Canned Intro: DC BLUE is an AU-ish series of fics which is written as though it were an adaptation. Thus, it is roughly based on the comics (particularly the Post-Crisis universe) but some elements are reinterpreted and others are borrowed from different versions of the DCU (primarily but not exclusively the DCAU and Young Justice). For instance, many alterations are made in the name of a non-sliding timeline. The stories (unless I fall behind on the first round of them, which seems likely given the project's current state) will take place in the near future.

It was 9:33 AM on Monday, October 8, 2018 when the leftmost engine of the 4:30 flight from Coast City to Metropolis exploded.

"Hey, Smallville, you know anything about Astrotech?"

Lois had a habit of asking these sorts of questions out of the blue. Usually, it meant she was onto something big, and was double-checking to make sure she didn't sound crazy. Clark adjusted his glasses as he looked up at her.

"Uh… Nope, don't think I've ever heard of them. Should I have?"

"No," said Lois, "That's just it. Nobody's heard of them. They're a little start-up research firm with a focus on astrophysics. So why would LexCorp spend twenty-five million dollars to buy them out?"

That's when Clark heard it.

Explosion. About twenty miles out, high up. This sounds like a job for Superman.

"Yeah, that is weird. Hey, I'm going to run to the bathroom for a second," Clark said, "Make sure Perry doesn't think I'm pulling another disappearing act."

With that, he took off into the halls of the Daily Planet building, ducking into a small storeroom. Clark quickly pulled off his suit, revealing the bright blue uniform beneath.

"… Please remain seated and keep your seatbelts fastened. We are beginning our descent for an emergency landing. I remind you that there are life jackets…"

The captain's voice, carried over the intercom, was drowned out when a young woman near the back of the plane pointed at something outside the plane's window.

"Look!" she cried, "Out in the sky!"

"That's just a bird!" responded a middle-aged man across the aisle.

"It must be another plane!" a younger man further up yelled.

"No," said one of the flight attendants, "It's…"

Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton! The Man of Steel!

"Superman!"

Superman flew to the left wing, quickly spotting that the damaged engine had caught fire. Flexing his powerful Kryptonian lungs, Clark blew with all his might, but the wind was already blowing faster than he could, and it hadn't put out the engine.

Got to stop that fire from spreading to the cabin! This isn't going to be pretty, but there's only one thing I can do, the Man of Steel thought to himself.

He flew in closer to the cabin, placed one hand on the plane's fuselage, and gripped the base of the wing with the other.

Here goes nothing.

With a mighty tug, Superman ripped the wing clear off the plane, sending it careening towards the fields below. As the plane started to dip sideways, Superman caught the stump of the wing, gripping it tightly and shifting to face forwards, balancing the vehicle with his own prodigious strength.

"Why do all the planes crash near Metropolis?" Superman muttered, grunting at the airliner's weight, "You'd think people would start taking the train."

Before long, the plane dipped beneath the clouds and the landing strip was in sight.

Clark walked back into the newsroom to see fully half of the Planet's reporting staff packing their bags.

"Did I miss something?" he said.

"Just got a call from the airport, Smallville;" Lois said, "Superman saved a plane from crashing. Now get your stuff and let's go! If you make me late for another story, I'm writing an exposé on you. I'm thinking 'Clark Kent: Enemy of the Press' for the title."

Clark trotted to his desk and started shoving his laptop and papers into his briefcase.

"A little on the nose, don't you think?" he said.

"It's a work in progress," Lois deadpanned, "And where the hell is Jimmy? Somebody go find him; Perry hates it when I hand him a headline with no pictures."

Superman's Plane Rescue Prompts Finger-Pointing

Man of Steel saves plane, 367 passengers.

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By Lois Lane, October 8, 2018

Earlier today, Metropolis' Man of Steel swooped in to save the day once again, guiding a damaged LexAir Model 52 Jetliner – and the 379 passengers and crew – safely into Metropolis International Airport. The flight had left Coast City International in the wee hours of the morning, and CCI's staff reported no trouble with the craft's ill-fated leftmost engine, which exploded just as the airplane was beginning its descent.

"… we're still interviewing the ground crew, but so far… it looks as if there was no indication that this was going to happen," said CCI spokesman Harry Kalmaku, who went on to suggest that a manufacturing defect may have been the cause of the Model 52's unscheduled retirement. We are awaiting further details from the FAA investigators on the ground at Met Intl.

Astute readers will be reminded of a similar incident two years ago, this one involvling a Ferris Aircraft Type-59. LexCorp founder and CEO Lex Luthor was quick to point that out in his own press conference.

"Our safety standards are among the highest in the country," Luthor said before adding: "I trust my company's aircraft with my life, and you can feel safe doing the same."

Mr. Luthor went on to shift attention back to the plane's rescuer, citing Metropolis International's clean safety record prior to Superman's appearance.

While Luthor is a known critic of Superman, his latest attack on the Man of Tomorrow sparked public outrage. Ben Burke, the captain of the doomed airliner, called Mr. Luthor a "disgusting opportunist" and publicly thanked Superman for saving the flight.

Superman, as usual, was not available for comment.

He clicked away from the article.

"Bias in our news media," he mumbled dryly, "And for an alien, of all things."

He was shaken from his thoughts by a light tapping at the open glass door of his office.

"Mr. Luthor?" said a young woman, leaning her head in.

"What is it, Mercy?"

"There's a Mr. Crock here to see you."

"Just the man I was hoping to hear from. Send him in."

Clad in a polo shirt and baseball cap, Crusher Crock looked like he'd just stepped off a golf course. He was a tall, athletic man with slick blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He didn't bother to sit down, preferring to lean against the wall, dangerously close to Luthor's expensive portrait of himself.

"You're insane," he said, "You know that, right?"

"I'm pleased to finally meet you too, Mr. Crock," Luthor retorted, waiting a second before adding "My plan worked perfectly. You're the one who got on a plane you'd just sabotaged."

Crock shrugged.

"My employers aren't too big on chickening out of a job. You know how it is. Now, about my pay?"

Luthor tabbed to another window on his browser and hit "enter."

"It's being wired to the account you specified as we speak."

Crock smirked.

"Groovy."

Luthor spun his chair around to face out the large window taking up the back wall of his office.

"The proof-of-concept seems to have been successful. I think it's high time we began Phase One."

There's the first chapter. Updates will likely be inconsistent but frequent, since I'm trying to keep the story slightly in the future of when any given chapter is published. That also means I may have to go back and re-edit chapters that have already been posted. Regardless, you're here to read a story, not an author's note, so I'll shut up now.