Justice League of America - Batman: The Stone King by Alan Grant (best books to read for self development .TXT) 📕

They were ten miles down when they came upon the first anomaly.

A thick seam of granite was grinding against a similar but heavier seam. Piezoelectricity sparked like a billion fireflies, liny globes of plasma darted through the boundary between the granite layers, rising upward, joining together until they became a wide, fast-flowing river of energy.

Any ideas? Superman asked, thankful that J'onn J'onzz's telepathic link was still functioning at this depth.

We can try to fuse the seams together, Wonder Woman suggested.

Both brought their strength into maximum use, straining against the face of the thick, dense seam. Even while he pushed, Superman used heat vision to melt and soften the rock, making it more pliable.

The myriad pinpoints of light began to fade, and finally died away.

In little over a minute, the two super heroes were diving deeper.

The Stone King staggered as Martian Manhunter slammed into his chest. A bellow of frustration and rage echoed for miles around.

The chanting stopped.

That certainly attracted his attention, Manhunter thought approvingly. Returning his molecules to normal, he streaked away at high speed, intending to repeat the maneuver.

This time, though, the Stone King was ready for him. He gestured with one hand. The heavy boulders strewn across the pyramid top levitated instantly, shooting up at incredible speed. Manhunter rocked as a granite slab that must have weighed five tons slammed into his legs. He spun to the side, out of control.

The Stone King opened his massive mouth wide, exhaling a gusher of white-hot lava that engulfed the falling Martian.

Where it touched J'onn, the lava cooled instantly, forming into a rapidly hardening shell. Although vulnerable to flame, J'onn's body was impervious to great heat. But as fast as he battered his way out of the lava cocoon, the shell reformed around him.

It's impossible to keep flying, J'onn broadcast. I'm going down.

He hit the ground with a force that disintegrated the lava cage, but left Manhunter himself unconscious.

Down on the fifth course, Batman and the Flash had pulled Green Lantern out of the ruins of the chamber.

Pity you knocked him out, the Scarlet Speedster flashed at Batman. We could sure use his power ring now!

Batman made no reply as the Flash picked up the still unconscious hero and ran and leaped down the pyramid's buckled side. It was ironic that this integral member of the Justice League would take no part in their final battle.

The Flash was several hundred yards away before he stopped and set Green Lantern down on the grass. He glanced up at the mighty figure of the Stone King atop the pyramid in triumph. The flickering aurora that surrounded him was spreading, sending tentacles miles long into the sky.

A heartbeat later, he stood beside Batman in the rubble of the pyramid.

The telepathic link is broken," Batman told him. "J'onn is either unconscious, or . . ." He didn't finish the sentence. "We have no way of knowing how Superman and Wonder Woman are faring."

"Just you and me now, buddy." The Flash nodded. He tilted his head to stare up at the Stone King. "And that is one awesome dude!"

Sixty miles beneath the surface, Superman and Wonder Woman reached the Moho discontinuity. Here, at the bottom of a deep layer of basalt, the earth's crust met the more solid, rigid mantle. Crustal slip, as the layers slid over each other, was a major source of seismic energy.

A massive finger of denser mantle projected upward, impaling the layer of basalt, preventing it from moving. Already kinetic force was building up, a slow, unstoppable pressure that would be released as a massive shock wave when the mantle finally broke.

Wonder Woman tried to send a telepathic message reporting on their progress, and realized that the link was down.

"I hope everything's all right on the surface," she said.

"J'onn's the ultimate survivor," Superman replied. "He'll be okay."

They couldn't allow themselves to think any other way. They had a task to accomplish, and worrying about their comrades would only impede them.

Superman used heat vision to excavate a spherical chamber in the outcrop of mantle. Wonder Woman took up a position in the center. She inhaled deeply, then suddenly brought both arms swinging up above her head. The silver bracelets crashed together, and there was a blinding white light as the power of the gods themselves was released.

The dense outcrop of mantle disintegrated completely, allowing the layer of basalt to slide smoothly onward.

But already, Superman and Wonder Woman were heading deeper: four hundred fifty miles through the mantle, to the planet's outer core.

"We may have one last chance, though it's a slim one." Batman motioned toward his Utility Belt. "My fear gas was tailored to affect the Stone King when he was still human-sized. It's concentrated, but chances are it won't affect him now."

"Only one way to find out." The Flash scooped Batman up in his arms. "Let's go deliver it."

Consciously controlling the molecules of his body, Flash went from standstill to superspeed in less than the blink of an eye. His momentum was so great, he was able to run straight up the behemoth's leg as if it were a level track.

But with his increase in power, the Stone King's sensitivity had also been magnified. He looked down at the red blur, and his massive hand shot out at blinding speed.

The Flash had no time to brace himself for impact. The Stone King's hand swatted him like a fly, sending him soaring high in the air, unconscious from the impact.

As Batman tumbled from the Flash's grip, a grapnel went shooting from his hand. It snared on a tangle of animal hairs, made massive by the Stone King's increase in size. Batman grabbed the Flash's wrist, while his other hand held tight to his line.

Batman extended his feet to break the impact as they swung into the giant's body just above his waistline. Batman scrabbled for a hold on the pelt, quickly lashing the dazed Flash with a length of line so he didn't fall.

"Think I've