Rescue Mission

Despite his contempt for the betrayer who colluded with aliens to sell out his own kind, Jay's urgency to confirm his father's presence in the cell overrode all else. Symbolically breaking the man's leg to prevent escape, he left his howls echoing in the lab as he dashed into the murky cell.

"Dad? Are you here?"

"Jay? Is that you?"

The response came from a dark corner where Mr. Reynolds sat propped against the wall, weak but human-shaped, to Jay's immense relief. He had worried his father might have been transformed into a monstrous being—thankfully, that was one less problem to address.

Spotting Jay, Mr. Reynolds's face lit up with hope. Trying to muster some strength, he sat up, the chains on his wrist clinking. Jay, seeing his father looking aged and frail, felt a pang in his heart. "Hang on a second," he said softly, tearing the chains with ease and helping his father to his feet.

As Kara quickly freed the others, she asked, "Can everyone walk? We can take you out of here."

Hope rekindled in the dim eyes of the captives, sparse replies emerged from the group. Jay felt a twinge of guilt; the elation of finding his father had made him momentarily forget the other hostages. He had jumped into the time-space portal solely to rescue his dad, not intending to play the hero. Had Kara not been there, he might have made a different choice.

After ensuring Mr. Reynolds was stable, Jay joined Kara in breaking the other captives' shackles. As they emerged from the cell, Kevin Morgan was still on the ground, wailing.

Jay hoisted him up, slamming him against the lab wall. Kevin, seeing stars and not waiting to be questioned, blurted out, "Stop! I'll tell you everything."

Time was of the essence, so Jay asked only the most crucial question: "How do we get out of here?"

"Take that corridor to the end, turn left, you'll see a hangar," Kevin sobbed, a mess of snot and tears. "Pick any vehicle, and fly out."

"And how do we get back to Earth?"

"The same way we came," he replied. "There are three stable portals to Earth; I only know the one from the scrapyard—that's where we usually dump captives from Earth. Warworld has people who receive on the other side, picking those they like and tossing the rest to Tralock."

"So, we have to go back the way we came," Jay tossed Kevin aside and turned to leave. "Thanks for the tip."

"Wait!" Kevin pleaded, attempting to crawl after them despite his pain. "Don't leave me! Mongul will kill me!"

"Mongul?" Jay frowned. "So, he's the one in charge of Warworld."

Mongul, a notorious tyrant in the DC Universe and ruler of Warworld, was a formidable adversary typically facing off against Superman and the Green Lantern Corps. If Jay had to list the villains he least wanted to cross in the DC universe, Mongul would certainly make the cut.

Yet, it seemed he'd already crossed paths with the despot.

Disgusted, Jay merely replied coldly, "Good luck with that."

Ignoring the wretched man's cries, Jay led the hostages briskly out of the lab.

The group's conspicuous escape through the control tower didn't go unnoticed. After Jay and Kara effortlessly dispatched a couple of guards, alarms blared. The control center locked down all sections of the tower, dispatching guards to the danger zone—but to no avail. Jay and Kara knocked out every patrol within seconds, tearing open heavily reinforced doors as if they were paper, unstoppable on their way to the hangar.

Once in the hangar, an array of alien vehicles met their gaze. Jay's query on who knew how to fly was met with silence until Kara stepped forward, activating a sleek silver craft. Though only about two meters long, the vessel had a slim shape, accommodating despite its small size. With wings like a flying car, it seemed a bizarre yet fitting escape option.

Jay watched Kara confidently enter the cockpit and take hold of the controls. "You know how to fly this?"

"Sort of," she shrugged. "This model is common in the universe's composite cities. My dad taught me once. Can you tear open the hangar door?"

"One time?" Jay's confidence wavered, but he did as asked, tearing a Jay-sized hole for their escape. Kara's single lesson sounded as if it were a leisurely drive around a parking lot—a far cry from their current perilous situation.

"Once," Kara repeated, taking a deep breath as she glanced at Jay returning to the cabin. "But at least I remember how to get it moving. Hold on, everyone!"

With a burst of blue flame, the craft surged forward, Kara steering it through the gap with the finesse of an escaped bird, only to rapidly dip downward.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled back on the controls, narrowly averting a crash, skimming just above the heads of startled alien pedestrians. "Seems a bit heavy. But I think it'll hold until we reach our destination."

The craft steadied, only to shudder again as if struck. Below, they left a deep gash on the roof of a building, while six spherical ships pursued them, manned by Warworld soldiers. The enemy vessels unleashed a barrage of laser fire, closing in fast.

"Uh, bad news," Jay peered through the rear glass. "We've got company, and they're a lot faster than us."