Issue #25

Aliens

Wayne Manor, Gotham

10/06/2023

18:35

In the sitting room where all seven of them were seated, it was like the room was divided. Selina was sitting in an armchair near the unlit fireplace with Terry in her arms, while Bruce, Helena, and Tim were sat down together on the couch opposite, and Dick was sitting down on the armchair in-between them and Selina, Alfred was the only one standing up as he pretended to clean the same vase near the window.

Tim had his laptop on his lap with the flash drive stuck in, reading through the data while Selina explained how Black Mask had captured her and then how she'd gotten away.

"…Once I jumped from the bridge I barely made it to the car," Selina said, readjusting a sleeping Terry in her arms. "I kept driving until I got out of the city and then checked into a hospital…"

Helena listened silently, feeling a sick sensation in her stomach, swallowing thickly. Selina stared at her sadly, cradling Terry close to her chest. Helena took in a deep breath before she spoke. "Where have you been, how…?" she trailed off, clenching her hands into fists as she looked away. She felt her dad's gaze on her. "Just help me understand, okay," her voice hardened when she looked up.

Selina's lips thinned, nodding. "I spent a few years jumping place to place, switching identities until I ended up in Detroit," she explained, a shadow of a smile on her face. "It's where I met Warren."

"How long did he work for Powers?" Tim spoke up for the first time, looking up from the screen. His eyes were cold, a hint of betrayal flashing cross his face.

"He said ten years," she answered, sighing. "He's from Gotham originally but got transferred after his divorce." Selina looked down at Terry, smiling warmly. Helena felt a small spark of jealousy and averted her gaze. "He quit a year ago when we moved to California."

"Long way to move," Dick said, raising an eyebrow.

Selina sighed. "He wasn't exactly honest with me about why we had to move so far," she replied, tightly. "And he wasn't the only one who'd died after working for Powers." Her gaze shifted to the laptop. "On the drive, there's a list of co-workers that have gone missing or reported dead."

Tim's eyes were glued back to the screen, frowning. "Yeah, I see it," he said, narrowing his eyes. "A lot of them had prior connections to STAR Labs as well as Adam Strange, Eduardo Dorado, and Silas Stone," he recited, rubbing his chin.

Helena's gaze narrowed. Why the sudden cull?

"Silas Stone was murdered in a robbery, nearly a month ago," Dick commented, scowling briefly before he quickly made his face passive when he saw Selina looking. "Did you have any suspicions about his work?"

Selina sighed, staring down at Terry. "No, we both had secrets," she divulged, her eyes flickered back up. "He never asked for mine so I never pried too deep into his."

Helena chewed her lower lip restlessly, as she straightened up in her seat. "So you never told him about me?"

Her mother's gaze locked onto hers, causing her tense. "I wanted to," Selina said steadily. "And I should have…"

Helena's gaze grew colder. "But, you didn't wanna ruin your perfect family, figures." She shrugged dismissively while her dad and Tim both exchanged a look.

"No," her mom's voice sharpened, frowning. "That isn't why."

Helena crossed her arms, looking away. "Sure looks that way."

She heard her mom stand up and let out a sigh. "Helena, it isn't…Can you boys give us a minute?" Selina asked, stepping closer towards them.

"Yeah, sure," said Dick, standing up.

Tim snapped the laptop close and got off the couch. "I need to take a closer look at these files anyway." He tucked the laptop under his arm.

Helena looked up, narrowing her eyes at her mom who still a respective distance away. Selina stared back at her unflinchingly, levelling her with a stern look of her own.

From the corner of her eye, she saw her dad study them both for second before he too stood up. "Take as long as you need."

Helena nearly scoffed, the room was bugged so he'd probably head to the cave and listen in. She heard the sound of retreating footsteps as each one of them left the room, even Alfred had slipped out when they hadn't been looking.

Selina remained silent until they both heard the sound of the door click shut. "I understand you're angry."

Helena kept her gaze narrowed, slowly rising to her feet. "Why did you even bother to contact me?" , she said coldly, tilting her head up a fraction; they were nearly the same height now.

Selina's eyes widened. "Because I missed you," she said like it was obvious. Helena felt her muscle wind up tighter. "I left to protect you." She readjusted Terry in her grip when he started to squirm. "I understand—"

The tension in her shoulders snapped. "No, you don't!" Helena interrupted, harshly, causing Selina to stiffen. "I don't even know who you are, and I don't think I ever did." She moved away from her, walking towards the window. "You lied about everything."

"Helena, I didn't have a choice," her mom argued, her brow knitted tightly together. "I lied to keep us together, so we could be a family…" She sighed, clenching her jaw. "Your father left me in prison, and I didn't know if he'd accept you or give you up."

Helena's stomach twisted, rubbing her arms, feeling a pang of remorse that stung. "Then I guess you didn't know him very well," her voice wavered, meeting her mother's gaze. "Dad wouldn't leave…he would never abandon me."

Unless he gets himself killed, but she tried not to think about that.

"You're right, I didn't understand him," Selina said, taking a step closer. "He made sure of that. Always keeping me at a distance."

Helena closed her eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again. "He's just afraid of getting too close…" she said. "It's just how he's always been." She glared back. "Besides, this isn't about him," she continued, balling her hands into fists. "It's about you not being there when I really needed a mom."

Selina grew still, a fresh layer of guilt clouding her features. "Baby, I'm… I know what that feels like." She moved in closer narrowing the gap, making Helena's shoulders were high and stiff. "I love you more than anything, and if I could take back all those years and start again I would but I can't, I can only make up for now, and all I can say is that I'm sorry."

Helena bit down hard on her tongue, feeling a sharp tug in her stomach. "...Do you really mean that? About starting again?"

"Yes," Selina stressed, taking a step closer.

Helena stared at her for a long moment as her words sunk in. "I wish we could too," her voice was subdued. "I know you just wanted to protect me." She looked at her brother Terry when his dark blue eyes looked back at her. "But, just be honest with me," Helena said softly, glancing back at her mother. "If Warren hadn't been killed, would you have still told me the truth?"

A silence suffocated the room.

Her mom looked like she'd just been punched in the face, and opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again, looking down. "…I'm sorry."

Helena's eyes felt wet and her throat hurt. "Just say it."

Selina closed her eyes and gently shook her head. "…No," she said, opening her eyes to look at her. "I wouldn't have told you."

And, that was the truth, Helena had had stab wounds less painful.

Helena quickly wiped away a tear from, looking away for a moment.

When she stared back at her mother, she felt a thick sticky lump of spitefulness fill her mouth.

"It's fine." Helena held herself taller. "The best thing you did was leave me with, Dad," she replied coldly.

Selina winced, sucking in a deep breath. Terry made a low whimpering noise, distracting Selina as she quickly rocked him in her arms. "Sssh, Baby," she whispered, looking back at her daughter hesitantly. "I did what I thought was best because I

Terry made a low whimpering noise, distracting Selina as she quickly rocked him in her arms. "Sssh, Baby," she whispered, looking back at her daughter hesitantly. "I did what I thought was best because I love you." Selina reached and grasped her daughter's hand tightly, making Helena go rigid but didn't pull away.

A small part of Helena wanted to move in closer and embrace them both, but it felt like her feet were bolted to the ground.

Helena looked at her baby brother, at this small broken family that seemed to barely hold itself together, but it felt like how home had used to feel like.

It made her feel cold and lost. "…I missed you," it was almost an accusation.

Selina moved in and kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand before letting go. "All I ever wanted was for you to have a normal life, Helena, to be safe."

The moment shattered when reality set in.

Her thoughts drifted the scars hidden from view, each one having a story behind it. The kidnapping and collateral damage had caused just as many bruises and cuts even before she'd taken up the cowl.

A normal safe life wasn't something a Wayne could get in Gotham.

Her mother never wanted her to be a hero or put her life on the line, she wouldn't approve and she'd take out her anger on Batman. It was a disagreement which would just make things worse and result in someone feeling betrayed.

The mission was more important, saving lives as Huntress was ten times more valuable than anything she'd ever hope to accomplish as Helena Wayne.

Her brow furrowed together as she stepped away from her mom, causing Selina's face to grow crestfallen. "Then you shouldn't have left me behind," Helena said numbly, walking passed her mother and towards the couch. "I don't…I can't do this."

I can't lie to you, even if you deserve it.

Her mom started walking towards her. "Helena—"

"Mom, please, I don't...I'm so- I don't want to see you again." Helena interrupted, keeping her back to her. She walked over to the door, ignoring the urge to look back at her mother.

She opened the door and rushed out into the hallway.

Tim was sitting at the Batcomputer uploading the files from the flash drive Selina had left with them. The sick feeling in his stomach wouldn't go away as he unlocked another one of the files that seemed to solidify Derek Powers' growing list of trespasses.

He stopped typing and hunched his shoulders, lowering his gaze from the screen. He couldn't help but dread if his parents had already known about their friend's crimes, or if they themselves were a part of it. Tim felt like he really would be sick, clutching his stomach. It would add more reason behind their deaths after the hacking Powers might have assumed they'd gone rogue and been involved in their assassination.

The sound of Jason's crutches brought Tim out of his musing.

"Has she left yet?" the ex-Robin asked.

Tim kept his eyes on the screen, shifting in his seat. "Bruce is showing her out now."

"Pfft." Jason leant against the dashboard of the computer and squinted his eyes when he looked up at the screen. "Did she give us anything useful?"

Tim cast him a wary sideward's glance, shrugging. "Yeah, it's pretty useful, mainly stuff about her husband's colleagues," he answered, hesitantly bringing up the list. It showed the names and profile photos of the colleagues, with some small bit of info on their current state. "Most of them are dead or missing." He turned his seat towards Jason.

Jason stared at the screen with a blank expression, as his eyes flickered back and forth, reading the list until his gaze froze and his shoulders tensed.

Tim narrowed his eyes and followed the man's line of sight, he was staring at the end of the list which showed three scientists; Silas Stone (dead), Martin Stein (missing), and Wei Chang (active). It was hard to decipher who exactly he was staring at.

After a second, Jason lowered his gaze, jaw twitching. "So they all linked to those experiments, right?" He looked over at the boy.

Tim's frowned deepened, studying him briefly, which earned a glare from Jason. "From the looks of it, yeah," he answered curtly, glancing back at the screen. "All of them started out at STAR labs but then got singled out by other facilities and private companies." Tim grimaced. "Powers being one of those companies." He scowled and slumped further down in the large backed chair.

"You mean Derek Powers?" Jason asked, being suspiciously civil.

Tim raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged. "Yep, which will compromise my family's business if it all gets out." He sighed, sitting up to lean against the dashboard. "We need more evidence, though, more companies must have been involved and not all of these scientists are dead or missing."

"Don't you love a good old conspiracy?" A new voice startled them.

Both Tim and Jason jumped when Dick suddenly appeared behind the chair.

Jason glared at the eldest of the group. "Fuck sake, wear a bell, Dickface."

Tim rolled his eyes while Dick leisurely leant against the chair. "Now where's the fun in that?" Dick remarked lightly, tilting his head to the side; he was still dressed as a civilian. "So, Tim, give me a sum up."

The youngest of the three cast a quick glance at Jason before he looked up at Dick. "The flash drive mainly has a list of scientists, but it does have some details on genetic mutations," he answered, rubbing his chin. "Mr McGinnis worked for Powers in the Medical Technology department." He clicked out of the file and onto another one in the drive. "This is from one of the files I managed to unlock."

Dick drew an inched closer to the screen while Jason slipped into the background. The folder showed a list of payments to an unknown source, the cost was in the thousands, with money going in and out, but the payment dates were a good three years old. The file itself wasn't a direct bank statement but copied down and placed onto a normal spreadsheet, so there wasn't anything concrete to go on.

Dick scrutinised the payments. "I'll hack Warren's financial records to see if he made any trips to Gotham." He patted Tim on the shoulder. "As for the payments, we're gonna need to get access to the company's personal records."

Tim nodded. "I can get access," he said, folding his arms. "I just have to convince Powers I'm not so sure about Bruce."

Dick smirked, ruffling his hair. "Nice."

Tim grinned, but his smile was short-lived when he noticed Jason was gone; the crutches left next to the dashboard. "Hey, where'd Jason go?" he said uncertainly, feeling a prickling on his skin.

Dick's smirk faded as he frowned, giving the cave a quick glance around. "Huh…"

Bruce had hoped his daughter and Selina would have found some common ground but unfortunately, their relationship just seemed more strained after their talk.

Selina was tense and on edge when he walked her to the front door, Terry started to fuss and wriggle around in his mother's arms.

"Helena will come around...eventually," he reassured, as the two of them stopped in front of the door.

Her eyes narrowed, re-adjusting the baby in her grip as the heavy looking baby bag slipped down her shoulder. "She doesn't want anything to do with me, Bruce," she said, gritting her teeth when Terry started to cry. "Not that I blame her but still—Terry stop!" she snapped, scowling. The bag hit the floor.

The baby's eyes brimmed with fresh tears. "Whuah!"

Bruce grimaced when the baby started crying, reaching forward to support his head when Selina's grip went slack. "It's okay," he told her, steadying the baby's head. "I'll hold him, it's fine."

Selina let out a deep sigh, looking exhausted as she handed Terry over to him. "…Thanks."

Bruce felt queasy when he held the crying baby, making sure to support his head, rocking him a little."Is he hungry?" The crying began to hurt his ears but Selina seemed oblivious to the noise as she cracked her neck and bent down to pick up the baby bag.

"No, he just wants his dummy," she replied tiredly, opening up the bag to look.

"WHUAH!"

Bruce continued to rock Terry, as the infant twisted around and smothered its face against his shirt. "Well, can you hurry?"

Selina shot him a glare. "You offered to hold him," her voice sharpened. He narrowed his eyes at her, pursing his lips tightly. She made a low humph noise and reached into the bag, pulling out a yellow pacifier. "There."

The pacifier was popped into Terry's mouth, the baby's mouth clamped down on the object and sucked, while stray tears slid down his cheeks.

Bruce arched an eyebrow, surprised it had worked so fast. "Huh…" He cradled Terry closer, watching as the baby's expression became more peaceful.

Selina smiled crookedly, brushing some hair out of her face. "I'm dreading the day when I'll have to wean him off it," she commented, stepping closer to place a hand on the top of Terry's head while Bruce stared down at the infant.

The corner of Bruce's lip twitched upwards for a second before he glanced back at Selina, pausing when he saw how she looked at her son with pure love.

His thoughts drifted back to Helena, sighing quietly. "She'll come around eventually, Selina," he said gently.

Selina looked up at him, as her smile dimmed. "Yeah, you said..."

"Teenagers just take more time and patience to deal with." Bruce touched her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

She sighed, smiling a little as she secured the baby bag over her shoulder. "I guess you speak from experience." She reached out to take back Terry.

Bruce's thoughts briefly trailed back to Dick, Jason, and the Team, causing him to smirk to flash across his face briefly. "You have no idea." He removed his hand from her shoulder and carefully handed her baby back over. "I'll have my people unlock the rest of those files on the flash drive, in the meantime, you should keep a low profile."

Selina cradled Terry in her arms while she raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to sit and wait by the phone all day, Bruce," she replied, agitated.

He sighed, taking out a set of keys from his pocket. "Look, these are the keys to one of my townhouses," he said, presenting the shiny set of keys. "You and Terry will be safe there."

Her eyes narrowed. "And, what, wait around for you to do something?"

"The Powers family is powerful," he argued, frowning. "We'll need undisputable evidence to send them to trial."

Selina's gaze grew colder. "I know that, but I didn't come to you on a hope you could prosecute them." She averted her gaze and glared at the door. "I wanted to see Helena but I also needed a backup plan for Terry in case…" Her glare softened into wariness, sighing quietly, glancing at the keys in his hand and apprehensively took them. The keys disappeared inside her hand like she was afraid he'd change his mind. "I'll contact you if I need you."

He lowered his arm, watching her closely. "…Killing him isn't the answer, Selina."

She shoved the keys in her jean's pocket, scowling. "It seems pretty straightforward to me," she retorted, resting Terry's head against her shoulder. "You said you'd help me, was I wrong to place that trust in you?"

"…No," he replied, sighing quietly. "But Helena won't forgive you if you murder him." And, I won't let you, he thought silently, resisting the urge to narrow his eyes.

Selina bit down on her lower lip, a spark of hesitation glinting in her gaze. "I don't expect her to forgive me at all, Bruce." She turned and opened the door. "Thanks for the safe house. You'll know where to find me."

Her back was facing him as she stepped outside. Bruce sighed as he watched her walk down the steps towards her car, while he studied her for a moment. She was going to kill Powers she'd be smart about it, but he assumed she'd want more evidence first which is why she probably hadn't already murdered the man.

Terry would also be delaying her since she had to protect him, she was being patient, something he could take advantage of.

Bruce closed and locked the door when he saw her car drive off as the gates closed behind her, the car disappearing around the corner. He turned away and rubbed his eyes as he made his way to the Batcave while he mulled over the evening events.

Clearly, he'd underestimated how deep Helena's resentment for her mother went and he wasn't really sure how to tackle it other than give her some space. He couldn't force her to forgive Selina and she wasn't exactly forthcoming about her problems. Bruce ran a hand through his hair as he neared the study that led down to the cave. Not mention Selina would just make things worse if she murdered Powers, but if Bruce Wayne couldn't convince her then Batman would have to.

He paused outside of the door when he heard someone moving from inside before he opened the door and looked in. Jason was sitting on the carpet, leaning against the big wooden desk that faced the entrance to the cave.

Bruce's brow furrowed, closing the door behind him. "Is it your leg again?" he asked, walking over. Jason didn't look up to acknowledge him, appearing sickly, which only Made Bruce grow more concerned as he bent down in front of the young man. "Jason?"

Jason didn't look at him, shrugging. "M'fine," he muttered, bringing his knees up to his chin.

Bruce's pursed his lips, scrutinising him for a second. From his experiences, Jason only tended to be docile when extremely upset, physically exhausted, or when he had something to hide. "Did something happened?"

"No." Jason's eyes narrowed, reaching up to grip the edge of the desk. "I'm fine." He gritted his teeth as he started to lift himself up.

Bruce stood up, reaching out help him up. "Where are your crutches?"

Jason bared his teeth, slapping the hand away when it got too close. "I don't need em," he grunted out, shakily getting to his feet, while his knuckles grew white from gripping the desk too tightly. "I left them in the cave."

"I see…" Bruce stared at him for a moment as he steadied himself against the desk and leant on it for support. "Have you taken your medication?"

Jason crossed his arms. "Yes, Mom," he sneered, glowering at him.

The older man hummed, studying his former charge's face. "You look ill."

Jason tensed, averting his gaze. "It's nothing…I just…" he trailed off, staring at the floor before he looked back up. "…Why are you even letting me stay here?"

"You're injured, you needed time to heal," Bruce replied evenly, eyeing him with interest. "And, I already told you, you have a home here."

The young man dug his nails into the edge of the desk. "I still murdered people," there was frustration in his tone like Bruce didn't understand. "I shouldn't be allowed to be here," he said through gritted teeth.

Bruce stared at him calmly, scrutinising him. "While I don't agree with your…methods." He lips twitched into a scowl. "If the last couple of weeks have shown me anything, it's that you still have morals," he told him, placing a hand on the ex- robin's shoulder.

Jason's jaw slacked and his eyes widened. "I…" he seemed to choke on his own words, closing his eyes tightly, causing Bruce's eyes to narrower further.

"What is it?"

Jason shoved his hand off his shoulder and quickly moved around the desk, nearly stumbling. "Nothing, I just…." He turned his back on him. "I just need some booze or some fucking smokes," his voice grew more hostile. "Medication got me sweating shit tonne of water."

Bruce didn't buy the excuse, eyeing the younger man's form suspiciously, but as he opened his mouth to speak his communicator in his pocket went off. He sighed irritably and took out the normal looking smartphone as it rang persistently, clicking the home button to accept the call.

"I'm busy," Batman growled out, holding the phone to his ear.

"When aren't you?" asked Green Arrow from the other end of the line.

Batman glared at the ceiling. "It better be urgent."

Green Arrow sighed deeply, muttering something too quiet to hear. "Got disturbance in Atlantic City and you're the closest," he answered curtly. "Big guy with super strength causing a mess, Superboy's already on his way but he'll need back-up."

He glanced over at Jason who was still being unnervingly quiet, but whatever was wrong would have to wait. "…I'm on my way," he replied, hanging up. "We'll talk when I get back," Bruce said, slipping the phone back in his pocket.

Jason moved further away. "Pfft, whatever," he mumbled, still keeping his back to him.

Bruce eyed him one last time before heading towards the cave to suit up.

Atlantic City

10/06/2023

19:15

"God damn it, stand down!" the head of security aimed his gun at the imposing eight-foot-tall man who had monstrous muscles, charcoal black dreadlocks, and pearl white skin.

The luxury hotel was located near the coast with the best view which attracted a range of wealthy clients was in complete chaos.

There was a massive hole in the lobby as the monster of a man walked forward towards the nine security guards that were pointing guns at him. He had a collection of unknown guns and weapons that looked straight out of an 80's sci-fi movie, with heavy looking army boots to solidify the theme.

"Pfft, Ka ree?" the Alien raised an eyebrow and reached for the weapon behind his back.

"Fire!"

The team started shooting at him, the guests that were left hiding behind furniture and desks screamed.

The bullets ricocheted off the man's skin like they were useless pieces of metal.

The near eight-foot man narrowed his eyes and withdrew his weapon as he walked forward while they kept firing.

He paused to glance down at his muscled chest as the bullets bounced off. "Ka Ree!?" The Alien rolled his eyes and swung his weapon, which seemed to be some kind of large metal blade attached to a rope which was a part of a handle made from real bone and wood.

The rope of the weapon swept away the guards like they were paper dolls, smashing them into the wall on the other side.

The chalk-skinned man ignored them and marched on forward towards his target, an Asian middle-aged man in a blue suit by the name of Secretary-General Tseng who was cowering behind a bodyguard as the two of them hurried to the stairs.

The monster of a man clicked a button on his weapon's handle to draw the rope back in, growling when he saw the Secretary try to run. He started to run after them, raising his weapon up over his head as he jumped over the front desk. People rushed out of the revolving doors, trying to escape from the trashed lobby.

"Hahn Sho Lobo skahveyt-ka, ka SKAHvey keezy Krolo!" the man who called himself Lobo shouted, releasing the blade.

Tseng was forced to jump back away from the stairs as the blade skimmed passed and buried itself into the wall, blocking the Senator's path.

The Alien grinned and yanked his weapon free from the wall, taking bits of it with him, jerking it sideways to slam the bodyguard into the lift doors.

Tseng was trapped against the end of the hall as Lobo closed in.

"Ka seh Hahn Sho Lobo, Krolo. Plee-ay suh frag," Lobo snarled, his red eyes zeroing in on the Senator.

"Please!" Tseng raised his hands up, as sweat coated his forehead. "I don't understand what you want!"

For a second confusion sparked in the Alien's eyes, pausing to click a small button on his belt.

'Translating Interlac,' an automated voice droned out.

Lobo looked back at the Senator who was shielding his face. "Pfft, so that's how you wanna play it?" he tightened his grip on his weapon. "Fine. The contract calls on the Main Man to put on a show for the locals." He grinned darkly, baring his sharp teeth, walking closer. "So one more time; surrender or die."

"W-what contract?" Tseng's voice grew higher, nearly choking on his own words.

Lobo's grin became feral and turned more into a snarl. "Die it is." He raised his prepared his weapon again.

But, as he closed in on his target Superboy smashed through the upper window of the lobby and dived down ready to punch.

Lobo's brow furrowed when he looked up over his shoulder. "Huh?"

Superboy landed onto the ground, creating a crack in the polished wood in front of the cowering Senator. He looked around seventeen years old with black hair and blue eyes, as he slowly rose up. He had cargo pants on, and a brown jacket over his S branded dark t-shirt.

"We can talk this out or we can punch it out, your choice," Superboy said, cracking his knuckles.

Lobo frown faded when a smirk crept onto his lips. "That's funny." He swung his weapon around to hit him.

Superboy jumped in the air to dodge the hit, landing back down further away. "Have it your way," he quipped before he lunged towards Lobo with his fists raised.

Lobo stared at the attacking superhero, looking more amused than intimidated. Meanwhile, the Senator quickly made a dive for the stairs when the Alien was distracted.

Lobo retracted his weapon, moving to block the incoming hit, but Superboy aimed low, punching Lobo in the stomach.

The Alien was sent crashing to the floor, the grin was wiped off Lobo's face.

Superboy kicking him in stomach, spreading cracks across the floor. Lobo's red eyes narrowed dangerously and grabbed Superboy's foot before he could hit him again, pulling him to the ground. Lobo rushed back onto his feet and lifted the teenager up to swing him around.

"Ahhh!" Superboy was flung across the room, going through the hotel wall, with half his body in the other room.

Lobo paused and laughed at him, glancing over his shoulder where the Senator should have been, except he wasn't. His laughter turned into a growl when he saw the man was missing. "SKAHvey Krolo," he snarled, running towards where the stairway was, while Superboy struggled to break out of the wall.

Lobo attached his weapon behind his back and ripped out the doorway to the stairs to make a big enough hole for his large frame and ran up the stairs.

Superboy smashed another hole in the wall to break free, and landed back onto the ground and rushed after him, sprinkles of dust falling from his shoulders as he chased after the Alien.

The impending footsteps of Lobo were like thunder, as Senator-General Tseng ran up the stairs, panting heavily. He looked down through the gap and saw the Alien closing in, so in a mad dash, he ran through onto the fourth floor to escape.

The hallway and two large windows at each end and over a dozen rooms running along the corridor.

"Krolo!"

"Ah!" Tseng yelled, stumbling back against the wall as his eyes shifted to the elevator at the end of the hallway, he made a run for it.

Lobo pummelled through the wall, balling his hands into first, chasing after. Tseng smashed his fist against the elevator buttons, snapping his head back and forth between Lobo and the lift.

From behind Lobo, Superboy flung himself through the hole in the wall and into the hallway, running after the Alien.

"Hey, I'm not finished with you!" the Teenager barked.

Lobo looked over his shoulder and growled, pulling out his weapon he shot at Superboy, but Superboy grabbed the end of the rope and yanked hard.

"No do, Keezy ma." Lobo pulled back and managed to lift Superboy off his feet, and then retracted the weapon, sending the teenager hurling towards him.

Lobo pulled back his fist and punched Superboy in the face, cracking the Metahuman's nose. Superboy's head was snapped back as he hit the ground, causing the Alien to grin and turn his attention back to the Senator.

"Keezy ma frag Hahn Sho Lobo? Ka ree?" Lobo shook his head in disbelief, as the elevator pinged and the doors opened.

Tseng jumped inside and tried to close the doors but Lobo pushed them open and grabbed the Senator by the throat.

"Frag-ka, Krolo—"

The window smashed when Batman came swinging in and threw two Batarangs at the Alien.

Lobo's brow furrowed as the Batarangs hit his skin and exploded, pushing him backwards, the smoke clouding his vision.

Superboy came up from behind, blood dripping from his nose, and punched Lobo in the face.

Lobo grunted in pain, releasing his grip on Tseng.

Batman landed on the ground and looked over at Tseng. "Senator, with me," Batman ordered, grabbing the Senator. Tseng looked at the Vigilante in alarm when he was manhandled.

Lobo quickly regained his senses and hit back at Superboy, smashing his fist into the guy's stomach.

Batman withdrew his grappling hook and edged towards the window while he kept his eyes on the half-Kryptonian. "Superboy, keep him busy."

Superboy winced and lunged forward to put Lobo in a headlock. "On it," he wheezed, as Lobo grabbed the back of the teenager's head.

Batman grimaced, and pointed his grappling hook at the building opposite and jumped out of the window. "Hold on."

"Ahhh!" Tseng screamed when they fell, but the line tugged a second later and the two of them were swinging around the tall buildings that stretched up towards the night sky.

Lobo's red eyes grew fiercer, elbowing Superboy in the face before he grabbed him by the neck and flung him out of the window. "Pfft, rano keezy ma," he sneered, cracking his knuckles as he stood up. He pressed a button on his leather cuffs to summon his ride.

He jumped out of the window as his hover bike caught him. The hovering motorcycle was like something from a death metal concert, with skulls and large exhausts decorating it.

Meanwhile down below on the high street, Superboy made a hasty landing. The impact of it shattered shop windows and made a massive crack in the road.

"Hey! Watch out!" someone yelled, as Superboy touched his bruised face.

A car smashed into him, trashing the bonnet while Superboy stayed rooted where he was. The woman in the ruined car poked her head out of the window. "What the fuck?!" she screamed, her face turning a blotchy red.

Superboy flinched when the light from a News helicopter flashed in his eyes, gritting his teeth he started to run, manoeuvring through the traffic as he picked up speed. He quickly looked up before he leapt into the air.

Batman landed on the rooftop of a bank, setting the Senator down. Tseng stumbled back when they landed, as he shakily backed away, clutching his head.

Batman straightened up and pressed a button on his cuff guard to signal the Batwing, moving closer to Tseng. "Senator, you need to listen to me carefully," he said, stopping in front of the trembling man.

Tseng's eyes bulged when they looked behind him. "He's here!" he yelled, pointing at something behind him. Batman looked over his shoulder and reached into his belt.

Lobo was riding the hoverbike which looked armed to the teeth. "Frag!" A set of glowing red guns popped out from underneath the bike.

Batman threw a set of bombs at the vehicle and then lifted his cape to shield the Senator. The Batarangs lodged into the cracks of where the guns were and exploded, knocking the weapons off kilter when they fired out a set of laser beams.

The beams missed and hit the roof, while Batman dragged Tseng to the edge of the roof as the Batwing neared them.

Lobo gritted his teeth and quickly tried to refocus his fire, but Superboy attacked from behind, landing on the bike so hard it nearly flipped over.

"Miss me?" Superboy punched Lobo in the face while the bounty hunter tried to grab him.

Lobo got a hold of Superboy's collar and flung him across into the Batwing when it drew too close to the roof, sending Superboy and the Batwing into one of the casinos.

Batwing growled lowly and withdrew his grappling hook, but Lobo saw. "Oh, no you don't!" the Alien yelled, jumping out of the hovering motorbike, creating a crack in the roof, as he took out his weapon again.

Before Batman could aim and release the grabbling hook, Lobo was too close and was already trying to hit him. The vigilante shoved Tseng out of the way and moved low to avoid the blade from Lobo's multi-functional sword, and tried hit back, but Lobo's skin was too thick so Batman threw a set of small bombs in Lobo's face to blind him.

Lobo stepped back and was tackled to the ground by Superboy, who pinned him down and punched him repeatedly in the face. The weapon clattered to the ground.

"Urrgh!" Lobo was bleeding from the mouth and twisted his legs up to wrap them around Superboy's throat, throwing the superhero off him.

Batman was already half-way towards the senator, but Lobo was larger and quicker. The Alien jumped back onto his feet and leapt towards Tseng, whacking Batman away with his monstrous bicep.

Superboy got back onto his feet as Batman was reached into his belt to grab another weapon, but Lobo had already grabbed Tseng.

"Please! No," Tseng was shouting, as Lobo gripped the man tightly when he lifted him up off the ground and started to pull him apart.

"NO!" Superboy's eyes widened in horror, rushing forward with his arm outstretched.

Batman had a set of bombs at the ready but froze when he saw Senator-General Tseng's body was made of wire and metal.

Tseng's body was ripped in two, with flimsy green wired frayed apart like a rag doll, revealing a small green alien with a large head and sharp teeth.

Superboy stopped, growing paler. "W-what?"

"Plee-ay! Plee-ay!" the alien cried in a high pitched voice.

Lobo sneered down at the Alien and picked him up with his large hands, roughly shoving the creature under his arm.

Batman lowered his weapon, as he watched Lobo casually summon the hovering motorbike to land right next to him.

"The Main Man's contract's complete," Lobo said, picking up his weapon, he attached it to his back again. "Your world's your world." And with that, he got back onto his bike and placed the green alien in front of him where a metal choke-chained the creature down.

Superboy stared at the bounty hunter in shock as Lobo revved his bike up and drove off into the moonlight. "The Senator…" he exclaimed in disbelief, looking over at Batman who was examining Tseng's fake body. "He was an alien."

Batman paused to narrow his eyes at the half-Kryptonian. "I noticed."

Interlac language translations

Ka Ree = Seriously

Hahn Sho Lobo skahveyt-ka, ka SKAHvey keezy Krolo = The Main Man can smell you, you stinkin' little Krolotean!

Ka seh Hahn Sho Lobo, Krolo. Plee-ay suh frag = Just you and the Main Man, Krolotean. Surrender or die.

SKAHvey Krolo = Stinkin' Krolotean

Keezy ma = Little Boy

Keezy ma frag Hahn Sho Lobo? Ka ree? = Seriously? This little boy thinks he can take down the Main Man?

Frag-ka, Krolo = Time to die, Krolotean

rano Keezy ma = stupid little boy

I took some liberties with the language but the translation should be in accordance with proper Interlac.

(Sigh) You should have just told the truth, Jason.