“I swear to god Scott, if you’re late tonight, I’m going to kill you.”

“Come ‘on Pegs, relax! I’m already back in New York and besides… Cassie’s parent teacher conference isn’t until seven!” Scott explained, his voice a lot more out of breath than usual, before giving a short yelp of pain. “I’m just…just a little busy right now.”

Peggy seemed to pause for a second, with silence filling the phone call. Scott gulped. This wasn’t going to be good.

“Are you telling me that you’ve been chatting away with me while you’re fighting a supervillain?!”

Scott gulped once more as a car exploded down the street in front of him. “Um… no?”

“ANT-MAN! PREPARE TO FEEL THE WRATH OF THE MIGHTY PORCUPINE!” The supervillain’s crazed shouting echoed loudly down the phone line, causing yet another pause between the ex-husband and wife.

“Ok, well I'll talk to you later, Pegs. Send Cass my love!”

Scott caught just a slither of a curse word from Peggy as he hung up, mentally warning himself that he’d be in for it later tonight. That didn’t matter now though, as now he had a more dire situation at hand; Porcupine. Ant-Man had barely been in back in Manhattan for twenty minutes when he had run into this guy, terrorizing Times Square while dressed in a large beige costume covered in prickles. Ant-Man's first course of action after seeing the guy in his ridiculous costume was to laugh. Now, as a member of the world famous Justice League of America, Scott knew that doing such a thing probably wasn't a good thing for the group's public image, although sometimes things just got too much for him and he couldn’t help it; Porcupine being a prime example of such a thing. The guy didn’t appear to be much of a threat once Scott had commandeered his ants to form a temporary barrier around the two of them, meaning that he had decided to take his ex-wife’s phone call. That was however until Scott discovered that the guy could throw his stupid prickles.

Now he was off the phone however, Scott could be more careful.

Ant-Man dived to the side with ease as the villain launched a few more of his quills towards him, dodging the needles easily. Moving quickly, the process repeated, as Ant-Man began to circle the villain, in a half-assed attempt to get himself some time. He needed to come up with some clever quip to say after all. That was when the villain finally hit his mark once more, hitting Scott in the side of his body. The hero yelped in pain once more, before falling back against a car door in pain. As the villain gave a hefty villainous laugh, Scott decided that a clever pun could wait.

Diving forward, Ant-Man shrank in size. Landing swiftly on the floor, he launched himself back up towards the villain, temporarily channelling his strength into his legs as he did so. Rocketing through the air towards Porcupine, Ant-Man swung forward with his fist, shifting back to size as he did so. His hand collided with a thump against Porcupine’s mask, causing the villain to tumble backwards onto the floor.

“Try that one on for size!” Ant-Man stated proudly, standing triumphantly above the villain, before giving a quick look at the gathering crowd to see if they had liked his line. They simply groaned. Mentally reminding himself that they just didn’t understand his vast comical intellect, he focussed his attention back to Porcupine, whose mask had seemed to have fallen from his body, exposing the damaged face of a slightly chubby forty year old man. He whimpered slightly for a second as he laid eyes on Scott, and for a second the hero felt kind of bad for the guy. That was before he spoke.

“Hey… wait. You were in prison, right? You were a crook? That’sa what they say!” The man pointed to his left towards the duffle-bag that he had been carrying before the scuffle. “There’s like twenty g’s in there, mate. We can split it, fifty/fifty.”

Scott let out another short laugh at the villain’s offer. “I’m a member of the Justice League of America, Porcuwhine. So if you think for a second I’d take an offer like that, then you much have poked yourself in the brain with one of those quills.”

As he spoke, Scott began to lift his arms slightly, focussing with his helmet. Around the two of them, the floor grew darker. Ant were everywhere!

“Sic ‘em, boys!” Ant-Man order charismatically, as the ants moved towards the supervillain to tie him up.

Downtown, Metropolis

A flock of people followed after Johnny Storm and Benjamin Grimm as they made their way through the park. It had been fifteen minutes since Reed and Sue had departed for the Watchtower for Reed’s meeting with Lex and Johnny was already starting to get restless. Finally the Thing came to a stop beside a gaggle of elderly men sat in front of some public chess tables and gestured Johnny towards them. A derisive chuckle left Johnny’s mouth as he waited for the punch line. When it wasn’t forthcoming his smile twisted into a scowl.

“Chess? Are you kidding me?”

A camera flashed at Johnny and Ben and Grimm turned in its direction with a disapproving look. When he noticed the child behind the camera a smile appeared on his face and he waved to them warmly – then motioned Johnny towards one of the chess tables.

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

The ground shook beneath Ben’s feet, knocking loose some of the pieces along the chess tables of those gathered, and he sat beside two elderly Jewish men. They smiled at him and Ben muttered a respect Shalom to them as he waited for Johnny to sit opposite him. Instead stood over him, his face a picture of incredulousness, as he tried to get his head around the fact that with all of Metropolis at their disposal Ben actually wanted to play chess to pass the time.

“Since when do you play chess, Ben? I thought you didn’t even graduate from high school.”

The men beside them chuckled and Ben looked at Johnny sternly.

“I’ll graduate my foot up your ass if you don’t sit down, Matchstick.”

Johnny took the seat opposite Ben and watched whilst Grimm’s huge fingers moved the pieces with surprising deftness. Once the board was prepared he looked to Johnny with a smile.

“You hang around Reed for long enough you pick up some things. Maybe I can’t build a transporter to the Negative Zone out of an old vending machine and some Magic the Gathering cards like Stretch, but I can sure as hell play some chess.”

Johnny stared down at his phone and tapped out a short text message to Barry Allen: “Where are you? I’m in Metropolis and have some time to kill. Let’s hang out.” As he hit send he looked up to see Ben’s big blue eyes staring back at him.

“Now do you wanna learn or not?”

Storm looked around at the gathering of elderly men and vagrants playing chess and wrinkled up his nose a little. This was Metropolis, the city that never sleeps and the home of the Justice League, there had to be something fun to do.

“I’m not sure this is my scene, Ben.”

Ben let out a sigh and Johnny stood up from his seat and made his way out of the park. An eager elderly gentleman slid into Johnny’s seat and moved a piece on the chess table. Ben smiled, raked one of his rock fingers across his chin, and moved one of his own. Half stuck with Ben and half followed after Johnny as he wandered along the Metropolis sidewalk in his Fantastic Four uniform. Five minutes turned into ten minutes and ten minutes turned to fifteen – with Johnny checking his phone with increasing frequency with each one that passed.

“Damn you, Barry Allen, check your goddamn phone for once.”

Eventually Johnny’s feet began to hurt and he burst into flame and took to the skies to send a more unorthodox message. As Johnny had done with the past to catch Peter’s attention, he blazed through the skies leaving a trail of fire behind him in the Flash insignia. If Barry was in Metropolis he was bound to see it. Not even Barry Allen, as uncoordinated and forgetful as he could be sometimes, would be able to miss that. Or so Johnny thought for about ten minutes.

“Oh," Storm muttered as he saw the Justice League, Flash included, in action against a portion of the Brotherhood of Mutants across the country in California. “Well, I guess that would explain that then.”

Johnny let out a heavy sigh as he stared down at his phone and realized Reed and Sue were going to be busy for at least another hour or so. There was only one place he could go – it just so happened going there would involve Storm swallowing an awful lot of pride. He gritted his teeth as he entered the park once more and saw Benjamin Grimm where he left him, playing chess against an elderly man, though now with a smiling child in his lap. He smiled at Johnny as he noticed he’d returned and Storm stood beside his old friend and watched as he made a move on the chessboard.


LexCorp Building, Metropolis

Susan Storm twirled around the lobby of the LexCorp Building with a star struck smile as she took it all in. It was modernistic, all glass and metals, and the afternoon sun bounced from surface to surface as freely as it might dance along a stream. Without her brother and Ben around, Susan was a different person – more carefree, more expressive, and, though she might be loath to admit it if asked, far more relaxed. She was so used to being the mother of the group that it was rare she could let her hair down. It was the real reason that Reed had insisted only he and Sue visit the LexCorp building. As he stood there watching his fiancé taking in the sights he couldn’t help but smile. She looked at him, slightly overawed, and gestured to the glass panels that lined the outside of the building.

“This place is wonderful. It almost puts the Baxter Building to shame.”

Reed smiled.

“It’s okay, Sue, my ego isn’t so fragile that you need to pretend. Lex always did have a flair for the aesthetics. It seems he’s outdone himself this time.”

Sue slid her arm beneath Reed’s shoulder and interlocked their arms as they walked. Her nose wrinkled, much like Johnny’s was wont to do from time to time, and she looked to Reed with a curious look.

“You never did explain to me how you know Lex.”

A man in a lab coat ushered Reed and Sue towards an elevator and Reed, sensing the man was listening in, gave Sue a knowing smile.

“Let’s just say that’s a story for another time.”

She squeezed his arm close to her with a mischievous look.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

The lift stopped abruptly and the glass doors slid open. The man in the lab coat gestured to Sue and Reed to step out and they did so after expressing their gratitude. On the outside they were meet by another man in a lab coat who led them through the corridors of the LexCorp building. The couple hung back slightly and spoke in hushed tones that were only audible to one another as they followed after him.

“It’s nice to get away from Johnny and Ben. Sometimes I can’t hear myself think around them. How you survived a lifetime cleaning up after Johnny I’ll never understand.”

From some men, Sue might have considered that statement an insult but she knew that Reed had long since considered Johnny family, as she did with Ben, and that sometimes, though he didn’t let on, sometimes he was envious of Ben and Johnny’s relationship. If Sue played mother too often, Reed had been cast as father almost by necessity, though he took to it less naturally than Sue had her role. Science was Reed’s passion, he kept irregular hours, often neglecting to shower or shave, and found little time for anything else. Luckily for Reed it was his passion that Sue had fallen in love with.

“You know, you aren’t the easiest person in the world to be around either.”

It was more of a tease than a dig but Reed’s face went red with embarrassment all the same.

“I guess I have been quite distracted recently.”

The LexCorp employee in the lab coat opened a set of large doors that revealed another reception room. Behind the desk of the reception was a woman with fiery red hair held together in a bun by a pen. Sue trotted towards the woman, leading Reed by the hand playfully, and leaned on the woman’s desk.

“Two to see Mr. Luthor please. It’s a Mr. and Mrs Rich-”

The red-haired receptionist smiled and cut across Sue.

“I know who you are, ma’am.”

She stood up from her seat and led the pair of them towards a large set of heavy doors. The sound of construction was audible from behind them as Reed, Sue, and the receptionist approached them. As they neared them Sue noticed a bashful smile across her fiancé’s face.

“Why are you smiling so much?”

“You were about to call yourself Mrs. Richards back there.”

This time Sue turned red. She felt her hands begin to turn clammy and the warmth in her chest as she scrambled to excuse her mistake.

“Oh, I guess I didn’t th-”

Reed shook his head.

“No, no, it’s a good thing. Maybe once we’re back in New York we can start talking about setting a date?”

Sue looked at Reed, the love in her bright blue eyes almost teeming out, and planted a gentle, tender kiss on his lips. It was soft and lasting and her hand clung to Reed’s face after they had pulled apart. She stared into the eyes of the man she loved and was met with a look equally as loving and caring – in them she saw her future, the family they would one day build, and knew their greatest adventure had yet to begin. Sensing the gaze of the receptionist waiting beside the door for them she let her hand slip from Reed’s face, taking him by the hand instead, and muttering to him.

“I’d like that.”

The receptionist hit a button that opened the doors and there was a whirring, followed by several mechanical clunks, as the doors slid open and revealed Lex Luthor stood in front of a large generator that had a vibrant green glow to it. Reed clasped Sue’s hand tighter for a second and then the pair made their way towards the waiting Lex.

Star City - United States - Midgard

'-so look at me Ma! I'm gonna kill a god!'

The Wrecker waved his magical crowbar in the direction of the film crews as he shouted. A perimeter had been cleared away from the action but all bystanders were close enough to see that the Wrecking Crew had Thor on the ropes. Reporters spoke hurriedly into microphones as they commentated upon the events unfolding.

'-and Thor is down, I repeat-'

'-Wrecking Crew led by Dirk Garthwaite, also known as the Wrecker-'

'-Channel 52 bringing you live coverage-'

Thor lay atop the rubble of Star City's bank, the original target of the Wrecking Crew before the Thunder God had shown up. The Wrecking Crew had taken hostages and were in the process of emptying the bank's vault when Thor had swooped in. The bank staff had hurriedly evacuated the premises while the battle raged and were currently outside the perimeter giving their accounts of what had occurred to the authorities.

Thor had fought the Wrecking Crew many times since the criminals had been given their supernatural abilities from the Enchantress. Dirk Garthwaite was the Wrecker and, with his enchanted crowbar granting him superhuman strength, had caused pandemonium until Thor had intervened. Brian Calusky also known as Piledriver, had been transformed physically with oversized hands and strength to match his inflated ego. Eliot Franklin, Thunderball, was the tragic figure of the band; he'd been a doctor until his brash attempts to study Asgardian artefacts had brought the attention of the Enchantress. He had not been transformed but merely bequeathed a wrecking ball which, like the Wrecker's crowbar, was enchanted. The last of the gang was Henry Camp, former drill sergeant, who now went by the moniker 'Bulldozer'; the Enchantress had given the military man impervious skin and enhanced strength.
The Wrecking Crew had been created to overpower Thor and, whether a result of this or just pure coincidence, had encountered the Asgardian enough that neither side spared a thought to causing grievous injury. They were old enemies and so neither side gave quarter.

Thor rose to his feet and reached out for Mjolnir; his mighty hammer flew to his outstretched hand even as Thunderball swung his wrecking ball directly for the Thunder God. Leaping over the incoming blow, Thor brought his hammer down hard atop the former doctor's skull. Uru impacted bone with a sickening crunch and Thunderball fell to the floor like a ragdoll.

'Frankie!' Piledriver's voice was anguished, he stared from his fallen team-mate to their enemy and snarled, 'you'll pay for that!'

Thor wiped a trail of blood from his cheek and grinned. 'When you attack a God you must expect to fall, little man.'

The Wrecker raised his crowbar and called to his fellow criminals, 'We'll take 'im together, 'e can't get us all.' Grimacing, the crook spat a tooth out onto the rubble of the bank and smiled toothily. 'We pull this off, no one'll dare mess with the Wrecking Crew!'



'Have at it then!' Without waiting for another retort Thor called upon the elements, lightning struck down upon the battlefield, narrowly missing Piledriver but striking Bulldozer head on. The so-called invulnerable man fell to one knee and visibly shook before slowly rising. His breathing grew heavy like a bull before the criminal charged at Thor. Thor readied his hammer and, with a blow, sent Bulldozer flying back into Piledriver. The two men collided and hit the floor hard. Thor laughed and prepared to call a bolt of lightning once again when the Wrecker's crowbar hit him square in the jaw.

Not expecting the blow, Thor stumbled back as the Wrecker rained blow after blow upon his chest, his shoulders and face. Wildly Thor struck out with his hammer, a clumsy blow that the Wrecker easily avoided. By now the other two conscious members of the Wrecking Crew had arisen and joined their boss in beating down the Thunder God.

The Wrecker was just beginning to get into the swing of things when he found his latest swing suddenly halted. Thor had grasped onto the Wrecker's crowbar. The other two criminals halted their assault momentarily in surprise. That was all Thor needed.
With his free hand, he swung Mjolnir in a clearing arc. The Wrecking Crew were knocked back; immediately Thor was on them, the force of his blows knocking his foes back and to the floor until they were too far away for him to quickly beat them all.

Once more Thor summoned lightning.

The storm that erupted over Star City would have been unheard of if similar phenomena hadn't been recorded all over America since Thor's first appearance. The lightning strikes were incredibly localised and no citizen was injured. The Wrecking Crew on the other hand, after their arrest, were treated for severe burns and electronic overload. A medical expert stated categorically that, if the felons weren't all to some degree blessed with heightened endurance, none of them would have survived their encounter with Thor.

Thor, of course, neither acknowledged or cared about the beating he had given his foes. He rose into the air, cape swaying in the breeze, and greeted the crowd.
'Worry not, good folk of Midgard!' He raised an arm and called an end to the storm, this display of power was greeted with cheers and applause. 'You will always be safe while under the protection of the Mighty Thor!

Descending to the floor Thor found himself surrounded by citizens of Star City. Their cries, cheers and statements of gratitude were like honey to the Prince of Asgard. He walked among them for several contented minutes before he acknowledged a signal from his Justice League communicator. 'I must leave you now,' He called into the crowd, immediately their shouts grew saddedned, 'Worry not my friends, I go to render aid to the mighty brotherhood of heroes, the Justice League! But should you ever need me, Thor will be there!'

With that, Thor rose into the air and flew from Star City at breakneck speeds. He allowed himself a moment to enjoy the sensation of soaring above Midgard, the sun on his face and the wind beneath him, before checking his communicator.

'This is Captain Marvel to Justice League; looks like this protest is turning into a riot, feel free to you know... help-'*

Chuckling to himself, the Thunder God ended the transmission and altered his trajectory so he would be flying towards Coast City, the names of these settlements of Midgard always stuck in his mouth a little. At this speed he was minutes away.

*Taken from @Gowi

---

New York by Night,
The Time of the Hunt

Marc Spector was a religious man, though he'd turned his back on his father's God long before he had come of age as a man and walked out on his father shortly thereafter. True, he'd once been a murderer and a mercenary and about as godless as any man could hope to be. But much like one famous, murdering forefather of his he had fled persecution in Egypt and found himself alone in the desert and like that forefather he had made a Covenant with a long forgotten God.

So knowing all that, was it any surprise that he had returned to his homeland bringing plague and punishment to the wicked in order to set his people free?

Normally the targets of his divine punishments were petty criminals or the occasional super-villain but tonight under the divine glow of his Lord's lunar eye, he sought out a different sort of adversary entirely. A vision from his god had shown him what his own detective work had recently confirmed, that a monster stalked the streets of New York City wrapped in human skin, preying on the innocent and the lost to sate its own gluttony and blood-lust. Those who traveled by night were under his deity's aegis, so such a creature would have to be stopped by any means necessary. He knew where to find the target tonight based on the pattern of its previous attacks and from the looks of things it was definitely a creature of habit.

Because as the Moon Knight arrived on the scene the monster had already cornered a young woman. She was almost a stereotype with her blonde haired, blue-eyed American girl look. She was pale, pretty and wide-eyed and from the looks of things she was about to let loose the sort of scream you could hear from the rooftops. The beast of a thing eyed her with a feral look despite his human face, teeth bared almost like a grin, arms outstretched toward her and moving forward in a lunge that would close the gap between them and make a victim out of her. Well, it would have except that she had suddenly pulled a TASER from her purse. The wired darts found flesh in a burst of air before dropping her assailant like a landed fish, complete with twitching about from electrically induced full-body spasms. The woman grinned at her would-be assailant's misfortune as prey became predator in a matter of seconds.

All according to plan.

Moon Knight descended to the street on silent cloth wings to survey the results of their planned ambush, giving the woman a nod of acknowledgement as he did.

"Good work Marlene, you played your part excellently, that monster won't escape judgement tonight. Now we just have to-"

The Lunar Legionnaire froze suddenly, noticing an odd shift in his downed quarry's movements that was more controlled and deliberate than the electricity should have allowed. With it came a sudden sense of recognition and danger, as the moonlight from above seemed to fill the alleyway a little brighter.

"Moon Knight? What is it? Are you sure I shouldn't have brought my Magnum, because this sicko-"

"Marlene, run!"

"But-"

"RUN!"

As Marlene darted past the two of them, the predatory man's form began to change, his skin rippling like an ocean wave as bones crackled and groaned, teeth elongating and muscles bulging to the point that his clothes were torn to pieces though bare skin was quickly covered up by a hide of dense fur and groans of pain faded into a truly bestial growl. It took only moments, but where once there was a human being there crouched something instead more wolf than man. Only then did Moon Knight truly realize that his vision was no hyperbole, no clever metaphor on part of his god. This was a true monster clothed in human skin, a werewolf who had murdered his victims not with knives and rage but with tooth and claw. A now empty syringe dropped to the pavement with a clink of plastic, but there was no doubt in the Crescent Crusader's mind of this abomination's mystical link to the moon above.

"Anthony Lupus, the cries of those you have killed have been heard, the Judgement of Khonshu awaits you!"

If the creature that was once Lupus heard, he does not care. He lunged at Moon Knight, impossibly fast, claws aiming to disembowel the Fist of Khonshu. His swiping claws merely shrieked and sparked against Carbonadium armor, but the force of the impact still bowled Moon Knight over, giving the werewolf time to leap onto him and snap at him with slavering jaws. A truncheon came up in Moon Knight's hand to hold him at bay as he rolled with the pounce, kicking the lycanthrope off of himself with the aid of the beast's own momentum. Crescent blades whirred through the air from Moon Knight's hands only for the wounds they cut into the creature to heal with about as much speed and effect as if he'd struck water. Lupus closed with him again in a rush but this time Moon Knight was ready, catching the monster with a right cross that resulted in a howl of pain and a sudden burst of silver flame around his fist. For a man who regularly communed with an ancient Egyptian moon god, plating cestuses in sacred silver was just a reasonable precaution.

Moon Knight ducked low under the werewolf's reach and began weaving back and forth in a slight figure eight in and out of the lycanthrope's blindsides, his rhythm building speed and power while allowing him to dodge the few untrained strikes the wolfman attempted. Before long he began unleashing a rapid fire storm of hooks from both left and right in time with his swaying, pummeling Lupus with a barrage of silver-coated punches that lit the night like a strobe light. Before long his savage opponent was burnt, battered and whimpering, swaying on his clawed feet. When the knockout punch came, it was a mercy for the poor creature. It wasn't the most artful display of martial skill, but the vigilante cared more about making it hurt.

With Anthony Lupus unconscious and slowly shifting back to human form at his feet, Moon Knight knelt down to retrieve the dropped syringe. Though he had brought Khonshu's judgement to one killer, his crusade this night was far from over. After all there was always a bigger fish and Moon Knight was certain that this one would be very big indeed.

Because someone in New York was making werewolves.

The Flash. The world’s fastest hero and one of the few league members who could match her quip for quip. With him here to help it shouldn’t take too much longer if more crap didn’t come out of the woodwork which… it probably was going to. It always did. Every single time.

“Always first to the show, huh, Flash?” Carol quipped as she took flight; dodging to the right as a tire iron swung to her left.

“Be careful, we’ve got one of those Brotherhood ladies that wants to get in your head. Literally.”

At that, I glance around at the approaching masses, noting the dead expression in all of their eyes. Sure enough, every last one of them is male. I turn to Carol and wink, "Good thing I've only got eyes for you, then. Alright, you find the mind-controller, I'll deal with the civvies." I clap my hands together and turn my attention to the task at hand. Nonviolent takedowns -- particularly of large groups -- are practically my specialty.

Disappearing in a flash, I weave between brainwashed civilians moving far too slowly to touch me. As I pass them by, I reach out to snatch away the various improvised weapons that they're holding: wrenches, planks of wood, and the like. Before long, my arms are full of such things. I spot a thrown bottle overhead, practically spinning in place as it soars towards Captain Marvel. Adjusting the weight of everything I'm carrying, I propel myself into the air, using the shoulder of an unwitting rioter as a launchpad. With a spinning kick, I send the bottle spiraling to the pavement. It shatters with a satisfying crash. My feet hit the ground, and I pick up speed again. Okay, I've disarmed them; time to focus on containment.

At the edge of the stadium's parking lot, I dump my armful of weapons into the back of an unoccupied pickup truck. I stop moving for a moment to take a look down either end of the street. What I need is a hardware store. If this were Central City, I'd know exactly where to go, but we're on neutral turf. Trusting Carol to be able to hold down the fort for a quick second, I take off down the street, scanning the various storefronts until I find what I need. The bell above the door rings as I swoop inside, darting straight towards the appropriate aisle. I grab a long coil of rope off a shelf and turn to the starstruck cashier. "Can I borrow this?" Slack-jawed, he can only manage a slow nod. "Thanks." With that, I'm back out the door and racing towards Ferris Aircraft Stadium.

The mob is practically falling over itself trying to get to Captain Marvel, who simply hovers just beyond reach. Good, this'll be quicker with them all bunched up already. I start running in circles around the mass of mind-controlled masculinity. With each pass, I press a little closer, using my elbows and hips to force the stragglers closer to the main group. Once the crowd is centralized sufficiently, I tie one end of rope around the waist of an oblivious rioter. I begin circling again, letting out the length of rope. After about my twentieth pass, I reach the other end and give the rope a strong tug. It constricts and pulls the rioters together until they all fall over. I bend down and tie off the loose end of the coil with a few extra knots to be safe. I can't help but laugh as the various men attempt to scramble to their feet and end up bowling each other over, like the world's worst game of three-legged race.

My self-satisfaction is short-lived, however, as something hard and fast collides with my back, sending me sprawling. A figure steps forward, throwing its shadow over me. I look up at a familiar, unfriendly face. "What's the matter, Flash..." the thinly-accented voice taunts.



"... you didn't see that coming?"

The white noise of static turned a burning auburn in Matthew's head, the inferno he knew as vision slithering along walls and cascading down shelves as the blaring bounced from wall to wall to make its way to Murdock's ears, his sensitive hearing detecting every nook the sound-waves wormed their way into on their journey. He paused, sitting up in his bed - feeling the silk sheets slide from his form and become a formless mass on the floor as he did - and extended a hand toward the radio, his arm flickering in front of him as he felt the air shift around it and the new sound vibration caused by the movement. His fingers found the dial and carefully tuned the stations - brushing past Gotham News Radio as he did - until he found his preferred setting, a smooth jazz station that filled his apartment with soft, easy-listening music that he could tune out as it illuminated his world. Sonar was easier than micro-currents - though Matthew had most of his flat memorized regardless.

Matthew switched it back to Gotham New Radio.

"-opening this opportunity up to any enthusiastic entrepreneur. I'll even double the reward if you manage to bring me the Bat alive, so I can fillet him myself. Good luck Gotham, you'll need it."

Matthew took a single, controlled breath. He had planned, tonight, to patrol his city, to check on a lead about one of The Kingpin's drug rings - to rendezvous with Foggy, who had been promised a night as a wingman (Matthew admitted readily that his blindness was an advantage, much as the pity aggravated him). Instead, he now had a single mission - listen to the heartbeat of Hell's Kitchen, and stop anyone who decided to pass through on their way to the $50million supposedly waiting for them. The Kingpin - nameless as he was - held too much of a choke on his own men to allow them to abandon their posts, and there weren't any petty, independent criminals brave enough to flee from the Devil into the claws of the Bat - but there were assassins out there, Matthew knew; men and women like himself that had chosen to walk on the other side. Some of these beasts would travel through Hell's Kitchen - through his city - to make their way to Gotham and the Bat that roosted there. They would not make it. They would become examples.

Matthew stood, turning his radio off - it had switched to frantic non-info about the bounty as the newsrooms desperately tried to cover a story they had no details on. He left his bedroom, the temperatures shifting around his body as he stepped through the door-frame into the living room, and listened to the sounds of the city coming from his open window. Traffic, rain, and lonesome sirens, though nothing that suggested the beasts had already found their way into Manhattan. Matthew moved through the room quietly, stopping at the blank wooden-panel wall that made up the far end. Invisible seams were etched into the wood, lit up to Matthew as he felt the air pushed off from his body worm its way into the micro-crevice, sound worming its way along the wall before dipping slightly and worming back out. He laid a hand on the wall slightly up and to the right - pausing to listen to his building, hearing footsteps three floors down and a couple having sex two up and four apartments to the right - and pressed gently; the seams popped out and a panel opened, a drawer in the wall. Inside laid batons, a bodysuit - and the mask. Matt didn't need micro-vibrations or air currents or sonar to see the horns. The horns were his - they made him the Devil, savior of Hell's Kitchen. He took three minutes to don the armour, counting the time by the ticking watch on the bedside table in the apartment below his.

Matthew made his way out the window quietly, slipping it closed gently behind him before flipping across the wall to the right until he reached the fire escape gantry, clambering up the rusted metal with graceful speed until he had reached the rooftop. From there, he ran across the concrete to the other side, perching on the lip of the building and pausing to listen, allowing the city to flood his ears and mind - the rain splashed against his skin with constant force, suppressing his sense of temperature and air currents, so he relied on the noise of the splattering raindrops to paint a rhythmic picture of the streets before him. There were footsteps below, scarce and muffled though they were; with the pervading threat of the Gotham bounty matching the ferocity of the storm, the people of Hell's Kitchen were wisely unwilling to face the city tonight. That made the ones that did appear all the more worthy of listening to. A particular pair piqued his interest; hard heels with a clank of metal, and the swish of a long coat caught around the legs - yet there was an attempt to remain quiet and cautious, despite the intentional gaudiness of the outfit. Or perhaps the mark thought himself 'ostentatious'. Matthew was technically blind, but he didn't need to see to know this creep was committing crimes against fashion.

Unfortunately, Daredevil couldn't interrogate him for poor clothing choices alone. Matthew would need to track him for a while to find out if that was really necessary.

One Month Ago

Lex Luthor sat in the back of a black helicopter without any markings. It flew over the eastern European landscape under the cover of darkness barely above the trees. The pilot, as per Lex's orders, had flown as close to the treetops as he dared to without crashing. Lex had no intention of being tracked to this country, especially not by any American satellites floating above them. He loosened his blue tie and cleared his throat as the chopper came to a large clearing within the forest. Three football fields worth of grassland was surrounded by a deep ring of forest. In the middle of the clearing was a crater large enough to fit a submarine.

A bright green glow protruded from inside the crater eerily lighting the cloudy starless night. The chopper landed 50 yards away from the massive hole in the ground and the security officer sitting next to him opened the door. The Kevlar armored man jumped out of his seat and landed softly on the grass followed closely by Lex and a blonde female translator. Lex's tie tugged against his neck as the gusts of wind from the helicopter's blades affected the area around him.

Three foreign men dressed similar to the security officer approached them with weapons in hand pointed at the ground. Closer to the crater were two more foreigners wearing black suits looking down at the glowing object. One of the men with guns started speaking in his native language directed at Luthor.

"Cynthia I could use a translation." Lex turned to the woman.

"They said welcome Mr. Luthor." She said hesitantly. He knew that wasn't the entire message but decided to let it slide.

"Tell them to get out of the way, I'm here to examine the object." She stammered a bit but eventually relayed his message to the other men. They exchanged words for a minute before one of them gestured towards the crater. The three guards stepped to the side allowing Luthor and his translator to pass. The security guard remained with the helicopter.

He approached the edge of the huge imperfection in the ground and peered towards the light. A glowing green rock the size of a minivan was lodged into the ground. It gave off a small amount of heat subtly warming the area around it. Lex allowed himself a small smirk. The object was beautiful and ugly all at the same time.

"Ah Mr. Luthor, wonderful to finally meet you." One of the men in the suits spoke up. He had a heavy accent but Lex could understand his English. He turned and waved his translator off. She bashfully edged her way back towards the vehicle they had arrived in.

"Likewise, what is it?" He answered ignoring the hand extended toward him.

"We're not sure." The man lowered his hand with an annoyed expression. "It has been landing all over the country for the past few weeks, the largest chunk crashed into a cave system along the western border. We have people attempting to recover the substance as we speak."

"Good, tell your leader that I expect a shipment of two tons of this material in Metropolis by the end of the week." He took one last look at the object before turning to return to the helicopter.

"By the end of the week?! Sir we still don't know if it's safe to move!" The second man in a suit shouted at Lex grabbing him by the shoulder. He spun around grabbing the man's wrist and turned it downward. He could see the three armed men move toward him so he released his captive.

"Yes by the end of the week." Lex said turning around again. "Oh and if you ever greet me with thugs armed with LexCorp weapons again, I'll have you nailed to the bottom of my helicopter and fly you all the way back to the States."

Now

"No no no! The filtration system goes here and the particle accelerator attaches to the power source!" Lex yelled at the three other scientists that were helping him build the generator. They hurriedly shifted large hunks of machinery around the large room. It was lit by large blue lights attached to the ceiling with only two windows on opposite sides of the floor. The architecture inside was filled with modernistic arches and a transparent ceiling that allowed view of the higher floor of the lab.

"Sorry sir." one of the men hesitantly replied as he scrambled around the room. He tripped over a fusion coil sending the large metal spring rolling across the floor. Lex stopped it with his foot and bent down with an exasperated sigh.

"Be careful you imbecile! This equipment is worth more than the entire state of Ohio!" He picked the device up and walked to the man who was still recovering from his fall.

"I didn't mean to Mr. Luthor. I'm Sorry."

"Oh you didn't mean too? I hope not, how am I supposed to change the world if I have you accidentally setting the company back millions of dollars every time you forget to look where you're going?" He set the coil down on a glass desk littered with several different failed blueprint designs of his generator.

"I... I.." The man stuttered.

"I, I" Lex mocked back. "Dear God you're pathetic. Go pack your equipment up and get the hell out of my lab. You're fired." The other two men in the room were silent as their co-worker moped his way out of the room. Lex turned to each of them giving them a stern look. They each took the message and got back to work.

Lex turned and walked to the back of the lab where the three dry erase boards filled with equations stood. Papers were littered around the floor in crumbled up balls that had missed the waste basket. He rubbed his hand over his bald head and cracked his neck with a moan. Over the past month his eastern European contacts had been providing him with the alien substance. He still wasn't quite sure what it was but he knew that it could be used as a power source. For two weeks he had been trying to crack an equation that would allow him to power the entire city using a chunk of the green rock no larger than a watermelon. So far he was having no success. On the middle dry erase board circled multiple times in red were the letters 'X=?'.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He grimaced, he was sure that he had told everyone that he did not want to be disturbed. He let it ring until the call was dropped. Mere seconds later however, it rang again. With a grumble he pulled his LexPhone 6L out of his pocket. Caller id showed Mercy Graves. A picture of the two of them in London on the screen as the cellular device vibrated.

"Mercy I told you I would be busy for a few hours." He answered the phone.

"I know Lex, but I thought you'd like to know that Reed Richards and Susan Storm are in the building."

"Really? Send someone to greet them and bring them to the lab."

"Okay Lex, I lo..." She was cut off as Lex hung up his phone and put it back in his lab coat's pocket. He cursed under his breath. He did not want Reed Richards to see that he was struggling. The man was one of the few on the planet he considered an intellectual rival. He was also beginning to be a friend.

"Turn it on." Lex walked back to the center of the room.

"What?" One of the men asked.

"Turn it on now."

"Sir without the control rod in place it could very well..."

"Don't question me. Do it." The two scientists complied. After a few moments the generator kicked to life. The same eerie green glow that he first encountered a month ago filled the space. The generator let out a soft humming noise as the gears inside it churned. He smiled to himself It works. He walked to the breaker on the wall panel next to the dors and shut the labs main power down.

The room went completely dark except for the every present glow of the machine. After a few seconds one of the other scientist plugged a cord into the back of the generator. The lights in the lab came back to life and every computer in the room began to boot. He was powering his entire lab independent from the rest of the building with a fist sized chunk of space rock hooked into a machine.

The doors to the lab opened slowly and Reed entered with his fiance. Lex turned around with a smile more because he would be able to show off his work to another brilliant mind than the fact that it was actually working. He grinned as the couple walked towards him taking in the view of his lab.

"Reed, Susan! This is a surprise. I didn't know you were back in town." He said as he shook each of their hands. "What if I told you that I've found a power source more efficient than any fossil fuel that could be burned without any of the adverse effects?" He smiled again gesturing at the machine in the center of the room. "And what if I told you that the room you're standing in now is being powered by that very energy source?

"Reed, Susan! This is a surprise. I didn't know you were back in town." He said as he shook each of their hands. "What if I told you that I've found a power source more efficient than any fossil fuel that could be burned without any of the adverse effects?" He smiled again gesturing at the machine in the center of the room. "And what if I told you that the room you're standing in now is being powered by that very energy source?

Reed’s eyes widened as he let Sue’s hand slip from his and he walked towards the hulking green machine. It emitted a green glow that seemed to soak everything in the room in it. There was no heat, no sound even, only the slightest sign of vibration to show that whatever fuelled it was active. Reed seemed transfixed by it, the gears in his head were clearly grinding away as he tried to figure out what was powering the machine, and he looked to Lex with an intrigued frown.

“I would say you’ve been keeping very busy since last I saw you. What is it? Some kind anti-matter particle? Dark matter from the Negative Zone?”

Sue watched on as her fiancé floundered around trying to work out what was powering Lex’s machine. From the look on Luthor’s face he seemed to be enjoying having some degree of power over Richards. There weren’t many men on Earth that could outsmart Reed, even if only for a moment, but Lex was one of them. Fortunately for her fiancé, Sue Storm wasn’t a man and she knew the second she saw the machine what was powering it. She tried to cut her husband’s floundering short by calling out to him.

“Reed.”

Reed smiled at Sue.

“Darling?”

Storm lifted one of her hands, allowing it to fade in and out of view for a few moments, as it basked in the glow of the machine. It was green, the same colour as the meteorite that had crashed to Earth and led Nick Fury to send Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben on the expedition that would change their lives. She wasn’t sure how she knew for certain that it was the rock, but she could, and she knew Reed would exhaust himself before making the connection. Occam’s razor – the answer was right under Reed’s nose. And it was green.

Sue looked to Lex confidently.

“It’s the meteor rock, isn’t it?”

Before Luthor had a chance to answer Reed interjected with a bemused smile.

“What? That would never work. I tried for weeks to extract some kind of energy from it, darling.”

Lex’s smug smile broadened a little and finally the penny dropped for Reed Richards.

“Wait, it is the meteor rock, isn’t it? How on Earth did you do it, Lex?”

The army crept forward like a terrible stain across the horizon.

Thanos, the mad titan stood motionless upon the walls of the capital he and his forces had taken hours before. Now these insignificant worms whom he had beaten back one before now came to try and wrest his prize from his hands. His large monstrous hands clutched the parapet, the conglomeration of stone and steel was coated in blood and ash. It wasn't the burnt lifeless ash that was seen in a dying fire; this was a deeper ash, harsher and heavy. The product of a laser cannon upon living flesh. It felt reassuring underneath the Titan’s hands, he was at home with carnage and bloodshed and it’s by products. It was familiar to him.

He felt the soft glow of a deep red sun piercing into his eyes and illuminating his grey skin, but he ignored it. The sun itself was hanging in the distance close to setting. It cast the army that had come to take Thano’s prize from him. A prize which in the grand scheme was worth little, certainly not the blood that the Titan was willing to pay to secure it. Kray was little more than a backwater mining colony whose only claim to fame was a few rich mineral deposits near the poles. Now it had become one in many of the war torn battlefields that marked the savage path of Thanos’ conquest across the Galaxy. Thousands dead on an insignificant rock of gray, all because it needed to be his.

"Have our scouts reported back their numbers?" Thanos asked his voice a low grumble that still managed to cut threw the noise of his own army massing below.

"Sixty thousands with a supplemental regiment of thirty members of the Nova Corps." Nebula said, she leaned against the fortifications with the same blaisse look about her that she always seemed to have, lithe frame juxtaposed against the giant mass that was Thanos.

"Sixty thousands...." Thanos muttered to himself as he peered at the armies ever slow approach. He only mustered an army half their size despite press ganging and forced recruitment on the path to Kray. It was almost unfair for the faithful defenders of Kray they would not much larger numbers to defeat his armies. Even with the wretched whelps of the Nova corps most of the army that was opposing them was more or less a civilian militia, the remnants of Kray that remained unmolested by his army. “Is the artillery back in working order?”

"We managed to salvage three of the six pieces that were destroyed in the raid. Our tortures still haven't gotten any information out of the spy we captured." Nebula replied with a taste of bitterness. She was in command when the raid occurred, it was her failure. Her broken ribs still screamed from Thanos’ fist when he found out.
“Is the one known as Richard Rider among them?” Thanos asked with the same tone that one asked the exterminator when they were wondering if the rat problem had been dealt with.

"Not that we can tell. The telltale signs of his handiwork are not present." Nebula said quietly.

"Hmph disappointing. At least then I might of had an inkling of a proper fight." Thanos replied and for the most part it was true. Richard Rider of the Nova Corps had become one of his largest enemies in this latest stretch of the campaign. He had lead many a rallying fight against Thanos forces, which well not pushing the Titan’s force back had lost him more men then was to be expected. His heroics were unpredictable and almost a breath of fresh air for Thanos. He was another denizen of the planet known as Earth.

Earth. The little blue marble light years away from the current conflict had been taking up much of Thanos’ mind as of late. When he had secured Titan all those years ago he should of taken Earth as well even as if it was just a jungle full of insignificant monkeys having just discovered fire at the time. But he had let it fester and grow as he dealt with bigger problems and know it seemed like it was coming back to haunt him. It produced warriors of the like of Rider and of the mysterious superman that his spies tell him such of. It needed to be dealt with soon enough before the problem escalated beyond what it already was.

"Has Gamora returned from her venture?" Thanos asked eyes still not leaving the horizon as the army drew closer still.

Nebula nodded though her eyes tightened at the mention of her ‘sister’. "She returned just before the squabble started to advance on us. Her mission was a success. One of their leaders lay dead from poison and untrust now brews among their ranks."

"Good. I want you to go help her prep the ships to leave once I’m finished with this squabble. She’s been distant as of late, and I would like to prevent any.....unfortunate circumstances from arising." Thanos spoke though his voice was noticeably colder at the end. unfortunate circumstances usually meant executions for those that had failed him.

"How long?" Nebula asked though she already knew the answer in her mind.

"Soon enough. I tire of this world."

And with that Thanos pressed down against the parapet with his forearms as his legs tensed. Then with a sudden burst of energy he flew upwards into the sky propelling himself into the air. He came to the ground seconds later landing amongst his own troops taking a hundred foot fall like it was nothing, the ground quaking underneath his heavy feet.

Upon his landing his own army amassing outside the walls grew silent. The idle chatter of preparations and voices died down as all fell to attention almost immediately. All eyes turned to watch Thanos who towered over them all progress from the back to the front, cutting a path down the center like Moses parting the Red Sea. It was a strange sight seeing a mass of vagabonds, killers for hire and criminals - some of the worst in the galaxy for that matter all silenced with something of an aura of respect. To them Thanos was their savior, he had liberated them from their prisoners and daily lives, he was the one that promised a new order in which the strong would dominate over the weak, and he was the force of vengeance that brought death upon all those that ran against them. To walk with Thanos was to walk on the side of victory.

As he approached the front of his army he turned around to speak to them. His voiced boomed across the open air filling it with the sounds of conviction. The words were simple but simple was all he needed.



And as he let his voice rang out the words seemed to hang in the air for a moment before silence enveloped the armies. Then one of the criminals in the front with a scarred head and a bulging right eye started to chant the words back. Victory or death, victory or death. The men next to him began chanting it and soon it spread across his entire army thousands voices chanting back in him in unison. It almost made him smile.

Turning around he march his army forward towards the enemy chanting all the way and soon the two armies met each other in the middle of the great rocky plain outside of the city. They halted some two hundred feet from one another and Thanos held his hand high as he observed the enemy force. Thier eyes were filled with conviction but their hands trembled in fear. Thanos smiled. In a slow movement he brought his hand down as he charged the enemy line.

“Wait, it is the meteor rock, isn’t it? How on Earth did you do it, Lex?”

"I like your fiance Reed. She's very observant." Lex smiled and nodded at the woman. He raced over to his desk and pulled a notebook out of one of its drawers. He turned around trying to hide his excitement so that they would not suspect how close he was to failing before they got here. He handed it over to Reed to show him his notes. It was filled with pages and pages of scribbles and failed experiments. "To be honest it was extremely difficult. As you probably already know, the rock gives off a slight warmth along with its glow. That's what lead me to expect that it could be giving off energy in the first place. Bertrand, turn off the generator."

"Yes sir." One of the other scientists complied. As he did so the room went dark except for the slight glow of the rock in the power chamber on the top of the machine. Lex grabbed a stool and placed it at the side of the machine and opened a hatch on the side. The hatch let out a gust of steam as it opened and the glow from the object grew brighter.

Lex grabbed a pair of large tongs and reached into the hatch pulling out the rock which was now brightly shining. He motioned the couple over to his desk and placed the object on a stainless steel metal tray. He stood straight with excitement as Reed marveled at the rock. It was now glowing with four times the intensity it did under normal conditions.

"The first thing I had to realize was that this substance is alien. It does not react with anything on our periodic table under normal conditions so trying to use a known element in a controlled enviornment was futile. I noticed however that it does react to solar energy, or rather the nuclear fusion of the radiation of solar energy. In fact it seems to literally suck solar radiation into itself causing it to let out its own unique and clean energy source. This is quite literally nuclear energy using radiation that is completely harmless to humans or anything native to planet Earth."

Lex let what he was saying soak in a bit before he picked the rock back up with his pair of tongs and returned it to the generator. Within seconds he had the hatch re-sealed and the machine was up and running again. The room came back to life with power after a few flickers that worried Lex. Hopefully they didn't notice.

"I use a particle accelerator to simulate actual solar energy and pump the reaction through a filtration system into a mess of gears and other equipment to create enough kinetic energy to produce the electrical power you see in this room. Eventually I believe I will be able to power the entire city with a rock of this substance the size of a watermelon."

B R O O K L Y N V I S I O N S A C A D E M Y
0 2 : 2 4 P M

“Okay, class. Now I want to talk about a certain someone – no, a certain someones – who’ve made a much more recent mark in our world’s history. Can anyone tell me who those may be?”

Miles stifled the yawn that threatened to escape his mouth and tore his attention from the ceiling, glancing to his right where his best friend sat. Ganke returned his gaze, eyebrows perking upwards as he scratched his cheek. Miles shrugged, nodding towards Ms. Stewart, who watched the class with keen, expectant eyes.

“Anyone?” she prompted.

“The president?” someone tried from the back of the room, voice tinged with uncertainty.

“Yes,” said Ms Stewart, “President Kelly is definitely one of those people. If not for him and the Kelly Act, the world would be a very different place. But I’m thinking of others. People that are… larger than life, if you will.”

“Superman?”

“Yes! Good. Anyone else?”

“The Flash?”

“Yes.”

“What about Captain Marvel?”

“Yes, Captain Marvel. That’s right.”

“The Spider-Men?”

Miles straightened up in his seat. He tried to hide his surprise as best he could, with little avail. He didn’t know whether he should be anxious or excited at would be said next. He could never be sure what people thought about him; about the Spider-Men. It was always a mixed bag. Some sided with the Daily Bugle, absorbing and spewing its words as if they were gospel (SPIDER-MENACES! NEW SPIDER-MAN AIDS THE KANGAROO IN ROBBERY!), while others said they were heroes, just doing what they could to help out. Either way, Miles found it difficult not to take what people said to heart, and so he listened with a cautious interest, honing in on a dent in his desk in the case his attention would be needed elsewhere.

“Okay, good. Superman, the Flash, Captain Marvel and the Spider-Men. Can anyone tell me what they all have common?”

“They’re all awesome?” asked Ganke.

“Ha. Maybe so, Ganke, but this isn’t the Superhero Fan Club. Come on. Anyone?”

Ganke slouched in his chair, grumbling under his breath.

“They all have powers?”

“Yes! Very good, Lana. They all have powers. People like them have been called different names over the years. Charles Xavier called them mutants. Some call them metahumans. Posthumans. Others, of the more… opinionated type, call them aberrations. Unnatural. Monsters. And then there’s those like Superman, and Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel, who use their powers to take the law into their own hands. What would you call them?”

“Vigilantes?”

“Criminals?”

“Heroes.”

“Good. Good. Heroes, vigilantes, criminals. All very valid titles, I would say. Wouldn’t you?” The class gave a chorus of nods and yesses. “Okay. Now, for your assignment, I’m going to split you into groups of six. Three of you will be pro-superheroes, three of you anti. In two weeks’ time we’ll be holding a debate, one group on each day. I’ll be choosing the groups. Did everyone get that?”

---

“Dude.”

“Yeah, Ganke?”

They were in the cafeteria, sitting at a table near the back. Miles and Ganke chewed away at their food as students milled about the building, their individual chatter forming a wall of never-ending gossip and hearsay that breezed all around them like a pleasant smell.

Ganke was a great friend – the greatest. When Miles got bitten by the spider, he’d been a rock for him, an anchor to keep him grounded. It was he that helped Miles come to terms with powers, and it was he that supported him when his uncle threatened to turn his whole world on its head. Despite his outward immaturity, Ganke was one of the most rational people he knew. He was invaluable.

“Think about this assignment for a second. We could totally ace it.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

“We’re in the same group. We’re both on the pro-side. And you’re an actual, honest-to-god superhero. We’re winning team material.”

Miles scoffed. “Oh, yeah, right. Because I can just say, “As a superhero, I find your claims to be stupid, and quite frankly, offensive.””

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“I mean, that… Hey, what did you say Spider-Man told you that one time on that roof?”

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

“Miles. Don’t you see? That’s the greatest bomb you could ever drop on those anti-superheroes.”

“That’s… a really bad analogy, Ganke.”

Ganke paused, then winced. “Ooh, yeah, I see it now.”

“Anyway,” said Miles, finishing the last of his food, “I’m gonna see if I can squeeze in some patrol time. Cover for me if I’m late for class?”

“You know I’ve got your back, brother,” he assured, winking.

At that, Miles returned his tray and left, exiting the cafeteria at a half-jog. In less than a minute he was out of the school grounds, overlooking the streets of Brooklyn in a black and red suit.

Now think, he thought, Where would Spider-Man go?

As if reading his mind, three police cruisers sped past, sirens shrill as they flashed. Huh. Well, that's convenient.

He pulled on his mask, and without another thought, leapt into the air.

"I use a particle accelerator to simulate actual solar energy and pump the reaction through a filtration system into a mess of gears and other equipment to create enough kinetic energy to produce the electrical power you see in this room. Eventually I believe I will be able to power the entire city with a rock of this substance the size of a watermelon."

Reed’s mind was whirring with all of the possibilities as he eyed Luthor’s machine. Lex was on the cusp of something great, something that could change the course of human history, and the thought of that had Reed so flummoxed that he barely even noticed the flickering lights as the rock was slid back into place. After a pause Reed looked to Lex and shook his head incredulously as he spoke.

"Fascinating. The applications for this could be endless. If you could source enough of the meteor rock you could end mankind’s reliance of fossil fuel overnight. Global warming could be a footnote in the history of the twenty-first century because of a handful of green rock."

Beside Reed, Sue seems notably less impressed than her fiancé. She hadn’t skated over the flickering lights as easily as her husband had and she wasn’t as quick to forget Lex’s past. The Daily Planet ran an exposé several years ago penned by Lois Lane that linked LexCorp with several despotic regimes and militias cross the globe. It had been discredited since and Lane’s reputation had taken a hit for it but not everybody had forgotten about it. She spoke up and voice the concerns that Reed was too overawed to give voice to.

"Could it be weaponised?"

A shocked look appeared on Reed’s face.

"Sue!"

Sue ignored her fiancé’s protestations and looked directly at Lex.

"My husband is too polite to ask. I know you’re a changed man now, Lex, and your work with the Justice League has been nothing but exemplary since it started. But unlike Stark Industries, LexCorp still has some rather unsavory clients. I need to know that there’s no way this… rock could be turned into a weapon."

Beside her Reed seemed incredulous at the implication. Lex was a man of science first and foremost, as was Reed, and regardless of history there was no way that Richards could bring himself to believe he’d squander an opportunity like this. It was almost as if he wanted to believe it couldn’t be true.

"We’re talking about bringing an end to climate change. That’s the future of our entire planet, Sue. What kind of simple mind would choose to place profit over that?"

Sue smiled softly but kept her eyes locked on Lex.

"I’m not accusing anyone of anything, Reed, I just need to hear from the horse’s mouth that this isn’t going to become something… something ugly…"

"We’re talking about bringing an end to climate change. That’s the future of our entire planet, Sue. What kind of simple mind would choose to place profit over that?"

Sue smiled softly but kept her eyes locked on Lex.

"I’m not accusing anyone of anything, Reed, I just need to hear from the horse’s mouth that this isn’t going to become something… something ugly…"

Lex locked eyes with Sue and made a grimace. He was upset. He clenched his hands into fists trying to calm himself for a response. The other two scientists merely stared at the trio standing next to the generator in silence. Not twenty minutes ago they had witnessed Lex fire a man for tripping over a piece of equipment that wouldn't even fit inside the machine. Lex looked at his project and gave the metal hulk a pat.

"You are a very intelligent woman Susan and I respect you fiance as a scientific mind equal to my own so I won't lie to you." Lex paused and cleared his throat. He was still calming himself down. "My government contracts require me to inform our military and scientific leaders whenever I come across a break through on this scale. A colleague of mine, a general by the name of Ross, approached me to create experimental weapons for his troops based on this technology to be tested on a... certain problem he is having."

Lex walked over to his desk and placed his notebook back into its drawer. The lights flickered once again and he made another grimace. Reed had a distraught look on his face while Sue remained composed. He clenched his fist again under the desk so that they wouldn't notice.

"I told him no with a few added choice words. If this technology is successful.... no WHEN this technology is successful it will be for the betterment of the human race. This is my technology, mine. I will not allow it to be weaponised in any form." He leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. He looked across the room at his unfinished equation.

He looked at his watch as if he were checking the time. His fun was over, it was time to get back to work. He forced a smile and let out his most convincing fake laugh. Standing he walked back to the couple.

"Well it was good to see you again Reed but I really must get back to work. I want to get this whole building running off this generator by the end of the week. He smiled and shook each of their hands again. "I'll give you a call sometime and we can compare notes in a less formal setting. My receptionist will show you out, and don't hesitate to ask for anything. They have been told to make your visit as welcoming as possible."

Bludhaven
Avalon Hills

Val Kaliban had spent a lifetime around information.

A former high school star athlete, he'd been recruited from out of a Stanford MBA program to work in the CIA's clandestine foreign intelligence branch. At a certain point, the network of foreign contacts he'd made had become more lucrative for him and he pledged allegiance to the money rather than to the United States. He'd even lived as an ex-pat in Afghanistan for a time, selling information to the Taliban, the Northern Alliance, and the United States' special forces.

In exchange for information about the location of Abu Sayyid ibn Faraj al Yemeni, he'd negotiated a secret deal with the U.S. government that had allowed him to return to his home country with a passport and a clean slate -- allowing him to live out the remainder of his years in suburbia. But if anyone thought that the Spook was retired, they were kidding themselves. He'd positioned himself economically. The Eurozone was crashing, the Russians were coming, and ISIL was a real and present danger to a man like Kaliban. He'd wagered his knowledge strategically, putting him in a position to sell his services to the approaching crime syndicates that were moving in from the north and south to lay claim to Gotham.

A man with Val Kaliban's skills was not easily dismissed by the League. Such tact and manipulation of data was a rare trait. Even still, there were some things that the League could simply not permit and Kaliban had crossed one of those lines when he'd sold information to the League. And then turned around and sold information ABOUT the League.

That was a new Jaguar F-Type convertible in the garage. The S type trim available starting at $80,000, which suggested what the payout for the information had been. The ranch style home was nestled against a man-made lake on the side of an eighteen hole golf course that was all packaged neatly inside a private, gated community. Close enough to Gotham to be drivable, far enough away so to get none of the metropolitan traffic.

Now ask yourself, what is a million dollar home and an $80K car doing in Bludhaven?

A whaling town incorporated in the late nineteenth century, Bludhaven was a small town economy that had failed to launch. Attempts by mayors and city planners to reinvent, revitalize, or revisit the city's image had all ended disastrously, and with any number of scandals. The murder rate of a town with a fraction of the population was nonetheless on par with Chicago. So what motivated that level of crime in such small town America?

The answer was the docks. Longshoremen in the United States were synonymous with the mob, and so there was a long history of crime families using Bludhaven as their own summer vacation home. Maroni. Falcone. Key. Each had their own booth, with their name on it, at Anthony's on Main. As for the gated community, some of those were safe houses, some were grow houses, some were rentals. Few people actually lived here. And those that did usually did so at the invitation or pleasure of the mob.

In the age of Google, most of what Val Kaliban did now he could do over e-mail or text. He came and went from the house sporadically. He didn't seem to keep any kind of schedule. He'd been trained to avoid any sort of routine. Even when he went to the grocery store, he varied his route and went to different stores in order to be unpredictable. He looked over his shoulder, checked for vehicles tailing him, and seemed to operate under the suspicion of surveillance.

However, he'd agreed to a meeting. At his place. It was the price of doing business with Sal Maroni, who happened to own the bank that owned the loan that owned the house Kaliban was living in. Gee, there was a coincidence, wasn't there?

♪...Yeah, is it too late now to say sorry... cause I'm missing more than just your body...♪

The preteen's head swayed from side to side, his lips moving as he mouthed the words to the pop song by Bieber that was pumped through the black SkullCandy ear buds. In his lap, the child was stripping, inspecting, and assembling the German made pistol he'd been given. Connecting the slide to the frame, the boy inverted the Walther PPS before popping the magazine into place. Righting the gun, the rocked the slide back to chamber a round and disengaged the safety before tucking it away at the small of his back.

...Yeah I know that I let you down... Is it too late to say I'm sorry now...

Pulling on a pair of black gloves, the boy next reached for the black scabbard that had been resting on the seat beside him. Sheath in one hand, handle in the other, he pulled the wakazashi from the scabbard just far enough to inspect the blade for damages. It was eighteenth century Japanese. Securing the blade back, the boy slung the scabbard behind his as he secured the weapon on his back.

The Enterprise Rent-a-Car Volvo was rolling up on the house. Reaching for the door handle, the boy paused to consider just how this was going to go down. This wasn't training. This wasn't 1,800 yards away, seen through the scope of a rifle. This was real. Shit was about to get real.

The Volvo rolled to a stop. Obediently, the child popped the door open as he started to step out of the car. He looked back only because he realized that his driver -- the woman in the niqab -- had snagged his sleeve to get his attention.

Was she going to tell him to be careful?

"If you fail," the woman said, speaking slowly and clearly. "My instructions are to kill you."

The boy looked crestfallen for a moment, but it had only been a moment. Of course she was. Mother had probably even reinforced that idea in his chaperon and bodyguard. To live as an al Ghul one had to prove that they were worthy of that life. This was a test, not a job. And therein lay the key distinction between someone like Val Kaliban and Damian. "-tt-" the boy chirped derisively, adopting a sneer as he twisted his face away. "I'll kill you for suggesting I could fail," the boy tossed back haughtily, before swinging the car door shut.

He'd twisted his face away so she wouldn't see the single tear rolling down the right side of his face. Pop music pounding in his ears, he turned his eyes up to the stars overlooking the house.

Someone was going to die tonight. Would it be him?

"Well it was good to see you again Reed but I really must get back to work. I want to get this whole building running off this generator by the end of the week. He smiled and shook each of their hands again. "I'll give you a call sometime and we can compare notes in a less formal setting. My receptionist will show you out, and don't hesitate to ask for anything. They have been told to make your visit as welcoming as possible."

Sue Storm still looked skeptical as she shook Lex Luthor’s hand and it was clear from his impression that he sensed it. Reed shook Luthor’s hand fairly sheepishly and the neutral expression on his face masked his unhappiness at Sue’s question. If Luthor was going to be working on something of this scale Reed wanted to be there. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t consider Lex his equal, though somewhere at the back of his mind there was an ounce of that. More though, Reed wanted be there when history was made.

“Sure, that sounds great.”

Reed and Sue turned to exit the generator room and as the doors shut behind them the red-haired receptionist that had led them in greeted them. Both Reed and Sue were noticeably dispirited compared to when they had walked in and the receptionist’s faux-cheeriness seemed especially out of place given that.

“Will you be staying in Metropolis overnight, Mr. and Mrs. Richards? Mr. Luthor has made reservations for yo-”

Reed shook his head curtly as he passed the receptionist.

“I think we’ll be returning to New York.”

Sue was a few strides behind her fiancé. When he was annoyed Reed had a tendency to quicken his pace and unknowingly lengthen his gait. On a normal person that would be bad enough but in Reed’s case it was doubly so. He was several meters ahead of her by the time they’d made it to the elevator. The elevator operator stood in it, holding the doors open, as they stood mere strides from it and spoke.

“What’s wrong?”

Reed let out an exasperated sigh.

“I… I just… You could have said something to me before you went off half-cocked back there, Sue. I’ve been friends with Lex for a long time. I didn’t appreciate being blindsided like that.”

Sue looked at her fiancé with resolute, determined eyes.

“You know it needed to be asked.”

Reed nodded gently by way of acceptance and the couple entered the elevator. They stood in silence as the elevator returned them to the ground floor and as the elevator came to a halt Reed stretched his hand towards Sue’s and held it. She looked at him and smiled softly.

“Come on,” Sue muttered to Reed as they walked towards the exit. Her voice was soft, conciliatory, and though she stopped short of apologizing it was clear she understood that Reed had a point. “Let’s find Johnny and Ben. Fingers crossed they haven’t caused another international incident.”

Reed laughed and reached for the remote of the Fantasticar he kept in a makeshift pocket made of his own elastic skin. With a click of the button the lumbering machine appeared from the clouds and hovered in front of Reed and Sue. It was old, long since in need of an upgrade, but the vehicle had something of a sentimental value about it. By any other person’s measure it was a technological monstrosity but Reed couldn’t quite bring himself to get rid of it. He took Sue’s hand and helped her into her seat before climbing into his own and guiding it skywards.

Reed tapped a few buttons on the screen and on it appeared a map of Metropolis. There were two blinking lights in a public park, one Johnny and one Ben, and Reed made a beeline towards their position. Men and women lined the windows of their offices as the Fantasticar roared through the Metropolis sky. Once they were over the park it took a couple of seconds for Reed to locate them but he soon hovered the machine above them and the crowd assembled around them. A smile appeared on his face as he noticed they were gathered around a chessboard. He placed his hand around his mouth to magnify his voice and called out to them.

“So… are you ready to go back to New York or would you like us to come back in a few hours once you’ve figured out the rules?”

Ben Grimm looked up at Reed unimpressed and stood up from his seat.

“Ha-frigging-ha, Stretch.”

As he wandered over to the Fantasticar Ben’s head hung grumpily and he wordlessly leapt into his portion of the Fantasticar – staring in the opposite direction of the younger Storm. As Johnny followed after him Sue looked to her brother for answers.

“What’s wrong with him?”

The smug smile on Johnny’s face said it all.

“I beat him.”

Suddenly Ben’s head swiveled round towards Reed and Sue and he barked at them without warning.

“It was beginner’s luck!”

Reed, Sue, and Johnny burst into laughter and Johnny looked to Reed with a smile.

“How was America's eighth most eligible bachelor?”

“Charming as ever,” Reed smiled to Sue. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, what say we get back to New York?”

From the back of the Fantasticar Ben let out a contented sigh as he surveyed the Metropolis skyline.

“That sounds like sweet, sweet music to my ears.”


The Fantasticar began to whir into movement and the civilians surrounding the Fantasticar moved backwards to allow it some space. It floated a few feet off the ground to begin with, then the engine really came into force, and it shot up a few more metres and Reed allowed it to hang there for a minute whilst he waited for Johnny Storm. The young man said some final goodbyes to the elderly Jewish men that had given him a crash course in chess. With a cry of “Flame On!” he burst into flames and flew up beside the cockpit of the Fantasticar beside Reed. As the thrusters spun round he looked back at Ben with a smile.

“I can’t believe I actually beat you.”

The scowl on Ben Grimm’s face reappeared as the Fantasticar burst into life and the Fantastic Four disappeared over the clouds and off into the horizon. Only Grimm’s last words remained for the enjoyment of the civilians beneath them.

“It was beginner’s luck, for Christ’s sake!”

---

Secret Subbasement of Stately Grant Manor
One Werewolf Hunt Later

Moon Knight stepped out of a particular chamber of his primary lair wherein the apparent werewolf and serial killer Anthony Lupus was being held, restrained by an odd improvised mix of ordinary handcuffs and silver thread to prevent any further transformation. Khonshu was right as as always in leading him to Lupus. The information he'd received was troubling to say the least. He would have to act on it quickly before the madness it hinted at spread any further, infected anyone else. But before he could move out again something caught his eye, a flurry of movement at the corner of his vision. He spun and threw a crescent blade to pin whatever intruder was present in place, making the throw by pure reflex. It was only afterward that he saw what he had caught.

"Jeff, what are you doing here? You don't have access to the subbasement."

As always just the sight of the boy's perpetually cheerful yet defiant face hit Moon Knight full on with a tsunami of cascading emotions and memories, almost all of them painful. His early battles with Midnight Man, the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Gentleman Thief", how he had changed from target of Khonshu's punishment to someone whom Moon Knight could almost respect if he could give up his addiction to flashy theft. Then came their final battle. Moon Knight could still see it as if it were playing out before his eyes all over again. The mistimed kick on a rooftop slick with rain, the look in Midnight Man's eyes as he realized he was falling, falling...down towards the river. Moon Knight's glider cape had been in tatters after their knife fight but he still remembered the sensation of flinging himself over the edge and reaching for Midnight Man's hand...It was only afterward that he'd found out Midnight Man had a son, a son he'd been training to join the family business and raised on tales of his daring exploits against his most noble and implacable foe the Moon Knight.

Taking Jeff in under the guise of Steven Grant had been the least he could do but the child was far too bright and cunning, so it had only taken one slip-up for him to follow Steven Grant down to the subbasement. Which is how he came to be here, sleeve pinned against a wall by a crescent knife he was casually examining as he ignored a glare that had made grown criminals wet themselves with practiced ease.

"My Dad was the world's greatest thief, so if you think some fancy locks and scanners are going to keep me out of anywhere you're crazy, Steve!"

Moon Knight sometimes tended to agree with that assessment.

"Still, I can't have you coming down here whenever you like and interrupting-"

"So what did he tell you?"

"He who?"

"The monster man, the werewolf or whatever! Marlene told me about him and there's no way you'd hand him over to the police without interrogating him yourself first! So what did he tell you?"

Moon Knight sighed and mentally reminded himself never to become an actual parent.

"If it'll prevent you from trying to go in there and find out for yourself...he was surprisingly talkative. It turns out he was a test subject for one Professor Achilles Milo, currently working out of an abandoned research lab that used to belong to Roxxon Oil and Chemical. He promised Lupus there that he'd turn him into the next Olympic gold medalist but then went and turned him into that thing instead.

"Eesh! You'd think he'd know better with a name like Lupus. So what do we do next?"

"We don't do anything. You're going to go back upstairs and get some sane amount of sleep in. I'm going to head to that factory and see what I can beat out of Milo, or at least pick up his trail. And don't say "But I want to help" or "But I have training" for the thirtieth time, because that's final!"

The glare he got as the kid ripped the throwing knife out of his sleeve and stormed out would've been soul-withering to any lesser man, but he wouldn't risk Jeff sharing his father's fate. He still didn't know just how Midnight Man had died, though if he did Moon Knight figured he would likely be a lot less eager to jump into being Moon Knight's sidekick.

As his feet locked into place on his Angelwing and he lifted off, he prayed to Khonshu for guidance on how to handle the boy.

As always though, with Jeff there were no easy answers.

Central City, Missouri
10:30 AM

"This isn't a hate crime, is it?"

Lenny Snart looked in the rearview mirror of his car. Rhino's hulking frame was shoved into the backseat of Snart's '76 Dodge Dart. Riding shotgun was Electro. Dillon shifted in his seat and looked at the big man with an arched eyebrow.

"What do you mean hate crime?"

"Stealing from this guy. He's called the Top, right? Isn't that like a gay thing?"

"I think you're thinking of a twink," said Electro.

"They're both gay things," said Snart.

"Is a twink a top?" Rhino asked. "Or is a twink always a bottom?"

"Depends on the twink," replied Dillon. "A twink being a bottom isn't mutually exclusive. Depends on the bear-- Jesus!"

Electro flinched when he saw Mirror Master in the reflection of the rearview mirror. McCullough smiled widely and winked.

"How long have you been there?" Snart asked.

"Long enough to catch that riveting conversation. I should have recorded it..."

"Where's the money train?"

"Few miles north of here, getting on the interstate. If ya hurry you can catch up."

Just like that, McCullough disappeared back into the mirror world while Snart started the car and sped away.

"What's that squeaking noise?" Rhino asked.

"Serpentine belt needs changing," said Snart. "It's the top of my to-do list if we pull off this heist."

He hit the interstate and gained speed. Every so often McCulloguh would appear back in the mirror and direct them towards the convoy. Ten miles out of Central City they caught up with three black SUVs speeding down the interstate in a line. Snart slowed down and kept a long leash on the cars. With McCullough shadowing them from the mirror world he wasn't afraid of losing them. Twenty minutes turned into an hour, an hour turned into an hour and a half. Snart kept checking the mirror and waiting for Mirror Master to show back up.

"They're getting off at the next exit," McCullough said from the mirror. "Town by the name of Lawson."

Snart veered off at exit 47 and cruised through the one-horse town of Lawson, Missouri. There were two red lights and a McDonald's and that was really it. Within five minutes Snart found the town's only bank. Lawson Savings & Loans was the prototypical small bank with small parking and one drive-through lane. Snart cruised by slow enough for them to get a good look, but not slow enough to draw attention. The three SUVs were parked in front of the bank while three men in suits lugged big metal cases inside.

"This is gonna be easy," Dillon said once they found a parking spot down the street. "Small town banks are easy as shit, bunch of Barney Fife's patrolling town, and it's far enough away that the Flash won't be wise to it unless we start some shit."

"It's going to be tougher than that," Snart said with a sigh. He looked in the rearview mirror. On the other side of the street were two sheriff's deputies in two prowl cars. "Cops are nearby which means they're guarding the transfer from the car to the bank. If as much cash is in that bank as we think, then the Barneys in this town are not going to give it up without a fight. That fucking bank is going to be like a little Fort Knox."

"I know," Rhino said. "If only we had superpowers that sure would help."

Dillon looked back at Rhino before turning to Snart. "I think I get what Cold's saying. If this is going to be a fight then we'll have to use our powers, which will let Top and his people know who ripped them off... plus, it makes all kinds of noise that will result in the Flash ending up here. Us, crooked cops, and the Flash altogether? That's like the gunfight at the OK Corral on steroids."

Snart watched the cop cars pull away as the black SUVs pulled out the parking lot and headed back towards the interstate. "And all it takes is one slip-up. Be a little slow or a little late and it all comes crashing down around us."

Seattle, Washington
Ballard District

A single gunshot rang out inside a store as a guy, wearing a ski mask, screamed as loud as he could. "DON'T FUCKING MOVE." Another shot rang out as two other men with ski masks ran towards the storefront. The cashier and customers were being gathered around as one of the guys shoved the cashier towards the nearby wall and started to open the machine. While the other guys were bringing the customers towards the storefront, the guy was successfully able to open the cash register and pulled out a plastic bag out of his pocket. With one hand on the bag, he began to grab the money from the register.

The cashier, a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties and black, was in a disordered state as she couldn't believe that her job was a target from a possible robbery. The alarm button, hidden under the register, was inaccessible because of the robber; however, she could distract the man by pointing out a safe in the office. Since her store manager wasn't there, the safe was useless to them because of the fact that they can't open it. After gathering all of the money from the machine, the man quickly turned towards the woman and walked towards her.

"Is there any more things valuable?" the man questioned her as he was holding the bag with one hand. "U-u-uh, I think there's a safe in the office?" the cashier responded to the question while she stuttered for a moment. The guy turned his back away from the woman as he called out for the others. She saw and took the moment as she quietly crawled towards the counter while he was telling the remaining criminals the safe. The alarm was there as she pressed on the button quickly and the alarms went off. It rang throughout the store as the guy turned back around and saw the woman on the other side. Panicked now, the thieves were running around the store as they tried to grab any remaining valuable items.

Enraged at the woman, he threw the bag onto the counter top and grabbed his pistol as he aimed it at the woman. Her heart froze and she was too paralyzed to react, when she saw the pistol. One of the other robbers saw that and rushed towards the guy. "Come on now, that shit isn't going to do us any good!" he scolded the guy for pointing the gun at the cashier. However, he was shoved as the guy pointed the gun at her again with anger. "I such will feel better." the guy boasted towards the other guy as he was ready to end someone's life. The woman quickly closed her eyes as she tried to imagine something else before she died.

THUNK

The woman soon opened her eyes slowly as she saw the guy's gun was hanging on the wall with an arrow. “But it will make me feel a little cranky." a mysterious figure said as he was crouching on top of a store shelf. The guy looked at the figure and realized who it was as he quickly yelled, “OH SHIT, HE'S HERE!”

As soon as the word 'Green Arrow' was finished, he dropped onto the grounds as they fired at the shelf; however, he quickly pulled out one of his trick arrows and fired towards one of the guys. A life-size boxing glove soon appeared as it was just about to impact the guy's chest, sending him flying across the store and landing on some boxes. Another guy soon saw the action and ran towards the store front and saw him.

“You will pay for this!” the guy shouted as he fired his gun towards Green Arrow. But, he quickly outran them and did a back flip as he reached for another trick arrow of his and fired from his bow. He looked away from the guy as he was about to be hit by the Flashbang arrow and then it went off. He screamed as he went blind for a moment and dropped his weapon onto the ground as he tried to regain his vision. But, when he regained it, he quickly sees Green Arrow as he grinned before knocking the guy out.

The woman realized that it was Green Arrow as she saw the arrow in the wall. The guy quickly saw the woman and had a plan. He rushed towards the gun as he picked it back up from the ground and spoke to the woman, “Come with me.” The woman tried to crawl away from the guy, but he grabbed her long hair and stopped her from escaping. “You're coming with me, no matter what.” the guy barked at the woman as she was going to become his hostage.

Green Arrow had just defeated most of the guys here as he heard pleading for mercy from a woman. He quickly grabbed an arrow and turned to see the simulation. The guy held a gun against the woman's face as tears came down her face. Green Arrow lowered the bow and arrow as he looked the guy and said, “Let her go before you do anything stupid.”

“Fuck off, Green Arrow. I am going to take her with me and we are going to get out of here, alive.” the guy explained as he made such that Green Arrow heard the words “alive” clearly enough. Green Arrow sighed and told him the hard truth, “The police and I will find you someday. Give up or face the punishment.” The guy refused to believe that and then aimed the gun at him now and saying, “Just let me go and she can go free, alright?”

Green Arrow can't believe how naive the guy was as he told him another hard truth. “That's not going to happen as well. Just give up and I will take you to the police.” “NO.” the guy stated loudly, “You will not take me away.” Then, two police cars with their sirens on to appear out of the street corner as they were going towards the shop. The alarm were alerted to the police department nearby and sent a couple cars to the locations. The guy looked at the cars and his face frozen as he lowered his gun.

Green Arrow knew that this was a good moment to take the threat as he quickly reached for an arrow and looked towards the woman. She didn't know what was going on as the guy then came back to reality, only to get an arrow in his hand. The woman, in a moment of shock and anger, pushed the guy away from her and raced towards the others as they were crowded together. The guy had dropped his gun on the ground as he received a second arrow on his chest, right in the heart.

He had realized that the Green Arrow got him as he dropped to the ground with both knees on the ground and his hands were shaking around as he finally landed on the cold floor. Green Arrow walked towards the dying guy and said to him in a disappointed tone, “I told you to not do anything stupid.” Suddenly, he passed out.

Green Arrow looked at the guy as police stormed into the store and aimed their guns at him. They soon recognized the Green Arrow and lowered them as an officer walked towards him. “Are you alright, Green Arrow?” The Green Arrow sighed as he pointed towards the guy and said, “You better take him to a hospital nearby.” The officer was shocked to see the guy with an arrow in his chest as he told the other officers about the dying man. The Green Arrow stepped away and saw the officer as he was walking towards him and then said his name, “Officer Quentin Lance.”

The two men faced each other as the other officers took the robbers away. The Green Arrow then told one of the officers as he pointed to one of the robbers, “That guy might have some broken bones, you should get his check.” The officer nodded as he was carrying him outside and Lance looked around the place and said to him, “What happened this time?”

“I was just doing my job, Lance.” the Green Arrow stated as he saw the paramedics with the stretcher as they placed the guy on the stretcher. Lance saw the guy and gave him a look while Green Arrow rolled his eyes. “What did he do?” Lance asked with a serious tone and Green Arrow responded, “He tried to kill the cashier. So, I shot two arrows and he falls to the ground. I saved her life and you should be thankful that I did.”

The officer sighed heavily and said to Green Arrow, “I know that, alright. You're a goddamn hero in my and any other officer's books. But, the city is worried that you killing criminals will be horrible. What if-”

“What if? What if, what are you trying to say?” the Green Arrow asked toward the officer as he began to rub the back of his neck, becoming more nervous. “Forget about it. The city council is just worried about you.” he said as he tried to move away from the original question. Green Arrow shook his head as he laughs a bit and said, “I have been protecting this city for two years against criminals and scum from the underworld – hell, I even faced off against Onomatopoeia and got him out of the city – and they are suspicious of me?”

“I don't have time for this crap. This city is still in need of my protection.” the Green Arrow said as he walked away from the store and from Lance. He sighed once more as he saw the Green Arrow walking away and then got back to work.

---

Seattle, Washington
Central Business District

Queen Industries have been standing at Seattle's Central Business District for fifteen years, standing right next to the Columbia Center. The company's symbol proudly stands above the center and being the second tallest building on the West Coast. They are an electronic and high-tech manufacturer and they have good ties with Wayne Enterprises.

Oliver Queen was waiting for the elevator to get to the top floor, where his office is located, until it stopped on floor thirty-one. Floor thirty-one was where the I.T. department is located and he saw one of the employees, Felicity Smoak. “Hello, Mr. Queen.” she said as she smiled at him while getting on the elevator, “I am sorry about this, but I need to get to the offices on floor forty-nine, is that fine with you?” Oliver smiled and said with a kind tone, “No, no. It's fine.”

She pushed the button for floor forty-nine and the doors shut as the elevator started. “How are you doing, Smoak?” Queen said as he didn't want to spend the time just standing there and doing nothing. She was surprised by his question and answered it, “I have been doing good. Ever since I moved to Seattle, I have felt better than I ever did in the East Coast.” Queen knew that he had made a right choice by keeping her in the I.T. department.

“That's good to hear.” Queen replied as he looked at what floor, they were on, which was on floor forty-two. Then, he looked at Smoak and asked her about the Green Arrow, “It has been two years since Green Arrow arrived at Seattle, what do you think of him? I never hear you talk about him.” Smoak smiled and told him, “I don't know what to think of him. He's a hero in my books; even if he has killed in the past.”

“You don't like the fact that he kills?” Queen asked. “Yes... and no. I understand that you have to kill someone in order to defend yourself or someone else. But, aren't there other ways to stop the criminals without killing them?” she said as the elevator stopped on floor forty-two and she began to exit it.

“It has been nice talking to sir.” she said to her boss as she got off of the elevator and began to walk towards her destination. Queen looked at her and said, “You have been in this company from many years, I think that you're allowed to call me Oliver.” She brushed and said to him as the doors were closing, “Alright, Oliver.” The doors were closed and the elevator had started again.

---

Seattle, Washington
Industrial District

The sun was about to set as the lights from the city started to turn on, bringing out the nightlife of Seattle. Downtown and several other districts would be full of all walks of life as they tried to party while they have the chance to. Work was getting over from workers at the Industrial District as the building lights were turned off and their doors locked as most of the cars would of left the parking lot before night time came.

However, it was a hotbed of drug deals and other illegal stuff during the night. A police car was on their nightly patrol as they were looking around the empty alleys and parking lots for anything unusual. The radio was on as they listened to the police scanner while one was focusing on the road and the other was looking around.

Until they saw someone in one of the alleys, or thought that they did. “We need to check it out.” one of the officers said towards the other as he was looking for a flashlight. The other officer agreed as he was the first one to get out of the parked car. “Hey, is someone there?” he called out towards the alley as he got no response. The other officer got out of the car with the flashlight and pointed it towards the alley, where a big unknown figure was standing there.

The officers walked slowly as they called out the person. “Hey, why are you out here?” the officer said as he walked towards the person. “I am here for a meeting.” the person said as they stool still as the officers got closer towards him. “A meeting for what?” the officer said as he pointed the flashlight towards him, only his back was showing as he was wearing a suit.

“Are you in the underworld?” the other officer questioned as soon as he saw the suit. “Yes. I am here to unite all of the crime empires of Seattle.” the man said with his deep, serious tone as he turned around slowly to relieve his face towards the cops. The officer then pointed the flashlight towards his face and were shocked by his face. His entire face and body was red and his skin looked like brick walls and his white ponytail hair popped out towards you more.

“W-w-what are you?” the officer said as he and his partner were stepping backwards as the guy walked towards them. “I am the Brick. And I am here to unite the remaining crime empires and destroy the Green Arrow.” the Brick said as he violently grabbed their necks with both of his hands. He could see the fear in their faces as he put some pressure into their necks. Before he killed them, he looked at them and said in an almost peaceful tone. “Don't worry, I will kill you both first.” He applied pressure into the neck and then...

CRACK

Philadelphia, PA

Thunder reverberated in the background of the bustling city, the soft hum of cars going by at a leisurely pace were drowned out every few minutes by the loud strikes of thunder. Lightning was shown in the background, lighting up the dim city streets that were only showcased by single lamp posts, lighting up the street every few meters. The few people that were on the sidewalk scattered to find any source of cover, the unexpected thunderstorm seemed to surprise everyone on the street. The rain began to fall a couple seconds after the first strike of lightning, hitting anyone that wasn't lucky enough to find cover quick.

Kurt looked down on the streets below him, his large trench coat provided cover from the rain as it fell on top of him. Kurt threw the hood of the coat over his head, still keeping his eyes down on the streets below. Kurt teleported every few streets, keeping an eye on any suspicious activity below. The streets seemed to be dead silent, aside from the thunder and cars in the background nothing seemed to make a noise. That's when Kurt heard a loud SCREECHHHH!. Car tires squealed as they tried to get a grip on the slick road, the sound came a street down from where Kurt was. Kurt cocked an eyebrow before teleporting a couple buildings over to get a Birdseye view of the source of the noise.


An old, dark red Ford Sierra with dark tinted windows sped down the street before taking a hard right, and picking up speed on a straightaway. Kurt once again teleported buildings behind it, still keeping a close eye on the car below obviously breaking a couple traffic laws on the way. Now Kurt wasn't gonna pull over the car for speeding or anything, but the car still intrigued him enough for him to follow. Kurt followed the car for a few minutes before it started to slow down and park near a small apartment complex. The car sat there for a few minutes before the passenger side door opened up quickly, out plopped out a short pudgy man. The man kept his door open as he turned back around towards the car and leaned back in, saying something to the driver. The pudgy man then clicked a button on his passenger door and took a step towards the backseat door. The driver side door also flung open, out stepped a tall lanky man and he too took a step toward his driver side door. The pudgy man held up three fingers to the driver, before switching to two, then one, then none. On no fingers, they both flung their doors open and both leaned into the car. Kurt watched puzzled but then understood after only a few seconds. The pudgy man was caught with a swift kick to the face by an unknown third person in the car. The pudgy man stumbled back to out the car, holding his nose in pain and agony as he rolled on the ground. The car still rocking as clearly a struggled happened in the car.

A few seconds later a third unknown person scrambled out of the car, this time, a female, her foot got caught on the backseat seat belt making her trip and fall face first onto the sidewalk. She tried to scramble to her feet but was quickly tackled from behind by the tall lanky driver. When Kurt saw this happen he teleported. He didn't teleport in the middle of the fight however, he teleported on top of the Ford Sierra his legs dangling off the side as he whistled loudly. Fweeeeet! The pudgy man was on his hands and knees, still having a free hand on his nose which was dripping a massive amount of blood. The man turned his head, hand still on the nose as he saw a figure on top of his car.

"Wh-... What the fuck?!" The pudgy man said, his voice muffled by his hand slightly over his mouth. This caused the other man to turn around a couple meters away still fighting with the female on the ground, both her arms pinned to the ground by the tall lanky man.

"Nun, da ich Ihre Aufmerksamkeit.¹" Kurt replied as the expression on the two men's face turned into confusion. The lady on the ground took this opportunity to spit directly in the man's face that had her pinned down, which turned the expression of confusion into one of anger from the man.

"You.. You little bitch!" The lanky man yelled in rage as he lifted his fist, ready to strike down on the female. Before the man could swing down though, a loud BAMF! was heard in between the man yelling and a loud thunder strike. The man tried to swing down, but his arm was caught on something. Looking back at his arm, he saw a three fingered appendage wrapped around his arm, stopping his fist from hitting the girl. "Das ist keine gute Idee."² was heard from the cloaked figure. A few seconds passed, the thunder seeming to become more frequent and loud. Kurt sighed as neither the pudgy man or lanky man made a move.

That's when the female of all people made a move, since the lanky man let go of one of her arms he had pinned down she took the opportunity to punch the man square in the face. Causing a trail of blood to ripple down his nose, just like his accomplice. The lanky man, let go of her other arm and swung a wild punch at Kurt, which Kurt easily dodged after letting go of the man's arm. Kurt took a large step back, as the Lanky man sent another punch at the female on the ground. Before the punch could land, Kurt tackled the Lanky man off the lady. The man gave off a loud HMPFH! as the wind was knocked from his body. Kurt sent a swift punch to the face of the man while he was dazed from the tackle, knocking him unconscious as the back of his head hit the sidewalk. Kurt looked down to the Lanky man, taking his concentration off the pudgy man for a second. The Pudgy man had scrambled to his feet, and with surprising speed took off after Kurt. The man attempted to tackle Kurt like Kurt did to his accomplice but was met with a "BAMF!" The man flew in the air, gripping at the remnants of smoke that was left behind by Kurt as he teleported a few feet away. The man fell stomach first, using his forearms to brace his fall. He turned around, seeing the trenchcoat figure pounded by rain, the lightning in the background gave off a slight image of his blue face.

"Wha-... What the FUCK are you?! The pudgy man yelled, his voice cracking a little in pure terror.

Kurt gave him a sinister smile, stepping closer and closer to the man. The man crawled backward in a vain attempt to get away. His back was met with the wall of one of the apartments. Kurt stepped closer and closer until they were face to face. The sweat dripped off the pudgy man, obviously scared to death of the blue devil. Kurt was inches close to his face, his sinister smile still giving off dread.

"Wer bin ich..? Die Nachtkriecher."³

Now that I have your Attention. ¹

That's a bad idea. ²

Who am I..? The Nightcrawler. ³