulled, Amanda made sure the 'bodyguards' she assigned had specific orders to keep him away from anything else he could cause trouble with. Instead, she had to deal with Lex Luthor, who had everything they could possibly throw at the Kryptonians under his command, literally at the push of a button. He got the first look at any scans or other information the tech brought in. All of Amanda's troops were mostly there to help set up the camp in the first place. Lex was the one calling all the shots.
"They're splitting up. Two are going to Zod's ship and the rest are on their way here," Lex read the data from his machines aloud, smiling as he confirmed their identities. "Why don't you send someone to go meet the 'dark knight' and 'emerald archer'? Save them a bit of a walk."
-- J L --
[Arctic Tundra]
"How am I the only one who looks like he's freezing his fingers off?! It's got to be, like, a billion degrees below zero!" Green Arrow said as he trudged through the snow, the unconscious magician draped over his shoulders.
Batman took point, checking around every corner with paranoia, and routinely glancing back to both floating armies for any sign of change. "My suit's insulated against temperatures of either extremes. And I'm sure Wonder Woman and Aquaman both have enough natural resistance that this weather isn't a problem for them. I'm surprised you haven't taken similar precautions with your equipment."
"Last I checked, the weather in Star City was a balmy 65 degrees. Sleeves reduce my nocking time by a few milliseconds, and I hadn't been planning on teleporting to the North Pole!" Green Arrow complained. The snark was a defense mechanism, and Batman knew it. As long as Green Arrow had the presence of mind to make jokes, he wouldn't be focusing on the frostbite nipping at his exposed arms. It was also one of the reasons why Green Arrow was the one to carry Zatanna, so they could share at least some body heat. That, and Batman couldn't very well carry someone and effectively scout the path ahead. The few batarangs in his belt were less effective at long-range than Arrow's namesakes. "I hope you know what you're doing."
The two had gotten out of the exposure of the arctic plain as soon as possible and were quickly carving a path through the frozen mountains towards ARGUS's base camp. "At this point, without any of my usual support, we have to make this up as we go along. First thing's first: we need to get to ARGUS for intel and supplies. Not to mention Zatanna needs medical assistance."
"So why did we send the two people who regard bullets as minor nuisances in the other direction?" Green Arrow asked. "Not only could we be there by now with Wonder Woman's speed, but I doubt ARGUS will just give us what we ask for."
"It's not ARGUS's bullets that I'm worried about. This whole thing's a powder keg ready to blow at any minute. Even if it's a long shot, we should try settling this with diplomacy before Lex and Zod have a chance to go at it and catch the rest of the planet in the crossfire. And if there's one thing that's going to immediately set Lex and ARGUS off, it's people with powers showing up and telling them to stand down."
"You don't sound convinced they'll succeed any better with Zod," Green Arrow said hesitantly.
"They won't," said Batman matter-of-factly. "But every second Aquaman and Wonder Woman can buy us gives us that much more of a chance to find a different way of settling this." Batman suddenly picked up the growing sound of industrial engines and tires crunching through the snow. "Hold right there! I'm going to make sure it's safe." Batman carefully pressed his way forward, but hiding in the snow like this without proper camouflage would be difficult if not impossible. He was in a hurry too, with the possibility of his allies freezing to death in the back of his mind.
He found a small ARGUS truck plowing through the snow towards them, slowly stopping in front of them as Batman stepped out of the icy cover, draped completely in his cape for maximum effect. Four ARGUS troops quickly deployed and flanked him, but not getting too close.
"Batman! Green Arrow! We are here to take you in!" one of the soldiers yelled out.
"Rescuing us or taking us prisoner?" Batman asked deadpan.
"Does it make a difference?" the soldier said coldly, but Batman could hear undertones of fear in his voice as well.
"It does," Batman explained. "One means we come in peaceably, under our terms. The other means we come in under our terms, and you walk back on foot, if you can still walk at all."
"You think you alone can take four armed soldiers?" He was trying to save face, but the fear was stronger. Batman could see it.
"You're obviously familiar with my work. You think I can't?" Batman let the soldier's eyes make contact with his steel glare.
Moments so tense they seemed like eternities passed and the soldier motioned to the other men under his command. "Make some room for him. Radio base camp. Let them know we're bringing in visitors."
"Wise choice," said Batman before motioning to Green Arrow's hiding spot. The green archer, with the magician strapped over his shoulders cautiously left cover. The soldiers still had their weapons, but they didn't dare to point them in any direction near the heroes.
Two soldiers rushed forward to relieve Green Arrow of some of the burden. He graciously accepted, until one soldier's hand drew dangerously close to the hero's face. Arrow grabbed the soldier's wrist, showing he still had his reflexes despite the cold. "I don't think that present has your name on it," Green Arrow shot the soldier his own glare before warning, "The masks stay on. Part of our terms." The soldier quickly complied as the heroes piled into the back of the truck and were driven back to ARGUS's base camp.
-- J L --
[ARGUS Base Camp]
Hundreds of digital screens filled Lex Luthor's vision, holographically cascading without impeding his natural vision. Not just of his army, but without informing Waller, he'd also tapped into ARGUS's electronic surveillance as well. He could see most of the base camp without turning and looking. He watched the ARGUS troops perform their patrols, but otherwise find ways to calm nerves. They probably felt useless next to the super-armies amassing in the distance. He watched as Amanda Waller fielded call after call, negotiating with her superiors, working damage control, and no doubt trying to find other ways to undermine Luthor. He watched as the truck returned with three more people, as the archer ran off with a medical team to get the young woman to the infirmary, and as the Batman... somehow managed to slip out of his view.
Luthor noted the apparent blind spots in ARGUS's security, but showed no surprise when Batman's silhouette appeared seemingly out of nowhere just 30 feet from Luthor's position.
"Well if it isn't the world's greatest detective," Luthor said smugly. "Aren't you out of your jurisdiction, detective?"
The Dark Knight didn't mince words. "What do you think you're doing, Luthor?!"
The mogul smirked as he motioned to the consoles before him and his army in the distance. "Saving the world. Stick around. You can watch."
"By starting a war?!"
"By finishing it," Luthor replied. "You really think this Zod, who refers to himself as General, who shows up at our planet with an army easily capable of wiping out the majority of Earth's nations with their bare hands, was ever planning on immigrating peacefully? Or that if politely asked, they would just leave? This was an invasion from the start! General Lane may have moved my timetable up sooner than I would have liked, but this course of action was inevitable."
General Lane was responsible. Of course. With only the knowledge of events before today, all Batman had to go on to piece together events were Green Arrow's hasty summation of Zod's speech. Lane pulled the trigger on whatever super weapon attacked Zod's ship, and with the death of a family member, Zod would stop at nothing for revenge. Batman knew that all too well. "You think your clones and robots can stop an army of supermen?"
"We'll find out soon enough, won't we? After all, that's what they were designed for: to fight fire with fire."
"You didn't make them in response to Zod's 'invasion.' You've been growing your own army for years."
"Of course," Luthor admitted proudly. "We live in an age of costumed vigilantes and flying aliens in our major cities. People that our conventional military tactics and armaments can't even touch. Our defenses must evolve. Otherwise we become reliant on people who hide their true identities and answer to no earthly authority."
"These aren't even for the military. These are your personal projects. Your own private army of mindless drones, each as strong as Superman."
"And let these masterpieces of technology and genetic engineering get wasted by bureaucrats and elected officials? I've dealt with the military industrial complex to know that it takes one strong will to effectively wield power, not a democracy of senile old politicians."
"Thinking you know better than the rest of the world's leaders is how dictators come into power," Batman accused.
"Let's not talk about something as dirty as politics," Luthor retorted. "Instead, let's talk about how and why you and your merry band of super friends are here."
"We're here to try and stop the war you seem so eager to start," Batman answered.
"So you've sent the Amazon princess and an underwater barbarian to negotiate with the alien warlord. Or perhaps they're offering to defect their secretive nations and betray the rest of the planet. While you do... what? Try to sabotage our defenses at the source? Was that your plan?" Luthor sneered.
"The only way this ends without a mass slaughter is if both armies stand down, and since we both know you're too much of a war-hungry megalomaniac to stand down, you leave me with little choice," Batman said as with the flick of a wrist he launched three palmed batarangs at Luthor, aiming for what he hoped were weak links in Luthor's armor.
The three projectiles never reached their mark, instead ricocheting off the silver bracelets of one of Luthor's bodyguards, having instantly leaped from her seat at the control panel to protect her employer. Before Batman could react, the other bodyguard had grabbed him in a hold from behind. Though he was well-versed in multiple martial arts, the bodyguard was an expert grappler and had Batman severely outclassed in strength and speed. The dark knight was quickly pinned to the ground.
Luthor laughed triumphantly. "Was that really your big plan? Your big surprise attack was standing in plain sight throwing these little toys? I actually feel bad for almost admiring you. Unlike the privileged gods and monsters who claim to be superheroes, I thought you were one of the precious few to turn to hard work and ingenuity to do what needed to be done. How disappointing to learn you really are just a man dressed as a bat." The brief altercation had drawn the attention of several ARGUS guards who were quickly on the scene. "Take this fool into custody. Make sure to keep several guards on him at all times, and make sure he's not in a cell that's easily hackable or otherwise easy to break out of. You should know from his reputation that this one's crafty. Then find his Robin Hood friend and the street performer and put them in separate cells."
"Is that where you have Superman and Power Girl locked up?!" Batman demanded.
Luthor smirked, "You haven't heard? The almighty Man of Steel is no more, at least according to Zod. I personally wouldn't be surprised if he decided to join his alien brethren along with the so-called Power Girl in the invasion of our planet."
Finally, the last piece of the puzzle. Or at least the last piece that Luthor could provide. Batman needed to know if ARGUS has either Superman or Power Girl in captivity. ARGUS might deny it if they did, but there was no way Luthor would pass up the opportunity to gloat about capturing his long-time foe. Hell, given the chance Luthor would probably lead his army with Superman's head on a pike.
Batman suddenly stopped struggling. Instead, his voice turned perfectly calm and steady, as if he'd forgotten the giant woman pinning him down, or the many heavy firearms trained on his position, or rather as if none of that mattered any more. "There are three things you haven't considered yet, Luthor."
"Oh?" Luthor said with a raised brow and a cocky smile. "Do tell."
"First, this surveillance system? The one you so proudly designed? It has holes. Specifically your deployed vehicles, though I suppose it's difficult to get a live feed at range in treacherous climates. Or maybe ARGUS hasn't gotten around to fitting every vehicle with your systems. Second, I know for a fact that you've never given such abstract concepts as magic a second thought, or even a first. It's too unquantifiable for you. Goes against everything modern science knows, and you're not the type to accept anything without a rational explanation you can grasp."
Luthor was almost certain Batman was just distracting to give himself time to plan an escape. Almost. "And what's third?"
"Third, that surveillance system you're so proud of is probably still telling you my companions haven't left the infirmary." Checking the live feed was as simple as a muscle reflex. According to the feed, Green Arrow was still kneeling by the unconscious magician's side.
"NOW, ZATANNA!" Suddenly the image on Luthor's feed shimmered and vanished, leaving only a few unconscious medics. At the same time, what was previously an empty space shimmered until Green Arrow, carrying a large bundle of ARGUS equipment and clad in a conveniently green arctic jacket, and Zatanna, standing on her own power.
Before Luthor could utter an order or the surprised soldiers could react, Zatanna raised a gloved hand and shouted in an unnaturally echoing voice, "Suoitidepxe Taerter!"
In a pyrotechnic cloud of smoke, all three superheroes disappeared, leaving Luthor's bodyguard grasping at air. Luthor snarled as the three slipped through his fingers not through outsmarting him, at least by his own personal standards, but by some cheap trick, and now sought to undermine the war effort. "EVERYONE TO YOUR STATIONS! NO MORE WAITING! WE ATTACK NOW! THESE INTERLOPERS ARE TO BE TREATED WITH THE SAME HOSTILITY AS THE ENEMY ALIEN FORCES!"
-- J L --
Kryptonian Dreadnought
In his partially destroyed command center, Zod sat in the command chair in contemplative silence. Most of his ship's sensors were non-functioning, but with the multitude of different senses provided by this solar system, they would have been redundant anyway. Adapting completely to such senses was a challenge, for him as well as the rest of his army. For that reason, while the Kryptonians could sense the sudden approach at super speed by two individuals, they didn't react in time to stop them from entering the command center and presenting themselves.
When Wonder Woman touched down on the dreadnought floor, she immediately released her grip on Aquaman's trident, letting him stand on his own. At the same instant, over a dozen Kryptonians hovered into positions around the two, their eyes glowing red with the only armament they needed.
"Wait!" Wonder Woman called out, "We come only to negotiate peace!"
"Peace?! HA!" Zod laughed at the declaration, slowly descending from his throne. "I've seen how your planet defines peace."
"With respect, General, you are quick to judge an entire planet on the actions of one country, or more accurately, one man," Wonder Woman quickly rebutted. "I am Princess Diana of Themyscira. I come with the king of Atlantis to prevent a war."
"You say you come for peace talks and yet you come armed," Zod noted.
"This trident is the regalia of Atlantis. The fact that it holds the power of the god who once wielded it does not make wielding it an act of war," Aquaman explained gruffly. Wonder Woman glanced at the trident herself, questions about it filling her mind, but they would have to wait. "But if you force our hands I will have no choice but to show you just how much power it really holds."
Zod smirked at the boast, but Wonder Woman quickly interjected. "General Zod. Even considering that you and your people have been wronged, there are ways of seeking retribution other than declaring war. Bring your case before Earth's courts. Seek justice, not revenge."
"We're far beyond civilized discourse. Your United States military saw to that when they unleashed their abomination on my people."
"Earth is more than one nation."
"So you say," Zod said with a casual smirk. "Very well, if you or other nations wish to distance yourselves from one nation's treachery, I will offer you a chance for salvation. Swear your allegiance to me and my army! Surrender unconditionally and I may allow your pitiful countries to exist in the new world order I have planned for Earth. Kneel before me, and I will consider sparing your lives," Zod gloated.
Wielding his trident, Aquaman slammed the handle onto the deck, the clang echoing throughout the ship. "I have no intention of surrendering my kingdom to anyone!"
"An Amazon kneels before no man!" Wonder Woman added. While she would have preferred a peaceful solution, threats and insults to her people would not be acceptable.
"And so the true nature of your planet is revealed," Zod sneered. "Regardless of your nation, all of you Earthlings are just as eager for war, and have not yet learned who your betters are."
"If we can't resolve this peacefully, we'll stop you here and now, before you can drag the rest of your people and ours into this pointless war," Wonder Woman said as she stepped forward, unfazed by the surrounding Kryptonian soldiers poised to attack.
Zod laughed. "You think you have any chance of stopping me from commanding my army? I don't need a communicator, a messenger, or even a button to signal my attack. All I need is to whisper one word, and the enhanced senses your solar system so generously provides my army will allow them to hear my command."
A golden light flashed in the distance, all too similar to the one that brought the heroes here in the first place. Zod only smirked. "And I'd guess that means your compatriots were unable to sway the enemy army either. It appears neither you nor your friends are as influential as you think. Kryptonians. Prepare to attack, and send a small squad to where those spies are hiding."
"NO!" Wonder Woman yelled as she nearly charged forward, if not for being cut off by Aquaman's trident.
"Go check on them. You have the speed to reach them. I'll do what I can here," said the Atlantean. It wasn't a command, but a tactic, and both understood it well.
"You can't take him and his army on your own!" Wonder Woman protested.
"The others are more in need of your protection than I. Besides, I want first crack at this so-called general," Aquaman said mockingly as he locked eyes with Zod. Wonder Woman nodded and reluctantly sped off at speeds even the other Kryptonians wouldn't be able to easily keep up with.
"After her!" Zod barked.
"I don't think so!" Aquaman retorted, and before any of the nearby Kryptonians could heed Zod's order and fly out, their minds seemed to explode with pain as Aquaman unleashed his full psychic might on Zod's unsuspecting army. Even Zod himself had to clutch his head in agony. The king of Atlantis knew better than to assume his mental powers would hurt them for long, so he immediately hurled back his trident and hurled it through the air at Zod.
At the last millisecond, Zod grasped the trident by the central fork only an inch from between his eyes. "Fool! You think such tricks will-" Zod never finished his sentence as in the instant he caught the trident, Aquaman leaped in the same trajectory and thrust his elbow into the butt of the trident. Even with superhuman reflexes, Zod could only barely move his head in response. The trident pierced his cheek and left a deep gash.
"Time for me to show you some Atlantean diplomacy!" said Aquaman as he picked his trident back up and readied himself for the counterattack.
With two gloved fingers, Zod wiped the blood from his cheek. "I will remember this wound when I see your people kneel before me!"
"Kneeling doesn't come naturally to a people that lives underwater. And the Atlanteans have but one ruler."
"Then I will teach them to kneel before the severed head of their king!"
-- J L --
Luthor's inputted orders caused the clones and robots to spring to life at the same time as the Kryptonians heard the call to battle from their general. Instantly the front lines charged in midair while artillery in the form of red eye lasers from both sides exploded across the sky like fireworks. Luthor's Metallo bots presented their own challenge with Kryptonite cores to weaken any Kryptonians near them, but Zod's army quickly adapted by attacking from afar or from behind with freeze breath.
Zod's army had the advantage in numbers, and the individuals could react in real time, while Luthor's pawns required input for every movement and attack. Despite this, Luthor's army fought back valiantly in perfect formation as the master tactician was a match even for the lightning fast reflexes of the Kryptonians.
From far in the distance, the occupants of a single news helicopter watched in awe. "Please tell me you're getting all this," Lois asked the cameraman.
"Lady, this thing has enough zoom that we might as well be in the trenches," he replied gruffly.
"But we need to be in the air if we're going to really show this to the world. Keep the camera steady while I get us up. And tell me the second you see our boy from Metropolis," Lois had made a career of pretending to be impartial when things got personal, but while her journalistic instincts needed to catch everything going on, as either way today would change the course of history, privately all she could do was wonder: In all this chaos, where was Superman?
-- J L --
It was a simple spell. Zatanna's best spells were the simple kind. Either that or the unnecessarily showboating, flashy spells that played well to the crowds. It may have seemed contradictory to some, but the whole point of magic was to occasionally fly in the face of magic.
It had been Batman's plan, and Zatanna wondered just how long he'd been implementing it. She'd managed to wake up on a truck headed to an ARGUS camp of undoubtedly angry soldiers, and she had no intention of entertaining the troops. While she pretended to be asleep, with an illusion here, an invisibility spell there, and a minor memory manipulation spell for the soldiers who would have otherwise given them away, Green Arrow was able to move around the camp freely and procure any equipment he could find. Stuff that ARGUS's secret labs had developed for just such a situation, stuff that hopefully would allow normals like Batman and Green Arrow to survive against this kind of hazard.
Of course with no actual safe haven to prep their equipment, they were teleported to a clearing halfway between both enemy camps, with two armies amassing in sight that would more than likely soon be at each other's throats. Only now instead of just being caught in the crossfire, their stint at ARGUS's camp likely made them targets as well.
"It's not going to take either of them long to find us," Green Arrow said nervously. "Please tell me your plan goes further than this."
Batman pulled out a set of bat-themed binoculars, trained on both armies, looking for any signs of either army about to act. "Depends. What did you manage to salvage from ARGUS's armory?"
Green Arrow sighed. "Mostly specialized ammunition clips. Some of it contains enough compressed energy that it might be able to knock a Kryptonian out of the sky. Some of it is glowing green. Pretty sure those contain depleted Kryptonite shells or something similar."
Batman broke from his binoculars and grabbed a few of the casings Green Arrow had taken from the base, immediately taking a few tools from his belt to take them apart. "How are you at jury-rigging arrows in the field?"
"I guess I don't have much choice," Green Arrow said as he got to work as well, augmenting his own arrows while he had the chance.
"Krow Retsaf!" Zatanna yelled, and before Green Arrow could grow indignant at what he initially thought was some obscure insult, his mind started to clear and focus as his and Batman's hands worked with startling efficiency.
"Any chance you could just say something optimistic about all this backwards and wrap this up? Maybe get the fearless leaders to pull their heads out of their asses?" Green Arrow asked.
"It's not as simple as just talking backwards. My magic has limits you know," Zatanna replied.
"Enough juice to get us into trouble, but not to get us out, right?"
Zatanna grimaced. "I needed the helmet of Fate just to get that far, and even then I barely had any control. I was lucky to get who I could."
"Tell me you at least have something for that then!" Green Arrow said urgently as he pointed out four Kryptonians quickly closing in on their position. "We need more time!"
Zatanna started to panic. "I'll do what I can! Derehtaef Snoitcartsid!" the magician yelled as she pointed her wand at the approaching soldiers. A bright kaleidoscope of colors erupted from her seemingly normal stage wand as they morphed into a flock of doves. Flying at surprising speeds they enveloped the Kryptonians. One who tried to keep going missed his mark and crashed into the glacier wall. The other three stopped in midair to try to swat the birds away with surprising difficulty, seeing as they were magical constructs and not just ordinary birds.
Green Arrow was more flabbergasted than impressed. "Doves?! Really?! This is life or death, not a John Woo movie!"
"It's easier when I stick to familiar territory!" Zatanna screamed back, still in a panic.
"We don't have time for this! That won't hold them for long!" Batman warned. "I've got nothing on my belt yet. Arrow?"
Green Arrow wracked his brain trying to remember what he packed before suddenly being transported to the arctic. Glancing back at his quiver and the individual fletching that distinguished each arrow, he saw one chance in an idea born out of last-second desperation. Quickly grabbing one arrow with a single black marking in the fletching, he took aim for the center of the Kryptonian / bird mass. "Cover your ears, this one's noisy!" he warned Batman and Zatanna who quickly complied. "Let's see how all that fancy super hearing handles this!" He fired the arrow. It soared and bounced off the chest of the center Kryptonian, but not before the triggered device in the arrowhead emitted a high-pitched super sonic blast. For Arrow and his allies at a distance, it left their ears ringing. At point-blank range for the Kryptonians, all they could do was screaming in agony before collapsing to the tundra floor, unconscious foaming at the mouth.
Green Arrow couldn't help but smirk at his good fortune. "You think that's bad, you should hear the original."
Before they could celebrate too much, the sonic explosion had caught the attention of a second wave of Kryptonians who quickly replaced their fallen brethren. "I don't have a lot of those!" Green Arrow warned as the Kryptonians' eyes collectively glowed red and prepared to fire.
Before they could decide whether to try and run or just uselessly shield themselves from the attacks, someone instantly moved between them and intercepted the energy blasts, ricocheting all the lasers off her Amazonian bracers and deflecting them back to subdue the attackers. Two were dropped by their own lasers, and Wonder Woman quickly dashed in to attack the last two, smashing their heads together and knocking them unconscious before they could realize what was going on.
"Diplomacy has failed," she declared to the three stuck on the ground as she hovered back down to them. "We need a plan if we're going to stop both sides from escalating this war any further. What's our next course of action?"
"The only course of action for you is to surrender or die!" Wonder Woman and the others quickly turned to see General Zod lowering from on-high, holding by the scruff of his orange and green uniform a bruised and bloodied Aquaman, unconscious from the quick but brutal battle with the general, but somehow barely holding onto the trident with nearly lifeless fingers. "Please, share. What other tricks do you Earthlings have up your sleeves? More illusions and sucker punches? How much further will you humiliate yourselves before you admit defeat to a superior being?!" He tossed the king of Atlantis to the ground like a rag doll, only barely being caught by Wonder Woman.
A distant roar of engines caught the attention first of those with super hearing like Zod, then of the others. "Primitive military jets. How quaint. Is this the next pitiful line of defense Earth has to offer?" Zod shielded his eyes to try and make out the faint shapes arriving in from the cover of the sun.
Batman was the first to realize what was coming. "That's not from anyone on Earth! Everyone take cover!" The heroes dove in different directions as a barrage of high-grade bullets buffeted Zod in the chest. Even with his invulnerability, they had enough collective power to pummel him into the ice. Several missiles exploded in Zod's face as well, and only then did he realize his trouble in seeing the force attacking him was because he was looking at light against light. Specifically green-glowing energy constructs on a kamikaze course flying with the sun at their backs. Three F-22 Raptors converged into a single point and crashed directly onto Zod's position, exploding in a fiery green blast.
The source of the sudden attack, a human in a uniform unfamiliar to anyone who hadn't traveled the depths of space, wreathed in a glowing green aura, kept his distance but lowered himself just enough that his voice could carry, his only weapon the green ring on his fist pointed towards the general.
"I'm Green Lantern of Sector 2814. This is my planet and my jurisdiction you're trying to conquer. Let me show you how a Green Lantern welcomes alien invaders."
To be continued...