Chapter 14: A Job For Superman

Lexcorp Tower Penthouse, Midtown Metropolis.

"So, you puny Earthlings thought you could kill me that easily?", Brainiac questions, pacing around the tied together team while floating mid air. "I have conquered entire galaxies for Krypton singlehandedly, with organisms far more challenging than the likes of you." "We shut you down, though, ya chromed out Tinker Toy", Wilson sarcastically replied, spitting on him. "Silence, mortal", Brainiac barks. "You have only delayed the inevitable: my core programming to conquer, preserve any perfections in a world, and remove all imperfections."

"Does that include removing murderers and world conquerers like yourself?", slyly asks Superman, floating up to the penthouse window with crossed arms. "Kal-El", Brainiac grunts. "You refuse to die, Earthling, just as you refuse to live as a true Kyrptonian." "How poetic!", Mercy whispers to Lex. "Silence, mortal", Brainiac shushes with a quick stretch of his arm, gripping her mouth firmly. "You will die shortly after the traitor." The metal monstrosity tackles Superman in a matter of nanoseconds, shoving him into New Jersey as if he was a rag doll.

"Mother of God. I ain't ever seen someone manhandle Big Blue that easily", Wilson stammers in disbelief. "It'll be a shame you won't get to see Superman die, evil Charlie Brown", Cheetah sighs. "At least I always make sure I can taste her blood myself, and not let some— hey! How'd you get out of here so fast?!" "I'm the most capable human to ever grace the Earth. Of course I'd get out, with our suits", Lex replies, typing away on his computer to open up each suit cockpit style. "Suit up or shut up, we've got two Supermen to kill", he adds, suiting up while lasting away the knot.

"AMAZO SUPREME! NO ONE TOUCHES AMAZO!", ominously roars the unseen creature from not too far. "Guys, I might need your help with this one", Zoom bursts in, heavily breathing and bruised.

S.T.A.R. Stadium. East Rutherford, New Jersey.

"You will surrender, or you will die. This is nonnegotiable", the authoritarian automaton decrees, slamming fists upon fists of Kryptonite energy directly into Clark's face. "After you make your only choice, I will conquer this Earth as you should have ages ago." "N-no. You don't get to conquer anyone! No one from anywhere deserves that! Everyone has the right to live freely", Superman replies, driving his knee directly into Brainiac's forehead.

"H-h-h-how dare you, inferior bug", Brainiac glitches, wires sparking and fluids notably leaking. "I will kill you and enjoy death for the first time in my existence", he exclaims, limping over to Clark while blasting him with more green energy. The two titans hurl themselves into each other, plowing punch after punch after punch after punch. Brainiac then grabs Superman by the hair and throws him through the goal post.

"You will no longer surrender. You will only die, and your people will also die", Brainiac replies, spitting electricity. "No planet that salutes traitors must survive." "Then kill yourself! You absorbed this planet's knowledge, you know I'm here for the good—" "The good of them and not your people. These are not your people, son of Krypton. Let me kill you and accomplish my pre-programmed goal." The mechanical madman drags Superman through the football turf, with Clark stomping on the ground to counter this offensive.

Amidst all the alien chaos, a lone bald man watches from above, sitting impatiently on the stadium lights, waiting desperately for his team. "You're late, idiots", Lex laments. "Hey, you try to bait a stolen death android over a river and an ocean without dying", Cheetah barks back, carrying Mercy on her back. "Sweet Jesus don't ever make me use my back propulsion rockets to make walkable water ever again", Manta sighs fully suited up. "Now I can't even float across the street if my life were dependent on it!"

"Whatever. Where's Zoom?", Wilson barks. "He'll be here in five, four, three, two,… now!", Lex replies, pointing at the parking lot. An ominous roar shatters the countless stadium light bulbs and rattled the empty rows of seats. "Run. I don't care where you go, just run", Zoom demands the group, panting heavily before sprinting onto the turf.

"Hey, fellas! Seems like you two aliens are having a big old football party. Need a lineman or a quarterback?", Zoom taunts. "What?", the last man and machine of Krypton both ask in confusion. Suddenly, Amazo slams itself in front of Zoom. "Oh no", Superman whispers with a slight amount of fear in his throat. "AMAZO SUPREME, AMAZO THE GREATEST BEING THE—" Superman and Brainiac simultaneously drive their arms into his chest, completely penetrating the robot's body. As Superman pulled back his power arm, Brainiac proceeded to split the robot clean in half with both arms.

"…So that was a crude distraction. What a shame I had to share honor with a traitor", Brainiac belittles, holding a mechanical engine for a heart leaking oil.

"Oh fuck, our plan is a failure of the highest degree", Lex shockingly states while jumping onto the field with Zoom's throat in his hand. Lex clumsily throws Zoom into the field, with Luthor landing ever-so-gracefully. "Why won't either one of you die?", the bald billionaire shouts in confusion, blasting the both of them with Kryptonite blasts.

"You dare use the weapons—" "Yes, you big dumb robot, I'll use whatever I can to beat your annoying ass", Lex berates with extreme prejudice; "especially if Big Blue gets hurt by this, too!" He blasts Superman with more Kryptonite rays from his other arm, taking on the two most powerful beings on Earth like nothing. "Die, aliens! Only Lex Luthor gets to rule the world! DIE!"

As Brainiac and Superman struggle to hold their own weight, their powers draining faster than a broken sewer pipe, Lex stops the green beams of death as the Legion step onto the field to watch this historic moment.

"Finally, after all these years and years and years of goody two shoed freaks and dirty aliens taking over MY towns and MY Earth", Lex cackles while removing a piece of raw Kryptonite out of his left glove, "I don't get to just beat one of you. I get to discover one of you, take your schematics, and kill one of you for embarrassing me in public!", he gleefully shouts as the emerald shard is slammed into Brainiac's head, short circuiting him to death. His metal head explodes into a thousand pieces, with countless eons of knowledge gone in one swift strike.

"You, however,… You get to die somewhere better. Come with me, and pretend you have a choice in any of this." Lex grabs Superman by the hair, and flies back to Metropolis.

END OF CHAPTER 14