Thoughts
Computer Speech
"Speech"
Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.
Chapter 31: Aurora III: Rush
December 18th
Age 762 (2012), Chikyu, Capsule Corps
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Clark?" Batman asked as he turned to the man of steel.
The Kryptonian merely nodded as he continued peering into the sky. "This is what we agreed to when we talked with Green Lantern."
"Things have changed since then." Batman frowned as he folded his arms. A new threat had arisen since Goku's stay in the hospital. There was no telling what kind of danger it posed.
"And we've been working on it Bruce," Kal-El said calmly as he glanced away from the sky. Bruce's apprehension was duly noted. "Whatever it is, can't be more than the two of us can handle."
"How do you know that for sure Clark? We barely managed to defeat the Saiyans. In fact, we didn't beat them. Two unknown assailants arrived and captured them. We don't even know where they are and our battle could have easily gone the other way." Ever the pessimist, Bruce would not allow Superman to rest on his laurels. In this so-called 'age of wonders', things could change in a heartbeat.
Kal-El sighed as he heard the tone in Batman's voice. "So what would you have us do? Goku already left." Clark said as he pointed at the sky. The dynamic duo had shown up at the Capsule Corps headquarters to send their good friend off. The ship was already implanted with Namek's coordinates. Goku didn't know how to steer the ship so it would be unlikely that the Saiyan would be able to reroute it.
Batman paused, taking a brief second to glare at the machine as it finally disappeared into the heavens above. Superman did have a point. The only thing they could do now was to move forward. "The two of us won't be able to handle what's coming alone."
"What's coming?" Clark repeated in a confused tone. His left brow arched as Batman dug into his utility belt.
"This is." Said the dark knight as he showed the Kryptonian a syringe that oozed with red liquid.
"What is that?" Superman questioned as his x-ray vision scanned over its contents. It was an unfamiliar solution.
"The streets are calling it Velocity 9," Batman said as he shook the syringe, watching red bubbles materialize inside. "It's the most dangerous drug I've ever seen."
Kal-El's eyes narrowed. Street level activity was Bruce's domain. He was the one who dealt with the smaller criminals. His words needed to be heeded. "What makes it so dangerous though?"
"It grants normal everyday people the ability to have super speed."
"Super speed? Like mine?" Clark's eyes widened.
"Yes, like yours. The drawbacks, however, are life threatening. It causes premature aging, exhaustion, red eyes, and eventually death."
"Who would create such a thing?" Kal-El was flabbergasted. This wasn't the first time he had encountered a superhuman drug, but these drawbacks were absolutely deadly. "If I had to bet my money I would say Luthor is behind it." Lex Luthor was one of the few men on Earth capable of engineering such a destructive thing.
"It's not him." Bruce quickly stated.
"How do you know that for sure though?" Superman's hunches were rarely if ever wrong.
"Lex doesn't operate like this. So brazenly? Out in the open? Peddling drugs? That's not his niche." Lex was capable of many things but this just wasn't his style. "As his most hated foe, you should know this Clark."
Superman rubbed the back of his neck before reluctantly sighing, Batman was right. Lex was a man concerned with greater things than this. "Then who Bruce?"
"I don't know," Baman grit his teeth as his eyes narrowed beneath his cowl. He hated being clueless about anything. "I intend to find out though."
"As dangerous as this drug may be, what does it have to do with our it situation?" Kal-El failed to see the relation between the two problems. Whatever it was appeared to be some kind of mysterious force. Velocity 9 was just some type of narcotic.
"These two things are related, I just haven't figured out how yet." This was no mere coincidence.
"I haven't seen any Velocity 9 in Metropolis yet, but I'll be on the lookout from now on." This drug was sure to spread like a wildfire.
"We need to be more preemptive than that." Batman shook his head. Clark's approach would only worsen the situation.
"Well, what do you propose then?" Kal-El resigned with a shrug. Batman seemed to have all the answers today.
"We use all the resources at our disposal to find whoever it making this garbage and then we strike." While Batman had all the financial resources anyone could dream of, Superman was the Earth's mightiest hero for the moment.
"That sounds like a plan." Clark nodded in agreement. "But what about this whole it thing? John told me that the disturbance in the psionic sphere has been growing worse. Even with Martian Manhunter included, the three of us still haven't gotten to the bottom of this case."
"That's where our reinforcements come in hand."
"Reinforcements?" Superman couldn't believe the words that had come out of Bruce's mouth. He was the last person who ever wanted to ask for help.
"I know, surprising right?" Bruce maintained a monotone voice as Clark continued to gawk. "This isn't something I would suggest unless it was absolutely necessary."
Kal-El feverishly nodded. That much was true.
"This era we're living in is called the age of wonders for a reason. You and the Earth's others heroes aren't the only super-powered beings on this planet. Martian Manhunter proved that when he contacted us."
John Jones had made his presence known when he had shown up to Bruce's house unannounced. The billionaire hadn't been there but Alfred had relayed the information that someone knew his true identity. Clark had been in for a rude awakening when the detective had followed him home, not even registering on any of his Kryptonian senses. The Martian was just one of several super powered individuals on the planet. Who truly knew how many more there possibly were?
"I've been keeping track of other potential heroes like us."
"And how exactly have you been doing that?" Superman asked, but truly didn't want to know. He knew the extreme lengths Bruce could go when it came to surveillance.
"That's something we'll discuss later," Bruce maneuvered out of that conversation. The Brother Eye program was still in its early stages. "Just know that I've found some interesting potential heroes to assist us."
Superman's full attention was now captured. "Who are they? What are their names?"
"I don't exactly know who or what he is, but there is some kind of man that appears to live in the sea."
"So you're saying he's a mermaid?" Clark joked, sarcasm oozing throughout his words.
Batman, however, remained as stone faced as ever, not even cracking a smile.
"I don't know that for certain but it is a possibility." Superman's mouth hung open. The Kryptonian hadn't really been serious. "What ever he is, he packs a powerful punch. He may even be in the same weight class as you."
"He's really that powerful?" Kal-El questioned how a man with that type of strength could have remained hidden all this time.
"From the grainy bits of footage, I've seen, he appears to be," Even with increasing technological innovations, no clear images or videos of the sea-man existed. "This hasn't stopped our government from issuing a secret mandate regarding the oceans though. For whatever reasons several ships on multiple coastlines have been attacked by him."
"He doesn't really sound like a hero then." Clark couldn't understand why Bruce had even mentioned him if that was indeed the case.
"All of those ships were engaged in illegal activities though. Bane was the captain on one of his biggest targets."
Superman could hear the visceral anger in Bruce's voice at the mention of the man who had broken his back. Thanks to Bane, Batman had nearly died.
"Is there anyone else besides this possible mermaid?" Clark asked as he tried to switch the topic of the conversation.
"There is one other person but I'm not really sure about him."
"Why not?"
"He hasn't been doing this too long. As far as I'm concerned that he's still a rookie. If things go bad could we really depend on him?"
"Wait…are you talking about…the Flash?" This wasn't the first time Bruce and Clark had discussed him. He had risen out of nowhere and protected a relatively safe city until now. His speed appeared to match Clark's or even be greater than his own.
"Yes, I'm referring to him." Being a hero was serious business. Batman didn't have the time to be giving out pointers.
"He may be kind of wet behind the ears, but weren't we both at one time?" Superman hadn't always been the brave symbol of hope that he was today. There were numerous times he had messed up. "The only way we'll really see what he's got is if we give him a chance."
December 18th
Age 762 (2012), Central City
Tired.
This was the first time the Flash felt legitimately tired. As the scarlet speedster zigzagged in and out of midday traffic, he couldn't help but notice the gnawing pain in his ankles. He had only been a superhero for a little over a month now. This was the first time he had encountered individuals who were as fast as him. It was frightening, to say the least.
His morning had followed the same routine that it always did. He woke up bright and early, brushed his teeth and ate breakfast before heading to work. With the addition of his superpowers, working as a forensic scientist was a breeze now. Tasks that previously took him an entire week to do were accomplished in a matter of mere minutes. This left the Flash with a lot of down time now.
He had been researching his mother's death when an all-points bulletin had been called. Multiple masked men were in the midst of robbing a bank. Without even thinking Barry had rushed to apprehend the criminals. The job seemed fairly mundane until he had arrived at the scene of the crime. All the criminals present displayed super-speed.
The night he had been struck by light had been a very peculiar evening. What were the odds that other people had gained power that night as well? Following Barry's public arrival as the Flash, all sorts of criminals had begun sprouting out of the woodwork. It appeared there was a correlation between the two events. It was possible that these masked individuals had gained speed the same way he had.
A chase quickly ensued. Blurs and multi-colored streaks were all that the average citizen saw as Barry tried to apprehend the criminals. While he proclaimed himself to be the 'fastest man alive' that clearly was not the case as they zoomed through central city's streets. It was bad enough that these criminals had super-speed, but on top of that, there were three of them. Barry counted his blessings that the men were all following one another. If they had split up into groups they would have surely gotten away by now.
The three criminals were so reckless with their speed. They blazed through the streets causing as much trouble as possible. Car tires were unhinged, light poles were damaged, and civilians were thrown to the way side as they tried to outrun the Flash. This hampered Barry's velocity severely as the speedster slowed to resolve the ensuing chaos. This was a prime example of what his abilities could do in the wrong hands.
As fast as these criminals were, they lacked all of Barry's other abilities. Ridiculous speed was all they had. Barry was still testing the limits of his abilities, but now more than ever would be the time to use some of them. If he didn't, they would get away and surely more innocent people would get hurt in the crossfire.
Barry's arms began to circulate rapidly as he gained ground on the closest assailant. As the group turned into the next street, Flash struck. In one fluid motion, the scarlet speedster summoned a miniature tornado. The slowest of the criminal trio began to lose footing as the winds surrounding him grew in strength. Before he knew it, the man was completely tossed into the air.
With a hard tug, Flash threw the criminal off the street. With a little bit of luck, Barry managed to send him flying into a nearby building. A couple windows were shattered as the man slammed through them, but nothing major was done. He was out cold. Only two more to go.
Barry would leave the police to deal with him. His partners didn't even bother to turn back and rescue him, they simply pressed on. Whelp, there's clearly no loyalty here. As the Flash accelerated further so did the criminals. What was most jarring though was the fact that their body mass began to decrease significantly.
It was almost as if they were rapidly losing weight.
Using his enhanced vision, Barry peered onwards. At their current speed and the trajectory of their travel, they would end up at at the dock within seconds. It was possible that the criminals had a get a way plan in store. It was imperative that they be stopped now before they reached there.
"You won't get away that easy!"
Gritting his teeth Flash worked his legs into overdrive. His mind couldn't even process how fast he was moving as things slowed down even further. He had never reached this level of speed before. It was awe inspiring, as well as horrifying. It felt like he could lose control at any given moment. But he had to persevere on.
As the trio neared the docks, Flash's hand extended to grab the criminal in front of him. The man's eyes were practically soulless as his head swiveled to face Barry. It slightly caught him off guard, causing him to lose grasp of his collar. Shit! Was all the Flash could say as the criminals prepared to jump into the water.
I almost had them! For a brief second, it appeared the men were going to get away until a gigantic tidal wave suddenly washed over the area. Barry was forced to an immediate stop, slamming his heels into the now wet wooden floor. What could have possibly caused that? Please don't tell me it's another villain.
The Flash readied a groan until a sandy haired figure arose from underneath the dock. Riding a stream of water, he dropped the now unconscious criminals directly in front of Barry.
"We need to talk."
December 18th
Age 762 (2012), Keystone City
"You mean to tell me another one of my ships were raided?'
"Yes, they were."
"What exactly am I paying any of you for?!" Vandal Savage screamed at Bane. Millions of dollars had already gone down the drain.
"An unexpected problem has arisen. Before he showed up your operation was moving smoothly. I wouldn't even be here right now if you had it your way." The assassin quickly reminded his employer of the situation at hand. He was not to blame.
"Yes, this Aquaman is putting a dent in all my plans and hard work. There's no way you can kill him?" Vandal growled as he slicked his hair back.
"Amigo that is way above my pay scale. I can deal with Batman and his ilk, but he can bring down entire ships." Bane was a proud man, but even he had to admit when he was bested. Aquaman was more trouble than he was worth.
"If you can't do it I might have to get rid of you then."
"Is that a threat?" There was clear malicious intent behind Vandal's words despite his expressionless face.
"It's not a threat, it's a promise." Bane was a highly feared individual in the criminal underworld. His accomplishments and power struck fear into the weak. But Vandal Savage was unlike any man he had encountered. There was nothing the Santa Prisca criminal could do to him that he wouldn't survive. He was immortal after all.
"The way you're talking is making me regret even telling you about the pendejo." When Aquaman had interrogated Bane he had remained silent. Aquaman's force and tactics were impressive but were nothing Bane hadn't seen before. Unfortunately, members of his crew had cracked though.
"That's your j-o-b," Vandal mouthed the words out. He would have preferred the entire ship sink rather than knowledge of his operation to spread. "I guess I'll have to switch my transportation methods to air instead."
"I don't care what you do as long as I get paid the money I am owed, amigo." During their negotiations, Vandal had promised to pay him half up front and a half later. The venom user was still waiting for the rest.
"Oh trust me, you will get paid," Vandal chuckled to himself as he stood from his desk. They were in an abandoned warehouse, which meant no one would hear Bane scream after what he did. "I'm surprised you never asked me why I'm making all of this Velocity 9."
"It's not my place to ask questions. You hired me for a job, I'm doing it and getting paid. No more, no less." The two maintained a normal conversation but Bane could sense something was wrong. Vandal's body language had changed completely.
"I'm making it to protect us, or rather those who will be under my protection from what is to come."
"What..is…to come?" Bane didn't like the sound of that. He was still unsure of what the immortal mastermind was up to, but wasn't ready to attack him just yet.
"Yes, the thing that's coming. You don't know about it?"
"It?'There had been rumblings in the criminal world about something so dangerous that even super villains were getting concerned. Vandal knew what it was?
"I'm talking about Starro the conqueror."
"Sorry, never heard of him." The Santa Prisca villain simply shrugged. So this problem had everyone shaking in their boots was just a person?
"Trust me, you will, when he arrives."
"Arrives from where?"
"From space of course. He'll be here very soon to take over this planet."
"Wait, you're helping some kind of alien take over the Earth?!" Bane was all about making a dollar, but world domination was not a part of his plans.
"Kind of. But it's actually all a part of a greater scheme of mine," Vandal placed a hand on his chin as he paused to think. "One that you will never get to know about!"
Bane was completely caught off guard as Vandal abruptly lunged at him. Digging into his coat pocket, the immortal man retrieved some kind of…starfish? But it wasn't any kind of earthly starfish, it had teeth! A struggle ensued as Bane tried to keep the monstrosity away. For a man with no Metahuman powers, Vandal was unimaginably strong.
Worry began to seep into Bane's heart as he realized his venom should activated by now. He kept pressing the button to engage it, but nothing was happening. As he gazed into Vandal's scheming eyes it was then he realized what had occurred. The slimy bastard had cut off his supply source beforehand! He had planned all of this!
As the grin on Vandal's face grew wider Bane's hope diminished. The starfish drew closer and closer to his face. Its teeth dangled mere inches in front of his face. Before he knew it his face was being sucked in. He tried to scream but his lips were sealed shut before he even could.
Bane dropped to the ground as the starfish completely engulfed him. In a matter of seconds, his mind would be reprogrammed to obey Starro and his orders. It was a large risk on Vandal Savage's part, but if his theory was right Velocity 9 would be able to remove the starfish anyways. The starfish couldn't work if someone's mind wasn't fully in tact.
I need more shipments of Velocity 9 before Starro 9 accelerates a person's speed as well as their mind. It's going to be the only way to defeat that monster. Starro's starfish can't mentally dominate their host if their thoughts are moving too fast to even process. I'll let him do the dirty work conquering the Earth for me, and simply overthrow him once the deed is done!
A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 30!
A/N: I finally hit 1k reviews, thank you guys so much for helping me accomplish one of my goals! On to 2K reviews now. I think I'm going to stick with chapters that are 3-5K words in length from now on. They're much easier and faster for me to write and pump out. I'll still occasionally write some long chapters when necessary though.
Q/A:
DRAGONDAVE45: A Gohan/Kara pairing is not going to happen. I feel like it's been overdone. I have a pairing in mind which hasn't been done to my knowledge.
darkmist111: If I find an artist to draw it I might get that artwork commissioned. Personally, I have no idea how to approach the half-Human/half Saiyan thing, so idk. In the first chapter, I explained the relationship between the Primal-Monitor and Tori-bot. Neither one of them interacts with their creation. Zeno doesn't exist in this story. I started writing this story back in 2014 before he even existed. Zeno doesn't fit into the structure of my story. We've pretty much already seen the entire Justice League so far. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Superman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter have already appeared. This upcoming storyline will draw most of them together.
drake202: I've mentioned this is in previous chapters, the Justice League and Z-Fighters will be separate groups.
Team Soda: Right now Darkseid is focused on other things and he has that nonaggression pact too. Darkseid already has Supergirl, as seen at the end of the previous chapter. It's Wada who is secretly working for Sinestro.
NirvanaFrk97: The whole SSG is confusing. I'll probably have to come up with my own thing considering how I've created this fused Universe.
Jackalope89: Thanks for the criticism as usual. I edited the mistakes you mentioned. For whatever reason when I upload my chapters to this site it removes the spacing from certain words. It's not something I skip over when proofreading. Unfortunately, this means I'll have to proofread again after uploading a chapter here. Gohan's language may feel out of place considering his age, but keep in mind he's been home-schooled by Bulma, who is arguably the smartest person on Earth.
Mercwiththemouth: I haven't announced who the 4th Fury is yet. Sinestro isn't a member of the GL corps anymore. I'll work on Gohan's characterization. He just wanted to help his friends, no matter the cost.
JOEL: 1. I've already answered this. 2. I answered this too. 3. Batman is. 4. Frieza isn't afraid of the GL corps.
Xample: Thanks for the kind words. Harems and lemons are not my thing at all. Harems often turn women into nothing but trophies for the male characters. I've never written and lemon and probably don't know how to either. I have big plans for Supergirl. When she finally bursts onto the scene, it will be epic. I thought I had a pairing mapped out for her, but I actually don't. Aka was first form Frieza level. I'm not really sure how to place him using the scale you created lol. But in terms of the characters, you mentioned it would go: 1. Anti-Monitor. 2. Beerus. 3. Darkseid/Highfather 4. Frieza.
Rufael: I didn't place Darkseid in another Universe, in DC comics Apokolips resides in another realm. It has never been a part of the regular Universe. That's why you need boom tubes to get there. Aka is as strong as first form Frieza.