42 Attack of the Flying Birb People part - 5/7

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Caitlin trudged up beside him as they walked through Hudson's empty park grounds.

"When were you going to tell me you had were buddy buddy with heroes?"

He suddenly paused in his step, forcing her to follow as well. Cadmus turned to face her, allowing the prominent difference in their size to explain her error. She averted her eyes.

"One, I have no history with the heroes." He stuck up his index finger. "And two," the second finger followed suit. "I'll tell you the information you need to know when you need to know it. In this case, never."

"I didn't sign up to play hero and save the world you know."

Impertinent and arrogant. He frowned internally. If she were any less interesting, he wouldn't have hesitated to put her down. That didn't mean he wouldn't give her a constructive lesson once this was over.

"You swore an oath to me," he said meaningfully, and Frost's face fell. "Where I say we go, we go."

"You know what? Fine. Forget I said anything, shouldn't be too hard for you. What's this thing about going to Nevada to fight off a fuck ton of aliens? I don't know if you know but ice doesn't do well in the desert."

"What, scared of a little heat, Frost?"

The villainess scowled. "No, but it's not pleasant to feel yourself melting like a popsicle."

Her words spun an image of Frost melting into a puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West. "Please, merciful master, save me, I'm melting!"

Cadmus couldn't suppress a snicker at the thought.

Of course, the vision quickly became more sensual, as most of his thoughts now tended to.

Caitlin's long legs were thrown over his shoulders as he ravaged her with abandon. Reluctant cries of ecstasy spilled from her lips as her body which shone the thin sheen of exertion shook so vividly with each thrust.

"-ello, Hello! You there?" Cadmus blinked, suddenly aware of the subject of his thoughts waving her hand in his face.

He cleared his throat loudly. "I'm fine, just lost in thought."

"Great, psychotic and he spaces out, this will go great." She muttered before storming forward, unknowingly torturing him more with the sight of two bountiful cheeks thrust into motion with each step.

This woman will drive me mad. Cadmus thought.

"How are we even going to get to Nevada anyway?" Frost turned around and planted her hands on her hips.

It was a good question, Cadmus could admit.

Nevada was almost two thousand miles west. He'd once escaped Themiscyra to the East Coast but that could have been a fluke, and he had no desire to see what would happen if the path disappeared while he was walking on it.

There was another option, a possibly insane solution that sprouted spontaneously in his mind. Gaea. The earth could take him anywhere that he wanted, well, on the earth.

From all the things Cadmus knew about his very absent, and at the same uncomfortably present grandmother, he didn't get the feeling she gave free rides, or that she charged money for the trip.

How could he even go about asking for her aid? The very earth itself? What kind of sacrifice could even warrant her attention when all of life and death occurred because of her? What could a god grant to another? Loyalty, Filial Piety?

Supplication. The answer came to him with a sudden definitivess. Reverance and veneration were the only things that could stir the Earth mother.

Cadmus fell to a knee and placed a hand into the ground, digging his fist into the dirt and grass, feeling the life teeming within each inch of soil that he held his in grasp.

Gaea, I plead for your help.

For a moment nothing happened. Then the wind howled in his ears, the sound of a woman laughing with faint amusement hidden in its gales.

"Bold...perhaps too bold. Acting with rashness invites the mountains and stars to fall upon you for rising too high..too fast. You once asked for my blessing," the voice said, dreamy and drowning. "Expunge this rot, and perhaps I will give it to you."

The ground suddenly opened beneath his feet, revealing a yawning chasm with no end in sight.

He heard Frost scream in fright and then Cadmus fell into the darkness, swallowed whole by the earth.

Cadmus didn't know how long he was underground, all he was aware of was the rushing current of dirt and wind whistling all around, a twisting and leaping maze that continued without end.

Suddenly, the direction shifted and gravity pulled against him. He was going upwards to the surface. Cadmus gasped in a lungful of air as he popped above ground with a great crack scattering sand and dirt and dust in every direction.

He doubled over and hacked up a lungful of dirt, wiping away what remained with the back of his fist. He turned to look at his surroundings and saw desert all around, golden sands stretching out to the horizon in every direction.

"Oh, my head," Cadmus looked in the direction of the sound and saw Frost slowly clambering to her feet, clutching her head. Dirt stains matted her clothes like she'd just taken an unexpected mud bath. "What the hell was that?" she groused.

"Our ride," Cadmus replied. He closed his eyes and gave a silent heartfelt thank you. The only response was a hum carried by the hum of shifting sands.

"And what the fuck is that?" Frost pointed her finger in the air.

Hovering right above them was a gargantuan spaceship that stretched hundreds of meters in length, casting a shadow that spanned the horizon. Thanagarian battle banners fluttered from its many towers and hundreds of rutters and cannons slowly swiveled across its underbelly.

Directly below was a strange circular construct that only rose a few meters into the air, but was as wide as the ship above it. Scaffolds and forklifts and other pieces of construction equipment were scattered all around its permiter like children's toys. Even from here, Cadmus could feel the vibrating sensation of the machine slowly whirring to life.

"That would be our target."

"Might as well go home now. What are we supposed to do against that thing?"

"If you'd be quiet, that's what I'm figuring out."

The ship hovered protectively over the construct down below, meaning it was likely that was the actual target. Cadmus examined the device and caught sight of a shimmering field in the sunlight that stretched up all the way to the ship.

A forcefield. Great.

He'd have to take the ship down, or at least disable its infrastructure to bring the force field down.

But how? No amount of conventional firepower would put a dent in that thing, and he doubted it would be coming down anytime soon. Unless? No that would be insane.

"What insane plan are you thinking up now?"

"One that should be fun for me at least."

Cadmus stepped forward into the shadow of the colossus.

What I do now, I do in your name, oh Gaea. Watch over me this moment. The Titan prayed.

He raised his arms in outstretched benediction, palms open and facing the sky. The coarse wind flooded his lungs. Cadmus closed his eyes, letting the world around him fall to darkness. But even without his eyes, he still saw the world that governed the one that he walked.

Countless unending threads that consumed everything in their grasp, even the metal abomination floating above. Petty concepts such as space and distance held no meaning, it may as well have been right beside him for all the difference it made.

He grabbed the ship and with all his will, forced it to bend. It protested horrible screech and groan. This was no ordinary metal, but one imbued with foreign and powerful magic. But all magic fades, and Cadmus would be damned if something as pathetic as simple magic would resist him. He tore into the mesh of spells and enchantments, picking it apart as time's ravages undid untold years of labor in the span of a heartbeat.

In the real world, the colossus' shadow shuddered and warped, the pristine steel turning rusted and cragged.

This world is not yours to claim!

Cadmus pressed down ruthlessly. Bolts unscrewed themselves and wrenched sheets of hull free. The everpresent roaring hum of engines suddenly cut off.

Fall!

Cadmus opened his eyes and watched as the flagship of the Thanagarian fleet began its inevitable plummet to the surface of Gaea. A worthy offering.

"Holy shit…how is that even possible?!" Frost asked in awe. "That shouldn't be possible."

A writhing swarm emerged from the plummeting ship Like an angry nest of hornets, frantically attempting to escape as the ship's fall became terminal, a swift decline directly for the machine it was meant to protect.

Cadmus popped his neck and withdrew Hro Talak's mace. He hoped the traitors had survived so he could deal with them personally.

"There's thousands," Frost said fearfully.

"More target practice for you."

"I wish I never met you." she bit back.

"We both know you don't mean that."

The mass of Thanagarians swept over the sky like a black curtain, stretching out and buzzing around the falling ship ineffectually, before they turned their attention upon Cadmus and began to descend suddenly.

Cadmus hefted the mace in his grip, testing its weight.

It was unnaturally light for something capable of so much destruction. He wondered just how much damage it could cause if he played around with Newton's laws just a bit.

Acceleration was a relative thing after all to the observer and Cadmus wanted to see how far he could stretch that definition. Standard physics would declare that everything in this moment lived in the same frame of reference so the relative idea of velocity and acceleration applied the same for everyone involved and was also experienced the same. But if he could shorten the time it spent in the air by even a second…well energy increased parabolically with velocity.

He set his feet like a shot putter, shoulder-width apart, and turned on his hips, turned his shoulders upwards, and with a great heave launched the mace into the swarm.

It left his hand silently disappearing into a glint of silver swallowed up amidst the descending horde.

A great concussive blast roared into existence like a thousand jet engines coming to life at the same time, shaking the ground violently and sending sand clouds as tall as ten feet high in each direction.

It made impact with a rending cry scattering shattered pieces of armor and torn viscera in each direction, and cleared a massive hole straight through the Thanagarian ranks, the same way the exit area of a bullet wound was magnitudes larger than the entry wound. Innumerable aliens fell limply to the ground below like flies with their wings plucked right off.

For a moment the Thanagarians buzzed about in confusion unsure of how to process such a grievous injury before a semblance of order was forcefully restored by the leadership among them.

Farther above, the aerial dreadnought steadily increased its speed, a skeleton of what it once was, only seconds from impact. So intense was its fall that Cadmus could feel the winds shifting in response to the intrusion.

"Going to leave any for me?" Frost asked half-jokingly, whatever fear she had banished by the wanton act of destruction she had just seen.

"By all means," Cadmus gestured to the ragged ranks of the Thanagarian invasion force that had not divided itself into discrete divisions.

With a barked command in Thanagarian, they fell upon the two of them.

Cadmus had never seen Frost's powers when really let loose.

He expected maybe a blast of frozen energy like liquid nitrogen or maybe a hail of icicles. Instead, the searing of the heat of the desert around the two of them disappeared in an instant.

Her skin took on a faint blue hue and her eyes gleamed with an iridescent brightness. She splayed her arms outwards and a howling gale picked up carrying with a biting cold.

A blizzard had just spawned in the heart of Nevada.

Thanagarians wavered and were thrown around like toys in the gales, some plummeting like a stone to the earth as ice paralyzed their wings.

The airborne army reared back in shock once more. Cadmus could hear the vengeful and outraged shouts from above as they attempted to outmaneuver the storm.

"I didn't think you could do something like this!" He said over the din of roaring wind.

"Neither did I!" She shouted back, exhilaration and concentration warring across her features. "This is awesome!"

But already the wind's chill grew weaker and the storm's fury slowly weakened with each passing moment.

Something this powerful could not be maintained for long by someone like Frost. Inevitably, gaps formed within the torrent allowing individual divisions to begin staggering through.

Frost's arms fell to her knees as she hunched over panting for breath. "I'm…gonna need a sec. That took…a lot out of me."

"Sure, take your time," Cadmus replied casually. "I'm sure they'll give us a break to catch our breath."

She looked up at gave him to what would be most people a terrifying glare. Then her eyes continued farther upwards. "Did you call in the cavalry?"

He followed her eyes and saw an incredible sight.

A dozen flying figures were rapidly approaching from the east at their lead an incandescent man dressed in burning red. Firestorm.

They plunged into the midst of the formations like a knife through butter, beams of green energy in the shapes of swords complemented by gouts of fire, and two distinct pairs of vermillion red rays added to the carnage.

It couldn't be, Cadmus thought.

The Thanagarians were thrown into disarray, all sense of organization dissolving nearly instantly.

How dare they interrupt me, he thought. This is my day to claim. Who are they to steal my glory?

Cadmus watched their path as it made directly for the falling spaceship, tearing apart the hull like wet paper. They reappeared on the other side a few seconds later just as the Thanagarian flagship struck the device below.

A massive explosion devoured everything within hundreds of feet shooting up a mushroom cloud of ash and fire that touched the very clouds, claiming many of the remaining Thanagarians still above.

His rage grew to new heights when he caught sight of something just out of the corner of his eye. It could easily have been mistaken for a trick of the light, a speck of dust or ash scattered to the winds. But from the smoke cloud of the destroyed ship, a singular figure escaped into the sky's expanse.

And he knew in his bones that it had someone that the League had just freed. And there was only one that had any reason to be aboard a Thanagarian spaceship in the middle of battle.

The traitor herself. But that only made him wonder where her fellow traitor had gone.

He would have to deal with them alone since he sincerely doubted the League would allow him to simply kill one of their own no matter who crimes they had committed. Frost would only be a liability he didn't need to manage.

Oh Gaea, if this sacrifice has satisfied you, take his woman far from here and back to where you took her from. I will give you an even greater offering.

"Frost, brace yourself." He was kind enough to at least warn her.

"Huh?" She suddenly shrieked as she disappeared into the earth below, leaving Cadmus alone.

Karter-Hol. Hawkman.

Cadmus' thoughts were completely consumed with the sole thought of finding the traitor near to him and rending him limb from limb.

But how could he find him amidst all the chaos? What happened next made Cadmus finally consider that luck may sometimes actually be on his side.

The Thanagarian sought him out. Hawkman emerged through the cloud of chaos above, diving directly for Cadmus, his mace raised high.

He rolled to the side narrowly dodging the attack and Hawkman soared back into the air, hovering a few feet above Cadmus.

The man's face pulled into a scowl and his armor bore signs of damage and tears, but there were no other injuries visible on his person.

"I'm surprised you didn't run away with your bitch," Cadmus taunted. "By the way where'd she go? Little birdie fly the coup?"

"You dare speak of her! I will not run so easily."

Cadmus did nothing to hide the incredulity in his response.

"I dare? You come to my planet and threaten to destroy it, and I dare?" He shook his head. "When I'm done with you, Thanagarian, you'll be a warning to anyone with delusions of conquering Earth."

Hawkman reared his mace back once more and plummeted downwards.

Hawkman swung downwards with a great battle cry putting all his strength behind only to gape in shock as Cadmus caught the weapon by the handle.

For a moment, Hawkman was suspended in the air by the sheer force Cadmus exerted upon the weapon. Before he could react, Cadmus took hold of Hawkman's arm with his free hand and threw him over his shoulder in a wide arc.

The Thanagarian crashed into the ground with a hard and slowly staggered to his feet, only just dodging a whistling punch that would have torn right through his breastplate. He jumped back and slowly circled Cadmus warily.

"Do you think it would be that easy?" Cadmus asked mockingly. "I thought you would be better. A soldier and a member of the Justice League and this is all you can do? Maybe I overestimated you guys."

"Underestimating an opponent can be deadly," Hawkman grunted and attacked again. Cadmus ducked under the overhead strike with prescient speed and struck his sternum, eliciting a sharp crack as bone shattered.

Hawkman winced and stumbled back. "What the-"

"You were saying something about underestimating opponents? Why, you should know all about that. You've underestimated me once before when you threw me in a hole."

Cadmus advanced once more, launching a haymaker that glanced off Hawkman's helm, he responded with his own that caught him square in the jaw. Cadmus' head shot to the side and Hawkman watched in horror as he turned back nonplussed.

"That almost tickled."