Chapter 77 : Supergirl intervenes... again !

[Author note : Ned will be seen on and off for a few chapters. And then, he'll be back for good (kinda) by chapter 82. By that, I mean that he will once again be the main subject and character of the chapters.

You can find me on Patréon (e instead of é) by searching for Cathbel on their website. There, you can read more stories and earlier chapters of this one (10 chapters ahead). Enjoy !]

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The fight had been raging on for a little while now and despite their superior numbers, the Titans barely held the upper hand. Thankfully, the three metas they were fighting had pretty similar power sets. They shared enhanced physical abilities and durability with a few differences between the three. The Ravager had the best senses and battle sense ; she was experienced, precise in the use of her powers, and reacted quite well. Ridge was the strongest, but also the one most reluctant to fight. He also seemed to be injured. As for Grunge… Well, he was arrogant, a braggart and kind of a meat-head. He only used his shape-shifting abilities in a straightforward manner : to enhance his strike and physique even further.

The problem for them was… They simply didn't have enough firepower, so to speak. Wonder Girl hit quite hard, but not hard enough to take anyone out beside Ravager… And the white-haired woman was too skillful to be taken down by Cassie.

Kid Flash and Robin were too weak. Since the speedster still had his speed, it didn't bother him too much, but it frustrated the Boy Wonder a great deal. Especially since his mind could see several ways to win the fight… He just couldn't implement with his limited means. If only he had better tools !

Solstice and Bunker… They were pretty strong. However, the latino soon found out that his psionic brick constructs were completely ineffective against Grunge. And once it was known, Grunge blocked everything the purple-wearing teen threw at the trio. As for Solstice, although she was fighting, she didn't seem all that into it. The aim of her photon blast were all over the place, as if she wasn't truly aiming, or she did so with her eyes closed.

Dodging a rock thrown by Ridge, Robin landed from his somersault by continuing to move. One thing his mentor drilled early was, in a fight, staying mobile was imperative. As he did, he gritted his teeth, trying to figure a way out or through…

And then, suddenly, help fell on their lap…

* * * * *

Supergirl was still fidgeting and grimacing, the sensation of being a coward growing in her as she observed and listened to the fight thousands of feet of distance from it. And then, she saw how one of them, probably growing irritated by the speed and agility of his opponents, started throwing rocks and anything he could get his hands on.

Like a lightbulb being turned on, her face lit up and she smacked herself in the forehead with a loud slapping sound. She muttered :

« I don't have to approach them ! »

Turning her face in the general direction of the fight, her gaze hardened, turning sharp and focused. She lowered her head, raised her arms in the same direction… And with a 'whoosh' she soared.

* * * * *

Rose was disrupting the battlefield with her firearms, preventing her opponents from mounting a meaningful offensive. She shouldn't have bothered, she thought a few times… These were really just kids. Except maybe for Robin, someone the leader of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. was not interested in, all the others had no experience, no tactical awareness or thought-process.

They approached this battle like they would any street-fight. Well… To be honest, most Metas and aliens with powers acted the same way. Why learn martial arts when you could break boulders with a light push of your fingers ? Why bother studying tactics when they could take on dozens of normal people at the same time ? It was much easier, and more efficient in their mind to simply work on honing their powers… If they decided to work on it at all. Some were too arrogant and stupid, considering themselves superior because they were born with a physical advantage…

That's why she respected Robin, actually. The kid was… impressive ! Despite her training and experience, despite her physical advantages over him, she had yet to truly win against him. Until now, the only conclusion they reached since the last encounter was a tie.

Suddenly, from the corner of a her eye, Rose spotted movement on the horizon, followed soon by a red flash… She tried to dodge but whatever attacked, attacked at the speed of light. She cried out, clutching a second later at her sigh, where the smell of burning flesh rose up. For just an instant, she wondered what happened… And then, she understood. Her suspicions were confirmed when a recognizable figure stood hovering just out of range of her weapons.

Supergirl, her cape flapping in the cold wind of the south pole, standing in the air like a god or a gravure model straight out of a sci-fi commercial… Her costume left little to the imagination : a form-fitting leotard opened around the thighs and arms, thigh-high red and gold boots. Her body was that of a still maturing woman. Her hair, swept by the wind, were straight, shoulder-length.

However, more than her otherworldly beauty and youthful appearance, it was the red glowing eyes that drew Rose's attention. She didn't know where those peepers were pointing, but in doubt, she decided to hide behind a boulder. Not that it would help much… The Kryptonians were known to see through flesh and most matter.

A series of short bursts of heat vision fired on and around the other two. While Grunge continued to fight obliviously until one stopped him short, Ridge ran for cover as soon as he saw one impacting the ground not far from him.

The Titans froze in surprise. Robin was the first to recover : he raised his head and spotted Supergirl's floating form. He gave her a nod before rushing after their opponents.

The Kryptonian could hear him yelling orders at his teammates. In a lower tone of voice, he also muttered something…

« Always stay mobile. »

Although it sounded like a mantra since he repeated it a few times in the next seconds, Kara thought it was actually something he told for her specifically. Quickly, she thought about why and what would the point be. Even though she believed to be far enough away that Ravager would be able to harm her with Kryptonite, moving about would decrease the likelihood even further. Moreover, if it would also allow her to approach from time to time, for better aim… Still she was a bit reluctant and anxious to do so.

Solstice imitated the Girl of Steel, firing a barrage of photon blasts after Ridge's retreating figure. Actually, however, a few times Robin's pursuit was halted because of a 'bad' shot crossing or digging a small hole in his path. It became rather obvious at this point that Solstice was more of a hindrance in this fight that anything else.

Kid Flash didn't have Robin's problem. For some reason, the girl made of clouds and lightining seemed to avoid 'accidentally' firing in his direction. Then again, it was pretty pointless. Although he couldn't run as fast as light (or at least, Robin didn't believe so), he was still fast enough to swerve and dodge before Solstice even aimed where he was headed.

Bunker assembled a few floating bricks to make a wall and jumped on it, manipulating it to float up over the ground, heading toward the rock outcroppings where Ridge and Rose were hiding. Grunge was still groaning and getting up, but since his powers were useless against the guy, Miguel decided he would better serve fighting the other two.

As Robin stopped his run after he was slowed for the fifth time, he turned and glared at his so-called ally. After a quick glance back, he stomped his way angrily toward the Indian girl.

It was time for it to stop ! He intended to get answers. Either she gave them to him, or… Robin wasn't sure. He'd just make it up as he went.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, Ridge and Rose rejoined… Sort of. They were each hiding in the same general vicinity, but Rose ordered Ridge to stay as far back as possible while staying hidden. She was stalling for time. Hopefully, Leash and Warblade would come to reinforce them, soon.

If not, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had probably sent another team by now. The chopper's transponder had either gone dark, or notified that something went wrong. The sudden dip in the data sent by their altimeter would have clued them in on their crash. It was only a matter of time before more people were sent. Perhaps, the rest of their team…

What Rose didn't expect, was for the Big Boss to come himself.

« Looks like you need a hand… » A calm and yet intimidating voice suddenly said, alerting them to his presence.

It was Ridge's turn to freeze. In fear, this time. She was here ! And so was He !