Okay, sorry for the delay. I had recently hit a snag with writing the chapter. More specifically the villain.
I Kind of know why, it's because finding a way Wily would logically "win" against him without it seeming like a plot device. I also attempted to have it be told from the villains point of view at one point but felt I was ruining the character in question, so I changed it to third person, and even that didn't feel right.
Then I remembered all the Plot devices DC has done before and eventually said screw it, this is the best I'll make it and even then it's not as bad as some of DC's Ass-pulls.
I also kind of started to procrastinate by playing Pokémon. Which I partly blame on DesertChocolate's story Adorable Murderbeasts, which I kind of stumbled across, but I mostly blame my brother because he's the biggest Pokémon fanatic that I talk to regularly and we started talking about the older generations (read: our childhood) rather recently.
Oh yeah I am also posting this over on SpaceBattles too, I'm mentioning this because that I will likely post side content there and only there since I can threadmark it as non-cannon. there's nothing yet but if you want to see some goofy side stories eventually you can go there and take a look.
So yeah, sorry about that and enjoy.
Chapter 2
Annoyingly Necessary Heroics
You know how in cartoons or anime when a characters mood sours the sky around them grows dark?
Yeah, this is nothing like that.
It's pitch black, the only light being from some various machines or some customers phones. At least until the street lights suddenly turn on, filling the restaurant with an orange glow. The people started making concerned noises or talking amongst themselves.
My first thoughts go to another invading armada or a giant monster/mech casting a shadow. Those ideas are shot down immediately because of a few reasons. One of which, is that this isn't some "casting a giant shadow" kind of darkness, it's more like it's night.
An eclipse maybe? No, I would have heard about it on the news at some point.
Okay, which Light themed villain decided to steal the sun?
I inwardly groaned.
Then came the distant sounds of thunder. At least, that's what I thought at first. Could be explosions or maybe there is a giant stomping around.
The noise was getting louder now.
The people started to quickly file out of the restaurant in a slight panic. I took that as my cue that I can get the day off. Huzzah!
"Well I guess today's cancelled right boss? I'll see ya maybe next week." I said as I all but skip to the front door.
Until boss grabbed the scruff of my neck.
"Oh no. You ain't leavin' till you clean and turn off the grill!" He punctuated by pointing back to the kitchen.
And then the kitchen exploded.
… No wait, there's a body that fell out of the rubble, someone just crashed through the roof.
Judging by the red cape and blue suit, as well as the obvious "S" symbol, I'm guessing it's Superman.
I can already hear my inner fanboy wanting to squee. Which I immediately began to smother, because there is a current super fight going on.
He started to get up, albeit slowly and was shaking. Why does he look like he just fought Doomsday? Not a good sign.
I turned to give my boss a snarky remark, but he's not there.
...
Did he really just up and ditch me?! That bastard!
I sigh and lean against the wall to my side.
"Hey, so, you alright?" I say with a rather indifferent tone.
Before he could respond, he was blasted from behind, right through the front doors.
I get a good look at his attacker, which is some small little silver orb with one gleaming yellow bulb. It charged, passing by me and heading straight for Superman.
Who suddenly was surrounded by more of those little bots.
They're well coordinated too. The yellow ones are apparently the attackers, concentrating their yellow beams onto Superman. There's also blue ones who act as defenders and support, producing a shield that blocks Superman's attacks. And in the rare instance he destroys one, the blue ones produce a beam that seems to, for lack of a better term, reverse the damage and fix the downed drones. As if it never happened.
But why is he struggling with them? I wonder, as I grab my duffle bag. I brought it with me in case of emergencies. Boss never really bothered asking why, so that's a plus.
They shouldn't be a problem for him. Sure the sun's gone, but he should still have his strength. He couldn't have run out of steam this fast.
Then a faint yet resounding metal clanking was heard off to the side. I looked and saw a massive robot walking this way.
It was bulky looking, it had three metal claws for one hand, the other was massive and has three fingers. But the most distinct feature was the monitor in the center of the chest.
Currently showing the picture of a green head, with three bulbs on it's forehead constantly flickering, and a very smug grin plastered on it's face.
It doesn't take a genius to know who that is.
"What's wrong Kal-El? Didn't you say this would be over soon?" Brainiac asked.
He didn't give Superman a chance to respond, as he grabs him by the head with his one massive hand.
"Well, I suppose at this rate, you'll be right." He said before literally punting Superman away. His drones giving chase moments before the main body itself started to follow.
...
Well, that happened. I should probably get out of this building before it decides to collapse.
Some people might think I'm being far to calm for what just happened. but hey, these fights have kind of become a normal thing now. I've been close to these fights before anyway.
And it's not like they're targeting me, so, it's a win-win.
As I start walking home I remembered that I need to call my Mets.
I pull out my phone and start texting.
WeirdDoc: #1, status on the scavenge teams?
#1Met: They haven't deployed yet. Are we clear to engage?
I always thought it was funny how they can only speak in "mets" and yet writing and text messages are perfectly normal to them. Oh well, I stopped trying to use my "normal" logic for a while now.
WeirdDoc: No. The villain is Brainiac. I just needed to be sure.
I already briefed them on what villain's are safe, relatively speaking, to skirt around and what ones we must avoid entirely. Like Brainiac, who would literally devour them or hide in the scavenged tech until he got to my home. Then he would devour them.
I then heard my phone go off.
#1Met: We have a problem. The fight is slowly moving over to the house.
My heart clenched.
#1Met: Estimated time till arrival: 15 minutes.
I heard a very loud bang, followed by a low rumble in the distance. Even from here, in the dimly lit sky, I could see the smoke rise and feel the ground shake.
#1Met: Make that 10 minutes.
"God damnit!" I couldn't help but curse.
I am not going to let all my hard work get destroyed!
This wasn't anything new to me, though it was a rare to have happen. Occasionally, these fights got close the house and I would be left in a panic as to whether it would reach the house or not.
So, at one point I got sick of groveling in fear, and decided to "force" the fights away from my home by various means. Usually by using whatever is around I can get my hands on. Hijack a car, a bulldozer, one time I took over a crane, you get the idea.
I didn't like the idea back when I first decided, and I still don't now. It's only by sheer dumb luck I haven't had a face to face run in, or "friendly chat", with Superman or the cops.
I had to go out of my way to keep off the radar of the big players. Make my interference seem like a natural accident rather then someone giving Clark a helping hand.
I ran into a nearby alleyway and started texting again.
WeirdDoc: Alright, I guess I have to play hero again. Is there anything near them I could use?
#1Met: Against THAT? Nope. Not a chance.
I cursed. I took a glance around and found one of the many cameras that littered the city, looking my way. I'm more than confident Number One already hacked the grid, so I shouldn't be too worried.
That feeling is reassured when the camera emulated a curt nod. Yup, Number One hacked in.
... I should really think up a name to call the little bugger. Eh, later. When there's less danger.
I started to open my bag and take my "hero" clothes. Though honestly, it's just a change of clothes with a simple, lead layered, white mask to cover my face and some gloves. I even went a step further and added a voice modulator to keep from being recognized by, well, voice.
I didn't have to honestly. I mean, all Clark does, aside from change his clothes, is wear some glasses and somehow no one recognizes him as Superman.
But I did because of my... predicament.
So yeah, I got a sort of hero disguise. Though from the sound of it, I may have to take a more hands on approach in dealing with Brainiac.
I shudder.
My phone went off just as I finished changing.
#1Met: Are you seriously going to challenge Brainiac as you are?
WeirdDoc: Not much choice.
I started to make a dash out of the alley when my phone went off again.
#1Met: Well, it was nice knowing you creator. If there is an afterlife, call me and tell me about it.
"You cheeky little-"
#1Met: I mean, at least wait and let me explain first.
"Huh?"
#1Met: See, that night sky ain't natural.
Out of curiosity I glanced up. The sky was pitch black, not a star in sight even though it was a clear day outside.
#1Met: Those scanners you made? They detected a power spike. Which disappeared just as quickly as it came. So I did more scans. And guess what? Our "advanced darkness" is actually an energy shield! My guess, is that power spike was the generator starting up.
That actually makes a lot of sense.
But...
WeirdDoc: How exactly did you figure out it was an energy shield from a simple scan?
#1Met: … Uhhh...
WeirdDoc: #1...?
#1Met: Okay, so... You know how you said we weren't allowed outside?
WeirdDoc: #1...
#1Met: I MAY be stuck on the other side of the shield right now.
WeirdDoc: How far did you go?!
#1Met: Not far!
#1Met: … Maybe three blocks...
WeirdDoc: If you're out of the house then how are you in the camera grid?! Are you even in?!
#1Met: I decided to borrow a guards post. He was more than happy for the excuse to sleep.
WeirdDoc: You knocked him out didn't you?
#1Met: … Have I mentioned you're the smartest person I know yet?
WeirdDoc: We'll talk about this later. What about the rest of the JL?
#1Met: Last I saw? They're stuck out here with me. Apparently it covered the underground as well. Flash learned the hard way.
WeirdDoc: We're just lucky it doesn't block our signal. Anyway, send me the coordinates. And call the others. Tell them to hook up the teleporter and send me my tools. Specifically these tools. LINK
#1Met: On it. Also try not to lose both your pants again.
WeirdDoc: That was one time! It wasn't my fault my spares got ripped to shreds on the fence!
#1Met: That, I can barely believe. And you also forgot where you hid your other clothes too? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted to go streaking in your underwear.
WeirdDoc: You just lost your phone privileges.
#1Met: :(
Well on the plus side, I have a better chance at stopping Brainiac now. Much better then fighting him head on.
Some people might say that Brainiac was having the best day of his artificial life right now.
That wouldn't quite be accurate, to say the least. But it would suffice.
It will be though, when Superman finally expires.
And Brainiacs plan was going perfectly.
Brainiac watched as Superman was blasted around by his drones and couldn't help but grin.
"I suppose you already figured out my drones purpose Kal-El." Brainiac said, watching as Kal-El struggled to get to his feet.
"It was a concept borrowed from the one you know as Parasite. The drones are draining you're power with every blast. Of course, making sure no one from the Justice League would intervene was the hard part."
Brainiac then proceeded to stomp Superman into the pavement. However, Superman used what was left of his strength to give him pause.
"So those battleships from earlier-" Superman was cut off when the drones started blasting him again. Eventually he lost his grip, and Brainiac stomped down on Superman.
"Excellent deduction Kal-El. Yes, they were the bait, and the Justice League had fallen for it."
Brainiac took a step back and grabbed Superman by the cape.
"It was plenty of time to set up the Black-out shield, and luring you back wasn't any trouble either. It all came down to timing the shields activation."
Brainiac then threw Superman into a nearby truck.
"A shame that I could not entrap Kara In-Ze as well. Or does she prefer Kara Zor-El, after her mother? Or perhaps it is just some means to form a familial bond with you?"
Superman eventually managed to pick himself up. "Leave her out of this Brainiac."
Brainiacs response, naturally, was to punch Superman into a brick wall.
"Do you really think you have a say in the matter? Much like you, she has gotten in the way of my data collection. Therefor, she must be dealt with all the same."
It was at this particular moment, an alarm started to go off in Brainiac's system.
"Proximity alert! Unknown agent is making their way toward the generator!"
Curious. I know for a fact that the Justice League and Kara In-Ze are outside the shield. Brainiac thought.
He decided it was probably a normal human, trying to get as far away from the fight as possible. It wasn't until the warning alert that whatever set off the motion sensor is now within ten meters did he think otherwise.
It appears I have an anomaly to deal with. I must reroute my primary focus for now.
A few kilometers away, in an abandoned construction site sat the generator.
Eventually our unwitting and unwilling "Hero" had just reached his destination.
"Man... why did it have to be so far away?" He said.
He then leaned onto the pile of bricks to his side, taking deep breathes.
"And why... was it..." He started to cough roughly. "Why was it in an abandoned construction site?"
Taking deep breathes and clutching where he thinks his heart is, Wily took a look at the "generator".
It was a brick. That was all Wily could think to describe it. A giant metal brick with buttons, levers, blinking lights, and a screen.
It was at this very same moment Brainiacs consciousness had moved to the generators mainframe. After a moment he noticed our disheveled hero.
How peculiar. Brainiac thought
Once Wily regained his breathe, he started walking toward the generator. Mumbling about his condition.
"That is close enough human." Brainiac's voice rang out, stopping Wily in his tracks.
Then he groaned.
"Of, bloody, course. Why wouldn't you be here too?" Wily, naturally, complained
"I had thought that the some unknown 'hero' among the Justice League had managed to infiltrate the energy shield." Brainiac said. "Clearly I was wrong, given your physical inadequacy."
Wily just shrugged in response.
"Still, The fact that you came here means you are attempting to shut down the Black-out shield generator."
Again Wily shrugged.
"I won't know until I try." Wily said, opening the bag he carried.
Brainiac saw the contents, various screwdrivers and wrenches and such. To him they were just tools humans use on their archaic machines.
"Do you honestly think those primitive tools will help you? How foolish."
This human is no threat. I do not even need to use the integrated weapon systems to deal with him.
"You know..." Wily started. "This whole setup doesn't exactly fit your M.O." He said. He already has a good idea of Brainiacs current motives, he's just trying to keep Brainiac distracted.
"My, 'setup', is that I have grown tired of Kal-Els intrusions. I am merely deleting a problem that has pestered me for too long. Once I destroy Kal-El, I will set my sights on Kara In-Ze next."
Wily stopped his search for a brief moment, absorbing what he just heard before resuming.
"Without the Kryptonians, the Justice League is of no threat to me. And I will be free to collect all of Earths knowledge."
Wily stopped again before letting out a sigh.
"Collecting data huh..." He mumbled. He didn't expect to be heard and It wasn't a question, but Brainiac felt the need to clarify.
"Ever since Kryptons destruction I learned of how precious knowledge is. All the data on Krypton was lost. I have made it my goal to collect all of the knowledge from every planet in the universe-"
"I understand."
Brainiac stopped. "What?"
"I understand." Wily repeated.
"You understand?" Brainiac asked.
This was an unusual response to be sure, but Brainiac knew the human still intends to stop him, however futile the attempt would be.
"As one man of science to another, I know the importance of knowledge. Why it should be kept safe and maintained." The doctor said, further confusing Brainiac.
"And yet, you are trying to stop me."
Wily pulled out a metal box and a three small packages of C4.
"Yes, just because you have a noble cause, doesn't mean your methods are right." Wily opened a small part of the device, clearly meant to hold the explosives.
Brainiac only gave what one would call a passing glance at the doctors "tools" in hand.
Judging by the size of the container, I estimate roughly ten units of C4. Ultimately useless in his objective. Perhaps it is meant to be a makeshift timebomb?
"Explosives? Do you honestly think such a primitive creation would leave a dent in the generators alloy chassis?" Brainiac said, assured of his victory. Not even bothering to stop the human that drew closer.
Wily attached the device, set the explosives and then took a few steps back with both his hands in his coat pockets.
"Oh, the explosives aren't for you." He said pulling out a remote.
That one line caused Brainiacs processes to work into overtime. Something was definitely wrong. Faster than Wily could blink, Brainiac had opened a hatch revealing a blaster and shot the remote out of his hand, effectively destroying it.
Brainiac then turned his attention to scanning the device. There was only three packs of C4 inside, the rest is an archaic mess of circuitry and a few memory boards.
Curious, I must see it's functions for myself.
Before Brainiac could assimilate it, the device started beeping. With Brainiacs processing speed, this couldn't have been more than thirty seconds after the remote was destroyed.
"Well, I guess even an alien A.I. can be fooled with a little sleight of hand." Wily said, drawing Brainiacs attention.
Brainiac noticed his hand was up one sleeve. By then the Wily pulled his hand out.
Revealing a second remote.
"No!"
That was the last thing Brainiac said before the generator disappeared in a beam of light.
As my eyes adjusted to the sudden return of the midday sun, I did not move. My heart was pounding in my ears.
I briefly noticed two distant silhouettes in the distant skies, one of which was clearly forcing the other away from the city.
It wasn't until I got a message on my phone that Superman had left with the robots in tow that I finally collapsed in relief.
"Holy shit..." By this point I was on my knees, panting and trembling.
Granted I probably also aided Brainiac in escaping but eh...
Maybe it was the fear, maybe it was the rush of actually winning against someone I, by all rights, would have died to, but I don't care right now. I had to run at least five city blocks, maybe more, and match wits with an alien A.I. My heart is ready to jump from my chest.
After a few minutes of trying to calm down, I took the time to find a decently concealed area and change back into my "civilian" clothes.
I stopped and took a long look at my blank white mask.
Maybe if I made it look like a skull...
I shook my head. I am NOT making this a habit. I'm fairly certain I almost died today, TWICE, both from Brainiac and my illness.
I stuffed the mask back into the bag.
Then, I begrudgingly started walking home.
Well, after I paid my respects to my TV remote that I sacrificed.
Still, Brainiac had clearly gotten his nonexistent hands on some kind of weapon to harm Superman. But he still needed the sun to be out of play?
… Screw it, it's not my problem right anymore. Although I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.
"Ah, the woes of being a solar-powered hero. Maybe it would be easier if Superman could keep the sun with him at all-"
I stopped. Even my thoughts came to a screeching halt for a second.
Solar powered... Keep the sun close...
I stood there thinking for a long while. At some point I felt something come out of my nose, probably blood, but I didn't care.
I'm pretty sure I had just had an epiphany.
And then I started laughing like a madman.
"Mwahahahahaaaa!"
I then made a very unwise attempt to stare at the sun.
"To think, the solution to all my problems was just hanging over my head the entire time! Hehehe..."
I stopped to catch my breathe, also I turned my head away from the sun.
And then I noticed the few people still out and about, currently looking at me weird, and keeping their distance.
Well, this is embarrassing...
Still, I need to hurry home, start doing the math, take stock of my supplies too. As much as I'd rather stand on my own two feet, I may have to call Cossack for supplies. I doubt Noele or Pedro have the resources to spare, since they recently started their own projects. And Ami is a botanist, so-
Oh right, I should probably call Ami about the Cypress shipment too.
I giddily start to run home, although that joy soon ran out as my body reminds me how fragile I am about halfway there.
Meanwhile...
A beam of light quickly descended into the ocean, before quickly being replaced by a giant black sphere which slowly start sinking.
After a minute, the sphere started to deteriorate, revealing the generator Brainiac was currently inside.
Then the explosives placed in the teleporter beacon went off.
Brainiac was, to put it mildly, unhappy, with how his plan had failed. As he check his drones status, the only feedback he got was Supermans fist slamming into the camera before the connection was severed.
That was it, his plans had completely failed.
Brainiac took one last look at where the doctors device had once been.
Turns out there had been a silver lining.
"A curious development. A new means a teleportation? Perhaps that human has more interesting data..."
It took a minute but soon the generator had morphed into some kind of oval pod, which slowly began to rise out of the water.
"But that will have to wait. For now..."
As Brainiac broke through the waters surface, he started making his way to the mainland in the hopes to lay low until he can prepare again.
One certain individual came to mind. He may try to bargain, but that was irrelevant to Brainiac. In the end all of earths data would be his.
During his flight however, Brainiacs processes where stuck on a certain scene.
"Just because you have a noble cause, doesn't mean your methods are right."
Brainiac finally decided to ignore it, focusing on the task at hand.
Finally! It's done! And my god am I expecting this to crash and burn for my stupidity!
Okay so let's begin with the verbal beatdown. It's okay, I know it's coming, I even had a dream about it, that's how inevitable I know it is.