Justice X

by G O G E T A 9 0 0 0

After a visit from his younger self, Ben Ten Thousand reevaluates his life. Before he can act on it, an enemy's mistake hurls him into the DCAU, where the Justice League has fallen to a Thanagarian invasion. Can he help free their Earth? How will he adapt to this new reality? And what will he do when ghosts from his past resurface in this strange new world? OS Timeline.

7. Clash

I don't own Ben 10 or Justice League or Justice League: Unlimited

Italics will be used for telepathy, thoughts, comm. etc.

…

Justice X

Chapter VII - Clash

…

Metropolis; May, 2003.

Batman stood to his feet after being knocked through the air, hitting the side of an evacuated office-building back-first; the dark-knight stumbled across the side-walk to the side of a parked car, taking a few seconds to observe the battle and strategize. He glanced to his side, where a hole in the building had been made by another, now unconscious, hero's body, Elongated-Man had done his best to restrain the villain wreaking havoc but, ended up just making him stronger before being violently removed from the battle. In the street, a mutated-hero, who appeared to be split into four different color-schemes, battled the well-known enemy of Superman, the Parasite.

Metamorpho caught Parasite's elongated arm by the wrist as he tried to deliver a right cross, instead being pulled off his feet, and tossed into the front-end of an abandoned bus, sitting in the middle of the street, shattering the front windshield as he fell to one knee before it. Parasite shook his head, regaining his senses, he sprinted towards the hero, using Elongated-Man's powers to stretch and grow his body, standing up to twenty-feet-tall before enlarging his fist, slamming them into the ground just as Metamorpho leaped out of the way into a summer-sault.

He landed and immediately shifted his hand into a steel-block with spikes pultruding from the front, giving a confident smirk as Parasite shrunk back down, not being able to maintain that size for very long. Metamorpho lunged with his sledge-hammer fist, not expecting the villain to use his elastic abilities to bend his head around the hero's arm, trapping him, and launching him into the side of a nearby building. Parasite ran back towards the rubble and smoke, jumping, and landing with both of his now enlarged fists coming down on the chemical-hero. Nearby police watched in horror as the smoke cleared, leaving Parasite in full view, gripping either side of Metamorpho's head, and using his incredibly painful powers to drain the life, and subsequently, the abilities or physical attributes of, his victim. White electricity surged from his fingertips as Metamorpho screamed in agony for several long seconds before Parasite finally released him, satisfied with the powers he'd gained. The hero collapsed face first into the rubble, unconscious; leaving Batman as the only one left on the scene, which the villain had most definitely noticed.

Batman stood confidently now, in the middle of the street between an empty ambulance and a parked car, both of which had been severely damaged throughout the fight, not wasting a moment before launching three explosive bat-a-rangs at the villain. Parasite didn't bother dodging, using Elongated-Man's physiology to take the explosions with his elastic torso bending and warping around them before returning to its original shape, unharmed. Batman narrowed his eyes at him as Parasite's right-fist became engulfed in bright-blue flames, reeling it back as it grew to several times its size, the dark-knight leaped out of the way just in time to dodge it stretching across the street, and slamming into the asphalt. The explosive contact against the road created a smoke screen which allowed Batman to maneuver out of Parasite's line of sight, only the villain noticed him as he jumped through the air launching several more detonating shuriken at him.

Parasite laughed as he jutted his hands out in front of him, vaporizing the projectiles as they approached him with the same blue-flames as before; he followed this up by launching both his flaming-fists at the caped-crusader. Batman stumbled back as one of them slammed into the ground at his feet, he ended up with his back against the side of a truck barely dodging his head to the right where the other fist struck, denting the iron truck-bed. In the same motion as his dodging, he launched another bat-a-rang at his opponent who's hands began excreting a toxic green-gas, clapping his hands in front of his face caught the shuriken between his palms, and melted it into slag with the acidic gas.

Batman's eyes widened slightly, backing up as he pressed his finger to the node in his cowl just below the ears, "J'ohn! We're in trouble!" he shouted as he leaped through the air into a summer sault, dodging another flaming fist which plowed through the wall of another abandoned building behind him.

"Are you asking for help?" he responded stoically.

"Yes," Batman admitted reluctantly as he ran down the sidewalk, crossing the street in a sprint.

"You never ask for help…"

"Just get us some reinforcements!" he shouted in response, dodging another attack from the villain.

…

Several Miles Away

After a mechanical failure in one of the engines, an airplane sent an emergency announcement to the air-control tower explaining their situation, and how if things continued this way, the plane would go down somewhere in the north-end of the city, killing hundreds. This emergency caught Metropolis' resident hero's attention, considering he heard the announcement to the tower from several blocks away, Superman rushed into the sky to assist. As he did, the compensating engine exploded in a ball of orange fire, streaking through the sky with smoke and ash in its trail, the Kryptonian's first priority was floating just below the wing in synch with the plane's speed, using his arctic-breath to put out the fire.

As he flew back around to rest its weight on his shoulders, J'ohn came over the comm in his ears, "Superman, you're needed…"

He guided the plane through the maze of towering buildings in the city, making sure not to make contact with any of them, "I'm in the middle of something, can it wait?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, no, it's the Parasite," J'ohn responded, knowing that this was a part of the Kryptonian's rogues gallery, having been fighting him for years.

Superman sighed loudly, slowly lowering the plane down onto an empty air-strip, "Alright, give me thirty-seconds and I'll-" suddenly, a crimson-blue flew passed him at several times the speed of sound, flapping his cape over his head in the process. Superman groaned, using one hand to support the entire plane as he used the other to pull his cape down, uncovering his field of vision.

…

Batman ducked behind a parked car as a purple fist the size of a cinderblock engulfed in blue chemical flames flew towards the spot he was just standing, putting a small crater in the asphalt as the hero dropped a small group of smoke-pellets, covering his strategic retreat towards cover.

He wasn't expecting Parasite to recover so quickly, flattening his hand into a four-foot paddle and swinging it through the smoke, clearing the street and allowing him to spot Batman as he sprinted towards a group of abandoned cars on the other side of the street. Just as Parasite was prepared to strike down on the dark-knight, Jetray broke the sound-barrier above them on approach, not bothering to slow down, nose-diving towards the villain.

About two-hundred-feet from impact, Jetray used Master Control to instantly switch forms into the yellow-armored Cannonbolt, already in his spherical form, slamming into Parasite at mach four, digging a massive trench in the street as debris and smoke littered the street. Batman covered his face with his cape as he braced himself, being so close to the impact. Cannonbolt rolled out of the smoke casually, transforming once again in an explosion of emerald-energy into Artiguana. The pale-blue reptile exhaled as trails of cryogenic smoke huffed from between his scaley-lips; Parasite recovered with a groan, standing up while holding his still disoriented head.

Artiguana didn't hesitate to loosen his jaw and unleash a flurry of arctic energy at the villain, engulfing him in the beam which, once dissipated, left the villain, and everything else in Artiguana's line of sight for a whole city-block, encased in a long trail of ice.

Batman approached the large misshapen block of ice Parasite was now trapped in with a stoic expression while an explosion of green light from his left signified the hero returning to his human form, "How did you know ice would stop him?" he asked.

Ben chuckled, resting his hands on the back of his head, "I could say J'ohn told me he took Metamorpho's powers, and that I knew most chemical reactions stop at sub-zero temperatures… but its ice… it stops everyone," the shapeshifter reasoned with a casual shrug.

Metamorpho was helped up from the ground by Elongated-Man who had naturally recovered before him, gathering around Ben and Batman, congratulating the former for saving them at what seemed like the last second, "Thanks for the help, we really screwed the pooch on this one," the elastic hero said.

"I'm sure you guys would've handled it…" Ben responded, trying to be as humble as possible, even in his own world he never took too well to the whole 'being famous' part of his job, he rarely knew how to take praise without being awkward about it.

"Don't be modest, I don't even think Superman could have wrapped that up so-" Elongated-Man stopped midsentence as he looked over his shoulder, spotting the man of steel floating down behind him, and approaching the group of heroes, "Hey, we were just talking about you," he said with a smile.

"Hey, Supes," Ben greeted as the Kryptonian stepped into their circle, not seeming very amused, "Sorry, bout the plane, I was heading up there to help out when I saw smoke, so I just booked it here," his excuse for being rude earlier was reasonable, leaving Clark's frustrations pent up and unaddressed.

"It's fine, I handled it," Superman responded, folding his arms over his chest with a disapproving stare, "You should be more careful, flying that fast…"

Ben scratched the back of his head, "Roger that," he chuckled.

As Metamorpho, Ben, Elongated-Man, Batman, and Superman all began their walk away from the scene; a Daily Planet news-van alongside a League-funded Government containment truck pulled passed the wreckage on the street. A unit of armed men rushed out of the refrigerated truck, pulling a long metal-slab for them to slide Parasite's frozen form onto; out of the news-van stepped a dainty young woman with long black-hair, wearing a purple button-up blouse and pencil skirt, she called out one of the heroes names, "Ben Ten Thousand!" she called as he turned to find several other vans pulling in from across the street, where other reporters climbed out, rushing to him with an urgency only a real reporter could understand.

Getting there first, the woman pulled out her pad and pen to be ready for anything he might say; as the reporters surged him from all sides, asking different questions or just trying to get his attention by calling his name repeatedly. Ben put his hands up in mock surrender as a gesture for them to calm down, "Chill out everybody, one at a time," he said with a smile, loudly so they could all hear him. Out of the sea of over a dozen different reporters, he recognized the woman on sight, he'd seen plenty of articles with pictures of her and Superman together, some of those articles he was pretty sure she'd written herself, "Uh, you," he pointed at her as a confident smile rushed over her face, like she was doing what she was born to do.

"Lois Lane, Daily Planet," she introduced herself with her pen up and her eyes down, reading her notes to ensure she asked the proper questions, "How does it feel to be part of the Justice League?" she asked, looking up into his eyes to gauge his reaction for her article.

"Uh, well, I've been a hero all my life so that's nothing new," he responded first, taking a second or two to pause as he thought up an appropriate answer, "I guess it feels good to know I'm part of a huge team that's doing so much good around the world," he shrugged with a smile, hoping that it was a satisfying answer.

"You say you've been a hero all your life, but I've never heard of you, why is that?" Lois asked, taking her pen to paper as she wrote down his previous response, multi-tasking as she also listened to him.

Ben looked up, scratching his beard for a moment, thinking pensively on how to explain it, "Well, I grew up in another Universe, and also the future… I think," though he was completely serious, he was slightly taken off guard with the entire group of reporters began chuckling or outright laughing. He didn't get a chance to correct them before she asked her next question.

"What is it you value most about being part of the League?"

Ben thought hard about this one, and after a few seconds, he felt prepared to answer, resting his hands on his hips, "I guess it's how they really make a difference, take that Luthor guy for example-"

"Lex Luthor?" Lois interrupted to ask so she could clarify who exactly he was speaking about for her article.

"Yea, that's his name, I was told he was this terrible villain but, now he's running for President… none of my old enemies ever turned over that leaf," Ben responded with a smile, feeling proud of the answer he'd given.

Lois raised her brow, starting to believe that this hero really was from another Universe, if he really didn't know all of the things Lex Luthor had done in the name of greed, revenge, and his ego; she was so stunned by this, that she almost didn't get to ask her last question, "Uh, will you be operating in Metropolis permanently?"

Ben shook his head as he turned away, "Nah, I go where I'm needed, or wherever Martian Manhunter sends me," he used the Martian's code name out of instinct, not entirely sure if he even had a secret double life, "Thanks everyone," he announced as he exploded in an emerald light, blinding most reporters as they turned to shield themselves from the light. By the time they looked back, Chromastone was in the sky, flying away from the scene.

…

Coast City - Downtown

Ben and Diana were seated at a secluded table in an opulent dining room bathed in soft, ambient lighting with a sweeping view of a sparkling cityscape out the floor-to-ceiling window to their left. The restaurant, perched on the top floor of a skyscraper, exuded an air of exclusivity and romance, with live classical music playing gently in the background. The decor was a blend of modern elegance and old-world charm, featuring rich mahogany paneling, plush velvet curtains, and crystal chandeliers that cast a warm, inviting glow over the diners. Ben was dressed sharply in a bespoke black suit, complementing it with a crisp white shirt and a dark tie; his hair was neatly styled, combed back with a bit of gel to keep it in place. Diana was dressed in a sleek and elegant black evening gown that hugged her slender figure gracefully. The dress featured a strapless, sweetheart neckline that enhanced her poised and regal demeanor. The gown flowed smoothly down her form, flaring slightly at the floor to allow for ease of movement. Their table was set with fine-China and crystal, and they were served exquisite dishes prepared by a top chef, paired perfectly with vintage wine. The scene was one of rare tranquility and elegance, a stark contrast to the chaotic worlds from which they both hail, offering them a moment of respite in their otherwise tumultuous lives.

Diana's dress moved gracefully with her every gesture, catching the light with every way. Her wrists were still adorned with those indestructible silver bracelets, now catching the soft light as an accessory rather than part of her armor. As they dined, their conversation flowing from tales of past battles to musings on peace, reflecting their shared experiences as defenders of Earth, Diana took her glass of wine, taking a short sip, savoring the flavors before she spoke, "Tell me more about your life back in your world, I feel so silly talking about myself when you can read most of my stories in the League archives," she pointed out, setting her glass down.

Ben sighed as his care-free expression faded, glancing down to his half-eaten ribeye, "It's fine, there just isn't much you don't already know; I was a hero my whole life, world famous, I was married once but, she died… Saving people with the Omnitrix has been the only thing I've ever really known," he explained, pushing his meal around a bit with his fork.

Diana nodded slowly, having heard all of this before, the last thing she wanted to do was pry but, there was so much more about him that she wanted to know, if nothing more than to be someone he could confide in, "How did she pass, if you don't mind that I ask?" she could tell as his eyes narrowed down at the meal in front of him that asking him to specify definitely triggered something, a memory maybe, she wasn't sure.

After a few seconds of silence, Diana added, "It's okay if you're not ready, I understand," she reassured, looking him in the eye as he softened his expression, taking a deep breath.

"No, it's fine," he said as he nervously adjusted the napkin on his lap, "I should be able to talk about, about ten-years-ago one of my worst enemies resurfaced… at the time my team was just my cousin, this technopath I was friends with, my wife, and I… we were all fighters, skilled in our own right, I never imagined things could get so real before then," Diana could see the pain in his eyes, recalling events with a vivid accuracy that gave him a thousand-yard stare as he described them. "They told me I shouldn't go in without back-up but, I was too cocky… I let my enemy trick me into traveling half-way across the country, by the time I realized what had happened, it was already too late."

Diana watched as tears welled behind his eyes though, it was brief and he blinked them away quickly enough, he took another deep breath before finishing his story, "He invaded my city, killed hundreds, my team was decimated… My wife was torn in half, my friend was crippled from the waist down, and my grandfather lost his arm…" he finished the last half of the sentence as quickly as possible as though it wasn't some of the most gruesome things Diana had heard since World War One, returning to his meal, not daring to look up at her.

She reached over the table, placing her hand on his even as he gripped his fork in the same, "It's okay, I understand how you feel-"

Ben sighed, shaking his head while still averting his eyes, "You can't… you can't possibly understand… just, trust me."

Diana felt slightly insulted, but understood the grief he could still be feeling, even after such a long time, "Why not? I've lost people too; I've dealt with my fair-share of-"

Ben's face snapped up to look her in the eyes, the shame in his expression told her the immense guilt he was still feeling, "Because I killed him!" He almost shouted, barely keeping himself contained before pulling his hand away from hers, lowering his voice, "I didn't just kill him, I mutilated him. I used every alien I could think of, and even when I knew he was done, I kept going… until there was nothing left in his eyes," his eyes fell finally, not eager to see the disgust and disappointment he predicted would cross her expression any moment.

Diana raised her brows in surprise at first but, after he finished explaining, she processed what he'd told her in its entirety; he was young, based on his age now, she could only conclude that he was barely twenty when this all took place, and after what he'd seen? She couldn't guarantee that Superman wouldn't have to pull her off the one responsible long after she'd won had she been in his position. Diana reached further across the table, doubling down on her gesture from a moment ago, she placed her hand over his as it now sat flat on the white table-cloth, "Did you think I was going to judge you for that?" she questioned with a soft, understanding smile, prompting him to look up to the warmth in her eyes, "I understand the risk that our line of work entails, and I also understand that, while the League may seem to outsiders as a group of perfect, infallible, heroes, in reality even Superman is just a person whose emotions can get away from him… you should have seen what he almost did to Darkseid the time he came asking us for help."

The shame on Ben's face slowly faded but, even as he caressed the top of her hand with his thumb, he felt awful remembering what he'd done in that blind-rage, "But, I was the only real hero on that world, I was responsible, and I was supposed to be the best of the best… I should've known better-"

Diana responded by squeezing his hand, "You were barely twenty-years-old, practically still a child… a true hero's hardest battle is often with the choices they make, not their strongest enemy," he smiled slightly, feeling the compassion that wafted off of her in waves, it reassured him that what they had between them was real, "And a hero, above all else, is someone who, despite everything, continues to fight for what's right. After what happened with Steve Trevor, I locked myself away from society for nearly a century… if it wasn't for my friends, I don't know that I could have ever rejoined the world."

"You have a heart of gold, I'm sure wouldn't've been able to keep yourself from helping people forever," Ben smiled more genuinely, putting that dim part of the conversation behind them, he reached for his class of wine with his free hand, picking it up and raising it towards Diana without releasing their interlocked fingers. "Thank you… for being so amazing about this, cheers to us?" he proposed with a composed grin.

Diana's warm expression grew enthusiastic, happy to see the man she cared so much about dealing with his grief in a healthy way, "To us," she responded, lifting her own glass, and tapping it against the edge of his as they both pulled back and took a sip happily.

…

Watchtower.

The next morning, Ben was standing in the cafeteria breakfast line setting himself up with a sugary cereal as a blonde in a navy-blue crop-top jacket stepped up beside him to grab an orange out of a basket, "I didn't see you in training last night," she said aloud, expecting a response.

"Yea, I had a date with Diana," he responded with an unconscious smile spreading across his face, not realizing just how happy it made him that things were progressing so well.

Black Canary gave him a coy grin in response as she peeled her orange, "What?" he said as she giggled at his response, still holding his bowl of cereal.

"I didn't say anything, but that smile on your face sure did," she peeled the rest of her orange, hanging it over the bowl, and dropping it into his breakfast, "Just take her seriously, for your own sake," she patted him on the shoulder as she walked away, turning her head over her shoulder, "And don't miss training tonight!" she shouted as he backed away.

"Wasn't-" Ben backed up a few steps until he bumped into something incredibly solid, he turned and found Superman standing with a disapproving glare, his arms folded over his broad chest, "Planning on it… what's up?" he asked.

"Come with me," Superman commanded boldly, turning around to walk away leaving Ben to give an exasperated sigh, placing his tray down on a nearby table.

"I guess I'll have breakfast later," Ben muttered under his breath, following after the Kryptonian who seemed impatient as he marched out of the cafeteria and down a long corridor.

They passed several heroes, walking and talking as they went about their days, but Superman was too focused on where he was going to notice as he stepped between two costumed heroes, splitting up their conversation. Even those he walked passed could tell that he was unusually upset about something. He approached a metallic door, opening to either side automatically, they entered what appeared to be some sort of conference room, with an oval table and seven open seats for the founding members of the League.

Ben glanced at Diana in an attempt to gauge what was happening off her facial expression but, she just had a somber look on her face, as though she was helpless to influence the situation, "What's going on?" Ben finally asked the question, addressing the elephant in the room.

Superman took his time getting to his chair but, remained standing behind it as he leaned forward and placed his hands flat on the table, "Who are you?" he asked.

Ben narrowed his eyes but was otherwise unfazed, "What kind of question is that?"

"The kind you've refused to answer for months now," Superman responded, meeting glares with the shapeshifter as he questioned his loyalty.

"That's not true, you know every alien I can-"

Superman stood up right, straightening his posture, "That's not what we're talking about," he placed his index and middle finger on the sheets of newspaper sitting on the desk in front of him and pushed them across the flat surface until they were within sight for Ben to read the headline.

"Ben Ten Thousand endorses Lex Luthor for President? I didn't-" he tried to defend himself when he was interrupted by Diana who stood up from her seat.

"This is ridiculous, he's never even met Luthor, the media will print anything!" she practically shouted towards Clark who turned to face her.

"How do you know that? Has he ever really told you anything about himself?" While Clark did take her snag on reporters a bit closer to home considering his long-time girlfriend wrote the article in question, he was also totally unaware of how serious her relationship with him had gotten, not realizing why Diana was defending him so vehemently.

"You're crazy, of course he has!" she responded with a confident tone.

Batman had been unusually quiet thus far considering this argument was about trusting new people and the dark-knight had never been very good with that subject but, he did seem at least slightly concerned as he looked at things logically, "What he means to say is, has Ben ever told you anything about his past with any serious emotional inclination?" he looked up into her eyes sincerely from his composed position sitting in his seat, even through his cowl, she could tell he was serious. It seemed as much as Ben liked to talk about his days as a hero, he never truly said anything about his actual life considering the rest of the team didn't have any objections.

Wonder Woman scoffed with a half-smile, now having the perfect answer for such a question, she prepared her response, "As a matter of fact, I-" midsentence she glanced over at Ben as he just barely shook his head, knowing what she was going to say, and not feeling at all obliged to share, "I… know he's being sincere, he's saved my life several times, actually he saved all of our lives, if you remember."

"Have you used the lasso on him?" Clark asked blatantly, waiting for her response.

"Of course not, because I actually trust him!"

Superman finally pulled out his chair and took a seat slowly at the table, prompting Wonder Woman to calm down herself, taking a breath as she too sat down at her seat once again, "I never said I didn't trust him as a hero, however, when he joined this team-"

"Do me a favor," Ben finally spoke up for the first time since he read the headline of the paper, having now tucked his hands into his pockets nonchalantly, he cut through the conversation reminding them all that they'd called him into this room, "Don't talk about me like I'm not standing right in front of you," they all looked from Ben over to Superman, just to see how he would handle that remark but, sometimes they underestimated just how disciplined the Man of Steel was.

Clark exhaled and turned his head, looking Ben in the eyes, "When you joined this team, you became a part of something bigger, especially considering you're not just another hero off the street… you stepped up in a big way, and none of us can be sure we would still be here if you hadn't intervened. But, in our experience, not everything is always as it seems, you cant expect us to trust you implicitly when we know next to nothing about your life before you met us," Having gotten his initial point across, Superman moved on to the actual reason they were all gathered, "That being said, what you say and what you do in public doesn't just effect you alone anymore, it reflects on the entire team, on all of us. We don't play favorites, we don't sell deodorant on television," as he said that, Wally sitting to his left knew he was being directly referenced and covered the side of his face towards the Man of Steel, "We don't get involved in politics, and we certainly don't endorse super-villains for President."

Ben took a slow step forward in an attempt to defend himself once again, pointing a finger at the Kryptonian, "Hold on, I didn't endorse anybody, I told your girlfriend that none of my villains ever turned good and ran for President, maybe she-"

Clark narrowed his eyes, folding his hands together in front of himself, glaring so hard the rest of the team wasn't entirely sure his pupils wouldn't start heating up, "Be careful how you finish that sentence."

Ben folded his arms over his chest, "-Heard me wrong… why are you so ready to turn me into the bad-guy here?" he questioned, agitated that his intentions were being questioned so roughly over a simple misunderstanding.

Bruce stood up from his seat abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor as his legs pushed it out, "This meeting has derailed completely, Ben," he turned his attention to the shapeshifter, "I think we've made it clear you need to be more open with the League, until we feel you've met that standard, no more public statements without running them passed a founding member first," he walked away from his seat towards the exit, "I have better things to do…" he muttered as the door automatically slid open for him.

Ben looked back to Superman and the other five remaining members who didn't seem to have any objection to his statement, he scoffed, turning around and marching out of the still open door without saying a word.

Diana stood back up, rounding the table to follow him out, "After everything he's done for us, after everything he's been through, how could you of all people be so close minded?" she spoke down to Superman, who hadn't stood from his seat yet, simply staring at the exit as the doors slid closed again.

"If you're privy to some information that would shed light onto why he refuses to explain himself, why would you not share this in his defense?" J'ohn leaned forward, placing his elbows onto the table, and intertwining his fingers as he stared up at the Princess.

"Because it's tragic, and heartbreaking but, more importantly, it's not my secret to tell…" Diana turned around finally, walking out of the room in a hurry-pace, likely in an attempt to catch up to the distraught shapeshifter.

…

"America is a nation of second chances," a well-dressed, middle-aged media host spoke at his desk to the camera, "And no one embodies that concept more than tonight's guest, once viewed as, shall we say, a less-than-admirable member of our society," the camera perspective widened revealing the guest sitting beside him.

"Much less, I'm afraid," Another well-dressed man in a black-suit, completely bald with his hands crossed on the table in front of him, commented from the chair juxtaposed to the talk-show host.

The host continued his segment with a smile, speaking to the audience directly, "Lex Luthor has transformed himself into a respected and admired presidential candidate, and we're delighted to welcome him to The O'Bannon Agenda," a fake, queued-up round of applause followed the name of the show in question which lasted a few seconds before dying down.

"Thank you, Phil. But I'm not here tonight as a campaigner. I'm here to talk about something far bigger than mere politics," Lex spoke with a calm, composed demeanor, and a charismatic smile to match.

"And that would be?" the interviewer replied, looking for him to specify.

Lex kept his smile, gesturing to the host as he spoke, "My newest project: Lexor City. A fully functional urban paradise built for low-income Americans in search of that second chance you were just talking about," using the talking points he was given by his advisors to wrap up his statements in a way that would get him the most positive attention.

Ben stared up at the television mounted to the wall, hanging above the cereal bar where he went to grab yet another bowl, considering he was interrupted earlier, though he was so far too distracted at the coincidence of this interview playing at this exact moment to walk away with his bowl. "Let's be straight here, Lex. There are people out there right now rollin' their eyes. I mean, you've attacked the Justice League more times than I can count. They're sayin' that Lex Luthor hasn't changed, that he can't be trusted… what do you say to them?"

Lex scoffed with a slight chuckle, "Heh. Can't say I blame them. But people can change. Take Hawkgirl, for instance-" as he pointed this out, the host made a snide comment just for the laugh track that automatically followed.

"You take her," he chuckled obnoxiously.

"Now, Phil..." Lex protested with a mock sincerity, waiting a few seconds for the laughter to die down, "My point is, yes, she betrayed the Justice League, yes, as a consequence of her actions, the Thanagarians almost destroyed our planet, but seeing as how the league has welcomed her back into the fold, they've apparently forgiven her and offered her a second chance."

"They have taken a lot of heat for that decision. Maybe they're being naive. Some might say dangerously so…" the host gave Luthor an opportunity to drag the League's decision through the mud, to show that he was just the same person he always was for the sake of ratings, however, he was clearly too smart, not allowing that to trip him up during the interview.

"Or maybe they just want to give her a chance to redeem herself," Lex gave an alternative to the host's suggestion, prompting him to move on to the next question.

Superman had made his way into another room by this point, one of the many lounges for off-duty heroes to rest and mingle among themselves, he was passing a big-screen television when he noticed his long-time rival sitting across from a talk-show host being played in front of a large green couch, "According to this new hero, Ben Ten Thousand, they're giving me the same benefit of the doubt as their former teammate, truly showing just how much they value the American dream. And believe me, I intend to make the most of it. Lexor City is my way of accepting their goodwill and passing it on…" Superman narrowed his eyes, rounding the couch, and taking a seat to watch and listen more closely.

"I hear there's a huge open-house event tomorrow night with all proceeds going to charity," the host responded, likely sponsored to mention the event in the first place.

"That's right, Phil. And I'm hoping Superman will attend. I know how much he loves charities," Lex responded, referring to the many charity-events the Man of Steel hosted in the name of good will, one of which he even met the Flash during.

"Let's talk about your presidential campaign, Lex. A Daily Planet poll of likely voters shows you're only two points behind…" As Ben was watching, he heard a familiar set of high-heeled boots approaching from behind him, he took a breath as he turned around with his bowl of cereal still in hand.

Diana stopped in front of him with an apologetic expression, "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Peachy," Ben responded with a nonchalant smile, using his spoon to push his cereal beneath the milk in his bowl, preferring it to be soggy, "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked in return before shoveling a spoonful into his mouth.

Diana raised a brow, folding her arms over her chest, "Because of what just happened in the conference room? I assumed you'd be at least a little agitated," she followed him as he walked away slowly towards one of the many circular tables behind them.

"What's the big deal? I don't really talk to the press anyways," Ben reasoned, taking his seat, and slowly placing his breakfast down in front of him, "It's fine," he lied. While he'd rather not admit it, it did bother him that he hadn't gained the trust of the founding members, mostly because he thought they'd become pretty close over the last several months. As he looked back on their interactions, he realized he hadn't really been saying anything about himself, instead telling stories about his grand adventures that said nothing about his actual perspective.

"Yea, and I agree with that but, regardless, don't you think you should tell them about why you're so closed off? That would probably solve the issue here as well," Diana leaned her head on her hand with her elbow perched against the table, looking at him as he stared down at his cereal with a vacant expression.

"Maybe…" Ben saw his reflection vaguely in the milk of his cereal, realizing suddenly that after just one bite, he no longer had the appetite to finish his breakfast after all.

…

Later that afternoon, Superman was dealing with a small group of super-powered villains, being sucker-punched in the chest by a seven-foot man going by the name 'Black Mass' knocking the Kryptonian through the air, cracking a brick wall with the impact of his back as he slid down to his feel. Superman caught a downward spike of both the villain's fists clamped together, using the opportunity to deliver a powerful knee strike to the obese man's gut before right-hooking him in the face, sending Black Mass off his feet and through the air.

He wasn't handling them all on his own though, as another masked villain with fists engulfed in orange-flames lunged at Batman who ducked effortlessly beneath his right-swing, landing an uppercut to the shirtless warriors chin sending him reeling back several steps. The dark-knight wielded dual electrified brass-knuckles, cackling with blue sparks of electricity as he moved into an offensive, left-hooking this villain calling himself 'Shatter Fist' in the face following up with a one-two right-left jab combination, each landing with devastating force.

As they continued fighting less than a hundred-feet apart in the middle of a now evacuated city street, it was so casual for them that they didn't mind conversing while they dispatched with the subpar villains, "You were a little hard on Ben, don't you think?" Batman announced with his voice carrying over the echoing thunder of each of Superman's punches.

"I didn't hear you defending him," he responded, dipping his head back to avoid a wild swing from Black Mass before returning with right-straight with just a little more effort on the Kryptonian's part, sending the villain off his feet, into the air, through both sides of a parked moving van, and into a brick wall which collapsed atop him before he could recover, incapacitating him.

"He's an adult, he doesn't need me to defend him," Batman dodged beneath a flaming sideways chop, before sidestepping a downward chop, and taking the moment Shatter Fist recoiled to dropkick the villain through the air, hitting a telephone booth, and shattering the glass with his body halfway through it. "Besides, that's not my M.O, it's yours."

Superman was approaching Batman to stand right next to him when a pearl-white sphere flew passed his head, hitting a turned-over car behind them with enough force to flip it several times through the street, "What do these guys want anyways?" the latter asked as the two heroes noticed two villains sprinting towards them from down the road. One with an electrified crow-bar, and the other wielding some kind of ball-pitching equipment, hurtling projectiles at high speeds it seemed.

"I don't remember, I'm sure they announced it, was it to take over the world or rob banks?" Superman glanced over at the vigilante-hero who didn't respond, instead dodging out of the way of yet another projectile, this one carving a trench in the asphalt as he leaped over it, drop kicking the villain into the side of a car with his full body-weight. His helmeted head went through a windshield. "But, back to Ben, why does nobody else find it as concerning as I do that he hasn't shared one crucial detail about his personal life outside of the obvious?" Superman caught the crow-bar in the palm of his hand without flinching at the volts it was sending into his arm, taking it from the man, and bending it around his arms, pinning them to his side.

Batman came in from the left, right-hooking the enemy in the face once, knocking him out cold as Superman let go of him allowing him to topple forwards onto his face, "He hasn't given us any reason not to, hasn't he earned the benefit of the doubt?"

Superman didn't have an answer prepared and was lucky he didn't need one as someone was suddenly connected through to his communicator, "Superman? Yes? This is Emil Hamilton. J'ohn was kind enough to patch me through," a familiar voice to the Kryptonian came through.

"What is it, professor?" Superman responded, pressing his finger into the ear with he device to hear him more clearly.

"There's something here I think you should see…" his voice sounded urgent and concerned.

…

STAR Labs.

"If it's just a simple robbery, why call us?" Superman asked as the middle-aged man in a lab-coat walked him through the expansive interior of the high-tech laboratory.

"It was anything but simple. They ignored valuables: priceless gems, high-technology artifacts. In fact, the only thing they took was the contents of this safe," Dr. Emil Hamilton led both Batman and Superman across a large room towards a lead-lined chamber embedded into the porcelain-white walls, "Nearly 4 pounds of weapons-grade Kryptonite," pressing a single button on the wall released the lock, opening the vault, and showing the contents of which were empty.

"So?" Batman said, stepping towards the vault to observe it more clearly.

Emil continued, adjusting his glasses as he turned to face both heroes at once, "The lock was nano-picked," he said blatantly.

"LexCorp technology. Then Luthor could've…" Superman began but was interrupted by the caped crusader, pointing out the obvious in hopes that the Man of Steel wouldn't jump to more conclusions.

Batman shook his head, pulling out some sort of handheld sensor, waving it over the vault lock, "Anyone could've, for that matter, planted it here to incriminate Luthor. His tech is all over the black-market these days."

Superman folded his arms across his chest in disbelief, "Come on, you know it was him."

Batman placed the sensor back into his utility belt, glancing back at the lock and narrowing his eyes beneath his cowl, "I'm not so sure… this is pretty sloppy work for Luthor."

"He's the most arrogant human-being alive, he wants us to know it was him," Superman pointed out, using Lex's character as his main source of information.

Batman turned his head, grabbing his chin in deep thought for a moment or two before responding, "Maybe…"

"Maybe?!" Superman repeated in outrage.

The dark knight turned away, heading for the exit without a second thought, his cape flapped behind him as he did so, "I'll head to the Watchtower, see if there's anything the Atom can find that I missed."

Superman followed after him, questioning his sudden lack of faith in his own ability, "Since when do you miss anything?" he asked.

Batman stopped in his tracks, turning to face the Kryptonian with a stoic expression, "Since when do you jump to conclusions without evidence? Or assume the worst of someone whose done nothing but the right thing since you met him?"

"I see what you did there," Superman muttered as the dark-knight turned around once again, pressing a button on his gauntlet which summoned a nearby jet, flying passed the entrance to the facility once before rounding-back to hover down for the dark-knight.

"Go to that charity event tonight. You'll help raise some money and keep an eye on our allusive mister Luthor…" he turned for the final time, approaching his jet, and leaving Clark to sit with what he'd said.

…

Since Ben had arrived in this Universe, there was a large city-sized patch of empty-ground he'd pass as XLR8 from time-to-time; he hadn't noticed due to just how fast he was going that the site was under construction the entire time. Now, in its place, was nearly ten-square-miles of brand-new civilian structures including but not limited to schools, apartment buildings, and hospitals all stacked with state-of-the-art technology. In the center of the new town was a bold 'L' shaped statue made of solid granite where Lex Luthor stood with Superman to his left, and a row of children to his right, surrounded by about two or three dozen reporters and donors to the cause.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lexor City!" he opened his arms towards the audience of people with a charismatic smile, "In just a few short weeks, these children, whose lives have been bleak and troubled, whose parents have been waging a losing war against poverty, will be moving here to our city of tomorrow!" Luthor took a step forward, putting his hand on a nine-year-old boys head, ruffling his hair as he finished his announcement, "Now, go on, you little scamps, have yourselves a ball…" he gestured to one of the brand-new playgrounds complete with a sand-box, slides, and monkey bars; the children didn't hesitate to sprint towards the colorful attraction as soon as they were allowed.

Ben stood leaning against a tree behind the audience, observing from afar, even he could tell that Lex had to be up to something, just off the television program he'd seen earlier. Ben hadn't just defeated evil-aliens in his world, he exposed corrupt politicians and news organizations when he was just a teenager, recalling the likes of Will Harangue and Billy Billions. Ben watched closely as the kids surged the snack-table and playground alike, wondering just what move this guy was going to make tonight.

Lex continued now that the adults were the only ones present, "It's the most ambitious project I've ever been a part of. A fully functional city to house those most in need. Just think of it, ladies and gentlemen, thirty-thousand people who never again have to worry about a roof over their heads, about a safe, clean environment for their children," he paused to fake-choke on tears that he was pretending to shed, Thirty-thousand people… I'm sorry, folks," he apologized as he wiped the false-tear from his cheek, "But this... This is truly the greatest day of my life."

Ben cringed at this as Superman rolled his eyes, speaking to Lex who was still juxtaposed to him, "I never knew you had such a sentimental streak, Lex," he pointed out sarcastically.

"Oh, there's so much about me you don't know, Superman…" Lex muttered away from the microphone with a cocky tone, pulling the mic back up once he was done, "I'd like to thank the Man of Steel for putting aside our differences and lending his prestigious presence to this very special night," a waiter in black and white approached with a silver-dish holding two glasses of champagne, either of them taking one as the waiter walked off.

"Anything for a good cause," Superman raised his glass to the audience.

"To Superman, our hero!" Lex raised his glass as well, prompting the rest of the audience to do the same.

"Our hero!" they all shouted in unison.

As everyone, including Superman, was sipping their drinks, Lex's attractive body-guard approached, whispering something in his ear when Clark wasn't paying attention, "I'll be back in just a moment, don't eat too much!" he joked as he walked away.

This time Superman was certainly paying attention, using his super-hearing to listen in on what Mercy was telling her boss, "he device is in place. T minus six minutes.

"Excellent, make sure my escape route is secure," Ben was watching the entire scene, and his first thought was Clark being lucky he wasn't a poker player, considering the shape-shifter could see he was using his extra-sensory hearing just by the look on his face.

Suddenly, Superman dropped his glass, turning in circles as he stared off in different direction; as he walked around, he didn't bother with people who were actually right in front of them, stepping through conversations as he wildly scanned the area for something specific. The guests mumbled and muttered under their breath about how he seemed to be acting strange, but the gossip didn't last long once he'd found what he was looking for.

"Clear the area immediately! Everybody out! Now!" he shouted, staring at the sand beneath the playground, dashing towards it with a burst of speed.

Ben was done sitting on the sidelines, walking towards the commotion contrasted to the dozens of civilians running opposite to his direction; as he walked, he nonchalantly exploded in a glow of emerald light, emerging as Fourarms who stomped into the sand, approaching the Man of Steel as he tore the aluminum playground equipment out of the ground.

At the same time, Lex sprinted into the sand as fast as he could, if he was faking, Ben had to admit he was an amazing actor; his face screamed that this was just a misunderstanding, "Superman! Stop, please! You don't understand!"

Superman put his hand out, stopping Lex in his tracks as the Kryptonian focused on what was beneath the sand, "Out of my way, Lex, I don't know what's down there, but…"

"So, what's down there?" Fourarms asked, prompting the two to turn to face him, two of his four hands resting on his hips.

Lex stumbled over, gesturing with open arms, practically pleading, "Ben Ten Thousand, thank heavens you're here, he just won't listen!"

Superman didn't give Fourarms a chance to respond, asserting his abilities were infallible, "I have x-ray vision, you don't. There's some sort of device buried beneath us, and I'm shutting it down," he reeled his fist back, his aim headed downwards before Lex interrupted him with a shout.

"No! If you touch it, it could go off!"

"Go off?" Fourarms repeated as a question.

"So, you admit you put a bomb under this city?" Superman responded with a glare.

"Not a bomb… An experimental fusion engine. It'll supply nearly free energy to everyone who lives here," Lex tried to explain but, it was clear to the genius he wasn't winning either of them over with it.

Superman took a step towards the billionaire, putting a finger against his chest slightly aggressively, "Then why the lead shielding?" he questioned.

"Lead shielding?" Fourarms repeated as a question, once again.

"It's for your protection, Superman; the engine creates energy through controlled fusion of kryptonite molecules…"

This seemed to only upset the Man of Steel even more, "And why didn't you tell me this?"

"Maybe… Maybe I was afraid you wouldn't believe me…" he looked down to his ten-thousand-dollar shoes with a shameful expression.

"Oh, like anyone is buying that…" Fourarms folded his top-two arms over his broadened chest.

"So? Help me dig this thing up," Superman suggested, cocking back his fist once more to aim it at the ground, prepared to strike the sand with enough force to punch a hole straight into the sewers below, however, before he could, Fourarms put an arm around his, having noticed the many on-lookers, reporters, and cameras aimed at them while the Kryptonian clearly hadn't, or didn't care.

"Not a good idea, let me transform into Upgrade or Greymatter and make sure it is what we think it is, before we make a sce-" Fourarms was interrupted by Superman shouting out of frustration and impatience which had been brewing all day.

"We don't have time for this!" Superman used his superior strength to swing the four-hundred-pound Tetramand off him with one back hand. Fourarms flew back-first through the air, slamming into a statue of Lex holding hands with a child and pointing into the sky inspirationally. His body shattered the stone monument to the billionaires ego, hitting the ground, digging a short trench with his back.

"Alright, that's it, no more mister nice-alien," Fourarms transformed into Chromastone in an explosion of emerald energy, taking off into a hypersonic flight towards the hero, used his momentum while grabbing Superman's long crimson-cape, using them both to spin rapidly in place before releasing the Kryptonian as a projectile into the sky, away from the ground he was prepared to strike.

Under the eerie glow of the full moon, Chromastone's purple-crystal body radiated with prismatic energy as he took off after the Man of Steel, leaving a glittering trail of energy in his wake. Superman recovered in the air, flipping backwards to get his opponent in front of him, he swooped back at him at three-times the speed-of-sound. Superman wasn't expecting the force from his punch to barely faze the shapeshifter who only floated back a few feet; his body absorbed even the kinetic energy of his physical blows, converting it into radiant ultraviolet energy which formed into a beam striking Superman in the chest, knocking him back further into the atmosphere above the city.

Chromastone's rainbow-cascaded aura exploded around him as a shockwave erupted through the sky from his flight speed, taking off upwards with his fist reeled back. Superman was still much faster than the Crystalsapien, preparing himself with the proper angle, and his own fist cocked back, as they closed in on each other at incredible speeds.

Their fists clashed and the subsequent resulting shockwave exploded omnidirectionally through the air from nearly five-hundred-feet up, barely above the tallest apartment complex. Every single window for a quarter-mile shattered from the thunderous reverberations of their blows. They felt as though they could let loose just a bit on each other considering the city-buildings below were completely empty, and it was all built by a villain they both knew had ulterior motives.

Chromastone was sent flying backwards, towards the ground, where his body plowed through the entrance of an unopened bank, tearing the doors from the doorframe as he slammed back-first into a steel vault which dented from the impact. Superman recovered in the meantime, floating back down to the ground where smoke drifted through the air from the destruction. Through the smoke, an emerald explosion radiated as Superman somehow failed to see an oncoming object, a giant steel-vault was torn from inside the bank, shattering support pillars as well as most of the entrance when a figure lobbed it from within.

The vault struck Superman head-on, as it took him with it, landing hundreds of feet away with a metallic scraping against the ground, an unfamiliar figure emerged from the smoke. Never before seen in this reality, a humanoid alien with a tall and robust build, radiating raw emerald-nuclear energy. His entire body was composed of a pale-white, metallic-armor, and he had a greenish-white glow emanating from within, highlighting his nuclear nature. His face had defined, angular features which give him a serious and intense appearance despite having little expression on the faceplate of his armor. His eyes were bright green, glowing with the same energy coursing through his torso and arms, representing the flow of nuclear energy within him. He had large, heavy gauntlets on each arm, which were black with neon-emerald lines that pulsated with his energy levels.

Superman lifted the vault off himself effortlessly, tossing it aside, before spotting his glowing-opponent from nearly a block away; he hadn't ever seen this transformation but, based on its appearance, he had to assume it was the one he dubbed 'Atomix' in the files he submitted to Batman, one of Ben's most powerful transformations, supposedly stronger than Way Big.

As Atomix, Ben exuded a glowing aura of neon emerald-green and bright-yellow energy, his nuclear power palpable in the air yet, controlled enough to not be felt by a single bystander who were all only standing a few hundred feet away. Superman, confident and calm, hovered a foot off the ground, scanning Ben for any signs of weakness in his armored body. Atomix was nonchalantly strutting towards the Kryptonian at first but, quickly picked up speed as he soon began sprinting, each step cracking the cement. Superman narrowed his eyes, dashing in a blur of blue and red towards the white-nuclear-knight with his right first extended; Atomix reeled his fist back as the gauntlet around his right-hand began surging with emerald-light signifying an energy buildup.

Atomix and Superman connected punches once again, erupting in another omni-directional shockwave that shattered and cratered the ground around them; a nearby fountain fell-apart from the street being shredded beneath it. This time it seemed Superman had won their exchange, as Atomix landed on his back near the playground, the Kryptonian was uninjured, diving in from above to plow right through the ground with the shapeshifter in tow. Atomix wouldn't just allow this to happen though, once the Man of Steel was only a few precious feet from striking him, the nuclear-man unleashed a light-speed emerald energy-beam, shooting into the sky, and taking Superman with it.

Atomix recovered slowly at first but, regained his second-wind quickly enough; he bent his legs for a second before taking off straight into the sky at lightning speeds, towards the still reeling Kryptonian above the buildings. Atomix flew in landing a left-right hook combination to Superman's face as he groaned and grunted with every concussive blow that struck him; he finished off his assault with a devastating left-hook, sending Superman careening through the roof of an empty apartment complex, shredding the stone, brick, and steel rebar with his body as he tore an entire corner of the building right off. Atomix flew down towards where Superman was due to impact the ground, intending to continue while the Man of Steel was still recovering, however; midflight the Kryptonian turned and landed a haymaker into the alien's torso, sending him through the air, hitting the side of a juxtaposed tower.

Superman dashed through the hole made with his body, slamming Atomix with a right-hook which sent a clap of thunder through the air, followed by a left-straight with the same resulting shockwave, with his third attempt, Atomix caught the Kryptonian's fist in the palm of his hand even as they flew through wall after wall, barely feeling it. The nucleokinetic warrior took this opportunity to strike Superman in the gut with a nuclear uppercut; this was no ordinary punch, considering it channeled the force of a small hydrogen-bomb into just that single point on Superman's body. The resulting shockwave completely annihilated the supports for the building they were in all at once, bringing the structure down on top of them both. From the smoke of the debris as the building was still midfall, Superman came hurtling out towards the sand-box where the fight began. He struck a lamppost before hitting the ground ten-feet from the demolished playground equipment.

Superman was getting to his feet slowly, whipping a bit of blood from his lower-lip, he wasn't sure how much longer he could actually fight Ben while still holding back, considering the Man of Steel was far too afraid of his own strength to ever go passed eighty-percent. Before he knew what hit him, Atomix right-hooked him into, and through the ground, slamming through a series of pipes, landing on a service platform that just barely supported him. The nuclear alien followed suit, coming down with a fist cocked back but wasn't expecting Superman to lean onto his upper back, meeting Atomix's chin with both feet before his fist met Clark's chest.

Atomix landed on his feet, stumbling back a step or two but, otherwise was unfazed by the blow as Superman came back in swinging, striking the white-knight across the face several times, their thunderous collisions heard even through the damp-darkness of the maintenance access tunnel. After being hit so many times in the head that Ben wasn't sure how much longer he'd stay conscious, Atomix managed to dip his bulky form out of the way of a haymaker, using the opportunity to put the Kryptonian in a full-nelson.

"Calm down!" Atomix ordered as Superman continued to struggle against his formidable strength, "I know Lex is up to something but, this is exactly what he wants! You're giving him what he wants!" shouting this didn't help, the Kryptonian had his sights set on the bomb or generator which was only fifty-feet away along the same platform they were standing on. Superman continued to pull against him, his eyes beginning to glow with hot-crimson light, "I got my wife killed and then murdered the man who did it!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, lucky to be secluded in the depths of the sewers where nobody could really hear them.

Superman exhaled loudly, ceasing his insistent struggling, he processed what the shapeshifter had just said for a few seconds after noticing the counter on the bomb still had over a minute left on it either way. Atomix released Clark from the full-nelson he was in, stepping back as he exploded in another emerald explosion, returning to his human form, "I had a wife, a team, a family… and then I lost it all because I made a stupid mistake. I didn't have a League of heroes almost as strong or capable as I was on my world, so… there was nobody else to blame. I swore I wouldn't let anyone get close to me like that again because, when I'm distracted people die. I spent the last ten years like that. I'm trying to change and, maybe this is where I start…" Ben gulped, blinking at the Man of Steel as he took deep exasperated breaths.

Superman turned around to face him, huffing a long exhale as he wiped another trickle of blood from his chin, tasting the iron in his mouth, "Next time, just say that…" he responded with a half-smile.

Ben left his hand out as a gesture for Superman to shake it, putting their differences behind them as they clasped palms, "Wanna destroy it?" Ben asked as he was facing the device.

Superman turned around, noticing they had thirty-seconds left on the countdown, "No, wait… turn into something and figure out what it is."

"Roger," Ben stepped forward, transforming in a flash of green light which illuminated the tunnel briefly, Upgrade emerged from the glow, forming a long trail of symbiotic-goop as he flew through the air, coating the complex-device with his semi-liquid body. He merged with it as the device became bigger, and even more complex looking, however the countdown did stop, "Disarmed," Upgrade announced in Ben's own voice only sounding as though it came through a speaker, "And it looks like it's exactly what Lex said it was, and that makes sense," Upgrade separated himself from the device, reforming on the ground next to Superman before transforming back into his human form, "Lex wouldn't risk all his money and influence just to blow up a bunch of kids at a playground, he doesn't seem insane enough for that."

Superman caressed his chin in pensive thought, "You make a good point, Batman pointed out that the Kryptonite stolen from STAR labs this afternoon wasn't done with Lex's usual efficiency, he could have done it that way on purpose but, what for?"

Ben narrowed his eyes, looking back at Superman with a glare that wasn't meant for him, "I dunno but, two Justice League members just annihilated half a city fighting each other for no reason… in front of everyone," as he pointed this out, Superman's eyes widened, suddenly out of the heat of battle, he realized what he'd just done in its entirety.

"I'm such an idiot, I played right into his hands…"

Suddenly, a familiar voice announced itself from the shadows, "Not just his…" Batman clarified.

While Ben was quite surprised to see the dark-knight here without having noticed him, not even processing what he'd said, "How did you get in here?" he asked but was ignored.

"They set you up, Clark," Batman followed up, looking to his long-time friend with a grave expression that, even beneath his cowl, showed a dark sucipison.

Superman shook his head in shame, "Does it even matter, I-" he paused, looking the vigilante in the eyes, "Wait, who's they?"

…

LexCorp Tower

After escaping the melee carnage of the battle in the newly founded and quickly demolished city, Lex made a quick statement about paying for all damages and feeling to blame for not making himself clearer about free-energy to the press, who ate it up, unfortunately Lois Lane wasn't in attendance that night.

Later that same evening, Lex stood in one of his private offices forty-stories above the ground, looking out the window at the gleaming city light below, "The plan worked better than I'd hoped!" he announced with enthusiasm to the only other person in the room, "All I wanted was for Superman to destroy the energy source, but battling Ben Ten Thousand?" Lex grabbed a nearby bottle of champagne from a bucket of ice sitting on his wooden desk, popping the quark as he spoke, "Demolishing Lexor City while those media morons filmed every horrific moment? It was more than I ever could have hoped for!" as the foam from the bottle spilled over his fingers, he waited to set up two flutes where he poured them both half full. "Everything's going according to plan," he stated confidently, taking the second glass, and handing it to a woman sitting in the darkness.

As she reached for her glass, she leaned forwards taking it, revealing herself as a portly, middle-aged, black woman who went by the name Amanda Waller, "And we're just getting started," she responded, clinking her glass with Lex's before they took a sip.

…

Wow, that was fast. Even I wasn't expecting an upload so soon… and im the writer!

The next few chapters are going to be out of order with the episodes in the series, i might do Darkheart followed by Fearful Symmetry or Once and a Future Thing... havent decided.

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