UNIVERSE BOWL VI: CHAPTER XI: THE SUPERIOR SKIES

             The U.S.S. Enterprise and Technodrome face one another, hovering in the skies above the Playoff Planet.  Aboard the Federation vessel, Charles Xavier sits in the Captain’s chair and looks to Superboy Doomsday.  Superboy Doomsday nods his head and presses a button on an access panel.  As the shaft opens, Superboy Doomsday grabs a piece of slow Kryptonite.

            “Are you sure Jessica?” asks Xavier.

            “My current powers are spectacular, but with the slow Kryptonite. . . I’ll be superior,” says Spider Woman.

            “As you wish,” states Xavier as he acknowledges the transformation which is about to transpire.

            Spider Woman holds the slow Kryptonite in her right hand and the Kryptonian powers are imbibed within Jessica Drew’s essence.  A newly enhanced Spider Woman joins her comrades, Ursa, Superboy Doomsday, Doomslayer and Steel Doomsday.  

            “We’re missing one,” growls Doomslayer.

            “Not anymore, we’re not,” says Xavier as Eradicator enters the bridge in silence.  Nova smiles at the sight of his team on the bridge.

            “Simply unstoppable,” the Nova Corpsman states.

            The spectacle of sheer power is broken as the Enterprise is barraged with the weaponry of the Technodrome’s missiles and lasers.

            “Evasive action!” demands Xavier.

            Drew quickly resumes her position at the console and her hands move across the board.  In response to her actions, the starship avoids a majority of the fearsome blasts. 

            “Launch torpedoes,” instructs Xavier.

            Vampire Jean Grey smiles as she presses the relevant buttons. 

            The torpedoes weave toward the Technodrome, rock the vessel and shatter two of its laser cannons. 

***

          
            “Phase two,” orders BL Thanos, “advance!”

            A door slides open on the Technodrome and the spirited Horsemen soar from the opening.

***

            “Anticipated,” states Xavier matter-of-factly.  “Commence positions!”

            The super beings, once in front of Professor X, race through the chamber’s doors and out of the vessel.

            “I have both posts Charles,” says Grey.

            “I know you do, Jean,” responds Xavier.

***

            Hovering above both of their respective ships, the foes smile at one another, in anticipation of an epic battle.  Eradicator, Spider Woman, Ursa, Doomslayer, Steel Doomsday, Superboy Doomsday and Nova float above the U.S.S. Enterprise while Flamebird, Krona, Superman, Scar and Kyle Rayner-Parallax hover above the Technodrome. 

            Nova instantly reacts to the sight of his enemy and flies toward Flamebird.  Flamebird smirks as she recognizes Nova as an opponent that is beneath her skills.  Nova circles Flamebird.  She laughs and reaches him in the blink of an eye. Taken off guard at Flamebird’s speed, Nova is slugged by his enemy.  Nova hurtles across the sky and finally manages to slow himself down.  He turns around and, using the remaining portion of the absorbed power of Flamebird’s punch, releases a gravimetric pulse beam at her.  Flamebird screams at the blast’s impact.  She turns around and is met by Spider Woman. 

            “I can get used to this,” Drew states about her new Kryptonian powers.  She punches Flamebird. 

            Flamebird skids across the clouds.  She recovers and glides at the Highness duo.  She focuses on Nova, who awaits her return to battle.  While Nova also focuses on Flamebird, in anticipation of another scrap, Krona flies directly behind the corpsman and unleashes his full power on him.  Nova is knocked unconscious due to the intensity of the blast and begins to fall.  Spider Woman races toward her teammate and catches him.  For Nova’s safety, she begins to carry him back to the Enterprise when she is met by Scar.  Scar lashes out at Spider Woman.  Spider Woman, stunned, drops Nova, who is ripped apart by an incoming Krona. 

            “Nova. . .” mutters a battered Spider Woman.   

 

           Drew turns around and discharges a venom blast at Scar, who is shot across the sky because of the concussive force of the eruption.  Drew then flies at Scar, anticipating a death blow being dealt by herself to the Oan.  Unfortunately, Drew does not reach Scar because she is intercepted by Krona.  Krona catches her by the hair and with his immense strength, rips her head from her body.  The headless Spider Woman follows Nova’s body to the ground below. 

“New powers. . .” says Krona, “same death.”

***

     
“A decisive blow has been dealt,” says BL Thanos to no one in particular in the Technodrome’s main cabin.

***

            “The best is yet to come,” says Xavier from the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

***

            Across the sky, Superman flies at Doomslayer.  The two begin an intense battle of not only superior strength, but of sheer will.  While the two warriors fight one another, Eradicator flies to the skirmish and uses his retained mind influence over the Kryptonian.

            “You are a lost soul Kal-El,” says Eradicator. “You are a being that has been sacrificed before in this league; a soul who has given his life. . .  and who shall do so again.”

            The Man of Steel attempts to break free from Eradicator’s persuasion.  As his mind begins to numb at the thoughts spawned in his head, Steel Doomsday flies behind Superman and presses a piece of red Kryptonite to his chest.  Superman attempts to shake off the effects of the rock, but is unable to do so.  He agonizes as he transforms into an ant headed humanoid. 

            Eradicator hears Professor X in his mind.

            “Well done, my friend,” states Professor X in Eradicator’s technological brain.  “Allow the Dooms to complete the task. . .”

The three Doomsday incarnations, in unison, converge on Superman, and the being also known as Clark Kent, is ravaged by the devastating blows of Steel Doomsday, Superboy Doomsday and Doomslayer. 

            “Once again, son of Krypton,” laughs Steel Doomsday, “your life is ours for the taking.”

***

            Black Lantern Thanos looks at his view screen as the tattered body of a dead Superman falls.  The Mad Titan, never shaken, has a stirring of dread through his body.  

UNIVERSE BOWL VI: CHAPTER X: DOOMSDAY DESTRUCTION

            The angry blare of the klaxons fills the entire bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise.  Beneath the red din of the warning lights sits Professor X in the Captain’s chair.  The telepath looks through the viewport of the ship and sees the immense Technodrome.

            “Jessica. . .  full ahead!” instructs Professor X.

            Jessica Drew responds by pressing the buttons and spinning the knobs on the panel in front of her. 

            “Jean,” starts Xavier.

            “Already on it Charles, arming torpedoes one through four,” says a vampiric Jean Grey.

            “Fire one through four,” states Professor X in a calm demeanor.

            The rockets launch from the hub of the starship and race toward the semi-spherical tank. 

***

            “Brace for impact!” says Black Lantern Thanos aboard the targeted machine.

            The Technodrome, newly retrofitted with anti-gravity boosters, is struck by all four torpedoes.  The Horsemen within are vessel are knocked and thrown around. 

            BL Thanos looks at the view screen and sees one of the Technodrome’s transport modules fall from the mother ship.  

  
            “Who is in that transport module?” questions BL Thanos.

            “No viable life signs,” responds Vulcan at a computer board.

            “A waste,” BL Thanos mutters to himself. “Launch the other modules immediately now that they are properly fitted with their weaponry and see if we can do some true damage to our enemy.”

***

            A pair of modules screams from the Technodrome.  The first transport carries Vulcan, while the other hauls Madelyne Pryor.   The two Horsemen focus on the warp engine nacelles of the Enterprise.  In the first transport, Madelyne Pryor points Lord Voldemort’s magic wand at the port nacelle. 

            “Bombarda Maxima!” shouts Pryor. 

            A wave of light pours from Pryor’s wand and a portion of the port nacelle explodes.  The starship begins to slowly spin due to the port side’s inability to maintain a necessary balance between itself and the starboard side of the ship. 

***

            “Nova,” exclaims Xavier, “you may commence action now.”

            “Will do, Charles,” answers Nova as he runs from the bridge toward a hatch in the starship that will allow him to enter the fray outside. 

***

            Pryor lifts her wand again at the Federation vessel and uses a smashing spell to strike the starboard nacelle this time.  On the opposite side of the ship, Vulcan unleashes a psionic energy construct at the port nacelle.  The Enterprise is battered from both sides. 

***

            “Where is Nova?” exclaims Professor X.

            “I don’t think we need Nova,” says Vampire Jean Grey.  “Look!”

***

            Erupting from the scattered clouds are Ursa, Doomslayer, Steel Doomsday and Superboy Doomsday.  Ursa and Doomslayer attack the transport carrying Pryor while Steel Doomsday and Superboy Doomsday focus on the one ridden by Vulcan.    Instantly, the twin duos strike the ships and decimate both.

            “Aresto momentum,” shouts Pryor who uses both the spell and a telekinetically enhanced protective shield to soften the blow of any debris expelled by the destroyed ship and slow her fall.

            Vulcan easily flies away from his fragmented ship and unleashes an energy blast upon Superboy Doomsday.  The Doomsday incarnation shrugs off the blow and notices Steel Doomsday soaring at their mutual enemy.  Vulcan is about to project a force field to protect himself from the duo, but is not in time.  Both Superboy Doomsday and Steel Doomsday smack into Vulcan at the same time, crushing the mutant’s body between the pair.  Vulcan’s broken body falls from the sky and to the ground. 

            Pryor floats downward from the scene and manages to duck a blow from Ursa.  Pryor begins to mouth “Avada,” but is unable to speak the word “Kedavra” before her throat is crushed from behind by Doomslayer.  Pryor’s dead body joins Vulcan as she drops to the ground below. 

            As Nova is about to enter into the fracas, he notices the surviving Doomslayer, Ursa, Steel Doomsday and Superboy Doomsday.  The five look toward the Technodrome, acknowledge one another in the sky and then fly back to the Enterprise.  The victorious combatants manage to steady the vessel and then enter the starship in order to speak to Xavier and plan their next move. 

            BL Thanos, on the Technodrome, plans the same. 

UNIVERSE BOWL VI: CHAPTER IX: A WATERY WEAPON

            The water casts its glassy reflection as the sun beats down on the waves below.  The aqueous area emits a serenity that is not often seen in any league match.  Suddenly, the calm subsides as three steel poles break the fluid’s surface.  Churning froth follows as a large iron behemoth fractures the stratum.  An immense submarine lifts from the water toward the crystallized beach.  Magneto’s clone, Joseph, stands alone on the sands and grins.