Justice League III: Shattered

Chapter Thirteen: Gotham

Gotham, 12/19/15, 1:14 AM

The night sky loomed over Gotham as Warworld floated overhead as well.  Aquaman ran forward hiding behind a car as a group of parademons flew by, they flew close to the ground searching the area for any survivors.  Aquaman looked over across the street at Black Lightning as he hid behind a truck with Firestorm and Cyborg hiding along with him.

Artemis had wanted to come on the patrol, but Wonderwoman forbade her since she still lacked trust for her.  Aquaman would have liked to have her out with him, but he knew she needed to recuperate after being used by Ra's for his bidding.  But Ra's was gone now, she had no need to worry about him or other assassins.  Aquaman remembered how Merlyn and the others had escaped back in Metropolis, but he figured they were either captured or surviving on their own now.  He looked over as Cyborg motioned for him to move up.  Aquaman leaped over the car running to the street corner and hid as another parademon flew by.  The other three ran up as well as the parademon flew past.  Cyborg used his scanner to search the area for heat signatures.  Aquaman looked over as Black Lightning and Cyborg whispered quietly.  Firestorm was on look out along with Aquaman, they needed a small group first to search Gotham, then they could start going out with larger groups.  The GCPD had to be kept safe first though, they could not let the parademons to swarm up around it and overwhelm them.

Aquaman raised his trident as a parademon turned to move down their street.  Firestorm raised his fists at the ready, but Cyborg shook his head as he raised a hand to signal them to stop.  Aquaman reluctantly complied as the parademon turned away down the intersection.  The group kept moving up into another plaza as Cyborg continued scanning.

"There."  He pointed up at a construction site.  Aquaman looked up at the looming unfinished tower.  He sighed as he moved to start climbing up.  Firestorm, Black Lightning, and Cyborg followed.  In any other situation they would have flown, but with the parademons watching the skies it was next to impossible to do so.

They climbed up hundreds of steps before finally reaching a level close to the top.  Cyborg scanned again seeing five signatures.  Five people were up here.  Aquaman moved up to a tarp and pulled it aside revealing five pods set up in a circle.

"What the hell?"  Black Lightning's mouth gaped open as the group walked in looking at the pods, inside were civilians, three men and two women each unconscious, but alive.

"Shit."  Cyborg scanned again as his eyes moved upwards, "We've been duked."

"What-?"  Firestorm turned around and suddenly the nuclear man was tackled by a quick flying parademon as it sailed through the building crashing through a wall.  Aquaman raised his trident as another crashed in throwing the pod to the side and slashing through the floor.  Aquaman jumped back, but he fell through landing in a maze of wooden planks and pipes.  He looked up as the parademon dropped in after him.  Aquaman ran back on the plank as the parademon slashed at him knocking pipes down and causing the structure to collapse.  Aquaman ran and leaped onto the solid part of the building as the planks and pipes fell stories down.  The parademon leaped at him flying straight towards him with its claws outstretched.  Aquaman raised his trident spearing the parademon in its stomach and throwing it behind him.  Aquaman turned as the parademon got up roaring.  He charged the creature slashing through it with his trident and blasting it out of the building.

Aquaman looked around as more parademons flew in surrounding the entire building.  He leaped up through a hole in the upper floor and landed in the middle of a battle.  Firestorm flew around the building beating back parademons while Cyborg and Black Lightning stood back to back blasting back the parademons.  Aquaman ran in as one slashed down Black Lighting.  He pulled the monster back and stabbed it in the back.  He blasted into the creature destroying it from the inside.  He backed up to the others joining their stance as they fought off the monsters.