Earth's Last Defence [DEFENDERS OF EARTH BOOK IV]

The Battle for Earth

Rorschach dusted off his coat, picked up his hat and placed it on his head. He looked out at the streets- Corps members blasted the streets, chasing Spider-Man. Luke Cage and Deathstroke were in the middle of a road, fending off the enemy. Nightwing and Batgirl were fighting on a rooftop opposite him. The Punisher was shooting a sub machine gun at a couple of Corps members in an alley. Batman was tearing through the streets in the Batmobile, dodging whatever constructs the Lanterns threw at him. Spawn was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, the beast-like Lantern Rorschach had kicked in the head rose up again, glaring at the vigilante.
"Filthy tricks, human." Growled the Lantern. "Nothing else to offer but filthy tricks." He hovered slowly towards Rorschach, who looked down at the shards of glass on the floor below the alien's feet.
Suddenly, from behind them, Spawn was flung onto a rooftop. He threw a Lantern through a building, and grabbed another by the throat. The beast-like Lantern's attention drifted to the noise behind him for a split second- which was all Rorschach needed. He grabbed a shard, and as soon as the beast shot his head back to the vigilante, he sliced his throat, causing blood to trickle down his neck and onto his costume. He collapsed onto the floor, lifeless. There was the sound of a roaring engine outside, and the vigilante glanced out of the shattered window.

Batman screeched the Batmobile around the corner, narrowly missing the blasts which came his way. He fired several flares out of the back of the vehicle, catching two of them directly. The other two narrowly dodged the flares and fired back in response. Batman acted quickly, spinning the car around and firing two shock nets at them, entangling them in the netting just before being shocked unconscious.

"Somebody give me a status report." Batman said into the comms unit.

"They're not letting anything slide. They're not underestimating us anymore." Spider-Man replied.

"Funny." Came Rorschach's monotone voice. "Encounter with one of them. Underestimated me. Now has to deal with a cut neck."

"Charming." Nightwing interjected. "They're focusing Simmons, of course, but they aren't letting anyone get near him. They're not the only ones who have learned since the first encounter."

"So nobody can get near Al?" Batman questioned.

"Not necessarily." Luke Cage spoke up. "Get me close and I can make an opening. Then someone can go in and help the guy out."

"Sounds like a plan." Deathstroke said. "Where is the demon?"

"Just inside the Steel Mill." Nightwing said. "You sure you got this?"

"Thanks for your concern, boy." Slade replied. "But I don't need any of it. These yellow-clad bastards won't expect me."

From down the road, Batman could see Deathstroke battling against three Corps members with his sword. He dodged whatever constructs they made, and slashed back with unrelenting fury. He flipped over one of them, stabbing him in the back, lodging the sword in his chest. The next one he uppercutted, then took out a dagger and slashed her chest, just before kicking her in the face. He took the sword out of the Lantern, not aware that the third one was coming up behind him. A large saw blade was constructed, and he sent it Slade's way.

Batman accelerated towards the two, causing Slade to flip away. The Batmobile hit the Yellow Lantern at an immense speed, and sent him flying into a corner store. Deathstroke landed on the top of the Batmobile.

"What the hell?" Wilson asked via comms.

"On foot, you won't get to the Steel Mill for about 15 minutes, and that's ignoring whatever resistance you'd encounter along the way." Batman replied, moving the car forwards again. "I'd advise you hand on tightly to the fins on the top."