Mark looked ahead as he touched his cheek—the skin still stung lightly from the impact of David's fist. What disturbed him most was that David did not look how he expected him to. Multiple growths pulsed across his body, shifting under his skin, and his muscles bulged to a size that almost made him look comical. "What the hell did you let that man do to you," Mark said to him as he got up from his knees.
David smiled widely, and his eyes became increasingly bloodshot. He opened his arms out, "This is the strength I sought, the strength that I couldn't get, not even after years of constant training and suffering," he said as he flexed his muscle. "And it's all thanks to you."
Mark frowned as he started moving forward. "What are you talking about..." he said with annoyance laced in his voice.
"Well, not you specifically... but it's thanks to your father's blood that I have so much power," he clarified as his muscles bulged again, ripping off any fabric that was left on his body. Even his skin started to tear, revealing what Mark thought to be scales underneath. What the fuck is that... he thought to himself—and not for the first time today.
"Tell me, Invincible, does it always feel this amazing!" he said as he threw a fist, and a moment later a wave of high-pressure wind slapped Mark's body, whipping his hair back but otherwise not affecting him. "The power to destroy cities, to kill millions in one person, and that person is me... how can that not feel incredible, how can I not feel like a god!!!" he shouted.
"It loses its novelty after a while," Mark replied. They were close now, barely a couple of meters apart, and Mark wasn't too concerned about fighting him, but there was a slight warning in the back of his head—one he couldn't seem to make go away. "I'll give you one last chance, David... stop now, turn yourself in, or I'll be forced to do it, and trust me, if you die in the process, I won't lose any sleep," he said with a cold expression.
David chuckled, and soon that chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh. "You think you can beat me, I am the next step of humanity, I am the one who will tear apart all of you aliens that have lorded your natural gifts over our race for decades... I WILL—"
BOOM
Before David could even finish, Mark slammed his fist into his stomach again, hoping to end the fight as well as the insufferable villain speech that he'd heard one too many of today. The wind whipped around, and the ground cracked as he impacted David's stomach. Mark's eyes widened as he saw David only move a few steps back, barely phased from his punch—in fact, he seemed more amused than anything—and for what seemed like the hundredth time today, the same words crossed Mark's lips, "What the fuc—"
BOOM
Mark was hit directly in the face again—David taking him by surprise, but he didn't stop like last time, pushing himself off the ground, cracking the pristine white floor even more, and chasing after him. Mark tumbled across the ground, slightly dizzy from the punch, but shook it off, righted himself, flipped onto his feet, and skidded across the ground just in time to block another punch from David that kept his momentum going. "CAN YOU FEEL IT!!!" David said as he laughed manically. He jumped up, holding both hands in the air, and came down, slamming them where Mark was—the young Viltrumite sped off to the side, avoiding the ground slam, and then blitzed David's side, throwing another punch—one that had a little more power—into his ribs, which launched the man away.
Mark flew after him, grabbing his leg and flying him up before going straight back down, slamming him straight into the ground, and then landing on him with his feet. For a moment, he thought the fight had concluded, but he was wrong as he felt his leg get grabbed, and he was whipped through the air like a towel. David laughed as he slammed Mark multiple times into the ground before he threw him up and slammed a meaty fist into his stomach, and to Mark's surprise, he actually felt a crack in one of his ribs—not a big one—but enough to surprise the hell out of him.
As he pushed himself off the floor, he watched David change again, more of his skin tear away, and reveal what could only be a monster underneath. He almost gagged when he saw two slimy wings pop out of his back and spread wide, though they looked uneven and discolored. "Eve, please tell me what the fuck I'm seeing," Mark requested.
[Negative, blood analysis needed, however based on visual data and information provided, I can only assume that the Viltrumite blood combined with the serum he already had within him is forcing an unstable metamorphosis,] Eve replied.
"Oh, jolly..." Mark said before he shot off from his spot, meeting David in the middle, and clashing fists with him. A shockwave burst from both of them, cracking the air and launching them both back a bit, but David flapped his wings and pushed himself forward, trying to tackle Mark—however, Mark flipped David over himself by rolling backwards in the air. He then grabbed David's wing, pulled him straight into a powerful punch, and launched another and another, each one accompanied by a loud shockwave. David caught the last one, then blocked when Mark dropped his wing and tried to hit him with his other hand. David then whipped Mark around, slammed him on the ground, and started throwing a rapid flurry of punches at him at a speed that looked strange for a man his size.
"When I'm done with you, I'm going to drain all the blood from your body!!!" he shouted as he licked his lips with a tongue that seemed to be growing just as much as his muscles did. "If one vial of your alien blood can make me this powerful, I will be a god when I take all of yours!" he screamed. Mark stepped back, deflecting a punch to the side, and then ducked underneath another one before flying up, delivering a knee right into his sternum, which pushed him back—Mark then spun into a roundhouse kick, which cracked across David's face.
"Honestly, David," Mark said with a blank expression as he dodged multiple punches again before catching both his fists and holding them in place, despite David thrashing around. "You should've been content with what you had... look at what you've done to yourself," he said, looking at his deformed body. "All of it to get more strength, and yet I'm not even breaking a sweat."
He then spun David around before throwing him to the ceiling. Mark waited a moment as he saw David fall, shot up into the air, reached him in less than a second, and brought both arms up, slamming them into his back with a vicious sledgehammer strike. David howled in pain as he was sent careening to the ground, impacting it, and causing a huge explosion of earth and debris. Mark sighed as he landed at the edge of the crater with his arms folded. In some ways, he did feel bad for David—he could understand feeling helpless since he felt that way for years when he lived in Gotham.
He liked to think he wouldn't have sunk that low, but who knew for sure. "Alright, time to ruin another evil plot," he said to himself before floating back over to the pods.
"Step back, boy!" he heard Doctor Juice say from the monitor—glancing at it, Mark could see the man was not happy and might have even been on the verge of an anger-induced aneurysm.
"Sorry, Doc, but if what you told me was true, I can't let a single one of these get out," Mark said as he looked over the terminal, started looking through the settings, and tried to find a kill switch for them.
"YOU CRETIN, STAY AWAY FROM MY CREATIONS!!!" the Doctor shouted. However, Mark ignored him, along with the string of insults that came his way, as he found the kill switch, activated it, and watched a progress bar appear on screen, starting at 1%.
"Listen, boy... let's make a deal," the Doctor said with barely concealed rage. "Do you want strength? Speed? Power? I can give that to you! I can give you that and more!" he said desperately, though Mark just stood there, unfazed, with his arms crossed.
"If I wanted power, why would I ask someone who made an inferior copy," he said, referring to David.
"Sorry, Doc, you have nothing I want—now shut up and watch me destroy your creations," Mark said with slight amusement in his voice. Of course, he didn't feel good about murdering a bunch of strangers, but if what Doctor Juice had said about them was true, he couldn't let them wake up, and the fact they were discovered now meant they wouldn't be safe here—this was the safest option for everyone, even if it wasn't very Batman-friendly.
"You are a frightened little boy! Standing in the way of progress, but mark my words, this will not stop me!!!" Doctor Juice shouted.
"It is my destiny to bring humanity to the top of the food chain, to once again preserve human supremacy!!!"
"An unwelcome visitor like you cannot stop me!" he spat, the malice in his voice pouring out in waves.
I was born on Earth... Mark thought with a bored expression on his face as he watched the percentage bar move to 25%.
However, as Mark waited, something strange happened—the Doctor stopped insulting him, and in fact stopped saying anything—he just started laughing, beginning as a low chuckle but soon turning into an exaggerated villain's laugh. Mark, annoyed by this, looked at him, "What the hell is so damn funny," he asked.
"It seems we need not make a deal after all, Mr. Grayson," Doctor Juice said with a wide grin on his face.
Mark raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"David... get him."
Mark whipped his head around just to see David coming out of the crater—only he wasn't sure it was David anymore. There was no human left now, only a dark green muscular abomination with uneven body proportions, pointed ears, and a large jaw like a crocodile. David roared, and Mark had to cover his ears as pain shot through his body at the sound of the screech. David then launched himself at Mark, moving even faster than before—helped by a boost from his wings.
Mark shot toward him as well, and they clashed in the center, causing a huge explosion of wind and force as they both started throwing punches at each other. Mark almost threw up when the first punch connected with his stomach—it was stronger than before, almost unbelievably so—but he pushed forward, throwing a full-power punch into David's shoulder, hearing a crack, followed shortly by David scratching. Mark then flew up, slamming his knee into David's jaw, and hit his elbow down on his head multiple times until David grabbed his leg, whipped him to the floor, and kicked him in the stomach, launching him away.
David followed him—his wings boosting his speed—and kicked him again. Mark was launched through several experimental armored trucks and straight into a tank of some kind. David roared as he picked one of those up and threw it directly at Mark, who flew out of the hole he made just to be greeted by David, who slammed into him, tackling him into the ground, making a large groove in the floor as he dragged him through it. Mark threw multiple punches to his jaw and neck as he tried to get out of the abomination's grip—he then sent a knee into his side, managed to flip them, and was about to sledgehammer his face, but they were thrown off each other as they crashed through glass and into what looked like a desert biome.
Mark was once again awed by the amount of money WayneTech had—to just casually create a desert environment in the basement. "Damn billionaires," he muttered as he stood up. He then looked around for David but couldn't see him. A frown crossed his face as he whipped his head around, trying to find him, only he couldn't.
Mark stood in the desert biome, brushing sand off his suit, whipping his head around to find David, but seeing nothing except dunes and cracked earth stretching out under the lab's artificial sky—he muttered, "Come on, where the hell are you," squinting into the haze, asking Eve, "Can you track him?" [Negative, no readings, he's masking his position somehow,] she said—he cursed, "Great," stepping forward, kicking up dust, scanning every shadow, expecting David to lunge out any second.
Sand erupted behind him, and David burst up, roaring, green scales glinting, claws slashing as he tackled Mark, sending them rolling across the ground—Mark grunted, shoving David off, scrambling to his feet, but David swung a fist that Mark ducked under, countering with a punch to his gut that barely made him flinch. David laughed, grabbing Mark's arm, twisting it, throwing him into a glass wall that shattered, shards raining down—Mark slid across a lab floor, crashing into a table, equipment toppling, but he rolled up, forming a red sphere in his hand, energy crackling, launching it at David's chest, which slammed into him, pushing him back, exploding in a burst of light, scorching his scales.
David snarled, stumbling, but charged again—Mark summoned another red sphere, hurling it, then another, forming three more that spun around David, zeroing in, exploding one after another, blasts echoing, smoke rising as David's body swelled, muscles bulging bigger, wings stretching wider, scales thickening—he roared, "You can't stop me!" lunging through the haze, slamming Mark into a steel beam that bent, cracking the floor beneath them. Mark coughed, blood trickling from his lip, swinging a fist that David caught, twisting his wrist, kicking his knee, forcing him down—Mark gritted his teeth, forming a blue sphere in his free hand, tossing it up, watching it glow, pulling David toward it as the gravity locked him in place.
David thrashed, scales grinding against the blue sphere's pull, roaring as Mark broke free, flying forward, unleashing a combo—punching his jaw, elbowing his chest, kneeing his ribs—each hit landing hard, cracking scales, drawing black blood. Mark flew up, focusing, making himself heavy, so heavy his flight stuttered, and launched down, slamming into David, driving him into the ground, impaling him on a jagged pipe sticking up—concrete shattered, dust billowed, and Mark landed, panting, thinking, "That's gotta be it."
But David twitched, growing again, body stretching taller, scales darkening, wings snapping straight, now working smooth and strong—he ripped free, standing ten feet high, snarling, "Not enough!" flying at Mark, who shot back, forming red spheres, firing them as David rushed him, blasts hitting his chest, arms, legs, exploding, but barely slowing him. They crashed through a lab wall, throwing punches—David's fist smashed Mark's shoulder, Mark's elbow cracked David's jaw—entire sections flipped, computers sparked, glass tanks burst, spilling chemicals that sizzled on the floor. David bit Mark's arm, teeth sinking in, tearing flesh, and clawed his side, ripping his suit—Mark yelled, shoving him off, blood dripping, punching his snout, feeling scales cut his knuckles.
Doctor Juice's voice screamed from the console, "David, get back here and stop that kill process!" David ignored him, swinging at Mark, who ducked, kicking his leg, snapping bone—but David kept coming, roaring louder. "DAVID, NOW!" the Doctor shouted, and something clicked—David paused, glancing at the console, then grabbed Mark, hurling him into a tank of flammable liquid that exploded on impact, fire bursting out, singeing Mark, coating him in soot.
David lumbered to the console, barely human, scales peeling, eyes wild—he stared at the screen, Doctor Juice yelling, "The red button, hit it, stop the process!" David fumbled, claws scraping metal, growling, not grasping it—Mark staggered up, bloody, suit torn, soot smearing his face, grabbing David's arm, throwing him back, sending him crashing into a steel cabinet that crumpled. Doctor Juice screamed, "No!"
David roared, launching himself at Mark, who held his hands up, pushing down, cranking gravity in the room—tables buckled, walls groaned, but David staggered forward, claws digging into the floor. Mark formed a red sphere, letting it grow to boulder size, rushing David, slamming it into his chest—skin burned, the sphere exploded, launching him across the lab, crashing into a vat of volatile liquid that detonated, flames licking the ceiling. Eve buzzed, [Warning, dangerous substance has contacted air, proceed with caution,]—Mark stumbled to the console, seeing the kill switch at 97%, smirking at the screen, "Nice try, Doc, but your toys are toast."
*ROAAAAAR*
He turned, freezing—David loomed, nearly twenty feet tall, glowing blue, scales pulsing, eyes sunken, jaw gaping. "What the hell did you do to him," Mark said, stepping back, staring at Doctor Juice's grinning face.
The Doctor laughed, "David is my perfect creation—his DNA is the most adaptable I've ever seen in a human, and I boosted that a hundredfold."
David roared, stepping forward, standing still for a second—then he sparked, glowed brighter, opened his maw, and unleashed a stream of blue energy that slammed into Mark and the console, throwing him across the lab, smashing him into a wall—Mark screamed, pain searing through him, holding his arm out, trying to push back against the beam scorching his skin.
Mark slams into the wall and slides down, hitting the floor hard, gasping as he clutches his burned arm, blood mixing with soot on his face, staggering up and looking at the console that's melted and sparking from David's attack, wondering if it finished the job because David's lumbering forward, scales glowing blue, wings flexing, and roaring loud—Mark roars back, charging full speed, crashing into him with a shockwave that bends steel supports and drops ceiling chunks, grappling and tearing through a generator room that blows up, sparks falling everywhere.
Mark moves fast, ducking a claw swipe, smashing his fist into David's chest with all he's got, but David swings back just as hard, catching Mark's jaw and splitting it, blood spraying everywhere—Mark stumbles, coats his arms with red energy, punches David's snout, making it explode and scorch scales, staggering him a bit. David opens his maw and blasts blue energy that Mark dodges, but it rips through a concrete wall and collapses part of the floor above—Mark shifts gravity sideways, hurling rubble at David who smashes it apart, grabs Mark's arm, and throws him into a steel beam that twists, blood pouring from Mark's nose as he grunts.
They smash up through the ceiling into WayneTech's upper floors, and Mark twists midair, forms a big red sphere, launches it at David's chest where it explodes, burning scales and shoving him back through an office level, glass walls shattering and steel frames buckling—David flies after Mark, slams him through another floor where concrete slabs split and elevator shafts crumple with snapping cables. Mark coats his arms blue, punches David's face, dragging him back with each hit, landing a flurry that cracks his jaw, but David bites Mark's shoulder, teeth sinking deep and tearing flesh, blood gushing—Mark yells, shifts gravity up, slams David into the roof that caves in, debris falling as they burst out the top.
They fall and trade blows, Mark smashing David's eye shut, David clawing Mark's chest deeper, hitting the street and making a crater that cracks pavement and floods from busted water mains—Mark pushes up, panting with blood pooling under him, seeing red abominations crawl from the wreckage, big muscled figures with shiny scales circling him and raising fists. He taps his ear, "Eve, anyone, backup now," but gets static, muttering, "What the hell," dodging one that charges, grabbing its neck, snapping it, slamming his fist into its chest and crushing it, blood splattering everywhere, but more swarm in, smashing his ribs and clawing his legs—David swings a fist that sends Mark crashing into a wrecked storefront, bricks tumbling around him.
Mark flies up, weaving through claws, but David grabs his leg, yanks him down, and red abominations pile on, pounding his skull and slashing his thighs—Mark roars, forms a red sphere with both hands, lets it grow, shoves it out, exploding from his center and blasting them back, crater widening and asphalt melting. He gasps, chest heaving, but they rush again, David leading with wings beating, slamming Mark into a bank building that collapses, steel vault doors crumpling and dust choking everything—he stands, swaying with blood streaming, clenching his fists and muttering, "Come on," ready to swing.
Missiles streak down, slamming into David and the abominations, exploding in fireballs that shake the street and shatter it more—Mark looks up, jaw dropping, watching a jet-black ship roar overhead, engines growling and hovering as a hatch opens, six figures leaping out and landing hard, pavement splitting under them. A muscular guy with long blond hair under a winged helmet, red cape flowing and chest plate with round emblems, swings a hammer sparking lightning, smashing an abomination's head, brains splattering everywhere—a lanky kid in a red jacket with a topknot, dark red hair shaved on the sides, tosses glowing coins that explode against abominations, shredding their torsos—a guy in a sleek metallic suit with glowing lines fires wrist cannons, blasting holes through scales—a young guy in a blue cape swings a bigger hammer, crushing an abomination's spine—a man in a yellow-and-orange suit with disc plates on his shoulders takes punches, shrugs them off, slams fists that break chests—a petite girl with long brown hair in a pony tail lands next to him in a classic superhero landing.
"What the fuck," Mark says, staring at the girl.
She glances at him, shrinks back to human form, petite with blue eyes and a brown ponytail, "We're heroes of the New Justice Global."
She grins, "I'm Monster Girl," roaring again, shifting back into her green monster form, tackling another abomination and slashing its gut open with claws.
Mark blinks, "Justice Global?"
The red-jacket kid bounces past, dodging claws, tossing coins that blow abominations apart, "You're goddamn right—all of us scouted and trained by the Batman himself," ducking a swipe and blasting an abomination's head off.
Mark rubs his head, pain pounding, wondering what Batman's been up to while he was gone, snapping back as the guy in the yellow-and-orange suit trades blows with David, fists slamming into scales and not flinching—David growls, bites down on his arm, making him scream, tosses him up, unleashes blue energy that blasts him into a building that topples, concrete raining down.
Monster Girl roars, "No!" charging David—the blond guy swings his hammer, lightning frying scales, the metal-suited guy fires cannons—but Mark shouts, "Stop, he's mine!" launching at David, grabbing his neck, flying him through a skyscraper, glass walls exploding and steel supports snapping, David punching his ribs and breaking more bones.
Mark launches at David and grabs his neck, flying him through a skyscraper, glass walls exploding and steel supports snapping as David punches his ribs, breaking more bones—he twists free, slamming Mark through another building, concrete crumbling, and blasts blue energy that catches Mark's side, searing flesh. Mark yells, flipping midair, crashing David through an office tower, windows shattering, floors collapsing—they trade blows, Mark dodging claws, punching David's chest, but David's breath hits him again, burning his arm, sending him spinning into a billboard that buckles. Mark grits his teeth, focusing gravity to bend space, redirecting the next blue blast around him, curving it into a bank that explodes, glass raining—he spots civilians running below, shifts gravity down to pull them clear, but David slams a fist into his back, cracking his spine, blood dripping.
They fly into a construction site, slamming through cranes that twist and topple, Mark swinging David into a half-built tower that caves in—he feels weaker, legs shaking, but David grows bigger, scales pulsing, roaring louder. They clash again, Mark ducking a massive swipe, punching David's jaw, but David grabs him, hurling him through steel girders that bend—Mark grabs a huge beam, swings it at David who blocks, the metal crumpling against his chest. Mark forms a massive blue sphere, launches it, but David flaps his wings, dodges, and it floats past, hovering—Mark charges, trading punches, David's fists smashing his ribs, breaking more bones, blood pouring from his mouth, but he keeps swinging, pushing harder.
David roars and slams Mark back, sending him skidding through dirt and rebar—Mark pours every bit of strength into his next hit, coating his arms red, punching David's gut, making him skid across the site, concrete shattering under him. David rumbles and laughs, standing tall, "Weak!" roaring it out as his wings flex—Mark stands straight, panting, holding his finger up like a gun, forming a red sphere at the tip that keeps growing bigger and bigger.
"Strength isn't everything, David, shame you never learned that," Mark says, flashing to Kara and Raven and Harley and his kids, firing the red sphere straight up.
David braces to block, but it doesn't hit him and keeps climbing—David looks up, seeing the blue sphere he dodged earlier floating there, right above him now. He watches in slow motion as the red sphere rockets toward it, and something twists in his gut, a raw fear he can't name, knowing shit's about to go bad—they collide, mixing into purple, glowing and pulsing, expanding fast—David roars, holding his arms out to push it back, but his hands dissolve into nothing, scales vanishing as the purple wave swallows him. Mark watches it spread, covering half the site, eating David whole—he drops to his knees, blood leaking from his eyes, the strain of mixing those forces hitting him hard, panting as he stares at the crater left behind, nothing but dust inside.
Mark falls to his knees and flops onto the ground, panting, muttering, "Definitely one of those days," feeling his broken bones burn as they start knitting under his skin—he hopes it's quick this time, he's got shit to do. He pushes up, wincing, calling, "Eve, you there?" but gets no answer—Mark figures she's saving power, recharging nanites, and floats up, hearing someone shout his name. He turns, seeing Kori flying over Gotham's skyline, orange hair trailing, green eyes wide—he flies up to meet her, shouting, "Kori, what's wrong?"
She flails, "You need to come quick!"
He frowns, "Why, what's up?"
She grabs his arm, "Kara's having the baby!"
(AN: So it's over now, the abomination David is dead and now we can get to the important stuff of Kara having the baby and shit. What will happen! Will Kara's baby die?! Maybe!!! I might fucking kill it, don't think I won't!!! I'll fucking do it! I don't give a shit I'll murder a baby who cares I can always make another! What's another nine months! Anywhoooo hope you enjoyed the chapter.)
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