Chapter 14
"The Heart of Krypton. Its core. A power source that tapped into the very fabric of existence. Meant to be used in the service of others, our people committed an unforgiveable blasphemy in using it to our own selfish ends, to embark upon one of the greatest atrocities the Universe will ever know. It is not gone though, my son. Your time on Earth, your time training in the Fortress, has been to prepare you for hour of greatest need. A heart full of compassion, that inspires others to great deeds, that is what you must possess. I am not naive though, Kal-El. In this world as on Krypton, there are men with evil hearts and intent. Though at every turn you will fight to save even those who seem beyond redemption, they will choose to return to their evil ways. They will commit unspeakable cruelties and constantly seek to do you harm. Your time with me, training you in the Four Points of Kryptonian Combat, will prepare you against even your greatest enemies. Klurkor and Horo-Karu, to aid you in physical combat. Torquasm-Rao and Torquasm-Vo, to allow you to battle enemies whose powers are more than physical, who are beings of energy and magic. Yet remember one thing, my son. Your power cannot be measured in physical strength, in mental abilities or determined from a scientific algorithm. Your power is a power of the heart and the spirit. The Heart of Krypton lives in you. If you live in the service of life, to do good for those who suffer, it will never abandon you. "
-Jor-El
"Be the man you were born to be, Clark."
-Jonathan Kent
Bursts of flame erupted from the roof of the house as another blast cut through the wood frame, powerful energy beams tearing away into the Oliver household, dozens of men outside firing incessantly upon the place where Chloe Sullivan, eyes watching the monitors of the mansion grounds, shook her head in frustration as her hands danced at the keyboard. "Nobody messes with Watchtower," she said defiantly, watching on the monitors outside as sections of the grounds began to slide away, the fake grass falling into an abyss as metal plates slid open, large guns rising out of the ground and whirring to life as they began to target the countless numbers of men outside. They'd pulled up all at once, in those reinforced Maximus delivery trucks, pouring out of the back with LX-100s that they'd used to tear into her home. Now, though, they were dancing away as beams of energy shot back at them. The guns installed at the Queen home were nonlethal, bursts of concentrated force that would stun or even knock out a target, but they were effective and provided at least a few minutes of respite as the house around her shuddered.
"Chloe, are you still okay?" a voice crackled into her earpiece, a face popping up on a secondary monitor to her right. Her face jumped upward, a smile crossing her face as the youthful image, hooded and with a pair of dark shades on, came into view.
"I'm safe for now but I'm scared the whole house is going to come down if these guys get too many clean hits. The mansion's defenses are active but I don't know how long they'll last."
"Think I can get to you in time?" he asked with a quirky grin, the view behind him suddenly accelerating beyond comprehension, like a tunnel of light and dark in which no shapes could be distinguished.
"By the way, am I calling you Flash or Impulse these days?"
"I'm still trying to nail down the whole hero identity thing," he said with a wink, flipping the communicator closed and the screen going dark. Her eyes went to the wide view of the mansion grounds, where the guns were raging away at the sides of the vehicles, splashes of energy erupting outward as they bounced off the sides. From within, men turned the corner, firing in waves of rifle fire that ate into the grass below and ripped into the defensive guns. Then, so quick that the image was difficult to see, a blur crisscrossed onto the screen, several men sent flying under the impact of an unseen fist.
"Oh Bart," she said with a smile, watching as he came to a sudden halt in an attempt to change direction. It was one of the few drawbacks to his speed, and not a significant one at that. He was suddenly whipping back toward the truck, ripping in through its rear entry, before dashing back out, slowing just long enough to mug at a security camera, an armful of guns in his hand.
Yet another voice broke out over her earpiece, though this one came with no visual. "Chloe, did Bart get there?" asked Oliver, a desperate sound in his voice. Her finger went to her ear, her features contorted with worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine Ollie, you focus. Is everything okay where you are?"
In downtown Star City, the Green Arrow was running across the top of one of the delivery trucks, blasts of gun fire striking near the roof as he rushed forward. "I've been better!" he shouted, somersaulting into mid air. As body reached the height of his leap, his head caught sight of a few of his enemies for all of a moment, his hand drawing back on three arrows that he released just over their heads. The proximity detonators on the tips caused the weapons to detonate, a green smoke filling the air before the group fell to the ground, unconscious. As he landed, he was immediately leapt upon, three and four men trying to pull him to the ground. He leaned forward, throwing one from off his back while he turned, delivering a swift elbow to the face of the other. The man crumpled to the ground as Ollie fought off the last two, one rushing forward with a knife that grazed Arrow across the chest, sending him stumbling backwards as they charged again. He regained his footing just in time to meet their charge, circling around one and sending him to the ground before leaping into a kick that caught the other across the back and sent him into the floor. "I've got huge problems here though," he said into the communicator. "I can't do anything to get this crowd under control with all these Maximus guys running loose."
"Your support is minutes in, just hold on."
"Got it," he said quickly, turning to meet another foe who'd leapt to tackle him, a whole group now converging on his position. His fist went back, hammering across one's jaw and sending him to the ground while another tried to grab Ollie across the neck. He took dropped to the ground, breaking the man's clutches before spinning back at elbowing the man squarely in the stomach, his enemy collapsing. It took only seconds before Arrow was leapt upon though, four, five and six attackers trying to pin him down, their snarling faces mad with the toxins. Ollie drew his arms up, guarding his face as they took shots, punches flying down before one took the butt of his rifle, raising it upward. Arrow stared at it for all of a second, breathing in sharply. "This is going to hurt."
A booming noise interrupted the blow, the man's body sent flailing, collapsing along the ground with the sheer voice. Oliver, surprised as the rest of his attackers, turned to look down the street. Amid the chaos emerged a lean black figure, hand outstretched, the air around it shimmering with energy as he angled his arm to the left and the right, each time a deafening boom sending another attacker flying backward, the rest of the assailants panicking as they began to run away, retreating into the crowd to regroup. Oliver scrambled to his feet, sucking in a deep breath as he quickly crossed ground to meet his old friend. "Victor, thanks."
"Cyborg while we're on the job," he said with a smile. "Situation?"
"Too complicated to get in depth about. If you see someone with an LX-100, take them down. If they're wearing anything or guarding anything related to Maximus Delivery," he said, gesturing to the symbol across the side of the truck, "Take them down."
"Got it," he said with a nod. "Arthur's going to be here in a second, too."
"Of course you mean Aquaman," he said with a grin. "Great, we're going to need to round up these guys as quickly as possible."
Lex stepped down from his desk, approaching Batman, the Dark Knight leaping forward with a strike that Luthor parried with a swift raise of his hand, striking back with a blow so crushing that Batman's body was sent flying back along the floor. It had been totally unexpected, and while Lex was physically fit, he'd never demonstrated anything near that level of strength in all the years that Bruce had observed him.
"Oh did I forget to tell you?" he asked, sliding the black coat from his body, allowing it to crumple to the floor. In its place was a thin bodysuit, black, that clung tightly to his body like laytex. Feet tucked into boots that clung tightly to his calves and only his right hand decorated by the black glove, he stood, unsmiling, a cold figure that watched as Batman quickly leapt back to his feet. "Years ago we developed a nanosuit to assist my physical recuperation. That model was unfortunately stolen. This suit," he said, gesturing down his frame, "Is a bit different, though far more advanced. To put it simply, what Joker's using is what men like you and I call a prototype. What I'm using is the final product."
"You talk too much," Batman shot back, leaping forward and under a wild swing by Luthor, rolling behind him before pouncing on his back, lodging his arm beneath Luthor's chin and tightening his muscles along Lex's windpipe. The black clad Luthor growled, taking a knee as his fingers locked on Batman's arm, struggling to pry his arm away. The Dark Knight's eyes widened in amazement as Lex's hands clamped downward, the titanium alloy in Bruce's arm guards cracking slightly just before Lex was able to tear away from his grip. With a roar Luthor pulled forward, yanking on Batman's arm and forcing him over Lex's should, the Dark Knight slamming to the ground before Luthor turned, throwing him into the far wall with such force that great splits burst along the plaster.
Batman forced himself upward, the vision in his eyepieces scanning over Luthor's body. Whatever tech he was wearing was far more advanced than anything Wayne Tech produced, and in terms of the strength Lex was exerting, was far beyond anything that Batsuit could produce in terms of sheer force. It still remained to be seen whether he could take a punch though and, taking advantage of Lex's open stance, a product of overconfidence, Bruce leapt forward. He feigned with his left fist, which Luthor moved to block, before coming down with his right fist. As his hand smashed across Lex's face he followed up with two and three more punches, driving the madman backward. Batman's punches came in twos and threes, like a lightning fast boxer, as he smashed into Luthor's head. With one final, rightward cross, he snapped Lex's head backward with a vicious blow.
Lex stumbled back, head looking upward to the ceiling, lingering for a long moment. Batman watched for a half second before Luthor's head rose back up, seemingly undamaged, without even a trace of blood. There was no smile, no amusement, and with a speed Batman had rarely seen Lex brought his fist upward and down in a single, continuous motion. The punch squared directly into Batman's helmet, sparks of electricity crackling in the air in blue arcs as his digital vision was shut down, the helmet breaking down the middle as he fell back. His enhanced vision was gone, and before he could unfasten his helmet, Luthor's hand had clamped around his neck, holding him upward in mid air.
"The game is almost done, Batman."
Joker grabbed Superman by the face, turning it sideways and slamming into the concrete floor beneath their feet, blood soaking the ground as he reared up, adjusting the glove at his hand. "Now Lex said this was quite the toy but I'm starting to think he undersold the product," he laughed as he walked around Superman's body, tapping the top of his fist, a metallic clink filling the air. "And to think I got the junior version of this," he said as he came down with the full momentum of his body, tossing a blow across Clark's face that sent another splash of blood flying across the floor. He roared in his victory, grabbing the Man of Steel by the hair and dragging him back toward the screen, tossing him to the ground with a cackle as an image sprang to life once again.
This time the view was on the shattered helmet of Batman, the headpiece looking as if it were about to fall apart in several places. Superman could barely see through his struggling breath as the image of Luthor's hand clamping down on his neck suddenly shifted away, toward the image of Lois hanging far above. Her head was slumped down, and she could audibly be heard struggling to breathe, sucking in hard as she gasped for air, her lungs clogged with toxins.
"Got to say you're a disappointment Supes," Joker said, taking haltering steps forward, his was unsteady, face mad with delight. "All you had to do was one thing and you could have saved yourself everyone you think that's important. What a way to go. They'd talk about it for years, me, the one man that made Superman crack." He laughed, raising his fist once again as he reared back for a final blow. "If I can't crack you though, guess I'll just have to go all the way and break you. Going to be a real sad trip to the afterlife knowing you killed that fine reporter Lois, now won't it?" he whooped as he brought his fist downward.
Superman inhaled as deeply as he could, his muscles burning as he forced himself to roll away, the fist slamming into the concrete beneath, the Joker's fist plunging into the ground. Clark's eyes were filled with blood, the edge of his face swelling, his arms burning with the after effects of the Kryptonite burns. Far in the back of his mind, old instincts kicked to life, as he forced himself to breathe, controlled, summoning his strength reserves. Joker's hand pulled free, pieces of metal and concrete flying upward as he went into an uncontrolled swing that flew at Superman. Clark leaned into Joker's body, taking all the momentum out of the punch and tossing the two of them to the ground, Superman rolling away as they tumbled across the floor and instantly leaping back to his feet.
Joker turned, surprised, eying his opponent with enthusiasm. "Looks like big blue's got some surprises!" he spat, going into a full sprint. "That was almost Batman worthy! Let's see whether this dog's got some new tricks."
He swung again at Superman, but even though his superhuman speed seemed to have vanished from him, Superman fell back on ancient self defense methods. A simple sidestep and the Joker's uncontrolled punch once again struck air, Superman whirling him about with a grab at his shoulder before delivering a vicious punch across his jaw. The clown went sprawling backward, Superman leaping onto him in an instant, quickly sliding besides Joker's wrist, his hips sliding beneath the Joker's arm while his leg locked down on his throat. With the few moments he bought himself, Superman's fingers locked tightly around the mechanical device situated on the Joker's hand, fingers wrapping beneath it and yanking it free. A great spurt of electric power filled the air, smoke flooding from the wiring as Joker screamed, eyes growing wide even as Superman loosened his grip, sliding away, the device in his hand sizzling.
"What is this...?" he asked, struggling back onto his feet and reaching down to the Joker, grabbing him around the collar and lifting him upward so the two were at eye level, the clown's hands outstretched, an incessant laughter spilling from his lips.
"You're going to have to ask Lex about that but I promise you that you've never looked better," Joker said with a grin, laughing even as Superman's grip tightened. "Oh what are you going to do, Supes? I know you. You and the Bat... you've got nothing! All capes and bluster. Sure you go about it differently, but neither of you can do the one thing it would take to put down a rabid dog." He calmed down, eyes glancing into Superman's, mad and vacant. "That's why you've got a city on the verge of eating itself alive," he said with a smile.
"I'll find a way to put an end to this," he said resolutely, glancing toward the edge of the roof. "Just as soon as I put you away."
"Come on Superman. Did you really think that Lex's toy was the only ace up my sleeve?" Joker said with a grin, his hand flicking upward. Only then did Clark see the glowing green blade flying upward, the sharpened edge jamming upward into his ribs, pain exploding through his body as blackness filled his vision. Joker's voice rang in his ears as the clown held his arms outstretched, victorious. "All this Superman! All because of your code. Well time for you to make way for a new breed," Joker said as he charged forward, fist reeling backward for a final blow, fully aware of the effect the Kryptonite was having on Clark's physiology.
For one long moment Superman felt his body on the verge of giving way, of collapsing. He could perceive the rush of motion, the charging figure, and had only a second to act. Ignoring all the pain circulating through him, he forced his hand upward, catching the Joker's wrist at the last instant. With a turn of his body Superman forced the clown over his shoulder, sending him flying through the air, Clark charging forward with all the strength he could summon with the Kryptonite radiation flowing inside of him. As Joker tumbled along the ground Clark broke forward with a punch that sent Joker's face sideways, the clown crashing into the floor and sliding to the edge of the building, meager chuckles still escaping his lips.
"Just takes... one bad day Superman..." he said as he forced his glove hand forward, gesturing below. "That's the difference... between them and me..."
"There's a whole hell of a lot of difference... between the people below... and you," Superman replied, tearing at a nearby steel cable and driving it into the ground. Taking Joker's hand he wrapped the metal around the criminal's wrist, pinning him to the ceiling of LexCorp. "If that's all you are... a rabid dog... then it's time to stay put."
Joker grinned, glancing upward as another peal of laughter escaped from his mouth. "The boyscout's got jokes after all!" he said, eyes turning back downward, staring down onto the chaos unfolding below. "Final reward for the boxing match, Supes," Joker said, still absentmindedly looking away. "Do you really think Lex Luthor would have what it took to kill the same people that he wants worshiping him?" Joker turned just slightly, winking. "He doesn't have what it takes to really make things fun, either."
He barely acknowledged the comment as he struggled to keep on his feet for a moment, moving forward. Superman's hand went to his side as he knelt by the edge of the building, blood flowing along his fingers as he gripped at the blade, forcing it out of his ribs and tossing it away. Regardless of healing factor or energy reserves, there was no bouncing back from this. Whatever Luthor had devised in that hand technology had taken a brutal toll, and the elements of Kryptonite circulating in his body were wreaking havoc. He felt like a boxer in the twelfth round of a brutal fight.
Still, his eyes moved across the crowds, a frown crossing his lips. "I have to do something," he finally said, forcing himself back onto his feet, eyes searching up and down the parade route. It was a long way, but he didn't have to calm everyone. He just had to do enough to get things under control. Inhaling as deeply as he could, Superman fell forward, dropping off the ledge and allowing himself to enjoy the few minutes of freefall, winds whipping past his face as he plummeted toward the ground. For a long few seconds the world was rushing at him, eyes snapping open, he burst forward under his own power, flying slowly over the streets of Metropolis. Everywhere across the ground people were still desperately fighting with one another, the buildings lining the streets being ripped into, store windows shattered, while elsewhere people were clawing at one another, tossing neighbors to the ground, throwing punches, and overturning vehicles. Fires had broken out at a dozen places as the rioting had grown in intensity, catching even at the trees that lined the streets. His city was dying.
The helicopters far above were recording him now, his face appearing on every screen that lined the street, bruised but still recognizable, the shield on his chest glimmering in the light. Their spotlights fell upon him as he came to a slow hover before LexCorp, descending so that he was just a few dozen feet above the crowds, a few finally noticing the image of their city's hero, not only above them but flashing across the street.
"METROPOLIS." It was a single word uttered with such power that the sound of it carried down along the streets, passing outward for miles in either direction, a thundering boom accompanying the words. At its speaking the trees along the sides of the parade route bent like flowers before a hurricane, while those within a few blocks of LexCorp were sent tumbling to the ground, forced to their faces as the power of the word surged over them, its sonic impact driving them to the pavement. He continued to drift a moment, all cameras now showing the image of Superman hovering above street level, halfway between LexCorp Tower and the Daily Planet. As people finally paid attention, they could see the swelling in his face, the bruising near his cheeks and temples, and the huge gash in his side from which blood flowed. Descending slowly, he came to a stop at the podium that had been erected in front of LexCorp Tower for the mid-parade ceremonies. As he drew closer to the microphone, everyone could hear the nasal sound as he struggled to breathe, the bridge of his nose slightly askew. His hands locked around the edges of the stand, as he leaned into the mic, eyes half closed as he forced himself to stay conscious. "Metropolis," he said calmly, taking in a deep breath. "The Joker is no longer a threat and... there are no bombs to fear," he said, struggling to find words. "My mission tonight isn't done. You've spent the evening tearing at each other. I need you to help one another, now. Be better than what the Joker thinks you are. Care for each other." With that he grit his teeth, face looking upward as he raised a hand to the sky, his body beginning to arch forward as thousands of faces followed him, watching as he began to elevate into the sky, moving upward to the stars before changing direction and speeding off into the east.
Luthor appeared furious, his face contorting as he watched everything unfolding on the screen. Batman's hands had fallen away, now tapping gently at a control device in his wrist, though his eyes never stopped observing Lex's actions.
"Looks like he found a way Lex," Batman said, smiling, mocking his enemy. "Beat Joker. Saved Metropolis. What's that leave you? What point can you prove now? He didn't killer the Joker. Joker didn't kill him. Superman won, but since when is that new when it comes to your plans?"
Lex's face shot to Bruce's , roaring as he tossed Batman backward again, his body crumpling up into the wall as Lex strode forward, the two silhouetted against the grand windows of Monarch Tower. Batman grunted, forcing himself upward, blood streaming down under his mask and from his mouth, various pieces of his armor shattered and gaping holes in the Kevlar beneath. A hand went to his ribs, feeling them gently, and noting to himself that more than a few were broken.
"I don't exactly see him here," Lex growled, waving upward at Lois. "So maybe Superman can handle a clown, but I'll still make him pay for what he's done to me!"
Batman glanced upward, struggling to breathe, but able to prop himself up on one knee, staring upward into the eyes of his enemy. "Lex..." he forced out, shoulders heaving. "Everything that's happened since you came back... you've only done it to yourself." With that he tapped a final time at the control in his wrist, the office of the tower suddenly flooding with light. Lex glanced off to the side, through the windows, in time to see a large vehicle now blocking all sight of Gotham. In his moment of revelation Batman flicked his wrist upward, firing off his grappling gun so that it punctured the roof just above Lois, sinking into the concrete enough to whip him upward and to her position. In the moment he did, the base of the Batwing flared to life, a round projectile screaming through the window. It opened up almost at the same moment of deployment, a large net widening and catching Luthor, spikes in the net driving into the rear wall and pinning him. Blue arcs of electricity surged around Lex, thousands of watts of electricity igniting to life and flooding his body. Batman had no time to watch, his one hand holding tightly to the grappling gun, legs pressed against the wall, while his other hit the release clamp of the metal plate behind Lois. The restraints at her arms and legs went loose immediately, and he leaped forward, catching her and spinning so that it was his body that crashed into the ground while he cradled her above. He screamed in agony as his ribs burned with a searing pain, pushing himself onto this legs even as he felt every muscle in his body edging toward abandoning him. In his peripheral he could see Luthor's body shaking in the electrical currents even as his hands began to fight forward, tearing through the net. Still Batman forced himself onward, the nose of his vehicle just within the window, its ladder in grasp. He caught hold of it, grateful as it immediately retracted and pulled him and Lois within the cockpit, modified as it was for larger capacity. This was the previous year's model, one he needed for different reasons. Like rescuing hostages. The newer edition had less room and was basically a one seater version.
What both of them had in common? Batman flipped up the cap on the flight stick as the Batwing began to angle backwards and away using the sophisticated hover technology he'd refused to let go to the U.S. government, moving further and further away from the tower. On the display that overlapped on the screen before him he could see as Luthor had just pulled free, struggling forward on hands and knees, fighting toward the gaping windows. Then, finger sliding over the red button in front of him, he pressed downward. A slight light lit up the front of the Batwing as a heavily loaded missile burst forward, flying directly for the executive office of Monarch Tower. For just an instant he caught sight of Lex's face on the magnified display before the missile struck into him, a mammoth explosion detonating from the tower as its high reaches were blown skyward, its ancient, gothic spires and statues erupting upward in tiny bits, a massive flame roaring upward into the heavens as the tower shuddered and thundered beneath the blow, that Batwing screaming away from the hellfire that was raining through the air.
He glanced out the side of his cockpit as they flew away, measuring the distance the debris would fly, and smiled. Luthor had picked a perfect location, far away enough from the bulk of the city, to save lives.
With his helmet virtually destroyed he was forced to switch the in-cockpit communications on, his breathing labored but his voice steady. "Oracle," he said with a grunt, eyes on the horizon. "How are Nightwing and the others doing?"
"It was touch and go there at the start, Batman. Once they got things under control with the Maximums crew, though, they were able to focus on getting the crowds settled. It's still tough out there but all of Gotham Police and their riot force are assisting now."
"Good," he said, nodding in relief. "I'm going by the Batcave to drop off Lois and get her medical attention, so tell Lucius to meet me immediately."
"Right," she confirmed, hesitating. "You are staying in afterward, aren't you, Bruce?"
"Oracle. Who do you think I am? I've got a city to help save."