Metropolis
"Do you think he will show up?" Iron man's thrusters and stabilisers made him hover in situ up past the clouds watching numerous live camera feeds streaming around the Superman museum in his HUD.
No one had the patience to continue speaking to him, thus the communication line stayed mute. "It has been over three hours since we started waiting." He grumbled. His cry was met with silence again. On his camera feed he watched Hawkeye, who was in the last tour group move to the last stop of the tour before it closed for the night. Everyone in the museum checked out as far as Iron man could tell because Jarvis had conducted facial recognition scans on everyone.
Hawkeye walked out of the museum and made his way to the hall of justice, something not out of his usual routine. I guess he wasn't serious about his offer. He thought, knowing the lady assassin would have shown up already.
The streets was clearing out as businesses that were not operational for 24 hours were winding down as customers stopped showing up. The renovation following Doomsdays attack was almost complete thus the streets were no longer home for the huge construction equipment lying about everywhere. Police cars were constantly on patrol making sure law and order was upheld and no construction equipment got stolen.
A police car skidded to a halt in front of him and two officers got out of the car each of them holding on to their gun tucked inside the holster. "Stop right there." They commanded pointing at him while cautiously moving towards him. The other pedestrians changed their course while others stopped to see what was happening.
Hawkeye was cool and not tensed at their arrival. He stopped and raised both of his arms up.
"Officers, how may I help you this lovely evening?"
One officer produced two pictures out of his pocket and put one up against his face. "It's him." He confirmed to the other. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. If you don't have an attorney, one will be provided to you by the court." He took his handcuff and directed Hawkeye against the nearest wall.
"What am I being charged with?" He managed to ask as his face was smothered up against the wall.
"Do you know this lady?" he waved the other picture in front of his face.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that I know her."
"You think you're funny, huh?" he retorted then shouted to his partner who was going to open the car door. "We have ourselves a Google lawyer here!"
"My favourite kind of scum." His partner commented as Hawkeye was ushered into the back of the police car head first then handcuffed to the grill acting as a barrier separating the two sides.
The two officers got in and sped away.
Hawkeye could have picked the handcuff's lock but he didn't because he wanted to see what kind of situation this turned out to be, so he leaned back and relaxed into the seat. That was when he noticed the tattoo creeping up on one of the officer's neck. He analysed the car he was in. It is an authentic police car meaning they must have stolen it or are collaborating with the police. He thought.
"What have I done?" he asked them.
"I can neither confirm nor deny what you have done." One of them repeated his words, a satisfied smile gracing his features at his answer. The next moment of silence was broken by one of their phones ringing.
"Yes, sir. The package is on route." He looked at the rear view mirror then at the side mirrors. "I am positive sir." He hung up and pocketed it.
"What did he say?"
"To make sure we are not being followed." They both looked at the side mirrors and the rear view mirror again.
Little did they know that high above the clouds Iron man and the Batjet were following the tracker Batman had shot on that car.
After driving many miles out of town they came to a stop inside an abandoned warehouse. The officers got out of the car, headed for the exit and walked away into the darkness. Hawkeye, suspicious of that, picked the lock and got out.
The lady assassin from his last encounter was leaning up against the opposite wall watching his every move and tapping her ear indicating she was in communication with someone.
They studied each other for a while none taking the initiative to move to the other person. That was when he had a chance to survey where he was. He noticed the warehouse was huge, dilapitated with lots of entry points (broken windows) and was entirely empty. The lady sauntered to him.
"Follow me."
She led him outside, where a convoy of armoured cars were screeching to a halt and heavily armed men in military gear, piled out of the vehicles before spreading out, no doubt creating a secure perimeter around their boss.
"Don't mind them." Black mask emerged from an SUV clad in a black, expensive, three piece suit branding a gun of his own in his right hand.
"You can tell Batman to come down from wherever he is." He gestured up at the sky. "I'm on a clock."
Hawkeye smirked. Of course he knows.
"He'll be down in a second." Hawkeye replied ticked off. "If you needed him, why couldn't you get in touch with him directly? I don't appreciate being used."
"Oh, no... You mis-understood my intentions. Let me spell them out. I was serious about you working for me and I also needed to meet up with him." He pointed to the figure gliding down with some sort of advanced paragliding equipment.
"Tell me how we get back to our own world." Hawkeye demanded stepping forward. "I fulfilled my part of the deal." Some of the armed men nearby removed the safety from their guns and took aim.
"Technically you didn't do squat." He put his hand forward. "Give me the report."
Hawkeye didn't move.
"I thought so." He chuckled signalling for his people to stand down when they noticed batman and took aim at him. "Join me and I will tell you."
Batman touched down and came to stand next to Hawkeye. "I've been looking for you." His gaze never left Black mask.
"I know. You have something I want and I have something you want." Black mask went straight to the point, both not looking whatsoever at Hawkeye.
"Tell me the reason." Batman's voice was stern and conveyed no room for bargaining or deceit.
"Everyone has to report to someone no matter who they are. You have powerful enemies." Was his cryptic answer looking between them. "The report." He put out his hand to the Dark Knight.
Batman popped open one compartment in his utility belt and took out the flash drive. "I need a name."
"You and I both know I can't tell you that. I may be powerful, but I'm not invincible." Black mask stated. He only met up with batman this openly because his code prohibited him from taking a life so in case of anything, his men would ensure he gets out alive. Also his boss ordered him to personally appear for this impromptu meeting, otherwise he could have sent his personal secretary, the assassin.
"Then good luck with her" Batman turned gesturing for Hawkeye to follow. "Who is this her you keep going on about?" he was curious. It was the second time he referenced a her.
Black mask knew Amanda Waller was after him and that did not sit well with him. He had to upgrade his security to a level he never had before but that didn't bother him because he could now afford anything. Case in point all the mercenaries around him clad in heavy military gear. After this meeting his plan was to lay low for maybe a year while his personal assistant took care of his business. He needed to take care of one major thing then he would be set.
"If I am to snitch, I will need more than that report." He offered and the two heroes stopped.
I can't believe this move works everywhere Hawkeye thought as they faced him again.
"I will need assurance your side kick will not come after me or my personal business when he will be all patched up." Black mask knew Nightwings' desire for revenge together with Batman's resources would prove disastrous for him more than Amanda Waller who had restrictions from the government.
"He has every right to kill you." Hawkeye commented. "You are lucky it is not me in his place."
Batman was still pondering. This deal could prove disastrous for everyone involved. He knew Nightwing would for sure seek revenge against Black mask even if he told him otherwise.
On the other hand, he was still in the intensive care unit so it would be a couple of months for him to fully recover enough to resume his vigilante activities. In those few months I will have to take down whoever is responsible and inform Nightwing of it. He thought to himself.
"Deal or No deal." Black mask asked impatient. They had already overstayed their welcome in that particular warehouse. A crime boss doesn't stay for too long in a location unless it is in his territory where he controls everything from the children in schools to the government officials.
"Deal." Batman agreed.
"I knew you were the smart move!" Black mask smiled broadly then produced a flash drive of his own.
Really? So it's all mind games now. They must be having intimate knowledge of their competition. Hawkeye watched them exchange the flash drives and heard a low rumble of the Batjet a few feet up from their position.
Batman fired his grappling hook up at his jet while Hawkeye did the same and they took off.
Black mask and his men piled into the fleet of black SUVs and drove off. High up in the air Iron man was tailing them.
"Aren't you going to confirm whatever is in the flash drive?" Hawkeye asked the Bat. How could he just trust whatever Black mask gave him contained the needed information. Last time he checked he was a crime boss.
"No. He knows better than to break a deal with me."
"Really...? It's not like you'd kill him or something" Hawkeye retorted. He indeed was a weird one. His aura screamed 'killer' in every way.
"Or something." He replied and typed in the coordinates for the watchtower. He had to review the contents of that drive.
"Holy shit!!!" came Iron mans voice from the jets audio system. "I think we have a problem."
"What is it?"
"We definitely have a problem. Black masks convoy is being ambushed! It's a blood bath down there!" Iron man exclaimed watching in his HUD how Black masks men and some unknown men were raining down bullets on each other. Nearby two SUVs were up in flames. "Should I intervene?"
"Waller!" Batman cursed. Only she could ruin his plans of tailing black mask to his hideout.
"Give me a minute." He pressed a button and a compartment opened up revealing a burner phone. He took it and dialled.
"Call it off!" he spoke into it.
"How did you get this number!" Hawkeye heard the female voice demand.
"Call it off!" he repeated.
"No. And if your friend tries to follow my guys it will not end well for him or you." The line disconnected and Batman broke the phone and threw it out.
"Uuhh...guys. Two fighter jets are flying next to me very suspiciously." Ironman informed them. "What should I do?" he had protocols for this type of thing but this was not their world so he had to ask.
"Get Black mask. We are on our way." He turned the batjet around sped off to their location.
On arrival, they saw dead bodies lying all over the road which had turned red from all the blood and several cars up in flames with distant police sirens filling the night silence. They grappled down and found Iron man surveying the scene.
"They got him." His iron man suit had bullet hole dents everywhere. Evading the jets took longer than he had anticipated.
"What happened to you?"
"The fighter pilots were not happy with my change in direction and good Samaritan heart."
"Figures." Hawkeye walked around the scene. "This was no amateur hit. All these SUVs are heavily armoured." Yet they all had bullet holes in them and some were in pieces. Body parts all over them and the area.
"No shit. This one guy didn't even bother taking cover." Iron man revealed as Jarvis scanned the whole area. "He must have been bullet proof like Superman."
Batman stood from his crouched position inspecting something and went to Iron man. "Who are you talking about?" The sirens were getting closer.
"Him." Jarvis projected the video and true enough, they saw a costumed man move at inhuman speeds, taking out everyone with occasional help from his people. He was tanking bullets you'd think the opposition was using rubber bullets.
"Death stroke!" Batman muttered. Black mask was as good as gone. He only hoped whatever information he gave him was credible.
"Who?" Jarvis scanned for whatever information he could get on Death stroke but did not get any.
"His name is Death stroke?" Hawkeye was intrigued. "Fits him to a tee." Given the massacre video of the army of thugs he had just seen.
"Let's get out of here." Batman walked to the batjet which had touched down a few metres away from the carnage. The police vehicles were already visible in the distance.
As Hawkeye was walking towards the batjet Iron man fired something into the distance and flew there.
"Look who we have here." Both Batman and Hawkeye watched to see him appear with the lady assassin who had bullet wounds in both her legs and shoulders and was fidgeting due to the minute electric shocks coursing through her body.
"It's her." Hawkeye looked at her injuries. No wander she couldn't get away far enough.
"You have questions to answer." They restrained her and got out of there.
OA
"Do you understand what you need to do?" a group of twenty green lanterns nodded as they stood outside the main hub listening to their orders. This group was like their elite squad that would occasionally be given questionable work that no other green lanterns were privy to.
The strategist assembled the group he believed could successfully carry out this particular mission. If they were to arrive and find they had already been rescued, their next objective would be to take control of war world during the ensuring chaos.
"What about Killowog?"
The strategist looked at them. "Killowog will be rescued but this takes precedence. Once we have support from the justice league, we will seize control of Apokolips too. So this mission will be the determinant. We need the Kryptonian on our side."
They nodded and took off.
The strategist headed for their lab.
"How is your progress?" he hovered next to Doomsdays cell watching it. It had not yet recovered from whatever the justice league did to it. Its body was more bulky than when it was brought in.
"Good. We have identified whatever was used in its creation and are currently reverse engineering it." The head scientist spoke up handing him a tablet.
"Will you be successful before it regains consciousness?"
"I do not know." He honestly replied. "But we are working as fast as we can."
"Excellent." The strategist hovered out and went to inspect their other projects. One of which will aid him in retrieving the omnitrix.
War World.
"Huff!!!" the hulk pulled himself up from the rubble around him tossing them away and looked around. His neck straightened itself and his head was in its final stages of regeneration.
What in the world was that? It had moved too fast for him to counter mid-air and its hold was too strong for him to break out of.
The last thing he remembered was someone grabbing him and slamming him head first into the side of a mountain which by the looks of it was now a crater.
"What are you?" Oscar, the daxamite asked as he looked down on the hulk.
It was unlike any beast or living being he had ever seen. He expected it to die from his brutal attack, but for the past few minutes he watched with his enhanced eyesight as it regenerated everything from his crushed head to its scarred body and broken limbs.
Picking it up mid-air he had felt the power in its muscles and strength which was why he deployed that brutal yet efficient technique. It had a regenerative healing factor and was strong. Two combinations that lead to trouble according to his experience.
The hulk turned to the voice. The man wore a smirk and was hovering up in the air, arms crossed on his chest. The hulks anger rose rapidly. No one made him bleed and walked away unscathed.
The hulk jumped fist forward to punch him. Oscar did not move from his position and waited. When in range, he released a powerful flood of heat vision that drove the hulk back into the ground, while burning off the durable skin on his chest followed by his exposed chest muscles. His body had not adapted to that kind of heat radiation. The flood of heat vision was consistent in intensity.
The hulk put his arm up in defence, but its durable skin was also burnt off before the heat disappeared. He eyed the man amidst all the pain and the smoke coming from him, before becoming confused because he had the same powers as Superman, but did not look like Superman. His chest muscles and skin was mending rapidly and he moved to get up.
Oscar saw this and smiled at his successful test. It had an impressive healing factor given he just bombarded it with heat vision powerful enough to destroy a small meteorite. "What are you?" He asked again but the hulk was busy trying to get up. Everything around him was covered in his green blood.
"Hulk will smash evil Superman!" he gritted his teeth standing up before his injuries had fully healed. His whole body still steaming from the attack.
"You can talk?" he sounded surprised. "Superman? Who is that?" he watched the hulk growl looking at him, his eyes filled with rage.
"Don't be like that." He smirked at its attitude. "I always take the name of anyone I intend to kill."
"Let me start. I am the eradicator." He proudly motioned to himself, then the mountain they had just flattened before finally pointing to the hulks head. "Guess I don't have to explain the meaning to you." Chuckling at his own inner joke.
His injuries finished healing. "Hulk will smash evil superman!!!" He jumped again to attack him and again Oscar released his heat vision which this time enveloped his whole body plus the surrounding ground in intense heat. Some of the rubble around him had smoke coming from them, some turned to red hot molten liquid and others simply evaporated. The assault stopped.
"Don't be like that, Hulk." He guessed that must be his name as he watched his scorched smoking body heal itself and the exposed tissue muscles being covered by new skin. "You must not be intelligent." He activated his x-ray vision getting a peak at what made him tick. "You're internal organs are all wrong. You must be beyond terrified to meet someone like me for your heart to beat like that." He chuckled loving how his bounties always reacted when they realized they could not beat or outrun him.
The hulk pulled himself up, his eyes starting to glow a dull shade of green and looked at him. All his wounds healed instantly.
"Well, no worries. I already got your name. Now time to make me rich!" his eyes glowed red and released an even more powerful burst of heat vision against him capable of decimating a planet. "You may have a healing factor but I know how to overwhelm it." He increased its intensity and everything around them turned to molten state before evaporating entirely as the ground sunk deeper.
The ground started shaking. His sensitive ears picking up on it and a growl. He stopped his assault.
The hulk was down on all fours, his hands and knees deep in molten liquid as his back was as black as coal, scorched and healing impressively despite the power Oscar used. He was also continuously growling.
Oscar resumed his attack umping up the power behind it. His sensitive ears picked up on the ground trembling thus making him focus on the hulk through his heat vision, he put his arm up.
The hulk punched it, throwing him back, landing a distance away and charged after him, heavy footsteps the only sign of the battle to come.
Oscar massaged both his forearms and jumped, hovering off the ground to see the hulk charging towards him. "That actually stung!" he mumbled impressed as daxamites exposed to the yellow sun radiation had nearly invulnerable skin...
Of course it stung. It was able to frustrate Mongul of all people. He thought as his superior intellect noticed the hulk couldn't fly and did not possess super speed.
"Alright." Oscar took off at super speed meeting the hulk head on but instead deliberately missed his incoming fist and gave the hulk an uppercut re-breaking his neck and all his teeth while he was catapulted up into the sky.
Utilising his speed, he zipped up and punched him again then zipped up past the ascending hulk and hovered waiting for him. The hulk came shooting towards him, though Oscar saw his movements in slow motion due to his enhanced speed. Up in the air, he assaulted the hulk targeting his vital points and organs with earth shattering blows, each creating a shock wave that soon turned into a whirlwind which was sucking up the debris and wreckage on the ground.
The hulks regenerative ability was put into overdrive as Oscar did not give it time to do its work being he was suspended mid-air taking the blows.
In the city, those who remained sought shelter in the underground bunkers and layers, disbelieving how War world had descended into chaos in just a matter of hours. Now the weather is acting up!!! Those who were getting ready to leave with their ships had to suspend it because they would be sucked into the whirlwind that was getting larger each time they looked at it.
In the middle of the whirlwind, Oscar was moving in slow motion, taking his time punching the hulks vital organs repeatedly even breaking his neck every time it healed. He noticed its healing factor rivalled that of Lobo, so he would use the same tactic he had once used against the bounty hunter when they were quarrelling over a woman. He had ambushed and overwhelmed Lobo's healing factor when he was stupidly drunk and cut him to pieces which would have worked out well if his clones had not regenerated from them. As for the hulk, he was sure he could not create clones of himself. No one else had that privilege.
The hulk gradually adapted to his neck being broken thus with time his healing factor did not allow his spinal cord to be completely severed. He could feel the power of the blows and the hurt it was putting to him. His body was slowly adapting while his anger rose and his eyes started glowing brighter than before.
In a shot of adrenaline and exploded anger; his arms healed instantly, he clapped his palm together producing a shockwave that dispersed the whirlwind while sending his attacker back. He fell down.
Oscar had seen it all happen in slow motion but was startled enough not to do anything for a second which cost him dearly. Impossible was his thought as not even Lobo or Mongul could have achieved that.
The sound of the ground shattering broke him out of his stupor as Hulk came shooting up at him at full speed that had him dodge at the last second.
'PALM!!!' he heard the hulk clap behind him and turned too slow for his own liking to be knocked out of the air with a blow so hard it sounded like an atomic bomb being set off.
He crashed into the surface upheaving a tonne of rocks, but the hulk wasn't done for he landed on top of him creating tremors that was felt up to the city.
The hulk did not care to look at what he was punching. The debris on top of Oscar were quickly decimated leaving room for those with superior physiology like them.
Oscar on the other hand tried parrying his punches but they were too sporadic and powerful to counter. He activated his super speed and to his surprise, instead of hulk punching in super slow motion, his movements had sped up. Leaving him not too many chances to counter.
Amidst the punches, he relaxed his chest muscles, his breathing and inhaled deeply. He blew extremely cold air on to hulk whose movements slowed down till he was fully trapped in solid ice. He kicked the frozen ice block away, stood up then noticed cracks rapidly forming on the ice.
No way!!! Anything or anyone entrapped by his ice breath had never escaped it as fast as he knew the hulk was going to. It had the same properties as ice that had been frozen for thousands of years. No wander Mongul gave me a blank cheque. I guess I'll have to stop holding back now.
The hulk flexed his muscles and the ice shattered into huge chunks which were thrown around everywhere. He spotted Oscar and charged. His rage taking the lead on everything. Their next collision producing the largest shockwave putting out distant fires all over the city.
Elsewhere
Clark dragged Mongul through the heavily reinforced walls as far as he could before the war lord broke loose and tackled him to the side.
"What have you done to the Hulk!" he demanded charging, then punching him repeatedly all over his body.
Mongul blocked his punch; kicked him throwing him back against a reinforced door, knocking the air out of his lungs and making him hold his torso in pain.
"I know you intend to distract me so that your companions may have a chance to escape but that will not work. Once the eradicator is done with your friend, they will be next." His smile turned sadistic as he saw Clarks eyes glow red before unleashing a burst of heat vision which Mongul blocked by picking up one slab of reinforced debris.
That wasn't enough to protect him as Clarks fist punched through it to connect to his mouth which broke almost all of Monguls teeth before tossing the debris plus Clark aside.
He spit them out onto the floor smirking at him. "For such a powerful warrior, your ties to these earthlings will be the death of you." He watched as Clark pushed the slab aside and stood.
"As long as I am alive, you will never, ever get anywhere near them." Clark vowed readying himself for another attack.
"I wanted you as my champion here on war world where you would have had anything you wanted." Mongul gestured to the palace that was now coming apart. "It seems I have to rescind that offer." He cracked his knuckles. "Your friend could take my punches and then some. Let us see if you can compete, Kryptonian."
He attacked and true enough, Clark could feel the difference in his punches. He was no longer holding back. Reinforced steel doors suddenly turned to normal steel doors as their superior physiology and strength broke everything apart.
Elsewhere
A trail of unconscious gravely injured alien guards splayed out on the corridors of the secondary palace as Diana and Cate who was still carrying Kara were quickly tracing their way out.
Superman and Monguls battle threatened the very structure of the huge palace as the pillars promised to give in at any moment, evidenced by the intense tremors and subtle dust filling the air. Alarms were constantly blazing and guards filled every part of the palace trying to secure whatever they could, while some merely perished when they came across the two titans fighting.
Making another turn, Diana went into action by swiftly using her lasso to disarm then use one of the guards as a shield when she attacked the others, taking them down hard. Cate had never witnessed this side of her sister, either when training or when they held their annual fighting tournaments at Themyscira. As she watched Diana battle the guard aliens, she realized that, contrary to what Diana typically had them think, neither she nor any of her sisters had ever come close to defeating her during any of the trainings.
Her sister made sure that every alien she subdued could not get up or do anything else to hinder their escape and that meant mostly breaking limbs. My sister is a badass!!! She watched as she subdued the last of the two dozen guards and motioned for her to follow. Their ability to fly coming in handy as they flew fast past the corridors at top speed.
Making their way out, they came to a stop on top of the hole previously created by Clark. Cate hovered higher, able to survey for the first time the planet where that hideous alien had imprisoned them. It wasn't much. The city in the distance had tall sky scrapers, leaning against each other clearly intending to topple over, while the residents fought against the warzoons who were trying to subdue them.
Just beyond what she made out to be a barrier, she could see several behemoth monsters who had crowded and were banging on it no doubt wanting to get through. Apart from the tremors they were experiencing, she noticed on the outside there were some tremors too as the warzoons were also stumbling on themselves. The entire sky was dark, filled with smoke but she could also see the few hundred space ships mid-air. She could hear distant explosions being set off past the city. War world was in chaos.
"Is this how you came in?" Cate asked as she descended and looked down inside the hole.
"Yes, and it is the only way out." Diana was hovering looking outside past the barrier where the hole lead to and saw that an army of warzoon was still surrounding it, some trying to widen it by digging.
"I can't fit through while carrying Kara." She looked at her friend whose complexion was slowly turning to normal, the effects of kryptonite slowly fading away.
"You will." Diana flew to her pointing out the barrier to the unusual crowd of warzoons surrounding the exit hole. "Once we are out of that hole, you will continue flying past the clouds where Kelex will pick you up mid-air." Another advantage of their ability.
"I know, he informed me he is one of those ships waiting for us." She gestured up at the sky and Diana's gaze followed. It was her first time to see that large number of ships crowding the whole air space each trying to evacuate the planet. Hera!! The whole population is evacuating. A large explosion occurred a few seconds later, the shockwave disorienting the warzoons outside the barrier which prevented it from reaching them. She looked towards it.
"What is happening out there?" Cate was worried as the palace produced tremors of its own.
"The hulk." She knew he was still alive and could be the only one causing that much havoc.
"Why isn't he coming to help Superman?" they could use someone of his strength dealing with Mongul.
"He must be fighting someone else." And that someone must be just as strong to keep him occupied for that long was left unsaid. She didn't want to cause her more worry.
"Let's go." She hovered higher watching the warzoons watch their every move like a hawk.
"Wait, you are coming with us, aren't you?" It was more of a statement than a question, that Cate was afraid of the answer already knowing it.
"I am. But I have to distract them long enough for you to get through safely." She pointed to the army of warzoons tirelessly banging the barrier and shooting it up.
"Then you'll follow us right after?"
She gave her a nod. "Get ready. Remember. As fast as you can."
Diana twirled her lasso on her hand and dove down for the hole with Cate in toe. She span till her body formed a drill and struck the side of the initial hole thus widening it. At the same time Clark blasted through the roof of the palace and slammed against the barrier catching a glimpse of Cate disappearing into the hole.
Earlier, Clark got knocked into what he could only assume was Mongul's trophy room. In there, he saw memorabilia of all kinds depicting thousands of planets with some shelves containing the skulls of other warrior races, including a Thanagarian's wings still attached to its spine and their mace. The walls were lined with pictures of Mongul in the coliseum showcasing decapitated heads of other warriors while stepping on their headless bodies.
Walking in after him, he noticed his gaze was focused on the room. "Don't be so shocked Kryptonian. The only thing missing from my collection is a Kryptionian body part." He smirked as Clark turned his head to look at him. Everyone knew how formidable their race was and he did not get the chance to kill one of them when they were still alive. He intended to remedy that small detail, after all, even when dead their bodies never decayed. The perfect trophy.
"I had kryptonite but that does not count since I can have your dead body on display." He gestured to a particular space on the wall. "When this is all over, it will either be your skull or that female Kryptonians hanging up there." He chuckled as he saw Clarks eyes glow red for a moment. So that's his pressure point. His family. "The other women will be my personal play toys." He watched as his demeanour began changing.
"I am so used to holding back in everything I do because anything I touch is always in danger of breaking." Clark focused on him. "But you won't, will you?" "I have shown I can take whatever you throw at me. Can you do the same?"
Mongul looked at him smirking because of the visible bruises his full punches had on him.
"Here I have a chance to really test out the full extent of my strength because I don't give a damn about you or this planet. So I will give you one last chance to let us leave in peace and we will never see each other."
"Or what?"
"Or I break you and this hellhole you call a planet." He stood up straight, no longer slumping on his shoulders, relaxing his muscles feeling the power in them. For the first time in forever, he felt free.
"Give me your best shot." Mongul taunted and took a stand.
Clark appeared in front of him so fast that he was startled but his instincts made him throw a punch which connected to nothing but air as he was no longer there. He felt an acute pressure build up at the back of his neck and turned as fast as he could with a round kick but that was the trap. Clark stood there waiting for him to turn.
BOOM!!! The remaining teeth in Mongul's mouth broke while his chin cracked as he collided with the ceiling of his storage room which gave way and collapsed as he continued on with his journey.
Clark flew up after him delivering blow after blow ensuring his upward trajectory was maintained. As he was about to land another punch, Mongul gathered himself enough to teleport behind Clark who slowed down for a second to scan the area around him. His fast reflex made him block his punch which catapulted him out of the palace and against the barrier where he saw Cate disappearing into the hole.
Mongul appeared from the hole and Clark was instantly on him. He put his arm up to block but Clark's punches drove him back in violently. The assault was so fast and so powerful that Mongul had no time to counter but just take the blows hoping his durable body does not give out. If he had super speed he could have matched him but he didn't. He never thought kryptonians could move this fast.
Clark unleashed all his frustrations on Mongul, his mind clouded by rage which in turn influenced his fighting. His knuckles started bruising and was covered in Monguls blood but he did not stop. The pillars supporting the palace formed deep cracks every second the assault continued.
"Aaargh." Diana's outcry broke through his rage filled mind and made him focus again. Looking down he saw Monguls face was covered in blood and his hands were broken from trying to shield himself. He took a step back in shock but Diana's explicit cursing once again took his attention.
He activated his x-ray vision, scanned the palace and vanished.
The war lord struggled to climb out of the rubble, his hand and bruises in the process of healing just as a loud explosion was heard and the barrier deactivated. A strong gust of wind blew past him and he watched the kryptonian use his heat vision to slice dozens of warzoons attacking the lady using jetpacks then proceeded to do the same to the ground forces. He had a short conversation with the lady before she flew off up into the sky and then the kryptonian's focus was on him again.
"Kryptonian!" he snarled. The power in his punches together with speed had increased tremendously and with the level of exhaustion he had already endured he would have to end this bout quickly. He scanned the surrounding area to see how the daxamite was holding up since he hadn't come to him yet. The only thing he could hear was loud explosions coming from everywhere. War world as a planet was in a riot.
Elsewhere
RROOAARR!!!! Hulk smash evil Superman!!! He leaped off the ground in hot pursuit of Oscar who thanks to his power of flight could easily out manoeuvre him as hulk used the fleeing space ships and his thunder palms as points of ricocheting. The only downside was every space ship he landed on crashed back onto the planet.
Oscar changed trajectory mid-flight, grabbed the hulk using his super speed and deployed his earlier tactic, only it was no longer one mountain. He knocked the hulk head first into three mountains simultaneously then jumped back up into the air and almost immediately the Hulk was in pursuit leaving an even deeper crater in his wake, this time missing him by an inch.
Oscar saw him touch down and charge at him again fully healed despite what he had just put it through. This thing actually thinks it's stronger than ME!!! He thought enraged and charged intending to make it submit by the sheer force of all his strength.
The resulting collision created a monstrous shock wave that made distant space ships collide with one another, buildings in the city to finally topple over and every fire was extinguished. Each of them thrown back and apart by the force produced. Both Oscar's and the Hulks hands broke from the impact but only one of them was screaming in pain while the other was roaring and charging again as his arm instantly healed.
In a shot of adrenaline, Oscar released the strongest burst of heat vision he had ever summoned unto that point which catapulted the hulk into the air as he flew up to hover so his arm could heal.
Oscar saw the hulk change direction to him using his powerful thunder palms that created powerful waves each time. He was panting, parts of his clothes were socked in his blood and he was in pain. A pain that his daxamite physiology had never allowed him to feel before today. The hulk broke his arm. Damn that monstrosity!
He had stopped holding back a while ago and managed to subdue the hulk from time to time but now he figured he couldn't. His heat vision started having little effect on him evidenced by his already healed form from the last attack. Just holding him while being pummelled into the mountains took extra effort and to make matters worse, he now knew the angrier the hulk got, the more powerful he became.
They had already destroyed an area large enough to be considered the largest country on earth.
His enhanced eyesight scanned far beyond the chaos and smoke filled air to see Mongul climb out of the palace through a hole. You can't unload this crap on me and go lazing around with a bunch of weaklings. He took off at supersonic speed towards the palace.
Clark was about to attack Mongul again when his enhanced earing picked up on an object closing in on their location at supersonic speed and he turned to its direction.
Mongul on the other hand saw Clark focus away from him and also turned to look at the new arrival who stopped and hovered above him.
"What are you doing here? Is it done?" Monguls last question carried a hint of hope in it as he knew daxamites and kryptonians basically had the same powers. Oscar holding his healing arm, turning to look where he had come from and a distant roar was all he needed to figure it out.
"How the mighty have fallen indeed." Despite his similar position, he couldn't help but mock him as he had done earlier. Mongul stepped out and stood on the roof of the palace.
Oscar's eyes glowed red for a few seconds before dissipating and forgetting his earlier plan of teaming up with the war lord. "I will throw it into the sun if I have to!" there was no way he would let Mongul hold this defeat over him. His reputation was at stake. "I am not a weakling like you." He could see all the damage he had taken since they last saw each other. "What else could have done that to him?" Who did the war lord piss off now?
"I am afraid I cannot let you do that." Clark spoke up as he was analysing the guy in front of him. He could fly and just for a brief moment he had seen signs of heat vision in his eyes. He x-rayed his body and was shocked. Could it be?
Oscar turned to the voice and saw a man hovering looking at them.
"Almeraci...?" his tone full of surprise as he could see he was flying. "Your other problem?" Mongul merely looked on then spoke up to Clark.
"Earth is the first planet I have ever set my sights on that has so many worthy warriors and potential." Mongul spit out his saliva mixed with blood, his body suffering from all the exertion it has been put through for the first time in a long time.
"Even thwarted Darkseid's invasion. Really commendable." He looked up at him. "Now I understand how." With powerhouses like Superman and the Hulk, they could easily defeat any foe they that threatens them.
Oscar was taken aback by that declaration because this guy didn't look like much and since he wasn't from Almerac, he activated his X-ray vision and was startled. His face contorting in anger.
"It's such a shame I will have to wipe it off the face of the universe once I am done with you."
"Let's kill this one fast." Oscar signalled Mongul his enhanced eyesight noting the hulk was close. Plus given his physiology, Oscar did not want him escaping war world alive as his people were responsible for banishing daxamites from Krypton. His anger got a renewed purpose and target.
"Agreed." Mongul nodded his head and noticed the Kryptonian had vanished no doubt using his super speed.
Clark attacked first. No matter how much he wanted to talk to this person, he knew he was evil since he sided with Mongul and from their conversation.
Oscar saw his attack coming and blocked it using his own super speed then countered but Clark blocked it too. Both were startled but continued attacking, no doubt not holding back their strength. The only thing Mongul saw from the fight was the shockwaves that bombarded his palace and the surrounding warzoons who were obliterated from their sporadic changes in direction. He had to find better warriors as his usual elite warzoons were no match in this fight.
Monguls eyes scanned the surrounding for the ladies but his concentration was interrupted by the Hulks arrival which created a huge tremor that levelled half the palace.
The Hulk huffed as his gaze looked around for the evil superman but he caught Monguls gaze instead and charged.
Mongul went to meet him head on, but a collision of their punches had his arm snap at the elbow and hulk punch him away, before focusing on the blurs that were Clark and Oscar going at each other. Hulks eyes were glowing bright green and his power boost allowed him to easily follow their fight. He sped to them.
Oscar who was still fighting Clark was surprised when the hulk suddenly appeared in front of him and thunder palmed pushing him back and away.
Clark who was still stunned at the hulks new slightly glowing appearance and speed yelped when he turned to face him, smirked and got hold of him. Clark tried prying his hands off of him but found he couldn't.
"Hulk smash evil Superman and War lord for friends!" He stopped struggling against him at that incoherent speech and looked at him confused for a moment until what happened next really confused and angered him.
Without warning he smashed Clark into the ground repeatedly then used him to swat aside Oscar who had come for another round. Finally Hulk held Superman steady looked up at the sky and estimated the direction in which he saw Diana fly up. Using all his strength, he launched Superman up like a javelin past all the space ships in orbit and out into space. Clark, too delirious and dizzy to stop his momentum, continued on that trajectory. He didn't remember the hulk being that strong.
"Although commendable, that was a mistake beast! Now you are stuck with both of us." Oscar grinned as he flexed his recovered arm. But the hulk was already charging at him.
"Don't worry. They won't escape my war world." Mongul declared as he tapped his ear indicating he had finished speaking into it and dove into the fight. They had to put aside their ego and tag team the hulk because they knew one on one was not possible.
The entire mountain region, the entire city and its surrounding areas started trembling and everything on top was slowly sliding aside as the ground opened up to reveal huge deep hole that was powering up. The hulk and Oscar looked far into the city trying to figure out what was going on as the remaining residents scrambled to whatever space ships remained.
"No you didn't." Oscar exclaimed grinning and started to laugh hysterically. He knew about it, but always thought it to be a rumour. Apparently it wasn't.
Meanwhile up in space, Diana, Cate and Kara were in the space ship with Kelex piloting, waiting for Clark and the Hulk to join them. Kara's fever had disappeared and now she seemed to be in a relaxed state, her body healing all the damages done by the prolonged exposure to Kryptonite.
"What is that?" Cate pointed down at the direction they had ascended from. Their eyesight wasn't as good as a kryptonians but it was better than most people and races. They could see what looked like an entire country's ground opening up.
"It's probably a crater created by one of those bombs, with all the fighting going on down there." Diana answered trying to scan for Clark or the hulks signature using Kelex's scanners. They had been hearing explosions go off ever since they emerged from the palace. On her way up, she caught a glimpse of the Hulk as he was soaring through the sky in the opposite direction roaring, but couldn't follow him because she had to make sure the girls were safe. She had noticed something was different about him. For a slight moment when their eyes met, she thought she saw his eye glowing green.
"Craters do not power up!" Cate pointed to it and Diana quickly scooted over to see. It turned out to be an enormous energy canon the size of a country and out of a science fiction movie.
According to my calculations, we are at a 40% success rate on evading its energy beam. It has locked on to earth's coordinates. Every space ship within its firing range will be obliterated. Kelex informed them having some knowledge about that weapon from his extensive database.
"It's not possible. It's too far." She convinced herself looking at her sister then Kara then back to the canon. She had looked at Kelex's navigation system and they were lightyears away from earth.
"It can't. But we have to warn the justice league members in case Mongul tries anything else." Diana watched as the canon slowly powered up.
"You are both incorrect. According to my data, War world has access to hyperspace jump technology making distance not an issue if they combine it to their portal technology. And by my calculations. It is too late to warn the others. Our ship will be decimated in the blast radius way before we make contact."
The sisters looked at each other with grim expressions.
The hulk put two and two together when he started sensing intense heat and radiation coming from the opening of the country sized hole. Banners subconscious also warning him about something big coming.
He looked at the two titans behind him and both had victorious smirks on their faces. He looked up and saw all the space ships trying to flee, that would no doubt be caught in the cross fire including his friends.
He pointed and huffed at the two, scaring them before he turned away from them and ran. He ran for a long while heading for the canon and as he neared the start of the hole, using all the strength his thigh muscles could muster, he leaped high into the air in the direction he saw Diana fly to and where he threw Superman.
"It's game over now. Does he think he can out run it?" Oscar laughed at his futile attempt to escape in the same direction the canon would decimate everything. "He can't even fly!" Though he had to admit to himself that it was one powerful jump as his figure disappeared past the clouds.
"I believe I have detected the hulks gamma radiation signature quickly closing in on us." He informed the women who strained their eyes to focus as Kelex increased power to the ship so they could escape from the canon's trajectory. The other ships around them also doing the same thus causing unavoidable collisions.
"I can see him." Cate pointed at something and Diana looked in that direction to see a distant figure glowing green rapidly approach them but before he was in range for pick up, she noticed his arms were wide open and looked like the hulk was concentrating on something. His hands were glowing brighter than his body as he scanned the space ships.
"That's not how he jumps." She stated suddenly suspicious. "Kelex wait for him! Open the hanger to signal him."
"What do you mean?"
"Something is wrong."
"Our window of escape is closing."
As she said this, the hulk opened his eyes and searched for the ship that they could be travelling in among the hundreds. They were just too many, he couldn't tell. He'll have to do it the hard way.
"He can't see us." Cate shouted tugging at her sister.
"He's looking for us." Diana also saw it. The hatch had now fully opened and she started flying out to assist him. She knew he couldn't fly.
The hulks now very sharp and enhanced eyesight caught sight of a ship opening up its hanger. He focused on it.
He saw Diana's figure start getting out onto the ramp no doubt to catch him which was the confirmation he needed that it belonged to them. With no intention of being rescued, he brought his now glowing hands together in a thunderous clap that produced an enormous shock wave, which propelled every space ship in the vicinity hurtling forward, some colliding with each other while the hulks trajectory changed and he began descending while accelerating.
Diana was thrown back into the ship and it was propelled forward a great distance before Kelex gained control.
Cate sat up and checked on Kara. "Why would he do that!! How are we supposed to rescue him now?" They were out of War worlds orbit and space near the planet Clark had landed the ship on.
"I think we were not supposed to." Diana voice was a murmur, suspicious about what the hulk was planning. She knew Superman would have no doubt do the same, getting them out of harm's way. Everything she thought about only brought out sadness and anger. She only hoped they would be okay fighting Mongul and escape to join them.
"We should get out of this planet." Oscar announced suddenly as his enhanced eyesight watched what had just happened and how the hulk was increasingly glowing. He thought the hulk wanted to jump out of the planet but he was wrong.
"Teleport us out now!!" he sped to Mongul and knocked him into a rubble breaking it. "This mother fuckers crazy!!!" "He is going to try to take it out!" he pointed to the canon.
"Nonsense. Let's see it heal from getting vaporized." Mongul wasn't budging intending to witness the complete annihilation of the Kryptonian species and the other planet. Plus that cursed beast.
Oscar let him go and zipped out of there.
I know it took a lot of time for me to appreciate you and I am sorry for that. The hulk huffed.
We have had a great run, you and me, mostly me but lately I have been trying. The hulk huffed again.
I know... I know... If there could have been a next time it would be completely different, I swear. The hulk huffed again.
Thanks for everything big guy. . A hero to me!!! A hero to the Avengers!!! A hero to the Justice league!!! The strongest one there is and will ever be! The hulk heard Banners subconscious whisper to him. Both of them finally at peace with the other and ready to die for their friends. Banner was also tired of living in constant pressure from having the hulk so close to emerge any time something ticked him off.
The hulk thought on how their universe viewed him as a monster and was hunted down. He thought on the differences between their two universes. He thought on how the justice league did not try to arrest or contain his counterpart but praised him when he saved the avengers hide out from the bald man. The ladies he came to rescue were fine and so will Superman and the pretty warrior lady whom he had yet to apologise to for smashing repeatedly into the ground.
This will have to do because in no way will he let these aliens blow his friends space ship out of space with their mega weapon. All consequences be damned.
Show them why we're the strongest one there is!!!
He closed his eyes as he now looked like a green glowing meteor falling down onto the planet. When they opened; they were pure bright green in colour, his whole body was glowing bright green and had increased to twice his normal size. Banners subconscious was shocked. He knew his counterpart was strong, but he never knew he was this strong as nothing ever made him reach this level before.
"HULK BREAK PUNY PLANET!!!!!!" He roared as he aimed for the canon which had now fully powered up and was seconds away from firing. Adjusting himself mid-air raising both of his arms high up together intending to smash the canon into oblivion. He brought down his fists in a roar.
The canon fired emitting a potent and powerful blast which shook the whole planet. The mega beam collided with the hulk head on and engulfed him whole, his figure disappearing in the wide rapidly ascending beam.
Mongul smirked as he watched what happened.
The blast cut short before it could reach orbit and then the whole canon started sparking from below before it exploded in a fiery display. The force proved too much for the planet too handle making it to follow suit and blow up just as Krypton and the innumerable other planets Mongul once incinerated met their end.
As sudden as the chaos started, War world was no more.