Justice League
The Price of Tomorrow
Pt. 3
Undisclosed Location
Top Secret High Security Prison
For five minutes, the pieces on the board hadn't been moved. For five minutes, the one sitting behind the board hadn't moved. For five minutes, he'd been studying the pieces, calculating ever possible move he could make, and playing out each scenario in his head. He does this because he has nothing else to do, except sit, wait, and think of his next move. And whatever his next move will be, Lex Luthor knows it will be the perfect and move effective move to defeat his opponent.
With a small smile, he reaches for the Bishop, and looks out of the corner of his eye towards his guards. There are two of them today, standing outside his glass cell with their backs to him.
Laughing slightly, he rolls the Bishop in his fingers. "You really should be watching you know," he says.
They remain still, but Luthor knows they can hear him. The thousands of camera's and microphones littered all throughout this facility pick up every move and sound he makes. They were there to make sure there wasn't a place in the entire facility Lex could not go without being watched. It would be unnerving to most, but Lex found it flattering.
"It really is a rare and extraordinary opportunity," he continues. "The greatest intellect of our age, playing chess against the greatest opponent he could ever hope to face." He placed the Bishop on square, and smiled slyly. "Himself."
He turned the board and folded his hands under his chin before beginning to play through every possible move and scenario in his mind, this time from the Black pieces perspective.
"Suit yourself though," Lex said. "From mere observation there could be so much you could learn. A chance to see genius at work before your very eyes. Yet you sit there in full regality and diligence, performing your duty as your masters have commanded. A shame really, but perhaps it's just as well. You probably couldn't even begin to possibly comprehend the thorough and complex process through which I, the worlds greatest intellect, decide to make my moves."
He reached for the rook, and moved to take out the Bishop he had just placed a moment ago. "Check!"
Spinning the table again, he begins to study the board with full awareness that the white King is in danger. In danger not just from the Bishop, but from all the other possible traps he'd set.
"I've been at least a thousand games of chest since I was shackled here," Lex continued. "A thousand games, and not once have any of you ever challenged me. I used to wonder why that is. At first I thought it was just your diligence and regality, following the orders of your masters not too interact with the worlds greatest intellect. Can't risk accidental enlighten now can we, eh. That would risk your near perfect collective system of conformity.
"Then again, a forked tongue has never been a modus operandi of mine, which you are all aware of," he continued. "I've never manipulated anyone into a hypnotic state of servitude, nor would I. I have complete and utter disdain for the masses of the so called working class who live their lives in the monotonous day to day grind of personal habitat, routine, and order. Little worker bee's who assign themselves to either one master or the another; seeing the world through the prism of black and white, or left and right. Never once believing they could shatter the prism and consider the existence of a third way.
"Those are the ones you should be wary of if manipulation is your fear; the freaks and the politicians," Lex said. "I have too much respect for the human brain and its potential to sit here and try to manipulate you into doing my bidding."
Lex picked up a pawn, and placed in the way of the Bishop with a sly smile. Then said, "We could have always found a way to play through the glass, though."
Spinning the table, he placed a hand under his chin, then looked at the guards mockingly.
"Could it be you know you don't stand a chance?" he asked rhetorically. "That you are afraid to undertake a challenge where the outcome is so clearly not in your favor? You are all highly trained soldiers in the employ of the United States government! You're used to challenges! It's part of your training. They test you with challenges; challenges you are not meant to fail, purposely, to test your resolve and reaction to failures. In other words, you are supposed to be used too loosing, and therefore not afraid of it."
He picked up a knight, and held it over the board. "But no, its neither of those, is it. Then which is it? It's puzzled me time and time again, since I don't have much else to think about in here. Then one night, I had an epiphany." He placed the Knight on an unoccupied place just in front of his King, and smiled. "You won't face me because when you inevitably would fall into danger, there would be no one to save you."
The Knight was placed between the Black Bishop and the White king. The Bishop could move forward and take out the Knight, putting the White King back in Check. However, a pawn was placed on the adjacent square to the Knights. If the Bishop moved forward, took the Knight putting the White King back in danger, the pawn would simply move and take the Bishop, eliminating both the threat, and a powerful piece from the Black's arsenal.
"No Superman to fly in and save the day," Luthor said, removing his hands from the Knight and forming a satisfied smile. "And that is what Humanity has been reduced too. A people content to stare at the mountain of progress, but never mustering the courage to ascend to its summit. You'll climb the precipice, yes, but only because Superman is your safety net. But you won't dare venture outside your realm of assurance, not unless you know your savior is there.
"But what happens too humanity when Superman is no longer here to save the day? Eh, yeah? What happens then? Do we have to stand on our own two feet again? Will we even remember how too?
"Listen to me now and listen to me good!" Luthor said, raising his voice and glaring at the guards. "Superman is nothing more than a crutch we have grown dependant on. And when that crutch is gone, we will stumble, we will fall, and it will burn beneath the sun. In those days we will endure suffering like we've never had too before; suffering bread from ignorance, cowardice, and apathy."
He flipped the board around so he was facing the black pieces again. The two guards remained still, having never moved an inch since he began speaking.
"It might seem heartless, but I look forward to those days," he continued. "Because whether you choose to admit it or not, when that day comes, you'll come to me, Lex Luthor. And when you are groveling at my feet on the other side of these prison walls, confessing your errors, begging for forgiveness, and calling upon me to guide you, I'll simply look back, and say…"
A blaring alarm sounded through the complex. Luthor stopped with his mouth hung open and the guards moved for the first time. Red lights flashed from the four corners of the room, and the guards flicked the safety's off their guns while pressing their fingers to their ears. Lex looked on, narrowing his eyebrows and feeling sweat break out on the top of his bald head.
"What's happening?" he asked assertively. "Is someone here?"
One of the guards looked as though he was about to answer, when a series of intense vibrations ripped through the prison. The chess board toppled over, sending the black and white game pieces flying everywhere. The guards stumbled against the walls. Lex was thrown against the glass wall. Lex watched as the guards muttered something to each other, and took off running.
"Wait!" Lex shouted. "Where are you going! You can't just leave me here."
There was a muffled sound followed by a rumbling. The guards had disappeared down the hall, but Lex could hear shouting from their direction. His mind whirled, assessing the situation. There had been an explosion, several actually, and they were continuing. There was another muffled explosion, followed by a soft rumble, and several blood curdling cries. Then, there came the loud explosions of gunshots as the shadows along the walls flickered like a strobe light. Round after round was fired off, following by screams and shouts.
The sounds drew closer, the flickering more intense, and the screams more desperate as they drew near the entrance to the hall leading to Lex's cell. Then, Lex's eyes widened as their was one final burst of light before everything became still. No more explosions, no more gunshots, no more yelling and screaming; just nothing.
Nothing until the sound of footsteps filled the hall, and a silhouette figure rounded the corner, heading for Lex. .
Lex backed away from the glass wall. His mind began racing as the figure drew near. However, his thoughts became as silent as the rest of the facility as the silhouette dropped away, revealing nothing more than a bald man of no particular impressive build.
The passed the threshold leading from the hallway into the chamber, and smiled pleasantly. "Ah, there you are," he said. He spared Lex only a quick glance before stepping in front of the glass plane. He began to eyes it over curiously, his hands folded behind his back, and his lips pressed together as though he were about to whistle.
"Yes, here I am," Lex said slowly and dryly. "And who are you, exactly?"
The man looked back to Lex. "Name's Lionel," he said with a casual greeting nod. "And I must say, it's a great honor to meet you."
Lex cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, it should be. Though you'll forgive me, I'm not used to being …appreciated."
The bald man chuckled slightly. "Well isn't that par for the course, as your saying goes. From what I can tell, most genius' are usually cast aside as mad in their day. It's not until long after their gone that their thinking and ideas are fully appreciated. I guess they're all just way ahead of their time."
Despite himself, Lex smiled.
"But, as much as I'd like too, we don't have time to make small talk," The bald man said. "It was an unscheduled detour to come here, and I can't afford to be late for my next appointment. So if you don't mind, please stand back."
Without waiting for a response, the bald man held a gloved hand against the glass. Lex barely had enough time to step back before he heard a small hum, and the glass shattered a moment later. Instinctively, Lex covered his face until the tingling of falling glass ceased. He was about to shout at the man, but found himself at a loss for words. All the walls had remained intact, except for the one the bald headed man, Lionel, had pressed his palm against.
"Come on then," Lionel said, gesturing for Lex to follow.
Lex stood still and glared at the man. "Not so fast," Lex said. "What is this?"
"This?" the bald man said, looking at the shattered glass at his feet. "Don't you know a breakout when you see one?"
"You're breaking me out of here?" Lex asked.
"Well of course," the bald man said. "You don't think I went to all this trouble just to meet you do you?"
"I can't…I can't break out of here," Lex said, angrily. "I'll go away for life when they catch me again." The bald man laughed. Lex pressed his lips together. "I don't see why you think its so funny."
"Well," the bald man said. "I don't actually. I'll just tell you this. I'm sure you've been thinking of ways to escape on your own, and you'll be happy to know that you succeed, in about two years from now. But by then," the bald man bobbed his head back and forth before shrugging. "Well it won't really be worth it to escape. However, come with me right now," he said smiling again. "And it'll be the best decision of your life."
Lex looked at the bald man skeptically. "How?" he asked.
The bald man extended a hand forward. "It's a long story, one I'll be happy to tell you along the way. For now, all you have to know is that if you come with me, the world will see you for the genius you are in your time."
Lex narrowed his eyes as he mulled it over. He had been here for a long time, and yes the bald man was right; he had been planning an escape. However, his escape still required a great amount of planning, years in fact. Years the world could not afford to loose his intellect too.
"Alright, lets go then," Lex said. The bald man smiled, and they left the glass prison and began making their way through the remains of the facility. Outside, Lex felt sweat form on his bald head and he squinted as he looked up into the bright desert sun. He tried to remember the last time he'd seen the sun. Meanwhile, the bald man had pressed a button on his wrist, causing a blue holographic looking disc to appear hovering a few feet off the ground.
"So…who did you say you were again?" Lex asked.
The bald man looked at Lex and smiled.
"Lionel," he said. "I was named after your father."
Space
"Clark, listen!"
I hear Bruce, but I don't pay attention. I'm flying through space, he knows I can't respond. As soon as I saw Diana on the viewer, I left. I didn't wait for a boom tube, I didn't wait for anyone to say anything.
"I know you don't want to listen to me Clark, but you need to think this through," Bruce continues. "This woman is dangerous, whoever she is. She beat Diana. Think about that."
I know. Damn it, I know! But right now, Bruce is the only one who knows about Diana and I. How he knows? Probably the same way he knows everything else. He always knows. He makes it his business to know.
"They either matched her in speed and strength, or knew some other way to fight her. A weakness, a weapon, something you could be unprepared for," he continues.
I've never had to worry about Diana's safety. She's the most powerful woman in the world, and as nearly invulnerable as I am. We've fought side by side many times over the years. At first we came to admire each other's strengths, then understood each other's loneliness, which brought us together. We've both been outsiders looking in, which is a very isolated way to live your life. Together thought, we don't feel so alone. Together, we feel we belong, if only with each other.
Once we came together, I came to love her strength, her passion, and above all else, her love for everything in the entire world. I never felt I would ever need to fly in and save her, and she'd probably punch me if I ever I tried.
"Don't engage her alone," Batman warns. "Vic and Arthur will meet you there I'm staying up here and going over satellite footage. You need to know what you'll be up against."
There is a small sonic boom as I breach the atmosphere and race towards the surface. I tune my super hearing, listening for anything from Diana's location. I hear shouts of panic, alarm, and confusion coupled with the same newscasters speaking live to their camera's. Seems like nothing's changed.
The world becomes bright, the air warm as I veer in the direction of the Florida coast. Once in range, I begin scanning the surface with my supervision. I spot them when I'm about 80 miles off shore. I zero in on them with my supervision and see Diana, laying unconscious on the ground with this woman standing over her. I pick up my pace.
Then another voice enters the comm. "Hey, Barry here."
My thoughts slip momentarily. Barry never uses the com unless its an absolute emergency.
"Flash, what is it?" Bruce asks.
"Well I've just had a very …weird… fight with some guy in Central City," Allen says.
"The assassination attempt?" Bruce asks.
"Yeah, how did you… never mind."
"Where are you headed now?" Bruce asks.
"Northeast," Barry replies. "I had to put out some fires before I could follow. Is there any chance you could use the satellite too…"
"He's heading for Metropolis," Bruce says before Barry can finish.
My eyes widen. Metropolis! No, it can't be. Why now? I don't know what an assassin from Central City would want in Metropolis. But still… I can't help of think of my friends, including… Lois. What would this assassin want there?
"Metropolis, Clark?" Bruce asks.
I hear his meaning loud and clear. He'd rather I go to Metropolis than fight this woman.
"I'm not far behind him," Barry says. "But this guy has a plan. I might need backup."
"I'll send Arthur," Bruce says. "And Clark…"
I land on the beach, hard. The sand explodes beneath my feet, creating a pillar which the wind blows in every direction.
"Bruce!" I say as the sand clears, and the silhouette of the woman materializes. "I got this."
The com goes silent; Bruce knows there's nothing more to say. The woman faces me in a ready position. She's large, too large to be natural, if she's human. Her garments are torn around the crevices of her muscles, her black hair is blowing wildly in the wind, and she's breathing heavy, as though anxious to face me.
At her feet is Diana. Bruised, scratched, and unconscious. My super hearing tells me that her breathing is labored and her heart rate has slowed, but not enough to be worried at the moment. However, she will need medical attention, and soon.
The sight of her makes my stomach tense. Its just too unbelievable. I've never seen Diana so… vulnerable before. I've never had anyone in my life like Diana. I've never wanted too. I've always been afraid that being Superman would bring too much risk for Clark Kent to be with anyone. So I've always kept my distance, always made sure there was a wall and a line no one could cross. It's cost me a lot, but with Diana, I felt I'd finally gained something.
The woman's arm muscles tense as she grips two swords; two familiar swords. With a closer look, I nearly gasp. The blades are Diana's. At least, one of them is. I can't tell which because they both look exactly alike. But that's not possible! Diana's sword is one of a kind, crafted by Hephaestus and blessed by the god's. It would be impossible to create a forgery from that kind of craftsmanship, and Hephaestus would never make a duplicate.
"Who are you?!" I shout.
The woman has kept her eyes firmly planted on me this entire time. She looks fierce, determined, and fearless; or at least she's trying her best to appear that way. With my super vision I see her throat tense as she swallows nervously. With my super hearing I can hear her heart pounding, and I can hear her breathing shaking.
So, she's afraid. That means she's not crazy, or stupid.
I wait for her answer, but all I get in reply is her raising her blades, and leaning back as if to strike.
When it becomes obvious she's not planning on speaking, I charge.
I'm on her almost a second later, fist raised and aimed for her gut. However, she's dropped to the sand, and my fist sails over her head. Lucky her I didn't strike at my full strength, or else I would have taken her head off.
She rolls to her left, and quickly raises the blades to her defense as I dash back to strike her again. I strike low this time, and she leaps. She leaps and flips over me and lands right beside Diana. So she's quick, and smart; anticipating each of my strikes.
I turn, but instead of racing towards her again, my eyes begin to glow red. Heat vision beams burst forth from my eyes aimed at her. Again, I'm holding back, my heat vision would sear through a human's flesh in an instant. I only want to stun her, cause her to react in pain before I dash towards her again.
However, she raises the two blades, and deflects my heat vision, back at me! It catches me by the temple, narrowly missing my eyes because I turned my head. It feels only like a pin prick, but it caught me off guard. A moment later I realized she caused me to be distracted as I had planned for her; the same moment the blade crashes against my Kryptonian battle suit.
My armor cracks and splinters, and I'm sent flying. She's strong, stronger than I expected. I feel as though the wind was knocked out of me, and my Kryptonian armor is convulsing as it tries to repair itself. As I struggle to get my bearings, my super hearing hears her running along the sand. I quickly roll to my right and leap to my feet, just as she brings her blade down where I was laying. I quickly back hand her, and she skips along the sand like a pebble in water.
She breaks her tumble with a roll, and is back on her feet as if she were merely doing somersaults. Before I even have a chance to be surprised that she's not even stunned, she charges me again. I cock my eyebrow; this isn't like her last attacks, this is reckless. However, as I sidestep her and prepare to strike her from behind again, she leaps and slides beneath me, striking me from below rather than above.
I managed to deflect her blade, but not the strike from the hilt with the other. The magic in the blade tears through me, just like it tore through my armor, and I hit the sand. Without giving me a second to breath, she dashes towards me and kicks me in the gut where my armor is still recovering. However, I move fast enough to catch her foot, and flip her end over end.
She lands, but quickly leaps to her feet again. We square up, preparing for each other's attacks, but neither willing to rush head in. Just then though, the ground begins to rumble, and the sound of a boom echoes behind me.
"Superman!" Cyborg says, snapping his arm cannon into place. "Let's do this!"
"Get to Wonder Woman," I shout behind me. "I'll keep her off you."
The woman's eyes dance between Vic and I. Panic has crept into her face; this must have been unexpected. However, as Vic takes off towards Diana, she dashes towards him. Though I've learned this woman seems to have a plan for everything, I quickly use my super speed and dash to a spot in her path.
Again, I'm made the fool. She stops mid run, takes something off her belt, and tosses it. It sails over my head as I'm unable to change my momentum in time to grab it. It lands in the sand near Vic and Diana, before emitting a flash of light.
Without making a sound, Vic suddenly becomes rigidly still, and collapses on the sand.
"Cyborg!" I shout. I can't hear his circuits, I can't hear what's left of his heart, I can't hear him breath.
"Clark! Don't worry about him, just stay focused!" Batman shouts in my ear.
His warning comes just in time as I barely catch the sound of her feet racing through the sand. Turning, I duck under the swipe of one blade, and softly leap over the low strike of the other. When I land, I let out a gasp of my super breath, which sends her flying.
She lands on the pavement of the sidewalk, splitting and cracking it as she does. It would be a perfect time to charge her, beat her unconscious into the ground, and end this fight. However, Vic is more of a concern for me.
"Come on, say something," I say to Vic as I land by his side. Diana isn't too far away, and her breathing and heart beat are still stable. But Vic… I don't even know what's happened to him. Meanwhile, my own Kryptonian Biotech armor is still convulsing from the magic of Diana's blade. Its making progress in repairing it self, but its slow and tedious.
"Don't worry about him," Bruce says in my ear.
"Batman, he's not breathing…"
"He was hit with a focused EMP blast," Bruce says. "In a few minutes his circuits will reset and repair and he'll be able to power up again."
Sometimes you hate Batman for all he knows, other times you love him.
"So he'll be fine?" I ask.
"Yes, he'll be fine."
"Good!" I say through clenched teeth as I rise to my feet and facing the woman.
Slowly, she's rising to her feet. She squares herself towards me again, raising the blades in front of her. However, this time she's visibly breathing heavy, and her heart is pumping furiously. She's showing exhaustion and even pain. So she does have a weakness after all.
It's time to end this, now. I need to get Vic and Diana back to the Watchtower. She's tired, exhausted, and perhaps learning she can't defeat me. Whenever you take away an opponents confidence you've just won the battle.
I charge her once last time. I expect she'll try to duck or jump again, try to use the blades on my blind side after I've passed over her. It won't work, I'm too fast, and she's too worn down.
However, she surprises me once more. Instead of ducking low, or trying to jump, she merely steps to the side. As I draw near, I see why. Beside her, is an open sewer gate. It's not part of the rubble, which means it was open before we began to fight. Just as I'm about to meet her, she takes a step forward, and falls into the darkness below.
Without hesitating, I fly after her.
"Clark, wait!" Batman shouts. "You're flying into a trap."
Metropolis
"Flash, Eta?"
"I running into the city now," Barry replied as he passed through the Metropolis city limits and began weaving in and out of the afternoon traffic.
"Any idea where this guy is going yet?" Arthur asked.
Barry quickly opened himself up the Speed Force and expanded his vibration sensory field. The broad shouldered man was only about five minutes ahead of him, but that meant he could be anywhere in Metropolis. It had only taken Barry a few minutes to put of the fires and make sure the civilians were safe, but those few minutes were a matter of miles with this man's speed. Barry had immediately set off after him, and Batman had tracked him on satellite. The broad shouldered man had headed for Metropolis, and Superman was busy in Florida with a woman who'd defeated Diana.
"City Hall?" Barry said. "He went after Mayor Trambeline. Maybe…" he stopped, letting his voice trail off.
Recalling how he'd stopped the man from killing Mayor Trambeline, Barry couldn't help but remember the look in the broad shouldered man's eyes.
"Don't think so," Arthur said. "Bruce says Metropolis' mayor isn't even in town today."
Barry bit his lip. The Mayor was out, so what else did that leave? He thought about asking if there was another high profile political figure in the city, but stopped. In an brief instant that Barry had seen only because the world slowed down to a crawl whenever he ran, the broad shouldered man had taken his finger off the trigger.
"Alright… check the emergency lines, see if there are any urgent calls or emergencies," Barry said.
"It's Metropolis," Arthur replied. "There's a call to 911 every thirty seconds."
Barry bit his lip as he turned into the downtown area. He zipped around the cars, all the while keeping his sensory field from the Speed Force open. Metropolis was a chaotic mess compared to Central City, but that was because Barry didn't know this city. Still, he'd followed the broad shouldered man's vibrations across the country without a problem. It wouldn't take too long to filter through all the strange vibrations of Metropolis' and find his. Barry just hoped he had that much time to spare.
"Any other high profile political figures?" Barry asked. "Trambeline is one of those guys coming out strong against us. I've heard he has Presidential aspirations, and well lets face it, the countries mood is turning against us."
"I'll take a look," Arthur replied.
The broad shouldered man wouldn't be the first to take issue with a politician trying to make a quick jump in his career at the expense of Meta-humans, particularly the Justice League. There had also been meta-human's who were less … diplomatic… in how they dealt with such politicians. However, Barry remembered their little talk after he had stepped in between the broad shouldered man and Mayor Trambeline. The broad shouldered man had been remorseful, sincere, even relieved that Barry had stopped him. Furthermore, the bombs he'd planted as a distraction would not have hurt anyone and caused minimal damage.
Time was passing slowly as he dashed through the Metropolis streets, giving Barry time to sort through the facts. Using his forensic and police training, Barry tried to assess the situation, going over the facts and figures from an objective point of view, and trying to determine a sense of what this man was after, and perhaps why.
But each time Barry ran through the facts, he always arrived at the same conclusion; this man was not a killer.
"We may not know exactly what he wants till he gets there, so just… be ready," Barry said.
He heard a sigh on the other end of his communicator. "If you say so," Aquaman said. He was not known for patience.
So far, Barry still could not pick up the broad shouldered man's trail. Barry was just too unfamiliar with Metropolis that he couldn't even tell the difference between a subway car skidding to a halt, or a dog barking. He needed to slow down, and search the city bit by bit. Barry bit his lip, he didn't have time for this.
Seeing a building he knew to be friendly, or at least hoped, Barry quickly veered from the busy downtown traffic. He began racing around the building walls until he reached the giant globe of the Daily Planet building.
"Find him yet?" Arthur asked.
"Not yet… still looking," Barry said as he perched himself down on top of the globe.
"Last I saw on satellite he entered the city and headed west."
West! A good place to start. Barry honed his perception to the west, blocking out almost two thirds of the city. It was much easier to distinguish the different vibrations this way, yet still unfamiliar and chaotic.
"I'm trying to go over the satellite footage as best I can," Arthur said. "But I loose him once he enters the city."
Barry dashed of the rooftop of the Daily Planet and began weaving through the streets again. "That means he must have slowed down," Barry said as he climbed up the tallest building in Metropolis; the GCN building.
He re-opened his sensory field and began sorting through the vibrations again. However, this time, he didn't look for the strong vibrations a Speedster would make, but something more subtle that would seem out of place. He frowned upon realizing everything seemed out of place.
"So what should we be looking for?" Arthur asked.
"I don't know," Barry said as he closed his field and ran off the GCN building. He continued heading westward, and dashed up to the top of the LexCorp building. "The fires he started in Central City were meant as a distraction. See if there's anything going on that could seem like something likely to draw Superman out."
"Clark?"
"We're in his city, so I'm guessing whatever this guy planned had Superman in mind," Barry said.
"If I were him, I'd be trying my best not to draw Clark's attention."
Barry's eyes went wide. "That's it!" he said .
"What?"
"See if there are any false alarms being reported," Barry said.
"False alarms?"
"Yeah we get them all the time," Barry continued as he raced down the LexCorp building and onto the streets again. He began to head west again, zipping in and out of alleys and over and around buildings. "You know, like when fire alarms go off in dorm room because someone burnt popcorn, or a glitch in a computer system causes sprinklers to go off when there isn't a fire. Fire and police are usually automatically notified and you have to call them off so they don't come. However, most of the time you still have to evacuate the buildings until the alarms or sprinklers are turned off."
"I see…"
"Clark would be there in an instant if there was a fire, flood, break in, whatever," Barry said. "But if he heard from the police it was a false alarm, he wouldn't show. That's what our guy is counting on."
"I think I found him," Arthur said.
"Where?" Barry asked, speeding onto the rooftops so he could easily head in any direction.
"S.T.A.R. Labs," Arthur said. "The fire sprinklers were set off about four minutes ago. Fire and police were about to be dispatched before S.T.A.R. called them off saying a computer glitch caused the sprinklers and alarms to off."
"That's our guy!" Barry said, quickly veering off in the direction of Metropolis' local S.T.A.R. lab's facility. ere were over twenty S.T.A.R. lab facilities in the world, each with a different specialization. Barry knew where Metropolis' was, everyone did. "How did he manage that by the way?" Barry asked.
"Looks like he hacked in," Arthur replied.
"Wow, this guys got balls."
S.T.A.R. labs was protected by some of the most advanced cyber security in the world. Most cyber criminals knew enough to not even try to hack into it; it was only inviting trouble. Barry turned down the street where S.T.A.R. labs was located. To his satisfaction, he saw most of the employee's were standing outside the building.
"Looks like he succeeded," Barry said. "Everyone's evacuated, any chance you can lock down where he's hacking in from?"
"I don't know, outside somewhere," Arthur replied. Barry frowned. Arthur was wasn't as savvy with a computer as Vic or Batman was. "But when I boom down, we'll tear the place apart looking for him. I'll meet you outside."
"No, wait…" Barry said.
"We don't have time to wait," Arthur replied as the com went dead.
Barry opened himself up further to the Speed Force as he began circling the building. The world slowed down to a crawl again while Barry's perceptions stayed up to speed. This gave him time to think, and hopefully find the broad shouldered.
In the borrowed time he had, Barry went over the facts again. He let the events of Central City run through his mind again, trying to make sure he was one hundred percent confident in his assessment. Once again, he came to the same conclusion. Barry hoped he could convince the broad shouldered man to come in peacefully.
He circled around the building once, and saw nothing unusual. So he circled it again, and again, each time finding nothing out of the ordinary. Barry re-opened his sensory field to the Speed Force, but couldn't sort through the vibrations to see if anything was out of place.
Only a few seconds had passed in normal space-time as he rounded the building for a fourth time. However, time was running short and Arthur would be there soon. Barry had to find the broad shouldered man before that.
He circled for a fifth time, expanding his sensory field even wider, but still unsure what to look for. Then he thought of something. If the broad shouldered man was hacking into S.T.A.R. labs onsite, but not within the building, there was only one place he could be. Barry veered away from the building towards S.T.A.R. labs power generators. They were kept further away from the building, and as Barry expanded his sensory field again, he found him.
The broad shouldered man was hunched out of site behind one of towers. For any passerby, he would look like a simple hobo trying to keep warm. But cradled in his arms was what looked like an I-pad device, which the broad shouldered man was typing furiously on.
Wanting to test his theory, Barry quickly dashed past him and snatched the device out of his hands. The broad shouldered man leapt to his feet, his eyes wide with panic.
"Hey there," Barry said charmingly. He'd stopped atop one of the towers, waving the device in his hands. The panic look in the broad shouldered man's eyes faded, yet a sense of urgency remained.
"Mr. Allen," he said, sounding surprised to see Barry, yet also like a genuinely nice guy.
Barry nodded slightly, and looked at the device. It was filled with graphics that looked completely alien to him. "What's this…" he began, but before he could finish, there was a blur before his eyes, and the device was gone. Turning, Barry saw the broad shouldered man standing on another tower, the device back in his hands.
"This…" the broad shouldered man said, waving the device. "…is not something to amuse yourself with."
"I wasn't looking to be amused," Barry replied. "I was looking for you, however, and now that I found you I think you and I should have a little chat."
"I don't think we have anything more to talk about."
"But you see, there is," Barry replied. "Let me start off by saying, though, that I'm not looking to fight you…"
"Neither am I Mr. Allen. As I said in Central City, I'm not your enemy."
"And you know what, I believe you, I really do," Barry said, genuinely. "But not everyone else does. A friend of mine will be here in a few seconds to take you in."
"Then I suggest we end this now," the broad shouldered man said. "I won't be captured, and I will not go with you willingly. I have a mission to complete, and if you do not help me, then you must stand..."
In the blink of an eye, Barry dashed past the broad shouldered man, snatching the device from his hands again.
"I can't do that," Barry said, coming to a halt. He quickly opened himself up to the Speed Force. If the broad shouldered man tried to take the device back from him again, Barry would see it in plenty of time. "I don't know who you are, or where you're from, but here's what I do know. There was a break in at A.R.G.U.S., an assassination attempt in Central City, Wonder Woman was beaten in a fight, and now you've tried to hack into Star Labs. You know who I am, you know what I do, so you know I'm going to put the pieces together."
"And you should know that I take no joy in what we're doing," the broad shouldered man replied. "But they are necessary, as is our mission, and I stand firmly behind them."
"What mission?"
"I can't say anything more, perhaps I've said too much already."
"No," Barry said, desperately. The look the broad shouldered man had in his eyes now was the same he had when he hesitated to pull the trigger in Central City. "The more you tell me now, the more I can help you. What you're doing doesn't make any sense to me, but I want to understand. You're not a killer or a terrorist. I'm guessing you're not even a violent person. You're certainly not the common variety deranged psychopathic super-villain I'm used to facing. Your a perfectly normal, rational, human being. And you don't like what you're doing, this mission or whatever. So talk to me, lets figure this out."
Letting out a long withdrawn sigh, the broad shouldered man brought his eyes to meet Barry's. Once again, they were filled with hesitation, regret, and remorse.
"I am sorry Mr. Allen," he said. "But as I said before, I stand behind our mission, as regrettable as our actions are."
Then, the man leapt towards Barry. He was fast, fast even for Barry to sense in the Speed Force. Once again though, there was no presence of this man within the Speed Force, meaning Barry's theory had proven true; this man wasn't a Speedster. However, he was still fast, and Barry just had enough time to pull the device out of the man's reach before…
Barry lurched back as a fist connected with his jaw. The broad shouldered man hadn't been aiming for the device, but for Barry. The blow sent Barry flying, but he was able to recover and land on his feet. However, just as he was about to start running, he was struck by another blow. Skipping like a rock on water, Barry bounced along the paved streets before his momentum was stopped by a parked car. People all around began yelling and screaming, adding to the noise and confusion of S.T.A.R. lab employee's evacuated outside.
The accelerated healing from the Speed Force kicked in, and Barry felt several bones and cuts begin to mend. However, his head was spinning, and he didn't have a chance to see the broad shouldered man as he raced past him, taking the device from Barry again.
It was only a second or two before Barry could find his footing and begin racing after the broad shouldered man. But several miles were placed between them within that second. Barry followed the man's vibrations through Metropolis, thankful that the man was choosing to stick to the rooftops. Opening himself as much as possible to the Speed Force, Barry raced after him, leaping from roof to roof, and gaining on him quickly.
The two ran side by side, matching stride for stride, leap for leap. "Whatever your mission is, there's got to be another way," Barry said, desperately.
"I'm afraid there is not," the broad shouldered man said, as they began descending down one skyscraper. "But you have nothing to worry about," he continued as they raced onto the streets. "My objective with Star Labs is complete."
"What!?" Barry shouted, eyes growing wide and fighting a rising urge to turn back to S.T.A.R. labs to see what had been done. "In case you are worried, no one's been hurt," he continued. "My objective was only to delete their entire research database regarding a cold fusion reactor."
Barry gasped. "Cold fusion!" he shouted as they raced up the Lexcorp building. "But that's impossible! Everyone's been trying to develop cold fusion since the Manhattan Project."
"Star Labs has made great strides in cold fusion research in recent years," the broad shouldered man said. "And in approximately two years from now, they will succeed. Or would have."
They leapt from the Lexcorp building onto a highway bridge which connected several interstate highways leading in and out of Metropolis.
"What do you mean 'would have'?" Barry asked, his mind turning as fast as his legs were.
The broad shouldered man leapt from bridge to bridge, with Barry hot on his heals, but unable to catch him. "By deleting their research, I've set them back fifteen years of research, and close to one trillion dollars. It is doubtful the project will be continued, which is in your best interest."
"What… how… who are you?"
"I never wanted anyone to be hurt, and thanks to you I have succeeded," the man said. "I must leave now, for I can't afford to be late to my next objective."
He landed on the lowest bridge and began heading north along the interstate. They weaved in and out traffic, running at speeds Barry had rarely seen in anyone but himself.
"Why?!" Barry shouted as they neared the Metropolis city limits. "Why did you…"
"I don't have time to answer your questions," the man said. "But to ensure you that I mean no further harm to anyone, here…"
The man took the device and tossed it like a Frisbee. It sailed far off before crashing onto the pavement of an underpass where it shattered into a thousand pieces.
Barry watched, stunned, and the broad shouldered man continued over his shoulder. "As I said before, I hope we do not meet again," he said. "I do not like to think of us as enemies, and the last thing I'd ever want to do is fight you."
"But wait…"
They passed the city limits and began to run into the Kansas country side. The concrete jungle of Metropolis was replaced by the rolling hills of cornfields and forests. The roads reduced from seven lanes into two, and a quiet calm filled their air.
"Barry where are you?" Arthur's voice came over the comm.
"Um, can't answer that just now," Barry replied.
"You started running, didn't you."
Barry didn't answer, instead he tried to keep his pace with the broad shouldered man.
However, the broad shouldered man suddenly left the road. Veering north, he began heading for a vast stretch of empty farm land that stretched as far off into the horizon as Barry could see. Without hesitation, Barry followed, trying to open himself further for the Speed Force.
To any bystanders, they appeared as nothing more than two lines of dust. The soft ground made it harder for Barry to gain traction, and he felt himself begin to lag. However, the same was true for the broad shouldered man.
This gave him an idea. Aiming a few paces ahead of the broad shouldered man, Barry began to circle his arms. Mini cyclones appeared from the tips of his hands, speeding towards the area ahead of the man. The idea was to disrupt the ground ahead of the man, causing him to loose his balance and stumble. Once he did, Barry would be on him.
However as the mini cyclones sped towards their destination, the broad shouldered man leapt forward. The cyclones struck the ground where Barry had directed them, but the broad shouldered man sailed harmlessly over them. Meanwhile, the broad shouldered man had turned himself mid-air. Pointing his arms at Barry, he pressed a button on his belt.
The world began to pulse around Barry in circular waves before it began spinning wildly out of control. His bearings, balance, traction, and control over the Speed Force were suddenly wild and erratic. The Speed Force flew wildly through him as he tripped over his own feet, and began tumbling through the cornfields like a pebble in an avalanche.
"Ahh!" Barry shouted.
"Barry! What's happening?!" Arthur said.
Barry continued to skip end over end until he came to a pond. The water broke his fall, but the world still spun wildly out of his control. Though the pond was only a few feet deep, Barry struggled to find the surface as his lungs began to scream for air. He pumped his arms and legs furiously, until finally he burst through to the surface.
To his own surprise, and relief, Barry managed to plant his feet firmly on the ponds bottom, before slowly finding his way towards the shore. He tripped and stumbled several times, but eventually managed to crawl out of the pond. He collapsed on the shore, and closed his eyes.
"Barry! Barry!" Arthur shouted through the com.
"Yeah, I'm here," he said, breathlessly. His body was quivering all over, telling Barry it was trying to reconnect itself to the Speed Force. As the spinning began to subside, he felt his body slowly reconnect with the Speed Force. It would take time to get back to full speed, but for now at least his accelerated healing had kicked in.
"What happened?" Arthur asked.
"I don't know," Barry said. "He hit me with some kind of pulse weapon. Threw off my equilibrium, caused me to vibrate in all sorts of strange ways. I've never felt anything like it before."
"I've got your signal and I'm swimming up the harbor now," Arthur said. "I should be there soon. You going to be alright?"
"Yeah, in a bit."
"Good," Arthur replied. "Did you see which way he went?"
Barry opened his mouth, but closed it. Even as the Speed Force returned, it would be a while before he was up to full speed, and by then, the man would long gone in whatever direction he had settled on.
Florida
The air is cold and damp and filled with the rotten stench of sewage. If anyone else had my super nose, they would gag and pass out. If this is a trap, she picked a good place for it.
"You matched her with strength and speed," Batman says. "And she wasn't able to make much with Diana's sword. She making you follow her into a tight, narrow, area, so your flight and speed will be nearly worthless "
"Not completely," I reply.
"I won't be able to follow you on satellite, either."
"Then we'll make due without
"The gas lines for the city run through the sewers," Bruce continues. "One spark from your heat vision will light up eight city blocks."
"Ok, no heat vision either."
I land and begin searching the area. My super hearing immediately picks up the rapid pitter patter of someone running through water. I dash after her, quickly but carefully, skimming along the surface of the foot deep water. I can hear her changing directions often as if she's trying to loose me in this maze of a sewer system.
"Can you see her?" Batman asks.
I try to focus my supervision through the walls in the direction of her footsteps. "Damn."
"Lead pipes?" Batman asks as if he already suspected.
I don't answer, I'm not in the mood too. I fight the urge to think of Diana, to run back to her. Its very difficult, especially since I've made it my life to save people in trouble. But then I picture her scolding me afterwards, and smile. Diana would hate me if let this woman get away, especially if it was because I was worried about her.
"Alright Bruce," I say, slowing myself for a second. "So you know this is a trap, what should I expect?"
"She's done everything she can to level the playing field," Bruce replies. "Leading you to a place where your strengths are practically useless, while hers will be stronger. Plus, she's taking advantage of your greatest weakness."
"What's that?" I ask.
"She knows you won't kill her."
"I don't consider that a weakness, Bruce," I reply, curtly.
"She does."
Silence fills the com as I continue chasing after her. I can almost picture Bruce in the watchtower. The silence I hear now mean's he's thinking, which is what he does best. While the rest of us rely on our powers, he relies on his mind. He's a detective at heart, possibly the worlds best. He never goes into a situation without knowing just about everything there is to know. He studies everything from every perspective; its pretty impressive. He learns to think like his enemies, anticipate their every move, and outwit them often at their own game.
I think its driven him slightly mad, but then again, that's what makes him Batman.
"Hey, guys, anyone there."
"Vic?" I say quickly taking another direction.
"Yeah.. I'm here …with Diana."
"How is she?" I ask, trying to keep my voice even.
"Good, actually," he replies. "Besides a somewhat nasty wound to the head, her vitals are reading perfectly normal."
"What's about the device attached to her?" I ask.
"Not sure man, but I think its what's keeping her unconscious."
"Can you take it off?"
"No, don't!" Bruce growls. "Cyborg, get to the sewers, Superman needs you."
"What about Di…"
"She'll be fine!" Bruce says, louder. "We should bring her back to the Watchtower before we try to remove whatever that device is anyway."
"Bruce, I can handle…"
"No, you can't," Bruce says, sternly. "Vic get in there and help, now."
"Um, ok, right," Vic says before his com goes silent.
My jaw clenches as the silence becomes deafening. I can still hear the woman, the pitter pattering of her feet as she dashes through the sewers. Oddly, her pace doesn't seem to be slowing ,and she's continuing to change directions as much as possible. If the turns weren't so frequent I would have caught her by now. However, I am gaining, and even though I can't see her through these lead lined walls, I can almost pinpoint her position through my super hearing. And right now, I can hear her just on the other side of the tunnel I'm in now.
"Tell Vic to stay with Diana," I say. "This won't take long."
"Clark! Wait!"
I don't wait. I act.
A gaping hole of rubble and dust is created as my fist meets the wall. I walk through, fists clenched at my sides, and eyes lit and ready. I listen for her, waiting to hear a startled cry, a leap in heart rate, even a sudden intake of air. But there's nothing. And as the dust settles, I see why.
She's standing with her back against the wall, perfectly still, her eyes locked on me with a fierce gaze. Our eyes meet, and my nose picks up a pungent odor which is quickly permeating the air. An odor of sulfur and methane. I step back and quickly defuse my eyes.
"She's punched a hole in the gas main, hasn't she," Bruce says. She has. The gas lines are running along the wall she's standing in front of. Just to her right is a hole the size of a fist, and I can hear the gas venting from it. "One spark of your heat vision and the gas lines of eight city blocks will explode." he adds.
I step back and curse myself quietly for being so head strong. The woman keeps her eyes on me, and slowly draws Diana's sword with one hand, and holds the other in front of her. My mind goes blank as a soft glow from a glimmering ring pierces through the sewer darkness; a green glimmering ring.
It only takes a second for the familiar trembles to spread through my body. My shoulders suddenly feel heavy, my eyes suddenly blurry, and my breathing labored. I stumble over some rubble as I try to leave through the hole I created. She sees me stumble, and doesn't waist any time.
She charges, and in the next moment I crash into the wall. My chin is throbbing, my heart racing, and a fresh wave of trembles courses through me as I'm kicked off my feet.
I topple over and land face first in the water. My vision is spinning, and I can't even string my thoughts together. All I can think of is what I can't do. I can't use my heat vision, I can't fly, I can't use my strength. Then I realize as I'm grabbed by the cuff of my Kryptonian battle suit; this was the trap.
She hurls me through the wall.
My legs are weak and shaky, and just as I manage to get to my feet, she's on me again. She punches me again, the Kryptonite ring smashing right into my chest. I gasp as the wind is knocked out of me and my Kryptonian armor starts to lurch. She punches me again, and again, and again. Each time connecting with the ring, each time causing the Kryptonian armor to become weaker, each time causing me to grow weaker.
"What…do… you …want?" I try to ask.
She responds only with her fist, and I'm sent skidding down the tunnel.
I land with a hard crash. I feel so tired, so weak, but I have to fight on. Whoever this woman is, she's defeated Diana, and now she's about to beat me. If she can beat us, who knows what else she can do, what she's fully capable of. My arms and legs cry out in protest, but with what feels like my last ounce of strength I get on my feet.
Turning to face her, I half expect to be met with another punch, or kick, or perhaps even Diana's sword which could easily finish me off by now. However, I'm met with nothing, and as my vision slowly comes into focus, I see why.
She's trying to make her way towards me, but she's trembling. Her eyes are still locked on mine, with a fierce and determined look that says she's beyond determined to kill me. But, not only is she trembling, but her heart is pounding, she's sweating profusely, and she's… becoming smaller?
"No…" she gasps. "Not…now. I have …to finish…this…now!"
Her muscles which had once been inhumanly large, are literally shrinking before my eyes. Within a few moments, this woman looks… normal. Diana's blade falls to the ground with a loud crash as it suddenly seems to heavy for her to carry. However, her other hand, the one with the ring, is still held steadily towards me.
"Where…did…you…" I try to ask, angrily, but the effort is to great to finish.
"This is… the price…of tomorrow…" she gasps.
"The same place she got Diana's blade," Bruce says through the com.
I clench my fist.
"…You…?"
"No Clark," Bruce says firmly. "I've already had Alfred check. The one you gave me is still safe and secure in the Batcave."
With a cry she charges me again. Drawing back the fist with the Green K ring, she lunges at me. I don't have the strength to fight her, and as the ring nears I can feel the Kryptonite begin to ravage my body again. Thankfully, all I need is to side step her. Her fist goes wide, and she gasps as if she put all her strength into that punch.
Seeing an opportunity, I try to strike. But she quickly spins and backhands me, knocking off my feet again. Blood fills my mouth.
When Lex Luthor found out about my weakness to Kryptonite, he made a Green Kryptonite ring. He used to wear as a way to protect himself, from me. However, I was able to steal the ring away from him the last time I captured him. The ring was a very clever, yet simple, idea, and it wasn't hard for me to imagine there may be others who would have the same idea.
I've tried to keep track of every source of Kryptonite in the world, and with Bruce's help, I've found most if not all of them. I've always kept a look out for other disguises for Kryptonite like Lex's ring, but so far, I haven't come across any. So where did this woman get this ring?
"Clark, what's happening?" Bruce asks.
I choke down a gag. Not from the amount of blood, but from the shock that I'm actually bleeding. Meanwhile, she's bent over, gasping with each breath, and trembling. She looks ravaged, but she holds the ring as if her very life depended on it.
"I'm… I'm…"
"Hang on, Vic will be there soon."
I'm not sure how much time I have. However, I'm not sure how much she has either. I've never placed faith in luck before, never had too actually, but perhaps I'm getting it now when I actually need it. She lurches suddenly, buckling at the knees and gasping for air. The ring falls slightly, its an opening, and I charge.
I can only move as fast as a normal human, which isn't the kind of luck I was hoping for. She sees me charge, and manages to gather one last bit of strength. Reaching back, she throws one final punch at me as I try to strike her. She ducks slightly, and my fist sails over her head. Hers on the other hand, gets me right in the jaw.
I'm knocked off my feet with a fresh wave of pain and trembles. I land, hard, and I'm not sure I'll have the strength to get up this time. Still, I have to try, I don't know how to give up. But before I can even lift myself, she falls on me.
I'm slammed back into the ground. She's passed out, and barely breathing. Her body feels like it weighs a ton, and try as I might, I can't lift her. Making things worse, she landed with the Kryptonite ring placed directly on my chest, perhaps her last strike before passing out. I feel its poison ripping through my body, and I try as I might, I can't lift her.
Her last punch must have taken everything left in her. Her breathing is shallow and labored, and her heart is beating slowly. But none of this matters black spots began to creep into the corner of my vision, my thoughts become scattered, and I'm finding it increasingly difficult to breath myself.
"Clark? Clark!" Bruce yells. But his voice seems faint, and distant. "Clark answer me! What's happening? Vic, where are you?"
I don't recognize the voice that's speaking to me now, or the one that replies. Their speaking of things I know nothing of, things I don't care anything about. All I want to do now is close my eyes, and go to sleep.
The black spots swarm the rest of my vision, and my eyes feel heavy. And as blackness takes a hold of my vision, and my pain suddenly melts away. Even the trembling stops as I become weightless, and free. Its so quiet, so empty, so…peaceful; until a bright light rips through the darkness, and all my senses suddenly become on fire.
I blink rapidly and as my vision clears, the familiar face of Cyborg appears.
"Superman!" he says. A weight is lifted off me as Vic takes the woman and quickly tosses her aside. The trembling and pain returns with a vengeance, and I start to cough and gag as Vic helps me sit up. "Easy, easy," he says. "Just take it slow."
"No…" I reply. "The… the…"
"Vic, take care of the ring on her finger," I hear Bruce say.
"Right, way ahead of you," Vic replies as he leaves me and dashes towards her.
A moment later, I feel as though I've been released from the clutches of a giant vice. I gasp as I can finally take a normal breath, which helps the trembling subside as the Green K radiation dissipates.
It doesn't take long, it never does. As quickly as the Green K can weaken me, my strength can returns just as fast. It'll be a while before I'm at full strength, perhaps an hour or so, but for now I'll be ok. In the mean time, we have a lot to figure out.
When I'm able to stand, I see Vic is still hovering over the woman. I check her finger, and the Green K ring is gone; most likely kept in one of Vic's lead lined storage compartments. However, the two swords are near her.
"Who is she?" Vic asks.
"I don't know," I reply.
Shaking his head, Vic says in a serious tone, "She took out Wonder Woman, and almost you."
"Yeah," I reply. "Almost." The truth is, she nearly killed me. I've never been that close to death before.
"We need to regroup," Bruce says. "Grab her and Diana and get up here immediately," he adds, impatiently. This, is unnerving, because Bruce is worried. He takes every situation very seriously, often more so than needed, but is rarely worried.
"You know who she is, don't you?" I ask.
"I… have my suspicions," he replies.
"What aren't you telling me Batman?" I ask.
"I'll tell you everything, once you're all back at the Watchtower, and she's under heavy guard."
The Arctic
Lex wrapped his garments tightly around him and tried to control his shivering. It was cold, damn cold, the Arctic was no place for human beings, yet this was where Lionel, the bald headed man who'd sprung him prison, had taken him.
"How much long are we going to wait in this god forsaken place?" Lex asked, impatiently.
"Relax," Lionel said casually. They were sitting by a small fire Lionel had made. And while Lex was miserably cold, Lionel seemed perfectly fine. "There's no rush. We've made it here, intact, and that's really the most important thing."
"And what about this associate you spoke of?" Lex demanded. "I thought you were worried about being late!"
He shrugged. "I was, but I guess I didn't have too," Lionel replied.
"Your not worried in the slightest?!" Lex said. "You broke into a high security prison and helped me, someone whose considered the worlds most danger criminal though I resent that title, escape. By now every single law enforcement agent in the United States, North America, or perhaps even the entire world has been alerted. They'll be looking for me, very thoroughly, and by now they know who you and any associates you have are. Aren't you worried your associate has been found, captured, or even killed?!"
Poking the fire, Lionel laughed quietly to himself. "Oh no, not this one."
"At least tell me why we must wait," Lex said. "Can't we just proceed without him?"
Lionel stopped poking the fire, and held his hand up firmly. "No," he said flatly. "My associate is completely necessary to the next phase of our mission. You see, it's not that I don't want to proceed without him, it's just… well we really can't."
"Why!"
Lionel was about to answer, but stopped as a soft sonic boom echoed south of them. Lionel looked in the direction of the boom, and smiled.
"Ah, here he comes," he said. Turning to Lex, he smiled slyly. "Like I said, nothing to worry about."
Lex eyed Lionel cautiously as he stood up and began waving his arm back and forth. Lex didn't know who Lionel was waiting for, and it made him grind his teeth. Lex hated meeting anyone for the first time he didn't know about. It made him feel unprepared, vulnerable, and most egregious of all, out of control. Though Lex was happy to be out of prison, he had hated nearly every moment he'd spent with Lionel since.
Lionel had baited Lex into traveling with him to the middle of nowhere, the Arctic. In what Lex was sure was intentional, Lionel hadn't told Lex their destination as they traveled north. There's no way Lex would have ever come if he'd known this was where they were going.
But Lex didn't feel there was any other choice at the time, and Lionel had promised Lex something he couldn't resist; information. Lionel had promised to explain to Lex who he was, where he came from, and what his intentions were. And Lionel did tell a most outrageous story.
With more detail than Lex could possibly believe was simply made up, Lionel had explained everything about who he was, what his plan was, and perhaps most outrageous of all, where he was from. As wild and unbelievable as the story was, Lionel had told it without much flare or exaggeration; at least none that Lex could detect. In other words, by Lex's best guess, Lionel's story was so outrageous and unbelievable, it had to be true. Or at least Lionel believed it to be true with a madman's conviction. However, since they'd arrived in the arctic, they'd done nothing but wait, and freeze. With each moment that passed without Lionel's associate arriving, doubt had begun to grow in Lex's mind. But as Lex watched Lionel, he detected no signs of deception. On top of that, Lionel never once seemed impatient or worried. But no matter what Lex thought of Lionel, there was nothing he could do anymore. He was trapped here, thanks to his own foolishness, and he'd just have to wait with Lionel and see how things played out.
However, as a white streak advanced towards them, traveling at a speed nearly as fast as anything Lex had ever seen, he began to hope his time with Lionel hadn't been wasted, or foolish.
Snow and ice dust scattered in the air as the white streak approached, but slowed as it reached them. Lex squinted his eyes and cocked his head as a man with dark hair and broad shoulders came to a halt in front of them.
Lionel stepped forward and spread his arms Jovially. "Ah, Caelus," he said. "You made it, I was almost beginning to worry. Things go well in Central City and Metropolis?"
The broad shouldered man, or Caelus as Lionel called him, brushed some snow and ice dust from his dark garments. He gave Lionel a cold look, which Lex took as a hint that Caelus didn't fully trust Lionel. Ignoring Lionel's question, Caelus turned to Lex.
"Who's this?" Caelus asked.
"An unfortunate stray," Lionel replied, innocently.
"This wasn't part of the plan…"
"I know, I know," Lionel said, throwing up his hands defensively. "And we'll figure out what to do about it later. But this man," Lionel said with overdramatic sympathy. "He has a wife and kids, and was in harms way. I couldn't let him get hurt, or die, so I brought him along for the time being. It's not like he's a risk to us up here, and if we succeed it won't matter what he saw of us anyway."
Caelus looked at Lex fiercely, and Lex felt as though his very soul was being peered into. Lex fought the urge to sigh and roll his eyes after hearing Lionel's cover story. Instead, he tried to gauge what the appropriate response from a normal human would be. Nervous? Scared? It would have been helpful if Lionel had told him this story ahead of time. However, being aware that Lex couldn't afford to be mad now, he simply tried his best to appear calm and brave on the outside, but scared to death on the inside.
Lex found it difficult, however, as Caelus bore into him. The man's stare was deep, penetrating, and most unnerving of all, familiar. Lex could almost picture another staring at him in exactly the same manner. However, he couldn't quite place who.
"Well then, we should proceed eh," Lionel said, slapping Caelus on the shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "This one hasn't caused me any trouble so far, and now that you're here I'm worried even less."
Lionel stepped away from Caelus and Lex and began to gather the few supplies he'd carried with him. Both Lex and Caelus' eyes shifted between Lionel and each other. Once the supplies were gathered up, Lionel replaced his pack within his garments and began walking along the frozen tundra, whistling a tune Lex had never heard before.
Once he had put some distance between Lex and Caelus, Lionel shouted over his shoulder, "Come on then! Should be right over this ridge, and I don't want to be out here when the Sun should fall yeah!" "What's over the ridge?" Lex asked. But Lionel didn't answer. Lex narrowed his eyes and stared at Lionel until he felt a nudge from behind. Turning, he saw Caelus, motioning for Lex to start moving.
The two walked in tense silence to where Lionel was. Lionel was standing at the end of a ridge, staring into the space below. Lex watched Lionel curiously, wondering what could be so interesting way out here in the middle of an arctic wasteland. However, when Lex reached the ledge with Caelus, his question was answered, and he found himself staring with wide eyes.
"My god," Lex said, aghast.
"Really is a magnificent sight, isn't eh," Lionel said.
Caelus moved in beside them and stared into the space below as well. However, he remained silent, and stared not with wonder or excitement, but with more of a longing.
"Heh, this place is something of a legend where we come from," Lionel said.
"Here too, actually," Lex said airily.
Below them was a place Lex knew very well, but only by reputation. He'd heard of this place, searched for it, and had spent part of each day of his imprisonment obsessing over it. Now that he was here, he could hardly believe it. He was standing at the threshold of Superman's Fortress of Solitude.