All of us stared at the Parademons. They were chanting a single name over and over: Darkseid.
While the chanting echoed, a circle of fire burst to life, right out on the sea. In seconds, the fire swelled, and a colossal, alien structure rose from it like a nightmare. Then more of those burning circles opened around the city. More alien towers erupted from them. More Parademons swarmed out. It was a portal, several portals.
"Well, shit" Soldier Boy muttered. "This looks like the end of the world."
We watched as Parademons grabbed terrified humans and flew back toward the portal.
"What are they doing?" Captain Atom demanded.
"They're harvesting them," I said. "Turning them into more Parademons."
Everyone stared at me.
"You seem to know what's going on," Guy Gardner said. "Mind cluing in the rest of us?"
I didn't like his tone, but I explained anyway. "The being they're chanting for is named Darkseid. He's a New God, very, very evil. Comes from a planet called Apokolips. Think hell, but worse. All he wants is to conquer and erase free will across the entire universe. He's already done it to countless worlds. Never thought he'd come to Earth this soon, but my guess is he's heard Earth has protectors. Probably heard of Superman, the last son of Krypton, and sees him as a threat. Or he's after the Anti-Life Equation. Maybe both. Who knows? All I know is, we need to stop him and send him back to his planet."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "How do you know all this?"
"I know a lot of things you can't even wrap your head around," I said flatly.
"So the reason this god is coming here is because of me?" Superman asked. "And the Anti-Life Equation? What even is that?"
"First, we don't know he's coming here for you," I said. "That's just my theory. Second, the Anti-Life Equation is something that can control all life and death. It can even rewrite reality itself. I don't know where it is, but I do know we can't let him have it."
Soldier Boy smirked. "Also, technically, Superman isn't the last son of Krypton anymore, is he? We've got four right here and another one back home."
"Hey," Might Woman snapped. "I don't want people knowing about my daughter."
"Well now they know," Soldier Boy said with a shrug. "All I said was another Kryptonian, kind of. She's half human-"
"That's enough, Soldier Boy." I cut him off sharply. "I'm guessing you didn't completely read your contract, because right now you're breaking rule number six: don't share personal information about yourself or others on the team. For that, we're cutting your pay in half for the next couple of months."
I turned back to the team. "C-Ranks, focus on rescuing civilians from the Parademons. Purity and Stormfront, help them out. Superwoman, Might Woman, Panacea, you're with me on the assault against Darkseid. Move!"
They all nodded. The C-Ranks, along with Purity and Stormfront, shot off to intercept Parademons carrying civilians away. The rest of us braced for the real fight.
A huge beam shot up into the sky from the structure that had appeared on the water. More Parademons poured out, but one figure floated out of the teleporter that stole everyone's breath, tall, blue armor, gray skin, red eyes. Darkseid.
I tightened my grip on my hammer.
"He don't look so tough," Major Force muttered.
"Then get your eyes checked. Don't underestimate him," I said.
He was about to argue when three fighter jets screamed overhead, heading straight for Darkseid. Missiles and tracer rounds rained down. They didn't even slow him. Darkseid fired his Omega beams, and before the jets could do anything, I shot up a shield, muttered a protective spell and waved my hands, and the three pilots materialized in front of me, right on time. The jets were destroyed by the Omega beams.
"Go, hide. Tell your military not to do that again," I barked.
They nodded and ran. I'm pretty sure I heard one of the pilots whisper, "Thank you."
Darkseid hovered in front of us now, unphased.
"Okay. We need to attack together. Don't get hit by his Omega beams, they'll kill you instantly. They've got a homing element, but if you're fast and agile you can dodge." I called out orders.
"Who died and made you leader? I got this," Guy Gardner shouted as he charged.
"WAIT!" I yelled.
He didn't listen. He blasted forward making a green, massive fist construct with spikes on the knuckles. The moment he connected, it shattered. Darkseid shoved him through a building; Guy crashed and hit the ground. Parademons swarmed and started beating him.
I kind of felt like he deserved the hit. Still, no. I swung my hammer, cleaving through the Parademons, and called it back to my hand.
Guy staggered up and, for reasons only the gods understand, charged again. This time he made a train, threw it like a battering ram, and it, too, disintegrated on contact. He fell, crashed to the pavement, and then somehow got up and summoned a giant hammer. He swung it at Darkseid; it was obliterated. Darkseid grabbed Guy's arm, squeezed, and crushed it.
"Okay, time to jump in," I said.
I flew straight for Darkseid. A horde of Parademons came at me, but I cut through them with lightning. By the time I reached Darkseid, the field had cleared enough to land a hit. I swung my hammer at his head to pry his fingers off Guy. It stunned him, just enough. I kept pounding his forehead, trying to keep him distracted, until Darkseid punched me away.
Around me, the rest of the heroes were duking it out with Parademons and trying to converge. Wonder Woman, Superman, Major Force, and Superwoman were locked with Darkseid. Panacea found me and hauled me up.
"Thanks," I panted. She nodded and flew off looking for casualties.
Might Woman was helping the others rout the Parademon packs, thank God. I scanned the battlefield and saw Guy on the ground, unconscious but wracked in pain.
Panacea and I cut toward him while the rest stayed busy with Darkseid. She crouched, assessed his injuries.
"He definitely broke his arm," she said softly.
Guy pushed himself to his feet and tried to walk away. "I'm fine. I'm fine," he grunted.
"No, you're not. You've got a broken arm," I said.
"You don't know that—"
"Yes I do. I used to be a doctor. If you keep fighting with that arm you'll do permanent damage. At least let me cast a temporary set."
He made a green cast construct to hold his arm together and his ring for his other arm, stabilizing him. He tried to limp back toward the fight.
"Get out of my way," he snapped.
"No." I stepped in front of him.
"If you don't move I'll make you,"He sneered.
"How? With that broken arm? I doubt you can even focus enough to beat me," I said
He said nothing when I cut him off.
"Look," I said, voice low and steady. "I don't know why you feel the need to prove yourself, but this isn't about ego. If we lose here, it's not just Earth, it's every world. We're the last line between life and oblivion. We can't fight like children. We need a plan and to watch each other's backs. Choose to fight together and survive to see tomorrow, or fight alone and die one by one."
He clenched his teeth. For a beat, nothing happened. Then he swallowed, glared, and finally, reluctant, fell back in line.
We didn't have time for pride. We had a god to take down.
"Fine. You got a plan?" Guy grunted.
He fell into step beside me; we both watched Darkseid. I was about to speak when Darkseid raised both hands. A shock of energy crawled down his arms, the ground under him whitening as if bleached, then he slammed his palms into the pavement. The impact detonated outward in a massive shockwave.
I threw up a quick ward and the blast slammed into it. Dust and rubble rattled my shield; when the air cleared, Darkseid hovered farther off, the waterfront a ruin and buildings torn open like paper. Everyone regrouped, coughing, shaken.
"Why isn't he focusing on us?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Because we're not his immediate target," I said. "Listen, I know I'm the new guy, but trust me for five minutes. I have a plan to take him down."
Major Force snorted. "How do you know your plan will work, new guy?"
"You got something better than leveling the city as Plan A?" I shot back. He had no answer.
"Any objections to me taking temporary command?" I asked the circle.
Silence.
"All right. Thanks." I turned to Cyborg. "You, hack whatever interface you can into Darkseid's tech. He's taken civilians, if you can tap his network we might force the Parademons to recall or at least locate the hostages. Cyclone, Atom Smasher, Nightwing, Starfire, cover him while he probes. Flash, evacuate civilians; get them underground and out of line of sight."
I pointed at Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl. "When you get an opening, aim for his eyes. Those Omega Beams will kill in one hit, blind him if you can."
"Everyone else," I said, locking eyes with the core team, "distract him and keep him occupied long enough for Cyborg to get a foothold. We bait the beam, force him to commit, then hit the weak points together. No lone heroics."
I rose a few feet off the ground, feeling the wind and the city's fear around us. "This is our planet. We're not letting some god walk in and take it. Send him back where he belongs, and make it hurt."
We surged forward as one, dropping through the smoke toward Darkseid and the river of Parademons.
"Remember the plan, we hold him off and give Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl their opening to blind this bastard," I shouted.
I shot into the sky, raising my hammer high."SHAZAM!"
A storm cracked open above us, massive bolts of lightning crashing down into my weapon. I pulled the energy in, let it sear through me, then hurled it straight at Darkseid. The bolt burned red as it struck, cracking his armor and searing his flesh. He snarled, spinning toward me with fury, Omega Beams building in his eyes, only for Superman to crash into him with a brutal right hook.
Panacea's claws unsheathed in a hiss, and she slashed and stabbed at him, poison trailing in every strike. Captain Atom and Major Force blasted with full force, their energy clashing like miniature suns. Green Lantern peppered him with constructs, Batman with a storm of batarangs. Superman, Might Woman, and Superwoman unleashed a flurry of punches and heat vision that made the ground quake.
Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl circled, waiting for their moment. I kept hammering, lightning bolts, crushing swings, anything to keep the pressure on.
But even against all of us, Darkseid fought back like a storm given form. He landed a clean punch on Major Force that sent him sprawling, then backhanded Superwoman through a building. He caught Might Woman mid-charge and hurled her like a spear into Wonder Woman. Meanwhile, Parademons were swarming closer in endless waves.
"Captain Atom, Batman, Major Force, Might Woman, hold off the Parademons! The rest of us focus on Darkseid!" I barked.
I half-expected complaints, but none came, they moved exactly as ordered. I swung again, landing clean strikes, but then his eyes flared and twin Omega Beams tore through the smoke. I raised a shield just in time, the beams hammering against it with blistering heat.
Darkseid pressed harder, forcing me back, until Superman crashed into him from behind with a heavy blow to the skull. He staggered, spinning to face Clark, and I seized the moment, chanting quickly, my hands weaving a spell. Arcane ropes of glowing sigils lashed out and coiled around Darkseid's limbs, locking him just long enough.
"Hawkgirl, NOW!"
She dove like a hawk with her mace raised, Wonder Woman at her side. Hawkgirl's mace smashing into his left eye with a sickening crunch.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Darkseid's scream tore the air apart. For the first time, the god bled.
After Darkseid's roar, raw power erupted from him. My construct shattered like glass, the shockwave blasting everyone back. When the dust settled, he stood tall, his one good eye blazing with fury, and it was locked on Hawkgirl.
He charged.
I darted in front of her, throwing up a shield that wrapped around us like a dome. His fist smashed through it instantly, the impact hurling us both into a building. Rubble fell around us as he bore down again.
"Hawkgirl, move!" I shoved her aside just before his next strike landed full on me. The blow cratered the ground, and before I could recover, he was on me, hammering again and again.
"You insect," he snarled.
I spat blood and grinned weakly. "Technically, I'm a mammal. Now, evil god gets struck by lightning, say what?"
His expression darkened further as he drew back his fist.
"Worth a shot," I muttered. "Shazam!"
A thunderbolt split the sky, slamming down on us both. It flowed harmlessly into me, but Darkseid flinched as the lightning burned across his armor. I seized the opening, shot behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and bent back hard.
"SHAZAM! SHAZAM! SHAZAM!" I roared, each word dragging another divine strike from the heavens. Red lightning hammered him again and again—six brutal strikes in rapid succession.
He finally ripped free, roaring, and slammed me into the ground with bone-crushing force. My grip broke; pain lit up my body. He loomed over me, ready to end it.
But golden light coiled around his arm. Wonder Woman's lasso.
I forced myself up, gasping, and summoned my hammer back into my hand. Darkseid twisted to tear free, but Guy Gardner swooped in, wrapping his other arm in a Lantern construct. An instant later Hal Jordan piled on, conjuring massive chains that bound his chest and dragged him back.
That was the opening. The others surged forward, unleashing everything they had. Blasts of energy. Razor claws. Blinding strikes. The battlefield lit up with power.
"Superman! Hold the lasso steady!" I shouted. "Wonder Woman, take his other eye!"
Superman grabbed the lasso, locking it down, freeing Diana. With a cry of pure fury, she drew her blade and leapt. The sword plunged into Darkseid's remaining eye.
His scream shook the city.
"Don't stop!" I roared, hurling lightning straight at him. "Hit him with everything you've got!"