Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Batman created by Bob Kane. All other related characters are property of DC Comics.
Buffy and all related characters created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox Entertainment.
This story takes place between the episodes "Enemies" and "Earshot" of Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 3 and was written on a dare from a friend who said Buffy and Superman could not coexist in the same story.
Originally published back in 2003 under my original pen name of Morgan Rhyse.
A lot of this story was written with The Saint soundtrack playing in the background. So if you have that CD it will greatly enhance the reading of this story.
Happy Reading and enjoy the trip you are about to go on.
-Keith
-
Mayor Richard Wilkins III sat in front of his desk, the five Book's of Ascension set out before him. He had just finished thumbing through the fifth book when Faith walked into his office. A glass of milk sat next to a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the left side of the desk. Faith grabbed a cookie, took a bite, and then gulped down a portion of the milk.
"You wanted to see me, boss?"
"Faith, I am not used to disappointments." The Mayor rocked in his chair, fingers interlaced. "In fact, I try to take everything with a grain of salt. I see failure as a minor setback."
"You're not mad cuz I beat you at miniature golf are you?"
"Heck no!" He rose from his chair and grabbed the fifth book from the desk. "I thought you played one heck of a game." His voice dropped an octave. "No, what I am talking about is something very different. This fifth book you brought me," He handed her the text. "Is a fake." There was laughter in the last words.
Faith unfortunately wasn't so pleased. She almost choked on the mixture of cookie and milk within her mouth. Placing the food on the desk, she tore through the book scanning each page thoroughly.
"Son of a bitch!" she proclaimed, slamming the book shut.
"Now Faith," the Mayor chided, waggling his index finger at her. "What have I said about such language?"
"Sorry, boss." Faith smiled slightly. She was always amused by how he treated her like his daughter. It was actually quite endearing how he would be so protective of her.
"Hey, chin up soldier." He brushed a hand underneath her face. "I guess our demon friend was just a little smarter than we figured that's all."
"Probably would've given us the real book after we gave him the cash he wanted." Faith mused out loud to no one in particular.
"Yes I remember you telling me that he wanted money for the books." The Mayor drifted off in thought. "Demons after money." There was a melencholy sadness in his voice. "Whatever happened to the still beating heart of a virgin?" Faith, who had taken a drink from her glass, almost choked on the milk as she started laughing. "What?" Wilkins felt as if he had just told a joke but didn't realize that the punch line had been included.
"Nothing." Faith waved a hand as she wiped her mouth with her other hand. "It's just that B was telling me that Giles had said the same thing, when she told them about the demon wanting money."
Wilkins thought about this for a moment, and then him and Faith both laughed in unison over the whole irony of it all. After a while he cleared his throat and regained his composure.
"Well..." He straightened his suit and tie. "I have an event that I have to attend at the Sunnydale Museum." He paused as though contemplating the thoughts running through his head. "Go back to the demon's place. Find anything you can that will get us back the real fifth book."
"No problem." Faith rose from the chair. Setting the fake book back on the desk, she turned and walked toward the door in a skipping motion. Before she reached it, she spun around, ran back to the desk, and grabbed the unfinished cookie.
"Kids." The Mayor chuckled slightly as she left his office.
-
The crowd gathered inside the Sunnydale Museum for the opening of the new exhibit. Security was tight as most of the items on display were worth millions on the black market. Reporters from across the globe had come to report on the opening, all of them wanting the front page of their respective paper.
One reporter in particular, a Pulitzer-Prize winner, stood out in the crowd. Everyone there regarded him with awe and fascination. He was well known throughout the world. Not only because of the front page stories he had written, but also who they were about.
His name was Clark Kent.
He stood there, stone-faced, staring at a black box setting on a solid marble pillar. He eyed the intricate details of the artifact with wonderment. Clark loved coming to museum exhibitions like this one. His boss, Perry White, could never understand him, but never argued, giving Clark the museum stories that no one else wanted to take.
Little did Perry White know, or his co-workers, save his wife Lois Lane-Kent, was that underneath the façade of a mild manner reporter, Clark Kent was Earth's greatest hero. He was Superman.
To Clark, coming to a museum was his way of learning more about his adopted home world. Seeing different pieces from different eras made him feel less like an alien and more like a human being.
"Mr. Kent!" Clark turned to see a man in his mid to late forties coming his way. He wore a black suit and tie with a white button down dress shirt. Clark placed the suit as an Armani, but with all the imposter clothing labels out on the market, one could never no for sure. The man had a full-grown gray beard along with matching gray hair, which was slicked back making him look regal in the surroundings of the museum.
"Mr. Thompkins." Clark shook the hand of Frank Thompkins, head curator of the Sunnydale Museum. Frank was cousin to Leslie Thompkins, a well-respected doctor out of Gotham City, who also happened to be a certain Dark Knight's personal physician. "This is quite an impressive display you have here." Clark waved a hand, gesturing at all the artifacts.
"Indeed it is," Thompkins acknowledged. "Amazing that we were able to get it all up and running in a weeks time, especially after all the destruction that was done here." Clark raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask the question Thompkins answered it for him. "Someone, probably a juvenile, decided to ignite a pipe bomb in here. Took out the back door and half the building with it. We thought we'd never get the renovations done." He then turned to the artifact that Clark had been looking at. "The Flying Dragon." He nodded to the piece. "Carved in 1600 during the Ming Dynasty. There is no other like it."
"It looks like it's carved out of lead." While staring at it Clark had been trying to see the contents inside with his x-ray vision, but found that he couldn't. A box the size of the Flying Dragon would be great for storing pieces of Kryptonite in.
"Your assumption is right, Mr. Kent." Frank traced part of the carving with his hand. "Solid lead, though no one really knows why the Ming carved it. Lead was not a popular material back in those times."
"Is it for sale?" Clark asked.
"I believe so." Frank closed his eyes as he thought about the box. "I would have to double check the price on it."
"I also see that there's a key hole." Clark pointed to the latch that kept the lid closed. "Is the key available."
"Unfortunately we do not have it." Frank turned his head and a smile creased his lips. "Excuse me a moment Mr. Kent, I see someone I have to greet. Mayor Wilkins!" Frank waved an arm towards the Mayor, who smiled and offered a handshake. "It's nice to see you your honor."
"A pleasure as always Frank." The Mayor responded with a broad smile.
"Your honor, this is Clark Kent. Reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis."
Clark shook the Mayor's hand and was immediately troubled by his presence. There was something wrong about him, something off. What it was though, Clark didn't know. It was just a feeling he had.
"I'm familiar with the Daily Planet." Wilkins smiled. "I get a subscription just to follow the exploits of Superman. Seems you and your wife get most of his stories, Mr. Kent."
"Well we are good friends with him." Clark answered modestly.
"Ah." Wilkins rocked back and forth on his feet, hands in his pockets. "A little journalistic favoritism." Clark said nothing since he couldn't formulate an answer without compromising his identity. "Well, you and your wife do a bang up job. The Daily Planet's one of my favorite papers."
"Thank you." Clark excused himself from the two men and continued to walk the museum all the while keeping an eye on the Mayor. There was just something wrong about the man.
The Mayor and Thompkins were engrossed in a conversation when something caught Wilkins' eye. Clark watched as he and the curator crossed the floor to another exhibit. Clark filtered out the conversations in the museum focusing on the two men.
"...rumored to be the Fifth Book of Ascension." Frank had just finished. "According to legend..."
"Anyone who has all five books can ascend to the realms of the Gods." The Mayor finished for him. "Yes I am familiar with the legends. I collect occult artifacts as a hobby to pass the time. Is this book for sale?"
"Unfortunately, no." Frank sighed deeply. "It's being shipped out tomorrow night to England. I wish I could keep it here. We have many inquiries about it."
Clark noticed that Wilkins wasn't even paying attention to what Frank was saying. He was just staring at the book as though it was the crown jewels themselves. They finished their conversation, Wilkins leaving quite quickly. Clark followed the mayor outside, and was going to take to the sky to follow him, when suddenly the earth began to shake.
-
Buffy Summers was on routine patrol tonight and for the fact of the matter, she was glad to take some aggression out on some vampires. Too many things were going wrong lately.
Slayers were supposed to be the good guys. They were supposed to protect humanity from the forces of evil. So why then had Faith gone bad. Why did she betray Buffy, and side with the Mayor. Was she that starved for attention that she had to find it with that monster?
The Mayor.
How Buffy wanted to throw him into the Hellmouth and let the old ones suck the life out of him. He was an egotistical maniac that Buffy was determined to stop at any cost. How exactly she and the others were going to accomplish this feat, she had no clue.
What bothered Buffy most though was the charade her and Angel had to perform to flush Faith out.
The Mayor and Faith had devised a plan to suck Angel's soul out of him, reverting him back to Angelus. Little did they know, that Buffy and Giles were onto them, and along with Angel, devised a plan to let the Mayor think he had succeeded so that they could trick Faith into revealing the plans for the Ascension.
Part of the rouse though, was for Angel to act like Faith's new lover. It hurt Buffy; no, it tore at her soul to see Angel kiss Faith like that. It had taken things in a direction that she didn't like. How she wished she could read his mind so she knew what he was thinking. He had wanted to patrol with her, but she wouldn't have it. She needed time away to sort out her feelings.
For now she had to deal with the Ascension, and what it entailed. But what exactly did it entail? She needed to get some info on it and fast. Unfortunately the five books that the demon Skyler offered her were more than likely in the possession of the Mayor at this point.
A snapping twig broke Buffy's concentration. She spun one eighty, only to see open space behind her. Must be loosing it, she thought to herself. When she turned around though, she wished she really was loosing it. A horde of vampires stood before her. There had to be 15 to 20 of them.
"Wow!" She exclaimed, a look of playful glee looming over her face. Never before had she taken on this many vampires, but for some odd reason, she was eager to see if she could. They were dressed in pure black formfitting leather outfits, with a red "M" stitched over the left breast of the suits. They all looked similar, each vamp sporting a military buzzed haircut, though a few of them had goatees. "Let me guess. Church of the Master?"
As one they proceeded to surround her. She was immediately on guard, ready for an attack, but nothing happened. They just encircled her standing perfectly still, arms draped behind their backs. Then the earth began to shake. It wasn't a soft vibration, it was violent. Buffy lost her footing, her knees buckling as she fell backwards, landing hard on her backside. To her surprise, the vampires stood perfectly still, none of them budging.
In front of her seven of the vamps stepped aside, and Buffy's jaw dropped to the ground. If her heart could have stopped dead in its tracks it would have. What walked up to her was unlike anything she had ever seen in her life. Granted it was a vampire, but this guy was huge. He stood at what had to be at least eight feet tall, and had to weigh around three hundred pounds. He wasn't fat though, as his frame was pure muscle. He looked like an Ogre on steroids, if such a thing were possible. Lumbering up to her, he looked around to the other vampires who bowed to him in unison.
With a mighty roar his right arm heaved upward and then his fist launched toward Buffy. She dodged it, but just by inches as it slammed into the ground with such force that it burrowed deeply into the soil. He was extremely fast for his size. When the monster retracted, he pulled up tons of earth in his clenched fist. Rolling to her feet Buffy ran towards one of the vampires in the circle.
What he did next was something she never expected a vampire to do. He pulled a gun pointing the barrel right at Buffy's head. Where he had gotten the gun she had no idea. It was as if he pulled it out of thin air.
"Fight or die!" Were his only words. In sync, the vampire to his right and the one to his left drew guns and pointed them at her as well.
Buffy felt her heart catch in her throat. Reluctantly she turned around and was greeted by a vicious backhand that sent her flying upward into the air, and crashing to the ground. She shook her head trying to rid herself of the blackness threatening to consume her when the giant's right hand wrapped around her throat.
He hoisted her several feet into the air, and she was finally able to see his face. It was a twisted visage, several scar markings adorning it. His eyes glowed bright yellow with a burning hatred that Buffy had never seen in any vampire before. Finally he spoke.
"Tis' a pity." His voice was a low rumble. Ironically, it reminded Buffy of James Earl Jones. "I heard you were the strongest Slayer to date. My sources will suffer for this misinformation. You are dying all too easily." He turned to the vampires surrounding them. "Is there no one who can stand against Monolith?" He screamed the words into the air with such force that the earth quaked.
"No one." The vampires answered in chorused unison.
Buffy faded as she clawed desperately at Monolith's hand. Ironically, her last thoughts were not of Angel, her mother, Giles, or the others. Her mind was quite blank as the blackness engulfed her and her body went limp. But as she faded away, Buffy could have sworn she heard the faint sound of someone screaming.
Monolith raised his arm in the air, howling in pain as he stared at the stump that had once been connected to the hand that was choking the life out of the Slayer. The girl herself had fallen to the ground, along with the ashes that had once been his appendage.
"Who dares!" He bellowed furiously.
"I dare." Monolith along with his cronies, looked up to the sky to see him descending. His arms were draped across his chest as his cape flowed majestically in the wind. His eyes were faintly glowing red as he stopped mere inches over the Slayer's still form. "This girl is under my protection." Superman stated. There was an authority to his voice that all the vampires seemed to understand; except for Monolith. He bellowed a scream from deep within and charged at the Man of Steel.
There was a spectacular flash of red fiery light, and when it subsided Monolith was gone; a pile of ashes marking where he had once stood. With a soft breath, Superman blew the remains of Monolith into the air.
"You're leader is gone. Care to follow him?" The other vampires looked to each other and then bolted. They had no desire to join their fallen comrade.
Superman floated back a few inches and then touched down next to Buffy. Gently, he felt her throat, and was relieved to find a pulse.
"Well, Miss Summers" He scooped her into his arms. "I think you've had enough excitement for one night."
And as he flew into the night time sky, with the slayer in his arms, a figure stepped out of the darkness, and spoke an ancient incantation.
-
Buffy woke up and surprisingly found herself in her bed. At first, she was sure she was dead. The only reassurance that she had otherwise was that she heard her mom and Giles talking down in the kitchen. Someone else was down there with them too. Laughing.
Feeling groggy, she stretched and rose from her bed. Her neck was killing her, and it was then that she remembered her fight with the gigantic vampire. What was his name? Monolith? Yes that was it. She made her way down the stairs and rounded the corner to the kitchen.
"Ah, Buffy" Giles was the first to notice her. "How do you feel?"
"Sore." She answered. "But fine. How long have I been out."
"About an hour." Giles replied.
"Man, I thought I was going to die." Buffy rubbed the back of her neck. It then occurred to her that she had no idea how she had gotten away. "Hey! How did I get out of...that..." She stopped short when she saw him. He was seated on a stool at the counter, a coffee cup in his hands. Buffy rubbed her eyes again, just to make sure she was not hallucinating. "Uh..." was the only word that escaped her mouth as she felt her head go light, and her knees buckle. She never hit the floor though. He caught her just when the knees had buckled.
"Easy." He said as he steadied her.
"Omigod!" She exclaimed. "You're him." There was laughter from her voice as she shook her head not believing he was in her house. "You're Superman."
"Call me Kal." He extended a hand.
"Wow." She took his hand. "This is so awesome."
"You were right Ripper" Superman turned to Giles. "She does have a good handshake."
"Ripper?" Buffy was beside herself. "You mean to tell me you two know each other?"
"Yes well, we do have a history together." Giles removed his glasses and proceeded to wipe them with a hanky.
"Don't let his modesty fool you Buffy." A smile adorned Superman's face. "I owe this man my life."
"Oh, this I gotta hear!" Buffy raced to one of the stools flopping down on the cushioned seat and setting her arms on the counter, one crossed over the other.
"I think I want to hear this too." Joyce walked up beside her daughter and mimicked her motions. The two of them looked like two school girls wanting all the latest gossip that could be heard. Superman chuckled and was getting ready to say something when Giles interrupted.
"We can recant our adventures another time." Buffy always noticed that Giles was all business when he wanted to avoid a conversation that involved his past. "Kal-El was telling me that the vampire he rescued you from was called Monolith?"
"Yeah." Buffy let the subject change. "He was huge too. I don't think a stake would have taken him out either." She rolled her neck. "So what happened to him? I thought he was going to kill me."
"He would have." Joyce wrapped an arm around her daughter. "If not for Superman." Buffy looked at him silently asking him how it went down.
"Heat vision." He tapped a finger against his right temple. "Comes in handy when dispatching vampires."
"I still want to know more about him." Buffy looked to Giles. "He had quite the fan following. There has to be a past in there somewhere."
"Well, I can phone Wesley about finding information on him."
"Works for me." Buffy walked to the coat rack and grabbed her blazer. "Phone him and let's drive." She noticed that Superman had a wry smile on his face.
"How would you like to fly instead?"