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#2
MAR 11 |
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“Savage Society” Part Two
“Joan?!” Karen Starr AKA Power Girl shouted, shaking the older woman by the shoulders. The Clones of Vandal Savage, who had been masquerading as waiters had just fired a volley of shots at Joan Dale, the former Miss America.
“Society...” Alan Scott's green aura had already exploded into life around him, a sword and shield manifesting from his desire to protect Joan and save her from the Savage's before him. Two of the clones looked at each other, then the first charged forwards, his fist smashing through Alan's shield and into the older man's jaw.
Scott dropped backwards, hitting a decorated table, smashing the glass and breaking it's wooden frame in half. He looked up, rubbing his chin and dabbing at his bloodied nose with the back of his other hand. “How...?" he asked as the Savage clone landed another blow to the side of the man's head.
“Wood, Mr. Scott. We've been spliced, genetically, to provide us with ways to remove each of your teammates from the fight. For this you can thank Jason Woodrue." Savage smiled, his fist pulled up to land another hit as Hawkman's fist intercepted it, breaking the clones knuckles and glancing the remaining energy of the punch off the clones eye-socket.
“We've been designed to take idiots like you out before you were even a glimmer in your Master’s eye, clone,” Carter Hall muttered, offering a hand to Alan as he watched the violence unfold around them.
“Ha! Can you imagine anything more fun?” the former boxer known as Wildcat asked his dance partner, the Amazonian Queen Hippolyta.
She offered him a weak smile as she avoided a parry from a clone wielding a knife and dropped her elbow into the back of his neck.
Wildcat winced and offered a wide grin. "I taught her that one, guys,” he said, swinging his fist up into the bottom of the clone before him, landing it square in the stomach. “Something something something genetics…I don't care,” he said, grasping the shoulders of the clone as he gasped for air, and ramming his knee into his face. “You can't grow a talent for violence, boys.”
“I think Savage under-estimated us," came the response from the Flash as he stood back to back with Hawkgirl.
She smiled at her older teammate’s comment, noticing some movement from the kitchen. “I have a mind to think this is just the first volley, Jay,” she said, pulling her arms up to her sides to defend herself from the kick that came from the nearest of four Clones to her.
“Are you alright, Kendra?” Jay asked as he glanced around. He couldn't see Karen or Joan any more, though he assumed that Powergirl had taken Joan to hospital or at least somewhere where she could receive medical attention.
“Did you see the way that waiter clocked Alan?” Hawkgirl asked Jay.
He nodded behind her, adjusting himself and removing his suit jacket. "I did; must be wood on him, or in him, for Alan to get hit like that. I guess that means they've got tactics for us as well. Although...” Jay managed before a speeding hand grabbed hold of his throat and stopped him dead, sending the momentum into the older man's body and launching him through the air.
Jay hit the far wall as a bearded waiter with a grin on his features dropped a powerful elbow into Kendra's forearm defences, knocking her off balance. She twisted, trying to throw a kick to the man's stomach, but received nothing but a return kick to her side, sending her onto the floor.
“Carter!” she yelled as the impact knocked the wind out of her.
“Hhmp, damnit!” Carter looked from Alan to the clone who was getting to his feet. He shook his head and offered a dismissive wave to Alan before charging towards the woman he loved. "Hold on, Kendra," he said, more to himself than anyone else, as he was lifted off the ground and flown out through the window by a clone with some sort of flying mechanism inbuilt into him. “Oh, please, this is bordering on the ridiculous now,” Carter grunted as the pair of them smashed through a wall and out into the rose bushes.
Alan gritted his teeth. He watched as the clones tumbled from the kitchen, twenty or more, bundling towards his team members, especially Hippolyta and Wildcat. Alan got to his feet, manifesting a crowbar, which tore up the ground before the wood-infused clone got up, knocking him into the foundations of the building.
“Ted! Watch out!” Alan screamed as he himself was intercepted with a table leg hurled by another clone. It collided with his forehead, knocking him onto the ground. His vision started to blur as something cut a swath through the clones washing from the kitchen.
Blood soaked the floor and walls as a slight form burst through the double doors, swinging on the top of the frame and twisting through the air, her duel blades cutting through the clones as though they were little more than butter. She landed in a tight crouch, stopping dead and standing up to her full height, her short hair draped over her face to conceal what little features weren't already hidden by her full mask. Alan knew who she was.
Scandal Savage had come to ruin her Father's plans.
Under the cover of artificial darkness, Mr. Terrific squatted near a broken skylight. His T-Spheres buzzed quietly through the opening, registering the surrounding information through their microscopic receptors. As the spheres fed the data through their creator’s nano-circuited mask, Mr. Terrific learned the severity of the Justice Society’s situation.
“It’s her, isn’t it?” Phantom Lady whispered, invisible in the darkness although she was crouched at Mr. Terrific’s side.
Mr. Terrific did not look at her as he answered. “Not just Scandal Savage,” he said. “The T-Spheres tell me that Vandal Savage is here as well.”
“Things just keep getting better and better,” Phantom Lady grinned. “I was all geared up to take on Scandal Savage but now I get to test my Blacklight Bands on her old man too. I’m all quivery with excitement.”
Mr. Terrific’s voice was grim. “Don’t get too excited, Stormy. If what we’re reading is correct, there are two dozen Vandal Savages inside.”
Phantom Lady was silent in her surprise, knowing that one Vandal Savage was enough to test the limitations of the entire Justice Society. The impossibility of so many more was difficult to imagine. Her nervousness was masked by the shadows she created through her Blacklight Bands but her voice was trained as an actress, toned and metered to mask her emotions.
“What are we waiting for then?” she asked as she moved to the broken window which Scandal Savage had used to gain access to the building.
The T-Spheres surrounding them beeped with distress and bolted behind them, alerting them too late that they had company. As they turned, they were greeted by six young variations of Vandal Savage. The clones had organic circuitry growing from their arms, bionic implants piercing their clothes.
“We suggest you turn off your cloaking tools or you and your friends inside will face terrible injuries,” the lead clone demanded. “Many innocents are trapped inside. It would be a mighty shame to incinerate them all.”
Without a word, the artificial darkness faded into nothingness, revealing the two heroes for a brief instant. The Savage clones had little time to adjust to their visibility before the T-Spheres streaked at them. The clones began blasting randomly in hopes of destroying the small flying balls but only ended up making too much noise. As they were preoccupied, Mr. Terrific and Phantom Lady bounded into the six assailants. Their combined agility and hand to hand combat training were applied in unison, a ballet of violence that seemed rehearsed. Despite their outrageous differences in personality, both personally and scientifically, they made an unbeatable team.
Mr. Terrific, a master in six different forms of martial arts, easily moved to dispatch his enemies, tripping up one with a leg sweep while administering a devastating punch into his gut. The clone fell into another; they were positioned too close to each other, a mistake that could lead the heroes to an easy victory.
Phantom Lady moved with a certain grace, using her endowments to her advantage, hoping to distract the enemy with her feminine features. As she dodged several attacks, she realized that her usual tactics were not as effective; perhaps the artificial humans had underdeveloped brain function. Her attractiveness was not distracting them. Alas, her fists and Blacklight Bands did enough damage on their own, easily bringing two of the clones into unconsciousness.
With but two opponents still standing, a gust of wind rocketed through the rooftop as they were joined by black aircraft that purred in a whisper as it vertically descended to them. A bottom hatch slid open and dozens of Vandal Savages began to pour from the opening. Mr. Terrific and Phantom Lady looked at each other pensively as they braced for a more intense challenge.
They were quickly surrounded. Phantom Lady shrouded herself and Terrific in a bubble of shadow for some vestige of camouflage as the clones moved at them. Several of the artificial beings manifested strange organic goggles from their flesh that enabled them, assumedly, to see through the darkness. The heroes did not consider defeat, only the possibility of an extremely difficult road ahead.
The clatter and noise of their attackers made it impossible to anticipate the arrival of reinforcements as a non-stop digital buzz entered into the heart of the clones. Hundreds of red robotic bees began stinging and shocking the clones as the Red Bee arrived. Using her transparent wings, she fluttered to the ground as Amazing Man smashed into the roof top amidst the clones. Amazing Man’s skin was the consistency of a brick wall with the strength to match as he began taking out the distracted clones.
Blasts of black smoke exploded throughout the area as Dr. Mid-Nite arrived with Hourman. Mid-Nite went immediately to assist Terrific and Phantom Lady while Hourman drove fists first into the clones. Between Hourman’s synthetic strength, Amazing Man’s enhanced physiology and the Red Bee’s robotic onslaught, the clones fell easily. Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite joined in equally as Phantom Lady banished several clones into another dimension with her Blacklight Bands.
“There are more inside,” Terrific announced as the team collected themselves. The assembled group was good to see in action. Mr. Terrific had his doubts about the new recruits, but so far Amazing Man, Red Bee and Phantom Lady were holding their own.
“I thought you were tracking Scandal Savage,” Mid-Nite commented as he surveyed the surrounding enemies at his feet. “This looks more like Vandal Savage, genetically multiplied with some grotesque mutagenic abilities.”
“A bit obvious, Mid-Nite,” Red Bee smiled as she crouched to investigate the fallen foes. “Nano-tech, of course; it’s all the rage these days.”
Amazing Man perched himself at the edge of the shattered skylight. “There are lives in danger,” he said as he hopped down into the building. “There’s no more time for discussion.”
Without another word, the others followed him.
“Here come the boys, Hips,” Ted called over his shoulder as his knuckles broke against the skin of another Vandal Clone. He watched as the dual blades of Scandal's gauntlets penetrated the flesh of the clone before him, spattering blood over her chest. He could swear that she was grinning underneath her mask.
“You're one sick puppy, Savage,” Ted said, dropping an elbow into his opponent’s shoulder and sending a swift kick to the genitals, dropping the clone before him as a non-lethal option.
“Where is Joan Dale?” Scandal asked, tearing some fabric from a nearby table cloth and wiping her blades with it.
“Ain't none of your business,” Ted said, wrapping his arm around Hippolyta's opponent, trying to crush his windpipe with his biceps. Hippoltya gave Ted a disapproving look before it changed quickly towards the glass roof above them.
Glass rained down on the JSA members and Scandal below them as Amazing Man, a clone in his clenched fist, landed awkwardly on a table, losing his balance and smashing through its surface. He struggled to regain his footing as a clone with an augmented metallic fist punched his way through the Muslim's knee.
“GUH!” he yelped, dropping onto his good knee. The Red Bee shot downwards, her blasters knocking the clone into Amazing Man, smashing his face and breaking his nose against the stone man’s elbow.
“Thank you, Jenna,” he said with a pained smile. She shot him a brief salute before shooting off towards the other members that required aid.
Mr. Terrific and the other members of the JSA who had been on the roof slowly filtered down. Terrific's palm clattered off a clones jaw as Scandal removed his head from his neck.
“Scandal,” Terrific acknowledged. She nodded to him before trying to move off. Terrific put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her dead. “Why?” he asked. Scandal paused for a moment, her eyes locking onto Terrific’s. In the middle of the pitched battle, they both stood in silence.
“I don't know, but it isn't looking too clever now, is it?” Scandal said, turning on her heels and grabbing the hair of an unsuspecting clone, ramming her balled fist into his back, the blades shooting from their housing and spilling his blood down his perfect white suit.
“That's what worries me,” Terrific said to himself, avoiding a flying table from across the room, “Rick...”
Hourman stood back to back with Mid-Nite at the opposite side of the room, providing cover for Jay to try and work out how to get Alan back on his feet. Splinters and shards of wood were scattered over his body, sticking from his skin like a pin-cushion. The clone who had been created by Woodrue had exploded less than a minute ago, spraying the area with wood designed to take out one of the JSA's most powerful members.
“Pieter?” Jay asked, as Mid-Nite switched places with the speedster.
“It's mostly minor injuries as far as I can tell,” the Doctor said, looking up at Hourman giving the clone before him the most vicious pink belly he'd ever seen. There was something so optimistically playful about Rick it was sometimes unnerving.
“Good, last thing we'd want is to lose Alan as well as Joan,” Jay said, his voice heavy, as he dodged a punch from a clone and threw his own super-speed fist into the man's stomach several times in that split second.
“We're not losing anyone,” Carter said as he brought a carving knife down into a pliable clone’s shoulder, pulling it out after twisting it harshly. Kendra gasped; she wasn't used to seeing Carter be so violent in his civilian identity. It was one thing to see him bare chested, wings spread and Hawk helmet covering his face as he battered someone into unconsciousness, but it was another to see him do it with such wanton glee.
“I get the impression you're going to be quite busy after tonight, Pieter,” Jay said, casting his eyes through the room towards the limping Amazing Man, before looking at Hourman, whose face was covered in bruises.
He'd been letting the Savage's take turns in hitting him in the face as his hour of power had made him impervious to pain but not to physical damage. He would have some serious swelling the following day. However, he dispatched them easily enough as his strength was easily that of ten men.
“So, this is it, eh?” the Phantom Lady asked, pushing her back against Terrific's and smiling to herself.
“Yes, this is it. I'm glad you've noticed, clearly your IQ isn't going to waste on parties and drugs,” he replied sarcastically. She smiled again and twisted on her heels, planting a kiss on Terrific's cheek before blasting a clone with her Blacklight Band.
“Clone one, eh?” she asked as Terrific shot her a confused side-ways glance.
“Why did…?” he started. She shook her index finger at him and skipped off, blasting in any direction she saw movement, barely hitting some of her opponents. “That girl is going to get herself killed,” he said to himself as the Red Bee landed beside him, her robotic wings buzzing.
“Mr. Terrific…wow! This is not exactly how I'd imagine we'd first meet, I mean honestly, I really want to pick your brain about cybernetics but,” Jenna paused and tried to compose herself, closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath, as one of her giant Red Bee robots stung a clone in the side of the head. “Nano-Technology is their augmentation…is there any way that you might be able to turn it off? Close it down where we are?” she asked.
Terrific looked at the data his spheres were giving him and sighed. “I'd need some time and some technology,” he said to Jenna, looking around the room “There's not a lot of either available.”
With a soft pop, the back section of Jenna's Red Bee costume popped off. She would no longer be able to fly, but with the stingers and her augmented strength from the rest of the costume it wouldn't be a problem.
“Here,” she said, handing him her back segment. “Hopefully this will help.”
Terrific smile, and took it carefully.
“I see this as the beginnings of a beautiful friendship, Bee.”
“This must stop,” Vandal Savage slammed his hand down on the surface of the large table the group sat around. His anger had reached boiling point.
The man beside him put his gloved hands on the desk and sighed. “Calm yourself, Savage,” came the slightly ethereal voice from the man. His pupil-less eyes stared at the Caveman that stood before the group.
“I gather you here today because someone, or some thing, is attempting to defame me. They are using my DNA and they are going to pay for what they have done dearly.” Vandal bore his teeth, saliva coming from his enraged words.
“The Stranger was right, Savage, calm yourself. We won't tell you again. As much as it will pain you to know this, we are not here for the sole purpose of your anger,” the Immortal Man, sometimes known as the mortal enemy of Savage, spoke. They had been locked in a battle ever since they were cavemen, with Vandal slowly rejuvenating his body through science and magic, whilst the Immortal Man died and was reincarnated in a different body.
“We are all in some way Immortal. The Stranger here has walked the Earth since the time of Eden, Blood since the time of King Arthur, Uncle Sam since the creation of America and Hath-Set since the time of Egypt, in a very similar fashion to myself. But we are gathered to bring a new member into our group.”
The Immortal man looked through the center of the table where the scrying pool sat. He pointed toward the two women huddled together, the blonde woman, Powergirl, attempting to cauterize the wounds of the elderly lady, who appeared to be flagging quickly, her color pale and her arms limp.
“We bring Joan Dale into the Society of Immortals,” the Immortal man said, standing up slowly.
“AND to avenge my honor!” Savage screamed.
The Immortal man just shook his head slowly. “Tone it down a little, Savage,” Blood said from his position to the left of the angered Caveman.
“Ah know Joan the best out of all o' you here,” Sam said, getting to his feet and putting his tall hat on slowly. He offered a smile to the others, “So I'll go. Savage, y'coming?”
“Wild Tyrannosaurs couldn't prevent me.”
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To Be Continued...
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