Metropolis
The concussive wall of energy radiating out from the centre of the plaza outside the Daily Planet sent the SWAT vans flying, the crews inside boiling alive. Standing at the origin point of the blast, the figure in yellow armour fired off a few energy blasts towards the crowd. Before the blasts could hit a red and blue blur intercepted the discharge, before slamming the villain into the ground.
“So glad you could join the party, Superman,” the villain hissed, as he fired off another radial blast that pushed his attacker back. “I was beginning to think that you had better things to do then come and see me.”
“When people are in danger, nothing is more important, Neutron,” Superman replied, as Neutron got to his feet, his hands glowing with yellow energy.
“And yet you chose to fight me here.” Neutron hissed as he opened fire, the blasts of energy striking Superman but doing little to faze him now that he was prepared for the assault. “I mean I’m virtually a living nuclear reactor and you fight me in downtown metropolis.” He snickered before firing off another blasts as Superman walked towards him, the radiation seemingly having no effect on him. Reaching Neutron, Superman withstood the last blast and went for a punch, only for Neutron to meet his blow with his own, his armour plating cracking from the blow.
“Give it up, Neutron, we’ve done this before. Your armour cracks, I cool you down and send you to a lead cell at the Slab,” Superman stated as he looked at the searing flesh on his knuckles, and the radiation leaking out of the cracks in Neutron’s armour.
“Perhaps, but I have a different outcome in mind!” Neutron hissed as his intact gauntlet glowed red and he blasted Superman at close range. “See, I heard something last time I was in the Slab about how you don’t do very well with red sun radiation.”
Superman got to his feet, only to be blasted by another beam of simulated red sun energy. “How does it feel to be powerless?” he mocked as Superman flew at him and delivered a forceful uppercut to Neutron’s torso, sending him flailing upwards.
“You’re information is a little outdated,” Superman stated as Neutron rotated in the air and fired another blast, before grabbing his opponent by his cape and swung him towards the massive globe in the centre of the plaza. Hitting the globe, the Man of Steel shuddered but recovered quickly and flew towards Neutron, as the villain landed and fired a salvo of radiation blasts at his target, a number of them leaving burning welts on his body.
“Oh, they said it would take some time!” Neutron replied as he sidestepped Superman and delivered a flooring punch to the Man of Steel’s back, sending him crashing into the concrete. “How long before you run out of steam, boy scout? Five minutes, two? Maybe you’re already out!”
“Not yet!” Superman replied as he flipped round and kicked Neutron away before taking a deep breath and exhaled a stream of super-chilled air at the villain, ice forming on the external surfaces of the super criminals armour.
“Maybe, but you’re weakening,” Neutron hissed as his armour glowed and the ice melted off his suit, before he fired another swift blast of red sun radiation at Superman as he struggled to his feet. “You’ve brought this on yourself, Kryptonian, you and your friends have been crowing on this paradigm shift in justice that’s coming, well now we have a paradigm shift in our relationship, one that will end in me dumping your corpse outside the Hall of Justice!” He hissed as Superman got to his feet again, only to be floored by another blast of red sun radiation.
“You’re not the first person to threaten that, Neutron,” Superman groaned as he got to his feet and stumbled towards Neutron, only for the villain to land a searing punch to his chest. With great effort the Man of Steel retaliated by grabbing the criminals arm, and delivering a punch to Neutron’s face with just enough force to crack the reinforced plastic of his visor. With a hissing grunt Neutron blasted him away with enough force to throw him across the plaza.
“But I will be the last!” Neutron replied, as he walked across the plaza, a collapsible baton jutting out of his gauntlet, a gleaming blade of energy enveloping the rod, sparks spitting out and searing the concrete. Getting to his feet, Superman balled his fist ready for a fight, only to be blasted with another beam of red sun radiation before being kicked onto his back, Neutron’s searing boot pressed on his chest, the pressure forcing a puff of super chilled air escaping his lips and causing condensation to form on Neutron’s armour for a few seconds before evaporating. Raising his blade ready to strike through the Man of Steel’s neck.
“Nothing will save you now.” He plunged the blade down, only for his victim to reach up and block the blade with his hand and despite his powers draining with every breath he took, Neutron was not surprised at the incredible strength the Man of Steel had left to muster.
“I admire your determination,” Neutron hissed in a cold empty voice devoid of the usual buzz that accompanied his speech. “But eventually determination is never enough.”
“No…” Superman grunted, “…but friends are.” He wheezed as a gleaming thunderbolt of red, blue and gold smashed into Neutron and threw him across the plaza. “I’m glad you came, Diana,” he added, as the streak landed, and revealed itself to be a tall beautiful woman with ebony locks dressed in a golden Hellenic armour with red accents, a blue leather pteruges wrapped round her waist and beneath that a pair of greaves that encased her legs from her feet up to above her knees.
“What was I meant to let you have all the fun, Kal?” His rescuer asked as she unsheathed the broad-sword slung across her back as Neutron got to his feet, the rod that had supported his own blade sparking and broken. “Who is this guy and how much do you want me to hurt him?”
“The name is Neutron, Wonder Woman. I was keeping this between me and the alien, but if you want to stay then I’ll pay you the same courtesy as him!” Neutron spat as he fired off a beam or radioactive energy at Wonder Woman. Crossing her arms, Diana absorbed the attack, the radiation sparking off the gauntlets she wore. Hissing and spitting, Neutron increased the output of his attack, the floor around him beginning to melt.
“Diana, we need to end this,” Superman groaned as he shakily got back to his feet. “There’s a lead works on the edge of the city, ever since Neutron started turning up the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit has maintained a heavy water reservoir on site. Take him there.”
“Not this time, Man of Steel, Neutron growled as he ceased fire and fired off a radial pulse of energy that knocked both his super-powered adversaries off their feet. “This time tomorrow, Metropolis will be the American Chernobyl!” he snarled as his suit exploded open and a humanoid figure formed of glowing gold energy stepped out, the air igniting around him. “You’ve beaten me down, Superman, locked me away even drowned me to drain my powers but each time I come back. But now…now I kill you and everyone else in this city!”
He began to glow brighter, white electrical sparks chaining up his body before with a pop, Neutron imploded in on himself until there was nothing left of him other than the broken containment suit.
“That’s never how it ends,” Superman stated, breaking the silence as he walked over to Neutron’s discarded shell. “While he can’t survive outside his shell, he shouldn’t have faded that quickly. In his current state Neutron is too dangerous to leave uncaptured.”
“And you’re in no state to chase him,” Diana replied. “Kal, you were lucky I arrived in time.”
“You’re right. Neutron was better prepared than I thought to face me, but that trick only works once. He’s shown his hand, next time I’ll be ready for it. And I should be ready to go in a few minutes.”
“It may be wise to bring in some of the others in to hunt for Neutron,” Diana suggested before picking up the discarded hazmat suit of the aforementioned villain and shot off into the sky. “If your bruised ego can handle it that is.”
“Very funny. I need to check something before we leave.” Superman sighed as he walked over to the point where Neutron have vanished. Bending down he looked at the residual white sparks dancing over the melted concrete of the plaza. “You didn’t simply dissipate did you?” he whispered as he ran his hands over the sparks. “You were taken, but by who?”
# # # # #
Undisclosed Location
Pain gripped Neutron as his body exploded outwards from a single atom until his entire body had reconstituted in the empty room, the grey hexagonal tiles on the floor and walls slanted slightly, almost as if the builder of the room was skilled enough to build a house, but not skilled enough to get it to stand up straight. His plan to turn Metropolis into a radioactive wasteland had failed spectacularly. Not only was at least one building still intact, if the interior he was currently in was in fact in Metropolis, but standing before him was one of his old containment suits. Staggering forward he ran his hands along the front of the shell before finding a crack to winkle his energy form in to. While stronger in his energy form, his lifespan was finite and terribly short, in his shell he could last for as long as there was a steady stream of radiation for him to feed on.
“Mr Tyron, I presume,” a voice called from the corner of the room. Turning Neutron saw a door open and a hooded figure with a hunched back walked into the chamber, his dragging footfalls accompanied by the click of his cane. “Your host and my master is waiting for you.”
“Where am I?” Neutron asked as he advanced on the hunchback and towered over him. “Why did you take me just as I achieved victory?”
“Where is complicate,” the hunchback stated, a simple smile spreading across his face as he took one of Neutron’s hands and led him through the door into a grand chamber. “You are no longer on Earth, that much I can tell you.” He struggled down the steps and traipsed across the pale wood flooring to a grand table facing a massive computer screen. Like the room they had just come from, this grander hall was crooked, but is was somehow less noticeable, even with the furnishings that should have given it away. “As for why you are here, that is easier to explain, but that is for the master to explain to you and the others.”
“Others?” Neutron asked as he was invited to sit on one of the chairs at the table.
“Yes, the other,” the hunchback stated as multiple doors along the back wall opened and seven other people walked into the grand hall. Neutron recognised some of them either from his time at the Slab or from news reports, the others were unknowns to him, but they all appeared worried as they took their seats at the table. “Now everyone is here, I will summon the master. It is important that you address him as ‘the Titan’ you are of course his guests, while I am merely his servant,” the hunchback ordered as he lopped back up the stairs and through one of the doors leaving the eight seated figures at the table alone.
Looking round at the other guests, Neutron’s mind went back to the gang initiations he’d overseen back at Rykers before he’d got his powers, they had been brutal no holds barred brawls that didn’t end until someone was dead. Was this what was happening now? The group was quite eclectic, and almost everyone’s eyes were drawn to the massive olive green skinned figure sitting at the end of the table. He was humanoid, but only just, the reptilian skin and double row of spines running down his back gave it a lizard like look, it was only when he smiled that Neutron’s thoughts went to a crocodile or an alligator.
Sitting next to him was a far more human figure, one dressed like a greaser from the 50s with a leather jacket and slicked hair. Staring back the man’s face began to bubble and glowing red veins emerged up and down his arms, solid black tears running down his cheeks until he shook himself and his normal features returned. Everyone else seemed focus on this sudden change in appearance, but Neutron forced his attention on to the next person along, a woman with tanned skin and long flowing brown skin dressed in a green jumpsuit. While outwardly beautiful, there was something terrible about her, something not quite human, something made all the more worse when she spotted him looked at her, it was almost if her dark eyes could see every crack and seem in his shell.
Turning away from her, Neutron looked at the man next to him, but ultimately felt there was nothing special to see there. At average height and build and wearing a black mask with a white ring on it that matched the black trench coat, shirt and trousers he wore, he looked little more than a common burglar. The woman sitting on the other end of the table likewise didn’t look like she had put that much trouble into her costume, represented by a red ballgown and attached cape, her left eye covered in an operatic mask. As he stared something caused a chill to go down Neutron’s back, something was terribly wrong with this woman but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Coughing, even though he really had no lungs to breathe with, Neutron moved his eyes onto the armoured figure sitting next to the lady in red. Fortunately the man’s glowing blue eyes were elsewhere giving Neutron the time to analyse the pipes looping out of his back, and into the gauntlets he wore. The whole suit had a red and black design, and for some reason that Neutron couldn’t put his finger on, he was sure he’d seen it before. Finally he turned to face the woman sitting next to him, her face half covered with a helmet, although the red bodysuit she wore left nothing to the imagination.
Eventually the silence grew stagnant and the humanoid crocodile spoke, his Cajun accented voice seemingly fitting for his appearance. “So anyone else ready to leave? This Titan fellow ain’t coming, that much is clear.”
“Impatience will get you nowhere, Mr Jones,” a voice masked by computer software announced from the wall with the TV screen. Turning the assorted villains watched as static filled the screen, before coalescing into a humanoid head and shoulders, a rent where the figure’s left eye should be cut into an otherwise blank face. “I must apologise for meeting you in person, but I am otherwise occupied in my…our preparations for the future.”
“Ours? Why have you called us here?” the woman in the bodysuit asked.
“Simple, because you all share a common enemy,” The ‘Titan’ on the screen stated. “Or rather your enemies share a common bond in the form of the Justice League.” When he finished the room erupted in groans as everyone present figured out why they were here.
“Why would it work this time?” the armoured figure with the tubes asked. “Plenty have tried this ‘team-up’ bullshit before and it doesn’t work. In fact every time the Justice League beats whatever ‘Society’ or ‘Gang’ that forms to defeat them their approval ratings spike.”
“The usual reasons for banding together don’t apply here. This isn’t simply because we want revenge or prestige or the hundred other reasons a Legion such as this would form,” the ‘Titan’ replied. “In days there will be a paradigm shift in crime, one that mirrors the one that the Justice League is planning to introduce.”
“You mean that spiel they keep mentioning on TV?” the greaser asked as more black tears ran down his face. “They say that every time they introduce a new member, and it’s never been world-shattering before.”
“This time it will be,” The ‘Titan’ told him. “The League has a timetable and an agenda. Their current project is Operation Watchtower, a change in how they recruit heroes, closer cooperation with law enforcement and the construction of a rapid transit system. The usual restrictions to who and what turns up to your bank robbery or assassination attempts is about to change.”
“So we’ll go international, the League has little power outside the United States,” the greaser replied. “No reason why we can’t set up shop in Mexico or Kuwait or anyone one of the other countries out there.”
“The system will be international,” the ‘Titan’ replied calmly, his words accompanied by groans and sighs. “At first it will be restricted to North America and Europe as well as some parts of Africa and Asia, but in three years it will likely be truly international. There may even by a Justice League Antarctica and embassies in Atlantis and every other little kingdom that’s outside the Leagues usual scope of vision.”
“And how do you know this?” the Cajun Crocodile Man hissed. “We’re just to take the words of someone on a fuzzy screen who abducts us off the streets?”
“No, I expect you to take the word of the man who brought it to me,” the ‘Titan’ announced as a section of the table slid away and a helmet that looked like one worn by a knight from the depths of the past, albeit a knight with a pair of hybrid tactical light/antenna structure strapped to each cheek. “I assume you’ve all heard of Prometheus and his exploits against the Justice League?”
“Yeah, he was the last person to cause lasting damage to the League.” Neutron stated as he looked at the scaring and pitting to the helmet. “Just a shame that the Green Arrow executed him in broad daylight just over a year ago.”
“Indeed.” A map appeared on the screen next to the ‘Titan”. “Prometheus hid files about the Justice League’s agenda, their planned mass extinction of super-crime that starts and ends with Operation Watchtower.” He added calmly. “This is the League’s projections of their expansions. In a year, over forty counties will be hosting annexes to the Hall of Justice and an estimated sixty heroes will be full or part time members.” As he finished the sound of sarcastic clapping filled the hall, causing the villains all to look at the man dressed in black, who disturbingly seemed to be making the sound with his tongue rather than his unmoving hands.
“This for real?” the woman with the helmet asked.
“Yes, Mayfly. Imagine that instead of just Wonder Woman you have three more heroes thwarting your assassination attempt, or you, Killer Croc, that Batman and Robin are joined by Superman when you rob your next bank. Our friend Neutron here has already faced down both Wonder Woman and Superman today. What if they were joined by the Flash or Hawkman or any other the others looking to be a hero?” the ‘Titan’ announced. “The same goes for any of us; be they a powerful magic user like the Red Witch, an unstoppable meta-human like Tarpit, a warrior from the stars like Fatality whose skills are unmatched or even those of us who stay close to the street like Mister Twister or Onomatopoeia. In three days, your lives, everyone’s lives become very difficult if not impossible.”
“So this is what our little meeting is about,” Neutron spat, bitterness about being reminded about his defeat earlier today evident by his tone. “Conservation.”
“In a sense, we’ve all just been placed on the endangered species list,” the ‘Titan’ replied. “Now which of you wants to save our future?”
TO BE CONTINUED
The concussive wall of energy radiating out from the centre of the plaza outside the Daily Planet sent the SWAT vans flying, the crews inside boiling alive. Standing at the origin point of the blast, the figure in yellow armour fired off a few energy blasts towards the crowd. Before the blasts could hit a red and blue blur intercepted the discharge, before slamming the villain into the ground.
“So glad you could join the party, Superman,” the villain hissed, as he fired off another radial blast that pushed his attacker back. “I was beginning to think that you had better things to do then come and see me.”
“When people are in danger, nothing is more important, Neutron,” Superman replied, as Neutron got to his feet, his hands glowing with yellow energy.
“And yet you chose to fight me here.” Neutron hissed as he opened fire, the blasts of energy striking Superman but doing little to faze him now that he was prepared for the assault. “I mean I’m virtually a living nuclear reactor and you fight me in downtown metropolis.” He snickered before firing off another blasts as Superman walked towards him, the radiation seemingly having no effect on him. Reaching Neutron, Superman withstood the last blast and went for a punch, only for Neutron to meet his blow with his own, his armour plating cracking from the blow.
“Give it up, Neutron, we’ve done this before. Your armour cracks, I cool you down and send you to a lead cell at the Slab,” Superman stated as he looked at the searing flesh on his knuckles, and the radiation leaking out of the cracks in Neutron’s armour.
“Perhaps, but I have a different outcome in mind!” Neutron hissed as his intact gauntlet glowed red and he blasted Superman at close range. “See, I heard something last time I was in the Slab about how you don’t do very well with red sun radiation.”
Superman got to his feet, only to be blasted by another beam of simulated red sun energy. “How does it feel to be powerless?” he mocked as Superman flew at him and delivered a forceful uppercut to Neutron’s torso, sending him flailing upwards.
“You’re information is a little outdated,” Superman stated as Neutron rotated in the air and fired another blast, before grabbing his opponent by his cape and swung him towards the massive globe in the centre of the plaza. Hitting the globe, the Man of Steel shuddered but recovered quickly and flew towards Neutron, as the villain landed and fired a salvo of radiation blasts at his target, a number of them leaving burning welts on his body.
“Oh, they said it would take some time!” Neutron replied as he sidestepped Superman and delivered a flooring punch to the Man of Steel’s back, sending him crashing into the concrete. “How long before you run out of steam, boy scout? Five minutes, two? Maybe you’re already out!”
“Not yet!” Superman replied as he flipped round and kicked Neutron away before taking a deep breath and exhaled a stream of super-chilled air at the villain, ice forming on the external surfaces of the super criminals armour.
“Maybe, but you’re weakening,” Neutron hissed as his armour glowed and the ice melted off his suit, before he fired another swift blast of red sun radiation at Superman as he struggled to his feet. “You’ve brought this on yourself, Kryptonian, you and your friends have been crowing on this paradigm shift in justice that’s coming, well now we have a paradigm shift in our relationship, one that will end in me dumping your corpse outside the Hall of Justice!” He hissed as Superman got to his feet again, only to be floored by another blast of red sun radiation.
“You’re not the first person to threaten that, Neutron,” Superman groaned as he got to his feet and stumbled towards Neutron, only for the villain to land a searing punch to his chest. With great effort the Man of Steel retaliated by grabbing the criminals arm, and delivering a punch to Neutron’s face with just enough force to crack the reinforced plastic of his visor. With a hissing grunt Neutron blasted him away with enough force to throw him across the plaza.
“But I will be the last!” Neutron replied, as he walked across the plaza, a collapsible baton jutting out of his gauntlet, a gleaming blade of energy enveloping the rod, sparks spitting out and searing the concrete. Getting to his feet, Superman balled his fist ready for a fight, only to be blasted with another beam of red sun radiation before being kicked onto his back, Neutron’s searing boot pressed on his chest, the pressure forcing a puff of super chilled air escaping his lips and causing condensation to form on Neutron’s armour for a few seconds before evaporating. Raising his blade ready to strike through the Man of Steel’s neck.
“Nothing will save you now.” He plunged the blade down, only for his victim to reach up and block the blade with his hand and despite his powers draining with every breath he took, Neutron was not surprised at the incredible strength the Man of Steel had left to muster.
“I admire your determination,” Neutron hissed in a cold empty voice devoid of the usual buzz that accompanied his speech. “But eventually determination is never enough.”
“No…” Superman grunted, “…but friends are.” He wheezed as a gleaming thunderbolt of red, blue and gold smashed into Neutron and threw him across the plaza. “I’m glad you came, Diana,” he added, as the streak landed, and revealed itself to be a tall beautiful woman with ebony locks dressed in a golden Hellenic armour with red accents, a blue leather pteruges wrapped round her waist and beneath that a pair of greaves that encased her legs from her feet up to above her knees.
“What was I meant to let you have all the fun, Kal?” His rescuer asked as she unsheathed the broad-sword slung across her back as Neutron got to his feet, the rod that had supported his own blade sparking and broken. “Who is this guy and how much do you want me to hurt him?”
“The name is Neutron, Wonder Woman. I was keeping this between me and the alien, but if you want to stay then I’ll pay you the same courtesy as him!” Neutron spat as he fired off a beam or radioactive energy at Wonder Woman. Crossing her arms, Diana absorbed the attack, the radiation sparking off the gauntlets she wore. Hissing and spitting, Neutron increased the output of his attack, the floor around him beginning to melt.
“Diana, we need to end this,” Superman groaned as he shakily got back to his feet. “There’s a lead works on the edge of the city, ever since Neutron started turning up the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit has maintained a heavy water reservoir on site. Take him there.”
“Not this time, Man of Steel, Neutron growled as he ceased fire and fired off a radial pulse of energy that knocked both his super-powered adversaries off their feet. “This time tomorrow, Metropolis will be the American Chernobyl!” he snarled as his suit exploded open and a humanoid figure formed of glowing gold energy stepped out, the air igniting around him. “You’ve beaten me down, Superman, locked me away even drowned me to drain my powers but each time I come back. But now…now I kill you and everyone else in this city!”
He began to glow brighter, white electrical sparks chaining up his body before with a pop, Neutron imploded in on himself until there was nothing left of him other than the broken containment suit.
“That’s never how it ends,” Superman stated, breaking the silence as he walked over to Neutron’s discarded shell. “While he can’t survive outside his shell, he shouldn’t have faded that quickly. In his current state Neutron is too dangerous to leave uncaptured.”
“And you’re in no state to chase him,” Diana replied. “Kal, you were lucky I arrived in time.”
“You’re right. Neutron was better prepared than I thought to face me, but that trick only works once. He’s shown his hand, next time I’ll be ready for it. And I should be ready to go in a few minutes.”
“It may be wise to bring in some of the others in to hunt for Neutron,” Diana suggested before picking up the discarded hazmat suit of the aforementioned villain and shot off into the sky. “If your bruised ego can handle it that is.”
“Very funny. I need to check something before we leave.” Superman sighed as he walked over to the point where Neutron have vanished. Bending down he looked at the residual white sparks dancing over the melted concrete of the plaza. “You didn’t simply dissipate did you?” he whispered as he ran his hands over the sparks. “You were taken, but by who?”
# # # # #
Undisclosed Location
Pain gripped Neutron as his body exploded outwards from a single atom until his entire body had reconstituted in the empty room, the grey hexagonal tiles on the floor and walls slanted slightly, almost as if the builder of the room was skilled enough to build a house, but not skilled enough to get it to stand up straight. His plan to turn Metropolis into a radioactive wasteland had failed spectacularly. Not only was at least one building still intact, if the interior he was currently in was in fact in Metropolis, but standing before him was one of his old containment suits. Staggering forward he ran his hands along the front of the shell before finding a crack to winkle his energy form in to. While stronger in his energy form, his lifespan was finite and terribly short, in his shell he could last for as long as there was a steady stream of radiation for him to feed on.
“Mr Tyron, I presume,” a voice called from the corner of the room. Turning Neutron saw a door open and a hooded figure with a hunched back walked into the chamber, his dragging footfalls accompanied by the click of his cane. “Your host and my master is waiting for you.”
“Where am I?” Neutron asked as he advanced on the hunchback and towered over him. “Why did you take me just as I achieved victory?”
“Where is complicate,” the hunchback stated, a simple smile spreading across his face as he took one of Neutron’s hands and led him through the door into a grand chamber. “You are no longer on Earth, that much I can tell you.” He struggled down the steps and traipsed across the pale wood flooring to a grand table facing a massive computer screen. Like the room they had just come from, this grander hall was crooked, but is was somehow less noticeable, even with the furnishings that should have given it away. “As for why you are here, that is easier to explain, but that is for the master to explain to you and the others.”
“Others?” Neutron asked as he was invited to sit on one of the chairs at the table.
“Yes, the other,” the hunchback stated as multiple doors along the back wall opened and seven other people walked into the grand hall. Neutron recognised some of them either from his time at the Slab or from news reports, the others were unknowns to him, but they all appeared worried as they took their seats at the table. “Now everyone is here, I will summon the master. It is important that you address him as ‘the Titan’ you are of course his guests, while I am merely his servant,” the hunchback ordered as he lopped back up the stairs and through one of the doors leaving the eight seated figures at the table alone.
Looking round at the other guests, Neutron’s mind went back to the gang initiations he’d overseen back at Rykers before he’d got his powers, they had been brutal no holds barred brawls that didn’t end until someone was dead. Was this what was happening now? The group was quite eclectic, and almost everyone’s eyes were drawn to the massive olive green skinned figure sitting at the end of the table. He was humanoid, but only just, the reptilian skin and double row of spines running down his back gave it a lizard like look, it was only when he smiled that Neutron’s thoughts went to a crocodile or an alligator.
Sitting next to him was a far more human figure, one dressed like a greaser from the 50s with a leather jacket and slicked hair. Staring back the man’s face began to bubble and glowing red veins emerged up and down his arms, solid black tears running down his cheeks until he shook himself and his normal features returned. Everyone else seemed focus on this sudden change in appearance, but Neutron forced his attention on to the next person along, a woman with tanned skin and long flowing brown skin dressed in a green jumpsuit. While outwardly beautiful, there was something terrible about her, something not quite human, something made all the more worse when she spotted him looked at her, it was almost if her dark eyes could see every crack and seem in his shell.
Turning away from her, Neutron looked at the man next to him, but ultimately felt there was nothing special to see there. At average height and build and wearing a black mask with a white ring on it that matched the black trench coat, shirt and trousers he wore, he looked little more than a common burglar. The woman sitting on the other end of the table likewise didn’t look like she had put that much trouble into her costume, represented by a red ballgown and attached cape, her left eye covered in an operatic mask. As he stared something caused a chill to go down Neutron’s back, something was terribly wrong with this woman but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Coughing, even though he really had no lungs to breathe with, Neutron moved his eyes onto the armoured figure sitting next to the lady in red. Fortunately the man’s glowing blue eyes were elsewhere giving Neutron the time to analyse the pipes looping out of his back, and into the gauntlets he wore. The whole suit had a red and black design, and for some reason that Neutron couldn’t put his finger on, he was sure he’d seen it before. Finally he turned to face the woman sitting next to him, her face half covered with a helmet, although the red bodysuit she wore left nothing to the imagination.
Eventually the silence grew stagnant and the humanoid crocodile spoke, his Cajun accented voice seemingly fitting for his appearance. “So anyone else ready to leave? This Titan fellow ain’t coming, that much is clear.”
“Impatience will get you nowhere, Mr Jones,” a voice masked by computer software announced from the wall with the TV screen. Turning the assorted villains watched as static filled the screen, before coalescing into a humanoid head and shoulders, a rent where the figure’s left eye should be cut into an otherwise blank face. “I must apologise for meeting you in person, but I am otherwise occupied in my…our preparations for the future.”
“Ours? Why have you called us here?” the woman in the bodysuit asked.
“Simple, because you all share a common enemy,” The ‘Titan’ on the screen stated. “Or rather your enemies share a common bond in the form of the Justice League.” When he finished the room erupted in groans as everyone present figured out why they were here.
“Why would it work this time?” the armoured figure with the tubes asked. “Plenty have tried this ‘team-up’ bullshit before and it doesn’t work. In fact every time the Justice League beats whatever ‘Society’ or ‘Gang’ that forms to defeat them their approval ratings spike.”
“The usual reasons for banding together don’t apply here. This isn’t simply because we want revenge or prestige or the hundred other reasons a Legion such as this would form,” the ‘Titan’ replied. “In days there will be a paradigm shift in crime, one that mirrors the one that the Justice League is planning to introduce.”
“You mean that spiel they keep mentioning on TV?” the greaser asked as more black tears ran down his face. “They say that every time they introduce a new member, and it’s never been world-shattering before.”
“This time it will be,” The ‘Titan’ told him. “The League has a timetable and an agenda. Their current project is Operation Watchtower, a change in how they recruit heroes, closer cooperation with law enforcement and the construction of a rapid transit system. The usual restrictions to who and what turns up to your bank robbery or assassination attempts is about to change.”
“So we’ll go international, the League has little power outside the United States,” the greaser replied. “No reason why we can’t set up shop in Mexico or Kuwait or anyone one of the other countries out there.”
“The system will be international,” the ‘Titan’ replied calmly, his words accompanied by groans and sighs. “At first it will be restricted to North America and Europe as well as some parts of Africa and Asia, but in three years it will likely be truly international. There may even by a Justice League Antarctica and embassies in Atlantis and every other little kingdom that’s outside the Leagues usual scope of vision.”
“And how do you know this?” the Cajun Crocodile Man hissed. “We’re just to take the words of someone on a fuzzy screen who abducts us off the streets?”
“No, I expect you to take the word of the man who brought it to me,” the ‘Titan’ announced as a section of the table slid away and a helmet that looked like one worn by a knight from the depths of the past, albeit a knight with a pair of hybrid tactical light/antenna structure strapped to each cheek. “I assume you’ve all heard of Prometheus and his exploits against the Justice League?”
“Yeah, he was the last person to cause lasting damage to the League.” Neutron stated as he looked at the scaring and pitting to the helmet. “Just a shame that the Green Arrow executed him in broad daylight just over a year ago.”
“Indeed.” A map appeared on the screen next to the ‘Titan”. “Prometheus hid files about the Justice League’s agenda, their planned mass extinction of super-crime that starts and ends with Operation Watchtower.” He added calmly. “This is the League’s projections of their expansions. In a year, over forty counties will be hosting annexes to the Hall of Justice and an estimated sixty heroes will be full or part time members.” As he finished the sound of sarcastic clapping filled the hall, causing the villains all to look at the man dressed in black, who disturbingly seemed to be making the sound with his tongue rather than his unmoving hands.
“This for real?” the woman with the helmet asked.
“Yes, Mayfly. Imagine that instead of just Wonder Woman you have three more heroes thwarting your assassination attempt, or you, Killer Croc, that Batman and Robin are joined by Superman when you rob your next bank. Our friend Neutron here has already faced down both Wonder Woman and Superman today. What if they were joined by the Flash or Hawkman or any other the others looking to be a hero?” the ‘Titan’ announced. “The same goes for any of us; be they a powerful magic user like the Red Witch, an unstoppable meta-human like Tarpit, a warrior from the stars like Fatality whose skills are unmatched or even those of us who stay close to the street like Mister Twister or Onomatopoeia. In three days, your lives, everyone’s lives become very difficult if not impossible.”
“So this is what our little meeting is about,” Neutron spat, bitterness about being reminded about his defeat earlier today evident by his tone. “Conservation.”
“In a sense, we’ve all just been placed on the endangered species list,” the ‘Titan’ replied. “Now which of you wants to save our future?”
TO BE CONTINUED