Countdown. Part 20

"No problem." Harley cranked her rifle up to full power. "Step aside, short stack!"

The muzzle of the weapon flared brightly. Mary dived out of the way. Energy crackled loudly as a bright orange beam blew open the door. Mary threw up her arm to protect her eyes from the flash, but as the glare faded, a stronger, even more intense light emanated from whatever lay beyond the ruptured door. She stepped uncertainly into the effulgent glow. The pure white light bathed her wide-eyed face.

"Wow."

She squinted into the light. The dazzling illumination was almost too bright to look at directly, but she could vaguely make out a mult.i.tude of humanoid figures suspended in some kind of high-tech alien vault. Arcane symbols, pulsing with mystic energy, were engraved upon the crystalline walls. A pair of mammoth braziers flanked the vault, spewing flames toward the ceiling. The very air seemed charged with static electricity. The light seemed to come from the figures themselves, while the vault appeared to stretch on for miles. The figures hung in midair, held in place by blinking strands of circuitry and raw energy. They looked like fireflies caught in a futuristic web. Agonized voices echoed inside her brain.

Help us, Mary Batson. Free us from these h.e.l.lish bonds.

Holly and Harley entered the vault behind Mary. "That's them?" Holly asked in a hushed voice. "The G.o.ds?"

Mary nodded. "The entire pantheon."

"I don't suppose they have any all-knowing advice on how to pick the lock?" Harley asked, showing no more reverence in the presence of genuine deities than she ever did. " ' Cause I left my cosmic keys in my other armor." She raised her rifle and took aim at a flashing piece of apparatus at the center of the matrix. "Aw, what the heck? Let's just blow the thing up. . . ."

"Hey!" Holly reached out and lowered the barrel of the rifle. "Enough with the guns already!"

"What?" Harley protested. "It worked before! I was all zzzakkkk! And the door went all-"

"Harley!" The redhead's voice took on a warning edge.

Her companions' bickering barely registered on Mary's consciousness. She murmured softly as the trapped G.o.ds called out to her from their unholy captivity. "Really? But I'm not . . . I mean, I don't have that power anymore.... All right, if you say so . . ."

"Please tell me you're talking to them and not to yourself," Holly said. She looked like she was having second thoughts about this whole escapade. Mary couldn't blame her; they were a long way from the East End of Gotham. Holly was definitely out of her element.

"Don't worry," Mary said. "I know what to do, but you might want to move back in case this actually works." Without further explanation, she knelt before the glowing matrix and bowed her head in respect. She took a deep breath. Despite the G.o.ds' urging, she wasn't absolutely convinced that this wasn't a waste of time. She whispered tentatively. "Er . . . Shazam?"

Thunder boomed in the alien vault. Lightning struck from the heavens.

And Mary Marvel was reborn.

Not the dark Mary Marvel, born of Black Adam's tainted magic and Eclipso's seductive wiles, but the bright and shiny Mary Marvel of old. The World's Mightiest Maid rose triumphantly from her knees. Her grimy smock had been transformed into a pristine white dress that wasn't nearly as tight as the slinky black sheath had been. A gray thunderbolt was emblazoned on her chest, perhaps as a reminder of her brief flirtation with darkness. A short white cape with golden trim framed her trim figure. A golden sash belted her waist. Golden boots and wristbands completed the outfit.

"Great," Harley cracked. "I don't think I'll be able to smack her around anymore."

Mary felt the untainted power of the G.o.ds coursing through her. Her throat tightened. A single tear traced its way down her cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

No longer confined within the vault, the G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses of ancient Greece appeared before the awestruck women. Their luminous figures towered above Mary and the others, transcending the confines of the s.p.a.cious chamber. All-powerful Zeus, King of the G.o.ds, stood in the forefront of the pantheon, while the other Olympians spread out behind him. Athena-the real Athena-reigned at her father's right hand. A magnificent crested helmet graced her head. Her sacred Aegis shone as brightly as the Golden Fleece. An owl, the eternal symbol of wisdom, perched upon her strong right arm. Her cool gray eyes regarded the women before her.

"The faith of your kind has been the G.o.ds' ever-present joy," the G.o.ddess said warmly. "Now our imprisonment has come to an end, and vengeance will be wrought upon the head of our captors."

"Whoa!" Holly exclaimed. "She is so much more impressive than that phony."

Harley backed away nervously. "I hope this was a good idea."

"I came as quickly as I could," Mary said. Staring at the G.o.ds in all their glory, she couldn't help wondering how Darkseid and Granny Goodness had managed to capture them in the first place. Were the New G.o.ds truly that powerful? Mary felt out of her league. "I still find favor in your eyes? I thought you had forsaken me."

Athena spoke for the G.o.ds. "You were tested, child, not abandoned. Your trials were perilous and, for a time, you strayed from the light, but having freed us, we grant you absolution."

"Now, hold on one minute!" Harley objected. "We totally helped! And there was plenty of peril on our end." She stepped up beside Mary. "I mean, we fought, like, a gajillion ugly-faced monsters and whatnot!"

Holly looked utterly mortified and appalled. "Harley, shut it! Don't p.i.s.s off the G.o.ds!"

Two more G.o.ddesses came forward from the pantheon. "The feisty one, known as Harley Quinn, amuses Thalia," said a redheaded, curly-haired deity whose sly face bore an impish smile. Her pink cheeks were flushed with merriment. She clutched the Mask of Comedy against her bosom. "And these mortals have not yet completed their trials."

Diana, G.o.ddess of the hunt, agreed. Bangs of light brown hair hung above silver eyes that gleamed like moonlight. A quiver of arrows was slung over her shoulder. Anger colored her voice. "The foul New G.o.d who imprisoned us yet prospers."

"Though you have fared well thus far," Thalia declared, "no mortal flesh can stand against a New G.o.d and survive." She glanced at Zeus, who gravely nodded his approval. "So shall we grant you power to combat our enemies and see them punished for their transgression!"

Rays of divine magic shot from the G.o.ddesses' eyes at Harley and Holly respectively. Twin nimbuses of golden light enveloped both women, briefly hiding them from Mary's view. She stared in wonder at the unexpected miracle taking place before her eyes. Okay, this I didn't see coming.

The light withdrew back into Thalia's sparkling green eyes. "Harley Quinn, I grant you a small portion of the cunning of Thalia, muse of comedy!"

"Ohmi . . . G.o.ds!" Harley burbled in delight. Transformed by the muse's gift, she now wore a comic variation on the Amazon armor that bore a distinct resemblance to her old super-villain costume. Her bright yellow pigtails poked through the dome of a bright red helmet with two large eye holes. Intricate engravings on her banded steel collar depicted slapstick scenes from ancient Greek farces. Her breastplate and leather skirt gleamed as though brand-new. The toes of her boots curved upward in a pixieish fashion. Her stolen rifle had been replaced by a ridiculously oversized mallet, so that she looked like a cross between a female gladiator and a clown.

That sounds about right, Mary thought.

"And I, Diana," the other G.o.ddess proclaimed, "grant Holly Robinson a portion of my strength and skill as a huntress!"

The redheaded runaway had also been transformed. A lightweight tunic of the finest white doeskin showed off her lithe figure. A quiver of silver arrows rested against her back. A polished wooden bow now occupied her hand. But more than just her attire and arms had changed; Holly herself had undergone a subtle metamorphosis. Slitted yellow eyes, tapered ears, and sharpened fangs gave her an unmistakably feline appearance. No longer just a sidekick or surrogate, Holly was now truly a catwoman.

"Uh . . . thanks?" she said uncertainly.

APOKOLIPS.

A blazing yellow bolt of lightning tore apart the turbid red sky, momentarily lighting up the wretched city below. Thunder reverberated across the Armagetto.

"Whoa!" Jason exclaimed. "That's not regular lightning!"

It most certainly is not, Donna thought. She and Jason watched the fireworks from the roof of the workhouse. The intense glare left spots dancing in her vision, but that wasn't all; Donna had dwelt too long among the Amazons, as well as the t.i.tans of Myth, not to recognize the power of the G.o.ds at work. She had seen lightning like this before.

"Shazam," she whispered.

Jason's eyes widened behind his mask. "You think . . . ?"

"Yep," Donna said. For the first time since the Monitor abandoned them, hope surged inside her. "I do."

Jason scratched his head. "But what would Captain Marvel be doing on Apokolips?"

Raising her hand to shield her eyes from the stormy sky above, Donna squinted at a forbidding stone edifice several blocks away. As nearly as she could tell, the mystical thunderbolt had struck one of Granny Goodness's notorious orphanages. Smoke and flames rose from the damaged building. A sign of the G.o.ds' displeasure?

"Let's find out," Donna said. Lifting Jason into her arms, she soared off the roof of the workhouse toward the site of the disaster.

Here's hoping lightning doesn't strike twice.

Granny Goodness fled her orphanage. An honor guard of Parademons accompanied the distressed crone as she scurried through the squalid alleys of the Armagetto. "This is a travesty!" she fumed aloud, aghast at the sheer ignominy of her retreat. "I can't believe those miserable vermin actually freed the G.o.ds!"

"Hurry, Granny!" the commander of the guard urged her. His goggled eyes nervously swept the vicinity. "We must get you to a safe location. Ahead lies Darkseid's keep, and no force in the universe, not even the Terran G.o.ds, can penetrate its defens-AWK!"

A silver arrow pierced his shoulder, cutting off his pleas. Granny looked up in dismay as Mary Marvel and her allies descended from the rooftop of an adjacent techno-temple. "Who you calling 'vermin,' you ugly old goat?" Holly jeered as she drew another arrow from her quiver. The three women fell upon the startled Parademons like the champions they were. Energy-blasts exploded uselessly against Mary's chest as her fist struck with the strength of Hippolyta herself. Harley swung her clown-sized mallet with devastating effect. Arrows flew from Holly's bow with superhuman speed and accuracy. Holy Moley, Mary thought. She could give Green Arrow a run for his money!

"Hey, Granny!" Harley hollered. "Why don't you act your age and die?"

The girls' startling transformations did not escape Granny's notice. "The G.o.ds . . . they gave you . . ."

"Superpowers!" Harley crowed. She walloped another Parademon with her mallet. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Granny abandoned her guards. "Sacrifice your lives for Granny!" she exhorted as she fled as fast as her aged legs could carry her. Rallying to the cause, the remaining guards formed a line to defend Granny's retreat. They aimed their rifles at the female invaders.

"Fire!" the highest-ranking lieutenant commanded. "For Granny!"

An arrow struck him in the forehead and he toppled lifelessly onto the pavement. His sudden demise shattered the resolve of the surviving Parademons, who broke ranks and fled frantically into the nearest murky alleys. Their dead and wounded comrades were left to the tender mercies of their foes.

"Holly!" Mary cried out in protest. "I said no killing!" She had been counting on Holly to keep Harley's homicidal tendencies in check, but it seemed that the redheaded catwoman had acquired some of the ruthlessness of Diana the Huntress along with her new weapons and abilities. This could be a problem, she thought.

Holly shrugged. "Get over it, kid. We're at war."

"Umm, guys," Harley interrupted. She peered down the grungy avenue before them. Clouds of noxious smog obscured the view. "The disease-ridden toilet-licker has run off."

"No problem." Holly sniffed the polluted air. "I've got her scent."

Harley made a face. "Eww!"

A low growl escaped Holly's lips as she sprinted down the alley after Granny. Harley hurried after her on foot, while Mary soared above the grimy pavement. "But seriously now," Harley asked, "you can really smell the old bag's trail?"

"Yes," Holly snarled, "and, actually, she does smell like a disease-ridden toilet-licker."

Mary found that to be way too much information. "Do I want to know how you know what that smells like?"

"I used to be a junkie," Holly admitted casually. "In another life." Her slitted eyes narrowed as she spotted her prey. "And there's our heifer, hoofing for that big building up there."

Darkseid's somber fortress loomed ahead of them. Mary suppressed a shudder as she recalled her previous visit to the Dark Lord's inner sanctum. Had that been only a few weeks ago? She flew faster, anxious to catch up with Granny before the evil old woman gained the safety of the stronghold. New powers or not, Mary was in no hurry to take on Darkseid himself again.

To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure what to do with Granny if and when they ran her to ground; it wasn't as if they could exactly turn her over to the local authorities. Maybe we can just teach her a lesson before forcing her to send us back home? She hoped, for the other girls' sake, if not for Granny's, that she could stop Holly and Harley from killing Granny in the name of the G.o.ds. I can't let them get carried away with their new powers the way I was.

But before the women could intercept Granny, a blinding light suddenly manifested in the desperate harridan's path. The intensity of the glare was such that Mary was forced to avert her eyes, but not before glimpsing the silhouette of a masculine figure at the center of the light. For a second, Mary thought that maybe Zeus himself had decided to personally punish Granny for her sins, but she sensed nothing familiar about the presence before her.

"Umm, who is that guy?" Harley asked. She and the other girls halted in their tracks, daunted by this unexpected new development. They backed away instinctively.

"I don't know," Holly said, "but I hope he's on our side."

Me too, Mary thought.

"You . . . ?" Granny blurted. Judging by the quaver in her voice, she recognized the newcomer. She threw up her gnarled hands in defense.

The unearthly voice that issued from the incandescent figure was not one that Mary had ever heard before. "Granny Goodness, your orphanage is in ruins; your world is on the brink of becoming something entirely new. The Fourth World ends and with it comes the extinction of the New G.o.ds!"

A searing bolt of golden energy engulfed Granny, incinerating her instantly. Squinting into the glare with watery eyes, Mary caught a fleeting glimpse of the crone's charred skeleton before Granny's remains disintegrated into ashes. Suddenly, stopping Mary's companions from killing the old woman was no longer an issue.

Granny Goodness was no more.

His work done, the luminous figure launched himself into the lurid red sky above, swiftly disappearing from sight. Mary didn't even think about flying after him.

Holy Moley! she thought. What was that all about?

The three girls stared speechlessly at the smoldering embers. "Wow!" Harley said finally. "It's like when the big fish eats the little fish and then a bigger fish eats the big fish. I know, 'cause I used to feed goldfish to Mister J's piranhas."

Holly sighed wearily. "Shut and up and stay away from that fire."

"I have powers now," Harley pouted, "so be nice!"

Mary's eyes gazed up at the heavens, where no trace of the killer's glowing trail remained. "Who was that?"

"Who cares?" Holly lowered her bow. "He saved us the trouble of offing Granny ourselves."

"That's great and all," Mary said. "But wasn't Granny our ticket home?"

Silence ensued as the truth sank in. Granted, Mary figured she could probably fly all the way back to Earth if she had to, like she had after defying Eclipso. But, despite their sometimes annoying personalities, she wasn't about to leave the other two girls stranded on Apokolips. Besides, she thought, last time, I had the magic of both Black Adam and Isis to speed me home. This time I wouldn't be able to rely on any powers other than my own.

Harley could only manage to take their dilemma seriously for a moment or two. "Not to worry; we've got powers, remember? We can find another way." Turning away from Darkseid's fortress, she blithely took off down a random alley. "C'mon."

The humor in the situation was not lost on Mary. She exchanged a wry look with Holly. "We're back to following her again?"

Holly shrugged. "The good news is she tends to fall into-"

They rounded a corner and skidded to a halt, almost b.u.mping into Harley, who was staring goggle-eyed up at the sky, where an attractive brunette in a sparkly black leotard hovered above the alley. Her bare arms cradled a young man wearing a black leather jacket. A crimson domino mask concealed the youth's ident.i.ty.

"Mary Marvel?" Donna Troy gasped in surprise.

9 AND COUNTING.

APOKOLIPS.

Darkseid removed Granny Goodness from the chessboard.

"The clock is counting down to its final moments," he declared. "Our game draws near its end, as does reality as we know it."

Solomon glowered at Darkseid from the other side of the board. "The death of the Fourth World does not concern you?"

"Unlike you, Monitor, my vision extends beyond the fifty-two realities." Darkseid repositioned Jimmy Olsen upon the board. "All things must end, true, but they will do so on my terms." He stepped back to take a look at the larger picture. "Take consolation in the fact that you never stood a chance against me."

"Your arrogance betrays you," Solomon accused. He reached for the Atom. "I still have pieces in play."

Ouch! the Atom thought as the Monitor's giant fingers squeezed his ribs. He clenched his teeth to keep from crying out as Solomon moved him across the board. The doll-sized hero tried not to move a muscle; the last thing he wanted was for Darkseid to realize that he wasn't just a playing piece but the genuine article. All the better to spy on you, you monster.

He still hadn't forgiven Solomon for murdering Barry Allen, but, where Darkseid was concerned, it wasn't hard to figure out who the greater of the two evils was here. If the fearsome master of Apokolips had some nefarious new master plan in the works, the Atom wanted to know all about it.

Good thing I kept a miniaturized version of my costume in my belt buckle!