Chapter 3
Nuclear Man stalked away from the smoldering wreckage of the
helicopter and extended his arms. The
fissures in his skin began to glow and seal up.
He could feel something buried deep beneath the ground and slammed his
fists into the thick concrete. The
ground trembled, sending massive waves that obliterated Kohr Island, cracked
Shelly Island in half, and nearly washed out River Road. Shockwaves were felt as far north as
Pineford, where building trembled and broke apart. Nuclear Man continued his assault. Police and emergency personnel were
desperately trying to evacuate the surrounding areas. White light was erupting from the cracks, and
the ground quivered of its own accord.
Thunder clouds swirled overhead as lightning struck the ground and rain
began to fall. Nuclear Man began tearing
large chunks of concrete out and hurling them madly. He reached into the crevices, like a junkie
savagely searching for his syringe.
Beams of white hot light cut into his arm and he jerked back. He looked into the sky where they’d come
from. The clouds parted and a golden
haired woman with a wide spread, windswept crimson cape descended, the sun
creating a white halo of light. “You
need to leave.” She said in a commanding voice.
“So the goddess returns…” Nuclear Man said, rubbing the
fading burn on his arm. “I wondered
about you. You haven’t been seen since
Superman returned from deep space.” He spread his arms wide “What brings her
majesty down from on high? Certainly not
little old me. You couldn’t even be
bothered when Superman was killing himself trying to defeat me the first
time. You couldn’t even help him push
New Krypton away. Where, o where have
you been?”
She gently landed, her cape collapsing around her, but
looking no less regal. Electrical energy
surged around them. Nuclear Man glanced
at it and kept his head turned slightly.
“There it is again. Friend or
foe?”
He suddenly charged at her, and she sidestepped him. Even so she could feel energy leaving her
body and entering his. She leapt back
and away keeping distance between him.
“Gonna have a hard time fighting me if you don’t touch me.” He
growled. She tore a piece of lead
shielding from one of the wrecked reactors and bent it into a curve. With blinding speed she launched herself at
him and slammed the metal around his arms and lifted him into the air. At seven miles per second air ignited around
them as she took him further into the upper atmosphere. “What are you planning to do? The sun strengthens me to and this lead will
only keep my powers at bay so long.” She
realistically hadn’t thought that far ahead.
He angled his head and opened his mouth, white hot fire exploded into
her face with enough force to knock her back.
He spread his arms and shredded the lead shielding and flew down. He grappled with her and pummeled her face and
body, gripping the front of her ivory uniform.
They slammed into the ground, splitting 3 Mile Island in half. He rose from the smoldering crater and
started to walk away, but turned when he heard her groan. “Still alive?” a wicked grin slit his face. A golden rope descended around him, gripping
him tight and starting to glow. He
turned. The woman holding it had jet
black hair, was tall with an athletes body and was clad in red, blue, and gold
with a outfit that left her arms and shoulders bare but still carried the
weight and appearance of armor. “Leave
her alone!” the woman shouted. She
jerked hard on the lasso and yanked him into the air, spun him wildly and
smashed him back into the ground. He
stood, struggling with the lasso until he could loosen it as she advanced. A metal disk caught him in the back of the
head. He turned and saw Superman and the
boy who saved him standing on a ridge.
“Care to pick on someone your own size?” Superman called. Nuclear Man examined his arms, the cracks
were growing, more light was spilling out.
He took off into the sky and vanished.
Jason moved to go after him, but Clark caught his arm, “No, Kara needs
us.” They ran down the slope and met the
woman over Kara’s prone body, her uniform badly torn.
“Let’s get her out of here.” Clark said. The dark haired woman took his hand “We can
take her home.” She said, and moved him aside.
Lifting her up she looked back “You are her cousins. This is correct?”
“Yes.” Clark said.
“Then come.” She took her about
two hundred yards down the island and a strange aircraft seemed to appear
through the smoke. She took her in side
and directed Clark and Jason to sit.
The interior of the aircraft, Clark supposed it could be
considered a jet, was basic, with rows of seats along the walls and an area to
lay the patient. The woman didn’t let
them sit up front with her. With the
roar of vertical take-off engines the craft lifted into the air and blasted
away from Three Mile Island. “Where are
we going?” Clark called. “Themiscyra.”
The woman said. “I am Diana of the
Amazons.”
Lex
Luthor stormed down the central corridor of the vessel. Opening a hatch he arrived in the command
bridge. A tall black man with a dark
complexion approached. He was well built,
broad shouldered with a swimmer’s body, outlined by his black suit which
appeared to be a technologically advanced diving suit. “What is it Manta?” Luthor barked as he
approached. “Do NOT take that tone with
me on my own ship.” Manta wheeled on him.
“Your plan appears not to be working so well, eh?” Manta motioned
towards the large screen that dominated the far wall. It was new footage of Nuclear Man fleeing
Three Mile Island while Superman and company tended to the woman in white. “What do you see, Luthor? Because I see four
meta-humans united against a common foe.”
“Do you?” Luthor said with a smile. “Because I see a weak Superman, a Supergirl
nearly dead, a kid and a woman who don’t know what they are doing.” He turned
to Manta “Besides, they were going to come together eventually. This way we control the circumstances. Besides, they’re so busy chasing Nuclear Man
around the world, they aren’t paying attention to us.”
Back in the cell, Lois paced. She banged the wall in frustration and found
it was hallow. The thump felt like it
reverberated. She banged again. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could raise
enough noise for Superman to hear her.
She continued to bang and began screaming for help. It wasn’t long before Lex was back in his
lab, arms crossed glaring at Lois. “You
know what, Ms. Lane, you’ve always been more trouble than you’re worth.” He tapped keys on a control panel. Vents above her opened up and water began
flooding the cell. Before she was
certain it was happening, the freezing water was up to her chest. “I want you to know, I take immense pleasure
in this. It’s my undying hope that this
finally makes you shut up.” Lois
panicked and began desperately screaming for help.
The sound of tearing metal answered her, More water spilled
in from the side, but the wall was being torn away from outside. “Oh dear.” Lex said. He hit the control panel and the wall slid
back into place. “Manta…we have a
problem.”
Lois felt like her head was about to cave in when the water
was pushed away from her face. A bubble
had formed around her head and she floated freely in the ocean as the weird sub
sped away from her. She turned and found
a man carrying a trident, in armor that looked ancient yet flexible swimming
next to her, his free hand outstretched.
His dark blond hair was short, but shaggy, as was his mustache and
beard. She took his hand and he pulled
her close. His body was warm to the
touch. He aimed his trident upward and
she gripped tight to his torso. Like a
torpedo they were launched upward. They
exploded through the water’s surface, the pressure around her released
immediately. The sky was blue, the air
clear, with only a few clouds in the sky.
She took a deep breath and looked down, realizing they were free falling
to the deck of a ship 500 feet below.
“Hold tight!” the man shouted as they fell. He slammed onto the deck of the ship in a
crouch, the trident arm extended away
from them, her body tucked into his side in the fetal position. He stood, but she didn’t uncurl. “Ms. Lane. You’re safe now.” He said with a
slight chuckle. The opened her eyes and
looked around. Crew from the ship ran
towards them. He spoke to them in
Portuguese, but she understood enough to know he was telling them she needed
dry clothes and medical attention. He
turned and walked to the edge of the deck.
“WAIT!” she called out. “Who are
you?”
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