"Clark!!!" Kara shouted at the monitor, her eyes wide in panic.
"That might be a problem." Supreme said as he watched Clark fall limp onto the snow covered ground. A 'woosh' sound made him turn to catch Kara's figure speeding past the door.
He followed her out.
Elsewhere
Lobo walked over to the limp Krytonian and threw his cigar stub at him. The weapon was doing exactly what his contact said it would do. "Worth every penny!" He said, kicking his body while watching his face morph into a smile. The black mercy plant was as powerful as ever, disabling the fully powered kryptonian with ease. Maybe the collector would want him too, he thought, since he was now practically infamous for killing Mongul.
He bent to pick him up but stopped when he heard the fortress' door opening. His instincts made him put up his arms which blocked the powerful punch that rocketed towards him. The force threw him back a couple of metres while the snow surrounding them were scattered in the air reducing visibility.
Kara crouched down beside Clark's body, confused at the smile and contented look on his face. Her gaze travelled to his chest where she saw some kind of parasite that was subtly twitching every second. She grabbed hold of it and pulled. The parasite held strong no matter how much strength she used and she noticed his face wincing in slight pain when she persisted.
"What's that?" Supreme asked, standing next to her looking down at them. Trixx, who had started scanning Clark, paused everything she was doing in his HUD as the familiar 'UNCATALOGUED ALIEN DNA DETECTED...preparing to scan... popped up.
"It looks like a parasite." No normal plant would damage a kryptonians durable skin as easily as this one had done. She was startled when an orange beam suddenly scanned the black mercy twice in rapid succession before retreating. She looked up at him.
SAMPLE ACQUIRED...processing... flashed again and Trixx resumed her tasks. The result of the scan named it 'unknown alien' then she proceeded to study the DNA collected.
It is a telepathic plant-like species of alien. It may be manipulating Clark's subconscious so forcibly removing it could prove disastrous for its host. Trixx informed him as she displayed her report.
"I'm pretty sure it's an alien." Supreme stated, watching her try to pull it out of him, an action that Trixx highly admonished. "Stop doing that, you could be hurting him." he crouched and held her hand when she continued pulling.
"You don't know that, it could be killing him!" she shot back, panic evident in her voice. She couldn't lose the only family she had left, not now, not like this. She tagged at his hold which was the only thing preventing her from saving him.
"Trixx says don't." He told her while standing up, his senses warning him of someone stalking them. He could make an educated guess on who it was and his presence may infuriate Kara. "Why don't you take him to the Fortress? Kelex might know how to remove it." He suggested, using his enhanced vision to look around them. Visibility was still low from all the snow in the air.
She perked up. "You're right." She picked up his body and stood up, then sped to the fortress.
"Don't worry about..." He paused, when he found her long gone as he had started listing the reasons why she should listen to him. He had gambled she would want to fight the bounty hunter. "Guess I was wrong." He mumbled, while he used his enhanced senses to scan his surroundings.
Supremes gaze fell on to the bounty hunter, who was leaning against his space hog while typing into some kind of tablet. His feet lifted off the snow covered ground and floated towards him. Trixx scanned Lobo from head to toe, her scanners highlighting his attire, no doubt using him to estimate what Czarnians considered formal wear.
"This planet sure is something else." Lobo said, handing the device over to his space hog while watching Supreme float towards him. "You are a kryptonian." He stated, confused because recent records indicated that earth was home to only two Kryptonians, male and a female. He had already taken care of the male one and had seen female fly back into the fortress. There was no mention of the one he was staring at anywhere he searched, plus his clothes was completely different from the two. The Main Man was in good authority to question all the information on Krypton and its people's extinction.
"I am." Supreme agreed. "That makes it three to one, so you know it's in your best interest to leave us alone before we kick your ass for what you've done to him." He gestured to where Clark body had been lying. Trixx was in the process of scanning the space hog, which she termed as a 'customised space motorcycle' while detecting the presence of an AI managing its systems.
Hack into it, he ordered her, thinking of all the information they could gain from him. Maybe the reason for his attacks.
Lobo chuckled at his not so subtle threat, "The Main Man has an overdue contract on that fucker's shit!" he pointed to the fortress. "So kick my ass if you can, coz I am sure as hell going to fuck you and this place up!" He declared, retrieving an energy canon from the space hog which he shot at Supreme, sending him flying back a couple of meters. He thought the black mercy would expedite his time here but clearly he was wrong. Guess 'the fun part' can't stay out of the Main Man's job, he grinned, watching his target charge at him.
Supreme dodged every blast he fired and unleashed with extreme precision a short burst of heat vision which disabled his weapon in a small explosion. He sped in front of him and punched him hard, making him to collide with a distant pile of snow. An explosion catapulted him face first into the snow covered ground. He jumped into the air and looked around to see the space hog making a U-turn and target him, firing all kinds of weapons at him. He dodged some of them while tanking the rest as he unleashed his heat vision on it, which sliced off some of its weapons when it manoeuvred out of his reach.
"Trixx, the space hog!" He shouted, if he were to deal with Lobo, he couldn't have such a nuisance bothering him.
"I am unable to connect to it because it is using an air gapped system." She explained, leading to him cursing. His enhanced hearing picked up too late on a projectile heading to him at top speed.
Lobo's fist connected in a powerful punch while he was in the process of turning to face him. The shockwave dispersed the surrounding falling snow while it caused a couple of avalanches in the distant.
Supreme felt like he had been hit by a freight train as he collided with the ground and formed a small crater devoid of any snow. The last thing to hit him this hard was Doomsday. He heard a THUD in the distance and moved to get up.
Lobo rushed him again, delivering punch after punch, the explosive sounds reverberating through the mountains while causing avalanches in some. The Main Man couldn't make the same mistake of toying with his opponents as he did the last time he came for the database.
Supreme, amidst the punches, unleashed a powerful stream of heat vision which sent Lobo back while burning off his chests durable skin. He stood up and shook the disorientation from his head as he watched Lobo shake the snow from his body while his chest rapidly healed.
"Fuck that hurt!" He shouted, though he was chuckling as he watched Supreme. He retrieved spiked gloves from one of his numerous pockets and put them on. "I wonder why the Main Man never heard of this dump before." He said. "This is a great vacation spot. Everything the Master Frag loves; sexy super women, worthy bounties and all the sex I could get." He listed while uncoiling his enchanted chain hook from his arm.
"Though The Main Mans business comes before pleasure." He declared and attacked.
Elsewhere
Clark body was laid on top of a table inside the infirmary where Jor El was conducting extensive scans on him. His father's AI had appeared the moment Kelex had scanned and identified the Black mercy plant.
Kara was pacing up and down, constantly checking up on how Supreme was fairing against the bounty hunter. She needed to know her cousins condition before she went to clobber that brute. She hoped Ben could handle himself in the meantime.
The black mercy plant changed position again, more of its tendrils moving to secure Clarks hands in place.
"How is he?" She asked, hearing Clark's delirious mumble and chuckles.
"Not to worry. He is fine, albeit still not fine." Jor El answered. "The black mercy was retconned to be a symbiotic species created by Mother Mercy, a sentient plant organism, and were intended to latch to terminally ill sentients and give them a happy, painless death. Krypton had never managed to acquire enough samples to conduct an extensive research on them." He explained, retrieving what miniscule data he had of them.
"So he's dreaming?"
"Oh, far deeper than any dream." Jor El said. "It is feeding on your cousins bioelectric aura, gradually killing him in the process. The more power it gains from him, the more tendrils will claim his body. That's how these species survive and reproduce." The two watched as the tendrils were slowly and surely growing.
"How do we get it off him?" She questioned, reaching out her arm to touch it.
"I'd advice against that." Jor El cautioned. "Any attempt of forcibly removing it may lead to the hosts' untimely death."
She didn't intend to pull it out but she retracted her hands either away.
"I have no knowledge on how to remove it. But I shall do some research." Jor Els hologram vanished.
Kara's sad gaze found Clark's when he mumbled and chuckled, still smiling broadly, no doubt the black mercy doing what it was meant to.
The whole fortress structure shook for a second and Kara sped out of the room. She would help Supreme while Kelex found a cure for Clark. She needed to release her anger on something.
Elsewhere
Supreme and Lobo clashed in a violent display of skill and raw strength.
The Main Man greatly out skilled Supreme in hand-to-hand combat which he made up for by using his variety of abilities against him. His plumber training couldn't compare to the Master Frag's millennium of experience. Their strength were almost at par with each other, plus his enchanted chain hook could harm him, he figured magic was involved.
Lobo, on the other hand had clocked how inexperienced Supreme was which meant an easy defeat despite his various powers. The space hog was repairing itself a few miles away using nanotech, after its engine was blown up by Supremes heat vision.
Supreme, who had just finished regenerating from being scorched by Lobos' chain hook, super sped and spear tackled him head on, breaking multiple of his ribs and internal organs. They pounded against the fortress sturdy wall, cracking it, while Lobo spurt out blood from his mouth onto Supreme's back and the snow covered ground.
With pain having a mild effect on him, he lifted up his right hand then brought down his elbow on Supreme's back in extreme precision with all the strength he could master. A technique he perfected a lifetime ago during one his hunts.
'CRACK' the result emitted an enormous shockwave that shook the massive structure behind them as Supreme dropped to the ground.
"Aaaaaargh!" His scream cut through the snow filled air, raw and guttural, filled with an anguish that seemed to tear at the very core of his being. Distant mountains developed avalanches from the force of the shock wave plus at the high pitched sound he produced. He groaned as he had never felt such pain before while Trixx informed him of a spinal fracture on his form.
"No one makes the Main Man bleed!" He, who was already healed, kicked Supremes torso, further exaggerating his injury while he was thrown a few meters away.
In a flash of green light, he reverted to Ben, his small form barely fitting the small crater he landed on. "Thank God!" he exclaimed as the pain he had felt vanished immediately, though he was instantly assaulted by the extreme cold condition of the arctic. He stood up and looked around, his gaze landing on Lobo, who was staring at him in surprise before being punched away by something he couldn't see. Though he guessed it to be Kara or Clark, if he was fine.
In a flash of green light, he changed just as a portal formed meters away from the fortress.
Watchtower.
Earlier.
The Almerac fleet, strategically surrounding the watchtower and earth, floated in space, their scanners covering every inch of earth. That was why they detected Lobo's space hog as it breached earth's surface at top speed not giving them any attention. This sent the officers in charge into battle mode, thinking that he was looking for their queen again. Every soldier was put on alert as they contacted their superior.
They made contact with general MC who ordered them to keep an eye on him while he informed their queen. She would want to be the one to emerge as a saviour in case the bounty hunter wasn't after her, which was unlikely since they still held a contract with him. He exited his quarters in a hurry and knocked on her door.
No answer.
He knocked again.
No answer.
He looked around, deep in thought and anxious. He thought of breaking it down as he usually did but stopped since this wasn't their property. He produced a tablet from his pocket and scanned for her unique signature. The tablet pinged and he started tracking her down along the corridors. Every hero he passed by would stop and stare while some of the heroines waved at him. Even though his gene wasn't at per with Klaus's, he was still an almeraci, who when compared to earthlings looked like a model.
He traced his queen to a secluded section of the watchtower, marked 'training wing' and when he arrived, he nolonger needed the scanner because he could sense the massive vibrations one of the chambers was trying to suppress. He walked up to its armoured door, and tapped the screen adjacent to it. It was just as he suspected, Maxima was sparring with Thor in a match that filled him with pride as he continued watching, momentarily forgetting his objective. The display was blurry because he could tell their clash had most likely broken the internal cameras in the room. He could only see them because this one was directly connected through the wall.
The general was in a dilemma of sorts. Telling the queen would lead to her being in a bad mood because the session would be stopped. Not informing her would also lead to the Justice league discrediting her efforts which would also lead to her being in a bad mood. He made his decision in favour of his great planet Almerac.
He tapped his earpiece, "Do you have a read on his current location?" There was a minute of silence.
"We have tracked him to the Kryptonians home." The officer informed him. They had its precise location because wherever the queen went, a remote, undetected satellite transmitted her location to the general. That was how his family bloodline had successfully guaranteed all the queens of Almeracs safety.
"Good. Tell me when he is on the move." He ordered. "And block all transmissions coming from there." He added.
The kryptonian is strong enough to handle Lobo, at least until this session expires, he thought while a shit-eating grin plastered on his face when he turned back to the display panel. That's my Queen!
Elsewhere, J'onn and Wanda strode along the corridors deep in conversation, on their way to check on the malfunctioning training room that suddenly went offline. The details of its last transmission to the control rooms worried J'onn.
Fortress of Solitude.
Kara gave her all in the consecutive punches she landed on Lobo, rage taking over her mind and judgement.
Seeing Clark lying helplessly on the table, dying slowly with no way to help, triggered her anger which further elevated it to pure rage when she heard Supreme's guttural scream. How many times would this brute disrupt their lives?
Lobo found himself catapulting head first into a mountain range miles away from the fortress. Half of it got obliterated as his body lodged between its rocky vent. He shook his head dispelling the momentary dizziness. "What the fruck!" He exclaimed, looking around before Kara slammed into him fist first, flattening the entire mountain while every other in the vicinity experienced avalanches.
She kept on punching him, in super speed further enlarging the crater. Lobo, disoriented, punched sporadically in all directions attempting to fend off the attacker. One blow connected and Kara was pushed back and up. Utilising her flight ability, she charged at him again.
"Fuckin bitch!" Lobo cursed, seeing who had the gall to clobber him so unprofessionally. He retrieved one of his custom frags from his pocket.
Kara attacked him again, her rage fuelling her strength and speed. She got a couple of punches in but Lobo parried one, then head butted her so hard it left her momentarily dizzy before she was kicked away by him.
Shaking her head, she moved to attack but saw him smirking and waving at her, she was confused. The fragg attached to her back detonated before she had a chance to ponder why.
Elsewhere
Kalibak, Steppenwolf, Big Barda, Cyborg and another fury stepped out of the boom tube, the harsh cold weather condition not a problem for them. They scanned around and saw the fortress a distance away.
"Stupid machine! Why didn't you boom tube us inside?" Kalibak, pointed to the structure.
"The fortress is fitted with counter measures against boom tubes, this is the closest I could get us." Cyborg answered, being a shell of his former humane self. The main objective of the mother box housed inside him was to function as their portal generator and hack the fortress' system.
"Stop complaining. We are lucky he had the coordinates to his home." Steppenwolf said. Granny Goodness' clone had informed them that Superman hadn't been seen around for quite some time which meant he could still be in space or in their watchtower. So they had to move fast because the mother box had also detected an almerac fleet in space meaning they could aid the Justice League if it came down to it, not to mention the lantern core. They shouldn't attract unwanted attention or overstay their welcome and risk being captured.
Looking around, they saw craters which were gradually filling with snow while they heard something that sounded like distant explosions.
"I believe we are not the only ones here to steal something." Big Barda spoke up, pointing to Lobo's space hog in the distance that was mildly covered in snow.
"That is Lobos hog!" Kalibak exclaimed smirking, "I knew he didn't weasel out of our deal!" he barked, looking at Steppenwolf with an 'I told you so' look.
"How do you figure?" He asked the general.
"Can't you see he was captured by these primitives?" He said, a smug look on his face. "I knew he was never a threat." A mighty roar disrupted his moment making him and the others turn to its origin.
"What is that supposed to be?" Steppenwolf asked Cyborg who proceeded to scan it.
"Unknown." He answered.
"What do you mean! Check it against these earthlings database." Kalibak ordered him.
"There is no data pertaining to it." Cyborg reiterated.
"Could it be the feline creatures that roam among the natives?" Big Barda asked, as she studied it. She was looking at what resembled an orange and white bipedal tiger with one black claw coming out of each wrist and no tail. It was also muscular and had green eyes and black stripes on its shoulders, head, legs, and upper body as well as a white jaw, neck, chest, stomach, hands, and feet. A strange device was attached at the centre of its chest. It was looking straight at them.
"What you are talking about is called a tiger. This one can walk vertically on its hind legs." Cyborg corrected her as his mechanical eye displayed a hologram of it.
"Whatever it is I don't care. We have a mission to carry out." Kalibak said, dredging forward through the snow as the others followed.
Rath, who had sensed the group as soon as they arrived, roared a warning for them to keep away from his territory. He watched them stare at him, then completely disregard his warning. That brush dismissal angered him.
"LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING YA WEIRD LOOKING PEOPLE FROM THE WEIRD LOOKING PORTAL!!! RATH WILL SMASH YA BACK INTO YA PORTAL THEN EAT IT AS A SNACK!!!" He shouted angrily, pointing his clawed hand at them. Just then a snow flake landed on one of his eyes, the coldness startling him for a moment. He looked up, "LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING YA WHITE FALLING THINGS THAT COME OUT OF NOWHERE!!! NO ONE ATTACKS RATH WITHOUT GETTING PUMMELED!!!" he shouted and started swiping the air around him, to get to the snowflakes falling.
"Kill it!" Kalibak, not wanting to strain himself with trivial creatures, ordered the other fury who nodded and took off in a sprint.
The fury attacked him while he was still attempting to kill the snowflakes. Her blade aimed at his neck, which was spared accidentally when he followed a snow flake that escaped his grasp when it landed on the ground.
Her sudden appearance startled him and his senses went into overdrive when the fury stepped back and re-aimed to pierce his chest.
Rath's agility helped him dodge the strike, his anger exploding, then faster than the fury could comprehend, he shattered her sword into pieces by catching it between his sharp teeth then using his powerful bite force.
The lady flipped a couple of metres away from him and looked shocked at the broken sword in her hand. A sword that was forged in the hell fire pits of Apokolips.
"LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING YA LADY WHO THINKS CAN CUT OFF RATH'S HEAD!!! RATH'S HEAD WILL DEFEAT YA CUTTING ANYTIME!!!" He bellowed and charged, his anger rising at everything around him.
The fury, already in shock, was further startled by his speed when he ploughed head first into her chest, knocking her away while probably breaking a few body parts from the force of it all, based on the shockwave produced. The fury passed out.
Kalibak, Steppenwolf, Big Barda and cyborg had stopped walking at the sight of their comrade being manhandled by the talking beast.
"Good for nothing furies!" Kalibak said, staring at Big Barda, who in turn was glaring at him for his comment. "What? Not him!" he said, pointing to Cyborg. "He's our way in there and out of here."
"Fine!" She conceded and faced Rath, who was charging at them while hurling continuous threats at them. Seeing as it easily shattered the fury's sword, she dismantled her spear and stored it away then retrieved her Mega rod.
As soon as Rath pounced on them when he was some metres away, Big Barda activated the mega rod then blasted him with a powerful wide-arcing blast of concussive force that had him colliding with the only tall structure around. The whole fortress structure mildly shook again as Rath slid on its wall to the ground, his whole body emitting smoke.
He stood up and shook his head, "LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING YA WALL THAT KNOCKED AGAINST RATH!!! RATH WILL BREAK YA INTO TINY PIECES!!!!" he said, punching the wall repeatedly.
The New gods stood dazed, looking at the creature fighting the sturdy wall. "It survived!" Big Barda said, astonished that it had just tanked the mega rods full power.
"I hate this planet more and more!" Kalibak groaned. They hadn't even made contact with the Kryptonian yet this animal meant they would spend a lot more time than they estimated.
"Don't tell me the great Kalibak is shaking in his armour." Big Barda taunted.
"Say that again! I dare you!" Kalibak shot back, moving in front of her.
Barda chuckled but remained quiet. Granny Goodness would have her hide if she was the one to complicate the mission.
"That's what I thought." He sneered. "Since you proclaim yourself so highly, deal with this while the professionals get what we came for." He ordered and gestured for Cyborg to follow him.
Steppenwolf was constantly scanning around because he could hear loud explosions in the distance. And when he thought about it, the immediate area looked as though it had been ravaged by a fight or war of some kind. Raths presence merely gave credit to his assumptions. They shouldn't underestimate the kryptonian or the Justice leagues defences. "Let's go, we've wasted more time than intended."
Raths senses redirected his attention to the approaching group. "LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING YA TOUGH HEADED UGLIES WHO WANTS TO TRESSPASS INTO RATH'S TERRITORY!!! He shouted, pointing his spiked hand at them. "RATH'S TERRITORY WILL TRESSPASS THE SHIT OUT OF YA!!!" He added then charged at them.
"Did that thing just cluster me in the same level of ugliness as you!?" Barda barked, outrageous at the insinuation. She sped forward.
The two collided and tumbled in a heap as Barda didn't have time to use her extensive skills because wraths sporadic attacks broke her sync. She had to admit the beast was strong as they punched each other senseless on the snow. A huge explosion gave them momentary pause, as the fortress' security was shooting at Kalibak and Steppenwolf.
His rage exploding more than it did, his claw extended in length and pierced Barda's shoulder then kicked her away. Rath charged at the two other brutes.
Elsewhere
Kara took a moment to gather herself before rising from the crater her fall had created. The explosion packed a powerful punch. She stretched her muscles.
"The Main Man has no beef with a hottie like you. I'd rather we get to know each other better by fucking or in your case hate fucking," He suggested, chuckling at the shocked expression she had on her face. "Don't tell me you have never been fucked, kryptonian." He said and laughed out loud at how her face flushed and the increased rate of her heartbeat.
Kara's overwhelming anger overshadowed her embarrassment and she attacked. Lobo saw it coming a mile away, and decided to test something on her. Taking advantage of her emotionally fuelled attack, he tanked her punch and held her in a choke hold with her struggling to break free.
"I don't mind you doing that." He edged her on before placing his nose on her neck and inhaled deeply.
His words filtered through her rage filled mind and she paused, "Did you just sniff me!" her anger exploded and the sporadic struggling hit his groin, making his hold to loosen as he groaned. She used her flight to flip them over and punch him into the ground followed by a strong burst of heat vision.
"Exquisite." Lobo proclaimed, licking his lips as he climbed out of the crater, his scorch marks healing. His strong sense of smell and millennium of experience in debauchery noted something from Kara's scent. "I don't blame you. These natives would snap like a twig when they try to..." He didn't finish because Kara punched him so hard he was catapulted into the air. She kept on punching him, taking advantage of her flight and that's when her enhanced vision saw what was going on in front of the fortress. Regaining her composure, she sped to Lobo who had started falling to the ground and punched him again, changing his trajectory till he collided with the fortress' sturdy wall.
"What the...?" She wondered as she saw the various creatures battling it out. She identified Rath as Ben as soon as she saw the omnitrix symbol, while the rest of them her eidetic memory identified as Apokolips' lackies. She heard rustling behind her and turned to see Lobo also taking in what was happening, forgetting about her for a moment. No sooner had she decided to aid whatever Ben had become than Lobo's enchanted flaming chain hook restrained her, making her to fall on the snow covered ground, screaming in pain.
Elsewhere, Kalibak, Steppenwolf and Big Barda were tag teaming Rath, deciding that was the fastest way of dealing with the stubborn, unintelligent yet strong feline. Rath had proved to be resilient no matter how many times they put him down. He could take Steppenwolf and Big Barda on one by one, but the prince of apokolips was stronger than him, at least not until Raths rage had exploded making his strength increase tremendously. Thus they decided to deal with him quickly.
"LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING UGLIES!!! NO ONE TAG TEAMS RATH EXCEPT RATH!!!"He shouted then paused when his enhanced hearing picked up on Kara's scream. This stutter made it possible for Kalibak to clobber him with his beta club then shoot him with the deadly nerve beam that activated all of his pain receptors. Rath, disoriented from the pain, roared as he was sent flying to Steppenwolf who had his electro axe raised and ready to slice him in half. He brought down the charged axe at lightning speed.
Everyone apart from Steppenwolf shielded their eyes as a sudden flash of bright green light was seen followed by a loud 'CLANG!' The shockwave generated forced them to take a few steps back.
"Diamondhead!!!" He shouted excitedly as the extreme pain he felt, faded into nothingness. "You guys are in so much trouble!" he said, then added as he marvelled at himself. "I've had a lot of practice with this one."
Steppenwolf, who was still shocked that his axe failed and had bounced back to him, stared at the creature in front of him. Is it really a creature? He thought.
He saw a humanoid being whose body was composed entirely of pale green/blue crystals, which was very tough and durable like a diamond since his electro axe attack did nothing to it. Not even a scratch. He sported four crystal shards on his back and had a sharp head. It had yellow eyes while its jaw was huge and wore sleeveless clothing that was all black with one large green stripe down the middle up to his belt, and wore black pants. He had on a green belt with white stripes which had an unfamiliar symbol to him. He wore black shoes that were green on the bottom.
Diamondhead's arms extended into the ground, breaking the three new gods and Lobo out of their stupor but it was too late for them. Their bodies were already entrapped within a huge crystal that shaped their body's physique.
"What the fuck!" Lobo yelled as he tried breaking free from the crystal entrapment. I have to stop zoning out during missions, he thought as he watched Diamondhead create, then surf the crystals he produced to Kara.
After scanning through memories of all his millennium of bounty hunting, he conceded he had never seen a being like it before, one that was capable of growing crystals on its body. Looking at the new gods, he noted they were also perplexed.
Diamondhead grabbed the chain and untangled it from her form.
Kara calmed down as her burn marks were rapidly healing. She opened her eyes, startled at what she was seeing before her gaze landed on the omnitrix symbol on the belt.
She shot up into a sitting position as soon as she remembered what was happening.
Kalibak broke out of the entrapment then helped Steppenwolf and Big Barda while Lobo, not one to be outshined, summoned his strength and broke through it.
"Lobo!!!" Kalibak raged, pointing at him.
"That's the Main Man to you!" He corrected, "Only my mates call me Lobo," then winked at Big Barda who glared at him.
"Now's not the time!" Steppenwolf barked as he threw the electro axe at Diamondhead, who formed a huge crystal barrier which entrapped the axe within it.
Diamondhead's arms and face morphed through the barrier, took aim and started shooting crystal shard projectiles at them.
Kalibak used his beta club to block them but was hurled back when they exploded on contact. This made the rest of them cautious so they produced their energy weapons and started shooting back at him.
Elsewhere Kara was still processing what Ben had turned into as she noted that his body was physically connected to the barrier which acted as an extension of him. Using her x-ray vision, the crystals had near similar properties to diamond though his was stronger. Her acute senses clocked Lobo sneaking up on them from behind. She turned and blasted him back with a powerful burst of heat vision followed by his whole body getting entrapped in crystal.
"How are you doing that?" She asked, floating behind him.
"You mean this?" He said as he proceeded to target their opponents.
Kalibak cursed as the crystals popped up from under their feet and entrapped them while their weapons were sliced into two. "Cursed beast!"
"I just can!" Diamondhead smiled as he forged a spiked mallet with a handle then passed it over to her.
"For you, in case he acts up." He pointed at Lobo, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Kara took the weapon and examined it. She pressed a finger against one of the spiked ends and she could feel its sharpness, which was impressive given her durability and all. She turned and glared at Lobo, who winked at her suggestively. "This the boyfriend who hasn't fucked you yet?" He asked, smirking when he saw her shocked and 'rapidly turning to anger' expression.
Diamondhead who was forming hand cuffs on his hand, stumbled and they fell on the ground at that statement. He turned just in time to telepathically stop the spiked mallet that was rocketing towards Lobos exposed head, promising dismemberment. Kara let go of it and stepped back, glaring at the hunter. The Mallet continued floating in place.
"I love me a woman who's got that fire burning in them." He chuckled looking at the sharp spikes so close to disfiguring his handsome face.
"You know I can look away when she kills you." Diamondhead gestured to the glare Kara was sending her way. He was sure her heat vision was a second away from making its presence known.
"The Main Man ain't afraid of no girl, much less a walking jewellery!!!" He bellowed. "You and me are going to have to talk about how we left things." He looked at Kara who wished for him to set himself lose so as to have a good reason to pummel him.
"We need to restrain them." Diamondhead said, as he scanned their surroundings. All of the invaders were held by his crystal which he hoped would be enough till back up arrived.
"The Master Fraggs hunt ain't done yet." He said, looking at Kalibak and the others who were as trapped as he was. If he could get the database before them, then the contract would still be valid as he would deliver it to him. The place of delivery did not matter. He whistled long and hard for a second.
"Just shut up!" Kara said, and the crystals entrapping him elongated and formed a gag over his mouth.
Kalibak and the rest of the New gods watched from a far.
"What do you think it is?" barda asked them, having given up on trying to break free. "A shapeshifter? A martian?"
"I don't care! We cannot fail my father!!" Kalibak seethed and with great effort broke free and charged at Diamondhead who noticed this and merely waved his hand and the general found himself encased again in a crystal entrapment. This time it took the shape of him running.
"Granny Goodness is going to kill me. How can these earthlings subdue me!" She seethed. If only she could reach her Mega rod, something the crystal entrapment did not allow.
"You are worried about the wrong person. Think about what Darkseid will do to us for this failure." Steppenwolf watched as Kalibak kept breaking out of the entrapments only to end up bound in another.
"Is that why you haven't instructed the mother box to get us out of here." She had been wondering about it, but didn't want to suggest it as she had not completed her boss' mission too.
"Going back empty handed is not an option." He said, then looked at Lobo who was calmly making suggestive expressions at the female Kryptonian.
"You've noticed it too?" Barda asked, following his gaze.
Steppenwolf nodded. If Kalibak could break out of these crystals then Lobo could do the same, which begged the question, 'why wasn't he trying?' "He's up to something."
"Somethings." Barda corrected, then gestured in a certain direction. Steppenwolf looked then grinned. He had to respect how resourceful the bounty hunter was. "We have to break free."
"How long does it take for back up to arrive?" Kara asked, still glaring at Lobo who seemed suddenly deep in thought. "I know Kelex called it in."
"Maybe they are busy dealing with Maximas antics." Diamondhead suggested, a statement which got the Main Mans attention. He thought back to her fleet which he had seen in space, plus he knew she was somehow working with these primitives which he didn't understand why. What he knew was he had a job to finish. In a tremendous display of strength, he shattered his entrapment and broke the crystals covering his mouth.
"I'll have to go pay her a visit after I'm done here." He said as he broke any crystal that attempted to work its way up his legs. "Quite doing that, you fucker." He retrieved a fragg from his pocket and threw it at them while he jumped aside.
The huge crystal barrier from earlier formed deep cracks from the explosion while Diamondhead enclosed them in a protective crystal sphere. After two minutes or so, he withdrew the sphere. The explosion had formed a minor crater where they stood.
"You didn't have to do that." Kara said, her eyes searching for the hunter as she tightened her hold on the spiked mallet.
"I know. I wanted to." Diamondhead dismissed her then his caught onto something. "That's going to be a problem." He said, watching Lobo discuss something with Steppenwolf and Kalibak. Big Barda was still looking at him.
"Not as much as that..." She pointed in the other direction. Diamondhead followed her line of sight, his eyes widening a little.
"Are those who I think they are?" Diamondhead exclaimed, shocked, watching a group of stark naked Lobos closing in on their location.
"Damn it." Kara cursed, "This will not end well." One Lobo was already a nuisance to deal with.
"I thought the reports were exaggerating. That is so cool!!!" He said, excited. This reminded him of his alien, Ditto, who could also clone himself albeit to a more refined state. His clones came with clothes. A humanoid Ditto! He thought.
"What! How are you happy right now? We are literally outnumbered." She chided, gesturing around. They would end up in a dire situation if help didn't arrive soon, no matter how powerful they both were. "They've joined forces!"
"Sucks for them! We'll still win this thing. Don't forget, universe's greatest hero." He said, his voice smug. "Humungousaur could eat these guys for breakfast!"
Kara didn't get a chance to speak as a naked Lobo ploughed through the cracked crystal barrier and punched Diamondhead who was hurled away. She released her heat vision which blasted him away but was tackled out of the air by another one.
The original Lobo could be heard laughing loudly and giving orders, "Fuck those fruckers up!!!"
"Gross! Get off me!!!" Kara bellowed, blasting another one away with her heat vision while trying to get free from the others hold.
"Hey you!!! NO funny business there! That one's mine!!" Lobo shouted to the one getting pleasure from holding Kara down. "Let's get this over with." He motioned to the new gods and they headed for the fortress. They had come to an understanding that they would still pay Lobo should he aid them to retrieve the database. That was good enough for him. Getting paid for half the work.
"Where is the male kryptonian?" Big Barda asked. With all this commotion he should have turned up by now, or the Justice league.
"He's down for the count." Lobo informed them, a smirk in place. The new gods just looked at him. The fortress security started firing at them with precision. The others used shields while Lobo just shrugged off the shots, after all, whatever harm was done to his durable skin, he regenerated it in no time.
Crystal shards bombarded the many Lobos, exploding on contact while one head shotted Kara's aggressor thus let her go while he regenerated.
"There's too many of them." She shouted at Diamondhead who was holding them back with his explosive shards. "We need to defend the fortress." They saw Lobo and Kalibak repeatedly punch the camaflouged door while Steppenwolf and Barda disabled the fortress' canons and any Kelex robot that appeared.
"I have had enough of these guys. Let's see how they like Humungousaur!" with a thought he disappeared in a flash of green light.
"What the fuck is this!" He barked in a base voice, looking at himself in the reflective surface of their crystal barrier. He flexed his muscles and could feel the incredible strength he possessed. Trixx was also back to projecting in his HUD eyes. He felt different, unique somehow, as the omnitrix evolutionary feature bestowed upon him the knowledge on how to use the form.
'Your Czarnian DNA sample,' Trixx informed him. 'This is the best course of action for your current predicament.' She also highlighted for him every ability he had, according to the reports she retrieved of the bounty hunter, while also indicating the ones that had been enhanced by the omnitrix perfecting the sample.
Kara stood, stunned looking at a white-skinned, muscle-bound alien with unkempt long black dreadlocks and green eyes with black markings around them and a goatee beard. He wore a sleeveless black leather jacket with green spiked shoulder pads, green spiked arm gauntlets, black trousers with a green belt and the omnitrix symbol as its buckle, metal kneepads, and black boots. He had a chain wrapped around his upper left forearm.
"I...I think you are Lobo." She mumbled, the only difference between them was his facial structure that resembled Bens, his green eyes, the omnitrix belt buckle and the spikes on his gauntlets plus shoulder pads were coloured green. He also had a more refined physique and was taller than the other one.
"No, not Lobo." He refuted, "It's Ben fucking 10." He declared and bumped his chest in excitement. I love this universe!
A naked Lobo clone came charging at them, utilising their momentary lapse, and knocked Kara aside then attacked. Ben 10, using his enhanced reflexes, speed and proficiency in hand to hand combat, quickly beat the clone to a pulp and retrieved a grenade from one of his various pockets and stuffed it inside the clones mouth then kicked it away.
The clone exploded in a fiery display of body parts thrown all around them.
"You killed him!" Kara exclaimed, shocked at his actions.
"Guess I did, beautiful." He said without any hint of sympathy. "As much as Ben 10 would love to stay here and entertain you," he stated before she had a chance to speak, "I need to fuck these bad guys up, then I'm all yours." He winked, and started to clone himself quickly.
Kara watched, stunned as he seemed to split himself in half continuously, a green hue separating them while splitting apart. She had to jump into the air when he popped out more than 10 indistinguishable clones. She was grateful that his wore the exact same clothes Ben 10 did which was also a problem because she couldn't tell who the real one was.
"Take them down!" Ben 10 ordered and the clones went into action, each taking on a Lobo clone.
Ben 10 jumped, heading for the fortress where the new gods were still fighting against the kelex robots who were materialising in great numbers. Kara picked up her spiked mallet and joined the fight.
Lobo had taken to punching the wall, since he knew it could be broken down given the right amount of force. Something knocked against him and landed on his feet. He looked down and bent to inspect it. "Motherfru..." he was sent hurtling away by the explosion which rocked the fortress' perimeter.
"I love this guy!" Ben 10 exclaimed as he landed with a THUD, and pocketed the remaining grenades. He was surprised at how spacious his pockets was. Trixx attributed it to some type of technology.
Lobo, who had already healed, faltered in his step when he saw Ben 10, a czarnian who wasn't one of his clones. Plus he was wearing an almost similar attire to him. His senses tingled as he closed in on him. Looking over his form, "Where the fruck did you come from!" he demanded, this sudden development much more dire than his bounty. He was definitely looking at another Czarnian.
"Why the fuck do you care!" Ben 10 shot back.
"Coz I killed every living thing on Czarnia for fun. I killed Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny an' things that don't even exist, an' so help me, I tried ta follow th' triple-fold path o' peace. I tried my best... but frag me for a bastich, even I got limits!" he said then his attention was drawn to the explosions and curses coming from behind them. He turned, "The fruck!"
He watched as Ben 10 clones and his were killing each other while some of them fought alongside Kara against the new gods. It shouldn't have been possible because clones took time to develop, like his had when he spilled blood fighting Supreme and Kara.
"So it's true you killed all your people." Ben 10 stated, confirming the rumours everyone was saying about the bounty hunter.
"Of course I did. The Main Man doesn't do boring." He said, studying him, "You are a czarnian but you didn't know I killed everyone."
"Ben 10 has better things to do than follow up on a cheap shot like you." He retorted.
"Then I guess I'll have to finish what I started." Lobo declared, closing the gap between them.
"Give me your best shot." Ben 10 taunted, his blood craving violence just like Raths.
Elsewhere
Kalibak crawled out from a crater and scanned around him. How he hated this back water planet and if it were up to him, he would just blast it out of existence like the kryptonian did to war world. He was also partly confused because the Lobo clones that were helping them were fighting against other almost similar clones who wore clothes. He was pretty sure they were all Czarnians so the theory of Lobo being the sole survivor had lost its merit to him.
He had fought against one of them and was surprised by its strength and combat skill, plus the weapons it had access to were also powerful. He had to use his beta club's deadly nerve beam on it and crack open its head with great force since it seemed to somehow enjoy the beams effects. It laid still, its head starting to regenerate.
Steppenwolf was locked in battle with one of them while Big Barda fought against the female kryptonian. He saw Lobo locked in battle against Ben 10, both seemingly enjoying beating each other senseless. He noted they had spent too much time on earth already. Now that everyone was preoccupied, he strode to the Fortress.
Elsewhere Lobo didn't display his usual brash tactics during this fight because he knew that Ben 10 was the only person in the universe who could actually kill him. Especially since he discovered that they were almost evenly matched. What caught him off guard was the way he made his clones. During their fight, he watched his clone split from him, a green hue acting as a barrier between the two during the process. It emerged fully clothed and proceeded to go and attack Kalibak. It was so different from his method, more advanced if he was to be honest himself. He decided that this fight would have to be postponed so he could regroup and research on him. Before Ben 10 got the chance to attack him again, he whistled loudly.
Ben 10 paused, wondering what command he was telling his clones. He got his answer when a hail of energy blasts rained down on him as the space hog flew to its master, who jumped on it.
"The Main Mans going to have to spare your weak ass this time." Lobo told him and sped off into the sky.
Kalibak, who was fighting a Ben 10 clone near the fortress door noticed the bounty hunter speed off into space. He used his beta club's energy beam again on it and surveyed around. All the Lobo clones had been defeated, leaving a handful of the other ones together with Kara who were giving Steppenwolf and Big Barda a hard time. To his right he saw the other clone who was fighting Lobo focus on him while the other one was slowly getting up. He made up his mind.
"Mother box, get us out of here!" He commanded and cyborg, who had been flying up high, recording everything, activated the portal high in the air. Kalibak jumped into it, leaving Ben 10 confused.
Steppenwolf and Barda who had sensed the boom tube, looked up and used their powerful legs to jump high into it. Cyborg entered after them and shut it.
"And don't come back!" Kara shouted after then.
"Don't worry hotness, Ben 10 will be your superman." He said, getting her attention. She landed on the ground and punched him square on the face which threw him back. "God knows I needed that!" She said, smirking. Him strongly resembling Lobo was a bonus.
"That's gotta hurt!" Another Ben 10 came up to her and gestured towards the punched one. "Forget about that loser. Has anyone ever told you how sexy you are?" In a second, he was also punched away past the other one.
"So obnoxious." She mumbled, flexing her hand.
"Don't blame them. It's in their DNA." Another one said, landing next to her in a THUD. "Though everything Ben 10 says is true." He caught her oncoming fist in his and held it in place. "What's the big idea! You going to keep attacking me?" he exclaimed at the incredulous look she gave him.
"What? You're just a clone." She said and tugged her hand away.
"Ouch!" he touched his heart in a dramatic fashion. "You hurt Ben 10's feelings."
Kara watched as every other Ben 10 apart from him dissipated in a green hue.
"You were saying?" He smirked and stepped back at her angry expression.
"Shut up." She said, "What a mess." She added as she looked at the huge craters dorning the fortress surrounding. Huge green crystals were scattered everywhere, a glaring contrast to the surrounding white of the snow. Lobos clones were also disintegrating together with the Ben 10's that had died.
"These will be buried under the snow in no time." Ben 10 dismissed her concern, then recalled something. "Is Clark okay?"
Kara gasped and vanished, speeding away as Kelex opened the door for her. He jumped after her.
He found her in the infirmary but was shocked at what he saw. "What the fuck!" The plant that was initially on his chest, had grown and covered the top half of his body. He was also smiling and chuckling every now and then. "What happened to him? What is he so happy about?"
Kara didn't have the strength to answer him so Jor El's hologram appeared.
"It's feeding off his life force."
"Can't you do anything?" He asked watching how the plant was subtly covering his body.
"I don't have sufficient data to determine how to efficiently get it off him. This plant specie was designed for beings who had terminal illnesses that wouldn't need their bodies afterwards."
"Why?"
"To project pleasant memories while their life came to an end."
Kara chocked back a sob as she stared helplessly.
Ben 10 watched her, his enhanced intelligence giving him an idea. "You sure it's a plant?" He asked.
"Yes," He confirmed, "a parasitic plant like species. Very rare and powerful."
"Then I have an idea." He announced, and Kara perked up at that. Could his watch help?
He mentally commanded Trixx to turn him into swamp fire, since the watch wasn't on his arm. He vanished in a flash of green light.
Jor El watched, curious and intrigued, as he had also seen what occurred outside using the surveillance cameras. For some reason, he hadn't been able to get through to the watchtower so he had been closely monitoring the situation. He also had to use a protocol Clark had created that hacked into every research station on their continent so that tremors would not be reported in case an attack like this happened.
"Trixx! What the hell, I said swampfire, not wild vine!" He groaned.
Kara's vision adjusted to see a green humanoid plant with one eye in the middle of his face, five vine-like legs, four long fingers on his hands, flytrap-shaped flaps with teeth covering his head, and what looked like fruits on his back. The omnitrix symbol was on his chest.
"I guess this will do." He said and his four long fingers extended and connected with the black mercy.
"What are you doing?" Kara asked, floating over them, not caring what he had turned into, as long as he could save Clark.
"I have to connect with it to make it let him go." He said, and they watched the black mercy twitch violently in reaction to him making Clark to groan in pain. "It is fighting me. It doesn't want to let him go."
"I believe you are its master and superior, are you not?" Jor El asked him, as his scans failed to identify wild vine but he had an educated guess that he was a sentient plant species. The stronger between the two, he did not know, so he gave him a small nudge to save his son.
"Of course I am!" Wildvine said and focused on it. The black mercy plant twitched violently as its extended roots retracted back into it.
Kara was too emotional to react fast enough as the black mercy dislodged from Clark and jumped at her. She screamed but Jor El teleported it away from the room before it made contact.
Clark sat up with a gasp and looked around frantically, "Where are they!" He demanded as his gaze landed on wild vine. His heat vision obliterated his upper body completely and Clark moved to attack.
Kara sped in front of him, "Clark!! Snap out of it! You just killed Ben!" She shoved him back, unknowingly with too much force.
"I doubt that my dear." Jor El said, as he saw wild vine regenerate.
"They attacked us!" Clark shouted as he pointed at wild vine.
"Snap out of it! It was only a dream! That's Ben." She shouted at his confused face.
"No! They attacked us and killed them!" he reiterated and pushed Kara aside and sped to wild vine and punched through its chest.
"NO!!!" Kara shouted and sped to them and pried his hand from wild vines chest.
"Stay out of this Kara! He'll hurt you." He shoved Kara hard enough to throw her across the room.
With a flash of green light, wild vine changed and Clark had to step back because of the sensory overload.
Before he could strike again, a hissing sound was heard and a green gas was blown onto Clarks face. He coughed as he was forced to inhale it. Gathering himself, he attacked what he could say was a robot of some kind. His punch connected but didn't have the effect it should because Clark held it in pain.
"What did you do to me!" He threatened, trying to use his heat vision which didn't work.
"I have just sprayed you with a concentrated dose of Kryptonite gas. You should be passing out any minute now." He said with a Brooklyn accent and calm demeanour.
Clarks rage tripled, "You'll have to do better than that if you think you'll take me down!" he threatened and moved to attack.
"I believe you." Was the simple answer and another dose of the gas was blown on his face and he fell down, unconscious.
Kara, who had been instructed by Jor El to stay away, watched her cousin fall on the floor. Another hissing sound made her gaze travel to Ben, who had the appearance of a mechanical humanoid in a green and white outfit, with the exception of his head and shoulders being a bluish-purple colour with black spots. His eyes were green and he had four fingers on each white gloved hand, which were equipped with green and white vambraces and arm length black sleeve covers. He had nozzles or openings, from which she saw him eject gas from. He had two on each of his forearms, one on each shoulder, three on the white and black rim between his shoulders and neck, three on his head, one on his back and one in the centre of his posterior. He had a green belt with white stripes, black accents, and a window on his stomach that displayed gases. The Omnitrix symbol was on what appeared to be some kind of gas mask in front of his mouth.
"It's okay now. I just sucked all the kryptonite gas out of the air." He said waving her over.
Kara sped to her cousin and checked his vital signs. He's okay, she thought in relief.
"He will need a radiation bath before he wakes up." Jor El said pointing to Clark whose body was hoisted up then placed on the table. "You have done well..." Jor El looked at him expectantly.
"Call me Gutrot." He supplied, his gruff tone projecting a 'wise guy attitude.'
"Gutrot. Thank you for your assistance. I must say, your chemical composition of concentrated gaseous kryptonite was extremely accurate. How did you know?" He asked, as that would require extensive research, not putting into account the various chemicals one would have to procure to get the desired result. He only knew this because of all the experiment's Clark was conducting on kryptonite.
Kara looked at him too, she wasn't aware that it could be achieved.
"Why thank you my good sir. Your praise has been highly received." He said, and Kara rolled her eyes. "I have a very advanced knowledge of chemicals and it's in my instinct to instantly know every species chemical compositions."
"But how did you know about kryptonite?" Kara asked, "You never mentioned you saw one."
"Because I have never seen one." He answered, adding to her confusion. "My well educated guess is, the Omnitrix's host has information regarding it thus I automatically knew."
"You should let me examine that watch sometime." Jor El said, looking at it, now understanding why it had such a sophisticated firewall.
"Don't count on it." Gutrot said and noticed Kara looking at his stomach.
"Told you so." He stated, interrupting her thoughts.
She looked at him, "Huh? What?"
Gutrot spread his arms out and gestured to himself, "The greatest hero ever!"
She rolled her eyes at him.