[3rd Pov]
Cecil didn't see where Zane and the Viltrumite disappeared to, all he felt was the air moving and heard the noise behind it.
With an exhausted sigh he gestured to Donald who just teleported over with some other agents and together they entered the glowing portal carefully.
If Cecil had any say he wouldn't just enter any unknown especially not portals made by an extra-dimensional entity he knows is the only one standing before them and utter annihilation.
That their fate rest solely on his shoulders and can be decided by him or the Viltrumite afterwards depending on who wins just doesn't sit well with Cecil.
He is utterly hopeles and out of ideas, and their only chance at resistance and defense just got defeated moments before and were being taken inside wherever this portal will lead.
Other people who may give him confidence in any other situation didn't even qualify to join the fight.
Mark had his bones puncturing out of his body in several places, Oliver his brother is barely holding himself together what with litterally being teared apart in some places.
He saw the arms and legs of Immortal being scavanged here and there, Eve is from what he saw dealing with some organs stabbing and War Woman who faired the best compared to the others from a visual point of view was actually having internal failing as the beeping droids are saying.
And now all of them and what civilians are being dug out are being transported inside the portal and Cecil can't even pretend to voice his opinion on the matter.
It may be an 'advanced medical facilities' or may as well be their prison or lab table and he had no choice but take his legs and men and enter this possible trap.
It's not that Cecil dislike or hate Zane, but he will never be able to trust him. Not fully atleast. Sure he has not seen anything suspicious of him yet but... Cecil decades of instinct and experience just tells him that that in itself is suspicions.
There is no one that can't be suspicious, everyone hides something and maybe he'll see what Zane is hiding for them now.
With careful and silent steps Cecil and his entourage entered the portal and witnessed what was 'hidden' behind it and the sight froze them for a bit.
Cecil was not in his position for nothing and came back to his senses very fast but even he couldn't help but widen his eyes at what he was seeing.
As the director of the GDA he had a lot sway and privilege to aquire advanced 'everything-there-is' back on his earth and sometimes even alien or dimensional one but this!
This was beyond anything he saw and it looked like something out of science fiction, if he was not dealing with disasters one after the other with world ending possibilities he would have thought he was either imagining things or that it's a joke.
Hundreds of androids, robots, droids whatever these machines were, were directing everyone they brought and linking them to some other machines or putting them in what looked like sleeping pods with colored liquids.
He could see some of them using fricking lasers to close wounds or reattach limbs, putting some gel and other substance around broken and disfigured limbs, one robot opened itself and... suited itself? on someone he couldn't recognize because of how disfigured and broken the body was.
On the other side he recognized Atom Eve being encased in an energy field thing as she started to glow all over.
Honestly Cecil has no idea what is happening anymore and isn't sure what to think either.
———
By the time Zane was done with his conversation with Cecil, Conquest has already freed himself from the rubble he was buried under in a rather loud and violent show.
With a yell and a stretch of his body everything exploded away from him and the only thing left in a radius was just his floating grinning self.
Conquest massaged his burned chest, he wasn't hurt or in pain but the heat vision did leave a mark which was in itself remarkable.
Seeing the new 'toy' flying at him Conquest only grinned savagely and shot to meet him.
As both were almost about to collide Zane did something Conquest didn't expect, at the last second Zane spun and changed his trajectory so slightly without slowing down that he was flying under Conquest and parallel to him then with both hands Zane threw his palms up at his stomach.
The sudden-ess and the force of the hit sent Conquest flying upward outside earth's sky all the way to space.
Zane knew what damage their fight can cause and the city they were in was devastated enough as it is so he decided to change the place and what's safer than space?
Without wasting any time Zane flew up to meet the old Viltrumite again without having to cocern himself about any collateral or interference anymore.
Just from the muscle mass, speed and density of his body Zane judged Conquest several time stronger than Nolan and Mark combined.
Even the Justice League will be hard pressed to survive much less win a confrontation if they don't use lethal means. Beside Wonder Woman and the Hawks he does not believe anyone will be willing to do it.
Even Superman's advantage over the Viltrumite, his durability and faster recovery under the yellow sun plus the exta powers like heat vision and ice breath that give him slight edge, won't save him if he didn't fight with the intent of instant kill and even then he wasn't sure Superman can win or stay alive afterwards with no miracles.
It's not that Zane was looking down on Superman even though he knew he wasn't the strongest version around but he wasn't underestimating Conquest either.
The old man was there even before Nolan became a man, atleast 2000 years old and he is the most brutal and effective Viltrumite when it comes to subjugate planets.
Strength, brutality, experience no matter how you look at it only Wonder Woman could probably contend with him but she'll still fall short for his strength if she does not have some divine assistance hidden somewhere.
Zane doesn't know it but he is judging Conquest from Nolan's memories perspective about Viltrumites in general and the reputation the old veteran has.
In truth Conquest being the way he is and the unconventional behavior he has makes him the perfect comic villain that will lose to the good guys because he likes to 'play' with his foes and talk a lot.
.
.
.
Now in the embrace of space the two faced each other for real this time. Zane could have dealt with him fast and with different means but he wanted to have a real battle with his fists and fighting skills.
It is rare to meet someone so strong and that can exchange hits with him so he will take his time and enjoy the fight as much as he could and hone himself further.
With no way to speak in space both fighters just went at it, Conquest with his grin and Zane with his calm eyes.
As a non spoken rule in a fight between strong flying opponents the first hit was fist against fist and although they were in space and there was no sound or air there was an explosion of shockwave created by the force of the two fists meetings.
Naturally they were pushed apart for a distance not that it stopped them from doing it again.
One punch became two then a dozen until their movements blurred with uncountable punches. There were no shockwaves anymore as the speed they were going at made the clash explode.
Having enough of testing each others strength or in Zane's case atleast, he started to take the fight more earnestly and began delivering serious hits that connects.
The Viltrumites have a unique fighting and flying style that Conquest showed none of. He was the literal definition of a brute.
Wide telegraphed arm movements, grappling, knife hand. Everything designed to crush and cut.
While Conquest fought with the brutality of slaughtering millions, Zane fought with unrestrained finesse due to lack of gravity that take extra conscious control of one's body for beings at their level.
When the fight started the two fighters were at an equal level despite conquest lack of an arm, or atleast that what it looked like but as time went on it was clear that Zane, even if deliberately, was hitting more than he was getting hit.
The old Viltrumite was finally showing signs of pain on his face, Viltrumite are many things but you have to admire their tenacious body and the will to keep going even with missing chunks of their bodies.
Conquest's grin never faltered even against the fist that made him spit blood and teeth, even in the face of pain he never raged or got angry or frustrated.
If one has to describe Conquest's feelings right now then it will be happiness. He was happy, not because he was a masochist but because he faced someone who was willing AND capable of fighting him head on.
So he laughed, even as he was hit, bloodied and loosing he laughed with glee. He wished he could speak just to have a word with his opponent but he couldn't and even as his vision started to darken the grin never left his face.
Zane on the other hand was having different thoughts.
'Did I overestimate him or underestimate myself?' I know I am strong and tough but... isn't he supposed to be a very old warrior veteran from a warrior empire?
Even if I eclipsed him in stats isn't he supposed to atleast have some edge due to experience and instinct honed through millennia of living and fighting?
'It felt like fighting a mad dog instead of a wise old master!' Zane looked at the floating body of Conquest, his body was as intact as it was before the fight just some bruises and broken bones since he didn't use life threatening moves as he felt no need to.
'How disappointing' he shook his head and took hold of him telekineticly and flew back down to earth.
It didn't take long before he arrived infront of the open portal he left, surrounding it and the whole perimeter was many agents, he ignored them and their tense reactions as he entered.
Inside he found his droids at work saving what lives that can be saved, honestly he was glad that he got here as fast as he did.
Some of the androids noticed me and came to take Conquest of my hands, with some instructions they knew were to take him and what measures to consider.
Normal cell or prison won't work on him but I had prepared for such situations in case I had to deal with some superman level beings.
Turning around I march inside to see how Holly and Eve are doing but was intercepted by Cecil again.
Well let's clear some things with him first before going over the whole event of today.