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Marvel at Lord Superman


Chapter One

Old Scores


The clash above was brutal.

In the end only one titan could remain standing and the other must fall and fall he did. He fell with the speed of Hermes and cratered the grounds of the stately manor. His body felt shattered, but the strongest mortal alive moved to raise himself up once again. He reached for the edge of crater and clawed his way out. For a timeless immortal body it sure could feel a pounding or two when it came to this battle. The prestige of his red garment and the bolted emblem torn to pieces. The outcome of the fight was not what Captain Marvel expected.

Then again, as he looked up, he never expected to fight someone like this to the death. And after all, who in existence had enough brawn to defeat the likes of Superman?

The man in black and white held his arms across his chest as his unholy white cape blew with the wind. With stern eyes holding no compassion for the man he once was. In another lifetime Captain Marvel stood in awe and in admiration of him. Once going as far as wanting to be him. A boyhood fantasy to be a man of such fortitude and unbendable moral strength.

The Super Man.

Those long days of admiration were over now. Spent and twisted into rage and contempt for the shell of the man before him.

Marvel grabbed at his side with a painful groan from his indestructible ribs.

The victor hovered closer. "Just get out of my way Marvel. This isn't your fight."

Captain Marvel took several deep breaths to muster his courage. "I wont do that Superman." His face turned bitter. "Only one of us is going to walk away from this."

"If that's what it takes." Superman hesitated but nevertheless grabbed the downed hero and held him face first to the ground. His eyes burned and unleashed their fury at Captain Marvel's skull. It was painful, but the flesh did not break.

His screams served only as an incentive for Superman to intensify his attack.

It hurt and Superman's vice grip kept him pinned, the boy couldn't take it. Inside, he panicked.

"Say it," Superman ordered.

Captain Marvel didn't want to, but the pain had gotten to the boy. The child under pressure of the authoritative relented. This nightmare had to end.

"Shazam."

The bolt came crashing down as Superman sped out of the way. In a brilliant flash the man Captain Marvel turned back into the boy Billy Maison. His head hurt but his body was without injury from battle. On his knees he stared at the ground dreading to look up once the shadow was upon the boy.

It was over.

The assurance of that defeat made gazing upon his soon-to-be killer to find murderous looking eyes that turned brimstone red. Billy made ready to speak the word again, but his body language gave away his intent. Before anything could be said or done the picture went blank to the batcave's main computer terminal. Superman crushed the surveillance device before the deed was seen.

Bruce lowered his head in shame and assumed all the blame in Billy's death. Had he tried to keep Marvel out of this fight just a little bit harder, maybe...

There was no time for guilt as the Batman looked up again. His gauntlet fists tightened with the defeated feelings shifting into something the Dark Knight could use. No mercy would be found in this arena, no inhuman strength or intimidation from Superman's murderous rage would stop Bruce Wayne from killing the Man of Steel.

He was ready for this battle with only one true task left lying before him.

"Alfred?" Battle said pressing a control on the computer. "Are you there?"

"Always sir." Alfred appeared on screen.

It felt good to see the old man's face one last time.

"Are you all safe?"

"Yes sir," the monotone candor professionalism in the old man's voice failed him. The was doing his best to stay composed and dignified. "Although Master Tim has expressed a great deal of concern to where I had to retrain him. And I'm afraid I cannot locate Master Dick."

Bruce lowered his head holding back a smile for his adopted son.

"He wont make it here in time," he dryly said.

"With all due respect sir, you do not have to face him."

"Its time I paid for my sins, Alfred. We all have to."

A long silence stood between the two men. The manor above rumbled with destruction that both could hear.

"Stay safe Alfred. J'onn is still looking for everyone close to me."

"We will, Master Bruce." He hesitated with what to say next, hoping the words were needed to say were unwarranted. "Goodbye young man."

Bruce's eyes looked up and with a failing few seconds to not say what should be said he switched off the communication line. There was a battle to fight and Batman needed no distractions. With the flutter of his cape, he stepped before the awaiting device that he would start the battle off with. The armaments folded around his body and the gears locked into place. It added strength to his side, he was going to need that. Every last trick and edge at his disposal Bruce was going to need to level the playing field.

To destroy the manor wasn't needed but doing so felt so good. For years Bruce and his ways of going about doing things ate under Superman's skin. Each time they butted heads, he had to be the bigger man and back down. Bruce tested his limits of patience knowing fully well he could crush the puny man without a sweat. It was for the sake of friendship and the greater good that Superman allowed this dominating role of the Batman to overshadow him.

No longer.

The bat cave entrance was pushed out of the way without trouble. The automated defenses placed there delayed him for but a few inconvenient moments. Once down the steps the cave was pitch black with no noise even from the winged rodents from above. Superman always wondered how Bruce managed to not lose his mind being down here so much. To stay in darkness with no one to talk to; only a single minded goal to company him.

He must have lost that mind of his by now if he thought darkness would stop Lord Superman.

"This wont work, Bruce. You can't hide from me," Superman said as he gazed from one corner to the other using his x-ray vision.

"Whose hiding?" came the voice of the dark night from every corner of the cave and with it came the crumbling of the ground underneath Superman.

By the time Superman realized what was happening, Batman shot up from the ground and with his exosuit covered limp grabbed hold of the Man of Steel's neck.

"This wont work, you know that," Superman said while he allowed the hold on his neck to continue. "It may have been enough to face off with Darkseid, but going up against someone like me is entirely different."

"Maybe, but I've upgraded a thing or two." A loaded punched followed and with the exosuit's power, it sent Lord Superman into the costume racks.

The glass fell around him as Lord Superman remained on the ground. He didn't like people pushing him around when he could just as easy snap their necks like a toothpick. He wanted to see the eyes behind the mask of the broken man as his life would come to an end. To see the man afraid for once in his life of something out of his control.

The exosuit whirred in motion and ran towards him. Lord Superman acted quickly, using his heat vision to strike at the heart of the suit. Bruce was forced to halt in motion to fight off such awesome force of the attack. He threw up a forearm and allowed its armored shielding to take the heat. It shocked Lord Superman to see anything hold up against his power for very long. Than again, this was Bruce and he was always prepared for these kinds of things, but no armor could hold out forever against him.

The forearm armor showed its weakening.

Bruce grunted in frustration as Lord Superman intensified.

"Give it up, Bruce."

The other arm came up and on it a small cannon appeared. A second was all it took for Superman to deduce what it was. Its green energy build up before it fired. It was already too late to move as the beam struck at Lord Superman and ending his attack.

The kryptonite beam was murderously painful. He had to act quickly before all his strength was sapped away from him. With one fist jab at the floor, the ground rumbled and threw Bruce's attack off. Lord Superman flew to him at top speeds with two heavy punches. The metal armored head cranked and thudded with the force and Bruce was forced back. Of course it wouldn't throw the Dark Knight off that his head should just as well been lifted off his body there. He returned the attack with another beam strike, however it was met with a crushing hand.

The two went at with punch after punch against the other. When he tired of the prolonging for his win over Bruce, Lord Superman easily grabbed at him and tossed him across the cave. The crash in the wall must have hurt, he reasoned. In fact, Bruce's entire body would be broken by the fighting by now.

The suit struggled to raise its waist side up to even look at him.

"Before this is done, Bruce. I want to know something. Why?"

Batman groaned as one arm chopped into the ground for support. "Why do you need to ask? It wasn't right, Superman. None of it."

"Not right?" Lord Superman found anger in every word Bruce said. "You were the one who worked the hardest out of any of us putting this business together! This is more your fault than mine. And I've spent the last two years regaining my powers again to make you pay for it."

"I wasn't the one who killed the president of the United States." With that, a rocket fired from the exosuit and hit Lord Superman without fail.

The blast stunned him long enough for Bruce to grab at Lord Superman once again. Only this time, the forearm armor plate snapped off to reveal the kryptonite rock that powered the destroyed cannon. Lord Superman made to get away, but his neck was once again in Batman's grasp. His eyes shut tight as his body absorbed the deadly radiation to his body.

"You killing me Bruce wont make things right. This world hates and fears us. You will never earn their forgiveness."

"No, I wont." Batman's grip gradually tightened. "But, I never was one who needed or cared for forgiveness to do the things I do." He walked two staled steps forward, leaning forward as he did so. "With you gone, this world has a chance to make it right. No one should have the kind of power we forced...on...them..."

The grip tightened. Lord Superman was at his mercy and before Bruce could finish the job, a tightening of his own struck at him. This one from his heart.

The grip on Lord Superman was lost as Bruce grabbed for his left arm and chest. The action gave Lord Superman the chance to smack the green rock off the suit and away from him as he fell to the ground. Bruce could barely breath and the environment of the suit only added to his labored breaths. He fell to his knees powerless to do anything but gasp for air.

Lord Superman looked down at the kneeling foe with his arms across his chest and smirk on his face. It felt good, Bruce bowing down before his might. The irony of it all was not lost, but Superman savored the moment to its fullest.

"What's the matter, Batman? That suit still too much for your little old heart?" Then came a kick that knocked Bruce to the ground. "Here, let me help you with that."

In seconds, the armor was in pieces and Batman was left exposed with only his original Batman suit to protect him. The suit he wore before Lord Batman was born.

Lord Superman grabbed the downed man and raised him from the waist up to face him.

"One last thing before this mission of yours comes to close, Bruce. I want that little dimension portal toy of yours."

"Why?" Batman asked weakly.

"There other places out there Batman, where I can do some real good."

"And make it into the toilet our world is now?"

Another smirk. "Well, I still have a few things to settle with my other self from that world."

Bruce lazily turned his head at the deactivated portal. "You won't get it to work. I've locked it and already erased the software for it to function."

A smile as Superman pulled out from his belt a silver object. "That's where the Motherbox comes in, Batman. Anywhere I want to go she'll take me."

"It doesn't work that way. We both know it wont."

Lord Superman returned the device back to his belt and pulled Batman into the air. He removed the cowl and balled his fist in preparation to strike.

"Make it easy on yourself, Bruce. Tell me how to get to that world."

Bruce could feel his weakened heart beat slower in his chest. His face remained emotionless and firm in the face of his killer. If he were to die here tonight, then there would be no regrets in knowing everything was done to making the world a better place for one small little boy who lost his parents a long time ago.

"What are you waiting for?" Batman asked firmly.

Superman hesitated. "Fine."

His body tightened for the anticipation. Superman's expression turned grim as he stared Bruce dead in the eye. No fear laid in him nor the shame of their failure as the world's freedom protectors could be read in his eyes. Bruce wasn't afraid of death, he never was. As much as Superman hated what they had done, he never shown regret for the Justice Lords' actions.

Not like him.

A man who kept in the shadows displayed more remorse for what had taken place than any other of the team members. It was suppose to be the boy scout who felt the regret of the world when bad things happened. Him, who held a kind and forgiving natured heart. Not a man who used fear and terror to strike in the hearts of people.

"Do it, Kent. Show me the kind of person we all turned out to be."

He wanted to. He had to, but...

Lord Superman's face turned even grimmer. In a fit of inner defeated rage he single handily tossed the man in the air. Batman soared then slammed against the cave walls. He groaned before his head lowered. It seemed fitting in a way, Lord Superman thought. The first time they met, it was Bruce who had thrown him across the room. A last token of their ending friendship as Lord Superman made his way to the dimension portal. He hadn't really thought about what to do once getting to where he was going. Vengeance against the other Superman was the drawing notion to go to the other world again, but the true hidden reasoning kept to himself motivated each step closer to the portal's controls. Lois hated what he had done as did his parents, and Jimmy and the many others too. He wanted to get away from those eyes and find a place where they would not look at him like that. Even if it were just for a while.

A few controls pressed and the machine was on. It had no destination but once Lord Superman placed the Motherbox to it, the two technologies activated the doorway portal. The green vortex and electrical energies replaced by a boomtube that awaited its summoner to enter. Lord Superman took one footstep away with the Motherbox safely placed at his side. With only a turn of his head did he notice Bruce's grunting.

Bruce was hunched weary on his feet, breathing heavily. He bled from the mouth, face bruised and beginning to swell. His cape covered the bulk of his body. "Damn you, Clark."

With that, Bruce flunk open his cape and tossed forward a batarang at him. It was laughable, but Lord Superman didn't laugh. He turned to face the incoming projectile, but before it could connect with the intended portal target, he snatched it. There were only seconds before it exploded. Just enough time as Superman flung the weapon back at its master effortless. It flew with great speed, impacting the ceiling above Bruce and exploded. The rocks tumbled down and buried the Dark Knight where he stood.

The cave somehow grew colder once the rocks settled. Lord Superman didn't want to linger a moment longer in this awful place. The walk to the tube was casual and slow. He stood before the entrance of the tube thinking of all the things that led to this moment. Everything that had been done to get this far to nowhere. The day Luthor became president everything fell apart and the once proud champion Superman became a monster.

He stepped forward onto the energy flooring just as his ears picked up the struggling sounds from the cave. Lord Superman turned and at the entrance of the cave there a boy was. Billy Maison leaned against the cave walls of the entrance and stared at the scene. It didn't take long for the boy to figure out that the Batman had fallen. He looked at Superman with hurt eyes.

Lord Superman sadly smirked as he stepped forward into the tube. It was time to leave this world behind him. The tube closed.

The man slumbered peacefully throughout the night, but this hour grew grave. The disturbing images invaded his dreams like a flood. He held his cover close and grunted. He wanted to remain asleep and enjoy the comfort such an act brought to the mind, but that comfort was being harassed. Sweat began on his scalp and forehead. The images were strange. The source of it was foreign; a something of which his mind never encountered before.

Such uncontrolled power, such....

Charles Xavier awakened with a startling feeling of something anger and powerful had entered into the world.


To be Continued...


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