Showdown! The Best of the Best

Chapter Thirty-Three

The air over the meadow split in two as two mighty alien princesses plummeted toward the ground, shattering the sound barrier. Blackfire's vise like grip held her sister's neck fast, the earth approaching rapidly beneath them. Starfire, thinking quickly, brought a hand wreathed in green energy up to her sister's face and let loose. Grunting in pain, Komand'r tensed and hurled her sister to the side as she banked sharply to slow her descent. 

Starfire spun end over end through the air, unable to right herself before she struck the earth. The impact sent Kriegbots and allies alike flying, along with shattered bits of dirt and grass. Her vision swam as she slowly sat up. Holding her head, Starfire could feel something warm trickling down the side of her face. One of her eyes was already beginning to swell shut. 

She didn't have time to process her injuries before Blackfire came barreling towards her, slamming her fist into her own sister's temple. Star's vision flickered as she tried to get up, but Blackfire came around again with a kick to her chin before she could recuperate. Landing now, Blackfire stood over her sister, arms crossed and her mouth contorted in a gloating smirk.

"Your Starbolts may be superior to mine," she sneered, "but you were never as skilled a warrior as me. Years in slavery will do that to you."

"Go...to...the Hell!" Starfire coughed, slowly sitting up.

Blackfire's grin vanished as four rapidly generated Starbolts struck her center-mass. She tumbled end over end for hundreds of yards before a dead Kriegbot broke her roll. Shredding through the inert shell, Blackfire rolled out the other side, coming to her hands and knees in a coughing fit. The metal corpse was twisted away by Starfire, who marched towards her sister, preparing for a second go-around.

Blackfire was ready. She lashed out with a right hook, which Starfire dodged. However, Blackfire snapped back with an elbow to her sister's stomach. Starfire doubled over, which allowed her vicious sister to kick her in the stomach, sending her stumbling back onto her knees. Marching forward, Blackfire grabbed a handful of her sister's beautiful crimson locks and grimaced into her face.

"For all being mommy and daddy's favorite gets you," she jeered.

Starfire's vision finally dimmed and darkened as Blackfire's fist slammed into it twice. As her sister fell face-down into the dirt, Blackfire prepared a blast of pink energy in one hand. She pointed her outstretched hand at her dispatched sibling, palm out.

Something struck the side of her head which sent her flying. There was no Kriegbot to halt her movement this time. Blackfire went sailing into a rising  cloud of smoke and disappeared. Without letting his guard down, Mr. Incredible knelt down next to Starfire, gently bringing her into a sitting position. Her body was limp in his arms. 

"Come on, kid," Bob whispered to her. "Wake up. We need you."

Bob shook her gingerly, but this only caused Starfire's head to jostle back and forth. As her chin slumped forward, Bob understood that she would be inert for some time. Gently, he lay her on her back on the ground, and stood up. An immense rumbling filled the air as a streak of purple light came blasting towards him. 

Bob tensed and exhaled a deep breath, clenching his eyes shut in concentration. He had to be ready to protect Starfire. Even if she was a woman he barely knew, even if there was an entire battle raging around him, he would not allow her to be struck down in cold blood by her own sister. Not while he could stop it. 

Blackfire surged towards him at a shocking speed, but Mr. Incredible had known she would come. He sidestepped, feeling the shock of air blast back his scant hairline. Reaching out with a free hand, he clasped her ankle firmly. The sheer force of Blackfire's inertia nearly ripped his arm out of the socket. Screaming with exertion, he pulled her backward, spinning her around and around, feeling like he was wielding the world's deadliest sling. Finally, seeing a good area to let loose, he released her foot.