The Retriever Part 11

The instant Dazzler and Ch'p entered the Boom Tube Metron's voice likewise entered their heads.

"You can't afford to tarry, Alison Blaire. Even as I speak Darkseid is marshalling his unholy forces against you. You must return to your universe immediately. I'll shall get you as close to the black hole as I can."

"I need at least ten light years to build up the momentum to get through."

"Understood."

As they raced through the Boom Tube Dazzler glanced at the Green Lantern flying beside her. "Looks like we'll be parting company, Chip."

"Not till we reach the black hole we won't. You'll need someone watching your back if Darkseid's after you."


The Boom Tube opened up and a small blazing sun, followed by a tiny green streak, lit up the void.

A short time later Dazzler began to sing.

"If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down..."

Ali noticed the Lantern looking at her.

"What? They don't have music on your planet?"

Then he surprised her.

"If you're all alone when the pretty birds have flown
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie
If you put me to the test, if you let me try..."

"Wow." Was all Ali could say.

"A fellow Green Lantern, John Stewart of Earth, sang it once while we were working a mission together. He's a closet Naba, Yaba, Daba..."

"ABBA."

"That's it. ABBA. He's a closet ABBA fan."


In the Palamead System an astronomer was tracking the abnormally fast phenomenon that lit up the sky hours ago and was now returning. Her instruments had the ability to pick up vibrations and what she heard from her computer readouts almost made her faint.

"Professor!" Her assistant rushed to her side. "What's wrong?"

"Th-that light!" She gasped. "It's..it's...SINGING!"


But before Ali and Ch'p's "Take A Chance On Me" duet could be finished her cosmic "Spidey-Sense" started tingling.

"Uh Oh."

"What is it?" asked Ch'p.

"Good thing George Lucas can't see this. He'd rewrite Star Wars again."

Just beyond the black hole, still three lights years away, was the armada of Apokoliptian war ships. All waiting for her. Ch'p's ring picked up the fleet. "Damn!"

"Here's what we do." Dazzler calmly said.


One the bridge of the flagship General Steppenwolf looked at the monitor. "They're coming. All ships prepare to....:

"General! A Boom Tube is opening!"

Steppenwolf rushed over to the crewman's monitor. Coming out of the Tube were a flock of so-called "heroes" from that thrice damned planet, Earth. Superman, Supergirl, Power Girl and a caped dog? Three others followed. Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel. A group of Green Lanterns followed them. One really stood out with his red shirt and purple cape. They were followed by five others. The Martian Manhunter, Dr. Fate, Starman and the accursed Orion and Lightray of New Genesis. And finally out came the last one. Metron.

Darkseid was on the bridge. He was watching the Herald. The little Green Lantern who made a fool of his fool son placed a force field over her. "Steppenwolf! Deal with the rabble. I'll handle the Herald."

"By your command, Lord Dar...." The flagship of the fleet was rocked by Superman's punch. Everyone standing, except for Darkseid, was thrown off their feet. Darkseid simply opened a Boom Tube and walked into it.

Just beyond the gravitational pull of the black hole Darkseid's Boom Tube opened up. He could see the chaos the meddlers from Earth and New Genesis was causing his armada. But he cared not. Only the Ultimate Nullifier mattered. He focused his eyes on the green dot in the distance and unleashed the full fury of the Omega Force.

In an instant the beams covered millions of miles and struck the green hued force field. The field shattered and the skating figure within was disintegrated.

Right away Darkseid knew he had been played. AGAIN! Again he didn't feel the essence of his victim. Again he struck a light image decoy. This time created by the Lantern's ring. He shifted his vision range and looked around.

THERE! There he saw an infrared image of the Herald "skating" deeper into the black hole. That insufferable bitch used her cosmic power to turn invisible and shoot past him.

Before the dark god could do anything he suddenly howled with pain. Having dealt with his ship Krypto bit Darkseid in the butt and fired off a full bore dose of heat vision. Darkseid was about to unleash the Omega Force on the dog when a pair of indestructable hands covered his eyes. "Leave that dog alone!"

With the speed of Mercury Mary Marvel flung Darkseid away. He tumbled end over end through space. He sensed the other heroes, having scuttled his entire starfleet, heading toward him. NO! No time for this. He HAD to get the Nullifier back! Before the heroes could reach him Darkseid opened up a Boom Tube.



Once again the sun that lit up the sky was a dim night lite. Once again Dazzler was skating "underwater." She did it. She actually DID IT!!!! She got the Nullifier back and saved everything. Now all she had to do was survive the trip back to her universe, give this thing back to Galactus, and go home.

She had to admit, if only to herself, she was going to miss the power cosmic. The things she could do with it.

Ali made it to the wormhole section and was about to build up some lost speed when she sensed the Boom Tube opening up ahead. Dammit! Dark Side followed her in. The Tube had not yet fully opened. There was a slim chance she could pull this off. Dazzler fired off a powerful optic blast. The Tube opened up and before Darkseid could come out twin beams of cosmic enhanced soild light, traveling many many many MANY times the speed of light, hit him smack in the face. The massive gray figure staggered backwards and fell. His Boom Tube closed and a nanosecond later Dazzler zoomed by.



"WHOA!" Exclaimed Power Girl.

"Wah-Hooo!" Followed Supergirl.

"Good going." Said Superman.

"Impressive." Said the Manhunter from Mars.

"Indeed." Echoed Dr. Fate.

Metron said nothing.

"Well don't keep the super vision impaired in the dark. What's happening?" Asked Captain Marvel.

Power Girl grinned and said, "Roller Girl just knocked Darkseid on his ass."

"I think she made him bleed." Added Supergirl

Nearby the Lanterns, with Orion and Lightray's Boom Tubes, were sending the armada back to Apokolips. Hal, John, Alan and Lightray were content to place the crippled ships in a parking orbit. Guy Gardner, Ch'p and Orion placed their collection within the planet's atmosphere where they fell like rocks into the fire pit below. None of them gave a damn if the crew abandoned ship or not.

Those with the ability to do so observed Dazzler's progress as she raced home. The others, the two Captain Marvels and Starman, could only hover and wait. A bored Mary Marvel decided playing "fetch" with Krypto was more fun and allowed time to pass quicker.

The Lanterns and the two New Gods completed their task and joined the others.

"How's she doing?" Asked Ch'p.

"She's reached the second black hole." Answered Superman. "But she's struggling. I don't think she's going to make it."



Her limbs were like lead wieghts. She couldn't even move them anymore. Alison tried to keep going through sheer mental concentration. But it was no use. She was slowing down. Her light was being sucked away and she could barely even glow. The force field that protected her was about to collapse. Outside the black hole she was linked to the sounds of Creation. The noise of the universe. But inside she was cut off. All she had was what she had stored within her. And it was near depleted. In a few seconds she'was going to be crushed by the tremendous gravity of the dead collapsed star she was trapped in. All because she wasted too much energy zapping Dark Side back in the wormhole.

Figures, Ali thought. I save the universe and now the universe is gonna kill me.

At least I got to live my dream before I died. I was a singer. A performer. What I always yearned to be.

And, as a super hero, I knew I was small potatos. I didn't have the fire in my belly the others did. But I eventually started to build one. In time it turned into a nice blaze. But, outside of the X-Men, I didn't set the world on fire as I did as a singer.

But now. Now my very last act as a hero. As a person. I saved everything. EVERYTHING! All of reality. All of Creation. I finally made the big time! Too bad no one will know. At least, with the Nullifier stuck within this black hole, no one will be able to get to it.



"SHE'S NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!" Said the Watcher. "TO COME THIS FAR ONLY TO FALL SHORT OF THE FINISH LINE!"

Galactus, and the Recorder, looked at him.

"AN EARTH EXPRESSION!"

"Are we going to let her die?" Asked the Recorder.

"SHE WAS GIVEN A TASK WHICH SHE HAS YET TO COMPLETE!" Galactus said. And, with that Galactus pointed toward the black hole and fired off a bolt of cosmic force. The beam shot through space and pierced the very center of the dead star.

Dazzler was screaming as her body was being crushed in the vice-like grip of the black hole's gravity. Suddenly the beam struck her like a lightning bolt. The sounds of Creation. The noise of the universe. Music to her soul. She was glowing like a night lite again and feeling charged.

"COME, ALISON BLAIRE! YOU'VE YET TO FINISH YOUR TASK!"

"Yes SIR!" Ali laughed. And with the cosmic beam as her lifeline Dazzler shot out of the black hole like a glowing white hot bullet. Once she was cleared of the gravitational pull Galactus shut off his ray of power. Dazzler began to automatically recharge on her own. But before she could reach Galactus, and give him back the Ultimate Nullifier, a Boom Tube began to open up behind her.

Dark Side, a very PISSED Dark Side, stepped out of the Tube and saw the Dazzler. Dazzler with Galactus behind her.

Dazzler, smiling. "You are a persistant LITTLE Satan, aren't you?"

NO. His senses told him it wasn't them. It was a trick. Another of her damned holograms. He destroyed it with a hand blast. "Enough of your tricks!"

He then saw them in the distance. His eyes narrowed. But it was just another one. Another decoy of light. Ignoring it he looked around and...THERE! Hiding behind a field of invisibility.

Darkseid unleashed the Omega Beam toward the invisible Herald. He would slay her right in front of her master. Show his utter contempt for him. Show how unimpressed he was by him. But instead of hitting Dazzler the twin beams entered a warp field. A warp field that caused the beams to strike Darkseid in the back. He yowled in pain. But he withstood it.

Dazzler and Galactus shimmered into view.

"Awwwww. Can't fool you anymore, can I?" Then Dazzler's pleasant, if mocking, demeaner changed to one more serious. More angry. She was getting back into character as a cosmic badass. "Go home, you bungling idiot! And NEVER come back!"

"I've had all I'm going to take from you..."

"YOU ARE CORRECT, FOR ONCE, LITTLE THIEF! NOW YOU FACE THE WRATH OF GALACTUS! LEARN THE FOLLY OF YOUR ACTIONS!"

"I AM A GOD, YOU FOOL!" He started to grow. " AND IT'S TIME YOU LEANED THE FOLLY OF DEFI...."

Galactus unleashed a cosmic bolt that slammed into the "god" of another universe. To Darkseid's credit he resisted the bolt for about a half-second. Then he found himself being hurtled back into the black hole. At the same time, a cylindrical device shot out of Galactus' ship. It followed the lord of Apololips into the dead star.

A stunned Darkseid found himself back in the wormhole between universes. As he struggled to shake off the effects of Galactus' attack he noticed the device. Which was beeping.


"Great Krypton!" Exclaimed Superman. "Galactus just blew up the wormhole! Darkseid was in there but he Boom Tubed out in time."

Everyone looked around, expecting him to show up any second. After a few seconds...

"He's returned to Apokolips." Said Metron.

"That's it then." Said Power Girl. "Crisis averted. Let's go home."



Dazzler watched as the Ultimate Nullifier left her hands and floated over to Galactus'. "I did it. I actually did it."

"INDEED YOU DID, ALISON BLAIRE! YOU'VE EARNED MY GRATITUDE THIS DAY! NOW GALACTUS KEEPS HIS WORD!"

And, with that, Galactus fired an optic beam and Dazzler was gone.

He turned to the Watcher and the Recorder. Uatu nodded and they vanished on their own.

Galactus, with the Ultimate Nullifier, then returned to his ship. It was time to feed and there was a planet he had selected.

To be continued by and

Dazzler, Galactus, Watcher and Recorder (c) MARVEL

Darkseid and all them others (c) DC Comics.