Thoughts

Computer Speech

"Speech"

Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.

Chapter 39: Dawn I: Crescent

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Abandoned Warehouse, Keystone City

"I'll show you how a pro does it."

The words lingered in Barry's mind as he watched the Green Lantern charge towards Astrild. The pale woman remained impassive, not even batting an eye as Hal sloppily rushed towards her. His ring hummed to life, and an emerald light encased his entire right arm. Aquaman watched as well, perturbed as the light slowly formed into a fist. The emerald fist was almost larger than the Green Lantern's body, but he swung it as if it were as light as a feather.

The fist landed, making contact with a loud bang that caused a small gale of wind to circulate throughout the warehouse. The Flash and Aquaman winced, digging their feet into the concrete to remain upright. But Astrild remained unmoved, even as Hal rained more vicious blows down on her face. She took a beating that would have killed any human but didn't flinch, even as the pace of the Green Lantern's attacks quickened. Something had to give, and eventually, Hal's arm slumped to his side in exhaustion.

"Is that it?" Astrild grinned like a chesire cat.

Hal backed away bug-eyed as he saw that his attacks hadn't even resulted in a bruise. Her chalk-white skin was as unblemished as ever.

"My turn."

Before Hal could even raise his guard, the Storm-Daughter was on him. The Green Lantern ring was arguably the most powerful weapon in the Universe, but even with it being attached to his finger, Hal was still just a regular human. His human reflexes were no match for Astrild's otherworldly speed. A blur of a hand smacked his face, sending the former Air Force captain tumbling back towards where he had first made his arrival.

"Smooth, real smooth." The Flash mocked as Hal finally skid to a halt in front of his feet.

"Shut up," Hal growled as he collected himself from the ground. His head was still ringing from the impact, but he ignored it.

"If that's the best you have to offer, the Flash and I were better off facing her alone." Aquaman scoffed. If there was one thing Arthur hated, it was a man whose words didn't match his actions.

"Look, she just caught me off guard, okay? It won't happen again." Hal spoke the words confidently, but there was a hint of fear in his heart. He was still new to the job, and Astrild had butchered dozens of Green Lanterns before him, but his allies didn't need to know that.

The Flash and Aquaman raised a brow but dropped the rebuttal that had formed on their lips. The duo turned their attention back towards Astrild, who was now faking an exaggerated yawn.

"Will you hurry it up over there? I don't have all night, and I'm beginning to get bored."

"We need a new plan of attack," Aquaman said as he grabbed Barry and Hal, forming a huddle. "It has been made clear that challenging her one on one isn't a smart idea." His eyes fell on Hal as he spoke the words.

"Don't blame this on me," The Green Lantern said, waving his hands in protest. "You were getting your asses kicked before I even showed up."

"Actually," Barry butted in. "I was on the verge of knocking her out before you showed up and interrupted everything."

"Astrild has bested far better opponents than you. Whatever you thought you were doing, wouldn't have worked anyway." Hal said with a small shrug.

"Are all Green Lanterns as arrogant and useless as you?" Arthur's fingers were itching to thwack Hal on his skull. This fool made the Flash seem sensible.

"I thought you would make good slaves for Starro, but your inconsequential prattling is truly beginning to grate my nerves; it's better I kill you here and now." Astrild rolled her neck before finally settling into a fighting stance. Hal, Barry, and Arthur exchanged glares but realized Starro's acolyte was right.

"We can resolve our dispute later," Aquaman said as he stepped forward. There were no arguments from Hal or Barry. "I am the king of the seven seas, and I will be taking command of this fight."

Barry nodded in agreement, but Hal's mouth flung open to voice his opposition. But before any words could be said, the Flash clamped a firm hand over his mouth. "Yep, you've got it, Aquaman, lead the charge; we're right behind you." Barry gave him a thumbs up with his free hand, but the Atlantean didn't even bother to turn around to see it.

"Good," Arthur said in a hushed tone as the cogs in his mind began to turn. It wasn't too long after that when he spun on his heels to face his allies and said, "Here's what we'll do."

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Downtown Keystone City

Chi-Chi and Steve ran like the wind. Their hearts beat at twice their average paces as they zig-zagged in and out of cars. Starro was still prowling the skies up above, but fortunately, his eyes hadn't caught sight of them yet. It was only a little while longer until the duo would reach their destination, and with a sharp turn, they angled into a dark alleyway. This was the place.

The smells of the alley weren't kind at all. Steve's nostrils revolted at the foul scents that wafted into his nose. Chi-Chi repressed the urge to hurl and instead focused on Batman's pulsating Ki signal. He's got to be around here somewhere. Chi-Chi thought to herself as she approached a nearby dumpster.

She quickly scanned the perimeter, but there was no one in sight. Batman should be right here. Chi-Chi frowned and raised a hand, placing it on her chin to think. There had to be an explanation for it. Batman couldn't have just vanished into thin air.

"Uh, Chi-Chi," Steve called as he heard a noise from the dumpster behind him.

The other Ki signature I felt is still present, meaning they both have to be around here somewhere. The Ox-King's daughter was lost in deep thought.

"Chi-Chi, I really think you should check this out," Steve called again, adding extra bass to his voice as the noise grew even louder. This time he managed to capture his girlfriend's attention, and she finally turned to face him.

"What is it?" She asked brusquely.

"I think there's something, or rather someone inside here," Steve said as he stood over the black lid of the dumpster. Chi-Chi walked over and joined him.

"Are you sure it isn't just a rat? Cities as big as these tend to have those giant-sized rats." Chi-Chi shuddered as the mental images of rats that she had once encountered on a New York subway, flooded her mind.

"As the commander of Argus, I'm pretty sure I know the difference in sounds." Steve deadpanned, causing Chi-Chi to blush out of embarrassment. She would often blur the lines of their personal and work relationship.

"Let's just take a look inside." Chi-Chi's hand extended to grab the lid but was forced back as Steve gripped her arm. "What are you doing?" She asked in confusion.

"If Batman actually is in here, do you think it's likely that he'll just let us open the lid without attacking first?" Back at Argus headquarters, Steve had read Batman's data profile until his vision had gone blurry. He was well aware of the dark knight's habits and tendencies.

Chi-Chi couldn't argue with her boyfriend's sound logic. "Why don't we just announce ourselves then?" If they couldn't open the lid, at the very least, they could make Bruce aware of who they were.

Steve shook his head against the idea. "Batman will have no idea if we're friend or foe. There are people being mind-controlled by Starro everywhere, and there's no way for Batman to know that we aren't one of Starro's agents."

"So, what do you suggest then?" Irritation shone through Chi-Chi's voice. If Steve knew what to do, then why didn't he just get on with it?

"I'm going to open the lid," Steve said, brushing aside the obvious sass in her tone. "If he does attack us and something happens to me, you can easily defend yourself."

"But that won't be necessary."

The lid of the dumpster abruptly flew open, drawing Chi-Chi and Steve's attention. It was Batman.

"You know I could hear you from inside here, right?" Bruce eyed the two Argus agents like they were idiots. "I'm surprised Starro himself didn't hear you from as loudly as you were talking."

Steve groaned as Chi-Chi assisted the dark knight and J'onn from the dumpster. How could he have been so stupid?

"This must be the other Ki presence I felt in the area," Chi-Chi said as she placed the Martian Manhunter on the ground, leaning him against a nearby wall. "Who is he?"

Batman's eyes flickered over to his partner and noticed his wounds were already healing. "His name is – "

"My name is J'onn." Martian Manhunter said as he rose to his feet. "I'm not too weak to speak for myself."

"I can tell you're not from around here," Steve said as he eyed J'onn with curiosity. He was only a few shades lighter than Goku's arch-nemesis. "Please don't tell me you're kin to Piccolo."

J'onn frowned at the comment. "Do you assume I am because we both share the same color?"

"I don't know….but you could be," Steve said a sheepish chuckle.

J'onn, however, was not amused. "For your information, there are numerous species in the Universe that are green. But to answer your question, no, I'm not related to Piccolo. I'm a Martian."

"A Martian?" Chi-Chi repeated in disbelief. "I thought Mars didn't have any life."

"Mars wasn't always as desolate as it is now. Before you humans were even thought of, Mars was teeming with life." Chi-Chi couldn't help but notice the somber tone in J'onn's voice.

"We can continue the history lesson later; we have far more pressing issues to deal with." Batman's eyes turned upwards towards the starless night sky. Starro was still out there, hunting them, and Bruce knew that the warlord wouldn't stop until he'd captured his prey. "Did he see you?" Batman asked as he turned his gaze towards Steve and Chi-Chi.

"As far as we can tell, he didn't," Steve replied. But as dark as Starro's helmet was, it was almost impossible to gauge whether his eyes had caught a glimpse of them.

"Good, you two will provide us with the element of surprise."

"The element of surprise for what?" Chi-Chi and Steve asked almost simultaneously.

"For what? For our counterattack."

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Abandoned Warehouse, Keystone City

Aquaman grit his teeth as he charged towards Astrild. Barry and Hal followed his lead, trailing his footsteps like a pair of silent shadows. They were all finally on the same page. It had taken some convincing, mostly due to the Green Lantern's stubbornness, but they had eventually hammered out a plan. Arthur would take the lead at the head of their formation, and his companions would provide support from his rear.

Astrild didn't even bother to put her guard up once Aquaman got close to her. Arrogance practically oozed from her pores, and her conniving smirk only served to further anger the king of the seas. Arthur quickly jabbed at her with the tip of his trident, but the Storm-Daughter backpedaled away, ducking out of its reach. Aquaman was unrelenting and chased after her, matching her strides.

Arthur swung his trident over and over, with each miss being more narrow than the last. Before he knew it, the Atlantean had worked up a light sweat with nothing to show for his efforts. His breath grew heavy, and he signaled for Barry to attack. The Flash zoomed into the fray peppering Astrild with blows that were too plentiful for his allies to count. The Storm-Daughter parried most of the strikes, but the ones that did hit stung with unexpected power.

Astrild could never hope to match the Flash's speed, but battle experience was in her favor. Barry's speed was blistering, but his attacks were uncoordinated, and it was clear that he was a novice at best. Once the Storm-Daughter became accustomed to the rhythm and flow of the Flash's strikes, she was able to figure out his next move. Barry feigned a punch, expecting Astrild to fall for it, but was caught off guard when her heel-toe suddenly slammed into his chin.

Hal watched the Flash soar into the air and finally decided to stop being an onlooker. Astrild was still admiring her handiwork when he struck. Two pairs of emerald boxing gloves slammed into her face ending her reverie. They didn't do much psychical damage, but her ego was shaken. Her eyes blazed with fury as she leaped to assault Hal.

A brick wall materialized out of thin air, blocking her path, at least momentarily. It would hold, but for how long, was the question. On the other side, Astrild pounded the wall like a caged animal. Hal could see cracks forming in the bricks as his muscles strained in concentration. Aquaman readied himself for the inevitable, gripping his trident close.

The emerald wall collapsed in a soundless crumble. Astrild's heavy-handed punches had finally broken through it. She had no time to celebrate, though, and Arthur was on her heels in the blink of an eye. However, this time, Arthur attacked in unison with Hal. Astrild could evade his trident, but she couldn't evade the construct's the Green Lantern's ring produced.

Hal's imagination was on full display with the various weapons he brought to life. Swords, knives, bats, and even chainsaws were created and flung at the Storm-Daughter. Astrild fared far better than Arthur expected and managed to block or completely avoid most of the weapons. In a one on one scenario, she might've had the upper hand, but Aquaman wouldn't grant her that. The Atlantean's attacks filled the gaps of Hal's missed blows.

Astrild's icy expression didn't convey any emotion, but it was clear she was beginning to lose her cool. For the first time since she'd arrived, Starro's acolyte was starting to sweat. Arthur couldn't help but grin as he saw droplets of sweat cascade down her forehead. They had her on the ropes; all they needed to do now was strike a decisive blow.

Aquaman and Hal lunged at Astrild in unison, and their twin attacks were mere inches away from causing a mortal wound when she suddenly lept into the air. Aquaman cursed under his breath. Her ability to fly was something he'd almost forgotten about. The Green Lantern dashed off after her before Arthur could even voice his dismay. A sick smile spread across Astrild's lips, and Aquaman quickly realized that she had succeeded in her goal.

Hal was brash, hot-headed, and cocky. In a group, Aquaman had been able to cover the former Air Force captain's faults, but alone he was doomed to failure. The Green Lantern created an emerald AK-47 and began firing without discretion. Wonder Woman would've been proud at the way Astrild deflected the projectiles, and Arthur was forced to tap dance his way out of their ricochet. Hal quickly realized his tactics weren't working and switched to another method of attack that quite frankly wasn't much more thoughtful.

Never seeming to learn his lesson, the Green Lantern engaged Astrild in close-quarter combat. With an emerald shield in his left hand and a javelin in his left, Hal stabbed at the woman repeatedly. With the grace of a swan, Astrild danced out of the trajectory of the attacks. The Green Lantern was as clumsy as a bear, and his javelin was haphazardly swung. Aquaman pondered, throwing his trident at the Storm-Daughter but quickly noticed that Hal's efforts weren't all in vain.

With each attack, Hal forced Astrild closer and closer to the ground. Starro's acolyte was so fixated on embarrassing Hal that she didn't even realize she was being played. Arthur didn't know if the Green Lantern was doing it intentionally or not, but for once, his recklessness was benefitting them. The Flash, having finally recovered, zipped over to Arthur and watched with bated breath as Hal finally plunged the woman from the sky.

Arthur and Barry didn't exchange any pleasantries and rushed to catch Astrild off guard. The Storm-Daughter's eyes were still locked on the Green Lantern, and if not for Barry's bright red costume, she might never have noticed them. The Flash was eager to recompense Astrild for her earlier heel-toe and struck her with a kick that flickered with the speed of lightning. A sick crunch was heard as Astrild flung through the air, and for the first in the battle, doubt seeped into her mind.

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Downtown Keystone City

Chi-Chi grimaced as she sprinted through a narrow street. How on Earth had she allowed Batman to convince her to do this? Starro was hot on her trails, and even though he was hovering in the sky up above, Chi-Chi could practically feel his breath on her neck. The tyrant was much faster than Chi-Chi had expected. A man with his size and proportions shouldn't have been able to move so nimbly.

When Chi-Chi zigged, he zagged. He mirrored her moves almost telepathically. Starro was an ever-present hulking shadow. Taking cover would've been a smart idea, but Batman's plan relied on Chi-Chi drawing the invader far away from the rest of their group. It had sounded so simple when Bruce had informed her of her duty, but the reality of the situation was much more harrowing.

Much to Chi-Chi's surprise, Starro hadn't launched an attack yet. It was strikingly odd. His Ki signature easily dwarfed her own, and he could've cut her down at any moment he wanted to. Was Starro simply enjoying the chase Chi-Chi was putting him through? Or was there something much more sinister that he was aiming for?

Whatever the case was, Chi-Chi decided that it was time to turn the tables. She suddenly came to a halt and turned to face her stalker in the sky. Starro stopped dead in his tracks and paused, narrowing red beady eyes at Steve's girlfriend. Bruce had told her that once she'd led Starro far enough from his location, that she could proceed with a counterattack. Chi-Chi wasted no time and bounded into the air.

Cool wind breezed through her hair as Chi-Chi climbed an invisible ladder higher and higher until she finally reached Starro. He was gigantic. That fact couldn't be stressed enough in Chi-Chi's mind as she ducked under the swing of his ax. From a ground-level, he'd looked like a small aircraft hovering in the sky, but up close, he looked like a colossus of muscle and armor.

His armor was as black as the night sky and reflected brightly as Chi-Chi aimed a Ki blast at it. It smacked him dead in the chest, hitting the unblinking starfish that was wrapped around his body but did no harm. The smoke from the blast fizzled away, and his blood-red eyes settled on Chi-Chi. His helmet was too dark to decipher his expression, but Chi-Chi didn't need to see his face to realize that the alien was fuming.

Starro charged at Chi-Chi and swung his ax so fast that it almost split her head in two. She rolled out of the way, just in the nick of time, but the air in his path wasn't so fortunate. The wind was literally cut in half. Chi-Chi gawked at the feat but quickly composed herself. If she wasn't careful, she would be the one on the receiving end of the next vicious attack.

She shook her head and sped off to engage the conqueror once more. Multiple Ki blasts preceded her arrival. They had little to no effect on Starro but did manage to snatch his attention. He was so focused on the quick flurry that he failed to notice Chi-Chi cupping her hands together. Azuline light coalesced in her palms as she chanted Goku's most infamous phrase, "Kamehameha!"

The night sky was illuminated with light as Chi-Chi released the energy from her hands. Starro couldn't avoid the blast's trajectory and was hit by the weight of a freight train. Chi-Chi watched the menace soar through the sky, streaking off into the distance like a shooting star. Any ordinary villain would've been crushed under the force of that blast, but Chi-Chi knew she would be lucky if she had even managed to scratch his armor. Ki ignited around her, and she dashed off to view the results of her handiwork.

It didn't take much of a search before she found Starro in the center of a shattered office building. Broken glass was littered around him, and a hole as big as a crater surrounded what was left of the office's windows. Starro's eyes betrayed no emotion once they finally flickered over to her, and just as Chi-Chi had suspected, he was unharmed. What is it going to take to put a dent in this guy? Chi-Chi mused to herself.

"You're an insect, nothing you do will ever harm me." Seemingly hearing Chi-Chi's thoughts, Starro pointed his ax towards her. "The sooner you foolish humans realize that, the better. Glory awaits you all if you simply submit yourselves to me."

"In the short time that I've lived on this planet, I've learned that humanity won't willingly submit…..to anyone!"

Chi-Chi and Starro were both caught off guard as J'onn phased through the floor of the office. His fist slammed into Starro's chin before the conqueror could even spout a rebuttal. Before Starro could even blink, he was sent rocketing into the sky once more.

"Took you long enough to get here." Chi-Chi smiled as the Martian Manhunter floated over to her.

"My deepest apologies. Batman restrained me from assisting you earlier. He said we needed to get in contact with Superman before anything else."

Chi-Chi frowned but was unsurprised by J'onn's words. Batman could've at least told her that before he'd let her leave. "Well, did you manage to get in contact with him?"

"I used my powers to amplify the signal of Batman's communicator."

"You can do that?" Chi-Chi asked in surprise.

"There's a lot about me that you don't know." The Martian said with a coy smile. "Batman's message should've been delivered, but Superman didn't respond."

Chi-Chi didn't like the sound of that. She was hopeful that Superman would eventually answer Batman's call, but there was a chance that the Man of Steel had already been infected. If that was the case, the world was truly doomed.

"We should attack Starro before he returns the favor on us. You certainly pack a punch, but I doubt that you did anything that would permanently put him out of commission."

J'onn nodded in agreement and was about to take flight when he suddenly froze. His green skin seemingly dulling in color.

"What's…." Chi-Chi swallowed her words when she saw the frightened expression on J'onn's face.

"It's Superman….he's here. I can feel his psionic presence approaching us."

Chi-Chi looked at J'onn with increasing worry. Shouldn't that announcement have been a cause for celebration? "That's good news, right? We have more backup to help us in this fight."

"No!" The Martian Manhunter shouted distraughtly. "Superman has allied himself with our enemy. Starro has taken over his mind."

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 38!

Q/A:

10: Listing power levels is troublesome, and that's why I shy away from doing it lol.

ShivanSlayer: Thanks for the kind yes, often in the past, I have sort of summarized storylines to advance the story quickly. I'm going to refrain from doing that going forward. This story deserves better and should have every plot-line fully fleshed out.

Null: No, I haven't watched Seth's video on the Goku vs Superman topic.

DRAGONDAVE45: Namek was two suns. Kara Zor-El would easily defeat everyone if she were to show up during the Namek saga. Also, I have some major plans for her already.

Thewittywhy: Yes, when Diana finally returns to Earth, she'll be in for a big surprise. I'll have to focus some future chapters on her readjustment to things.

Ayrton Senna: No, Goku's kids will be the same as they were in canon.

Jackalope89: Yeah, it's easy for me to lose that spark too, but once I have it, it stays lit. I haven't kept with very many recent comics, so I'm also out of the loop. And thanks, I hope you overcome your writer's block too, your story was great.