7378/Age of Despair Part IV: Assassination

Age of Despair Part IV: Assassination
Date of Scene:	01 May 2019
Location:	Apokolips
Synopsis:	AN assault on the JL Watchtower was thwarted by the combined might of the Justice League and her allies, at the cost of losing Superman to the minions of Darkseid. Next target - Apokolips!
Cast of Characters:	Superman, Willow Rosenberg, Constantine, Superboy, Green Arrow, Danger, Captain Marvel Jr., Ghost Rider (Blaze), Supergirl, Mon-El, Power Girl, Hellboy
Tinyplot:	Age of Despair

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Superman has posed:
    The blue-white light of the medical centre on the Watchtower was mildly comforting to all who were present. The low hum and steady beat from the diagnostic equipment could be heard over the rustle of movement from anyone in the room. The life signs for one person in particular were registering as weak and was a tad concerning for those who understand the baseline life signs of a full grown, adult Kryptonian. Suffice it to say, they were very low for Superman.

    Over the course of the last several days of examination, investigation, and study, one thing was clear to those trying to bring Superman back from beyond. Something was keeping him there. Something mystical and/or technological. A dark, powerful presence that those with any kind of super or mystical senses could tell was still present in the room every time they were there.

    It was like there was still something holding him somewhere else...or a battle taking place somewhere far, far distant. The expression on Superman's face was one of constant concentration, and every now and then a faint moan escapes his lips, easily picked up by those with super hearing.

    In the background, the Nightmare Nurse was studying a medical printout of Superman's life signs. She ignores everyone that was there, instead concentrating on her work. So far, Asa had nothing to go on.

    What was even more creepy, is the strange man in the suit and tie that was looking over her shoulder. There was an FBI badge on his belt, and he was smoking a cigarette, elicting many dirty looks from nearly everyone present. Noticing this, Jim Corrigan frowns, and simply says, "What?" Strangely enough though, those present with mystic sight, when they look at Jim, might see something else present, a presence unlike any other.

    A darkness permeated the room, even though the room was well lit, and was supposed to be comforting. A sense of forboding hits everyone at the same time...but nothing happens. A soft groan escapes from Superman, and the look on his face subtley changes from concentration, to anger and then a resting state. Something has changed...

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow had been one of those who had been investigating - though her research had started at home, and had coem out of encountering Nightmare Nurse. It had started with the question: who else used technologoy and magic. Given her own mostly -unique proclivities with magic, she'd figured that she could narrow the search by honing in on that very signature 'technology and magic' together.

What she'd found out was disturbing. Disturbing enough she'd gone to John. And he'd confirmed it.

To the gathered in the Watchtower, she announces, "I think I know part of the mystery, and it's not good. When I was here before," a nod to Asa. "We found out that something dark and ancient was pulling at him. Or more like trying to get here? She said come. She said it was trying to come." Asa had been in a trance until it had been broken.

"Guys? He wasn't on Apokolips by accident. I thought he was before, but now I know he wasn't. They're one of the few people who have used magic and technology together. In the past they fought and nearly destroyed their society. It spilt them up - their people I mean - and i think that they're trying to bring back one of their old gods using Superman. Either as the conduit to summon him, or as a vessel to hold it. He's bound to Apokolips still. Likely as part of this ritual."

Constantine has posed:
Leave it to John Constantine to be smoking in a hospital...sorry, medical centre... same difference. The Warlock stands to one side of Willow as she reveals her news to the assembled tights wearers.

"Yeah, an' this god's a nasty peice of work, even the bit that's in Big Blue," he nods at the stricken hero. "Was enough to even me wet my britches. He's also making doing anything magical to him, a bloody pain in the arse. We're trying to figure out what they did to him, but it's going to be some chancy business, reading his mind or peering back in time. Both are bad ideas, but it's just a matter of which bad idea is more likely to work."

He ashes his cigarette on the floor of the medical centre, looking to Willow. "That about cover it?"

Superboy has posed:
Conner has been in the Watchtower one time before, and in truth he doesn't have the security clearance to be here most times. But when Red Robin told him that Superman was sick, he went to the Hall of Justice and prodded, begged and demanded to be able to visit the older man.

He is a relative, after all. Of some hard to pin down kind.

The young man just got here, really. And found this unlikely crowd. Most of which people he doesn't even recognize. And he tries to keep up with the Justice League crowd. He needs introductions, but he feels like he missed that part already!

Green Arrow has posed:
Starling City and... other matters have taken up most of Green Arrows attention the last few weeks. He's an investigator in his own right, but anything with a mystical component was beyond him, and he knew it. So, he's kept a distance from that particular iron in the fire out of respect for those who do.

Tonight though, Green Arrow is on a routine check-in at the Watchtower, and was heading towards the medical bay, compound bow of his quiver-holster as he goes.

Danger has posed:
A girl, appearing to be in her late teens, idly pushes a hair back over her ear. She likely slipped in with some considerable silence though she didn't really try to be. She just was. Her red hair is mostly tied back in a ponytail though a few strands seem to have gotten loose and bothered her supposed vision. Her pale skin has a sprinkling of freckles that go down to her chest which is just barely revealed by the light pink shirt she wears. The shirt cuts off right at her jeans which bell at teh bottom just enough to hint at the 70s. She seems somewhat out of place given she isn't even remotely super looking or special at all. Either way, as she listens to the people speak, she steps forward.

"Hello." She offers with a small wave, "I am not sure about magic. It is not my area of expertise but I was asked to come here given my penchant for technology and the fact that I can see more than any cat scan, MRI or otherwise." She nods and loooks at the lot, "I can use the information that you have given to attempt to see what I can see." She smiles softly and is probably a wee bit too chipper for the somber afair. She's pretty new to...life. So one must forgive her lack of social graces. Either way she looks to Constantine briefly and states, "Also, sir if you have blood in your ass you should probably get that looked at by a doctor." She nods her head before looking then to the others, "May I examine him?"

She then pauses, "Oh, I apologize. I am Danger. I often forget introductions."

Captain Marvel Jr. has posed:
Freddy says, "Sounds like it may be something I can help with. If anyone knows the old gods of Apokalypse it is me...given that two of them help give me my powers. Not to mention my power of Compassion is good for reading the souls of others, I might be able to use it to find out something of what is going on with Superman."

He is not bragging, he is providing information. This might actually have something to do with his creation, Zonuz...that is the old god of Evil, the one they might be trying for...the one whose power he holds in check.

Ghost Rider (Blaze) has posed:
So, Johnny Blaze is here to stand in for Hellboy as a personal favor. He's a little surprised at what he's been dragged into, but he rolls with it. In fact, as he enters the medical bay proper, he recognizes a few faces. Like Constantine and Superman. "I should be able to help out too. I don't know anything about these 'gods of Apokalypse', but I can be an extra pair of hands to kick somethings ass."

any supernatural folk would be able to tell that Johnny sure enough has something in him too. Gotta love Ghost Riders. Nevertheless, Johnny crosses his arms and looks at Danger. "Ghost Rider." friendly enough introduction. Johnny was no doctor though, and couldn't help Superman like that.

Supergirl has posed:
Supergirl was already there. She sits by Superman's bedside as often as she can. Which admittedly, isn't all that often. She spends most of her time in Metropolis, trying to make it look like Superman is still around and doing what he always did. She's skipping school in her secret identity and she is sleeping only a couple of hours at a time before heading out again. She looks tired, dark circles under her eyes, that usual bubbly brightness gone from her.

When she is here, she's always on high alert due to that weirdness feeling. She glances over as the others arrive, giving Willow a brief smile. Others enter and are recognized with a nod or smile, even the newcomers. Then she listens to the verdict from the pair of magic users. That makes the smile turn upside down, the frown appearing as she looks at Superman just as his facial expression changes. "That's different," she murmurs.

She speaks to the others while mostly keeping her eyes on her cousin. "Is this happening on Apokolips? Should we go there and try to stop it?"

Mon-El has posed:
    To be quite honest, Lar feels a bit helpless in all of this. Sure, he can punch people to the moon and back, and on top of that is certainly not lacking in medical knowledge thanks to his upbringing and his time in the distant future, but despite all of that, he has nothing to offer when it comes to things involving magic and mystic arts or whatever it is people liked to call it.

    ...it's definitely a hard pill to swallow, especially for someone like him. All he can do for now is be there for Kara and her cousin. He puts a hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her, but not saying anything because what -could- one say in a situation like this? 'Everything is going to be all right'? No, that wouldn't be appropriate. Because by the looks of things right now, everything is definitely -not- going to be all right.

    He just hopes that those who have the expertise, like Willow and John, can get to the bottom of this before it's too late. Watching Kal's face though, it does look like perhaps, he is caught up in some kind of battle on some other plane of existence...

Superman has posed:
    At this point in time, things were quiet. Superman was still comotose and lying in the bio bed unconscious. Every now and then, a blip would sound on the monitor, but it seems like it was normal, like the last several days. Willow's words ring out to all present, and as everyone comes together to help, a pall was in the air. That forboding feeling was still present, as though feeding on Constantine's words. Conner's access was allowed by Superman's own id, although it was a few weeks old now. Green Arrow being present was also noticed by the system, and access was allowed.

    Danger and Freddy's offer were both on the table, and might be a good strategy, including the mystical experience of the Ghost Rider. Supergirl, Superman's cousin, was already here, maintaining her constant vigil. She notes the changes...what can it mean? Mon-El's arrival was next, and everyone was together in one room.

    Suddenly, something happens! It was like a wave of despair washes over everyone, as each individual is attacked psionically. Those with strong willpower could resist, but the heaviness in their limbs is almost too much. It would require a Herculean effort, each to their own abilities. Those with mystically defenses are better suited to resisting, and those with super human resistances seem to have a harder time. It was like walking through water, without any special powers or abilities.

    A sound, like a massive cry from the pits of hell...or Apokolypse...deafens everyone within the room, as the wall behind Superman opens into a portal to the vastness of space! The air begins to escape into the vacuum, and the whole satellite shudders and moans, the beginnings of a death cry! AT this point, Superman's eyes open! His eyes are black, darker than the depths of space, surrounded by a fire, blue-white in intensity!

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Have wards will travel.

Okay, she learned that from her last times here - you never knew. I mean, they all said it was the Watchtower, and Superman, and these folks didn't do magic, but for a crowd that didn't do magic, man did they have a magic problem currently. And apparently you couldn't count on your Justice League peeps to have spare sage in their back pokcets (she had some of that, too, by the way).

The despair thing she'd dealt with too (thank-you Enchantress) and seemed a simple enough solution - same chant and everything. Despair was despair, right?

But that soul sucking blank wall stare of darkness with bottomless pits of hell eyes, and that hold in the wall? Uh, yeah. Not good. Not good in the way of, "Uh.. John?" Willow humming that hopeful little counter to despair from before in hopes that that, and her ward would hold while the others got bearings and she - and John - had time to think.

Constantine has posed:
Despair. Despair was like an old friend to John Constantine. The wave hits him and he staggers but he does not fall, does not break. The weight though, that's another matter, the physical end of despair is harder to shake free of and he finds himself breaking into a sweat as he lifts his hands beginning to chant: "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii-"

He's aided by Willow's hummed ward, driving back the worst effects of despair. "-omnis legio, omnis congregatio et -" the cry cuts him off, as though it had slapped the words clear from his mouth. Were that not enough the portal opens into space and Superman rises black.

"If you can keep doing what you're doing I can seal the hole," he says before raising his hands and thrusting them towards the wall, casting magic on the fly. Signantes litteras stricta!" he shouts trying to raise a magical barrier to seal the hole.

As for Superman he'd have to count on the rest dealing with him.

Keeping the barrier up by will alone, he says to Willow: "Gonna need a longer term solution here. You sensing anything?" he asks her, as he uses his own mystic senses to scan the room for the source of the magic.

Superboy has posed:
Conner didn't expect real introductions, but as Danger and Blaze do theirs, he offers a "I'm Conner," just before getting crushed by despair, followed by being deafened and now... a wall vanishes and he is getting sucked into.

Bam. Magical barrier. Has someone told you magic and Kryptonians do not go well? "Oww."

At least he doesn't feel figuratively crushed anymore. Still deafened, though. "Wait. Is Superman awake?" No, not even hearing himself. Quick-healing powers, start working now! But yeah, magic.

Green Arrow has posed:
There wasn't a big expectation of danger... but when a portal opens into the vacuum of space, and suddenly brown eyes go wide behind, and Green Arrow brings up his compound bow as he starts to have his feet pulled out from under him. A grapnel arrow is nooked and fired into the side of the corridor he was about to be expelled from, and he attaches the line to his belt once the arrow has pulled him in.

Once secured, Green Arrow starts searching for those who need their own anchor points, firing net arrows to grab them before they're sucked into the hole.

Or he was, until the portal is magicked.

Gritting his teeth against the wave of despair, Green Arrow seems a bit less effected by most, for some reason, "I don't think that's Superman." Green Arrow quips, half seriously.

Danger has posed:
For everyone else, the world was despair. All was darkness or whatever having some massive psionic attack was like. Danger was immediately confused as she watched others around her react to somethign unseen even before the hole into sapce appeared. For her, the room had remained wholly unchanged. Something was wrong though and that was clear. She glanced first to Superman, given the strange look in his eyes. Well, strange look /of/ his eyes. She has never even heard of such a thing before and she has access to the internet.

While Willow appears to be helping the people with whatever it is they are upset about, she's moving. It really kinda helps to basically have 360 degree vision. Humans should get on that. She only keeps eyes in place to look more human. They are just for show though do somewhat provide where she is focused. The red headed girl's left arm is strangely transforming as she moves, growing metallic and circular to form a shield. She then blinks as the air stops being sucked out and she briefly looks to Constantine, "Ah, magic, if you need a longer term soultion?" She gestures to the plate created by her arm, "Though I must stay with this solution, I can keep it up indefinitely."

Of course, as she is saying this her right arm is transforming as well, becoming what appears to be a 105 mm metallic cannon trained on Superman. Then she grows two more arms, both normal looking despite there now being four limbs coming out of the girl. She looks around and states, "He has been altered on a cellular level. It is unlikely any normal equipment would pick up on the change. I am not wholly sure how to fix this issue, especially given his unique anatomy. I will say, however, that he could be dangerous. If you cannot withstand immeasurable levels of strength and power, I recommend moving away from Superman."

"Frankly, I shouldn't be this close either."

Captain Marvel Jr. has posed:
Freddy has an advantage here, the Might of S'ivaa and the Source Manipulation of Zonuz between then render him nearly immune to anything the forcus of Apokalypse can throw. The Compassion of Apanel and the Boldness of Ate are both opposed to Dispair. He has the powers of four gods helping him resist, and his human stubborness to provide focus. He is also able to survive in outer space.

For himself, then, there is no real problem (as defined by probable quick death and inability to act). However, other people in this room are merely mortal, and Freddy can not stand by and let them die. Freddy grabs the people who seem to be having oxygen trouble and steps them all to the airlock where they can find space suits.

Granted, John claims to be working on the hole problem, but getting people in protective gear is sensible, just in case he fails.

Ghost Rider (Blaze) has posed:
Oh shit.

Well, thankfully, the Spirit of Vengeance that resides within Johnny Blaze puts up one helluva defense against the despair that emerges from the pits of Apokalypse. But then , when he sees Superman with those black eyes, he growls, and his flesh begins to melt away like embers, leaving behind only a bare skull, wreathed in Hellfire. Thankfully, Johnny doesn't need to breathe as Ghost Rider, or he'd be in big trouble.

Looks like it was time to fight.

The Ghost Rider doesn't speak however. Perhaps the vocal chords were also disposed of during the transformation? Or else he'd ask 'altered how'? but, Zarathos is in control at the moment, since its

SUPERMAN.

Besides, can they even beat him?

Power Girl has posed:
    Only now does Power Girl appear. Once the ones that need oxygen are shuffled to an airlock, Power Girl floats her way in, wearing an oxygen tank and a rebreather. She can't say much cuz sound kinda needs oxygen to carry, and there is no sound in a vaccuum.

Supergirl has posed:
Supergirl has felt that despair previously. She was brought to a stop by it the last time, unable to help until it was countered. This time, she is more prepared. Honestly, it is the same feeling she had on Apokolips upon seeing Superman on the altar with Kryptonite chains holding him down. She had feared he was dead when she saw him and she felt that pain, that despair. It was the moment she knew she had lost him. Not only the pain of that but deep inside blaming herself since she was supposed to protect him, the task given her so long ago on Krypton.

So this time, she floats into the air even though she feels like she's having to force her way up instead of the simplicity of the move normally. It doesn't matter. She draws on her strength and maintains her position next to Superman, fighting the vaccuum effect and staring at Superman. She squares off right in front of her cousin, staring into those eyes. "No. Whoever or whatever you are, get out of him now or, by Rao, I will find a way to come in there and rip you apart myself!" Whatever happened to sweet and bubbly Kara? Seems she isn't there, anymore than Superman is.

Mon-El has posed:
    The wave of despair is not good at all. Lar was -already- feeling frustrated and defeated--this just made it worse. He himself has been in that position before...that is, being mind-controlled by some evil entity. See, the more powerful you are, the worse it is. And given Superman is as powerful as he is if not moreso, this is definitely -bad-.

    Thankfully, Willow's ward prevents the wave of emotion from causing him to become -completely- incapcitated. It takes a few moments, but he manages to fight through it and join Kara in the air in front of this...being, whoever or whatever it was that has taken possession of Kal's body. Although, he is a bit less angry and somber sounding. He lifts an eyebrow at this black-eyed being. "Sooo...is there a reason you're just standing there?" he asks. "I mean, I'm all for dramatic entrances, but..." he adds, fists clenching and ready to go ham on it. "Not exactly wanting to be here all day or anything." Maybe a little bit of sarcasm to help with the despair blanket? Nothing magical about it, but--worth a try.

Superman has posed:
    The first person in Superman's vicinity is Kara, Supergirl. Kara can see the struggle in his eyes! It grows more fierce, more determined when she speaks to him. His eyes go blue, then back to darkness! He was still in there, fighting! Kara and Mon-El could see that! The sound that comes from Kal-El's mouth is one of heart-wrenching agony! "ARRGGGHHHH!" His dark, blazing eyes look at her, and then, he smiles. That wasn't the man his "brother" Mon-El, and his cousin, Kara, knows.

    Suddenly "Superman" unleashes the full power of his heat vision right at her! Flexing his muscles, the Nth Metal restraints that were around him groan, buckle, and snap, sending fragments into the room in all directions! Conner was the closest to the deadly shrapnel, followed by Freddy, Arrow, and Danger! As Danger's comments ring out, a cacophony to a Kryptonians ears, Superman next has eyes for her.

    Not waiting to see how effective his attack was on Supergirl, Superman goes "through" Mon-El next, at FULL power. Ignoring Mon-El's words, Superman's target was the greatest danger at this point, besides the mystic beings present. And that target was...Danger. Gone from the bed at superhuman speed, only those with Kryptonian or Daxamite vision could track him as he headed towards her.

    Green Arrow's arrow was effective, preventing his, and others, from being sucked into the portal before the ward was raised. With Pantheon's help, no lives would be lost...yet. Although the ward was effective because of Willow and with Constantine's meddling, amplifying the protection, something was now there. In the room, something that had arrived via that hole in the Watchtower and before John and Willow had put up their barrier! Three shadows start to coalesce and take shape, three figures out of their worst nightmares!

    Ghost Rider's supernatural vision picks them up first, followed quickly by Power Girl, and then the others. A tall, muscular, dark-skinned man in golden armor. Another man, taller than the first, in crimson red and black armor. The third...a mishapen form of energy, a dark nimbus of dark energy that seems to hover where Superman used to be.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
See, now? This is where Willow's friends all come in handy and where she'd normally be depending on them. She wasn't your fist in the face, blades to the belly sort. And with Superman possessed (John's territory), and wards in place, there wasn't a whole lot she could think to do..

Other than that nimbus. That it's not fully formed is a curiosity. That it's companions aren't who she expected another.

"John?" Se draws his attention to the nimbus. If it's somehow connected to the thing that is unleashing itself on the others in Superman's form, their best bet is to attack and dissapate the nimbus. At the very least, it might give them insight into what else is going on here.

Constantine has posed:
"Thanks, luv," John says to Danger when she takes over patching the hole, it freed him up to do other things.

Ducking low as the shackles explode, he turns his eyes to what Willow is pointing out. That nimbus, that clings to the air like a dark stain on the fabric of reality.

"Yeah," John says in agreement getting a sense of what she means without needing it spelled out. He holds out a hand, "Let's see if we can do this together." Maybe with their combined power they could cast whatever out.

Superboy has posed:
Conner oh huhs seeing what Superman is doing. "Wait don't..." he rushes to grab him, when the restraints just explode. Fortunately the shrapnel hits his telekinetic forcefield first, but still hard enough to send him back. He can barely see Superman moving afterwards. The older man is far faster than Conner.

And if the young hybrid would have difficult to survive a minute, the humans in the room have it harder. Seeing Mon-El and Power Girl rushing forward, Conner moves to try to protect Green Arrow and the magicians.

Green Arrow has posed:
"Is it just me, or is the Watchtower attacked like once a month, now?" Green Arrow quips as he stays in the back corridor, well away from the serious threat that possessed Superman shows himself to be.

It also helps to keep away from the fragments as he presses up against the wall... but he's still nicked by one that go right through his suit, giving him quite the flesh wound along the back of his thighs, "ARGH!" Green Arrow exclaims in pain as he visibly tenses from the sudden pain.

The newcomers don't even get a glance as he fights to maintain his composure in the face of both the despair and the sudden searing in his legs.

Danger has posed:
As soon as John lets free the barrier, her own hardlight barrier is in place. It frankly looks like some kind of metallic plate but it seals perfectly, the hardlight being something similar to what a Green Lantern uses to create their constructs it simply forms to the hole. Of course, then everything happens at once. Explosions, eye beams, movements. It's all happening extremely fast and apparently others aren't quite aware of Danger.

Superman might see it given he is focusing on her though he might not get it. Danger is faster than a speeding bullet, too, ya know, and her mind is even faster. She's taking in everything at a 360 degree arc. The whole world is being calculated by her and her body is manifesting and moving at a blur as well.

Even as her computer mind is setting off alarms, a new limb appears below her two on the right hand side, sliding out like a snake and expanding into a clear wall powerful enough to withstand right at 100 tons of force and is moving with alacrity. She is no where near fast enough to save Conner but she knows at least something about him, Kara, Mon-El, and Power Girl. They are all tough as heck. Green Arrow is not. Willow and John are probably not either. Even as one limb moves to before Willow, another moves to before John and yet another to before Green Arrow. All the limbs on her right hand side, moving like snakes about hte room to create shields for them against the Nth metal.

Two more arms on her left hand side have fully formed and are already forming into a cross brace shield against the oncoming Kryptonian but there is a problem.

Every single calculation going off in her mind simultaneously is giving her the exact same read out. Translation for the humans: Danger, you're f***ed.

The hit is absolutely barbaric. The arms that are blocking buckle brutally and then her head is gone. Just gone. Smashed off of her shoulders and sent flying into the wall with electrical sparks shooting out from where it was along with sparks from the created arms. However, for the moment, all the shields stay in place.

Captain Marvel Jr. has posed:
Freddy returns moments after he left...a times like this he wishes speed were one of his powers. Teleportation has its uses though...however Freddy appears just in time to be hit by flying shards of Nth metal. Among it's other properties (and it has many) the metal has countermagic properties. That means the shards not only hurt Pantheon physically, they hurt his magical nature as well.

Freddy is knocked back by the imact, mich like a nortmal human being hit be a shotgun. Blood flows freely from many small wounds and a few larget ones, though he is lucky none hit him in the face, but as it is he is knocked to the ground and is still lying there when the newcomers arrive. He recognizes Steppenwolf, the general of Darkseid's armies. The second solid form is only vaguely familiar...something like the third son of Darkseid he thinks. The energy nimbus is totally unfamiliar.

Gritting his teeth agains the pain of both flesh and magic being sundered, Freddy slowly rises to his feet, preparing to do whatever he can.

Ghost Rider (Blaze) has posed:
Ghost Rider watches Superman just go OFF and break his restraints. Thats not good at all, but then his supernatural vision picks up the tall fellow in the golden armor. Then another in red in black armor...and the third in the form of energy. Growling enough that flame exhudes from this demon's mouth and Ghost Rider runs forward, apparnetly leaping at Steppenwolf in an attempt to punch Steppenwolf right in the face!

Might as well...better than just standing there waiting to get hit. But this was Zarathos in control...which means, thats a full powered punch coming for Steppenwolf's face! But...Steppenwolf is no joke either.

This could end very badly.

Hope for the best, yeah?

Supergirl has posed:
First, it is the shrapnel. Nth metal can even damage a Kryptonian and Supergirl was right next to that explosion of metal. A few pieces rip into her skin but before she even has a chance to cry out, the heat vision blasts into her!

Supergirl is sent flying back, slamming into a wall hard enough to leave a dent. Her costume is a bit scorched as is her hair. Yet, she's still kicking as she gets to her feet.

She can do just what he did. As Superman impacts Danger, sending her head flying, Supergirl fires herself straight at her cousin full force and full speed.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar watches as Kal cries out in his struggle. "Okay, okay. Any time now..." he mutters. Then it finally comes as Superman unleashes his thermal vision on Kara. He tries to get in front of her to block it, but before he can even do that, the possessed Kryptonian has already moved on. To -him-. Oh, well he should've -known- he'd get it for that snide comment of his. The Daxamite is smashed into the wall of the tower, and now there is a Lar Gand-shaped dent in it. Amazing that it actually held out, though. Well that's the Watchtower for ya, and thank goodness this wasn't happening somewhere else much more vulnerable to collateral damage.

    Still...ugh. That definitely hurt. There are few beings in this galaxy who can punch as hard as the crown prince of Daxam, but Kryptonians are among them. It takes him a few seconds to struggle and pry himself out of the damaged wall, but as soon as he's out, he's off like a speeding bullet straight at Superman. He tries to get in front of the older Kryptonian and shove him right into Kara's determined charge.

Superman has posed:
    The nimbus of energy that John and Willow notice is there...and not there. It seems to exhude power and despair all rolled into one. It undulates in a strange way, especially when John and Willow concentrate on it. That is when it notices them. Two glowing, crimson eyes find them, and there is a laughter, only heard on a psionic level to those who could hear.

    Ghost Rider. Pantheon. Willow. Constantine. Corrigan. Night Nurse. You hear this in your mind, as it echoes in your spirit. "I see you are trying to discover me. I feel your power. Not bad for rookies in the art. You are so close to unravelling my plans...I just had to bring some heavy hitters in to help. My allies from Apokolypse. This is so much fun! Aren't we all having fun? Hahahahahahahaha! He's mine! Now and forever!"

    As Superman heads around Superboy, and towards Danger at full power and full speed, his eyes find Power Girl's, and she sees the madness within him. At full power, without his normal "blocks" Superman could shatter mountains. His right hand suddenly heads towards Power Girl at full speed...but did she sense a hesitation...was the blow a bit slower than normal? Did her words reach him?

    As Power Girl is forced back, out of the fight, Superman's next blow was for Danger. All of her efforts were effective in helping everyone else...but the blow that lands on Danger is epic! Not even taking a moment, Superman next scans for another target. That was when Supergirl hits him almost at the same time that Mon-El is there, Daxamite and Kryptonian impacts that few could withstand! This staggers Superman, and it was obvious he was hurting.

    Connor getting in the way of the Nth Metal was effective, but devastating. It was painful and hopefully the TK shields could stop it all! Green Arrow and the others were protected from the shrapnel, except for the one that clips him, and Pantheon.

    Freddy can feel the effect the Nth metal has on him, and his wisdom and insight serve him well. Freddy knows that these were the big guns of Darkseid's army. But something twinges at his mind. Something was wrong...

    That was when Ghost Rider charges at Steppenwolf and with a might resounding blow, smashes him back into the wall. Standing up and wiping the blood from his broken nose, Steppenwolf laughs! "A worthy adversary indeed!" Twisting from where he had impacted the wall, Steppenwolf draws a glowing bladed weapon, approximatley the size of a short sword, and hurls it at Ghost Rider with a laugh!

    Grayven meanwhile, finds a different adversary and maneuvers towards Conner. The battle was quickly joined as Grayven attempts to knock Conner out of the fight!

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Thankfully the shield erected by Danger has kept the flying bits of Nth metal away from the very vulnerable Willow - she's just your average human with a bit of magic thrown in. Totally could do an awesome 'if you prick me, do I not bleed' - apologies to Shakespeare.

Really, all she wants is for this to stop. And when the thing within the nimbus begins taunting and laughing at her and John, she feels a welling rise of anger rise in response to it.

Now, she'll likely regret this later, because gosh darn it all, isn't this just like something out of the movies, and totally setting her feet down the path of the Dark Side, but that laughter and taunting clinches it for the girl. That thing has to go. And she's about to see to it personally.

Or try to.

Lightning crackles between her fingertips as Willow raises her hands and begins shooting bolts focused on the nimbus. It may not do much, but it could send whatever it is back - and maybe release Superman from some of the thrall upon him.

Either way, it will make her feel better for the moment.

Constantine has posed:
That dark nimbus of energy gets John's full attention despite the despair that roll off of the thing like heat. John grits his teeth, "Should have stayed home mate, this place is not for you," he tells the nimbus, "But we'll show you the door."

Willow hits him with lightning and John does something he loathes, he reaches for power that's not his own. The holy sort, that bloody angel Castiel was never going to let him live it down. He was a poor conduit for holy power but with the nimbus pulling out his big guns, John figured the folks upstairs weren't going to let this slide, no matter who it was who asked for help.

John reaches his will to the heavens and feels the eyes of the divine like a dozen judgmental eyes of Sauron upon him. It makes him feel tiny, but he intones the words:

"The Sacred Cross commands you" He feels the power flow through him, a light that illuminated all his flaws. "The Star of David commands you," More light, more power, but would it be enough? "The Omkar, the Lotus, and the Shahada commands you!" The power stops coming, what's in him is what he gets, John raises his right hand to channel it as he says, "Disperges in ventum! Be not, and be gone!â??

This was going to cost.

Superboy has posed:
Conner managed to catch some of the nth metal fragments. In truth he didn't know what they were, or he would have been more careful (unlikely). That weird metal seems to have cut him even through the telekinetic forcefield. But he can feel the cuts are healing quickly. At least it was not magic.

Now he sees a few big (bad) guys coming at them. And since the flame skeleton is tackling one, he meets the other, Grayven halfway. Conner punches the New God in the face, and then gets smashed into the floor by Grayven counter-attack. The floor cracks. Conner's head proves harder, but he is knocked out anyway.

Green Arrow has posed:
Green Arrow is Definitely going to ask for some of that stuff for arrowheads later.

For now, he starts to nook and fire regular arrows in rapid succession at the new hostiles. He's looking to distract or disable, and is most definitely looking for weakpoints or places he can draw some focus.

He can't move very well right now, but his arms are just fine.

Danger has posed:
Well, this was certainly unpleasant and a rather new sensation. She had been in a fight before but never with anything of this magnitude of power. The shields (other than the one keeping the space outside of this space in space to keep this space from becoming space) all go down one after the other, simply disappearing. All that is left of them is one arm on Danger's right side. The two arms that Superman destroyed also vanish. Sparks continue to shoot up from Danger's neck even as her right arm reforms into what appears to...a Gatling gun?

A M61 Vulcan to be precise. The kind that they use to rip tanks to shreds. Then a voice comes out of the space where her head used to be even as, a new head forms?! "This has been most unpleasant." She aims the weapon at first toward Superman but quickly realizing he is being handled, she notes Conner's head going into the floor. She aims the weapon instead at Grayven and opens up. The bullets coming out whip out at high speed and are made of pure light as they fly at him with incredible accuracy.

Captain Marvel Jr. has posed:
Freddy is much like Superman and most other heroes of his power level, he almost always holds back. ALMOST...but this is a threat he can not hold back against. A possessed/transformed Superman is fully Freddy's equal normally. That means he has to pull out all the stops and use powers he would not notmally attempt.

Reaching deep within, Freddy unleashes the Source Manipulation of Zonuz. Zonuz once drained three planets of power, not to mention Darkseid and several other New Gods that opposed him, and then he USED that power to reshape the world. He picks the source to drain energy from: Superman! He draws power from Superman like a frat boy chugging a beer, nd sends the power OUT using the Lightning of Mamaraman amped to the Nth Degree, targeted at Steppenwolf and Grayvan.

Freddy knew what the result would be, having the Nth metal fragment in his body when he tried this caused hideous levels of magical feedback, think of it as like having metal foil in the microwave when you crank up the power. He falls to the floor, at best semi-conscious as the divine powers within try to restrain Zonus from wielding the power that remains to escape his prison. Pantheon is likely powerless as his sources battle each other internally...

Ghost Rider (Blaze) has posed:
Okay, that might've been a mistake. But if it was, the Ghost Rider isn't thinking about it. Managing to knock Steppenwolf into the wall, the Rider roars as Steppenwolf throws a glowing bladed weapon at Ghost Rider, and it hits him square in the shoulder, but the force of the throw sends him flying until his feet are dragging against the floor, to which he FINALLY gets to a stop.

Growling, the Rider smacks the blade out of his shoulder and back into the ground. A bladed chain falls from his sleeve and it ignites with Hellfire. Leaping into the air again, the Rider tries to swing that chain at Steppenwolfs chest, hoping to leave quite the gash on him.

He needs to fight this guy off fast, so he can focus on Superman, but something tells the Ghost Rider that Steppenwolf will not be so easily felled.

Supergirl has posed:
Her intention was to take him down but also to keep him from getting into the fight again. Supergirl is doing her best once they stagger him to get a hold on Superman and grapple to keep him from hurting anyone else. "Superman! I know you are in there! Keep fighting it! Don't let it win! You are the strongest person I know and I know you can fight it off, get it away for a little while longer! We will stop this, I promise you. Just help us!"

This time she's prepared if he goes all heat vision, her own eyes glowing red so she can meet him beam for beam.

Hellboy has posed:
    During this commotion, the teleporter brought on one more figure, one more being who can enter this melee. Hooves clacking, he was never particularly stealthy...but in the wild chaos of this space station, the sounds he was making were minimal at best. He didn't have much time to ask questions, but the figure in gray skin dressed like a jerk, who was giving a bunch of smaller beings what for, HB figured that was a great place to start.

    And so when he was distracted with the hard-light barrage that Danger was firing at him, the half-demon reached out with his left gloved hand, trying to spin the New God around and suckerpunch him with a hard, HARD uppercut aimed right for that chin. Of course, he was using the Right Hand for this one, a guy that big looked like he needed a bit of Doom in his life.

    "The Watchtower is invitation only. So uhh, get out."

    Them's were fighting words.

Mon-El has posed:
    Success! It seems Superman is at least -momentarily- staggered by that blow, giving Kara a chance to encourage her cousin to fight back against whatever had a grip on him. He does what he can to help her hold him down and prevent him from causing any further harm to Danger, or anyone else in here, given he is a lot tougher than most of them. Hopefully the magical types are able to handle the mystical aspect of this battle...

Superman has posed:
    Willow's attack was one of the two attacks on the "nimbus" that took him by surprise. Willow's lightning combined with the power of Constantine's massive draw on divine power was not something it was expecting. This primordial deity couldn't shrug that off so easily, and for a brief moment it did a miraculous thing. It survived. "That will cost you Johnnie boy. That will cost you!"

    A backlash of power brought out a mix of rage and anguish from the entity. The being starts to speak in primorial tongues, ancient, even before Atlantis was an island nation. Kara's plea, and the energy required to fuel the ritual the entity was conjuring releases Superman for a brief moment, as it concentrates on something else...the mystics can sense it is a teleportation ritual!

    As Kal El's eyes look almost in despair to Kara, Mon El and with a quick glance at Conner, as surprise registers on his face for a quick moment. "What? Where? Kara. Mon. Conner. Ollie...all of you...." As he looks around the room to every person fighting for his life "...you have to find me. Come and find me. Find me!!!" That was when his eyes return to the dark-crimson nimbus fueled rage. Breaking free of those holding him, Superman heads towards the weakened nimbus of energy at full speed!

    The attack on Grayven from Danger does significant damage! Growling in anger, he tries to avoid the incoming attack, but mostly fails, especially when he is blindsided by Hellboy, almost taking him out of the fight. Crawling towards the "nimbus" with his best speed, he attempts to find shelter, when there is none. Each impact causes him to grunt in pain, as he finds a place besides Steppenwolf.

    However, Steppenwolf had just been struck with Ghost Rider's chains. That blow was almost mortal, bringing the Old God to his knees. Growling at the Rider and then now at HellBoy, Steppenwolf was about to try and counterattack with Grayven when the attack from Freddy hits the villains with the power he has unleashed! The feedback to Freddy from this attack would be debilitating, to say the least!

    Screaming in agony, the nimbus appears to fall to his knees! Willow's lightning, Constantine's huge risk in pulling down divine power, and Freddy's use of the power of a Kryptonian, Danger's attack, and the mystic connection that they were all a part of suddenly severs, and the two beings from Apokolips scream! Looking at each other, they realise where they are, growl, and then look at the nimbus with rage!

    "We are not your slaves!" They say in unison, released from some kind of thrall to the being of energy! As the nimbus struggles to his feet, his body can be seen for the first time. A demonic visage was revealed, with scars and horns, brownish-red flesh, and demonic eyes with no clothing. Screaming in rage, the being finishes the ritual, and stares at those there to save Superman.

    "You think you have won. This battle maybe. But he is mine. Come and save him if you can." With that, the being finishes the ritual, and with a last scream of outrage from Grayven and Steppenwolf, Superman and the others were gone. The smell of ozone and sulfur in the air. A trail that led back to Apokolips.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
All of Willow's determination goes behind her lightning, and when the thing makes it clear it's leaving, there's a small squee of delight from the girl - totally overshadowing the depth of the darkness she feels she's drawn upon to throw that lightning. And when it takes it's friends and Superman with it, a very empathic, "Oh Sugarcubes!!" is uttered, filling the gaping silences in the room left behind them leaving.

"Gosh darn it, now we have to go there." Home ground for them. It won't be pretty. And they'll be prepared.

Hellboy has posed:
    "Always sulphur with these jackasses, Demons never make it smell like Pine-Sol."

    Coughing and waving his arm around, he looked around at the group, nodding toward Constantine as the man in the trenchcoat tossed the man in the trenchcoat an extra pack of smokes.

    "Were those the same guys from that planet? Are we gonna have to go back there?"

Captain Marvel Jr. has posed:
Freddy knows of just one way to interrupt the battle inside him, and now that the battle OUTSIDE is no longer raging he can do so. He forces out one word, "Shazam!" Powerful adult transforms into lame teen and thems falls unconscious, as the shards of Nth metal remain in his body. Perhaps the can be pulled out in the medical facility and given to Green Arrow to make arrowheads...but Freddy has no knowledge of this as he is lost in the blackness beyond sleep.

Constantine has posed:
The divine power leaves John in a rush leaving him empty, judged and mortal, feeling every inch as damned as he is. He cloapses to his knees, and while his head lifts for that demonic departure, it sags again as soon as he's gone.

"Christ I need a drink before I even think of going to bloody Apokolips," he mumrurs to his apprentice as he makes a go of getting to his feet, though even in the depths of his exhaustion he asks one question of her: "Surgarcubes?"

Ghost Rider (Blaze) has posed:
Ghost Rider watches Steppenwolf and company leave, with the Man of Steel in tow. As soon as this happens, the flames on the Rider go out, and flesh regrows on Johnny's skull, leading to Johnny's face being reformed! hair and all. Its like he never transformed at all, though he does smell a bit like brimstone now. Nevertheless, Johnny seems to look focused. "Shit." He looks then at Hellboy.

"Hey Red, better late than never. I imagine we're gonna have too if we want to get Boyscout back." of course, boyscout is his name for Superman.

Of course, then Freddy passes out after uttering the magic word. "Medic! Medic for the kid!" Johnny looks at Freddy, but can't help him. No medical knowledge AND no knowledge to get rid of the Nth metal. Though Johnny lets the medical people deal with that. He takes a breath, and pulls out a pack of cigarettes.

Danger has posed:
As the people escape, the whirring sound of her weapon slows to a stop and then she reduces it back to a normal hand before she looks back toward the deep dent in the wall behind her where a robotic head is embedded. She frowns before looking then back to the hole she is sealing up, "Well, this is a very awkward moment. I need something to permanently patch this wall or we need to move everyone out of this room." She also then looks back at the hole where her head is again and asks, "And could someone get my other head out of that wall, I would like it back."

She then pauses a moment and then looks around, "Oh and good job everyone. Even the unconcious ones."

Green Arrow has posed:
When everything becomes calm again, Green Arrow breaks the anchor on his belt, taking the grapnel arrow out of the corridor wall and replacing it in his mechanical quiver.

There's a moment of silence as he takes the medkit from his utility pouch, and begins to dress his wound. "You know, when I said I wanted to get more into global outreach, I didn't mean other globes." Green Arrow grunts as he does what he can for his leg... then stands as Freddy... does whatever he did, and Green Arrow gets to work on him, next.

"You people just love making my life interesting." He quips as he starts to do a checkup on Freddy.

Hellboy has posed:
    Hellboy sees the unconscious injured kid, and there was nothing clever he could say. Instead he followed Johnny's lead, using his limited medical knowledge to at least get the kid stabilized until an actual professional could come in and do a real job.

    "Uhh...someone might want to lend a hand here, someone who knows how to patch someone up. I'm not exactly equipped for surgery or booster shots."

    As he spoke out loud, he idly waved his massive, oversized stone right hand for emphasis.

    And, noticing Johnny pull out a pack, and looking over at the other Johnny collapsed on the ground, HB shook his head.

    "That's how you can tell how old we are", he says out loud to nobody.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar is relieved when Kal seems to have come back to himself, but then it quickly disappears when he goes back to his 'master' and is teleported away with the rest of them. "Grife..." he mutters. Looks like they'll have to go back to Apokolips, -again-. He sighs, and looks up at the others, arching a brow at some of these...odd comments. "What's Pine Sol? Does it have something to do with this system's yellow star?" he asks Hellboy. Hey that IS the name of the star, isn't it?

    He was about to see to Freddy, but Green Arrow seems to be on it. So he opts to go retrieve Danger's other head from the wall, picking it up and tossing it over to her.

Supergirl has posed:
"NO! Dammit!" Supergirl is going to be putting a lot of money in the swear jar after tonight. She is looking at the place where the beings were, where Superman was then she just screams. Not like she got shot or that the shrapnel hurts or that she got heat visioned in the face. No, this is loud, drawn out, and completely pissed off. "Dammit. Dammit. Dammit."

She starts pacing back and forth then turns to the others. Her hair is going to need a trim after that scorching it took and a few bits seem to have smoke still coming off them. Her costume is charred in a few spots and blackened around those charred bits. "Yes. We are going there. We need to track him. They took something from him while he was there. The spots on his neck when we rescued him, that Granny Goodness ran away with. Or the altar." She looks at Willow. "You said it might be the altar. We make a two prong attack. One set goes for the altar and should be the point team, the ones that will draw the attention and fire. Then a stealth team with magic users who can track what they took." She starts pacing again. "You'll need at least a couple of bricks with you for backup as well. We need to go within the next few hours so call everyone you know."

She looks to each of them in turn as they start helping the wounded. "We are going to save Superman!"

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar stares at Kara as she screams many swear words. Wow....just....wow. He honestly has never seen her like this before, and he's her ex-boyfriend okay? That's saying something. He mutters something under his breath in his native tongue, and then tries calming her down. "Kara, you can't let emotions cloud your judgment if we want to have any kind of chance at getting him back..." Yeah, sure he's one to talk.

    But then she seems to at least get a moderately level head back as she starts to plan. He nods. "Sounds about right, we'll need the heavy hitters on the diversion team. Meaning you and me and Pantheon probably. Willow and John can do the sneak thing." he says, glancing at each of them in turn. "Provided Pantheon can recover by then..." he adds, giving a concerned glance toward the unconscious Freddy.

    "I'll be on the cruiser if anyone needs me." Then he takes off to prepare for the inevitable assault on Darkseid's homeworld.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow speaks up and shakes her head. "We need someone with each side who is close enough to Superman to get through to him. He might be with either faction, and we can't chance it being the one who has both of you." Presuming Mon-El and Kara both hold sway with him.

She's a little frightened, and impressed, by Kara's cursing. Kind of wishing she'd gone there.