The Men who Look Down on the World

Chapter three

People start running out of the way as they see pieces of the ceiling fall. Many of the reporters are taking shots and taking notes. Some people are helping others but for the most part people are climbing over each other to escape. "Oh no." Lois says looking over at the mecha which is moving strangely and John Corben seems to have lost control. "Jimmy look."

Jimmy moves his camera over to the mech which is heading over to a group of people, "No." He says as he snaps a picture, "Miss Lane we should be get out of here and get help."

"Wait." Lois says taking a deep breath, she can't look away from the people, she notices her father and sister standing there along with the scientists Vale and Irons. She does not see Mercy Graves or Oliver Queen though. Still she fears the worst as Corben's mech moves closer to the people and then it stops. "Huh."

Jimmy snaps an image and then looks up from his Camera smiling, "It's him Miss Lane."

Holding the mecha by the bottom and pushing it away is Superman. He is a large well build man in a blue skin type suit with a flowing red cape, red and yellow boots, gloves and trunks, a shield with a red S in the center of his chest, and a similar crest in all yellow on the back of his cape. He is wearing a blue face mask with a yellow stripe down the middle on his face, his dark black hair has a strange blue tint in the might of the sun and his eyes are a cool blue color.

Superman looks at the people he just saved, "Okay ladies, gentlemen you are safe to leave." Then moving the LWM to the center of the stage he sets it down. "Mr. Corben are you all right."

"Sargent Corben?" An angry voice says, "Yes I am."

"The demonstration is over Sargent you may exit the tank."

There is silence for a couple seconds and it looks like John might be getting out of the LWM. It powers down briefly before starting back up, "I don't think so." The legs of the LWM start moving and the mech scurries away from Superman. "Now I get to show the true capabilities of the LWM. Drones are one thing but SUPERMAN. That's different."

"This is not smart Sargent. People might get hurt." Superman is standing strong hoping the Sargent will think this though. "Think rationally Corben."

"I know what I'm doing." Corben almost shouts. The LWM's missile bays open and smoke streams from them. Then twelve missiles are fired at Superman in two sets of six.

As Superman destroys the missiles and prevents them from reaching the crowd Lois Lane and others decide it is time to leave, not wanting to be caught up in a super battle. Grabbing Jimmy she forces her way into the crowd and then whispers to him, "Look for a good spot to catch the action."

"Miss Lane we really should get out of here." Jimmy says all the excitement in his voice has long since been replaced by fear.

"I am not missing this story Jimmy."

Superman grabs a missile in each hand and slams them together. He is pushed back by the force but prevents it from hurting innocents. He then flies over to Corben, "Stop this Sargent." He punches the mech not knowing how strong the metal alloy is so he holds back. His punch does not even scratch it.

"Metallo can even withstand blows from Superman. This is why I needed to do this. How else can we see the limits of what we can do." John then launches a flash grenade in Superman's face blinding him. The sensors for the LWM allow Corben see without human sight. He then fires a mid level laser.

Superman stumbles back, the laser is strong, he can almost feel it. Little does Superman know the lasers are generated by the LWM's radioactive power source, a green rock Lex's team have been studying. "I will open this up if I have to." Superman punches again this time this making a dent in the LWM.

"No." Corben turns on the engines and blasts away from Superman, "I will not fall." He fires another white laser at full blast.

Superman dodges the laser and another, he flies into the air trying to get close to the LWM mech. The mech can't keep up with Superman's speed and tries to keep him back using guns, which don't phase Superman in the slightest. Superman speeds in front of the mech hoping to force it to stop. "Corben you don't know what you are doing." He grabs for the LWM but is repelled by an invisible force.

"I know exactly what I'm doing. This shield can't be broken."

Superman charges the shield and punches it. The shield sparks where he hits it but does not break. Superman realizing that won't work flies down to the stage where two scientists have been waving for him to come down for the last thirty seconds. Superman keeps his eyes on the LWM which just seems to be watching him. Corben seems sure of his victory and is waiting for Superman to make a move, "What can I do for you?"

"I am Dr. John Henry Irons and this is Dr. Emmett Vale. We were in charge of creating that machine and we helped choose Corben to pilot it. We had every fail safe in place and this should not have happened." The larger black doctor said. "Anyway Vale has an idea."

Superman looks at the small nervous scientist holding the tablet computer. "Dr. Vale?"

Vale gulps and takes a deep breath, "Well he is wasting power, the more he uses the energy shield and the white lasers the more the power drains. He is draining the power core as it is. But I fear the suit will go critical and blow before the system shuts off. Look." He shows Superman his Tablet. Which shows not only how erratic Corben's mind has gotten but how unstable the core is. "If the core blows it will take out twelve city blocks."

Superman looks up at the LWM and sees that is it starting to glow. Corben clearly does not realize there is a problem. "I won't let that happen. Now how do I get past the shield."

Vale clears his throat, "Well the laser and the shield cannot be active at the same time. He has to shut off one to use the other."

"I have a suggestion." A man from behind the Doctors say. He is wearing a uniform that would be suitable for Robin Hood which has been out of style for hundreds of years. "I was in town saw the incident and thought I could help."

"Green Arrow." Superman says. Normally Superman would not need the help of normal heroes but this is the first time Superman has faced a threat of this magnitude. "It is a pleasure." Superman shakes his head, "What do you have for me."

"This." He holds out an arrow with a small silver orb on it, "This is an EMP arrow it can theoretically short out the LWM turning it off. " He looks at the doctors, "That will prevent the core from reaching critical right?"

"Yes it should." Dr Irons responds.

"As long as the machine lands safely." Dr. Vale adds looking at Superman.

"I can do that."

"Okay So I need time to aim this shot. This is the only arrow of it's kind. I also need Superman here to disable the energy shield long enough for me to hit the machine say five seconds." Green Arrow says.

Superman looks up at the mech then at Dr. Vale, "So I need to get Corben hit me with the laser for a few seconds?" Vale nods, "No problem."

"Come on Superman, chicken?" Corben's voice booms out of the LWM. "Time out's over. I'm getting impatient here. I might start counting the people down there are causalities of war."

Superman has a disturbed look on his face, "I better go. You will have your shot Arrow." Superman flies off.

Green Arrow looks at the doctors, "Causalities of war? The Sargent has gone off the deep end."

"Indeed he is no longer seeing this as a demonstration. Still the man needs treatment and our pity." Dr. Irons responds.

Lois and Jimmy who found a place to hide while the crowds were escaping look at each other. They were close enough to hear Superman's conversation with Green Arrow and the two scientists, Jimmy looks at Lois, "Wow this is a greater story then I imagined. Superman and Green Arrow and now a potential deadly explosion."

Lois looks at Jimmy shocked that he could be enthusiastic about something like this. Then again Jimmy is a huge Superman fan and probably believes they are perfectly safe. "Yeah Jimmy just remember to take good pictures."

"You can count on me Miss Lane."

Superman flies at the LWM with his fist pointed at the mech, "Stand down Corben."

"Never." Corben says firing directly at Superman.

Superman shrugs off the gun shots and then punches the mech hitting it's shield. He punches again and again, "Sargent you need help."

"No I DO NOT." The energy shield is turned off as the white laser is fired at full blast. Superman takes the full blast and continues to fly forward, forcing himself to move though the pain. He needs to keep the laser running for as long as possible.

"Keep at it big boy." Green Arrow says as he gets an arrow ready and then pulls back. He focuses his shot and fires knowing his aim is true.

John Corben does not see the arrow flying toward the LWM he is too focused on Superman, "This is the might of the US ARMY." He forces the laser to get even stronger and the laser cannons start to spark as green energy is mixed in with the white.

Superman can feel pain unlike unlike he has felt before. It is something unknown to him, what ever is powering the mech it's different. He can feel his strength being sapped away but continues to fly straight at the mech, "Come on, just a little longer." Superman says fighting though the pain.

The EMP arrow hits the mech right on the L of the Luthor Corp logo and the mech instantly starts to sort out. It does not lose power all at once, Corben can feel the LWM's systems shutting off one at a time as he can no longer talk to it. "Hello." He screams, "Where are you." Corben just hears silence, his partner is no longer responding, "Command this is Corben?" He gets no response as the EMP also shut off the communication. He is now in a sound proof cell of his own making.

The white laser is cut off as it's source of power dies down from within the LWM. Superman is still feeling weakened by the blast as he took the blunt of a fully powered blast for a few seconds. Superman can hear Corben's screams for help even though no one else can and as the engines shut down on the legs and the mech starts to fall out of the sky Superman catches it. "Corben if you can here me you are safe."

Corben does not hear Superman and is still yelling calling for the LWM to respond, "I need you, please answer me. I feel empty without you."

Superman feels bad for the Sargent and flies down with the LWM and sets it down gently on the stage, there the two doctors, and Lex Luthor are waiting. Superman grabs the tanks cockpit and starts pulling it open. "Man this thing is tough. Your team did a good job."

"Lex Technologies hires only the best Superman." Lex Luthor says with arrogant pride. "How would you like to work for me?"

Superman looks at Lex for a second and smiles, "Are you serous?" He then focuses back on the cockpit door opening it slowly. There he sees John Corben his eyes wide and darting wildly. Yelling for the LWM to answer him, "Sargent?"

John twists his head and looks at superman, "You!" He snarls in anger. "You silenced him!" John grabs for superman and misses not realizing that his head is still hooked up to the dead computer.

Superman goes to pull the wire and looks at the doctors, "Is this safe?"

Vale says nothing just looks at his tablet nervously, Dr. Irons however responds, "The machine's off so the connection is dead. It's safe."

Superman removes the core and lifts Sargent Corben out. It was not easy since the Sargent struggles not liking that Superman has rescued him. "Let go of me." He punches at Superman, "This is all your fault. You silenced him."

Superman just lets the Sargent burn off his anger, he can't be hurt by a mortal man. And besides the Sargent looks like he is about to pass out.. Superman sets the Sargent down and Corben tries to stand takes a swing at Superman and then falls to the ground and passes out. "Get this man to the doctor." Superman says and then takes off into the air.

"Arrogant bastard." Lex mutters to himself. He walks over to the mecha, "Damn alien ruined my prototype. He looks in the cockpit and sees the recording box still intact and smiles, "It's not a total loss though. Vale, Irons this is your mess clean it up." The hard light hologram of Lex Luthor fades away.

"Always the scientists." Vale says with nervous sarcasm.

Lois and Jimmy are still in their hiding space, while they are too far away to hear what is going on but they can see the two scientists, Lex's hologram and Superman and saw the end of the showdown go down. "Did you get any good shots?" Lois asks Jimmy.

"I sure did miss Lane." Jimmy is really proud of his work. He has a feeling that this will make Mr. White proud of him. "I got them right here." He points to the camera around his neck.

"Well we should get going." Lois gets up from where she was crouching, checks her notepad and pits it in her bag. She then starts walking.

"Stop right there Miss Lane and friend." A strong commanding female voice says. It is Mercy Graves, She is wearing her dress uniform with her dark blond hair tied in a bow behind her head, she has a gun pointed at the reporter and there are about fifteen people with her. "You don't seem to be injured. Why are you still here?"

The people with Mercy all look distressed, they are people who were trapped or injured and could not escape on their own. Well besides Oliver Queen who seems to be in perfect condition. He just forced his way in to help Mercy look for stragglers. "We got lost trying to find our way out." Lois says. It is a weak lie but all she can think of.

"Sure." Mercy says with a cold voice. "Well your leaving now."

Lois and Jimmy walks behind Mercy and next to Mr. Queen. Jimmy is looking at the red haired, well build millionaire, "Hey did anyone tell you that you look like Green Arrow?" Lois gives Jimmy a look but he ignores it.

"Yes they have, all the time." Oliver Queen says with a smile. "Also since we are the most famous people in Star City people think we are the same person. I can assure you I'm not Green Arrow."

"I did not say you were." In deed the though never crossed Jimmy's mind.

"Anyway I believe a TV reporter caught Green Arrow saving me earlier today."

This peaked Lois's interest, "Who was the reporter?"

"Don't know, Asian woman for WGTV."

"Angela Chan." Lois and Angela Chan have a bit of a rivalry going on as they often are seen as competitors for the sexiest reporter in Metropolis. Lois acts like titles don't matter to her but she deserves it more then Chan does.

Mercy Graves leads the stragglers out of the convention center and to where the police have blocked off the area for survivors. "By my count this is everyone." Mercy says.

The aging officer with a badge that reads Turpin counts them, "Twelve, thirteen, fourteen yep that's everyone that was unaccounted for. Good no deaths." Turpin walks away and lets Mercy handle the rest.

Mercy leads the survivors over to where other reporters are located, "You two." She points to Lois and Jimmy, "Stay here, I better not see you back in there." Mercy then leads the rest of the survivors over to the medical tent as some of the people with her really need help.

"I can't stand that woman." Lois says watching Mercy leave. She then spends her time trying to figure out what has happening while she and Jimmy where watching the real action unfold. She wants to make sure she is the only one with the inside story. Jimmy Also went and looked around. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful compared to what had happened. Lois spent the rest of the day interviewing people. She really wanted to find Kent Luthor and ask where he went. She wanted to know why he rushed out before everything went bad. Sadly the rich boy was nowhere to be found.

The Daily Planet 7/12/2012

Army Sargent still in coma after convention disaster. By Lois Lane

Sargent John Corben remains in a coma two days after the incident at the Lionel Luthor Convention Center. Sargent Corben was piloting an experimental weapon called the Luthor Weaponry Metallo unit 01, or the LWM in a demonstration Monday. Due to complications between pilot and machine the demonstration went wrong as the LWM malfunctioned. No one died thanks to the combined efforts of police, convention center security, fire department and the extra help of Superman and Green Arrow. However seventy five people were in critical condition and hundreds more were injured and the damage to the convention center and surrounding buildings will cost upwards of a couple million to repair.

Sargent Corben has a stellar military record and is seen as one of the best pilots the military has. He passed countless mental and physical tests and had fifty hours of training in VR before piloting the LWM. So what went wrong? For starters was later discovered that John Corben with held information to the military, information that would have prevented this incident from happening. John Corben suffers from depression, and has for much of his life. He has struggled to take care of his younger brother, the two of them being orphans who grew up in Metropolis's worst neighborhood suicide slums. John has been seeing a therapist for depression that has been getting worse and worse and hid this information from the military. He did a good job keeping up appearances and it was not known that he was suffering from problems. Had reported his problems this incident might have been avoided.

For another the technology was not properly tested before the demonstration. The LWM uses a breakthrough control system, a mental link between man and machine. This link malfunctioned according to Dr. Emmett Vale. "We knew something like this might happen." Vale stated. "We had to rush the testing, we tested the link in simulators but Corben never tested the link in the LWM itself before the demonstration. The risks were minimal but more should have been done to avoid them. Me and my team take full responsibility."

Vale seemed distressed when I interviewed him and that comment was all he said before I was made to leave. I attempted to contact his partner Dr. John Henry Irons who refused to talk. Irons was fired from Lex Corp Technologies after incident and the doctor has vanished. His family refuses to talk and the only statement I managed to get was from his mother who said that her son refuses to be used as Luthor's fall guy.

This incident was a huge blow to Lex Luthor. It was his first major press conference after his father died and he gained control of Luthor Technologies. What was suppose to be his first time to shine became the first blemish of his life. It makes people wonder if this is a sign or things to come, that maybe Lex not suited to lead the Luthor empire. Lex refused to talk but his assistant Mercy Graves had this to say in his defense.

"Mr. Luthor regrets that the tragic incident happened. All precautions were in place to prevent such an incident. Mr. Luthor had total faith in the development team of the LWM, the mental link and in Sgt. Corben's abilities. The accident occurred due to unseen circumstances. Yes more training could have been done, the link should have been tested more and Corben should have tested the LWM before the demonstration but these things might not have changed the results. The risks were low and no one should have been hurt or killed.

What happened was a sad combination of factors with no one true cause. The designers of the LWM and the mental link are partly to blame as is John Corben, and Lex Luthor Himself. Luthor regrets not shutting down the demonstration at the proper time. He is glad no one was killed and is pleased that Superman and Green Arrow shown up to save the day."

All outside investigation into the incident by the police and the government is at a standstill. Lex Luthor insists that the investigation be an internal process and that Lex Corp will release information when it is found. This stinks of a cover up, that Lex Luthor and Lex Corp is hiding what truly happened so that they don't have to deal with the reproductions.