Stillwell sat behind her desk, across from a black-haired woman with a side-shave on the right.
"So, you actually just gave the alien everything he asked for? Even the item?" The woman asked.
"Not like we had any other choice." Stillwell replied. "Besides, it's not like it was any more use us. We've taken extensive readings, and copied down every bit of data we produced. Give us a couple of months, and we'll have something that can do exactly what the creature can, and we won't have to deal with it, or Superman anymore. A little more development, we'll have it running on a portable power source... Maybe even one like your lightning powers, Adele."
The woman chuckled. "Glad to hear... God, it's been a long time since someone's called me Adele."
Stillwell smirked. "Right, you have a new name these days, don't you? Is that your 'superhero' name, or just your name?"
"Adele" shrugged. "I don't know. It feels weird as a civilian name, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, I can't exactly imagine someone named 'Stormfront' going to the DMV."
Superman screwed the last panel on the field generator into place, and pushed a button. Inside the emitters, a shimmering blue field flickered to life, then shimmered away into a barely-visible transparent lens, the size of a small house.
"Impressive." Homelander mused. Why didn't you come up with something like this? Homelander thought to himself. Because it never interested me. He told himself. Because it was boring. Because there's no glory in it. Because they never wanted that from me...
Superman shrugged. "Not really." He said, dismissively. "You should see what the Lanterns come up with."
"Lanterns?" Hughie asked.
"Green Lanterns." Superman replied. "Space police. I know a few of them, they could've done this in less than a minute with nothing but their imaginations."
Humble to a fucking fault... And he didn't even invent the damn thing. Homelander thought.
Butcher shouldered the weapon Superman had constructed, and a toothy grin spread across his face. "Hot fuckin' damn!" He said as he flipped it in his hands. It was a sci-fi affair, lighter than one would've expected from the thing's construction. It was a sleek, silver cannon with a brightly-glowing blue emitter at the tip. "I don't know what the hell this thing is." Butcher added as he looked down the weapon's scope. "But I fuckin' love it!"
"It's a Sonic Cannon." Superman replied. "I tried to improve the equipment you asked for, but it didn't pack enough punch, so I improvised, and copied some stuff off a friend of my sons. The Sonic Cannon functions just like a typical anti-material rifle, without the projectiles, or heat waste, and a higher rate of fire, and greater destructive capability. It's pure concussive force. Should have about six shots, with about a fifteen second cooldown, or you can charge it for a few seconds and fire three shots in a burst, if the battery still has the charge."
Butcher unshouldered the cannon, and rested the barrel on his shoulder. "So you're saying I just point and shoot?"
Superman nodded. "Use the first three shots sparingly. Homelander and I will push the creature right up to the edge of the portal. Then, you hit it with the last three in a burst as we get out. Kimiko and Starlight, we'll need you two standing by in case one of us goes down. Frenchie, keep an eye on the power, we'll need a running countdown. Running the portal and all the other equipment we need ." Superman's eyes grew hard as he looked each member of the group in the eyes, including Homelander. "If something goes wrong, we can't afford to let this thing go. We especially can't let it get the other arm back. If we don't finish this today, Yl'geth could easily destroy this entire world, and move on to another in your universe. Understood?" Superman asked, looking at the group once more. Everyone nodded. "Good." He said. "Then you know what you have to do if things go south. Let's get this thing fired up."
Superman set the severed tentacle into a structure mounted in the ground near the edge of the force-field, eased the tip beyond the field, and locked the tentacle in place. Then, he attached a series of wires to the stump end of the appendage, and checked the connections. Then, he gave Frenchie the signal, and Frenchie fired up the apparatus.
A purple hole opened inside the field, and expanded to (hopefully) accommodate the size of the former owner of the arm. Through the portal, they could see a glowing orange ring surrounding a spot blacker than the darkest black, a spot that seemed to warp light, space, time, even life itself. It was the black hole. Further than one would think, closer than anyone was comfortable with. Even though the field kept things relatively steady, the opening of the portal seemed to cause a swift breeze to kick up in the air. Quickly, Superman flew over to Frenchie, handed him a small, heavy object with a button on it, and whispered in his ear.
"If anything happens to me, or if we can't finish the fight in time, set the portal to the coordinates for my Earth, press that button and hurl it through."
"Alright." Frenchie replied. "What is it?" He asked as he examined the otherwise nondescript object.
"It's basically a black box with all of my notes, and every bit of data I gathered, or Vought gave me. The button activates a homing signal tuned to the Justice League's emergency band."
"Will that be necessary?"
"Hopefully not, but you know what they say. 'Always be prepared.'"
Superman zipped back down into the containment zone, where he was joined by Homelander.
"What was that about?" Homelander asked.
"Setting up our insurance policy in case we fail." Superman replied. "Never hurts to have a backup plan."
Homelander smirked, and casually set his hands on his belt. "Tell me about it."
Their exchange was interrupted by the appearance of a yellow line in the middle of the air. The line widened as a black mass of tentacles poured through, and landed on the ground.
"So," The creature gargled. "The Kryptonians think so highly of themselves they dare to present me with what I so truly desire!"
"Whatever you're after, you can't have it!" Homelander replied, crossing his arms as the wind sent waves through his hair. "This world isn't yours for the taking!"
"I didn't want it to come to this, Yl'geth." Superman said, sternly. "You have one last chance. Agree to come back to our universe peacefully, and the Justice League will try to treat you as humanely as-"
"Pitiful humanity." The creature said with a grating laugh. "You believe I care for your puny morality? You are beneath me, even as powerful as you are, and the rest of your adopted people are lesser to me than ants are to you. Give me my arm, and I will make your deaths painless ones."
"You know that won't happen." Homelander declared.
"Then so be it, Kryptonians!" The creature said, rearing itself up to an imposing stature of thirty-five feet tall. Homelander uncrossed his arms, and balled his hands up into fists as he crouched low to the ground. Superman merely raised his arms from his sides, and swiveled his head to track the creature's seven remaining tentacles. "The two of you shall perish before the sunlight you covet dies on this rock, and when that deed is done, Kal-El, I shall reclaim my arm and return to your world, where I will slowly strangle the life from your sons while they watch helplessly as I consume their mother!"
Those words brought a change over Superman that was alien to everyone present. Homelander thought he'd seen the worst out of Superman up to this point, but this sight shocked him still further. In an instant, Superman's face snapped cold with anger. Not disappointment, not irritation, actual fury, emphasized by the wild mess the wind made of his neatly-groomed hair. It lent itself to an appearance of fury anyone could tell Superman was more than capable of backing up.
The Kryptonian stepped forward, and stared Yl'geth dead in what might have been its' eyes with a look scarier than even the hottest heat vision could be.
"If you do, neither the gates of heaven nor the depths of hell could stop me from hunting you down to the furthest reaches of the universes and tearing out your heart." Superman growled.
The creature laughed again. "A bold claim, Kal-El. Shall we put it to the test?"