Chapter 13: Superman vs. Blockbuster

Superman was only forty miles from Metropolis by the time Luthor had set his master plan in motion. He was hoping to find Luthor quickly and have a word with him about the fake hostage scenario, and he was certain that Luthor's immense wealth and haughty mindset would not pull the wool over the eyes of Metropolis' citizens.

Suddenly, his super-hearing detected a police transmission coming from Metropolis. "Mayday! Mayday! Downtown Metropolis is under attack!"

Increasing his speed to that of a rocket, Superman saw the skyline of Metropolis rapidly appearing on the horizon. To his horror, he saw the fearsome glow of raging flames and dense plumes of smoke beginning their rise into the night air, and his superhuman hearing picked up the frightened screams of civilians and the thunder of weapons ranging from rifles to tanks. Another transmission from the ground told him that the most vulnerable citizens were in danger from the threat: "All units, be advised. The creature is en route to Metropolis General Hospital."

This encouraged Superman to fly faster still, and he soon had the hospital in his sights.

On the ground, the hospital staff were evacuating patients to the nearest hospital on the other side of town. However, there were few ambulances available, so the Special Crimes Unit had dispatched troops and vehicles to ensure that all patients made it away safely. Suddenly, someone shouted "Look!"

Everyone watching quickly took fright, for Blockbuster was tearing his swath of destruction directly toward the hospital. Several police officers lay injured in his wake, police cars and armored transports lay in smoking ruins, and the SCU was exhausting its strength trying to slow the mutated creature down. Blockbuster pushed a tank into another building and stomped forward as one nurse ran back into the hospital to get a brother and sister to the next available transport.

The nurse and the children looked at the terrifying Blockbuster as he cracked his knuckles and sneered, "I can have a little fun smashing skulls before I tear the hospital down."

He never got the chance, for Superman soared in from the sky and shoulder-tackled him with incredible force, knocking the monster off his feet and launching him a hundred yards from the hospital.

The civilians and law enforcement units all cheered for gladness seeing Superman, though he only gave them a nod and a smile before hovering over to deal with Blockbuster, who was now picking himself up from the heap of bulldozed rubble and wondering what hit him when he saw the Man of Steel land.

"Superman," growled Blockbuster, and grimly he rushed to fight.

The monstrous Blockbuster broke into a charge, leaving enormous footprints in the street as he ran at Superman with his arms raised to deal a double hammer-fist. Superman took off at a run and then resumed flying, and before Blockbuster knew it, the blue-clad hero had caught both fists and then flung the hulking villain away from the hospital with a mighty heave.

Blockbuster charged Superman again, only for the hero to grapple his waist and push him back. However, Blockbuster managed to strike Superman in the back and knock him to the ground. Then the ugly super-creature began trying to stomp the Man of Steel into the street, but every pounding of his massive right foot was only enough to daze Superman. After a good three stomps, Blockbuster tried again, but his foot was caught in a grip like a constricting vise. Before the villain could stop him, Superman pushed him forty feet away and rose out of the hole to resume the fight.

At the Daily Planet, Lois had gotten wind that Superman had returned to stop the attack, and she was determined to give the city the news with a little extra help from Professor Hamilton's data. She called Jimmy Olsen on her cell phone, saying, "Jimmy, meet me on the roof in fifteen minutes tops. Bring your camera."

...

Superman and Blockbuster were grappling with each other in the most fearsome hand-to-hand battle ever seen in Metropolis. Blockbuster hit the streets hard after being thrown for another fifty yards, and before he could get up, Superman pinned the monster under his foot and punched him in the face multiple times. After he had landed ten blows that sent a small tremor through the streets, the Man of Steel prepared to deal another when the hulking creature grabbed him by the neck and tried to throw him into a building. Superman's invulnerability saved him, but he did feel a slight ache in his ribs from the impact.

Superman immediately flew back at Blockbuster and dealt a few more punches, then he hovered in the air and did a double-kick, then a side chop to the ribs, and then a double uppercut that knocked the beast off his feet and into a trailer truck. However, the mutated creature charged Superman and grabbed him before running through an apartment building, the First National Bank, and toward the Metropolis Museum of History. But after Blockbuster slammed Superman into the street several times, his next punch was blocked, and Superman blew his freeze-breath in the monster's face. In seconds, Blockbuster was encased in a thick shell of blistering cold ice.

The citizens of Metropolis who were in the vicinity would have cheered for Superman, but he was certain that the fight was not over. Blockbuster began to move within his icy prison until the ice splintered apart, and his great fists crashed down on Superman as he held them back.

"Give up or you die!" the monster rumbled, managing to form words despite the transformation.

Superman could hardly believe his superhuman hearing. He said, "I know that vocal pitch."

When he pushed the creature back, he used his x-ray vision to scan Blockbuster's face, and when he put the picture together, the Man of Steel was shocked. "Desmond!"

Blockbuster growled, "That's right, Superman."

"You used the S.T.A.R. Labs formula on yourself!" cried Superman with an outraged look. "You were instructed to alter it so it would give you superpowers without the ill effects!"

"And now, I'll break you like a twig under my foot!" roared Blockbuster, who charged at the Kryptonian hero with his arms spread wide to crush him. But as the monster came at him, Superman took to the air and then slammed him into the street. The two began throwing punches at each other, with Superman dodging each of Blockbuster's swings and blocking some others before landing more jarring blows to the creature's face. Then Blockbuster managed to seize his adversary by the neck and began contracting his muscular fingers around Superman's throat.

"Any last words, alien?" sneered Blockbuster with haughtiness dripping over the end of his sentence.

Superman replied, "Burn!"

He suddenly released his heat vision on Blockbuster, who released him with a howl of pain. Superman kept staring for ten seconds, directing the beams of heat across Blockbuster's chest, and soon the horrible monster was on the ground, yowling and groaning. But before Superman could strike the next blow, Blockbuster kicked him in the stomach with surprising speed and sent him into a streetlight.

Superman and Blockbuster grappled with each other and tried to push each other back. At first, Blockbuster's bulk seemed to give him the advantage, but then Superman's battle-hardened strength began to show. Then the two heard the buzz of an airborne helicopter and looked up to the sky. Right away, Superman realized that Lois had to be on that chopper, giving the city the report on the battle.

Blockbuster snarled mockingly, "Maybe a death on your hands will get your sanctimonious image out of this city's head!"

He slammed the Man of Steel into another skyscraper and then leapt up the sides of other buildings to reach the helicopter's height in the air, but Superman was after him in a moment.

Inside the helicopter, Lois was there reporting on the emergency while Jimmy kept his camera focused on Superman as best he could.

"This monster has not been identified by local authorities, but all citizens of Metropolis are advised to remain in their homes for the duration of the crisis," reported Lois. "Superman has been battling the creature for forty minutes so far and while he has been wearing it down, there's no telling how long it will be before this nightmarish attack on Metropolis will end."

Lois and Jimmy suddenly felt the helicopter rock and top dangerously, and then Jimmy yelped in fear as Blockbuster ripped the door off its hinges. But before he could do any more damage, Superman seized him from behind and tossed him off the helicopter before kicking him straight into the streets once more. Then he lifted the helicopter and placed it on the roof of another skyscraper and then helped Lois, Jimmy, and the pilot out.

"Thanks, Superman," groaned Jimmy, who was feeling rather lightheaded.

Lois smiled up at Superman, and then did something she had never had the courage to do until now. She embraced the Man of Steel and even stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his right cheek. Superman smiled at her and said, "You know, Ms. Lane, hovering over a rampaging supervillain in a chopper isn't the best way to get the story."

Lois smiled, but then her expression changed to one of worry when she saw Blockbuster charging up the street, knocking automobiles out of his way and even smashing an overpass with a leap.

"Are you sure you can stop that thing?" asked Lois nervously.

"The only way I'll find out is by trying," replied Superman with a smile. He prepared to engage the rampaging Blockbuster again, but stopped when he felt Lois' hand touch his own. He looked back, and she said to him, "Good luck out there, Superman."

Lois received a smile in return, and then Superman resumed the battle. He flew at Blockbuster and delivered another blast of his heat vision, which had the creature yowling with pain. Superman landed and then ran at superhuman speed before he delivered several punches to Blockbuster's face, chest, and ribs. Each blow rattled Blockbuster with incredible force and for a while, Superman was forcing him back.

Eventually, the two super-beings battled their way into a construction site for a new skyscraper that was barely finished. Blockbuster threw Superman into a steel beam, which broke under his invulnerable body, and once he was on the ground, Blockbuster began stomping on the hero with an intent to crush him if it took him all night. However, as the creature prepared to stomp again with a look of mad lust for combat, Superman caught his large foot and then hurled Blockbuster into a stack of metal pipes.

When Blockbuster picked himself up, he noticed one of the two cranes at that construction site was outfitted with a wrecking ball that had not been taken down yet, and an idea came to his head. Leaping to the crane's arm, Blockbuster ripped the chain like it was made of paper and then swung it above his head intending to use the wrecking ball as a club. After a few swings, the ugly super-monster hurled the wrecking ball at Superman, but was caught off guard by his next move.

Superman merely dodged the oncoming wrecking ball and grabbed the chain, and he whipped Blockbuster up into the sky in an instant. Then Superman began whirling the wrecking ball around before he began clouting his villainous opponent like a game of Whack-a-Mole. A few minutes into this new bout, one of the blows to Blockbuster's face knocked something from his left ear which Superman immediately recognized as a transceiver. After landing a blow that finally broke the wrecking ball, Superman caught the device and snapped it between his thumb and forefinger before storing it on his belt. Then he resumed the battle with Blockbuster.

At LexCorp Tower, Lex Luthor could hardly believe it. Superman had returned to Metropolis and was fighting Blockbuster, but now his super-monster was unable to receive orders from him? It was more than he could handle.

"If Superman turns over that transceiver I planted on Desmond before he left, it'll lead the authorities right to my doorstep!" he groused.

Mercy said to him, "Take it easy, Lex. Project Blockbuster may have been illegal, but it's still under the country's radar."

"It has to stay that way, Mercy," warned Luthor. "If Superman beats Desmond, my plans for the world will be in for quite a few setbacks."


A/N: How did you like this chapter? Feel free to let me know in a review. Next chapter, the battle concludes, but it won't be easy!