Disclaimer: All rights belong to the respective owners of DC Comics and Nickelodeon/Butch Hartman. The author owns nothing; this story is for fun, not money or profit of any kind.
Chapter 15: Last Son's Rage
The sun was shining in Metropolis, and people were going about their daily lives in the City of Tomorrow. But for Lex Luthor, he wasn't worried about the weather outside. He was waiting on the results of some long running tests. Tests on an alien weapon that once belonged to Brainiac. A kryptonite-tipped spear. But Lex wasn't interested in the spear, itself. Oh, no. He was interested in the large portion of kryptonite that formed the tip.
He had owned the rare, precious element several times, over the years. But he had never had such a large amount in one place. He wasn't going to used the sharpened tip of the green rock to stab his enemy through the heart like a barbarian, no. He had wanted to run experiments on the chunk of rock, to see if it could be enhanced in any way.
You see, the funny thing about normal green kryptonite was that it only weakened Superman, and Power Girl, for a short time, causing a loss of power, and a weakened state. But once the rock was a significant distance away, or covered by lead or debris, the effects stopped, and the blasted aliens were back on their feet like nothing had happened! To make matters worse, those alien freaks had formed a circus of costumed nut-jobs in tights to fight beside them.
Lex wanted a permanent solution. He wanted kryptonite that could kill the Man of Steel, out right. That's what all these months of waiting had been for. Results. He exited the elevator and entered the secret basement labs of LexCorp's main building. The large, expansive area was pristine, and bustling with some of LexCorp's best minds working on various projects. As he stalked down the hallway, he was greeted by his projects lead scientist, who said, "Mr. Luthor, what an honor to have you-"
"I'm not here for small talk and pleasantries, doctor," Lex cut the man off with a wave of his hand, not breaking stride. "I'm here for the results you promised me. Your deadline was today on this special project, and you had better have something worth both our time, and a good deal of my money."
"Oh, uh, yes sir," the scientist stuttered. "Well, what I mean is, well- Mr. Luthor, you have to realize that kryptonite is a very rare element that comes from the remains of Superman's home planet, Krypton-"
"For God's sake, man," Luthor sneered, his temper boiling over. "I don't need a damned history lesson! I know all too well what kryptonite is and where it comes from! That blasted planet has given me more grief in my life than-" Lex cut himself off and took a deep breath. It wasn't his employees fault, he told himself. The man was just doing his job by being thorough. "Never mind. Just get to the point."
"Y-yes, sir," the scientist said. "As I was about to say, the alien nature of the rock, and it's unique radiation makes it difficult to manipulate."
"This, I know," Lex acknowledged, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"We've had trouble amplifying it's effects," the doctor continued. He led Lex over to a metallic dome shaped machine. "But during our testing, we've come across something... unexpected." Pressing a switch on a nearby console, the dome hissed open, and white vapor poured out. A red glow came from within the dome, and Lex saw a small red jewel inside.
"What's this?" Lex asked.
"That is the sample you allowed us to test on, sir," the scientist replied. Using a small pair of tongs, he reached in to retrieve the steaming red crystal. "After exposing the kryptonite to various levels of gamma radiation, photons and other tests, we seem to have altered the core composition of the unique radiation it emits. As you can see, it now glows a red color-"
"This is what I get?" Lex demanded, swiping the small rock from the scientist. "All that money, all those months, and all you've managed to do was discover a new way to make fake rubies? All you imbeciles have managed to do was change the color from green to red!?"
"N-no, sir!" the scientist insisted. "As I said, the radiation it emits has changed! It's unstable! We have no idea what it might do to Superman!"
Lex thought for a moment. "Could it kill him?" he asked, plainly.
"We don't know," the doctor said. "It might. Or, it might totally take away his abilities, or any number of possible things. We have no way to test it. All we know is that the effects could be completely unpredictable."
A smile formed on Lex Luthor's lips as the idea of the possibilities set in. "I just might have a way to test it."
Meanwhile, in Amity Park...
It was a bright, sunny and warm summer day in Amity Park, and Danny Fenton, alongside his best friends Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, were enjoying the day to the fullest. The three were sprawled out on the vibrant green grass of the park, laying under the shade of the massive oak tree.
"Ah" Danny sighed, fully relaxed. "Isn't summer vacation great? No school, no cruddy teachers, no homework. Just the warm sun."
"Amen to that, dude," Tucker replied. "When else can we just chill at the park on a Monday morning? Enjoy the moment, guys, cause when we grow up, we'll be working our butts off at this time of day."
"You don't even like mowing your parents lawn, Tuck," Sam commented, a sly grin on her purple lips. "You think you'll have the stamina to work all day somewhere?"
"Ha, ha, very funny Sam," Tucker crossed his arms. "You'll be laughing the other way, when I get hired by Wayne Enterprises' I.T. department in Gotham. Or, I could work for R&D at Queen Inc. in Starling City!"
"I'm not sure you'd be cut out to live in either of those places, Tucker," Sam teased. "Gotham's a rough town, and Starling City's not far behind."
Life was good for Danny, who watched his best friends bicker in their usual funny way. After the whole incident with the JSA, things had been quiet. Ghost activity was down, and so far, no major threats to the world had occurred. It had been so quiet, in fact, that the Justice League had spent it's time designing their new headquarters.
The first thing they had done was take a vote on the location for their new HQ. The Flash had offered STAR Labs as a viable HQ in Central City, but Batman disliked the idea of the League moving the base into a facility with a less than stellar reputation after the particle accelerator incident.
Danny Phantom and Green Lantern Hal Jordan had voted for a headquarters in space, placed in low orbit above the Earth. This idea was intriguing to the other members, but it posed several issues. Firstly, how would those who couldn't survive in space reach the HQ? And secondly, how would they all get up there quickly in an emergency? So, the idea was put on the back-burner, for the moment.
It was Superman and Wonder Woman who came up with the winning idea. They had the idea of a building, similar in function to the United Nations, except for the super human community. A Hall of Justice, as Superman had called it, to serve as a beacon of hope and justice. A building that could function as a headquarters and a heavily fortified location, should worse come to worse.
This idea seemed to satisfy the other members of the League, and Wonder Woman believed that with her diplomatic ties as an ambassador from Paradise Island, she could help secure a spot for the Hall to be constructed in Washington, D.C. With consultation from the Green Lantern known as John Stewart, who was an architect in his spare time, the Hall of Justice would soon become a reality for the League. Yup, things were going good.
"Hey, Danny," came the deep voice of his father, Jack. The Fenton family were also at the park having a picnic. "What do you think the odds are of you getting your mother and me a spot on the Justice League?"
"Dad, keep your voice down!" Danny groaned. "The rest of the world doesn't need to know my identity, and I'd like to keep it that way! And to answer your question, I don't think that would work out, too well." Jack looked downcast, but Maddie cheered him up with a fudge brownie.
"Dude, I still think it's kinda weird that your folks know you're Danny Phantom," Tucker said. After the Brainiac invasion, when Danny was forced to reveal his identity to his parents, they had been surprisingly cool with it.
"At least they aren't shooting at him, anymore," Sam commented, raising her dark sunglasses to look at Tucker.
"Yeah, it was weird, at first," Danny said. "But, I'm used to it, now. I don't even want to think about that, right now. Let's just enjoy the freedom!" The members of Team Phantom sighed in contentment, as the clouds rolled lazily over head. Out of the corner of his eye, Danny thought he saw a dark figure peaking out from an alleyway at him from across the street, but when he looked over, it had disappeared. 'Huh, that's weird,' he thought. It almost looked like a girl, but since his ghost sense didn't go off, he simply shrugged, and went back to lounging.
Back in Metropolis, Superman was on his usual patrol that he would take during Clark Kent's lunch hour. He was flying over the Little Bohemia district, when his incredible hearing picked up something from in the distance he never wanted to hear. It was the sound of someone screaming, as though they were falling!
He focused his hearing, and rocketed towards the source of the scream at incredible speed. In record time, Superman made it to the building where the scream had come from; the LexCorp head office. But, he didn't see anyone! In dismay, he scanned the ground, fearing he was too late, but saw nothing; no body, no disturbance to the people walking or driving below.
Frowning in confusion, he heard the scream again, and he looked up to see an all too familiar figure standing on the balcony, many stories above. Lex Luthor, and he was holding a small device. Scowling, the Man of Steel rose up to the lavish balcony just outside of Luthor's personal office. Floating several feet above Lex, he glared at his old enemy and crossed his arms over his large chest, realizing the sound was coming from the device in the bald man's hand.
"Impressive, I must say," Lex said, looking at his watch. "Record time getting here. Your red-suited friend would be proud, I'd wager. I heard the sonic boom from here; why, you must have been on the other side of the city."
"Explain yourself, Lex," Superman demanded; having little to no patience for the lunatic.
"It was just a new invention my boys the the R&D team were working on," Lex said, innocently. "It can produce a sound on a frequency only Kryptonian's can hear, Superman. I was thinking on mass producing them, and donating them to law enforcement and emergency responders around the city. You know, as way of alerting you in a crisis. After all, Batman has his ridiculous night light; shouldn't you have something, too?"
"But that scream, why would you choose that sound?" Superman asked.
"Well, this is just a prototype, you see," Luthor replied. "Obviously, the real thing won't have that sound. But I needed something that could get you here in a heartbeat. If I had chosen something other than that, like a simple beep, you would have taken your time. That's why I chose this scream, until I could think of something less disturbing. Very convincing acting, eh? Maybe I should give Mercy a raise for her performance?" Mercy Graves was Lex's personal bodyguard. Superman narrowed his eyes at Lex, saying nothing. As he prepared to leave the billionaire to his own devices, Lex said, "Wait a moment, Superman."
Superman turned back, a frown on his face. Lex walked back into his office, placing the device on his desk. "I know you and I have our differences," Lex continued. "But, man to man, I do respect you. Or, at least, your tenacity."
"What are you getting at, Lex?" Superman asked, suspicion rising in his voice. He eyed Lex cautiously, while still floating outside.
"I have a question for you," Luthor replied. He pulled out a small black box. "I recently came into possession of this. It's some kind of space rock. Being the alien that you are, perhaps you could identify it, for me.
"I know it isn't kryptonite," he lied smoothly. "Kryptonite is green, after all. All my experts know is that it's not from Earth." He pulled out a bright red rock and held it up, studying it closely. "I'd like your opinion. As I said, you are the only alien I know, after all."
"Do I have the word 'stupid' written across my forehead?" Superman asked, scowling. "You're never this friendly with me unless there is something for you to gain."
Lex held up his hands, smiling amiably. "You got me, Superman," he chuckled. "There is something in it for me. I spent a small fortune on this, and I want to make sure I didn't get screwed. In fact, dare I say that- Oops!" Lex tripped over the rug between his office window and the large balcony, sending the red rock sailing towards Superman, who caught it!
Instantly, Superman groaned. He fell out of the air, colliding with the railing on Lex's balcony before plummeting to the street below. Lex rose to his feet, and dusted himself off, a smug expression on his face. He calmly walked over to the edge of the ruined railing, and gazed down. Mercy walked up beside him, and asked, "Wasn't that a little overly complicated, sir?"
"Sometimes you need to put on a show," Lex replied. "Now, let's get out of here, and observe the results from somewhere safe."
Down below, Superman had made a small crater in the pavement, but miraculously, he hadn't hit anyone when he landed. His head was swimming. He was dazed, and he shook his head, trying to clear it. When nothing happened, he grew frustrated. Without thinking, he dropped the red kryptonite and crawled out of the crater. A crowd had gathered around him when he had landed.
Their concerned murmurs were like thunder in Superman's ears. He grimaced, as he rose to one knee. "Get back," he slurred. In the back of his mind, he knew the red rock was some kind of kryptonite, but he... just couldn't... focus with all these people around him! He stumbled to his feet, as though drunk, but he was growing more steady. The concerned murmurs seemed to grow louder, and some of them were taking pictures on their phones.
"All of you, just go away!" Superman half shouted, growing angry. "Go on! Just... get away from me! Are you deaf?"
"Hey, Superman, a little early to be drinking, eh?" One of the crowd shouted, causing laughter from the crowd.
Scowling, Superman took off, flying away, but he seemed unsteady still, bumping into a lamp post. 'Jerks,' he thought bitterly and embarrassed. 'After all I do for them, they laugh at me? Who do they think they are?' As his thoughts grew more embittered, he grew more ticked off. In the back of his mind, he knew this was somehow Lex's fault, but he couldn't think straight. He was just so angry. He looked at the time on a nearby clock tower, and realized his lunch hour was over.
'Great,' he scowled. Heading back towards the Daily Planet, he heard something off in the distance. Sounded like gun fire and people yelling. Sirens wailing. The more he listened to the world around him, the more and more disgusted he felt. These humans... they did nothing but cause problems. Couldn't they go one day without messing something up? One day without ruining his? All he did was fly around and save them, and for what? So he could be stuck at a thankless, dead end reporting job, and living in a small apartment?
Sure, he had Lois, but what else? An irritating, ungrateful cousin? A bunch of so-called 'allies' in the Justice League? The thought of the others almost made him sick, in his present mood. They were all jealous of him, and they knew it. As if he needed any of them. Superman was a one-man army. Hell, he could take out several armies with both arms tied behind his back. The Justice League needed him, not the other way around. And not one thank you? They didn't respect him...
Superman was now shaking with rage. No, that was it... The world took him for granted... They didn't respect him, they just expected him to clean up their messes. He rose above the city, and crossed his arms, his long red cape flowing behind him. Maybe it was time to remind this city- no, the world, that Kal-El of Krypton was someone to be respected...
Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern Hal Jordan were currently looking over plans for the Hall of Justice. They were at the embassy in D.C. that Wonder Woman used for her ambassadorial duties. Utilizing rough plans drawn up by Green Lantern John Stewart, Hal used his ring to make a small 3D model. They were in deep discussion, when a surprising news bulletin interrupted their thoughts.
They were shocked, to say the least. On the large TV screen, images and video of Superman quickly crashing through buildings Metropolis! Wonder Woman and Batman both stared in disbelief at the screen. They all knew this wasn't good. At. All. "What the hell?" Green Lantern wondered aloud. Was Superman fighting some super criminal? Or had he just snapped?
Batman's frown deepened. "How fast can you get us to Metropolis?" Batman asked Lantern.
Green Lantern looked Batman square in the eye. "Fast," he replied.
Shortly, Green Lantern had flown himself and Batman via a light construct fighter jet from D.C. to Metropolis. Wonder Woman had told them she would meet them there; that she had her own transport. Batman and Green Lantern landed on the roof of a skyscraper, Batman rolling to a stop as the glowing green jet disappeared. They heard the sound of another jet over head, but looked up to see nothing.
On a nearby rooftop, Wonder Woman appeared to be sitting in mid air, and jumped to the roof under her, before flying over to meet Batman and Green Lantern. She was adorned in her usual armor and blade, only now she brandished a shield with shining gold and silver designs on it. "Uh, how did you get here?" Lantern asked. "I mean, I know you can fly, but-"
"Invisible jet," Wonder Woman answered simply. "For when I need to get somewhere fast."
Batman and Green Lantern frowned at each other. "You have an invisible jet," Lantern asked Wonder Woman flatly. "How the hell can you fly an invisible-"
"Where is Superman?" Wonder Woman asked, changing the subject. Superman had seemingly gone silent as they approached the city.
Batman pulled out a small device from his belt. "He's close," Batman said. "I've been tracking his flight path."
"Pfft, on what?" Green Lantern snorted. "Your own satellite?"
In response, Batman glanced over his shoulder at the Lantern, giving an unreadable expression before returning his gaze to the device in his hand, which was beeping softly.
"I was kidding," Green Lantern said in disbelief. "You have a satellite?!"
"Here he comes," Batman said, as a sonic boom sounded overhead, and a blue blur screamed across the sky, crashing through several buildings, leaving large holes, before crashing into a construction site, where a large old building was in the process of being torn down. The workers all ran for their lives as a dark dust cloud rose.
Green Lantern smirked, and said, "Last one to that building is a-" He was cut off by Batman leaping off the rooftop and grappling to another, and Wonder Woman took off in the air, following. Lantern frowned as he took off, himself, heading towards Superman's location. "Ugh, buzzkills," he muttered.
The three heroes landed at the site, and a green box surrounded Batman and Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern made his way towards the old building where Superman had crashed into. He had a cocky grin on his face, and he looked back at them. "Wait here, I got this," he said.
"What are you thinking?" Wonder Woman asked. Green Lantern's arrogance never ceased to baffle her. Batman scowled, as he watched Green Lantern.
"No offense," Green Lantern continued, as he walked through the door. "But you guys might get in the way. Here's the plan: Green Lantern kicks Superman's ass, TMZ's got the video."
The two heroes watched as, for a moment, nothing happened. This changed very quickly, however, as large crashes yells could be heard coming from the inside of the building. Green light shown through the windows, and Superman's heat vision cut through various parts of the structure.
Suddenly, Green Lantern came crashing through the wall, and collided at high speed through the box construct he had made around Batman and Wonder Woman! Batman ducked as the construct shattered and Lantern hit Wonder Woman, sending them both flying into a nearby tanker truck, which exploded into a ball of fire. Batman grunted, as he stood up, very thankful that Lantern had collided with Wonder Woman, and not him. They could both withstand something like that; he could not.
Before Batman could react, a large blue and red blur grabbed him and slammed him into a wall! Superman held the Dark Knight by the collar of his cape, and snarled, "So, you've come to oppose me? You should have stayed in that rat infested sewer you call Gotham, Bruce."
Batman was surprised; Superman never talked like that. He quickly pulled out a batarang and cut the fabric before rolling away from Superman, who turned around with a dangerous smirk on his face. Batman leaped into the air, and threw several smoke bombs to the ground. Using the cover he ducked behind a chunk of debris. "I can still see you," Superman spat. Batman spun around to launch his grappler to get to higher ground. As the cable launched, it was caught by Superman, who had used his speed to catch it.
"You aren't going anywhere," Superman said. Batman back flipped away from a punch from the Man of Steel, and tossed another batarang, this time at Superman's head. Superman caught it easily, but didn't flinch as it exploded in his face. Batman used the distraction to grapple up to a large metal scaffolding.
Superman responded by using his heat vision to sever the metal beam Batman had just landed on, causing Batman to fall back to the ground. Barely managing to roll with the fall, Batman ducked behind another beam, as Superman continued to fire his heat vision. Batman tossed a bronze metal tube at the ground between himself and Superman. The tube opened up and an ear splitting sonic screech was emitted from the device.
Superman winced at the high level of sound, but merely stomped on the the device, silencing it. Batman threw himself out of the way, as Superman charged at him, barely missing Batman's head with a massive punch that crumbled the wall behind him. That blow would have shattered Batman's skull, if it had connected. This was a doomsday scenario for Batman. He hadn't prepared for a full on fight with the Man of Steel today.
As he rolled away, Superman surprised him by using his speed to grab his arm, Batman tried to kick Superman in the face out of desperation, knowing full well that once Superman got his hands on him, he was toast. Whatever had happened to Superman, it had warped his brain; made him almost feral. Superman tossed him into a wall nearby, causing Batman to grunt as the air rushed out of his lungs.
Superman was on him instantly, grabbing Batman by the throat. Hoisting the Dark Knight off the ground, Superman snarled, his eyes glowing red. "Your belt is empty," he growled. "You've run out of tricks. You've never respected me, Batman. And I'm going to show this world what happens when someone disrespects me!
"Surrender," Superman continued to rant. "Tell me you respect me; beg for mercy, and I'll let you live!"
"Nggh, I'm trying... to," Batman choked, barely able to form words around the iron vice grip Superman had around Batman's neck. Batman fumbled for a small lead lined pouch in the back of his belt, where he kept a small chunk of kryptonite, in case something like this happened. He hoped it wouldn't have come to this...
"Round two, fly boy!" Green Lantern suddenly called, surprising Superman. Large green glowing chains soared through the air towards Superman, who dropped Batman to swat the chains way. A larger construct chain managed to hit Superman in the side, knocking him several feet away.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman had also recovered, and rushed over to Batman's side. "Are you alright?" she asked, helping the Dark Knight to his feet.
Batman grunted, and rubbed his throat. "I'll live," he rasped. They both looked to see Green Lantern continuing his assault on Superman with his large light construct chains, which had managed to snare Superman, wrapping around his body like snakes, squeezing hard.
"Chains?" Superman asked, his eyes filled with rage. "Don't make me laugh." Straining with all his might, Superman shattered Green Lantern's constructs, sending their broken chunks flying before they faded away. Green Lantern himself was knocked back, floating just above Batman and Wonder Woman.
"We're not going to stop him by ourselves," Batman said. "Something's happened to him. We have to help him."
"Help him?" Lantern repeated in disbelief. "Who's gonna help us?"
But before Batman could answer, Superman had recovered, and launched himself at the trio, intending to smash them like insects. Green Lantern was barely able to construct a bubble shield around them before Superman's attack landed. They were sent flying in the air, and Superman pressed his assault, brutally delivering punch after punch, sending them flying farther and farther away and crashing through building after building.
Green Lantern's light bubble acted like a ball, causing them to bounce. For any spectators watching, it looked like Superman was playing with a large glowing bouncy ball. Batman noticed Lantern straining to keep his concentration going against such an assault, and cracks were beginning to form on the shield.
"Lantern, focus," Batman said sternly. "You stop concentrating, and that shield breaks apart!"
"Shut up," Lantern sneered in annoyance, gritting his teeth. But another double-fisted blow sent them crashing to the street below, bouncing off several parked cars. People on the streets panicked and scattered. You live in Metropolis long enough, you know to run when something like this happens. One last punch shattered the bubble shield, and the three heroes were sent to the ground. Lantern recovered in mid air, while Wonder Woman landed gracefully. Batman managed to roll with the fall, and landed in a crouch.
"He's gonna kill us!" Green Lantern shouted.
"No he won't," Wonder Woman announced, unsheathing her blade and shield. "I've seen enough of this temper tantrum." She hadn't made a move against Superman, thus far, because she wanted to observe, hoping she could see a way to end things peacefully. But she wouldn't stand by while her friend caused harm to others.
"Keep him occupied," Batman ordered. "I'm calling in the others." Pulling out his comlink, he said, "This is a priority alert to all available JLA members: Get to Metropolis, now! Superman's gone rogue."
The rogue Superman, meanwhile, had circled back, and blasted down the street towards them, making a sonic boom with his approach which caused all the nearby glass to shatter. Wonder Woman gave a battle yell, and rushed to meet her opponent head on. The resounding shock wave was impressive. Batman and Green Lantern looked on at the battle between two seeming gods. Batman hoped the others got here soon. They had to end this.
Danny, Sam and Tucker were walking down the street to the Nasty Burger for a bite. After getting bored with the park they had been wandering aimlessly, but not unhappy, with Danny telling Sam and Tucker about the other JLA members, when a beeping in Danny's pocket got their attention. "Uh-oh," Danny muttered.
He pulled out his JLA communicator, and pressed a button on it, only to hear Batman's voice coming through. "This is a priority alert to all available JLA members: Get to Metropolis, now! Superman's gone rogue." The message was set to repeat, and played again.
"Holy crap!" Sam exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. "Superman's gone rogue? That's terrifying!"
"Yeah, dude, you gotta go," Tucker also exclaimed. "But how are you gonna get there in time? Superman's dangerous enough to the bad guys; now he's dangerous to everyone else, too!"
"Leave getting there to me," Danny said, ducking behind a dumpster to change forms into Danny Phantom. "Just let my parents know what's going on!" Danny flew off, leaving his friends behind.
"Ya know," Tucker said. "I still can't get used to this whole 'Danny's parents know his secret' thing."
Meanwhile, Danny pulled out his communicator while he flew over the Amity Park. "Flash, it's Phantom," he said into the communicator. "I need you to come and get me. I know, that sounds really lame, like I'm asking for a ride, but I'm not fast enough to get there in time without your help!"
"No problem," came the response. "You're in Illinois, right? I guess that's not too far outta my way."
"Just hurry, dude," Danny huffed. A few minutes later, Danny saw a red blur trailing electricity behind it racing throughout Amity Park. Even in the late afternoon sun, the red shine color was obvious. The Flash had arrived. Danny hovered outside City Hall for a moment, until the Flash found him. The Flash skidded to a stop in front of Danny, sparks coming off of his boots. "Wow, your city's really nice," the Scarlet Speedster panted, catching his breath. "I mean, it's nowhere as big as Central City but-"
"Uh huh, that's nice" Danny Phantom interrupted. "But we do have an emergency in Metropolis, so..."
"Oh, yeah, right, totally, let's go," Flash said. He walked over to Danny, and was about to grab him and race away, when a thought dawned on him. "Um, wait a second, aren't you, like, a ghost, or something? If I touch you, won't I just, you know, phase through you?"
"Only if I want you to," Danny sighed. "Trust me, you'll be fine. But one thing. If you try to pick me up bridal style, you are so getting your butt kicked."
The comment made Flash laugh, and he grabbed Danny's shoulder, and they sped off like a bat out of hell. Danny wasn't sure how long they'd been moving, but all of the sudden, Flash came to a halt, and they were in Metropolis. "Wow, that was trippy," Danny gasped. He was fast, but nowhere even close to the Flash. Danny thanked the heavens for his supernatural equilibrium, because without it, he was certain he'd have lost his lunch.
"Good, you're here," came Batman's voice. Danny and Flash turned to see the Dark Knight approaching them. "Power Girl just arrived a moment ago. She and Wonder Woman are trying to contain Superman."
"What happened?" Flash asked.
"I'm not certain," Batman said. "But I have a hunch. Flash, you're with me. Phantom, I need you to assist the others in trying contain Superman. Do whatever you have to to stop him from hurting anyone. Or himself. Superman isn't in his right mind."
"Not looking forward to this," Danny said, taking off. Fighting Superman was not high on Danny's list of things he wanted to do in life.
"What do you need from me?" Flash asked.
"We need to get to LexCorp HQ," Batman said. "Something tells me Lex Luthor has a hand in this."
Meanwhile, Danny Phantom followed the sounds of battle and shouting to find Superman fending off Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Power Girl. Pretty impressive, considering none of them were pushovers by any means.
"Come on, Kal," Power Girl shouted, blocking blows from her cousin. "I don't want to do this! What happened to you?" Superman managed to land a punch square on her jaw, creating a loud crack, and sending her careening into the pavement below. Rubbing her jaw, she scowled. "Alright, fine. You asked for it."
"Yikes," Danny said, floating up to her. "You okay?"
Power Girl got to her feet. "I'm fine," she huffed. "It's him I'm worried about."
Wonder Woman lassoed Superman with her glowing lasso and drew him close to her. "Submit," she ordered.
Superman's answer was to headbutt her, forcing her to lose her grip on the lasso. "I submit to no one," Superman yelled. "You're no match for my power, Diana."
"Did I mention I'm an Amazon?" Wonder Woman retorted. She grabbed Superman's arm as he attempted to punch her, and tossed him over her shoulder. Not letting go of his arm, she used her other arm to hold him in a headlock. This time it was Superman's turn to flip Wonder Woman, sending her to the flying. Quickly grabbing a car nearby, he smashed it down on top of her while she was stunned.
Danny flew up to deliver a hard punch to Superman, but even with his strength, it did nothing. "Ouch," Danny winced, holding his wrist. "They aren't kidding when they call you the Man of Steel!"
Superman answered by swatting Danny with the back of his hand, and Danny careened through the window of a building. He had never been hit so hard in his life, and Superman wasn't even trying! The whole world was spinning! Power Girl returned the favor of the blow he gave her earlier, and unleashed on her cousin. "Anything you can dish out, I can match, Kal!" she shouted. Superman blocked one of her blows and blasted her full flush in the face with his heat vision, causing her to yell in pain. He grabbed her by the cape and swung her like a tornado. Letting go, Power Girl went flying across the city, eventually colliding with the giant globe statue on top of the Daily Planet.
"Not cool," Green Lantern yelled, creating a locomotive that barreled into Superman, but to Lantern's surprise, Superman caught the construct train and crushed it. Instantly, Superman flew up to Green Lantern, and using his speed, he grabbed Green Lantern's arm and snapped it over his shoulder!
Green Lantern yelled out in pain, and fell to the ground, clutching his broken arm. "Lantern," Danny called, having recovered from getting hit by Superman. He rushed over to aid his ally, as Power Girl and Wonder Woman continued to grapple with Superman. "Hang in there. You need to get away from here."
"Not going to happen," Green Lantern hissed. He tried to get to his feet, but he was in too much pain. Switching his ring to his unbroken left arm, he created a sling to cradle his broken arm. "I'm not done, yet."
"Oh, yes, you are," Danny replied. "You'll get killed if you try to keep this up!"
Meanwhile, Batman and Flash were investigating the crater Superman had first made when he landed outside of LexCorp's building. "Sources say that it all started with Superman crashing here," Batman told Flash.
"Yeah, it's way too big of a coincidence that it just so happens to be just outside LexCorp," Flash replied.
"I found something," Batman announced. Underneath some of the rocks was a small glowing crystal.
"What's that?" Flash asked, looking over Batman's shoulder. "Is that kryptonite?"
"Kryptonite is green," Batman said. "But it's definitely a clue."
Their thoughts were interrupted by Danny Phantom's voice over their communicators. "Guys, Green Lantern's hurt. His arm is broken."
"Flash, go help them out," Batman ordered. Flash nodded, and sped off. Batman stuck the red gem in the lead lined pouch on his belt. "Lantern, get out of there. Everyone, we need to take Superman down. Now. We just need to incapacitate him."
"Batman!" called a voice from behind him. Lois Lane ran up to the caped crusader. They had met during his first encounter with Superman.
"You shouldn't be out here," Batman said, gruffly. "It's a war zone."
"It's also my husband your fighting," Lois said. Batman and Superman knew each other's identity, so by extension, Lois knew he was Bruce Wayne. "And you have to help him. This could destroy his good standing with the people of Metropolis. A trust he's worked so hard to build could be undone by this You need to get him out of the city. Hell, take him to space if you have to, but you have to get him out of here and fix him."
Batman looked her straight in the eye. "I plan on it," he said. "Now, get out of here. In his current state, he's more likely to attack you than talk to you."
"'Incapacitate him', he says," Danny huffed under his breath. "Easier said than done." He turned intangible to block Superman's blows. He blasted Superman with his ghost ray, which actually made him flinch due to their supernatural qualities. Seizing the opportunity, Danny Phantom said, "I don't know what ticked you off, but you really need to chill out!"
Phantom glowed blue, and used his ice powers to encase Superman's body in ghostly ice, leaving only his head exposed. Unable to fly, Superman plummeted to the ground below with a thud. Danny hovered above the struggling Man of Steel, as the others joined him. "Well, that could have ended much worse," Danny shrugged. "What do we do with him, now?"
"We'll take him to his Fortress of Solitude," Power Girl suggested. "It's far enough away that we can figure what's happened to him in relative safety."
"You aren't taking me anywhere!" shouted Superman. He strained with all his might, and actually began to crack the ghost ice surrounding his body! The ice shattered in an explosion of ice shards, knocking everyone back and he rose high in the air above the city, his eyes blazing red. "You are all gnats at my feet! And I won't tolerate your existence any longer!"
Danny sat up next to Batman, dreading the thought that just crossed his mind. But there might be no other way. It might cost him his spot on the team. If he survived, that is. "I might have a way to bring him down," Danny said to Batman. "But it's risky. Really risky. I have no way of knowing what will happen. But if it works, it might be our only hope."
Batman glared hard at Danny Phantom. He didn't like vague ideas; he liked certainty. He glanced around to see the battered Justice League nearby, cut and bruised. They couldn't go on trading blows with Superman like this. If they weren't concerned with not destroying the entire city, they could truly unleash on him, but as it stood, they were only making Superman angrier. Given their current situation, he couldn't afford to be picky about whatever gets the job done. Looking at Phantom, he said, "If you think it will work, do it."
Danny took a deep breath as he stood up. "Cover your ears," he said to the others. "It's going to get loud."
He flew up to meet Superman in the air. Superman gazed at him with glowing red eyes in judgment, his arms crossed over his chest. "So, Batman's sending you to meet your fate, first?" he sneered.
Danny held his hands up. "Not exactly," he said. "I didn't want to do this to you, big guy. But, let's face it. You kinda deserve it!" He then sucked in a deep breath, and unleashed his most devastating attack: his Ghostly Wail! The incredible sound wave blared out like a green paranormal shockwave, shattering windows in the area. Superman yelled out in pain, clutching his ears; his kryptonian super hearing particularly sensitive to the supernatural properties attack. Down below, the other Justice League members covered their ears, as well. Power Girl, in particular, nearly fell to her knees because her hearing was just as strong as her cousin's.
Danny continued the intense attack, but could feel himself weakening. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. Superman continued to grip the sides of his head in anguish, before falling into unconsciousness and falling limply to the ground below. Danny Phantom could no longer sustain the attack, and he began to slowly fall to Earth, fighting to stay conscious. As he sputtered in the air, he eventually fell into a nearby alley.
The other members of the Justice League were shaken by the level of sound that assaulted the area. Flash ran over to check on Power Girl, who was bleeding from her ears. Thankfully, that supernatural sonic-attack was aimed at Superman, who was several stories in the air, so they were spared from the worst of it.
Batman pointed to Superman's un-moving form. "Restrain him, and get him ready to transport him," he ordered. Wonder Woman quickly tied up Superman with her lasso. "Power Girl, are you well enough to lead us to the Fortress?"
Power Girl stood rubbing the sides of her head. "Yeah," she muttered. "Just give me a minute." She was still having trouble hearing after... whatever the hell that was.
"What about Phantom?" Flash asked.
"I'll check on him," Batman said. "Flash, get Lantern to a medical facility." Flash nodded, and sped off with Green Lantern, who wasn't looking too sharp after having his arm shattered by Superman. Batman ran down the alley where Danny Phantom crashed. As he rounded the corner, he was surprised to see a brief flash of light. His eyes widened beneath his cowl, as he saw, not Danny Phantom, but a black haired boy in a white shirt and jeans laying on the ground.
Batman crouched over the unconscious boy. His eyes narrowed as he checked the boy's pulse. He was alive, and didn't look injured. As he studied the boy's features, he realized they were the same as Danny Phantom's. Batman frowned, he had suspected there was more to Phantom's story. But all of that would have to wait. He reached down to shake Danny's shoulder. "Danny," he said softly. "Danny, are you alright?"
The boy groaned, and slowly blinked his blue eyes open. He saw Batman hunched over him, and he gave a yelp! "Oh, crap, crap, uh, oh, man, crap!" he panicked, scrambling to stand up, realizing he had reverted into his Fenton form.
Batman held up his hands, "Easy, Danny," he said. "Take it easy."
Danny stammered and stuttered, his mind racing. "Calm down," Batman said, his stern, icy voice cut through Danny's racing thoughts. "You clearly have quite the story to tell, but we don't have time for this. We have to move Superman before he wakes up. Do you need any medical attention?"
Danny shook his head, uncertain how to respond. "Good," Batman said. "How long until you can transform again?" Batman surmised that Phantom's powers were exhausted using that sonic attack.
Danny shook his head. "Uh, I'm not sure," he said softly. "It varies. That's why I don't use my Ghostly Wail too often; it takes all of my power. It worked, though, right?"
"Yes," Batman said. "You can stay here in Metropolis, if you want, unless you can manage to change back in the next few minutes. I'll let the others know you left to recover."
"Wait, you aren't upset?" Danny asked. "You aren't going to tell the others?"
Batman pulled out a device on his belt, and used it to summon the Batwing, which would arrive shortly. "I'm not thrilled," Batman said coldly, before turning to leave the alley. "But who you really are is not something I'm concerned with right now. Besides." He turned to give Danny an unreadable expression. "It's not my secret to tell." He turned to leave Danny Fenton, who now had a lot to think about.
"Wait," Danny called, causing Batman to turn around. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. Despite his fatigue, two rings of light sputtered around his waist, and with great effort they forced their way across his body, revealing a very tired Danny Phantom. Leaning against a wall for support, he said, "That's all I can manage. I can't fly or anything. At least, not for a while."
Batman nodded, and continued down the alley with Danny Phantom walking behind him, somewhat sluggishly. Once the two rejoined Wonder Woman and Power Girl, Superman was still unconscious. Power Girl looked over at Danny Phantom, and frowned as she asked, "Just what the hell was that, anyway? I thought my eardrums were going to explode!"
Danny winced as he noticed that her ears had been bleeding; he had hoped he was far enough in the air that the others wouldn't be affected as much as Superman. "I'm sorry, Power Girl," he apologized. "That was my Ghostly Wail. It's my strongest attack. Like a weapon of last resort. I'm sorry. You okay?"
Power Girl frowned and crossed her arms. "I'll be fine," she said.
"You did what you had to," Wonder Woman said to Danny.
The Batwing roared overhead, and hovered above them. It was carrying a box underneath it. "What's in there?" Danny asked.
"A specialized cage Superman helped me design some time ago," Batman explained. "In case something like this ever happened. It contains red sun lamps that will remove Superman's powers if he wakes up. We can transport him in this."
"I'll lead the way to the Fortress," Power Girl said after they safely loaded the still restrained Superman into the box under the Batwing. She was about to head to the sky, when a wave of dizziness overcame her. She held her forehead, and sighed.
"Your inner ears are still recovering," Batman said. "It must be the paranormal properties of Phantom's Ghostly Wail that affected you and Superman more than the rest of us. Kryptonians are more susceptible to magic and the supernatural, after all. You should ride with Wonder Woman in her jet. Phantom and I will follow in the Batwing."
Power Girl nodded, and followed Wonder Woman back to her invisible jet. Without saying anything, Batman grabbed Danny's arm, and used his grappler to launch them up into the cockpit of the Batwing.
Shortly, Wonder Woman signaled them that they were ready to depart, and the Batwing accelerated away from Metropolis. "So, um, about earlier," Danny said, nervously fidgeting in his seat.
Batman glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "We can worry about that, later," he said. "You should rest. The coordinates Power Girl gave for the Fortress are a long way away."
Danny gave a defeated sigh at Batman's words. After a moment, his exhaustion over coming him, he passed out. The two rings of light circled him once more, leaving the black haired boy in Phantom's place again.
Batman now had a lot to think about. When it came to Danny Phantom, he hadn't overruled any possible suggestion, whether he was a meta human, or was indeed a ghost. He had seen too much in his life to discount any explanation for anything, simply because it couldn't be explained by science. But the fact that he was, in fact, a boy, complicated matters.
He looked over at the sleeping form of the boy. He looked to be the same age as Robin. Could he, in good conscience, allow Phantom to continue to put his life at risk by staying in the Justice League? Sighing, Batman put the matter of Danny Phantom aside for the moment. He had Superman to contend with. Hopefully, they could figure out a way to reverse whatever had happened to the Man of Steel.