Cyborg POV
"Cyborg, please tell me you're close to hacking into these guys' systems! We can't hold this forever!" Nightwing yelled through the comms.
"I'm almost there, just need a few more minutes!" I said, fingers moving in a blur across the holographic interface projected from my arm cannon.
Right now, I was holding one of the Mother Boxes, trying to break through Darkseid's system firewalls. This wasn't like hacking some Earth tech. This was a whole new level, complex encryption powered by alien code and godlike energy.
Then the screen flickered green. "Got it! I'm in!" I said.
"Finally!" Atom Smasher grunted. "Then send those bastards home!"
"And bring the hostages back while you're at it," Nightwing added, ducking a blast from a parademon overhead.
"I'm trying!" I said, scanning through the alien systems. But the moment I got deeper into the network, I realized something ugly. "Wait... oh no."
"What is it?" Cyclone asked, spinning beside me, wind swirling with debris.
"I can't do both," I said grimly. "I can send the invaders home or bring the hostages back. Not both."
"Why not!?" she yelled.
"Darkseid and his parademons are all connected through a device in their armor, it's tied directly to the portal's coordinates. I can hijack that signal and force it to pull them back to Apokolips."
I looked at the readings again and shook my head. "But the hostages aren't wearing those devices. They're in containment pods, not yet processed. If I open the gate to drag Darkseid's army back, those pods stay behind. We'd have to send a rescue team through the portal while it's open, but that just mean Darkside in his army staying here longer."
"We can't just sacrifice them!" Atom Smasher shouted.
"Then give me a better option!" I snapped back. "You think I want this either? It's a hundred lives versus an entire planet. We're out of time!"
Nightwing's jaw tightened. "We're not making that call alone. Contact the others, Justice League, Society, everyone. They all need to know."
I nodded and opened comms to every network I could access. The League. The Society. Even the Justice Gang. But the New Dawn systems? Locked. I didn't have their signal key, and there was no time to hack it.
Kai POV
Lightning scorched the battlefield around me. I could feel every nerve in my body burning with divine charge as I hammered Darkseid with strike after strike.
Superman and Wonder Woman were still holding him by the lasso, Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan tightening their constructs around his arms and chest. He was bleeding, barely, but bleeding. For a god like him, that said something.
Then I noticed it, the looks on their faces. Shock. Hesitation.
"Dammit," Guy muttered through gritted teeth.
"What's happening?" I asked.
"Cyborg just said he can send Darkseid and his army home, but not the hostages."
I stopped midair, staring at Darkseid as the realization hit. "I can handle that," I said. "Tell Cyborg to close the portal on my mark."
Guy looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "What!? How the hell are you gonna—"
"Don't worry about it," I cut him off. "Just give me a few seconds."
I stopped firing lightning, holstered my hammer, and flew higher above the battlefield. The storm clouds gathered instantly, responding to me, to the magic, to the rage.
I closed my eyes and began to chant, my voice resonating with thunder.
Old magic. Ancient words. Something powerful enough to shake the sky and bend the line between worlds.
Because if Cyborg couldn't save both sides… then I would.
I raised my hands to the sky, thunder rolling like a living thing above me. My voice carried across the battlefield, loud enough to shake the air itself.
"Nekat evah snomed smedarap eht segatsoh eht lla kcab gnirb!Nekat evah snomed smedarap eht segatsoh eht lla kcab gnirb!Nekat evah snomed smedarap eht segatsoh eht lla kcab gnirb!"
Each time I spoke the incantation, civilians began to shimmer back into existence across Metropolis, shell-shocked but alive. More and more appeared: from side streets, from rooftops, from the parademon ships overhead. I could feel them, even the ones who'd been taken from other cities, pulled back through the rift.
Darkseid hadn't started the transformation cycle on them yet, thank God. If he had, this spell wouldn't work.
I kept chanting until I could sense every last hostage back on Earth. Then pain exploded across my chest, crushing and hot. Darkseid. Somehow, even blind, he'd found me. Somehow he'd broken through the others and flown straight for me.
He sent me hurtling, but I caught myself midair and steadied. "Hey," I coughed out, "are you still mad about the eye thing? Sure, I planned it, but Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl actually did the smashing."
He didn't care. He just came at me. The god of Apokolips knew how to throw hands. Every blow rattled my bones; my armor groaned. I wasn't weak, but he was raw, seething power. Around us the others were tied up, fighting off wave after wave of parademons.
I blocked his next punch, bracing with my hammer. "I gotta ask," I said between blows, "why are you so obsessed with stealing free will? Wiping out life? I've seen another guy who wanted to erase half the universe because of one woman, but at least he had a reason. You, you're just evil for evil's sake. No purpose. No love. In a few minutes we're going to beat you, and I want to hear it from you: why do you do this?"
"You really think you and these pathetic protectors can stop me?" Darkseid's voice was a roar of granite and fire. "I will kill you, kill them, destroy this planet and take my prize."
I stared at him. "So you don't have a reason. You were just born this way, a twisted god who'll never know love. Or…" I tilted my head, "…never know love again."
Even blind, I could feel his confusion, his hesitation. That was my opening. I swung my hammer with all my might, driving him down into the street like a meteor. The ground cracked. I dove after him, hammer raised for a follow-up strike, but he caught my hand, snarling, his other hand clamping on my throat. He flung me aside, sending me skidding through rubble.
"How?!" he growled, stalking closer. "How do you know of her?"
I wiped blood from my lip, still smirking. "You mean Suli, the great scientist of Apokolips. The only woman you ever truly loved. The one who died by poison because your mother thought you'd gone soft."
His whole body trembled. If he still had his eyes, I knew I'd already be ash from an Omega Beam.
"I know things no one would believe," I said, pushing myself upright, thunder curling in my palms. "I've seen universes with twisted logic, civilizations rise and fall, worlds born and reborn. I know secrets that can never be shared, truths that would make gods like you look like children in a cosmic playground. I know about your brother. I know about your son. Because in the grand scheme of things, you're not the final boss. You're not even close. You're a snack for the real monsters, the ones still locked away."
"Uxas," I spat his true name. "Be grateful they're still locked. Otherwise you would be dinner."
Darkseid let out a scream that shook the air, pure rage. He launched at me again. But this time, the heroes were ready. Superman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Lanterns, they slammed into him, buying me the few precious seconds I needed.
I shot into the sky, both hands raised, my voice thundering as I finished the spell.
After a few more chants, I finally finished the spell. Every civilian Darkseid had taken was brought back, I could feel it in the air, like the weight of a thousand souls snapping back into place. I shot through the smoke and landed beside Cyborg.
"Close it, now!" I yelled.
He didn't hesitate, but I could tell something was wrong."Damn it, I can do it," he said, typing faster, "but I don't have enough power. I need a massive energy source."
"All of you, stand back," I warned, raising my hammer. "It's about to get dangerous."
Everyone moved without question. I grabbed Cyborg's shoulder, grounding him, then lifted my hammer to the sky.
"SHAZAM!"
Thunder cracked. A massive storm tore open above us, swirling like a living thing. A single bolt, white, thick, and deafening, slammed down on us. The shockwave blew away cars, debris, and half a street's worth of rubble. When the light faded, parademons were being sucked back toward the portal like dust into a vacuum.
Cyborg almost dropped to his knees, his systems smoking. I caught him before he hit the ground, his shoulder plates were hot, but nothing I couldn't handle.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah… I just wasn't expecting that much juice," he said, voice glitching slightly.
A scream echoed across the city. We turned, it was Darkseid, still fighting, refusing to go down, half-dragged toward the closing rift.
"You gotta be kidding me," I muttered. "This is some Terminator-level bullshit."
I helped Cyborg steady himself, then flew off to back up the others. They were pushing Darkseid toward the portal, but he wasn't going quietly. I hurled my hammer, it spun through the air and hit him dead in the chest, the impact shaking the ground. He stumbled back, teetering at the edge of the vortex.
"Everyone, hit him with everything you've got!" I shouted.
Wonder Woman threw her sword. The Kryptonians unleashed twin beams of heat vision. Both Green Lanterns fired emerald blasts. Mr. Terrific's orbs rained down like comets. Captain Atom and Major Force opened up at full power, and even Batman was throwing every gadget he had left.
I focused all the lightning in my veins, every spark of my magic, into my hammer. Electricity danced across my armor as I aimed it straight at Darkseid.
"Evil god known as Darkseid!" I roared. "Know this, Earth is protected! You are not welcome here! By claim of the Mage King, I hereby banish you. Ever return, and we end you! SHAZAM!"
Lightning tore from the sky, brighter than before, slamming into Darkseid with a roar that split the clouds. His body convulsed, his armor cracked, and then, screaming with rage, he was dragged fully into the portal. Cyborg slammed his arm forward and sealed it shut.
The light vanished. The sound faded.
It was finally over.
The day… was won.
Everyone finally let out a long breath of relief.The ones still flying slowly descended and landed hard on their butts, bruised, bloody, and completely exhausted.
I looked around at all of them, the wrecked city, the burned streets, and then at the faint traces of smoke where Darkseid had been sucked back through the portal."I gotta admit," I said, letting out a small laugh, "for my first invasion, I did pretty damn well."
"You did more than well, young warrior," Wonder Woman said, walking up beside me. "You truly helped us all with your knowledge and leadership."
"Thanks, Wonder Woman. And nice job taking out his eye. You too, Hawkgirl, that hit was brutal."
Hawkgirl smirked, rubbing her shoulder. "Appreciate it. And thanks for saving my butt back there. Guess I owe you and your team one."
"You don't owe us anything," I said. "Part of the job is saving people, that includes heroes too."
Mr. Terrific walked over, wiping dirt off his mask. "Still… how did you know all of that about Darkseid? His real name, his past, his"
I looked at him, expression hardening. "Sometimes ignorance is bliss," I said quietly. "Trust me… you don't want the knowledge I have."
He didn't press further after that.
The rest of the heroes regrouped around us, tired but alive. I turned toward my team."All right, New Dawn members, head back to base. I'll meet you there later."
"Why aren't you coming?" Ranger asked.
"Because part of being a hero is cleaning up your own mess. At least, that's how I see it. You all look like hell, bruised, tired, half-dead. Go get some rest."
"You got hit by Darkseid multiple times," Panacea said. "Those punches caused shockwaves. I know you're hurt too."
"Oh, I'm absolutely hurt," I admitted with a grin. "Pretty sure both my arms are fractured, and I've got at least three broken ribs. But I'll live. Honestly, I just wish I'd brought a senzu bean with me."
"I'm not leaving you alone like this," Ranger said stubbornly.
"Me neither," Panacea added. "Same here," Superwoman said right after her.
"You don't have to"
"But we want to," all three said in sync.
I sighed. "Fine. But the rest of you, go home and rest."
A golden portal opened behind us, glowing bright. The League and the others tensed, ready for another fight.
"Don't worry," I said, raising my hand. "That's ours."
They relaxed, watching as the rest of my team stepped through one by one. When the last member crossed, the portal closed.
I flew higher above the ruins of Metropolis, the wind howling through the broken buildings. Raising my hand, I started to chant softly, words of restoration in the old tongue of magic.
One by one, the shattered buildings began to mend themselves. Windows reformed, steel bent back into shape, fires died out. The city slowly began to heal beneath me.
Trini POV
"Man, I wish I knew magic. This is insane," I muttered under my breath.
From where we were standing, I could see Kai floating above the city like some mythic guardian, hands glowing as he rebuilt entire skyscrapers piece by piece. Broken steel bent back into place. Windows reformed. Streets knitted themselves together like nothing had happened. It was like watching time rewind.
"Just ask him," Panacea said beside me, watching the same thing. "Who knows, maybe you'd be good at it. You've got the discipline for it."
I snorted. "Yeah, because martial arts and spells are the same thing." But I couldn't stop staring. Kai was literally stitching Metropolis back together by himself.
Movement caught my eye. Superman was walking toward us. Or more specifically, toward Superwoman and Panacea. His expression was guarded but curious.
"Are you actually Kryptonians?" Superman asked, his voice deep, even.
We all turned to look at him.
"Yes, we are," Superwoman said evenly. "Me, Panacea, Purity, and Might Woman."
Superman's brow furrowed. "How? And why are you showing yourselves now?"
"All our stories are really complicated," I cut in quickly. "And we can't really tell you, you know, the secret identity thing."
But Superwoman stepped forward a little. "I'm willing to tell you about Krypton. Unlike you and the other three, I was actually raised there. I can tell you about it if you want."
For a moment, Superman actually looked caught off guard. "I'd love that. I've… I've never had anyone to ask. The others are like me, sent here as kids."
"Yes," Panacea said quietly. "We were all raised here. We hed Human parents, mostly. We got some downloaded memories of Krypton, but not much."
Superman tilted his head. "You had…?"
"My parents disowned me because of an incident," Panacea admitted without flinching. "Might Woman's parents are long gone, and Purity didn't really have parents to begin with, she grew up in the foster system."
I blinked and leaned closer. "Should you be saying all of this?"
Panacea glanced at me and smirked faintly. "Don't worry. I'm careful. None of this can be used to trace us. I'm not like Soldier Boy after all."
Superman stayed silent for a moment, looking between them with something that was half awe, half sorrow. Then he started asking Superwoman quiet, eager questions, questions only another Kryptonian could answer. Questions, I realized, he'd probably been holding onto his whole life.