Chapter Twenty-Five

Many Meetings Part 2

There were quite a few things in Hal Jordan's life that he was extremely proud of. The biggest of then were, being a test pilot for experimental aircraft, a self-proclaimed ladies' man, and being a member of the Green Lantern corps. Green Lantern of space sector 2814 was his 'official' title. But Hal liked to think of himself as kind of intergalactic cop with the whole of Earth as his beat. But truthfully Hal was beginning to think, that he had more action appear on Earth then some other Lanterns had in their entire sector.

As the only human amongst the Green Lanterns, Hal had a unique perspective of everything being Alien to him. Here on Earth however, with an alien device and only one known alien on the planet. It seemed like an easy equation to him, with the answer being to question the alien.

He knew from reports about her powers, knew her to be a very capable person. Knew her to be a force to be reckoned with. But he was a Green Lantern, using a ring that was powered by will force.

Seriously what was there to handle.

Thick green bonds wrapped around Superwoman, clamping her arms to her sides. For added effort he snapped a padlock into place.

"What?!" She cried looking down at the constructs holding her. "What are you doing? And where did you get that box? It's the same as…." She was cut off as a green tape appeared over her mouth.

"Hey! I'm asking the questions here," Green Lantern said pointing a thumb at himself. "And you're going to answer them! This device is alien. Tell me everything you know about it. What is it for?!"

"Ehhh Lantern?" He heard Green Arrow mutter behind him.

"What?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at his companion. "It's my job to question hostile aliens, and to protect this planets inhabitants. Now shush up and let me do my job."

He looked back at his prisoner and paused.

He had one second to wonder why her eyes were glowing red.

#SC#

Superwoman was not in a good mood. First an unknown attack on her city had left dozens injured, with others narrowly missing death. Then she got attacked by a man wielding a green power ring. Who then tied her up like she was some two-bit common crook. Only then to accuse her of the attack on her own city, calling her a hostile alien.

First things first, she thought flexing her arms under the bonds. They might have been made of green energy but they felt like real metal bonds. Which was a good thing too, because like real metal bonds. They were no match for her.

She tore them apart.

"What? You can't do that?!" Green Lantern cried as green shards flew everywhere. "How did you do that?!"

Green Lantern seemed to get over the shock of watching her destroy his constructs and begin to attack Superwoman. The massive metal weights might have been easier to avoid if they hadn't seemly appeared out of nowhere. As it was it slammed into her face, knocking her flying. With a hand to her aching jaw Superwoman climbed to her feet.

"Ok then." She breathed before rushing forward at Green Lantern. Only to meet a green shield surrounding him. Rearing back she punched her way through, as the shield shattered under her attack. To his credit, the Green Lantern seemed to be no longer fazed by her destruction of this constructs. Instead simple creating another to replace to one he lost.

After another shield fell Superwoman was meet with a massive green fist that sent her flying. Rolling off the force of the blow she turned herself around and shot back towards him, fist already raised.

#SC#

Green Arrow had ducked behind a nearby dumpster just as Superwoman had shattered her bonds. But as the two begun to trade attacks, he thought that perhaps he needed better coverage. Whipping out an arrow he nocked it and fired it at a nearby roof top. A cord shooting from it as it flew. With a quick touch of a button on his bow, Green Arrow was pulled from his feet and landing on the roof top.

Reaching into his vest as he ducked down beneath the ledge for cover, he pulled out his phone.

"Hey Oliver," The male voice answered

"Barry I need your help," Green Arrow hissed into the cell phone.

"What? Why? What happened? Are you alright?"

"It's not me it's Green Lantern," Green Arrow replied ignoring the rapid fire questions.

"Oh. What did he do now?"

"He picked a fight with Superwoman."

"What? Is he insane?!"

"Jury's still out." Green Arrow said before hunkering down even further as a heavy gust of wind, and then something green flashed over the edge of the roof. "I'm serious. She is going. To. Kill. Him!

#SC#

Superwoman blow almost landed when suddenly Green Lantern wasn't there anymore. Instead he seemed to be standing some distance away. A red and yellow blur flashing in front of her, and suddenly there was a man standing before her. Tall wearing a red suit. It covered him from the tips of his feet to up over his head. A golden lightning bolt across his chest, and link of them around his waist as a belt. Two more sat either side of his mask.

She had a moment to take him in before he disappeared in a blur, circling her fast enough that her grabs to stop him missed completely.

This is the reason, she thought they call him the Flash.

"Don't bother trying Superwoman." Flash called as he blurred around her. "You can't touch me. I'm the fastest man alive. Well fastest person if you want to get all P.C."

Realising quickly that she was never going to catch him chasing after him. It would be better if she predicted where he would be before he got there. Whipping an arm out she held it up like a barricade in front of Flash.

"Flash," She said as he stopped short of clothes lining himself on her arm, "Enough."

"Yes enough," Green Arrow agreed dropping down in between Superwoman and Green Lantern. "This isn't the way to deal with this. Let's just talk ok. Superwoman. Do you know what this box is?"

"No." She answered simply glancing at the glowing object.

"Neither do we," Green Arrow replied. "Lantern thought we'd ask you considering its alien, and so are you. Do you know anything about the creature that was carrying it?"

"No I'd never encountered anything like it before," Superwoman said, "I thought the box blow up with him."

"Oh yours blew up too," Green Lantern said finally moving towards them, although he did keep a weary eye on Superwoman.

"What blew up with what?" Flash said looking from one person to another.

"We brought this one from Star City," Green Arrow said holding up his box, "If yours was here in Metropolis that would mean it was another one."

Suddenly bright light hit them and the faint sound of a jet engine. All four of them looked up to see the dark plane hovering over them. Superwoman smiled knowing what to expect even as the canopy opened and a pointed ear cowl appeared.

Batman dropped down to earth with a simple jump, pressing a button on his gauntlet. The Batwings canopy closed and the plane shot back into the sky.

"Dude is that Batman?" She heard Flash whisper, "He's real?"

"Batman," Superwoman greeted moving forward with a smile.

"I saw reports of an explosion in Metropolis," Batman said, "You encountered our mysterious pyromaniac."

"Not so much what we thought." Superwoman said shaking her head, "It blew itself up. Literally. These guys here encountered another just like it in Star City. They seem to be planting these strange boxes."

She gestured towards Green Lantern and Green Arrow.

Batman attention was grabbed by the strange glowing box. He examined it for a moment before looking around.

"We should get off the street." He said to the group.

"Agreed," Green Arrow said.

Everyone looked to Superwoman. It was her City after all.

"I know a place." She said finally.

#SC#

Victor paused at the exit door of S.T.A.R Labs. His hands fisting at his side, with a sharp breath he turned on his heel and strode back down the corridor towards the labs.

"Mr. Stone?" His security guard escort called after him.

"Five minutes," Victor called back, "I need to say something to my Dad."

The guard sighed and nodded.

"Five minutes."

And with that Victor headed off back to his father's lab.

#SC#

It was an empty printing press. The Daily Planet had long since gone digital with many of its editions, but still like kept a few printing presses. However they no longer needed many of its older ones. But still they sat, waiting to be used.

"A printing press?" Green Arrow asked as he looked around the massive room lit by Green Lanterns construct lights. "You don't have a base?"

"Why do you ask?" Superwoman question.

"You don't wear a mask," Green Arrow replied, "So you have no identity to protect. Where do you go when you're not out saving the city?"

"Around," She said simply before glancing across at Batman. Who seemed to be deep in concentration, as he examined the box. "So what do we know about this thing?"

"My ring knows most things about aliens," Green Lantern said, "But it doesn't have anything on this."

"Well I can't see through it," Superwoman said after trying her x-ray vision for a moment.

"What you can see through things?" Flash asked blurring up next to her.

"Yes usually," She said with nod.

"What can you do Batman?" Flash asked blurring over next to the Dark Knight.

Batman didn't reply simply continued his observations.

"No seriously that's a good question," Green Lantern said, "What can you do? What powers do you have?"

Batman simply turned and gave him a flat look.

"What you're not just some normal guy are you?" Lantern said in something akin to disbelief. "Your not are you?"

Batman stare turned back to the box.

"Oh my God you are." Green Lantern said answering himself.

"What's wrong with that?" Green Arrow interjected shooting him a look.

"You're not dressed up like a giant bat!" Lantern shot back.

"Enough," Batman growled, "Lack of power aside. What I can do, is keep us on point."

"I could do is take it for analysis," Flash said zipping around to look at the box from every angle, "I could check it for finger prints, or DNA. Or anything it might have come in contact with."

"You sound like a cop," Batman said turning thoughtful eyes onto the speedster.

"I do work in a crime lab," Flash said in agreement.

"Barry! You're exposing your secret identity," Green Lantern hissed at him.

"Annnnndd you just called me Barry genius."

"Hey guys," Green Arrow piped up, "What the box doing?"

#SC#

"EVERYBODY OUT!" One of the scientists yelled as the alien box started flare and glow brightly, a loud ringing noise erupting from it. Silas ran for the doors just as they opened from the other side.

"Dad we need….."

"NOOOO!" Silas cried as the ringing became almost deafening, before the lights flared as if an explosion had gone off inside the room.

BOOM!

A tube of energy flooded the room, so powerful it completely incinerated one of the scientist next to it.

Silas on the ground watched as hordes of golden armoured creatures poured out of the conduit. Eyes glowing and claws ready to started tearing they flooded the room and where already moving into the rest of the facility.

But Silas paid no attention to any of that. His focus was on the side of the room. To where he watched the skin and flesh melt off one side of a person's body, revealing ribs. His left arm seemingly melted as the energy ate through to the bone and beyond. One one side of his face disappearing in the fiery red light. His sons face.

"Victor!"

TBC