Hey! Here is the next fun filled chapter! Enjoy!
The Future of Justice
Chapter 11: Merge
Next day; Unknown Location:
Brainiac 5 woke up, and noticed that he was tied up to a big metal pipe and felt very weak. He looked around to see where he was, and saw that he was in a basement of some kind. He shook his head, trying to remember what happened before he ended up there. It came back quickly. He flew out of the Kent barn because he was upset about what Clark said to him. He decided to take a lonely walk in Metropolis to calm down.
As he was walking past a dark alley, an arm reached out, grabbed him, and pulled him into the alley. He was slammed against the wall, and felt all the energy being drained from his force field belt. He looked at the face of his attacker, but it was one he hadn't seen before. It appeared to be a bald, purple skinned man with a very hungry look on his face. He was laughing as he finished draining the belt's power supply…and then he started draining Brainiac 5's life energy.
He struggled to break free, but he was already too weak to fight back. He tried to punch him, but the man swatted his fist aside, causing his ring to fall off. He was too weak even to scream, so he tried to call Kara on his cell phone. But that didn't work either; for he fell unconscious at that point and dropped his cell on the ground. He wondered what that freak was and why it attacked him, and why he was chained up here.
He was about to get his answers, for at that moment the door to that room opened and a few men walked in. Brainiac 5 noticed the high tech weapons they were carrying. 'They must be more Intergang thugs.' Right behind the henchmen was the big boss himself, Bruno Mannheim. He looked very pleased to see his new hostage. But he wasn't the last person to walk in, for he brought in one more person…and Brainiac 5 panicked.
It was the purple man that attacked him. However, he appeared to be draining power from a large battery of some sort he was holding. Mannheim smiled, and not in a good way. "Don't worry about him this time; Parasite here won't be feeding on you again, for we need you awake." Parasite smiled. "Yeah, count yourself lucky, kid." Parasite said as he continued to drain the power from the battery. Mannheim kneeled down to eye level with Brainiac 5.
"Feeling better punk?" Mannheim asked. Brainiac 5 scowled. "I will once I get free and teach you a lesson!" He said weakly. Mannheim chuckled. "You still got some fight in you, I see. But I doubt you could do anything to break that chain." All the men in the room laughed, including Parasite. Brainiac 5 continued to scowl. "What kind of creature is that?" He asked as he stared at Parasite. Mannheim continued to smile.
"That's a funny story, wouldn't you say Parasite?" He asked. Parasite frowned. "I don't find what happened to me funny, Mannheim." Parasite then turned to Brainiac 5. "But just to answer your question, I wasn't always like this; I used to be a normal person named Rudy Jones. I was a small time janitor at S.T.A.R. Labs in Pittsburgh. A truck load of radioactive chemicals was being stolen from there recently by these guys and I hitched a ride with them."
"Why would you join them?" Brainiac 5 asked, still feeling drained. "I wanted a more exciting life than just a janitor, and I sure got it. The truck stopped in a warehouse in Smallville yesterday for Mannheim to come and pick it up. While we were unloading the barrels of the stuff, we felt strong tremors one after another and they made me drop one of the barrels on myself, and it spilled all over me. Next thing I knew, I looked like this." Parasite said while pointing at himself.
Brainiac 5 gasped; he knew that those tremors were caused by Kara while she was pounding her father in hatred. Parasite resumed his story. "I found out that I can absorb energy of any kind, and I need to feed constantly to survive; that's how I got the name "Parasite". At first I was horrified by what I had become, but Mannheim saw the potential and sent me to Metropolis to try to find a specific guy...you." He said while pointing at Brainiac 5.
"I had just finished sucking the power of an MP3 player when I saw you walk down the street last night. After I captured you, and smashed up your phone, I brought you here." Parasite finished. Mannheim nodded. "I'm glad you succeeded where my lackeys failed not once, but twice!" He said as he smoked his cigar. He then focused his attention back on Brainiac 5. "Now tell me: Where is Lucy Lane hiding at?" Brainiac 5 stared back in defiance.
"I'm not telling you anything, Ugly!" Suddenly, Mannheim punched Brainiac 5, hard. Mannheim was breathing hard and looked really pissed off. "Don't you EVER call me that! No one calls me ugly!" He shouted. Brainiac 5 smiled. "I just did." He said with his lower lip bleeding. Mannheim snorted. "Think you're funny do you? Sooner or later, you will tell us where Lucy is." "Why do you want her so badly anyway?" Brainiac 5 asked.
Mannheim flicked the ashes on the cigar at Brainiac 5's face. "Let's just say she has something that I need, and I must have it back soon." Brainiac 5 coughed as the ashes got on his face. "What does Lucy have that you want?" Mannheim shook his head. "I'm not telling you, kid. You're the one that's going to do all the telling. Now, where is Lucy?" Mannheim asked once more. Brainiac 5 remained silent. Mannheim shook his head and grunted.
"Fine, have it your way. I have other business to take care of; I'll be back later to resume our interrogation." Mannheim said as he and everyone else left the room and locked the door, leaving Brainiac 5 alone in the darkness.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Daily Planet:
Clark was busy on his desk computer trying to find any leads on Brainiac 5's whereabouts, with Kara watching over his shoulder. "Haven't you found anything? You've been on that thing for an hour now." Kara complained. Clark sighed as he turned to her. "I'm sorry Kara; I can't find anything that says that a young boy mysteriously disappeared last night. It's like he just vanished into thin air."
"What about Chloe? Can't she find him?" Kara asked hopefully. "Chloe's doing everything she can, but so far she's found nothing." "Do you think that he could have returned to his time?" Kara guessed. Clark shook his head. "I doubt he'd return to the future without his ring." Kara sighed. "Clark, what if he's…?" Kara stopped before finishing the question; she didn't dare want to consider the possibility that he was dead. Clark put a hand on his cousin's shoulder.
"Look, we are going to find him. He's done so much to help us; it would be a poor way to repay him if we give up searching for him." Kara smiled. "You're right." Just then, Lois walked in. "Hey Kents, any luck finding Brian?" Clark and Kara said no; they told Lois that Brian was missing earlier in the morning, and she wasn't happy to hear it. Lois sighed. "I can't believe this; Chloe must be upset losing her brother." "We'll find him, somehow we will." Kara said in determination.
"I'm sure you will, but I'm afraid I'll have to steal your cousin for a while." Clark raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Lois?" Lois smiled. "Perry just gave us a big assignment. He wants us to get a scoop on the upcoming press conference at Queen Tower at 1:00." "Is Oliver going to make a business speech?" Clark asked. "Something like that; Perry heard a rumor that Ollie might make a partnership with another company, but its all mum. So, let's go." Lois insisted.
Clark turned back at Kara. "Sorry Kara, but you'll have to go solo again for a while. Stay with Chloe until I call you, okay?" Kara didn't like to just wait around, but if anyone could possibly find Brainiac 5, it would be Chloe. "Alright Clark; I'll head to the Isis Foundation. I'll let you know if Chloe has any leads." Kara said as she walked out. Clark sighed.
"Kara is really worried about Brian." He said to Lois as they walked out too. Lois nodded. "So are me and Chloe; I'm sure he's around here somewhere. We just gotta keep our heads high and look over every inch of this city until he pops up somewhere." Lois said optimistically. Clark smiled; somehow hearing Lois talk with such high spirits made him feel better.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Queen Tower:
Clark and Lois, among other journalists, were standing outside the entrance to Queen Tower, the current residence of Oliver Queen. Jimmy was there with them; Perry told him to take some decent photos at the conference. "Man, I wonder what's going to happen here." Jimmy said in excitement. "I'm sure we'll know soon enough, Jimmy." Clark replied. Suddenly, the man they had been waiting for had emerged.
Oliver Queen smiled and waved at all the reporters and photographers that were around, and there were a lot. He soon spotted Clark and Lois among the crowd and gave them a wink. Lois almost blushed when he did that, but she regained her composure as Oliver had quieted down everyone. He wore a handsome dark brown business suit with a brown tie.
"Thank you guys for taking the trouble to come out here to my humble home. Today is a big day for not just me, but for Queen Industries as well. You might have heard some unconfirmed rumors that my company with strike a partnership with another company on this day." Oliver shrugged. "Well, they're true." The reporters were whispering excitedly at the news. Oliver spoke again with a lot of energy.
"Recently, my company has been suffering a little bit because of some recent robberies. We've lost a lot of our stock and we're having trouble getting back on our feet. But if things go the right way, that problem can be solved." "What kind of robberies are you referring to?" An unknown reporter asked. Oliver turned to him while sighing a little.
"I rather not get into that. It's an uncomfortable subject, and I don't want any one to worry about it." "Of course he doesn't want to talk about it." An unpleasant voice said from the left side of the crowd. To Oliver's dismay, and Clark's as well, it was Lucas Luthor. He walked up to Oliver with a smug. "He's afraid to admit that his company is lacking in security." The crowd went "oooh" when Lucas said. Clark couldn't believe that Lucas was here, trying to make Oliver look bad in front of all these people.
"So that's Lex's half brother, Lucas?" Lois asked Clark. "Unfortunately," he replied unenthusiastically. Lois looked like she wanted to smack Lucas. "I always thought he was an asshole, just like Lex was." Lois said out of spite. Oliver turned to Lucas with a smirk. "If I had known you were going to be here as well, Lucas, I would've called to let you know that you weren't invited." The crowd was surprised again by Oliver's comeback. Clark and Lois smiled. Lucas chuckled.
"That's funny, Oliver. Do you always act this way with a rival company's CEO?" Lucas asked. Oliver continued to smirk. "Only if it's someone I personally don't like." A few people laughed a little, including Lois. Lucas continued to smile. "What have you got against me?" The young Luthor asked. Oliver scratched his head. "Oh, let me think. Maybe it's because…you're a Luthor?" "You tell him, Ollie!" Lois whispered. Clark hoped that things wouldn't get out of hand.
Lucas lost his smile. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked. Oliver shrugged. "Nothing. Just speaking my mind, that's all." Lucas shrugged that last comment off. "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?" He asked. "Actually, I was just about to ask you when you're going to leave." "Ohhh!" the crowd went again. Lucas shook his head. "Not until we make an agreement." "About what?" Oliver asked impolitely.
"I'm here to merge Luthorcorp with Queen Industries!" Lucas stated loudly. The crowd was shocked to hear that statement, while the photographers began taking more pictures. Clark and Lois were the most shocked as they wrote down everything that was being said. "Lucas wants to merge his company with Oliver's?! What does he want with Queen Industries?" Lois asked. Clark was just as unsure. "I have no idea."
Oliver was caught off guard as well. He lost his smirk and began to act more business like. "You want to combine our companies? Why?" Oliver asked suspiciously. Lucas regained his smile. "Face it Oliver, you need more stock, and Luthorcorp can help you get it. As for what my company would gain, it would be your half of the resources. Also, there are a ton of benefits for both of us if we become partners. I don't think you can get a better deal than that." Lucas said as he held out his hand, waiting for Oliver to shake and seal the deal.
Clark and Lois knew that Oliver would never make the deal. Oliver himself wasn't interested in it; after all, Lucas had sent a cyborg to steal from him months ago. The rest of the reporters were waiting for Oliver's decision. Oliver smiled again. "You heard that my company was going to merge with someone else's too, didn't you?" Lucas nodded. "Rumors travel pretty quickly in the business world."
"You think it's your company that I want to partner up with, then?" Oliver asked. "Of course; turning down one of the best companies in the country would be a big mistake. My company just happens to be the closest one." Oliver shook his head. "I hate to say this, but even I don't know who I'm merging with today." Everyone was surprised by Oliver's statement, especially Clark, Lois, and Lucas. Lucas looked skeptical.
"You don't know who you're merging with?! Why make this move when you don't know who…?" Oliver had cut him off. "I received a phone call yesterday that the company in question would be a big supporter to mine in any possible way, and its CEO is someone fair and generous." Lucas was losing his patience. "Who in the world would possibly want to merge his company with yours besides me?" He asked incredulously.
"That would be me." Oliver, Lucas, and the whole crowd of reporters turned to the right now and saw a handsome young man with dark hair, blue eyes, and dressed in an Armani suit step out of a taxi. As he was walking up to where the other CEOs were, everyone else was speechless at the new comer. However, it was Lois who was most fascinated by him. "Clark, do you have any idea who he is?" She whispered in excitement. Clark nodded. "Yeah, I do." He said in a surprised voice.
The new man stopped in front of Oliver and Lucas, who looked like they were knocked senseless. Oliver was the first to speak. "Wow! This is a…really unexpected pleasure." Oliver said as he shook the other man's hand. "Believe me, Oliver, the pleasure is all mine." He said smoothly. He then turned to Lucas. "Did I interrupt anything, Lucas?" Lucas was struggling for his voice as he shook the other man's hand.
"Actually, yes. I was just about to convince Oliver to let his company merge with mine, when you stepped in." He responded unpleasantly. The other man continued to smile. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your business discussion, but I'm the one that Mr. Queen should talk to about partnering companies." "So then, it was you who wanted to meet me about this?" Oliver asked. The man nodded.
"Indeed, I am. I heard about your company's little troubles, and I had asked one of my secretaries to give you an option of having our companies work together. We can bring a lot of good to all of our consumers, considering our companies' reputations." Oliver seemed very interested, but Lucas stepped in again. "Hold on; he hasn't even disagreed to merge with Luthorcorp yet!" The other man nodded. "You're right; I'll stand right here when you make your choice, Oliver." He then stood right behind Oliver, awaiting his decision.
No one had to wait long for the big decision, for Oliver had just now made up his mind. He smiled at Lucas. "Lucas Luthor, you make an interesting bargain." Lucas smiled as he raised his hand again, expecting Oliver to shake. To his shock, Oliver didn't. "However, I have just been given a better one." He then turned to the other man. Oliver held out his hand with a smile. "Bruce Wayne, I'd be honored to have Queen Industries and Wayne Enterprises work together." Bruce smiled back as he shook Oliver's hand, sealing the deal.
The reporters were trying to ask questions while all the photographers were taking pictures like crazy. Lucas, clearly both shocked and disappointed, walked away in defeat. Oliver and Bruce both smiled as they faced the crowd. Clark and Lois were glad that Oliver turned down Lucas' offer, but Clark was still concerned why Lucas tried to get Oliver's company in the first place.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Ace of Clubs:
Oliver and Bruce were having lunch after the press conference. "This is a nice place, Oliver. You sure picked a good city to move to." Oliver smiled. "You're not the only one with good tastes." Bruce smiled back. Just then, Clark and Lois walked to them. "Hi boys, are we interrupting a business meal?" Lois asked. Both men shook their heads. "Not at all, miss?" Bruce asked. Lois held out her hand.
"Lois Lane, Daily Planet reporter." "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Lane." Bruce said. Lois was holding his hand longer than she should and realized it when Clark cleared his throat. Lois had let go instantly. "My apologizes. This is my partner, uh, um…" "Clark Kent," he said annoyingly as he shook Bruce's hand. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Kent." Bruce said politely. Oliver was getting the feeling that Lois was falling for the multi-billionaire, but didn't want to say anything.
"So Lois, are you here for an interview or to eat with us rich guys?" Oliver asked sarcastically. "I'm just here for an interview, Ollie, don't get so worked up." Lois said, noting the sarcasm in her former boyfriend's voice. "Well then, where do you want to begin, Lois?" Lois was surprised. "You really want to do interview?" Bruce nodded. "I only have interviews with people that are…worth my time." He said smoothly. Lois was feeling flustered, while Clark and Oliver felt annoyed.
Before Lois can ask any questions, Kara burst in. "Clark, I've been trying to call you! Why haven't you answered?" Clark sighed as he faced his cousin. "My phone was on vibrate; I was planning to turn it back up when this interview was over." He said apologetically. "How did you know that we were here, Kara?" Lois asked. "I was walking down here to find Clark when I saw him and you step in here, so I followed."
"Is there any trouble?" Bruce asked curiously. Clark turned back at him. "I'm sorry; Bruce Wayne this is my cousin, Kara Kent. Kara, this is Bruce Wayne." Kara instantly became interested as she saw him. "Hi, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne." Bruce nodded. "Call me Bruce, Kara." He said back. Kara blushed, to the surprise of the other guys and especially Lois. "Hi, Kara." Oliver said to get her attention.
She snapped out of it as she heard him. "Oh, nice to see you too, Oliver." She then turned back to Clark. "I need to talk to you now, Clark, privately." Kara said. "Can it wait until after the interview?" Clark asked in a whisper. Kara shook her head. "No it can't. It's about…Brian." Kara whispered back; she couldn't let the others know what was going on. Before Clark could say anything, Bruce got up.
"Excuse me; I need to use the men's room." Bruce said as he walked. After he had gone, Kara insisted she and Clark talk alone. Clark gave in. "Okay, let's talk outside." He then turned to Lois. "I'm sorry; I'll be back in a minute." Lois nodded. "I'll just keep Oliver company." She said. Suddenly, Oliver got up too. "Actually, I need to get going too. I have, uh…other business to take care of."
As he walked out, he turned to back to Lois. "By the way, Lucy is just fine." Lois smiled. "Thanks for telling me. I'll come up to visit her in a little while." Oliver nodded as he walked out. Lois wondered why he left so suddenly, but remembered Clark and Kara. "You two go on and have your private chat; I'll just wait right here on my lonesome for Bruce to come back for his interview." Clark nodded as he and Kara headed out to the back of the Ace of Clubs.
"Did Chloe find him anywhere?" Clark asked when he saw that he and Kara were alone. Kara shook her head. "No; Chloe could not find any trace of him." Clark sighed. "Then why did you drag me out here?" "To tell you that her computer picked up a massive surge of energy that took place last night…right where I found his phone and ring." Clark was very concerned now. "What kind of energy surge?"
"She doesn't know, but what happened there had something to do with Brainiac 5's disappearance. That's what she thinks. She didn't know about it until just a little bit ago." Kara replied. Clark nodded. "Maybe Intergang found a way to get past his force field belt; it has to be them, I know it. They are the only ones after him." Kara nodded. "I agree; it just has to be them." "But, this doesn't get us any closer to finding him." Clark stated.
"When we do find him, and if it was Intergang that kidnapped him, they'll be so sorry. Even if they are holding him behind steel doors, we'll just rip them wide open and throw them at those guys." Kara said in anger. Clark calmed her down. "Easy Kara; we won't be doing any killing, alright?" A moment later, his cell phone beeped. "What is it?" Kara asked. "Someone just sent me a text message."
Clark opened his cell to see who it was from. At first he thought it might have been Chloe, but it had no name. "There's no name." Still curious, he read the message, which said:
"I know where to find your friend. He is being held in an old factory in downtown, Metropolis.
You are right about Intergang as well; they are holding him hostage. Why, only we can figure out.
Meet me on the roof of the Daily Planet at midnight. I'll be waiting. Come alone
Anonymous.
Clark and Kara were puzzled as they looked around again, to make absolute sure they were alone. Neither of them saw anyone. "Clark, who could possibly know where to find him? And about Intergang?" Kara asked. Clark wasn't sure either. "I have no idea, but if whoever sent this does know where Brainiac 5 is, it could be our only chance of finding him." "Then let's met this guy."
Clark shook his head. "It said I should come alone." "But, it could be a trap." Kara said. "I don't have a choice. You head back to Chloe and tell her what's going on. I'll head back in the Ace of Clubs through the front door and help Lois' interview with Bruce." Kara nodded as she super sped out of sight, with Clark super speeding to the front door. The moment they left, Bruce Wayne stepped out of the door to the inside of the Ace of Clubs
Intrigued by what he saw and heard, he dialed a number on his phone. "Yes, Master Bruce?" said an old voice on the phone. "Alfred, I'm going to be out late tonight. Get everything ready." Alfred on the other line seemed to understand. "I'll get on it right away, Master Bruce." Alfred said as Bruce hung up. He smiled as he looked at the spot where Clark and Kara were.
'Something tells me this is going to be one hell of a night' He thought as he walked back inside to begin his interview with Clark and Lois.
To be continued.