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***
The air in flight was cool. Karen flew near floating along the vast lake, her eyes fixed on the distant island of Nerose. She had a bad feeling, as if something was about to happen.
The feeling was connected to the absent opponents, who could spot them at any second. The fact that they would be spotted was an inevitable part of the plan.
Turning around to the pigeon-shaped Beastmaster flying nearby, she tossed:
«I'll talk to Green Arrow.
As she flew up to Green Arrow sitting on the boat and the rest of the heroes that were with him, she said:
«Are you sure it's a good idea to go in the open?
«We don't have a choice.
«We've used this strategy many times before. The enemy may be ready for such a trick.
«I know. That's why we have to take the risk, like Deena said.
«And if Darkseid is here, can we kill him?
Green Arrow sighed.
«You haven't given up on this yet?
«If we stop him, it's over.
«That's not a fact. Darkseid has plenty of ambitious generals to carry on the cause for him, rest assured.
Karen couldn't find the words.
«Besides, if it were that easy, we would have gotten him long ago. We'd tried to do it, back in Gotham, he'd set himself up, but I hadn't even had time to fire an arrow at him. Those red rays got me before I could blink. I can still feel that searing pain in my shoulder. Going up against Darkseid in direct confrontation is insane.
"Will said the same thing," she thought.
«Focus on covering the ships, Cara. They're coming," Green Arrow said glumly, looking up at the sky.
There, on the horizon just above the island, the indistinct silhouettes of para-demons appeared.
***
After nailing the para-demon's muzzle to the rocks on the shore of Nerose, Karen straightened her head and looked around. The resistance group had landed on the shore and was moving inland, but the enemies were coming and coming.
«Split into two squads and try not to get set up again. Be aware of the time, and stay in touch. We have no more than half an hour before an army of those bastards descend on us! - Green Arrow shouted, firing an arrow straight into the open mouth of the Para-demon.
The ringing of buzzing wings grew denser. They were getting closer.
Karen took hold of the bracelet and froze a second before she pressed the button to send a signal to Willard Light.
«Karen, are you okay? You coming? - Beast Boy asked.
«Yes... now.
«Hmm?
«I-I got a text from Will.
«И?
«He wants me to call him when we find Starfire.
«That's odd. I thought he wanted to show up as soon as he arrived on the island.
«It's Harley. She had a stomach cramp or something.
«Oh, uh, well, I see. That sounds just like her.
***
Some time earlier.
Green Arrow, Canary, Beast Boy, and the others sailed the speedboat to Nerose Island. The cold waters of the coast jumped every now and then and the wind blew against their faces.
«Nerose Island is an isolated piece of land off the eastern coast of Gotham, connected to the rest of the world by only two ruined bridges. Its area is about four hundred square meters, most of which is rocky and desolate terrain. There is an abandoned fishing village and the Arkham Asylum, where the lunatics are sent.
The Apocalypse towers, otherwise known as Tyrants, and time will be the main problems of our sortie. We'll start with the Tyranids, because last time, they were the ones who knocked out our squad with supplies," Green Arrow explained.
«How come?
«On our way to the base we came across a patrol on the eastern side of the Gotham coast. Time was playing against us, and if we delayed even a minute, we'd be spotted, so we had to go through Nerose Island, since the intelligence said it was empty.
«Didn't that strike you as odd?
«Then no, I was nervous, but after that time...you'd know how many times I cursed myself for being stupid.
We realized our mistake too late. As I remember now... a calm lake, darkness, and nobody around. It seemed that even if we were spotted, we'd think of something, but... We got caught in the crosshairs of Tyrant, who had been hiding on the island all this time," he said.
«The shots were so fast that even Karen didn't have time to react when she was hit," Canary explained.
Remembering those days, Green Arrow nodded, and a heavy atmosphere formed. No one spoke.
«Everything erupted and exploded like hell. Before I knew it, I was in the cold water. I saw and heard nothing but my own fear. And that noise... it still rings in my ears. First it's quiet, then it's all on fire, and only then does a long, vibrating buzz cut into the air. I involuntarily started counting down the seconds to my own death.
«But then Will showed up and he helped Karen out of the shelling and we barely got away," Canary added.
«If we get shot by Tyranus, that's the end of our mission. They're designed to stop any enemy movement in a controlled area. Whether you're fast or strong is irrelevant, the energy charge travels faster than sound. You won't even hear your own death come. The only saving grace is that the Tyrant's kill zone is severely limited, apparently due to the high power and dense concentration of the beam. Their volley simply can't fly farther, scattering in the air. If this thing was on every street, we wouldn't even be able to go outside.
«Can't something be done about it...? - the kid asked.
Green Arrow grinned as if he had heard a silly thing.
«We tried, of course. Competed with that shitty piece of iron for speed, but we almost lost Karen. The darkness of the sharp flashes drove her into the ground like a worm, all she did was twitch. Helplessly. Weakly. And all we had to do was watch, or we'd be nailed. I didn't feel so good at the time. We almost lost the girl, and I'm still ashamed of it," Ollie scratched the back of his head guiltily. - Anyway, we have to avoid these infernal machines at all costs. Over the course of a few trips, we explored the island's terrain and got to know the Tyranids' capabilities. The picture was as follows: we spotted two Tyranids in the North and East of the island.
«The one to the east is aimed directly at Gotema, so if you get separated from the group, don't swim toward the coast," Black Canary added.
«That's correct. Its radius is designed to reach the shore of Gotham and fire at large and small clusters of enemies. If you get within a millimeter of its range, you'll be incinerated in an instant.
«So... how are we still alive then? They're supposed to get us while we're coming up, right?
«I told you, we've prepared for this mission. We managed to shut down the Tyranids with Vanessa's virus before the operation began, but Apocalypse will notice soon enough. That's why our second problem will be time. If we don't get off the island before Apocalypse activates the Tyranids, we'll be in a real hell.
***
Karen and Beast Boy stood on the shore of Nerose Island with the rest of the heroes. The gray clouds hung unfriendly overhead, the chilly wind blowing in their faces as a warning, chasing them away. And that unpleasant silence... it was literally unnerving to the point of shivering.
«I have a bad feeling about this," Karen said.
«Relax, we'll manage somehow," said Beast Boy.
«Every time we fall into the traps we set, and this time something will happen.
«Don't rush the horses, we're on a secret mission, not a sortie. They can't know we're coming here.
«Tell it to me, how many times do you think I've pulled you out of your ass?
«Oh, come on.
Karen and Beast Boy's squad separated from Canary and Green Arrow. Ollie had decided at the last moment that one Harley would be enough for them, and he would only be in their way. Karen had given her consent, and to tell the truth, she had thought about telling him herself.
They walked through the forest, occasionally glancing up at the sky to protect themselves from the sudden attack of the para-demons. The special sensors on their shoulders concealed their presence from the tracking systems, but they couldn't conceal it from the scouts that scurried around. Those creatures had special sensors on their muzzles through which they could see even Vanessa's invisible suits. They passed those creatures only thanks to Karen's superhearing, who knew where the enemies were in advance and avoided them.
"Nothing's happening with the Tyranids yet, so we haven't been spotted," she thought.
The BadgirlDrive virus was introduced through a sensor that was attached to the Tyrant's platform. The way it worked was that the virus stealthily became one with the system and stealthily disabled the cannons' firing function. If the Apocalypse Engineer had checked the cannon's functionality, he would not have noticed any malfunctions. To them, the Tyranids were operating normally and fully functional.
However, Karen didn't share Vanessa's blind confidence in her own virus, so she listened to the Tyranos' movements every second to make a last resort to escape.
She walked quietly, glancing back occasionally, stopped and looked out over the Arkham Healing Center. The pale, dilapidated structure was surrounded by damp concrete walls that faced an overgrown grassy area. It seemed like you'd walk in there and you'd definitely run into a ghost.
«It's been so long since the average person has set foot here.
«Are the para-demons having breakfast now? - Beast Boy grinned, stepping forward.
«No, wait," she stopped him with the palm of her hand.
The walls were empty at first glance. In fact, with her X-ray vision, Karen could see para-demons roaming the grounds and inside the sanitarium. Shards of bones and skulls lay on the ground. And down below, underground, the ground shook with the vibrations of a huge portal, from which winged creatures with metal sheets in their hands were flying out.
«Just as I thought, there's a portal underground. And worst of all, Apocalypse is gearing up to install another Tyrant," Karen said.
«And Starfire, is she there? - Beast Boy asked.
Karen nodded.
«Yeah, she's in there. Probably overseeing the process.
«Great, then it's time to call Will.
But Karen wondered what the Beastmaster didn't like.
«You lied to me, didn't you? There's been no messages from Will. You didn't want to signal him because you wanted to get rid of Darkseid yourself if he showed up?
«You don't know what you're talking about," Karen said.
«Then explain it to me.
«I was afraid Kara would be here," she cut off, shoving Beast Boy in the shoulder.
«Kara? Hey, wait! We need to get in there without being seen!
While Beast Boy was talking, Karen saw with her x-ray vision that some of the para-demons had their ears perked up. They must have heard them talking.
"Pancake."
Karen spun around sharply, flew up to Beastmaster and covered his mouth with her palm. Then she quickly tore toward the wall, clinging closely to it as a pair of demons peered out from behind the gate, looking for the source of the noise.
«R-r-r...," a cold, saliva-slurping growl shook the space.
The Para-demons didn't see them, because there was no one else where Beastmaster's voice had come from just a few moments ago.
«"Rrrha," he growled to his fellow para-demon, "it must have shown.
Karen hoped that would be the end of it.
But that didn't happen.
The para-demons continued onward and looked around, just a little more and they would be found. At that moment Karen realized that the para-demon was about to turn to her. Clutching tighter to the thrashing Beast Boy in her arms, sinking into her huge breasts, Karen jerked over the wall as the para-demon bent over the stone and lost all concentration. Only a moment, but it was enough for Pavergirl's senses to be heightened to the extreme. The sniff behind the crumpled car came out silent in soft flight, and she flew around the car sideways, right in front of the nose of another lazily passing para-demon. With her x-ray vision and enhanced hearing, she was able to navigate among the dozens... no, she sensed over twenty para-demons in this area alone.
«Mhhhhhhh...! - Beast Boy tried to say he was panting and hot.
But Karen held him as if she were trying to wring his neck, and kept holding him, looking around with concentration. One slip and they'd be spotted, she couldn't let that happen. When it was over, she exhaled and let the poor guy go. Beast Boy fell face down on the grass and began to breathe heavily, quietly.
«...You almost killed me!
«It's your own fault, it's about time you became a mouse or whatever it is you can become.
«You could have trusted me more, hell, I'm a master of my craft after all," he stated importantly, glancing down at her huge breasts, "though okay...whatever.
Except Karen didn't even pay him any attention, continuing to look around.
«Hey...aren't you taking a little too long to signal Will?
«Not now. We're a hair away from getting burned, asshole.
«Hmm...I guess you're right. So where to next? - said Beast Boy suspiciously.
Karen waved Beast Boy to follow her, but he turned into a fly instead and sat on her shoulder.
They were sitting behind a red crumpled BMW that hardly looked like a car, more like scrap metal. The entire Archem grounds were overgrown with grass, and in the center stood a ruined fountain with no water. A ruined angel statue lay on its side sobbing black tears after a rainstorm. Karen walked along the wall, climbing over the small blue fence of the dead garden, and came to a rusty, iron door that acted as a service entrance. Next to it was a garbage can, behind which she took cover from another pair of demons. There were as many of them as cockroaches in a landfill.
Beastfly flew between the gap in the door and found himself inside Arkham. The room was damp, dank, and empty. Then Karen carefully started to open the rusty door, which creaked open, attracting the attention of the para-demons standing nearby. Confused, she prepared to fight, but at that moment Beast Boy grabbed her shoulder and pulled her toward him.
«Huh-rrr?! - The para-demon growled, looking around where Kara had been standing a short time ago.
«R-r-rah! - The second para-demon poked him in the chest, clearly calling him an idiot, and waved his hand. - Arrha!
«Do you think they're cosplaying drunken pirates, too? - Beast Boy whispered with a chuckle.
He was lying on top of Kara, right under the window, and Kara had her back pressed against the wall in an uncomfortable position, stretching her legs far forward so as not to be noticed. Her ass, by the way, was soaked in the water-filled, broken tiles.
«Shut up and get off me, the floor here is wet...and dirty.
«Come on...we're not the cleanest as it is," he shrugged.
They were in a service room, a back room with an open door. It was empty, except for rusty shelving and wet, crumpled boxes.
The corridor was empty, the walls in the mental institution were white, soulless. The floors were made of black-and-white tiles, and they didn't inspire confidence. It seemed that if you stepped on them, they would rattle, attracting the attention of the entire osprey.
Peeking out through the wall, Beast Boy saw a para-demon pass through the hallway.
«So, what's next? Why don't you just give Will the signal? It'll be easier for us to get around with Harley, who already knows where we're going.
«I doubt Harley knows where we're going. I can see everything with my X-ray vision. When we find Starfire, I'll signal Will.
«Hmmm... okay. Do you know where Starfire is?
«Yeah, I see her... she's down there guarding the portal. We're gonna have to take her down and destroy the portal.
«Hey, we had a completely different plan. Did you forget? What if something goes wrong?
«Don't worry, we'd still have to sedate her before applying the virus.
And so they flew slowly down the hallway, so as not to make a fuss with their footsteps. Beast Boy sat a fly on Karen's shoulder.
There was an intersection ahead of them, and they needed to go right, but suddenly a para-demon came out of the corridor. Right in front of their eyes.
«Oh, shit!
«Argha!
Kara grabbed the bastard by the neck and immediately tried to twist it. The para-demon grasped her arm in resistance, and a shard of kryptonite glinted on his paw, which Apocalypse must have prepared to fight her. Except Apocalypse still didn't know that Karen was immune to the local kryptonite.
But someone else didn't know that either....
«Oh, shit! They're prepared, Karen! - shouted Beast Boy.
«No, Beast Boy, it's okay! - Karen whispered, twisting the head of the para-demon, but it was too late.
Karen knew the para-demon would be around the corner and prepared to kill it, but she couldn't warn the Beastmaster about it because they were too close. The para-demon could hear them before she grabbed him by the neck and raise a ruckus. Of course, Karen considered warning the Beastmaster with a gesture, but thought it unnecessary due to her own self-confidence. Who knew that their agreement with Will to hide Karen's resistance to Kryptonite could have played a cruel trick!
When Beast Boy saw the kryptonite on the para-demon, he was afraid that Karen would lose her powers and get hit, so he immediately took the form of an Orangutan. If he had known that Karen was immune to kryptonite, he wouldn't have kicked up a panic. In the end, their mistake stemmed from team miscommunication and miscommunication.
But it was already too late. Beast Boy immediately turned into an Orangutan and must have attacked the para-demon out of fear, creating a series of rumbles.
And then they were spotted. Para-demons literally started coming out of every crevice, from all four sides of the corridors.
«Let's get outta here!
«No, it's too late.
Karen cursed, grabbed Beast Boy by the scruff of the neck, and took off at a breakneck pace, speeding around the countless corners of the healing center at breakneck speed. Her target was the Apocalypse Base underground, which should have been accessed by a basement entrance. But she had yet to find it.
«Karen! The map!
For a Kryptonian brain, once was enough to memorize detailed mathematical formulas several pages long, and memorizing a map of a single hospital was even easier. Karen mentally realized where she was, measured her position against the map in her head, and was at the basement in seconds.
The doors to the basement were locked with a rusty lock, which Karne didn't hesitate to rip off and slammed the doors shut, quickly flying inside.
«How were you able to fight with Kryptonite...? - Beast Boy asked as Karen dragged him by the scruff of his neck through the crowd of enemies.
«It was a secret, but it doesn't matter anymore. I'm from another universe. Your kryptonite doesn't work on me... at least that's what Will told me," she explained.
«Why didn't you fucking tell me this before?!
«If any of us were captured by Darkseid, everyone would know about this secret.
«Oh, and really...
As she finished flying down the stairs that descended into the basement, Karen jumped to the floor and saw a hole in the wall that turned into an underground tunnel. That was where the para-demons had set up their secret base. She set Beast Boy on the floor and pointed there.
«The Apocalypse Portal is over there. Now I'll call Will and we'll go together," she said, reaching out her fingers to the screen on her arm, and froze.
Beast Boy looked back at the stairs for a while, waiting for enemies, and soon the roars of the para-demons could be heard. But Karen didn't look away from the screen, as if she was thinking about something. Beast Boy was starting to get nervous.
«Hey. How long have you been in there?! They're coming!
«I know, don't distract me! I'm thinking!
«What do you mean you think?! Call Will and be done with it! Oh, man, let me do it!
«Wait! Stay out of it, what are you doing!
Karen shoved him away, and threatened to freeze in place.
«I told you to wait! We're in trouble!
«I know we're in trouble, that's why I'm telling you to hurry up!
«That's not the problem, asshole! We're underground, deep underground... there's no signal pickup here.
«Holy shit! Then we need to get upstairs now! - he grabbed Karen's arm and dragged her toward the stairs, but suddenly, with a huge rumble like a snowball, a huge pack of para-demons fell from above, crashing into the wall and breaking through it.
Seeing this sight, Beast Boy immediately turned towards the tunnel and ran back. Into the depths of the underground.
«Where are you going, you idiot?! You told me to go up! Up! - Karen spread her arms.
«Are you stupid or what?! How are we supposed to get to the top when there's a couple of demons up there?! Although wait... come to think of it, I could turn into a mole and dig my way out, but that's so dumb! How are you gonna get out?
He ran hurriedly down the tunnel while Karen flew thoughtfully by his side and occasionally shot off the para-demons flying toward them with her laser vision.
«I could make my way up through the ground, but I'm afraid the path to the tunnel might collapse. And anyway, drilling through the ground is exhausting.
And they were right in the center of the enemy base, where the enemies wouldn't just let her rest after her rapid digging. It was as if, before an important fight, Karen had been asked to spend all her energy digging holes - she would simply be exhausted before the fight. Beast Boy nodded understandingly.
«Why didn't you just call Will sooner!
«Well, don't worry, I didn't really want to call him anyway. I think I can handle myself. I don't want anything to happen to him, he's already lost a girl because of me.
«Now he's going to lose a friend because of you!
Karen laughed.
«That's not fucking funny at all!
«Come on you, don't freak out, I owe you and Will my life, so trust me and hold on tight," she said and flew on, leaving Beast Boy behind.
At this moment, the para-demons began to approach the fleeing Beastmaster and tried to grab him with their sharp claws.
«Kaareyen!!! Aren't you forgetting something!!!? - he shouted.
Sharp claws flashed before Beast Boy's eyes, and at the last moment Karen grabbed him by the collar, dragging him behind her. She took off, and a powerful stream of air literally whipped Beast Boy in the face, as if he'd decided to ride a Formula One car without protective glass and a helmet.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Ahead of the tunnel, the black and red walls made of Apocalypse Alloys showed themselves.
«Apocalypse Technologies. We're on the right track!
«Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo! - sprang from the Beastmaster's lips.
He must have meant for her to slow down, because these walls were reinforced with a mixture of kryptonite that was literally everywhere. If Superman or Kara had gotten in here, there was no way they would have made it any further. It was one thing to just get in, but it was another to be surrounded by these concentrations of kryptonite - they'd be certain death.
Pavergirl, however, was different.
With a confident jerk, Karen punched a huge hole in the wall and threw Beast Boy to the floor.
«Let's go, boys," she said, stretching her arms.
Para-demons were approaching through the tunnel. Karen flew to the hole she had created and grasped its edges with an iron grip. There was a creaking sound of metal, and Karen began to slowly pull the edges of the hole into a single mass, as if gathering the edges of plasticine. With the Kryptonian's strength, it was... possible, but even so, it was inexplicable to anyone.
Through tremendous effort, Kara pulled the edges down with tearing motions. The hole was gradually getting smaller.
At this moment, Beast Boy nervously got up from the ground and shook himself off.
«You left me like a rag! Did you just--
He was about to tell Karen what he thought of her, but suddenly he saw a whole army of para-demons through a hole in the iron wall and jumped on the spot in fear.
«Come on, Karen, you can do it! Our Karen is the best, come on, come on, Karen, get her in the hole! Yes!
«Shut up, asshole...it's not as easy as you think...! - she panted, blushing like a tomato. Her huge breasts trembled along with it, on which Beast Boy immediately dropped his jaw.
When Karen had almost made the hole, the para-demon managed to slip his hand through the tiny hole, and slashed at Karen's chest... but she tightened the hole just in time, ripping the para-demon's hand off along with it.
It was finally over. Only the sound of banging on the wall on the other side made them flinch, but then it was quiet.
«Phew..." Karen exhaled tiredly.
«Whoa, whoa, whoa! They're gonna open it!
Scowling at Beast Boy as a dishonorable bum, Karen bent down and walked over to the gate's touchscreen, punched it with her hand, and pulled all the mechanics out of there along with the electricity-beating wires.
«They won't open," she said, tossing the wires to the floor.
«Has anyone ever told you that you lack femininity?
«And manhood to you.
«Hey.
He glanced at her costume, which was a little slashed across the chest, and coughed, probably wondering if it was worth mentioning. There was a risk she'd punch him in the face.
Karen poked him in the chin and pointed with her hand toward the hall. There was a huge red portal about five meters wide and high, and out of it came a pair of demons with various equipment. They were in a sort of artificial cavern that Apocalypse had apparently dug recently. There were many tunnels, and each one led to factories that made parts for weapons or para-demons.
They hid behind a large cluster of crates that appeared to contain materials for building Tyrants.
«Darkseid isn't here after all," Karen said.
«Yeah... and we're also totally screwed because you didn't call Will in time.
«Enough already, I know it's my fault, but we don't have time for this. We need to destroy the portal and get out of here as fast as we can before we're spotted.
«What about saving Starfire?
Starfire, without any awareness, hung dumbly in the air and looked down at the portal. It was like she was a puppet that had been put in charge of production, nothing more.
«We're in no position to save the girl. We're in no position to save the girl.
Beast Boy grabbed Karen by the scruff of the neck and pinned her against the wall.
«Don't be ridiculous! I know you're against Vanessa's plan, but this is too much! I don't care about your portal, don't make a fool of me! I've noticed for a while now that you're not exactly eager to help us save our friends. Don't tell me you're still brainwashed?
And really, destroying the portal was kind of pointless, because Apocalypse could build one pretty quickly. Even destroying an entire base wouldn't do much damage to Apocalypse. They had a dozen such bases in America alone.
Realizing where Beast Boy was going with this, Karen fell grimly silent.
«Maybe to you Starfire is just a strange girl, but to me she's a friend I've spent many years with. You think I'm gonna dump her?
Their gazes met, and Karen had never seen Beast Boy so serious. At first she didn't know how to react, but then she grinned and hummed indifferently. She grabbed his hand and tossed it aside painfully.
«Yeah, you're right. I don't care about your friend, but at least I'm being honest with myself. It's more important to me to win this war and save those who aren't already doomed to death or eternal slavery. Starfire's not on their list.
«What the hell are you talking about?!
Karen pointed at Starfire.
«Vanessa's virus puts us at unnecessary risk. And even if it works, that girl won't change the course of the war. It won't help anything. If you saw the world through my eyes, Beast Boy, you'd understand. Everything we do is pointless from the start. All we can do now is destroy the portal and divert Apocalypse's attention to ourselves so that Green Arrow and Canary can get the supplies. That way we can at least survive for a while longer before we find a viable way to defeat Darkseid.
«I don't understand. Are you out of your mind? What if you were left here?!
«Casualties in war are inevitable, and you should know that," Karen said.
«Victory is meaningless if everyone dies as a result.
«We will not die. Those who are left, those who fight, they will live. Those who are smart enough not to make stupid mistakes will live.
«I made a stupid mistake!
Karen fell silent.
«Fortune favors the strongest. Listen to me, and you'll have a chance to survive. Even now you realize that I'm right, because in fact you know that Vanessa's virus won't help us either.
«That's not true. I truly want to help her and I believe.....
«No, you don't believe it, or you wouldn't have questioned it. You want me to tell you the real reason you want to save Starfire? You want to save her because of Raven, who sacrificed herself to get you out of Darkseid's clutches. If you hadn't screwed up back then, we wouldn't be in this mess. The others wouldn't have died, how many of them? Starfire wouldn't have been controlled by Apocalypse. Now the guilt gnaws at you day in and day out, and you're just waiting for a chance to redeem yourself even though you're weak.
Beast Boy fell silent.
«Raven was a lot more useful than you," Karen said.
«Shut up...
«Sorry to interrupt you guys...but you were talking too loud.
Karen and Beast Boy stared at Starfire with bated breath. She weighed in the air and waved awkwardly as if to say hello. While they were silently debating, Starfire flew right up to them and watched silently, awkwardly waiting for the moment to intervene.
«Ugh... so embarrassing to interfere in your fight. I really didn't want to interrupt you and all... but to be honest, she's right, Beastboy, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be under Apocalypse's control right now. You acted like a complete asshole. Ah, I got carried away. I'm so happy to see you, I couldn't help but wonder why we were fighting. It's been so long since we've spent time together! So what was I saying... oh yes, please die for the sake of our Darkseid's Majesty!
Finishing her chatter, Starfire hurriedly spread her fiery arms, and a rain of fire rained down from her fingers.
Karen grabbed Beast Boy and tore to the side.
«It's your fault!
«You're one to talk! All right, distract the demons while I take care of Starfire.
«Do you really want to kill her?!
«No, asshole. I'll try to do it.
«I thought you said you didn't want to.
«Don't get me wrong, it's not for you. I just don't want Will to get on my ass about you.
Beast Boy laughed.
«Karen.
«What's up?
«Can I ask you one favor? Can you leave Starfire to me?
«Are you kidding me? We don't have time for your jokes.
«I'm not messing around," he said, turning to Karen.
And when she saw him, she froze.
«We've already been discovered and time is short. You can't get near Starfire even with your power. She'll just burn and won't let you near her, and then our sortie will be pointless.
«Yeah? What are you gonna do?
«Just trust me.
«I need an argument.
«She's a friend of mine.
Karen sighed.
«Sometimes I seriously wonder how you got accepted into the titans in the first place," she said.
And, abruptly snatching up the Beastmaster, she threw it straight at Starfire as the crowded pair of demons flew into her at high speed. In flight, the Beastmaster took on the form of a Falcon and accelerated, drawing out a swift spirit.
«Don't die, asshole!
At first Karen wanted to refuse him, but when she saw Beast Boy's eyes she realized it was useless. He would have done what he'd planned anyway. And no wonder, because the jerk was still racked with guilt.
A fire burned vigorously near Tamaranka, preventing the Beastmaster from getting any closer. Para-demons were flickering around, and it was getting harder and harder to stay in the air under the pressure. Beastmaster had to change form a couple times to stop his own wings from burning, but even so, he didn't back down, continuing to push. He knew that only by putting his own life on the line could he save his friend.
There was not a single adequate option for approaching her, so he would have to take the risk. Anyone in his place would probably fail, because the gap between Starfire's and Beast Boy's powers was wide, irreparable. What could one Orangutan do against a woman capable of melting entire buildings? But he had something that no power in the world could replace-his shared memories with her, his knowledge of her habits, her character, and even the fact that Starfire would never leave him in trouble, because to that foolish fool, a friend was the most precious thing in the world.
«Hey, Starfire! Let's go old school! Play a game?
«What?" Starfire's furious expression eased immediately, and she blinked, as if considering a suggestion. Suddenly, her face flashed with excitement. - Oh, it's been so long since I've gambled. What do you suggest?
The first, from Starfire's character - she was creepily venturesome and impulsive.
"Surely no one else in the world would listen but you," Beast Boy mentally smiled, shaking off his lit suit.
«If you catch me, I'll tell you secret information that will help your Great Darkseid a lot! - he said.
«Hmm? Oh, yeah? Well, then I'll catch you right away.
«How... easy. I wish you'd put up a little resistance.
The second, of Starfire's key qualities is naivety.
«Why? We're friends. It'll be a lot more fun to kill you over a game.
Third, she's a bit of a head case.
«Oh... No matter how brainwashed you are, you're always in your repertoire, girlfriend.
«Is that a compliment?
«Sort of," Beast Boy smiled.
Starfire cheerfully threw a fireball at him, and Beast Boy immediately took off. They began... a game of catch-up. Starfire accelerated as fast as he could, flying between the portal and the countless buildings that served as a source of power generation. Starfire could almost keep up with him, but also had to catch up soon, as she had before. Starfire had never been able to escape from Starfire, but he had learned a few things during their missions together: fourth, the energetic Starfire depended heavily on her moods.
«Hey, Starfire, Raven once told me that Perry (the parasite she got as a pet), is disgusting and ugly. Normal people don't get pets like that! And Damien and Cyborg seconded that, you're ugly.
Fifth, Starfire is terribly complex about misunderstanding her friends due to her Tamaran traditions.
«Uh...? - she blurted out, frozen in place.
Twitching an eyebrow in mild shock, Starfire began to cry and mutter to herself:
«Nah... that's not true! You just don't understand, he didn't want to eat those dolls!
Starfire's delay helped Beastmaster break away, but it couldn't last long. As impulsive as Starfire was, even she couldn't fool around for long. There were a lot of para-demons flying over the portal, unfortunately for Beast Boy, who immediately spotted him and flew after him. He flew into a recess of the cave and took human form. At that moment, the hesitant Starfire flew after him and found herself in a confined area. Her lip quivered and her eyebrows arched angrily, and she was furious with him.
Which was why her previously fiercely blazing flame had...waned.
As Starfire got closer, Beast Boy threw a yellow capsule at his friend, which opened up into a white cloud in the air. Once in that cloud, Starfire's body began to rapidly become covered in an icy crust. That's how she ended up in an ice prison.
This vial the Beastmaster pulled from the belt of... Damian.
«You never know what will come in handy! Thanks, Damien!
«No fair! You stole the belt from Damien!
«I didn't steal it, I borrowed it! We're friends," he grinned.
Just getting close to her, Beast Boy hurriedly activated Vanessa's virus through Starfire's neck, right into the focus of the mother-box taking control of her.
«You're lying! - she shouted.
Starfire was enveloped in a bright flash that blinded Beast Boy, and a scalding heat wracked his body. It happened quickly, before his eyes came to rest, someone grabbed his arm hard and pulled him against him, it was soft... but unfortunately not as soft as Karen's.
"Oh...that moment when breast size really matters," thought Beast Boy.
«Gotcha! - Starfire smiled.
Her fire on her hands weakly burned Beast Boy's skin, but kept him from being burned alive. It was obvious that she was doing it on purpose and didn't care at all that he was in pain. Tamaranka's brute strength alone was enough to hold Beast Boy in an unbreakable grip.
«Now tell us your information!
Under the heavy pressure, the exhausted Starfire began to choke, and his skin was painfully bursting with burns. Starfire was literally strangling him, and didn't even seem to realize it. Her power was too great.
«Shit, just as I thought, I can't beat you that easily after all," said Beast Boy.
«I wish I could kill you, but then I wouldn't get the information. Though a weakling like you would probably be of little use to the Great Darkseid.
«You know, it's kind of a shame, because I got what I wanted. I got you!
«Hmm? - Starfire wondered.
At that moment, Karen crashed straight into her at high speed, literally knocking the air out of her chest.
Kara immediately grabbed the Beastmaster in a tumble and with a sprawling kick, she took down the approaching crowd of enemies.
Severe fatigue and multiple burns kept her down.
«All of this could have been avoided if you had listened to me.
«Sorry," he smiled languidly.
Karen sighed.
«It doesn't matter anymore.
All this time she'd had to fight off an army of para-demons while he dealt with his girlfriend. Now she wasn't happy about the situation.
She had a good attempt to reach for Starfire's neck with the virus carrier, but at the last moment she was whipped with fire, as if not by accident. Karen barely had time to pull her hand away, or there would have been no trace of the virus left.
"And yet I attacked suddenly when Starfire wasn't expecting the blow. How did she... realize?"
Or she didn't realize it, but she did it reflexively. Some such thought crept into Karen's head, and she felt uneasy.
«You bitch! I'm going to get you so hard! - Starfire shouted, flaming with fierce fire. She had literally become hell itself. - You can't even touch me!
There was no way to attach the virus to the motherbox under these conditions, the flash drive would have been melted by Starfire.
«Damn, there's no way to get to her now.
«I wouldn't say that. You gave me a good idea with what you did. Good for you," Karen said.
A pair of demons came at them from behind, and Karen had to push herself away from them to fly straight at the heated Starfire. At that moment, Starfire laughed out loud.
«You're going to die!
«I don't think so.
As she flew closer to Starfire, Karen began to feel an intense heat that was literally burning her to dry.
«It's over!
Still, Karen exhaled a powerful, dense stream of cold air from her lungs that threw Starfire back and began to freeze first her flames and then herself until her limbs began to turn into icicles. She was essentially repeating Beast Boy's trick of freezing Starfire's fire and bringing Vanessa's flash drive to her costume. Karen stopped exactly as Starfire began to fall exhaustedly.
«No! Wait! - Starfire shouted.
Karen quickly picked her up and put the flash drive to her still frozen neck.
«Why isn't anything happening...?
«Ha ha! Just kidding.
The spot where Karen had placed the flash drive was not only not frozen... but it left Starfire the opportunity to set fire to the skin in that spot. That's why the attached flash drive began to melt, causing Karen to pull her hand away fearfully. There was an explosion.
A powerful stream of fire threw Karen back, and hit a couple demons that were flying towards her as well. The flaming blast blew most of them away, leaving a myriad of charred bodies tumbling to the ground.
When it was over, Beast Boy peered out from behind the molten iron wall and looked around the hot cave, steam rising from the edges. Karen stood in the middle of the inferno, holding her arm, writhing in pain.
«So all this time she's been doing it on purpose," Karen said.
«Yeah...I guessed that too," Beast Boy said.
Karen opened her trembling palm, and the melted flash drive flew off her fingers, falling to the floor. There was an uproar of laughter.
«So Karen had the flash drive all this time, and you, Beast Boy, were the bait? You guys are so smart, but I'm sorry you're not gonna make it. Our Overlord already knows what you're up to.
«She melted the virus carrier before I put it near her body. All this time we thought we were playing with her, but she was playing with us. While we were struggling to get her back, she was just waiting for the moment when she could melt the host," Karen said with a wry grin.
«You better surrender, or we will kill you very cruelly and painfully," Starfire said, coming closer and closer. Her fire was already burning them.
Densely surrounded by enemies, Karen realized there was no way they were getting out alive. That's why she made a split-second decision based on her observations of Starfire and Beast Boy. With the thinking and heightened senses of a Kryptonian, it was possible.
«Wait. I agree, we'll give up," Karen said.
«Oh, really?
«Yeah, but can you hear me out first?
«I'm sorry, but, uh.
«Please, Starfire," Beast Boy said.
Glancing up at Beast Boy, who was smiling painfully at her, Starfire seemed to be having agonizing doubts. She pressed her lips together in complicated thought. If it had been someone else in the Beastmaster's place, she wouldn't have hesitated to kill them. But to Starfire, the Beastmaster was precious.
«Well... ahem... - Starfire suddenly grabbed her head, her face showing that she was suddenly sore. Perhaps it was her attempt to break free from Darkseid's control, but unfortunately Karen didn't notice it because she was busy with her thoughts.
Karen hovered silently, surrounded by her enemies. Starfire took it as an admission of defeat, but Beast Boy could clearly see that Karen had been whispering to herself the whole time.
Not many people knew that in fact Pavergirl, unlike her alternative self Supergirl, could...
***
«I got a bad feeling about this, Pudding. Shouldn't your big-boobed girlfriend give you a signal? - Harley said boredly, kicking empty crates with her foot.
Will sat beside the lake, gazing either at his reflection, distorted by the water, or at the distant dot that was the island. Even being so far away, he could clearly see black dots flying toward Nerose Island. They were para-demons.
«Yeah, that's a possibility, but I trust Karen. There's probably some reason why she's not calling me now.
«I'm no genius, of course, but what if their transmitter has gone haywire? Hmm, Pudding? And why are we even sitting here! I'm so bored I'm going to fall asleep... although no, I'm not. In fact, I'm mad because that bucket-headed Darkseid took my Pam from me! Hey, will you stop ignoring me?
Harley collapsed on top of Will, wrapping a tight grip around his neck.
«I'm not ignoring you, Hurley. I'm just saying that this isn't the first day Karen and I have worked together. We've survived these past three months not only because of me, but also because Karen has often found a way out of even the most difficult situations. You have to believe in her," Will said.
«So-f-f-f-f-f-tpo? And how's she supposed to get out?
«Don't get so close," Will said, covering Harley's lips with his palm, and continued, "Even if their transmitter really is down, Karen will be able to contact us. It'll just take longer. Not many people know, but Karen, like Pavergirl, can actually model her voice in a special way. She's able to transmit her voice across the planet via radio or micro-waves. Which means that no matter where she...
Suddenly the air around the bottom vibrated. Will opened his eyes wide and stood up from his seat, dropping Harley onto his buttocks. All of them, because a giant air wave was coming toward them from the side of Lake Michigan.
«Look out!
Will covered Harley with himself as the air hit the cave with a mighty pop, and the sea wave rained down alarmingly.
«Will! We've been ambushed! - Karen's loud cry shook the cave walls, making Harley's ears perk up in fright.
At the same moment Will took Harley's hand and they disappeared in a flash of lightning.
***
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