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Have You Come To Meet Your Match?!! Chapter 9 (Independence day Finale)
🕑 Added 2024-10-20 19:29:24 +0000 UTCDick Grayson’s mind raced. The relentless surge of Genomorphs clawing their way up the elevator shaft reminded him of a tidal wave—one that would not stop until it had consumed them. Even now, as they ascended, the elevator shook with the force of the creatures battering the shaft’s walls.
From beneath, a G-elf’s jaw forced its way through the jagged hole in the floor of the elevator, foam dripping from its mouth as its rabid eyes fixed on them. A growl, primal and violent, echoed through the shaft.
It lunged.
But Kaldur was quicker.
His foot slammed into the genomorph’s maw before it could fully breach the opening, teeth shattering under the force of the kick. The G-elf screeched, its body flung back into the darkness below, disappearing into the swarm beneath them.
“We don’t have much time,” Dick muttered to himself, clutching his arm. It had popped out of its socket during the fight earlier, and the pain was sharp, relentless. He had been fighting through it, but now he needed it functional. Grimacing, he took a breath and braced himself against the wall of the elevator.
Crack.
The sound of bone popping back into its socket was muffled by his grunt. He gritted his teeth, refusing to let the pain win. The job wasn’t done, and he wouldn’t let his body fail him. Not now. He rotated it once, twice—good enough.
Dick checked his HUD. Only a few seconds before they reached the 2nd sub level.
Wally stood in the corner, his eyes wide but unfocused. A thousand-yard stare. Off his game. Robin scanned his posture—tight, defensive, not in the moment. Even his breathing was erratic. Not good. Wally wasn’t thinking, wasn’t moving like a speedster should. His reactions would be delayed, dulled.
“Wally,” Dick called, voice firm but quiet. “You still with us?”
Wally blinked, his eyes slowly regaining focus, but he didn’t respond, just nodded faintly.
That wasn’t good.
Chance of escape: 13%.
Wally’s speed was useless if his mind wasn’t fully engaged. The precision required to maneuver through this situation at full speed was enormous, and right now, Wally didn’t have it. He’d stumble, falter.
Kaldur, on the other hand, was composed as ever on the other corner. Despite the blood running down his face, across his eyes and down onto his feet, his grip on the water-bearers was steady. Focused on the gaping horn on the elevator floor
With him, Dick upped the probability of the escape to 37%.
Kaldur was good, really good, but they needed more than tactics. Against a relentless wave of Genomorphs, they needed power. Still, his level-headedness and quick reactions could and would buy them time.
Dick’s eyes moved to Superboy. He looked impeccable, not a hair out of place. With him, Dick estimated that they had a 50:50 chance of escaping this place. If he didn’t bury them in this place that is.
The elevator jolted, metal groaning pressure, and Robin’s heart pounded in sync with the pounding from below. His eyes darted to his HUD—seconds left until the doors opened. They weren’t out yet.
Dick’s mind snapped back to the task at hand. They weren’t safe yet. Not even close.
The sound of screeching metal rose once more from below. The Genomorphs were relentless, still climbing, still coming.
As they neared the first sub-level, Robin knew they had to act fast. He reached into his belt, pulling out a series of small explosive charges. His fingers worked quickly, despite the ache in his newly reset arm, as he set them on the roof of the elevator.
The door dinged open.
They didn’t hesitate bolting out of the elevator into the sub-level corridor. Dick was the last to leave, pausing only to activate the charges. A soft beep echoed in the now-empty elevator, followed by rapid blinking lights as the explosives armed themselves.
Barely a second later, the elevator shuddered violently as the explosives detonated. The roof of the elevator blew inward, the cables snapping under the force. The elevator dropped, plummeting down the shaft, taking with it any Genomorphs that had been clinging to the walls.
The sound of the elevator crashing below sent a resounding boom through the air as the team sprinted through the dimly lit corridor.
Above them, the reverberations from impacts rattled the walls, vibrating through the concrete, raining dust in them and leading their ears and instincts to a gaping hole in the ceiling.
Without hesitation, Dick fired his grappling gun through the opening above, the line snapping taut as Wally grabbed hold, clinging tightly to him. In a swift, practiced motion, the two of them were yanked upward through the gaping hole. Meanwhile, Kaldur and Superboy, displaying their own brand of strength, simply jumped, muscles coiled as they propelled themselves effortlessly through the opening after them.
Just in time to see Match, the one who rose their chances of escape to 75%, take one devastating punches to the face. The force of the blows sent shockwaves rippling through the air, cracking the walls and reverberating through the floor. For a split second, everything seemed to slow—Match’s head snapping back, his body lifting from the ground as if weightless.
Then, with an earth-shattering crash, his body was hurled backward like a missile, slamming through the wall with a deafening explosion. The entire structure buckled under the force, concrete and debris raining down as Match was blasted clear through, shooting out of the building like a cannonball.
The monster followed after him with one super powered leap, crashing through the already broken wall.
The gaping hole in the building allowed the team to a scene of chaos, bathed in moonlight.
Match had crashed right through one of the parked firetrucks, its metal frame crumpled like tin foil, steam rising from the wreckage. A news crew that had been pulling away had stopped in their tracks, cameras already rolling to capture the spectacle of the fight between two superpowered beings emerging from the remains of the building, the night illuminated by flashes of light.
Behind them, the guttural growls and shrieks of the Genomorphs surged back to life. A clear hint that they had found their way up.
One word reverberated through Dick’s mind.
“Shit.”
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I narrowly dodged Desmond’s tail, the blade-like appendage slicing through the air inches from my face. The sharp gust of wind stung my skin as the tail carved through the car behind me, tearing it apart with a sickening crunch of metal.
He began retracting the tail, but before he could pull it back, I surged forward, gripping the coarse, sinewy flesh with both hands. My fingers dug into the beast’s monstrous hide, and with a snarl, I swung him in a wide arc over my head.
His massive frame collided with the building behind me with a deafening crash. The ground shook beneath my feet as the structure exploded into debris, chunks of concrete and glass raining down in a storm of destruction. The entire building groaned, a gaping hole left where Desmond’s body had smashed through.
I took a breath, tasting the smoke and metallic tang of blood still in my mouth. Sirens wailed in the distance, screams of bystanders filtering through the chaos. For a fleeting moment, it felt almost peaceful—a strange calm amidst the destruction.
But that peace shattered as Desmond’s shadow loomed over me, his massive form blotting out the moonlight. He launched himself from the wreckage, a grotesque blur of muscle and rage. His tail coiled again, poised to strike, and in his hands, a twisted construction beam swung like a club.
I didn’t hesitate.
My vision lit up, twin beams of crimson heat building in my eyes. Before Desmond could bring the beam down, I released the pent-up energy. The heat vision tore through the metal with surgical precision, slicing it in two before it could reach me. The severed chunk of steel glowed red-hot, melting in Desmond's grip before crashing uselessly to the ground.
But this leaves me open to a blinding follow-up with his damn tail.
Still, I’m Kryptonian, endowed with considerable speed. I manage to lift my arm just in time, but the price is steep. As the bone-tipped tail pierces through my hand, a white-hot pain erupts, radiating through my arm.
For a fleeting moment, the agony loosens my grip on the forcefield, and I feel it flicker like a dying flame.
Desmond’s monstrous form closed in, his breath rancid and fetid, hot against my face as he drives me into the ground with a force that sends shockwaves through through the street. The impact rattles my bones, and dust erupts around us, enveloping us in a choking haze.
And so Desmond loomed above me, his massive form pinning me to the ground. The stench of his breath was overwhelming, a foul mix of decay and fury, as his tail pushed deeper into my arm. I felt pressure building, my heart racing as I fought against the instinct to panic.
I instead flexed my forearm, tightening my pronator arm muscles. Trapping his tail within the vice of my left arm muscles, effectively halting its advance.
In an almost mocking gesture, I reached out with my right arm, tenderly caressing his grotesque face. "Look at me," I whispered, my tone deceptively calm, before I tightened my grip on his head, locking him in place.
And then I showed him why he shouldn’t have dared to meet my gaze.
My eyes flared with crimson energy, beams of heat erupting forth with devastating intensity. The twin rays shot into his eyes, searing through the flesh and penetrating into the depths of his skull. Desmond's roar turned into a howl of agony, the sound reverberating through the night, and he began to thrash wildly, trying to escape my grip.
I didn’t let him, refusing to let him go. Still he was a trapped animal and so desperation fueled the barrage of brutal he began raining on me. Each impact hammered against my injury, the sound echoing like thunderclaps in the quiet street.
I gasped at the agony, the shockwave rippling through my arm, and I knew I couldn't endure much more of this relentless assault.
With every ounce of willpower, I coiled my metaphysical grip like a tightly wound spring beneath him, pushing through the pain that threatened to unravel me. I summoned all my strength, bringing my knees to my chest. Then in a sudden explosion of force, I kicked him.
He was immediately launched upwards, colliding with a nearby flagpole on his ascent to the sky, the metal snapping like a twig. The white flag fluttered down around me like a ghostly shroud, hiding the carnage for just a moment.
As I tore through the fabric, I spotted a reporter nearby, their camera flash momentarily blinding against the darkness.
Without a second thought, I shot off into the air, cratering the ground underneath me. Towards the injured beast that was Desmond.
He was still on his uncontrolled ascent to up to the sky and I wasn’t gonna let him go just like that. Had to give the bastard the opener. I closed the distance in a blur, my fist already cocked back. The first punch collided with his already mangled skull, a sickening crunch echoing through the night as shockwaves rippled from the impact. Desmond’s attempts to fend me off were sluggish, his mind dulled by the molten ruin I’d made of half his head. He swung clumsily, but I was faster. He was seeing stars while I was painting the sky red, fists drumming relentlessly into his face.
Punch after punch after punch.
Each hit drove him higher, through the thinning air and into the cold embrace of the clouds. His body, once monstrous and unstoppable, was now nothing more than a rag doll, each blow pushing him further into the stratosphere. The sky felt colder up here, the atmosphere biting at my skin as we ascended. But it didn’t matter. I wasn’t done with him yet.
At the peak of our ascent, where the clouds turned dark and the stars barely flickered above us, I clasped my hands together, fingers locking into a tight, brutal knot. Muscles tensed, every fiber of my body coiling for the strike. Then, like a sledgehammer, I brought them down.
BOOM!
That began our descent.
The blow landed with a sickening thud, a bone-cracking symphony that reverberated through my arms and into my core. It struck the middle of his back, and Desmond’s body buckled under the force, his trajectory reversing instantly. He plummeted toward the ground like a broken meteor,
But the pain that exploded in my right arm was immediate and unforgiving. I felt the muscles tear, the skin split, blood pouring out in a furious cascade.
Still, I wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.
As Desmond plummeted, the frictional forces blazed around him, the heat of re-entry turning his body into a fiery missile, lighting up the night sky. I could see his skin blistering, the melted flesh on his skull still bubbling from my earlier attack. It would be poetic if it wasn’t so ugly.
I shifted my forcefield, tightening it around my left arm, cutting off my flight and allowing gravity to take over. I fell after him, fast, fists clenched, preparing for the final blow.
The ground came into view below, and with it, the chaos of Cadmus.
There they were—Robin, Kid Flash, Kaldur, and Superboy—locked in a desperate fight against the hordes of Genomorphs pouring out from the facility. It was a battlefield, the team barely holding the line, fighting to keep the Genomorphs from spilling into the streets. A sea of bodies clashed, the air thick with the sounds of combat, metal against flesh, grunts of pain, the unmistakable thud of fists meeting bone.
They were close—too close.
"Superboy!" I whispered, my voice cutting to him as he turned looked good the sky. "Clear the building! I’m coming in hot!"
I surged down, Desmond just ahead of me, his massive form glowing red from the heat of re-entry. My left arm primed, forcefield tight.
"This is for Dubbilex," I growled through gritted teeth, my voice barely more than a whisper, but it carried all the force of my fury.
The punch connected with a sickening crunch, the force of it punching my fist through Desmond’s body. The spray of blood that followed was violent—massive—coating the air in a mist of red as the shockwave rippled out from the impact. Desmond roared in pain, but it was a hollow sound, a beast being broken. Then his hand surged forward and his tail coiled around me.
Even as his body shattered, he held on to me, his monstrous grip like a vice, dragging me down with him, refusing to let me go. Together, we plummeted toward the earth, the fiery descent turning into a hellish meteor shower.
The building buckled like the hand of God had dropped on it. Concrete cracked, metal twisted, and the entire structure collapsed inward with a deafening roar. Dust and debris filled the air, the world becoming a blur of chaos and destruction as the ground gave way beneath us.
And then there was only darkness.
____________________________________
The tremors were rhythmic, like distant thunder, and I came to, sluggishly aware of the pool of blood beneath me—mine. How long had I been out? The weight pressing down on me lifted suddenly, the world shifting as Kaldur shoved the massive boulder away. A rush of cold air hit my face, and I blinked, my half-lidded eyes struggling to focus.
Then I saw him. Desmond.
Still standing. Worse—he had grown even bigger. His grotesque form loomed over the others, tanking superboy’s blows before punching him down to the ground.
My blood chilled. What kind of sick adaptation was this? Could nothing put this beast down?
Kaldur’s firm grip pulled me to my feet, and though I swayed, the familiar hum of flight steadied me. My legs felt like jelly, but I didn’t need them to stand. The team was holding their ground, but Desmond… he was tearing through them, his blows landing harder, his tail swishing around like murder tentacle.
Belatedly, I realized Kaldur had been speaking,
“-othing seems to be working. We have tried everything.”
Desmond stepped on Superboy’s face, pressing his head deeper into the ground, gravel and dirt grinding under the weight of his massive foot. Superboy grunted, trying to push back, but Desmond only leaned in harder, eyes glowing with a sick, feral triumph.
Meanwhile, that tail—like a serpent with a mind of its own—whipped out, aiming for Kid Flash. He was dodging, barely keeping ahead, but then his foot caught on a chunk of debris. His speed faltered. He tripped.
I saw the tail lunge at the exact same moment I did.
No time to think. Just move.
I was quicker. One second I was grounded, the next I reappeared behind Desmond’s head. He was already turning, but I was faster. My arms clamped down around his thick neck, muscles straining as I twisted with all my might.
Crack.
That was the sound his head made as it was forcibly turned in the other direction, the vertebrae snapping like brittle twigs. His body froze for a second, like the machine of violence didn’t quite understand what had happened.
And then silence.
Everyone watched as his body dropped to the ground, massive and lifeless. The chaos of battle stopped, leaving a stillness that felt surreal after the fury of moments before. I barely registered the tension leaving my own body as I dropped to my knees.
Then, with a soft thud, red boots touched down in front of me.
I looked up, despite the exhaustion and the pain I felt at the movement.
"Well, you certainly took your time," I managed, voice hoarse, a smirk pulling at my lips before I blacked out. Crumpling, unconscious, at the feet of the Man of Steel.
