The New Justice Union#10 - Clash of Comrades
A yellow blast of low-radiated energy swooped down to strike Hummingbird, but it was soundly averted by the quick thinking and reacting of Archer, who pushed his girlfriend out of the way.
"Kevin... no!" She cried, as she saw him struck down by the blast. Smoke poured up from his clothes, and Hummingbird sternly turned her head to Warhead. "I wish it hadn't come to this, Warhead!" She yelled, putting forth her arms to blast him with sonic waves.
The sonic boom catapulted from her arms and into the shining, green suit of Warhead, who withstood the blow with his shielding hands. He struggled to maintain his immobility, but was forced to send a large beam of his own to counteract against the waves.
The Yellow beam had thrust her backward and onto the ground, unconscious. I struggled, crawling my aching limbs to the hero and heroine on the ground, checking to see the damage.
"You'll have to come back with me, Face. We can't let you get away..." I looked up to the once stoutly standing comrade who had now become our deterrent, then looked away to help the fellow heroes. He raised his hand forward and outstretched his palms. "I wouldn't do that if I were you... Better not try anything stupid..."
But thankfully, as chance would have it, he was knocked to the ground by a forceful body slam from the side, and the figure fell upon feet on the ground next to him. It was Hunteress who had come, and she took her spear, pointing it deathly close to Warhead's neck. "Leave them alone... they have nothing to do with this..." She demanded.
But Warhead himself wouldn't listen either. His hand glowed with a yellow spherical aura, and he struck Hunteress down with his powerful fist, and held out his hand in threat. "Heh, you think you could beat me like that? You got another thing comin' lil lady... You're not strong enough..."
But then, a voice peeped before Warhead, as his head was lowered to his fallen foe, and he looked up. "But I am..." The floating hero replied. Ultraman had arrived with the Hunteress as well. "Now there are two ways we can do this, Warhead. The easy way, or the hard way. So, please, just step aside..."
"Haven't you heard, Ultraman?" Warhead shot back. "I'm with the Air Force now, and we can't let this little info-seeker escape. Now I poured out all I know of our operations and that laser cannon as well. We have him right where we want him, he can shed a little more light to this mystery."
"You what!?" Ultraman raised his voice in outrage. His fist rose. Warhead raised his own fists, charging them with powerful, fiery yellow spheres of energy. "Careful, Ultraman. Though you may be impervious to low and middle-levels of my atomic energy, I sure can pack a whallop,"
His fists glowed ever brighter.
But Ultraman struck first, thrusting his massively-built muscle into Warhead's chest, flinging him backward for hundreds of yards like a rubber band. "Doesn't seem too bad to me..." He said.
But, before he knew it, Warhead bulleted himself back, hurdling himself with both fists forward, pounding against the veteran hero's 'U' - inscribed chest, returning the favor.
They clashed once more, as Warhead pursued his respected target, but Ultraman quickly caught sight of the soldier's arm and grasped it tightly with clenched fingers. "Don't do this... You know you can't win..." Ultraman coaxed.
"My orders are from the mayor... and my country. The Face stays," Warhead would not be moved. "Have it your way," Ultraman answered, firing his fist forward like a cannonball, rupturing into Warhead's face. The strengthened hero continued to buffet the atomic soldier with repeated, pummeling blows, that knocked Warhead every which way, until finally, with one final strike, Ultraman forwarded his foe into the ground with massive, gargantuan force from his immensely forceful fist, and corroded him into the depths of dirt upon the ground.
Warhead was surely beaten, and unconscious no doubt, and his costume, which kept him alive, wore tears and wear on it. Ultraman had defeated his respectable ally.
But Ultraman did not go unscathed either, for he had suffered quite a burn upon his chest, from the explosive power of the atomic hero.
He clutched his chest and knelt beside his fallen comrade, and observed his breathing and movement. "He'll be alright..." he said, without turning his head to the approaching Hunteress. She clutched her arm, which lay motionless to her left side, and she knelt as well.
"So... what now?" She asked, wondering her fate. Ultraman looked at her with a solemn look about his slightly scorched, but still-heroic face. He replied, "We'll have to get you all back to the ship, and get everyone recovered."
Hunteress smiled relievingly, and nodded, helping to retrieve the other fallen heroes as well. Ultraman tapped into his comm-link and contacted Goldman, urging for the arrival at the headquarters, and immediately they were sent.
All the heroes, except the Hunteress and Ultraman, were sent to emergency rooms to tend for their wounds. "I guess... this is it... I'm kicked off the team..." Hunteress said to the silent Ultraman, who stood by the massive computer viewing current events.
He spoke, in a usual, leader-like, but sincere tone. "You know, you're welcome to stay if you want. I think you've earned your way back into the Union. We need all the help we can get." The Hunteress widened her eyes in surprise. After all she had done, Ultraman still considered her as a vital member to the team. She still had the chance to do more research on Bangora, and bring an end to his renegade ways once and for all, and get the revenge she so needed to accomplish.
But something inside of her told her something different. She sighed for a moment, and stepped forward slowly. "No... I think... I'll pass. I have to rethink things, and find things on my own for now... and besides, I have all the information I need to snag Bangora now."
Ultraman never took his eyes off the screen, and spoke once more. "I'm sure you'll make the right decision... and put him where he needs to be," he trusted. And at that moment, she realized yet something more. Decisions, this is what it all came down to. Not just fighting, and beating up the bad guys, or saving the world, or just protecting the fellow people. The great leader, hero, and founder before her had to make difficult choices each and every day. Choices that affected him, all the heroes in this Union, and even the world. Her mind boggled at the thought of taking on such a responsibility... what this very hero had to confront each and every day.
"Choices, huh?" Hunteress whispered as she quietly walked out of the doorway. "Well, you do a bang-up job on them every now and then..." And this, it was true.
But as she was departing, a young techie in a green suit approached her with envelope in hand. "Uh, Miss!" The messenger cried. Hunteress turned around to greet the fellow. "Whew, I was afraid I'd miss you. This is a letter," He needn't not specify. Puzzled, Hunteress took the envelope and took the paper that it possessed out in hand. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked to see classified information on Bangora; his college, his past jailing sentences, his current address, and even... a picture of his daughter. She picked up the small picture and closely viewed it with interest.
Her eyes expressed sympathy at the young, yet pudgy brown haired girl with pigtails who stared innocently back at her with her large eyes. Maybe this was a sign, or maybe this was just a heartfelt moment, but it reminded her of the young friend she so adored at her young age. And perhaps, this would help in her decision of what to do with Bangora, now that she knew exactly where he was... |
