"A cube? Like. . . a magical cube or something?" Hal questions just after the female kryptonian informs them of the crucial object she lost track of, then proceeds to start scanning his eyes over the city streets and rooftops in search of it. Following his lead, Dr.Kent begins searching for it, as well.
"A close enough description. It's bright, shiny, and square. Keep your eyes open for something that fits those aspects." She advises whilst Martian Manhunter and Connor also lend their eyes to help search for the cube. Unfortunately, time isn't on their side. Dr.Kent knows this quite well, but is prepared for the inevitable confrontation. It’s why her efforts are rather half hearted compared to the rest. Surely enough, she hears a strong turbulence in the wind - one growing louder as it closes in. Her eyes soon lay upon Shazam flying at their position with animosity distorting his features.
"Don't be too alarmed, but we have incoming company. I can handle it, so please keep your focus on searching for the cube." She instructs.
"Wait, wha--" Before the Green Lantern can pry for details, the caped heroine abruptly takes off and shatters the sound barrier upon her departure. She didn't move too far, however. Just a little over 100 yards away to meet the inheritor of the Olympian God's gifts within a clash that gives a thunderous impact that echoes far enough to draw the attention of everyone, ally or adversary, to their meeting. It’s a stalemate that develops into a struggle between two imposing forces -- forearms serving as weapons as the two push against one another, both refusing to give an inch.
"Hello, Billy. That is your name, right? Perhaps at least somewhat similar to it?" Dr.Kent asks calmly, staring into a pair of negative red eyes that were previously a shade of ocean blue. While her pronunciation of the boy beneath the frame of a Deity is correct, she’s only vaguely aware due to her past life back on her original Earth. This isn't Billie Batson, but instead Billy Batson -- a male counterpart to the young girl she once knew.
"ecnahc a dnats t'nod ouY!" The lad barks at her in response.
"Good talk, Billie." Without warning, she suddenly gives in to Shazam's pushing and slips out of the way to allow him to pass by. At his flank and before he can fully turn to face her once more, she snags up his silver cape and uses it to throw him with all of her might down at the building beneath them. The corrupted hero goes crashing through the roof like a bolt of lightning and makes a destructive impactful as he lands on his back. Just as he’s pushing himself up, glaring in frustration, Superwoman comes diving down to stomp him into a crater. The building quakes and the foundation already threatens to collapse, but she's relentless, decisive, and swift. She steps off to place her red boots on solid ground at either side of his waist before reaching down to grab a fistful of his shirt and lift him just a bit above her head. Cold and stoic, Superwoman delivers a powerful blow between his eyes that can be heard yards, then another. And another. Then, one to the gut before slightly throwing him up while releasing her grip, setting up to throw out a swift hard jab at his chest that sends him crashing through the wall and through a dozen more establishments of the downtown district they're in. The turned hero ends up colliding with a car that smashes into the face of the building it’s parked in front of. Groaning, Shazam makes the attempt to rise up from his sitting position while rubbing at the back of his head. But the ruthless femme kryptonian is already on him once again. She descends from above with a car in her possession and slams it down upon him like a hammer.
BOOOOM!
The tremendous force behind her attack causes the vehicle to immediately explode. Amongst the fire of a burning wreckage and accumulating smoke, she stands unfazed over the grimacing hero-turned-minion of darkness. She stares down at him momentarily, gauging his threat level. However, the sound of boots meeting a solid surface nearby draws her attention. She turns her head to see Wonder Woman standing on the rooftop of a short building nearby, looking upon her with battle-ready eyes. A sword and shield in hand. A sight Superwoman couldn't help but to arch a brow at.
Meanwhile, Connor, Martian Manhunter, and Hal Jordan are preoccupied in a fight with Hawkgirl and John Stewart. Or rather, the Martian and Green Lantern are while Superboy continues his search.
"Where could it be?" The kryptonian youth murmurs to himself as he uses the aid of his x-ray vision when his normal vision wasn't bearing any fruit. After a little longer, he does actually spot the cube in question behind an IHOP sign, but he also sees her. Approaching and picking up the glowing cube at her feet. With widening eyes, Superman moves with haste to fly through the 'O' of the sign to stop her.
"No you don't!" He declares. But it's too late. Before his extending hand can make contact with the cube, she lifts a free hand of her own and blasts him away with a hydroblast of black liquid that pushes him back into the sky. Quick to adjust her target, she makes use of the cube's amplifying capability to blast Hal Jordan and Martian Manhunter, reverting them back to slaves of her will. All while Superman wipes at his face and spits out the bit of onyx liquid that got in his mouth. When he looks up, he sees the four moving in to surround him. Though taken aback by the sudden shift in tide, he puts his fists up. Ready for another fight.
"All I need is to make contact with each of them once... Then, I'll get the cube." He reasons with himself, cyan pupils alternating between the four.
Even so, he isn't quite alone. Moving within a yellow blur, Sentry returns to give the artificial youth a hand - and he starts by swiping the cube out of the primary foe's grasp, and heads up 20 feet afterwards.
"Don't worry, I'm here now!”
"Sentry!" Superman exclaims. Within an instant the four turn to go after the foreign hero instead. Hawkgirl is the first to lounge at him, then Martian Hunter behind her- both of which Sentry rather effortless knocks away and down to the streets with two blows. Just as the lanterns are approaching to take their turn with constructs, the blonde makes the decision to toss the cube over to the clone.
"Catch!" And sure enough, Connor does so. Unaware of the incoming presence however, he's suddenly sent violently rocketing into a building down below by a punch from Captain Atom. During, the cube eventually hits the pavement below and bounces near the sidewalk. Superman's returned assailant touches down to retrieve the item of interest, though just as he slightly bends over, a flash of black suddenly appears in his line of view and obscures the cube. A hand grips the back of his head and pulls him down. Simultaneously, a knee clad in black lifts with a powerful thrust to meet his face halfway, delivering a harsh blow that rocks him. With glaring red eyes, Superwoman follows up her attack with a jab that sends him rocketing away and toward the other side of the planet like a sniper round, leaving destruction in his wake during his trip. It’s then Connor pushes debris from atop of himself and steps back out onto the sidewalk.
"What just happened?" He asks, looking upon her with a confused gaze.
"No time to explain, Superman. Keep this safe for now." She instructs him, picking up the cube and tossing it to him. As soon as it left her palm, another surprise attack comes from left field. This time, it's Shazam flying at her at breakneck speed and spearing her miles away through countless buildings.
"DR.KENT!!" Superman shouts in concern, but the roaring from an approaching Wonder Woman reminds him that he doesn't have the luxury of standing around and worrying about others.
Within an instant, Connor's body flickers from where he stands and out of the way of the charging Wonder Woman. He ends up standing on the other side of the street while the corrupted heroine skids to a halt half a dozen yards away from him. With anger present on her facial features, she whips her head around to glare at the kryptonian who is currently in possession of the cube. With an outburst of another roar, she turns and throws herself into his direction with the intent of jabbing the rim of her shield into his face. Like before, Superman instinctively maneuvers out of the way with another jerk of speed, resulting in the Amazon plunging her protective steel disc into stone instead. Her eyes dart toward him yet again, and the clone stares back with a wary scowl. Within the next moment, Wonder Woman yanks her shield free from the building she struck and the process repeats similarly several more times. The two zigzagging like ricocheting bullets until Connor finally makes the effort to turn and take flight. Not even ten inches above the ground and he's promptly greeted with a mace right to the face that sends him collapsing onto his back while the cube bounces a short few feet away on the pavement. Hawkgirl moves in to retrieve the cube while Diana comes leaping over onto Superman just as he was rising to sit up and palming his face, stomping the clone back down flat onto his back. Just as the winged fighter was bending over to pick up the item of interest, Sentry swoops down from the sky. Seamlessly grabbing Hawkgirl by the back of her top, twirling with a single 360 spin just before tossing her like a soaring bowling ball right at Wonder Woman. The latter just barely manages to react in time to catch Hawkgirl while the force sends them backing away involuntarily ten feet away.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Don't worry, I've got your back, Superman!" The hero clad in yellow assures and proceeds to pick up the cube.
"Augh...Thanks, Sentry. I-- Behind you!" Superman exclaims upon seeing the pair of Lanterns take formation above and execute an attack -- the initial method being an absurdly large gattling gun of John Stewart's creation, and he doesn't waste another second before pulling the trigger.
BUR-RATATATATATATATATATATATA!!--
Yellow bullets go flying from the myriad of barrels of John's construct weaponry. Sentry, who didn't hesitate to heed the kryptonian's warning, turns where he stands to set his eyes on the two - but more so the shower of bullets coming right at him. With a focusing glare overtaking his facial features, the blonde raises his free hand and begins swatting away at the projectiles at a rate that reduces the motions of his hand to an indiscernible blur.
Aiming to take advantage of the Lantern's tunnel vision, Superman closes in on Sentry's flank and immediately fires off his heat vision with the intent of searing through the gun in John's possession. However, Hal Jordan was quick to intercept with large riot shield construct that completely blocks the beams without fail.
"Tch. Effective cooperation between them..." Superman comments as he puts a halt to his optic beams. Almost as soon as he does, Hal makes adjustments to his shield and provides an opening just large enough for John to resume shooting through - and the latter certainly doesn't hesitate to do so. Sentry makes sure to hold the cube out of harm's way within his right hand while his left goes to deflecting bullets once more. Connor steps to stand directly behind the taller male while raising a forearm to shield his face. Sadly, even that wouldn't provide the clone with sufficient cover - a fact made clear as day when Hawkgirl's mace hits the back of his head with enough impact to make him hunch over. The artificial young man whips his head around to see both Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl flying toward them with evident animosity. The downpour of construct bullets come to an end, allowing Hawkgirl to close in and throw a punch - one that Superman promptly raises his hand to catch and hold within the palm of his right hand. His left cocks back, but he soon sees there's no need to follow through with a counterattack. Just like with Hal Jordan, she reverts back to normal almost immediately upon making physical contact with the kryptonian.
"Wait, what...? What's goin--" Before the winged heroine could finish that question, the still corrupted Diana throws a strong jab over the other woman's shoulder and decks the center of the clone's face. The blow sends him colliding with Sentry's back, who doesn't even budge an inch despite how rough the collision was.
"Di-Diana!?" Kendra, the winged heroine, calls out to her friend as she gets a good look of the other. Enraged and every color of her entirety shrouded with a negative filter. She was left gawking in sheer confusion. And instead of uttering a single word, the Amazon just briefly grips her by the throat before tossing her aside like a rag doll and through the window of a clothing store.
"Hey, Superman. Not to distract you from your fight, but we have company... A lot of it, in fact." Sentry warns, prompting Connor to steal a glance while wiping a forearm across his face. Surely enough, there was an entire of darkness approaching them from several blocks away.
"We won't be able to protect the cube from ALL of them. They'll swarm us in seconds!" Superman warns.
"Do we run, then?" Sentry asks in turn.
Before the conversation could continue further, a series of violent crackles begin emerging the sky in the far distance in front of Connor. Each one imposing as the last and causing the very ground beneath everyone's boots to tremble intense. The source becomes clear as day when a retreating Dr.Kent comes into view. She was flying in reverse, mostly like looking up to predict the trajectory of where the massive bolts of lightning were going to hit next. That goes on until the female kryptonian nears the other combatants. Soon after, Shazam approaches from the direction she came from and comes to a stop, as well. Hovering above as black electricity sparks around his entire frame.
"Dr.Kent, are you alright?" The clone asks.
"I'm doing just fine, Superman. I see you're holding up all right yourself." She answers, sparing a short moment to look over a shoulder while smiling warmly at him.
"They've stopped attack... I wonder why." Sentry muses out loud calmly.
"It's likely they know they have us at a critical disadvantage. There's not much we can do when pedestrians are in the way and other League members get involved." Superman reasons as he sets his sights onto Wonder Woman again.
"That is precisely why, Superman." After a long period of silently observing, the dark female entity finally speaks up again. The caped individual leaps down from the short Block Buster building's rooftop and lands with a crouch, the majority of her body obscured by her cape as red eyes peer calmly through the cowl on her face. She rises to stand and takes several steps closer toward the three.
"I haven't the faintest clue where you've gained the ability to revert those under my influence back to normal, but your pointless struggle ends now." She announces whilst the mass army under her control arrive to the area and begin surrounding the survivors.
Sentry looks upon the mysterious woman with narrowing eyes. Not out of anger, but of curiosity. There was just something somehow familiar about her - he could feel it at the core of his being.
"I... I know you... Don't I?" The blonde asks in what sounds like a tone of disbelief. She turns her head toward him and answers.
"Who would know me better, Robert? Not even here was our reunion something you could avoid." And upon those words, the blonde's eyes widen in shock as his jaw hangs open.
"Can someone please! Tell me what's going on here!?" Hawkgirl exclaims as she steps though the broken window of the shop she was within.
"I'd like to know that myself." Dr.Kent concurs as she turns and flies her way over to the entity, landing in front of the being in seconds.
"What exactly is your goal here?"
"Superwoman... Is this where you decided to hide yourself?" The being responds with apparent disdain, tilting her head a bit as her eerie eyes peer right into the sky-blue hues. The female kryptonian arches a brow while raising her nose a tad - her suspicion had now been confirmed.
"So you are Bryce..."
"I am an amalgation. So yes... and No."
"What do you want?" Dr.Kent inquires again.
"To drown this planet in negative influence, of course."
"So world domination? Is this just a game to you? You submerged our Earth within an aquatic coffin and now you wish to ruin this one, too?" Superwoman asks, prodding in hopes of getting specific details from the peculiar being. Sadly, that wouldn't taking place here.
"Yes." Was all the entity answers with before raising her left palm up at the female kryptonian.
"Sentry, move!" Superman shouts as he simultaneously swipes the cube out of the foreign hero's hand and tries to move him out of the way of what was coming. Unfortunately, it was too late. Dr.Kent stares with a questioning look on her face until a blast of onyx liquid disperses from the entity's hand and douses the bunch in her corruption. Afterwards, it becomes clear that neither Superwoman or Superman were affected, and nothing changed of those who were already under her control. The only one to be converted was Sentry.
"Was that meant to do something?" Dr. Kent questions while casually wiping a hand downward along her face before using both hands to brush back her soaking wet hair out of her line of sight.
"Exactly what it was meant to do. Bob... Get me that cube." The entity commands, and the turned hero obliges. Sentry turns his sights and reaches to swipe the item of interest out of Connor's hand, but Superwoman reacts with lightning-like speed and positions both herself and Superman away out of his reach. They stand side by side as two of the last three heroes with free will. Hawkgirl makes her way to stand at the clone's opposite side, mace in hand and not a hint of fear peering through that helmet of hers.
"It's inevitable... You can see that. There is nothing left you can do to stop me."
"Yeah, well I can at least smack you around with my mace a few good times before I go down. You don't scare me, witch." Kendra retorts just before tightening her grip on her weapon, activating the built-in shock capabilities it possesses. During, Superman cradles the illuminating cube within the palms of his hands and contemplatively gazes upon it. After a short moment, it became clear to him what he had to do.
"I don't know why you want this thing so much, but I was created to serve a purpose. Giving up is not an option... Doubt is a useless sentiment that I cannot afford to humor. Even if it'll only just slow you down--" Connor begins, now glaring at the entity while his hands adopt a claw-like grip around the small mystical box and begin to squeeze.
"Stop, what do you think you're doing!?" The entity barks as her entire eye sockets go intensely red.
"I'll gladly do whatever I can to make sure you can't have your way so easily!!" Superman shouts at the top of his lungs as he uses everything within his power to crush the cube between his hands, including the added force of his telekinesis. Just like before, an aura of red ignites like fire around his entire body and his eyes glow with pools of crimson - save this time, it bleeds to a rather platinum white color. Growing in brightness as the cube begins to crack under his pressure, the source of light he was giving off was blinding all of those around him. Not one person could keep their eyes open under such intense discomfort, which continues on until finally the cube shatters under his intent. That deed leads to a nuclear-like explosion of light erupting from his position that rapidly expands in reach and height, consuming the entire city in seconds, and then the entire planet soon after. By the end, when that brightness finally fades to nothingness, Dr.Kent, Sentry, and Superman suddenly find themselves standing on the sidewalk within the very same area. However, it was bustling with people going about their day as if what was transpiring before was all just a dream.
"What just happened?" Sentry asks, looking around in utter confusion.
"I'm not... sure. Everything seems to be back to normal." Connor replies.
"That cube... it may have just implemented a hard reset on the entire world." Dr. Kent theorizes as she also takes a moment to observe their surroundings. It's then several civilians approach the three.
"Hey look, it's Sentry!" A young man in his 20's enthusiastically comments.
"Who are those other two, though? Are you guys like, Avengers, too?" A blonde woman questions while stoically chewing gum.
"I'd like to know too, honestly. Is that your wife and son, Sentry?" The young man asks, earning looks of confusion from both kryptonians.
"I think there's been some drastic changes with this reset..." Connor comments as he folds his arm across his chest. Watching as the civilians prod Sentry for all the details they can.