The ground quaked beneath their feet as Giganta took another step forward. Her boots crushed asphalt and sent debris flying into nearby burning cars and ruined walls. Sirens wailed in the distance. The city was already bleeding.
Cyclone turned to Superman, worry in her voice. "Clark, you're hurt. You need to get up high and heal. Let the sun do the work. Diana said she can hold them off until backup gets here."
Superman shook his head, his jaw clenched. He winced as he stood straighter, his hand pressed against his side where Metallo's blast had scorched through his suit.
"If they are targeting me," he said through gritted teeth, "then they have more than just brute force. There could be snipers in the air, or other metahumans positioned above the city. I go up there, and I might be giving them exactly what they want."
Cyclone's brow furrowed. Her voice softened. "But you're not even at fifty percent. One more direct hit, and..."
"Maxine," he interrupted, but not unkindly. "The best thing you can do now is help the people. Get the civilians out. Evacuate the area. If they can't hurt me directly, they'll take hostages or cause more chaos. We can't let that happen."
Cyclone hesitated. A gust of wind swirled around her as her hands flexed with uncertainty. Then she gave a firm nod and shot into the air, trailing green and silver ribbons of wind behind her as she flew toward the denser parts of downtown.
Superman turned his eyes to the battlefield. Metallo was recharging, his chest core humming louder with each second. Banshee was on her feet again, already gathering another scream in her throat. And Giganta stood tall, looming over them all, her fists clenched and ready.
She grinned when she saw Superman still standing. Her voice echoed across the block.
"I thought you'd be gone by now, Boy Scout. Guess I'll just squish you myself."
She raised one foot and slammed it down toward him with a mocking laugh.
But she didn't reach him.
Wonder Woman flew between them, shield raised, her sword gleaming in the rain. She caught Giganta's giant fist mid-strike, and the impact sent a shockwave across the block. The ground cracked beneath her feet as she held her position.
"You will not touch him," Diana said with an angry expression.
Giganta sneered and pulled back, only to swing again. Diana met the blow with her shield, pushing up with both arms. The two forces collided like titans, steel against strength.
"Superman," Diana said without turning her head, "stay clear. You're their target. You're not helping anyone if they break you in half."
He started to protest, but she cut him off sharply.
"Let me handle them. Until the League gets here, I can keep them at bay."
Superman clenched his fists, every instinct telling him to stay and fight, but he knew she was right. Every second he stayed increased the risk, not just for him but for everyone caught in the crossfire. He gave her a nod, even as frustration burned in his eyes, and started walking away from the area.
Giganta swung again, this time with her other hand. Diana soared higher, flipped in mid-air, and brought her sword down onto Giganta's wrist. Sparks flew from the enchanted blade, and Giganta howled, pulling back her arm. It didn't even hurt her, but the sting made her flinch.
"You're going to regret that, princess."
"No," Diana said, settling in for the next strike. "You're going to regret threatening my people."
...
The air was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of scorched metal. Flames flickered from the wrecks of overturned cars. Chunks of pavement and shattered concrete littered the street. What had once been a bustling downtown block was now reduced to a flattened battlefield.
Cyclone flew above the destruction, her arms sweeping in elegant arcs. Wind obeyed her every motion, lifting dust and smoke away from the retreating crowd. She used controlled gusts to carry the wounded, guiding clusters of civilians through the broken streets. Her eyes never left the ruined skyline.
Below her, Wonder Woman gritted her teeth as she locked swords with Giganta once more. The Amazon's blade clashed against the giant woman's bracer with a metallic shriek. Sparks sprayed across the ruined street. Diana rolled to the side, avoiding a crushing heel that shattered a fire hydrant.
She flipped up and unleashed a flurry of strikes, but got kicked by Giganta again. She crashed on the ground, but quickly recovered.
Giganta laughed, brushing aside Diana's next strike with a swipe of her arm. "Is that all, princess? That little pig sticker barely scratches."
Diana circled her warily, her shield raised, her breathing steady. She had already scored multiple slashes across Giganta's legs and arms, but they looked more like shallow cuts than serious wounds. The giantess kept coming, shrugging off damage with a cruel grin.
Diana leapt, spun, and drove her sword into Giganta's shoulder.
The blade pierced the skin but did not go deep.
"Damn you, BITCH!" Giganta roared and swatted her away like a fly. Diana slammed into the side of a crumbling wall and dropped into a crouch, her shield absorbing most of the impact. But she still felt the insane crushing pressure. Had it not been for her armor and the shield, her bones would have been crushed from that blow.
Before she could recover, a piercing wail tore through the air.
Silver Banshee descended from the smoke above, her white hair streaming behind her. She let out a focused scream that shattered the remains of a streetlamp. The sound cracked through the concrete beneath Diana's feet, forcing her to leap aside as a sinkhole opened beneath her.
Banshee's voice lashed across the battlefield, a violent, invisible blade. Diana raised her shield just in time to absorb the brunt of it. The force pushed her backward, her boots dragging twin lines in the ash-coated ground.
Giganta charged. Her massive fist smashed into the pavement where Diana had just stood. The explosion of debris masked Banshee's second scream, which chased Diana through the smoke. Diana tumbled, then rose quickly, shield up.
The two enemies flanked her now. Giganta stood tall, looming over a ruined pharmacy, her fists clenched and ready. Banshee hovered to her left, mouth open and glowing with that ghostly light. Diana tightened her grip on her sword.
"You will not pass," she said.
Banshee shrieked. The wave of sonic energy struck like a hammer. Diana held her shield up, but this scream was sharper. It chipped the shield's edge and rang inside her skull. Her vision blurred. Blood trickled from her ears.
Giganta rushed forward while the scream continued. She swung both fists down like hammers. Diana rolled to the side, but not fast enough. One fist clipped her shoulder and sent her flying across the broken street. She crashed into a burning taxi.
Diana groaned and pushed herself up. Her body was screaming. Her lip bled. Her shield arm trembled. But she gritted her teeth and stood up.
She stepped over the wreckage and faced them.
"Is that all you have?" she called, voice clear and strong. 'Darn it! The others must be busy fighting... I must take care of them at any cost.'
Banshee's glow brightened, readying another scream. Giganta growled, storming forward again.
Diana moved first. She sprinted toward them, shield raised. Dust trailed behind her like smoke from a comet. She leapt at Banshee, closed the gap, and drove her shoulder into the wailing spirit's chest before the scream could finish.
Banshee was knocked back. She slammed into a wall that immediately crumbled under her weight.
Giganta swung from the side.
Diana ducked, slid between the giantess's legs, and slashed upward across the back of her calf. The blade opened a deeper cut this time, enough to make Giganta stumble. The towering villain roared, turned too fast, and crashed into a burning car. Flames washed across her arm, but she did not flinch.
Diana steadied herself. Blood dripped from her chin. Blood trickled down her sword. She raised her shield again.
"You will not pass me," she whispered to herself.
While everyone was focused on Diana, Cyclone came back and flew Superman away from there.
...
[Back to Harley and John]
Harley stood in the middle of the ruined street, her boots crunching on broken glass. The pink remains of Flamingo still steamed nearby, though she did her best not to look directly at it. Her hand was pressed to her side where the shrapnel had scraped her ribs. Blood soaked through her shirt. Her face was dirty, streaked with dried blood and ash, but her eyes stayed locked on John.
He was standing over her, his suit still humming with residual lightning. The storm overhead pulsed in rhythm with the bolt emblem on his chest. Rain continued to fall, plastering his hair to his head and washing the grime from his jawline.
John looked at her, then glanced up toward the skyline. The battle between the heroes and villains roared in the distance. More tremors shook the earth. Smoke curled high into the clouds.
"Harley," he said quietly. "Go home."
Harley raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"You heard me." His voice remained calm, but it carried weight. "Get out of here. Get back to the apartment. Lock the door. Stay inside until it's over."
She took a slow step toward him. Her expression shifted, less amused and more serious. "Are you trying to be all noble now? 'Cause that sounds like something a guy says before he does something stupid and heroic."
John looked at the chaos beyond the street. The glow from Giganta's presence cast massive shadows that flickered like monsters across the smoke.
"If I don't stop them," he said, "they will come this way. And when they do, they'll level everything in their path. Including our place."
Harley hesitated. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"You better not die, Big John," she said.
He turned back to her. There was a softness in his expression now. Just a flicker. Barely noticeable through the divine armor and stormlight.
"I won't," He said. "I'm strong. Now, go."
She opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it. Her shoulders dropped slightly.
"Alright," she whispered. "But you come back. If you die, I'll drag your soul back from wherever it ends up and yell at it."
John nodded once. Then he looked to the sky.
Harley stepped back as he rose from the pavement, the wind whipping around him. Electricity sparked across his shoulders. The rain parted around his body as he lifted higher and higher, his cape snapping in the wind.
Harley cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Go get 'em, Captain Thunder Thighs!"
John rocketed into the air, a streak of black and gold shooting across the storm. The sonic boom of his ascent shook windows for blocks.
Harley stood alone in the street, wind tugging at her coat.
She looked toward the sky and whispered, "Smack that giant bitch." Then she ran away.
Above the city, John soared higher, passing through the smoke like a blade through fog. Below, Giganta roared again, swinging her fist toward Wonder Woman. Her size made her nearly invincible to physical force, and she was already pushing Diana back step by step.
John narrowed his eyes and flew before her with a flash of lightning and...
Booom!
He threw an uppercut.
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---[Don't forget those powerstones]---
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