Part 23 (1/2)

”A promise to Darkseid?” Donna challenged her. ”A promise that could cost Jimmy his life?”

Mary shrugged off Donna's accusations. ”Heru!” she called out, imploring the ancient Egyptian deity better known to the West as Horus. ”Lend me your speed!”

Donna glanced anxiously at Jimmy. Jason was tugging on the towheaded reporter's arm, trying to hustle him away from the Mall, but Jimmy appeared understandably reluctant to abandon Forager, who was sprawled upon the chipped pavement surrounding the Was.h.i.+ngton Monument. ”Here,” Jimmy urged the groggy insect-woman as he crouched beside her, a.s.sisting her to a sitting position. ”Let me help you.”

”Come on!” Jason said impatiently. ”Get a move on!”

But not even Donna was fast enough to stop Mary Marvel. Moving so swiftly that she was nothing more than a satiny black blur, she whooshed down from the sky and s.n.a.t.c.hed Jimmy away from his guardians before Donna or anyone else could even catch a breath. She zoomed away at lightning speed, leaving the thunderstruck Challengers behind. Within a heartbeat, both Mary and her captive were completely out of sight.

”Nooo!” Forager shrieked. She reached out desperately, but Jimmy was long gone.

Jason kicked the pavement. ”Dammit!”

Donna shared their frustration. Flying over to join her remaining companions, she vented aloud. ”I don't believe this! After everything we've been through, just to lose him to Darkseid like this . . . !”

”No.” Forager climbed to her feet. Her armor was cracked and scuffed, but her resolve was apparently still intact. Twin antennae quivered pa.s.sionately. ”I shall track the Olsenbug,” she vowed, shaking her fist at the heavens. ”And I will find where that black-hearted witch and Darkseid have taken him . . . even if it leads us to the very end of Creation!”

Donna was impressed by her courage and determination, which would have done an Amazon proud.

”All right,” Donna said. ”But first we need some serious backup.”

6 AND COUNTING.

OUTSIDE METROPOLIS.

”Olsen,” Darkseid greeted him. ”How nice to see you again.”

Jimmy was backed up against the wall of a rocky gorge somewhere in the Blue Mountains northwest of Metropolis. Darkseid gazed down at Jimmy from a ledge overlooking the narrow ravine, while Mary Marvel stood by on a lower ridge. She didn't look at all guilty about delivering the frightened reporter into Darkseid's clutches.

I don't understand, Jimmy thought. She wasn't like this on Apokolips!

”Darkseid,” Jimmy replied, trying hard not to tremble. ”I-I'm not afraid of you.”

His show of defiance provoked a laugh from the arch-villain. ”Ha! I admit you've been a source of great amus.e.m.e.nt to me these past months, James Olsen, but now the time has come to take back that which I have given you: the souls of the New G.o.ds.” He extended his hand, which glowed ominously. ”Don't worry. It will be very painful.”

Jimmy could just imagine. Vivid memories of Lightray's and Sleez's butchered corpses, with smoking holes in their chests, flashed before his mind's eye. But he wasn't about to beg for mercy. If this was truly the end, he was going down fighting-just like Superman would.

”Yeah? Good luck with that,” he challenged Darkseid. ”Or did you forget that I've got powers now too?”

He threw out his arms, and pictured a volley of razor-sharp quills piercing Darkseid's stony gray flesh. He visualized his legs stretching like taffy, carrying him up and away from the lonely ravine. He tried to call upon the astounding speed he had tapped into once upon a time in Metropolis. Heck, he was even willing to dissolve into jelly again.

But nothing happened.

”Indeed, you have great power,” Darkseid conceded, ”so long as I permit it.”

Twin beams shot from his eyes, blasting apart the rugged terrain beneath Jimmy's feet. Reeling backward, Jimmy threw up his hands to protect his eyes as granite splinters pelted his face. His b.u.t.t landed hard on the uneven floor of the gorge.

”Give it up, red,” Mary advised him. She sounded like she thought she had his best interests at heart. ”Why drag this out when you don't stand a h.e.l.l of a chance?”

”I'm disappointed to hear such language coming from you, Mary,” a familiar voice scolded her. Hope flared brightly in Jimmy's heart as he spotted Superman flying down from the sky, faster than a speeding bullet. The Man of Steel's powerful right fist collided with Darkseid's chin, sending the startled villain flying from his rocky perch, while Mary Marvel nearly jumped out of her high black boots in surprise. Superman cast a disapproving glance in her direction. ”You could really use a better role model!”

Forager came bounding into the gorge after Superman. ”Olsenbug!” Her eyes and antennae anxiously searched his face for injuries as she hugged him so hard his ribs hurt. Her armored helmet failed to conceal her relief at finding him again. Fluttery wings retracted into her back.

”Superman!” Jimmy exclaimed. ”Boy, am I glad to see you! But how . . . ?”

”Donna contacted me via the Hall of Justice,” he explained. ”Darkseid blocked my telescopic vision somehow, but, thanks to Forager, we were able to track you down.” Landing in the gorge between Jimmy and Darkseid, who was even now rising ponderously back onto his feet, Superman stood ready to do battle with the sinister New G.o.d. ”The rest of you should back away and find someplace safe.” The bright red S on his chest contrasted sharply with the sinister darkness of Darkseid's and Mary's attire. His scarlet cape rustled in the cold mountain breeze. ”This is about to get ugly.”

Less than fifty yards away, amidst a pile of fresh rubble, Darkseid faced his foe. ”Kryptonian,” he snarled. ”Do you mean to confront me alone?” He sneered mockingly. ”I'm a touch insulted. I'd have expected the entire Justice League to rain down upon me at once.”

”They're tied up right now with a living tsunami on the planet Rann,” Superman said. ”But there's no need to wait for them. This is between you and me. You had the New G.o.ds murdered, didn't you? And now you're going after Jimmy.” Superman didn't often lose his temper, but Jimmy could tell from his tone that the hero was genuinely angry. ”The way I see it, it's past time for me to put you down for good.”

”You're mistaken, Kryptonian,” Darkseid answered. ”The end of the New G.o.ds is the Source's doing, not my own, but I alone shall survive to rule over the Fifth World to come, and nothing you can do shall stop me!”

His Omega Beams struck the ground, triggering a ma.s.sive earthquake that caused the wall of the gorge to crumble. An avalanche of shattered stone came roaring down the side of the mountain. ”Jimmy!” Superman shouted, momentarily looking away from Darkseid. He looked torn between rescuing Jimmy and guarding him from Darkseid and Mary. ”Your defensive powers?”

Jimmy tried to stretch to safety, but to no avail; his fragile limbs remained stubbornly inelastic. ”Darkseid turned them off! I can't. . . !”

”Fear not!” Forager threw herself atop Jimmy, s.h.i.+elding him with her armored form. Heavy boulders bounced off her back and shoulders. ”I will get the Olsenbug to safety!”

”Aww, that's sweet,” Mary Marvel jeered sarcastically. Heedless of the falling debris, she launched herself at Jimmy and Forager, even as Superman struck back against her malevolent master. ”But who's gonna save you?”

The ground shook as Superman waded forward against the full force of Darkseid's fearsome Omega Beams until he was right up in the villain's face. The searing radiation hurt almost as much as kryptonite, but Superman kept on coming. ”If that's your best shot, Darkseid, you might as well give up right now.”

”Oh, you needn't concern yourself with that.” Darkseid blocked Superman's strong right fist with his beefy arm. Seizing the hero's shoulders, he shoved Superman down onto his back. ”I only wished to bring you close enough to-”

Superman's eyes flashed crimson. A brilliant burst of heat vision struck the villain's face, blinding him. ”Close enough to what?” Springing to his feet, Superman grabbed on to Darkseid's craggy face with his bare hand and flung him halfway across the ravine. The capsized New G.o.d crashed upside down into a granite cliff face. A landslide buried Darkseid beneath a heap of rubble. Seismic meters all over the state jumped in alarm.

I have to admit that felt good, Superman thought. He had foiled Darkseid's nefarious schemes, and battled his vicious minions, numerous times over the years, but Darkseid himself had usually refrained from getting his own hands dirty, preferring to manipulate events rather than engage in hand-to-hand combat with ”lesser” beings. Too many of their past encounters had ended in frustrating stalemates, with Darkseid grudgingly returning to Apokolips to plot anew. Not this time, Superman resolved. It's about time we finally went to head-to-head. If Darkseid wants Jimmy, he's going to have to take me on personally.

An explosion of cosmic energy blew apart the mountain of debris on top of Darkseid. The cataclysmic shock wave hurled Superman into the air, rocketing him into the side of the mountain. Stunned by the force of the blast, he rolled downhill into the battle-scarred ravine, where Darkseid waited at the center of a newly carved crater. Fury had replaced hauteur upon the villain's features as he glowered wrathfully at the Man of Steel. Incarnadine energy crackled around his clenched fists. ”You dare lay hands on mighty Darkseid?” he roared. ”YOU DARE?!”

”Yeah, I do dare.” Shaking off the effects of the explosion, Superman flew at Darkseid. His tattered red cape flapped behind him. His knuckles pounded into Darkseid's face. Black blood sprayed from the villain's lips as his head was knocked to one side. ”Guess I'm just not a big fan of murderous tyrants!”

With no thought for his own safety, Superman hammered away at his foe.

Less than ten yards away, Forager sprang as nimbly as a gra.s.shopper, deftly evading Mary Marvel's angry fists, while Jimmy Olsen looked on desperately, wis.h.i.+ng there was something he could do to help. ”Keep still, dammit!” Mary cursed in frustration. Her swinging fist took a chunk out of a large gray boulder, but missed Forager completely. Mary looked like a frustrated exterminator chasing after an annoying c.o.c.kroach. All she needed was a giant flyswatter.

”Never!” Forager replied. She used Mary's own shoulder as a brace to flip over the frustrated ex-heroine while delivering a savage kick to Mary's rear as she landed nimbly behind the other female. ”Only when the last breath of life leaves me will I-”

”Fair enough!” Mary interrupted. Running out of patience, she unleashed a blast of bright blue electricity that jolted Forager like the world's biggest bug-zapper. The insect-woman convulsed in shock before dropping limply to the ground. Her body twitched spasmodically amidst the dust and rocks.

”Wow.” Mary grinned at her victim. Her electrified hair settled back down over her shoulders. The azure sparks surrounding her svelte form slowly flickered away. ”What an annoying pest!”

Jimmy stared in horror at Forager's collapsed body. She was moving, at least, which meant she was still alive, but just how badly had Mary hurt her? Worse than Bernadeth back on Apokolips?

He couldn't believe that it was really Mary Marvel who had done this. She's Captain Marvel's sister for Pete's sake! he thought. It's like Supergirl going bad! ”You've become a monster!” he accused her.

”Oh, whatever, Jimbo.” Turning her back on Forager, she strode calmly toward Jimmy. ”It's not like I'm going to kill you.” There was no trace of mercy in her eyes or voice. ”Just hang tight until Darkseid finishes up with your pal, so he can kill you. Cool?”

Jimmy backed away fearfully.