Thoughts
Computer Speech
"Speech"
Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.
Chapter 33: Aurora V: Submergence
December 19th
Age 762 (2012), Central City
"Well, this is awkward."
Barry Allen mumbled to himself as the occupants of the restaurant tried to maintain a normal visage. It was hard to do though, considering the imposing figure that was seated directly across the table from the Flash. Aquaman looked like a literal fish out of water as he scrutinized the white menu in his hands. So many of these items were unfamiliar to his eyes.
Barry still couldn't process how a person like Aquaman could even exist. In a world full of superpowered beings it shouldn't have been that much of a shock, but an entire nation under water sounded ridiculous. Atlantis was mere myth, or at least it should have been. But the blonde haired man in front of him proved otherwise. Who knew what else lay beneath the Earth's oceans?
"This menu is unfitting of a king," Arthur Curry growled as he angrily slammed the menu on the table. "Such ludicrous names for food. What foolish land dweller came up with this?"
The Flash nervously chuckled as he felt their booth's table shake. Maybe taking him to the heart attack grill hadn't been such a great idea after all.
"Just try something. You never know, you might like it," Barry offered as he picked up his own menu. The heart attack grill was one of his go to places as far as food was concerned. After gaining his powers Barry's metabolism had increased. He was in constant need of inordinate amounts of food, and this diner provided just that.
"No," Aquaman remained staunch as his eyes narrowed. He had much more important matters to attend to anyway. "Of all the possible places why did you pick this location?" The constant awestruck glances from the restaurant's other patrons were grating the king's nerves.
"I thought you might like it here," Barry said with a small shrug.
Truthfully the Flash had picked it because he still wasn't sure of Aquaman's intentions. Sure, the Atlantean had helped him capture those criminals, but Barry still knew little about him. A public place was always a good choice for a first meeting. Plus Aquaman didn't seem like the type of character who socialized much either.
"You were wrong," A female waiter came around to ask the table's orders, but immediately took off in the opposite direction as she noticed Arthur's sharp trident seated beside him. "Seriously wrong."
Barry chuckled nervously as the king of Atlantis glared at him. He was not amused.
"Whelp, on the other hand, this lets me know what kind of place not to take you to during our next hang out session." That was, of course, assuming there would be another one.
"I have no intention of ever meeting with you again after today," Aquaman was not too fond of the mortals that lived above him. "I did not come here to eat, drink, and play. This was supposed to be a meeting of minds regarding the sharing of information."
Barry palmed his face. Of course, how could he have forgotten already? One of the major downsides to having super speed was the accelerated thought process. His mind could literally be thinking about one hundred different things at the same time. This superhero business was harder than Batman and Superman made it look.
"Back at the docks, you tried telling me about something called Velocity 9," Barry had just assumed the villains had gained super speed through the same conduit he had. But Aquaman had told him there was another force at play here.
"Yes, Velocity 9," Arthur's lips curled into a frown at the mention of the drug. It was responsible for the poisoning of his seas. "Its manufacturer is responsible for numerous chemical spills all over the oceans."
"Do you know whose responsible for creating it?" Resting his arms on the table, The Flash leaned in giving Aquaman his full attention.
"A man named Vandal Savage is the one to blame."
"Vandal Savage? Vandal Savage…." Barry repeated the unfamiliar name as he tried to think. He had never encountered a villain with that name before. "I don't know him." The forensic scientist finally admitted.
Aquaman's facial expression darkened as he interlocked his hands. "I have reason to believe he is in this city or nearby this city."
"And what gives you that impression?" To Barry's knowledge, Aquaman resided deep below the sea. How did he know about anything that occurred in Missouri of all places?
"I had an encounter with one of Vandal's partners. Let's just say I squeezed the information out of him."
The Flash winced at his tone. Just by his body language and demeanor, Barry could tell that some poor unfortunate soul had been badly beaten to obtain Vandal's name.
"You are obviously having the same problems with Velocity 9 that I am," Arthur said, referring to the criminals from yesterday. "I am suggesting a short term alliance between us."
"You mean a team up?" Barry's eyes lit up at the mention of it.
"Yes, in shorter terms a team up," Aquaman grumbled as he noticed the joy emanating from the scarlet speedster. "But only until Vandal Savage is apprehended."
The Atlantean's last few words went unheard as the Flash struggled to contain his zeal. This was going to be his first superhero team up. He couldn't believe it! "You've got yourself a deal."
December 19th
Age 762 (2012), Gotham
Standing atop the ledge of a high-rise building, Batman frowned. As his binoculars scanned the perimeter below they saw little to no activity. It should have been a joyous occasion considering this was Gotham, but something had him on edge. It was an hour past midnight and nothing was occurring. These were prime hours for the criminal underworld too.
The caped crusader hadn't even heard a single police siren go off in his vicinity tonight. His police scanner hadn't gathered much either. For all intensive purposes, it was a peaceful night. Especially considering all of the weird things that had been occurring in his city recently, this was alarming. The threat of it and Velocity 9 loomed over his metropolis.
Glancing down at his watch Bruce decided to take action. If his high vantage point was failing to produce any results, he would just have to hit the streets then. In one swift, effortless motion, the dark knight scaled down the two story building. In his earlier years, it would have taken him quite some time for him to do it, but he was far more experienced now.
With a soft thud, Bruce landed on a sidewalk. His eyes narrowed almost instantly as they surveyed his deserted surroundings. There wasn't a soul in sight. From his former position above the streets, he had seen numerous cars passing through this neighborhood, but now there was simply nothing. Even though it was somewhat late, people should have still been active on the streets.
What the hell is going on here?
Crossing an intersection, Batman continued his stroll down the empty street. The hairs on his neck began to rise as he walked past a bar. Slowing his pace the dark knight leaned closely against its glass window as he peered into it. Under his cowl, Bruce's eyes rose as the room was completely empty. At this hour it should have been full of paying customers.
Glancing back to the quiet road Batman's mind began to race. This wasn't the first time something like this had occurred in Gotham. When the Joker had poisoned a significant portion of the East Coast's water supply, communications throughout the city had gone down. But the streets had not been silent like this. The city had literally been ablaze during those horrific nights.
Something far worse was potentially occurring tonight.
I need to head back to the Batcave and get to the bottom of this. Maybe I should stop by the police station to check on things there too. Commissioner Gordon would have at least contacted me once to…
His thoughts were rattled as he noticed a second reflection in bar's window. Quickly turning around to investigate he noticed a man sluggishly crossing the street, walking towards him. The man's body language was hard to decipher given his awkward movements, but his increased pace upon seeing Batman set off Bruce's alarms. As the man walked underneath a light pole, the light from above revealed some kind of organism attached to his face.
What is that thing?
The caped crusader was given no time to ponder the thought as the man suddenly lunged at him upon reaching his vicinity. As the man's hands gripped Batman's shoulders, Bruce noticed the tremendous strength he held. Try as he may Batman could not break out of his ironclad hold. On the bright side, such close contact with the man granted Bruce better access to the monstrosity that was latched onto his face. It appeared to be a starfish of some kind with a jarring eye poking on top of it.
Finally deciding he had enough, Bruce dug into his utility belt and unsheathed a gas pellet. In the blink of an eye lime green gas filled the air, completely blanketing the area. A single breath wasn't wasted as Batman struck, blindsiding the man with a set of heavy handed blows. As the gaseous cloud of smoke dispersed it revealed the unconscious man on the ground below. He was down for the time being, but with that mysterious thing on his face, who truly knew?
The starfish on the man's face remained immobile as Bruce knelt down to observe it. As his phone scanned and recorded the starfish, Batman quickly realized it was foreign to this planet. It's shape, color, and size did not match up with anything that dwelt underneath the seas. It was entirely possible that this was some kind of science experiment gone awry though. Bruce wouldn't put it past one of Earth's numerous villains to concoct something like this.
"I'll need to share these findings with Superman immediately. Who knows where this thing could have….."
"You will do nothing Batman."
Bruce's teeth grit as he heard a slithery voice whisper from behind him. It sounded inhuman, demonic almost.
"You will join us and become a part of it."
At the mention of that name Bruce's head snapped in the direction of the voice, but there was no one to be found.
"A part of who? A part of what?" Arming himself with Batarangs, Bruce's eyes cautiously darted around. This organism was related to whatever the Martian Manhunter had previously sensed.
"You, like everyone else on this worthless planet will join us and become a glorious part of him. You will become a part of Starro!"
Terror echoed throughout Batman's entire being as a horde of people, all covered by starfish, suddenly began crowding into the streets.
December 19th
Age 762 (2012), Metropolis
A frustrated sigh escaped Clark's mouth as he leaned back in his chair. He just couldn't find the words to say. The page on his laptop's screen remained completely blank. Not even his name had been typed. There was just so much on his mind tonight.
Perry had ordered him to write an article on the world's most famous couple, Goku and Wonder Woman. It should have been easy considering his close relationship with the two of them, but so much had happened in recent years. The Kryptonian still remembered the day when they got married. It had been one of the most watch television events in human history. Diana has looked absolutely stunning and Goku had finally worn a suit for once. But all that joy and happiness was a stark contrast to the current state of their lives now.
Wonder Woman was still missing. Campaigns and ads had been launched in hopes of finding her. The Twitter hashtag #whereiswonderwoman was a trending topic nearly everyday. Reports of her sightings were practically everywhere but none of them proved fruitful. Even with all of the resources that Argus had, the government agency could not locate the heroine.
Since his resurrection, Superman and Goku had held numerous discussions about her. Goku tried to maintain a positive outlook, but it was difficult when the woman he loved was gone. Though Krillin and Goku were extremely close, Diana was truthfully his best friend. She was the woman who he loved. She was the woman he had grown up with, and the mother to his only child.
Kal-El had reassured the Saiyan numerous times that they would do everything in their power to locate her and bring her home. Following the aftermath of their battle with the Saiyans Clark had thought all their time would be devoted to that. But a new harrowing mission had arisen after seeing the body count the invaders had caused. Millions of people were dead, including those who Clark considered friends like Tien. The search for Wonder Woman was put on the back burner once more.
It was like he could never get a break. The Saiyans, some tyrant named Frieza, Velocity 9, it, and the list went on and on. That wasn't even including the threats and problems he was dealing with on a day to day basis. Would peace ever truly be an option for him or the Earth? He knew it had to pain Goku even more.
Chikyu's hero had barely been alive for long, before being forced to deal with the deaths of his friends and an excruciatingly painful battle. He hadn't been given a moment to reconnect with his son before Gohan was sent on a mission into space. Most children Gohan's age were concerned with toys and nap time. But Goku's son was on an alien world seeking the means to help millions of lives. It was insane when Clark really thought about it.
What a burden.
These type of thoughts brought into question Kal-El's own relationships. Would he ever be able to have a relative sense of normalcy in his life? His adoptive mother and father, God rest their souls, had raised him like a typical teenager in the country. They seemingly had it all. A work life, love, and a child they cared for. Outside of a few things concerning Clark's alien heritage their lives had been pretty All-American.
But now at age 25, Superman found himself questioning everything. No matter how much he tried to fit in, he would always be a foreigner to this planet. His otherworldly powers and abilities dictated a different kind of lifestyle. There was a time he had imagined himself and Lana Lang getting married, but she couldn't handle all of this. Lois couldn't either.
Goku and Wonder Woman's relationship meshed so well because they held no secret identities. Goku and Diana were truly themselves one hundred percent of the time. There were no lies told about sudden disappearances during tragedies or fears for their love one's lives. Everyone knew their secret. On top of that who would be crazy enough to attack the world's most powerful couple?
But to live a life like that would require Kal-El to give up his human identity. Even though he wasn't biologically human, Clark still felt attached to humanity. His job and work life were very important parts of his being. Being Clark Kent mattered as much to him as being Superman did. And unlike Batman, Clark was his true identity. Bruce was just a mask for the character known as Batman.
Darn, at this rate I'll never get this article done in time. Maybe I need some fresh air to….
Superman's thoughts halted as he heard a loud buzzing noise. That was the frequency from the watch he had given Jimmy Olsen. If his life was ever in danger, all the auburn haired photographer had to do was press a button on it. Its frequency was set to something ultra-sonic that only the man of steel could hear. At this hour of the night, something was truly wrong.
In a flash, Clark changed into his iconic uniform. His jeans and t-shirt were discarded for the heroic costume which bore his emblem. A large gust of wind tore through his apartment as the Kryptonian leaped of his window. His apartment was high above ground, granting him the perfect leap board to spring off of. A small sonic boom erupted as Superman dashed towards the signal of the beacon.
In less than a second Clark arrived at his destination. A confused expression crossed his face as he landed on the roof of the Daily Planet. At this hour of the night, all the offices were closed. None his senses were picking up any immediate threats either. As he approached the edge of the of the roof he spotted Jimmy standing there, feet dangling over the edge.
"Jimmy what are you…."
The Kryptonian was cut off as the teenager suddenly jerked his head around. "I'm so glad you could join me, Superman. It wants you to become a part of us."
December 19th
Age 762 (2012), Washington, Argus headquarters
"How is the recruiting going ChiChi?"
The woman in question sighed deeply as she turned away from the bulletin board in front of her. She hadn't even heard Steve come in.
"Judging from that response I can tell it's not going well?" The colonel said as he approached his girlfriend. She had been locked in this room for quite some time now.
"That's the understatement of the year," Chichi mumbled as she turned to face Steve. She had barely recruited anyone to join Argus yet.
"It's only been a little over a month. Quit being so hard on yourself," Placing a hand on her shoulder the Argus agent tried to console her. He knew firsthand how his girlfriend took things to the extreme. She was a textbook perfectionist.
"No Steve, I can't," Pulling away from him the Ox-King's daughter turned back to the bulletin board. "I'm not living up the standards I've set for myself."
Following Manhattan's destruction at the hand of the Saiyan's, Steve had called for redoubled efforts in recruitment for Argus. His secretary, Victoria October, was originally supposed to lead the recruitment, but Chichi had taken it upon herself to do it. Considering her knowledge of Ki, who better than her to spearhead the operation? Initially, the recruitment drive had started off good, but the enthusiasm for it had waned slightly.
"What about all of those people who participated in the previous World Martial Arts Tournaments?" Steve offered. Several of those warriors were adept and proficient in using Ki. It seemed like a no brainer to him.
"I've already contacted several of them," The bulletin board on the wall was chalk full of their pictures. "Getting a response back is the problem."
Most Ki users were not American citizens had little to no interest in American affairs. What reason did they have to get involved with something that didn't concern them?
"So no one has contacted you back?" Steve's eyes widened. That was hard to believe. Argus' reach was global. Something should have happened by now.
"I have received a few responses but I'm not sure these are the types of individuals who you want under your command," The list of names was short and chalk full of characters who Chichi was unsure of.
"Well, what's wrong with them?" Folding his arms Steve waited for an answer. Argus was in desperate need of Ki specialists. Anything at this point would have been okay.
"Where do I even begin?" A sweatdrop rolled down Chichi's face as she pointed to the board. "For starters there's Ranfan but she's…"
"ATTENTION COLONEL TREVOR, YOUR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED IN THE LABORATORY."
Steve and Chichi exchanged worried glances before promptly exiting the room. Announcements weren't usually done on the loud speaker. If someone needed to get in touch with the Steve they usually just pinged him on his communicator. It definitely had to be something urgent to make an official announcement like this.
"Steve, what's going on?" Chichi asked as they scurried through a busy corridor. Agents were everywhere going in and out of nearby rooms.
"I don't know," A frown settled on the Colonel's face as he quickened the pace of his walk. Entering an elevator, he pressed the last button and headed towards the basement of the facility.
Dead silence was shared between the two highest ranking agents as they finally reached their destination. As the elevator doors opened, Chichi and Steve entered a room that overlooked a large laboratory down below. The walls were made of the strongest metals known to man and that glass that separated everything was nearly impenetrable. It would take a force of nature to breakthrough here.
There were several agents seated by intercoms as they watched masked scientists do their work. Whatever they were examining today must have truly been deadly because everyone present was wearing specially made hazmat suits.
"Steve I think you'd better take a look at this," The Colonel's secretary said to him as she handed him a piece of paper.
"What in the world is that?" Chichi asked as she leaned over Steve's shoulder. There were several pictures of what appeared to be….starfish?
"We are still working on finding out the details of what these things are, but it doesn't look good," Victoria October stated solemnly. "Without warming, these things have been popping up all over."
"Aside from that creepy looking eye," Steve shuddered. "What makes these things so dangerous that I needed a call?" There were numerous subdivisions within Argus. As it's commander Steve handled the largest threats. Smaller things, like this, could be passed off to his associates.
"Inherently the starfish is not dangerous," Victoria corrected. "It's what happens to its host that is."
"It's host?" Chichi's brow rose at the mention of that word. This didn't sound too good.
"That thing is essentially a parasite. Upon attaching itself to a human host it takes over his or her mental facilitates. Once it latches onto you, you're a mindless drone."
A mutual gasp was shared as Chichi and Steve examined the picture closer. Just what in the world was that thing? There were at least a dozen pictures on this page too.
"Please tell me this is a contained incident," Steve could already feel the onset of a headache.
"Unfortunately, no," His secretary sadly shook her head. "We have been getting reports of this thing popping up in multiple locations."
"Do we at least know what its nature is?" Chichi questioned. That was the most pressing issue now. If that starfish was magical in nature, they were in a whole lot of trouble.
"Our scientists are still working on t…"
"WARNING! WARNING! CONTAINMENT HAS BEEN BREACHED! SHUTDOWN PROTOCOL HAS BEEN ENACTED!"
Alarms and alerts suddenly went off as the entire area suddenly became doused with red. Glancing at his secretary Steve noticed her hands shaking uncontrollably.
"I don't like the sound of that."
"Our test subject has escaped!"
A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 32!
Q/A:
Justaquestion12: Future Trunks won't stay in the past
Jackalope89: Gohan's love interest is human.
darkmist111: The Teen Titans will be their own organization.
Xample: Piccolo will be learning and developing his own techniques.
Sailor Dragonball 87: I have no plans for Static Shock will probably flip when he meets Diana lol.
JOEL: 1. I already answered. 2. Some are. 3. Zeus is aware. 4. I will have some OC characters down the line, but they will be legacy characters.
Animeguy1101: Yes, I plan on using movie characters. The time travel thing is too long to explain.
Rufael: This version of Goku hasn't quite surprised King Kai yet. The Ginyu force hasn't appeared yet. The pairing won't be Starfire.
Chris: I've mentioned several times that Zeno won't appear and that I'm not including DBS in this story. The grand priest won't appear either. The only thing I plan on including is the BOG movie.
moshe30350redstar: Thanks for the kind words and the review. I've been wonder where you've been. I actually wasn't the first person to crack 1k reviews though. It's a great accomplishment nonetheless. I already have Gohan's pairing planned and it doesn't involve Supergirl.
