^^ I Did Not Require Assistance, Diana ^^
— Erin —
Whilst on the bike, headed towards Metropolis through the Fold, I examined the results of the analyzation of all we'd gathered. The Lobo Clones had been mixed with DNA of some kind, an Echinoderm of extraterrestrial origins, which allowed it to grow much quicker, but did nothing for their intelligence or strength.
I racked my brain for the information I was sure I possessed, any references to alien starfish on this version of the DC Earth. Kaldur was a relatively new character, only mentioned in three Continuities that I could remember; 16, the Young Justice Earth, 18(I think,) the N52 Teen Titans Earth, and 52, or New Earth. Seeing as Lex Luthor was a bad guy, New Earth was out, and seeing as I hadn't heard a mention of Cyborg or Raven, that meant this wasn't the Teen Titans earth, and that the Outsider's timeline hadn't started yet. Wally West was dead, and it was August, meaning just a month had passed since the end of the second comic run, the Reach Storyline.
'Unless the entire timeline is different, and you've been lucky so far with your knowledge.'
I sighed. 'True... give me the readouts for all the current tasks in the system? Any complete?'
'The DNA of the recovered Czarnian Clones is rapidly deteriorating, but a viable sample was analyzed, and the Echinoderm molded to it was in the League Database. It belongs to a known specimen, a past enemy thought entirely destroyed. The Light used it in concert with technosorcery to create Mind-Control devices dubbed 'Starrotech'. It is therefore likely that they are being controlled, and/or simply given a target and sent after it like attack dogs.'
'That would require a signal, no? Search the entire city for the one signal that isn't being jammed.' I grinned, as we exited a shadow, on the back of a skyscraper.
'I can't. All signals are blocked, including the searching signals.'
"Fine, send the Package, see if it works a second time. And find me Batman, or- aha!" I gunned the throttle, racing after a streak of red who was entering the city.
He hopelessly outpaced me, but slowed when he saw my shadow, and I flipped the bike over, flying upside down next to him. "Flash! How's it hangin', buddy?" I grinned.
He glanced at me. "And I thought my puns were bad."
"Hey, I've lost a good three liters of blood and gotten the shit kicked outa me by a White Martian in the last twenty minutes, and I just woke up. Not even a drop of coffee yet!" I protested.
"White Martian? I thought the Message said it was Lobo?" He asked.
"Message from who? And how? All signals in the city are blocked, even in the Shadow Realm. The info could be out of date, I'm bringing an update to Batman and Zatanna... if I can find them." I shrugged, and righted the bike, firing at a Lobo Clone that was about to slash a woman in half with his hook.
He was knocked back, rolling a few times before he crawled to his feet, growling savagely. The left side of his body was charred, but he didn't seem to react to the pain.
"Any word on every other place in the world? Any Star Labs shipments En Route, any Facilities reporting break-in's or alarms? Any Impounded Items being moved, any prisoners of interest being moved? This reads like a diversion." I frowned, and fired again, whistling sharply at the frozen woman. "MOVE THAT ASS, WOMAN!!!"
She flinched and started running, and Flash reappeared, though I hadn't seen him leave. "So, there's 48 Lobo's, which is something of a record, but they're all weak, Late-Gen Clones, only about as strong as Superboy. Batman is with Wonder Woman and Wondergirl, protecting the Metropolis Star Labs, and Superman is up there." He pointed up, and a red and blue blur whipped by overhead.
"Are you fast enough to go check every single Star Labs in the world? Again: This reads as a diversion; there's no point, and no prize for victory. This battle is meant to be lost by the Lobo clones. They're being controlled and force-grown by Alien Echinoderm DNA, like the mind-control starfish from a few months ago. Or years? I'm unsure about this timeline." I shrugged.
He shook his head. "One Time-Traveler to Another? Keep it to yourself. Best for everyone that way."
"Yeah, I will. Now! Are you fast enough?" I asked.
He nodded. "I'll alert Batman to the Ruse, then go check."
"Add in that there's a Martian Ship somewhere in the city, it's the source of the jamming, and a White Martian is piloting it. Zatanna Knows-" I flinched when a white creature was tossed through the building next to me, barely missing my skull as I ducked. "WATCH IT, BOYSCOUT!!!" I growled at Superman.
He flew around us swiftly, and crashed into the recovering Martian, ignoring me.
I grumbled a few insults I knew he could hear, and turned to Flash, explaining the entire situation from the beginning, but speaking as quickly as possible. The sound came out as a mad scramble to my ears, but he nodded, apparently following.
"Alright, I've got most of it. I'll report to Batman on the way to Gotham's Star Labs. If I find anything, I'll radio the watchtower, not here." He nodded, and disappeared before I could blink, leaving only a red distortion in my vision.
'Virus uploaded?' I asked mentally, and blasted the Clone in front of me again, and made a move while he was down. I leapt off the bike, grabbing the charred Clone by the ears, and frying him between my hands, making sure the charge reached his whole body.
'No. The two seem to have been in communication, and this one has defended against any repetition of such an attack. A physical attack will be needed.'
"How did you do that?" Batman landed next to me without a warning, and I grinned.
"Eyyy, there 'e is! You're very stealthy, ya know that?" I chuckled.
"Yes. How did you do that?" He frowned.
"Fry him? Raw kinetic energy is stored in my clothes, then used to activate some AntiMatter lightning I put together; it disables Meta Abilities if you tune it right, and also, at specific energy outputs, it can fry Czarnian Tissue and remove its regeneration and invulnerability at the same time; essentially a Lobo-Tuned Bug Zapper." I explained, and hopped back onto my bike.
He thought for a few moments, and nodded. "Does it affect others?"
"Well yeah, genius, it's a fuckin' bolt'a lightnin'!" I snorted at the audacity of the question.
"I meant, can you halt the Clones' regeneration, without affecting our team's Meta Abilities?"
I hummed. "If they were wearing armor tuned to disrupting the waves that come off AntiMatter, like I am? Sure. But I'd need a few days to whip those up, so the answer is no. However, these Lobo Clones are decomposing as we speak, so if we turn off the regeneration abilities that are keeping them together, they'll crumble altogether anyway. Our people will be without Abilities for a few minutes, if they're still inside the city, but then all that's needed is a clean-up crew; or, I could do it one by one, which would take longer, but have less collateral damage." I nodded.
"Does it cause Radiation Sickness or Electrical Fatigue?"
I blinked. "So- uh, computer, does my AntiMatter Lightning cause Radiation Sickness?"
'Only if you kept it up for four-hours or more. Also: Call me computer again and I'll show Batman your Baby Photos. The embarrassing ones, where you were covered in icing and feeding your dog cake.' She answered sweetly.
"Hahaha, yeeeeah; Only if it was a few hours, but not in just a few minutes. Flash told you I said it was obviously a Diversion?" I chuckled awkwardly.
"He did. I agree. How did you disable the Com Jamming around your Island?" He asked, ignoring my weirdness.
"A series of steps that all failed, and then a psychic net. Magic is a Martian and Kryptionian Weakness. Ask Zatanna and Doctor Fate if they can form a Psionic Net to rake the city with, and make sure there's no lingering effects after I find the BioShip, and disable it." I nodded, and revved the throttle, soaring up and looking down at the city from above.
I scanned visually for any distortions from Martian camouflage, and then scanned for heat, using my glasses for the first time. I'd known when I made them that they were an outmoded piece of equipment, but I wasn't sure how to make the high-tech contact lenses they used in the third season, just yet. Also, time-space continuum. Maybe me making them is what introduced them to the team, but maybe I would do it too early, and screw things up.
I found a spot that was suspiciously blank, on top of a building that should've been hot with all the machines inside, but was perfectly crystal cool, instead. 'That looks promising... Target all visible Leaguer's, and attempt to beam that High-Density com Link to them, using the Watchtower as a focal point. Get as high as you need.' I jumped off the bike, and dove directly at the BioShip, curling into a ball before I slammed into it.
My pelvis, already fragile, snapped painfully, but I managed to smack the ship down into the rooftop, shattering most of the roof. The shell cracked under me, but was quickly repairing itself. "Ow..." I groaned, and touched the ship, dropping it into a shadow slowly as it keened in pain.
It's owner screeched, a few blocks away, and I grinned as the com's activated slowly. "Hello Hello, Good morning passengers of Flight 52 out of Metropolis, this is your captain, Dr. Nomad; I've handled the Communications blackout, and Batman has a point to make, I think, so listen up... also do we have a Doctor on the team? A medical one? My pelvis is broken and I really don't want it to heal crooked. Next five seconds would be nice."
'Everyone with Meta Abilities: Disengage and evacuate civilians. Mass Inhibition of Meta Abilities will soon be in effect, and those of you who rely on your power will be vulnerable. Everyone else, keep them busy... and Diana, go set Nomad's bones.'
Diana touched down next to me and frowned disapprovingly at the state I was in. "That was reckless and foolhardy. An Amazon should always understand the enemy and develop Tactics before-"
"I did both, and it was an acceptable risk, now stop lecturing me like a disobedient child and help, or get lost!" I snapped at her harshly.
She frowned at me, but gripped my thigh and waist, yanking my bones straight in a single movement. I felt several little splinters of the already-healing bone crack, and I stifled a screech of pain. "You decided poorly, then."
"I achieved my objective, and there were no civilian or team casualties, nor any permanent damage besides aesthetic damage to this building. I call that a win." I shook my head and stretched with a tight grimace, making sure everything broken was in the right place as it healed.
I glanced down at the city level, and hummed at the sight of the Lobo Clones swarming the building. "That's a party I didn't ask to be invited to."
She nodded, and drew her sword. "Begin your plan? I do not need my powers, if they do not have theirs."
"Actually, it's entirely possible that you will keep yours, as they're Divine in origin. I'm unsure." I hummed, Curious, and then grabbed the metal railing, for an antenna. "Either way, Grit your teeth, and dodge if you can."
I burned some dark matter, trading the energy in for a sample of AntiMatter from my blood, (a more potent source than my armor,) then drew more energy, after I had a decent amount of AntiMatter ready. It translated itself to Electrical Energy, carrying the AntiMatter as it began to pulse outwards in a sphere from the common point, my hands.
When the Lobo got close, I let go of my left hand, jumping slightly.
Diana looked at me like I'd lost my everloving mind. "What are you-" she stopped as the moment I became ungrounded, the lightning cracked away from the sphere, and a wave of it crashed into everything around us.
I hissed as my palm was savagely burnt, and the bottoms of my feet crackled as well, but grinned savagely in victory at the shriveling forms of the Lobo Clones, all around us.
I had miscalculated the force a bit in my haste, and I realized this when the wave kept going, blacking out the entire city as it sucked up energy and kept going... and going... and then luckily hit the water, and the entire ring of energy shattered as the salt in the water collected the AntiMatter, effectively defusing it.
"Oops..." I hummed.
"What is Oops, what did you do?" Diana asked quickly.
"The fishermen probably shouldn't eat fish infected with AntiMatter, is all. Maybe those should be collected and removed, taken to somewhere else for testing and then release... Sofia?" I sighed.
'You want me to collect all the fish in the bay?!?'
"And the water that's been affected, if you don't mind? Oh, and a secondary circle of netting around the island, about a mile out? Water-level only, maybe ten feet above high tide and normal waves, to keep them all in. Make it look natural, like a coral reef, please? I'll cook you whatever you want, for dinner tonight... after I get some coffee." I groaned.
'Fine... I'll do it, but only because I want to try French Onion Soup. Terran says he's had it before, and it's the best soup, ever.'
"A bit of an exaggeration, but yes, it's very good. My sister had a recipe for it where she added smoked Gouda cheese, instead of cheddar? Divine, my dear. I'll go shopping on my way back." I chuckled, and waved a hand.
My bike swooped down from on high, rumbling to a stop on the rooftop.
"You cannot fly, still?" Diana asked, confused.
"No, apparently I had the potential, but I traded it in for invulnerability, instead; unconsciously." I grumbled.
'I apologized. I only meant to keep you safe.'
'And I'm only a little bitter about it, my dear, it's alright.'
"Ah... I suppose increased defense is as good a skill as flight, in the long run, but- oh dear." She hopped off the building and landed next to Batman, a three floors down, who was fighting the last Lobo, a fat and awkwardly unfit one that was honestly disgusting. "Even me, who doesn't like body shaming... that's nasty!" I gagged at the smell as it wafted towards me, and then paused. 'Why wasn't his strength removed?'
'It was. This is his physical strength, due to the sheer density of his flesh and muscles, much like Superman... a good idea, to prevent your invulnerability from being tampered with.' Sofia hummed.
I nodded and watched carefully, as Diana and Batman began taking him down, even without Diana's strength or flight. When he swung his hook and managed to smack the side of it into Batman, the crunch was audible, and I immediately shot him in the head, deigning him too dangerous to fight squarely.
Diana picked Batman up, slinging him over her shoulder, and looked up at me. "Well struck, Nomad. Though killing is usually not acceptable on League Missions, these were more beast than men."
"I do not require your assistance walking, Diana." Batman grumbled.
"Of course you don't, your wound is on your ribs. No, I'm holding you so you'll actually take medical help from Alfred; otherwise you'd insist on being 'Fine'. Now, no more arguing; Nomad will give us a lift to Gotham, where by then I will have regained enough strength to fly you home." She said sternly.
I grinned, and rode the bike down to her side. "Your chariot awaits, Princess." I smirked at her raised eyebrow.
She sighed and mounted behind me, placing Batman between us. "Yes, drive then, Amazon."
I laughed and revved the engine, accelerating until we were cruising just below the speed of sound. "She's going the distance... she's going for speed..." I hummed to myself, in a relatively cheery mood, besides the achy hip and the lack of caffeine, and decided to open her up, activating the gravity field to prevent them from being blown off the bike.
The sound barrier cracked with a heavy wump, which was not what I'd expected, but then I realized the sound had been blocked by the shield, as it was a harmful intensity of sound.
The analogue speedometer was entirely maxed out, as I'd only built it to go up to 300mph, but the tiny digital one on my glasses told me we were moving at close to 1,500mph, my current max running speed, according to Sofia, though I hadn't tested it out yet.
It would've been 6,000, if I'd gotten the full 20x boost from the Pure Nth Metal, but even with only 5x, 1,500mph was a freaking blur in most people's eyes, so I was happy with what I had.
Apparently in a huff, my white cat climbed out of my jacket, and laid on the bike, making it slowly disappear, soaking into her fur.
I squeaked, but then realized we hadn't stopped moving, and small buttons had appeared on the side of my palms. I recognized a throttle control and a brake, and raised my eyebrow as the cat then soaked itself into my jacket, and suddenly I was able to feel the speed we were achieving, entirely overshooting Gotham and having to make a massive U-Turn.
"Well! I guess I managed to fly after all, Diana, though with techno-sorcery, not Meta Abilities." I hummed, and looked behind me at my passengers.
I paused, and grinned guiltily at the two people laying in a pile at the bottom of the force field. "Ah... my bad."