[IC] Justice League

[Bonesaw McGraw]

The ship hurdled through space at warp speed, weaving past planets and asteroids en route to it's final destination. The craft itself was black, with a metallic sheen, and had glowing violet lights. The lights on the front of the ship were arranged in a pattern of three dots, in the shape of a triangle, with the dots connected by a pair of lines, looking almost like the letter V. The ship's destination came into view, a brilliant blue planet with fragments of land and clouds visible from space. After soaring past the planet's solitary moon, the craft entered the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, on the surface of that very same blue world...

"I'm sorry Lois, but we can't publish this.”

"Tell me Perry, when exactly did you lose your balls?"

"About 20 years ago when I married my first wife,” the hefty editor replied, “Listen, you need to be careful of what you say about Lex Luthor in this town, you know that as much as I do. If Metropolis is the City of Tomorrow, then Luthor is the Man of Tomorrow. Plus, his company is a partial owner of the Daily Planet."

"His company is also a weapons manufacturer for the United States military, and the public has a right to know that his lobbyists are pressuring this country's government to go to war! Stories like this are the whole point of a free press!"

"Look, I don't know who told you the press was free, but they obviously never worked in the news business. You're not as naive as Kent Lois, you know how the game works. Speaking of Kent..."

"All I know is that people deserve the truth--"

"KENT! KENT GET IN HERE!"

The timid and mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent stepped into the editor's office, adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses as he did so.

“You're late Kent, for the third time this week!” yelled Perry.

“I'm sorry Mr. White,”” Clark replied, exchanging a knowing look with Lois, “I got caught up with something.”

“I don't want to hear any of your excuses Kent. Be her on time from now on, or don't bother coming back at all.”

“Yes sir.”

Suddenly the office doors burst open, and the Daily Planet's young red-haired photographer, Jimmy Olsen, entered the room.

“You guys need to see this!”

[Dblade26]

Meanwhile, in an entirely different city not too far away on that same little blue planet, a man in a suit took in a refreshing view of the city skyline from an outcropping on one of its' tallest buildings, the skyscrapers all around dazzlingly lit by the afternoon sun like jewels as a pleasant sea breeze blew in from the nearby harbor and accompanying warehouse district. It had been a long haul all the way up to the top but it was worth it.

Yes, everything was perfect. Just him, a glorious afternoon-

"AAAAAAAAAH!~ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!~

-and of course the music of terrified screams from the man he was currently dangling by the ankle over a one-hundred-and-four story long drop.

"You know, I used to only do this sort of thing at night, but working during the day does give a man certain advantages. In the daylight you can really get a good view of the ground, even from all the way up here. Notice how the cars just look like ants? You'd never get that amount of detail at night. Of course, you're about to see it all even more clearly..." The Batman said all of this in an almost deadpan or casual tone, as if discussing what time was best for hanging a man off of a skyscraper was about the same as discussing what time was best to meet someone for lunch.

"Y-you won't kill me! B-batman doesn't kill people!" The man insisted, almost begging for it to be true.

"Are you really sure of that? It's a long way down. You'd have plenty of time to regret making the wrong guess before you hit the ground, and frustration isn't doing wonders for my grip." Just as he said that he loosed his hold on the leg just enough to let the other man feel it without coming close to dropping him. Years of practice meant he could catch the poor fool easily enough if he did too, but that wasn't something the other man needed to know.

"OHPLEASEGODNO! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT!"

"Then talk!"

[VitaVitaAR]

Oh, this... this was amazing, this was just so cool she could barely stand it! They were a bunch of thugs, probably hired by some bigger bad guy to do... something! Batman said he'd figure out who, and Madison believed him. Or rather, Robin! Oh, it was so awesome being called that! Sure, the fight had been a little scary, it was... hard not to admit that. Especially when the one guy took out a knife and Batman was dealing with the other guys. But she remembered what he'd told her, got above him and then WHAM! Heel to the back of the head! He was out cold before he even hit the ground! It felt... so... so good! Stopping these guys from hurting innocent people and committing crimes, helping Batman track down the mastermind behind it all... It felt like, not only was she really doing good, but that she was awesome while doing it!

... Sure Batman probably didn't want to hear it, but, well...

"When you hit that guy as he was coming up behind you, that was so cool!" cried Robin as she stood on the roof. To be fair she'd been so... absorbed in gushing that she hadn't entirely noticed what Batman was doing yet. "And I remembered everything you taught me, when that guy brought out the knife and I got him right in the back of the head! I bet he won't even know what hit him when he comes too, right Batman?! And I-"

Finally, the energetic girl's eyes fell on the thug Batman was dangling from the rooftop.

"... Oh, uh, you're busy! I should've noticed, uh..." Madison paused, looking awkwardly towards the ground. She knew Batman employed some pretty severe methods to get information out of the bad guys and all. She was sure the guy was perfectly safe, but he didn't know that, right? That was the whole trick, right? "... I'll... uh... make sure the other guys stay unconscious?"

[An Outsider]

The ship hurdled through space at warp speed, weaving past planets and asteroids en route to it's final destination. The craft itself was black, with a metallic sheen, and had glowing violet lights. The lights on the front of the ship were arranged in a pattern of three dots, in the shape of a triangle, with the dots connected by a pair of lines, looking almost like the letter V. The ship's destination came into view, a brilliant blue planet with fragments of land and clouds visible from space. After soaring past the planet's solitary moon, the craft entered the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, at the very depths of the blue planets ocean.

"And I say again, I will not sanction this punitive raid. I will suffer no more discussion on the matter" The speaker was Arthur Curry, king of Atlantis. Sitting upon his throne, he was trapped in a long and heated debate with his top generals and politicians. Most of the Atlantean gentry in attendance were demanding a raid upon the surface world, in retaliation for the sinking of an offshore oil drilling rig, which had spewed toxic chemicals into the sea. This was just the latest in a long line of affronts that the humans had offered their under-sea neighbours, and tensions were rising. Arthur was trying to cool the tempers of his subjects, but he could only do so much in the face of human ignorance. If something was not done soon then this could all lead to blood.

"But sire. . ." began Priam, a particularly thorny general who seemed to have great trouble with listening.

"Not one. More. Word." stated the king icily, a definitive end to the discussions. Priam had enough wisdom to hold his peace after that. At least for now, thought Arthur, But I can only table this discussion for so long. Something will have to be done, and done soon. His thoughts were disturbed by a commotion at the large double doors at the opposite end of the throne room however. Two scientists from the royal Atlantean university had barged their way in, to the obvious annoyance of the guards posted at the door. They began to give chase but Arthur waved them back to their posts, intrigued to find out what had gotten the scientists in such an excitement.

"My king, you must see this!" huffed one, waving a data pad at the king, while the other stared open mouthed at the assembled Atlantean dignitary's, obviously just know just starting to realise the possible ramifications at disturbing such an assemblage. Arthur crossed towards the two and took the pad, offering a small smile to the second man to put him at ease. The king studied the pad, a growing amount of apprehension growing in him.

"What is this?"

"It is an unidentified ship sir, and it has just entered earths orbit." responded the first scientist.

A pregnant silence befell the room, as all gathered there waited for the kings to speak.

"Gentlemen," he began, turning to stride back towards his throne, and the Trident left leaning there "I'm afraid you will have to show yourselves out." A low murmur began, a mixture of excitement and disappointment. They were all well aware of the kings adventures as 'Aquaman', hero to the surface dwellers. While some seen it as a valuable opportunity to show humanity the strength of their king, others viewed it as both a worthless waste of time, especially as so many surfacers didn't seem to appreciate Arthur's abilities or contributions as much as that as other, more well known heroes.

"But sire, what is it?" asked one puzzled scientist as the Atlantean king strode out of the hall, his Trident held gently under one arm. Arthur didn't stop walking, or even turn to answer.

"Right now it's interesting, and I desire a closer look. Soon, however, it could become dangerous."

[clanjos]

Frankly, Irwin Schwab was still amazed at the fact they let him keep his job after the thing with the suit. Then again, he never complained about the paperwork and was always punctual with the work assigned. Case in point, he was filling out a number of forms and recommendations explaining the cleanup crew's expenditures in the wake of a battle between Flash and Captain Cold. Most of the cost, as usual, came from buying up road salt and hiring local contractors for the repairs. He'd also recommended that Central City replace the snowplow just in case of another Weather Wizard-Captain Cold teamup, which had seriously cut in to the tourist season. There was also the pending recommendation to have a crew go over Arkham Asylum in search of just why it was so easy for inmates to break out. Corruption among the faculty, acts of the supernatural, and simple lack of conformity to federal architectural codes seemed the most likely candidates.

Of course, he still had to follow the office etiquette, and as such was wearing a clip-on tie over the suit. He flipped through the channels as he tried to figure out a more professional way to say "I'm 96% sure Arkham's haunted as heck anyway."

[Dblade26]

The formerly terrified criminal was now smirking as Madison looked sheepishly downward, despite Batman scowling with considerably more real frustration than he had a moment ago.

"Pfft. That's the new Robin? In that case get me offa this ledge already Bats, you're embarrassing yourself. We both know you ain't gonna drop me in fronta some starry-eyed schoolgirl." He said between now totally-not-terrified fits of laughter. Batman, now scowling fiercely enough to put dents in the concrete over a thousand feet below, hauled the crook up and tossed him roughly down onto the rooftop hard enough to knock the wind out of the still chuckling thug, if not outright crack a rib.

The Dark Knight was about to start lecturing Madison about the proper protocol for an interrogation while their one witness couldn't pay attention when a slight, almost inaudible pinging went off in one of the ears of his cowl.

"What is it?" The interrogation was probably a lost cause now anyway, so-

"Sorry for the interruption Sir, but I thought you might like to know that one of your satellites picked up on a rather large spacecraft heading right towards Metropolis. I know the invading sort of aliens aren't your usual afternoon tea guest but-"

"It's fine. Prep the jet with the usual equipment plus an extra-" "I've already taken the liberty, Sir. The autopilot was engaged and it shall arrive momentarily."

This exchange was followed by the whirring and slight whine of an almost disturbingly stealthy VTOL aircraft settling in and de-cloaking right in in front of the ledge where the thug was being dangled just a few minutes before, canopy already open. Without saying anything else Batman stepped off the ledge and inside before settling in and shooting a meaningful look at Madison.

[VitaVitaAR]

Madison winced. Both at the sound the thug hitting the rooftop and at, well... everything. She hadn't intended to mess up the interrogation, she just... well, she was really excited and all and now she'd really messed things up for Batman! ... Well, maybe he wouldn't have gotten anything out of that thug anyway... Still. She really didn't feel too good about that. The girl quietly looked directly down, staring at her feet. Her cheerful attitude of the moments before had crashed much like a meteor. Madison wanted to help Batman, not hinder him... She could hear him speaking with Alfred, even though she couldn't hear Alfred's voice... And while she still felt bad about screwing up the interrogation, she perked back up when she noticed the jet being mentioned.

The Bat-jet was awesome! Well, everything Batman used was awesome, really... But this time Robin tried to stay quite, even if her body was vibrating from the excitement as she heard, just barely, the sound of the Bat-jet pulling up beside the building. As she moved to follow Batman, he gave her a look and she sheepishly looked at the ground.

"... Sorry, I just... I should have looked..."

... And with that apology she hopped into the Bat-jet after him, trying not to look too excited.

[Yog Sothoth]

On most days, the city of San Diego would be calm and not the seen of chaos, but today was different. Heat Wave, one of Flash's many villains was trying to torch an entire city block. People screamed as the flames consumed everything in its path, and Heat Wave laughed maniacally. Animal Man would have engaged the villain if he was not away do to some pressing matter, but Walter Chuck Warner was still there to protect the city from villainy. he was in the form of a red dragon and flew over the buildings, heading straight for the crime scene. he was flying as fast he could to try and get to the chaos as quick as possible before more people died. Walt soon to the street where the villain was, and dropped down on the street in front of Heat Wave.

The villain gave a cry of shock at the sight of the beast before him and tried to torch the beast with his advanced flamethrower. Walt altered his molecules to increase his density and made his skin as hard as steel. thanks to his dense skin, Walt barely felt a hint of pain from the flames. he gave a toothy smile and said in his ordinary voice, "Sorry buddy, you're little toy won't work on me."

he charged towards Heat Wave on all fours and made the villain scream from terror. just as he came up on the man, Walt spun around and whipped out his tail which caught the villain on the chest. Walt made sure to lower the density of his skin in order to keep his tail from severely injuring Heat Wave. the force of the blow sent the villain flying toward a car and crashed into a windshield. Walt was successful in taking down Heat Wave, but now he had to help take out of the fires that the villain had started. Walt was also curious to know why the enemy of the Flash was in San Diego and not Central City, he guessed that villain probably had grown tired of being defeated by the scarlet speedster. No matter, Walt had focus on helping people who were in danger from the fire.

[Bonesaw McGraw]

The entire Daily Planet staff was huddled in the lunch room, their eyes fixated on the television. Poor Jimmy Olsen found himself at the back of the room, struggling to get a good look.

“Someone tell me what's happening!”

“What the hell is that thing...?” said Perry White, the Planet's editor-in-chief.

“Well it definitely isn't a bird or a plane,” replied Lois Lane.

“This is Bethany Snow reporting live for Channel 52 in Metropolis, where a strange unidentified flying object has been spotted above the city.”

The news chopper cautiously flew toward the UFO, attempting to get a better look.

“Where a craft like this could have come from is anybody's guess. Is it the work of the Russians? The Chinese?? It is even of this Earth??? STICK TO CHANNEL 52 FOR THE LATEST!”

The chopper continued it's approach, while the UFO remained in place as if surveying the area.

“One has to wonder if the appearance of this UFO is in some way connected to Superman, who is of alien origin himself,” Bethany continued, “Has it come to Metropolis in search of the Man of Steel? Does it seek to destroy Superman and everyone he loves?? Does Superman's very existence harbour the doom of us all??? STICK TO CHANNEL 52 FOR THE LATEST!”

“This woman is just the worst,” Lois remarked rather astutely.

“I think your just jealous,” said Perry, who seemed oddly fixated on the blonde television reporter.

The UFO began to transform, shifting from a sleek aircraft-like design to a more humanoid shape, with three glowing violet dots positioned on what would be described as the machine's head. Suddenly, a blast of violet energy was produced from a cannon on the robot's arm, striking the tail of the helicopter, sending it spiralling out of control.

The audience in the Daily Planet lunch room watched in horror, as Perry White let out a desperate cry, “BETHANY!!!”

“I can't see!” said Jimmy Olsen, “Clark, tell me what's going on...”

But Clark Kent was nowhere to be found.

“Lois...where's Clark?”

At that very moment, the mild-mannered Clark Kent stepped into an alleyway just outside the Daily Planet building, removing his thick-rimmed glasses. He loosened his tie and torn open his shirt to reveal the iconic insignia of Superman.

[clanjos]

Irwin sat at his desk, tapping his pencil against his head, sighing. This was the hard part- everyone at the office knew the supernatural existed. After all, they'd had to clean up after several of Gentleman Ghost's crimes. The trick was getting funding for proper containment for supernatural contaminants since people STILL laughed at the idea of ghosts, or wrote them off as a minor nuisance. He and the rest of the office had spent the last several minutes trying to figure out how he should sneak "check Arkham for demons" into any future cleanups there.

Recommend investigation of potential spectral infestation at Arkham Asylum It's demons and specters summoned by the suffering of the insane, not cockroaches.
Suspect potential supernatural activity at Arkham, to be expected from the family that gave the Massachusetts town its name Not quite sure it's the same Arkhams.
Arkham's haunted as hell, call Dr. Fate Accurate, too informal.
Recommend contacting supernatural professionals- Dr. Fate, etc.- to investigate dark forces at work at Arkham Asylum "Dark Forces" was way too nebulous.

He sighed, dropping his head to his desk, the antennae of the suit twitching towards the TV. He looked up to see the giant transforming robot and stared in shock. He jumped up on his desk, his co-workers sighing. How'd Schwab get the corner office again?

"What? An invading Decepticon?! A news chopper destroyed?! Metropolis in peril?! THIS looks like a job..." Irwin said, pulling off his clip-on tie, "FOR AMBUSH BUG!"

With a twitch of his suit's antennae, a building energy, and a pop, Irwin Schwab stood on top of the Daily Planet globe, watching the robot and trying to figure out just what needed to be done to keep it from hurting people.

[Dblade26]

Batman slowed down as the jet was already on its' final approach to what was apparently a giant alien robot hovering over Metropolis. It had taken the craft's top speed to get there this quickly from when the satellite had detected the thing's initial approach, but it was worth it to get some first hand data on yet another invading alien. It seemed like there was one every few weeks, and these days not just in Metropolis either.

On the bright side, he noticed Madison's mood seemed to have recovered since the incident at the rooftop, so at least he wouldn't have to deal with a sullen sidekick the whole time. He'd really forgotten what it was like to have a Robin around. He'd probably have to start making some concessions. Speaking of which...

"There's a jetpack and a helmet under your seat. You should already know the control setup. Use it at your own discretion...although I recommend at least waiting for the canopy to open."

That should cheer her up. Everyone liked jetpacks, especially kids. Although the truth was he'd packed them and a few other things because the plane tended to get shot down in these scenarios and a slow fall with a parachute left too much exposure time. With that done he cycled through a few of the aircraft's different payloads, selected and fired. Missiles streaked toward the giant robot with a dual purpose in mind as the Bat-Wing decloaked in front of the alien craft. He wasn't sure if they would do much damage, but their primary purpose was that they were also loaded with enough probes and sensors of every kind to hopefully give them some data on what the robot actually was or how it protected itself. Or at least that's what Batman hoped.

"We're running interference here until the bigger guns arrive. Once they do or we get shot down, I expect you to mainly focus on evacuating civilians to safety."

The helicopter that was already plummeting as they showed up would have been his first concern normally, but this was Metropolis.

[VitaVitaAR]

... Wow, that... that was a spaceship. Of course, Madison knew those kinds of things happened, but there was a difference between knowing about it and seeing it in person. Would they have to beat up aliens? That would be so cool... Even with this amazing news, though, Madison still felt bad about messing up Batman's interrogation. At least he didn't seem to angry, more focused on what he was doing and did he just mention a jetpack.

Madison's heart soared. A jetpack?! That was amazing! She knew how to handle them, Batman's training had covered so many bases it was impossible not to know when it came down to it. But to actually be flying one around in the open?! Now that was really way too awesome to handle! "Oh my god thank you that's awesome! I'll wait until it's a good time, you can count on me, Batman!"

Her excitement dulled slightly(only slightly) at the reminder of her mission. Right! She'd have to help out civilians if things went bad... and really, that was the most important part of all of this. Making sure that the innocent people weren't harmed at all! ... And if she got to fly a jetpack while doing it that was really awesome too. But regardless, Madison was going to do as much as she could to help people! After all, she was Robin, the Girl Wonder!

[Yog Sothoth]

Walt was proud of himself for catching Heat Wave and turning him into the authorities. Fortunately, the fire department and along with his assistance were able to put out the fires that were started by the villain before they got too far out of hand. The civilians who had been rescued gave cheers of gratitude at Walt and the young hero gave a bow. He was glad to have gotten to do some hero work without the help of his mentor and now he was getting some recognition for his act of heroics. He then saw a television in the widow of a shop show a news flash of an alien ship in Metropolis and Walt was curious to find out what was going in Superman's home city. He jumped into the air and shape-shifted into rocket. he took off into the sky and headed straight towards Metropolis at incredible speeds.

"I hope this gives me a chance to meet up with the Justice League" he said to himself as he rocketed towards the city of the Man of Steel.

[Bonesaw McGraw]

The helicopter pilot desperately tried to regain control, but with the tail end completely destroyed by the robot's cannon his efforts were useless. The chopper continued to spiral downwards, as the blades slashed the windows of the adjacent building. Bethany Snow let out a shrill scream, fearing the end was near, until she saw a blur of red and blue.

Superman swooped underneath the falling helicopter, catching it with ease. An impossible feat for any normal man, but not so for the Man of Steel. Honestly, compared to some of the things Superman had dealt with before, catching an out-of-control helicopter was rather straightforward. Superman soared upwards, almost effortlessly, and gently placed the chopper down on top of a roof.

“Are you alright Miss?” said Superman, addressing the flustered Bethany, “That was some hard-hitting journalism.”

The blonde reporter attempted to gather herself while, in the distance, a black bat-like jet streaked through the air towards the robot. The plane's design was unmistakable, and Superman was struck by how of place it seemed in Metropolis. The jet fired a series a missiles that found their mark, but had minimal effect. Superman took flight, a crimson glow in his eyes.

[LastLfan]

"I'm telling you Emerson," Oliver said, "We need to focus on selling more...I'll call you back," he said as he looked outside at the approaching spaceship. As he ran down the stairs he was tugging on his costume, "thank god I ditched the hat," he thought as he pulled up the hood. He got to the fire escape and shot a grappling hook arrow up and pulled himself up to a roof near superman, "hey supes," he said, "see you found yourself a lady friend but I think we have a more pressing issue. As superman flew towards the ship Olly stopped to flick off the batjet before heading up further

[Dblade26]

"Strange that it hasn't attacked us yet when it immediately struck the helicopter on approach even if we did just de-cloak. Whatever it is, sensors can't get a read on it and the missiles don't scratch it so that rules out most tech from Apokolips and most of the other cataloged extra-terrestrials..." Batman's monologue was partly for Robin's education and more importantly to provide information to Superman if he happened to be listening. He privately wondered if the robot had purposefully attacked the media chopper to get someone's attention, probably Superman's, but it was still too early to tell.

Bruce would have scowled down at Oliver if he had bothered to notice him, but keeping the jet moving and prepping the next trick was taking up most of his time. As he flicked another switch a compartment opened on the bottom of the bat-shaped aircraft and a strange weapon lowered from it, looking part satellite dish and part raygun in appearance. As it charged up it emitted a high pitched whine that increased in intensity more and more until finally it shrieked out a blast that ripped through the air around it in a visible, highly concentrated beam focused on the robot's arm cannon.

[VitaVitaAR]

So this was something new... at least that's what it sounded like. Robin tried to restrain her excitement at being able to help people escape from so new threat... but there was also nervousness. If it was new that meant that there wasn't as many measures against it... but confidence quickly returned. She was Robin, Batman's sidekick! Even if it was unexpected, Batman always had a plan! And a jetpack oh my god that was awesome. What was even better was, well, it was just like Batman said! Superman was outside, she had caught a glimpse of him rescuing the helicopter... oh this was the coolest thing ever! ... Well... it would be better if there wasn't some unknown alien craft that was attacking and threatening people...

Madison tried to stay focused.

"Well, it doesn't matter what it is," she began, "It'll get taken down and we'll save everybody. That's what superheroes do! ... As soon as we found out what this thing is, right? It looks really weird!"

[Yog Sothoth]

after about almost a half hour, Walt came up on Metropolis and he shifted from a rocket into a bird. he flew down into the city and landed on the pavement of one of the streets. he changed back into his human form and breathed in and out heavily. flying as a rocket for so long had tired him out and he needed to catch his breath to regain his strength. after about a moment, he decided to jog towards the area where the robot was attacking. not shape-shifting would help him replenish his power and he hoped that when he got the scene of the robot attack he would be strong enough to help stop its rampage.

"oh well, a little jog can do wonders for the body" he said to himself as he ran at an average pace towards the action. some people were looking at him as he ran past them. he gave them a smile as he ran by

[An Outsider]

Aquaman had reached the Metropolis harbour in near record time, hastened by a grim foreboding. In his long and varied experience with the League, extra-terrestrial visitors never made the long trip to earth just to visit, there was always some ulterior motive. Look at Darkseid, Starro, or Despero. No, for some reason earth seemed to serve as some sort of beacon for would be cosmic conquerors. But at least they're always kind enough to attack Metropolis first, saves the worlds most powerful protector from having to travel far to meet them.

He emerged from the water with a burst, landing upon the wooden pier. A couple fishermen gasped at his entrance, but most people on the docks attention was fixated on the giant alien spacecraft that was hovering above the city. Aquaman, his gaze fixed and his jaw set, placed his feet apart, took a short running start then leaped high, his advanced physiology propelling him high through the skies. You could say he was leaping tall buildings in a single bound, but Clark always got a touch prickly when someone else used his lines.

"Justice Leagues being called in, looks like this is pretty serious." said one of the the fishermen on the dock, after Aquaman no more than a speck on the horizon. His jaded tone said that being a citizen of Metropolis had long since acclimatised him to scenes of such as these.

"You kidding me" answered his buddy, an edge of irritation to his voice "That's just Aquaman. They wouldn't be calling him if there was anything seriously wrong, that guy just talks to fish, he'd get his ass kicked. They might as well have phoned up Ambush Bug." This began a spirited debate of who would win in a fight, Aquaman or Ambush Bug, while the two men completely ignored the danger hovering above their city. If Arthur had heard them he would have seriously considered turning back to Atlantis and leaving these idiots to their fate.

A few more super-powered leaps and Aquaman had arrived at ground zero, landing atop a flat roofed building, close to were the unmistakable Bat-Plane was hovering. Leaping wasn't the most glamorous way to travel, but it was effective. The ship had transformed to a giant, sinister looking robot by this point, but appeared to have done very little damage, which was curious. There was a downed helicopter, but no other signs of chaos. In fact many pedestrians were milling on the streets, pointing at the robotic visitor or taking pictures. Arthur grimaced at the crowds, thinking that if anything was to go wrong then they were taking needless risks. That was the problem with Metropolis though, it wasn't only Clark who thought he was invincible in this city. Putting thoughts their safety to the back of his mind for now, Aquaman touched the large 'A' at the front of his belt, activating his communicator and opening a channel to the other leaguers in attendance.

"Aquaman is on scene. Any idea of what we're dealing with yet? Batman? Superman?" Of anyone in attendance, they were the two most likely to know what they were dealing with seeing as Green Lantern hadn't arrived yet.

[Bonesaw McGraw]

A sonic boom echoed through the City of Tomorrow, as the Man of Steel charged through the air towards his foe. With his heightened hearing, Superman could detect the gravelly sound of Batman's voice, emanating from the black jet nearby.

"Whatever it is, sensors can't get a read on it and the missiles don't scratch it so that rules out most tech from Apokolips and most of the other cataloged extra-terrestrials..."

Batman was right, the robot's technology was certainly not of the Earth, and it was nothing the Justice League had encountered before. This was something new. Superman did find it curious however, that the robot had not launched an attack against the city. It was clearly capable of destruction, but had only attacked when the news chopper had flown in too close. Why was the robot here? Had it really come because of Superman himself?

Superman heard another voice, this time coming over the Justice League communicator, "Aquaman is on scene. Any idea of what we're dealing with yet? Batman? Superman?"

"Let me get a closer look."

The Bat-Plane fired an energy beam at the robot's arm, and Superman followed it up with a blast of his heat vision. The crimson red lasers seared the robot's armor, stunning it momentarily as Superman rushed forward and struck it with a devastating punch. The robot was sent soaring backwards, and Superman charged after it. He grabbed hold of the robot's arm, tearing it out of its socket as he threw the alien machine into the Metropolis harbour.

Superman flew over the harbour, searching for the robot using his x-ray vision. Without warning, a giant tendril erupted from the water, narrowly missing Superman. The robot soon emerged, the tendril having grown to replace it's missing arm. Six more tendrils extended from the robot's body, all converging on the Man of Steel. They wrapped around Superman's neck and body, trapping him. As the tendrils tightened their grip, applying more and more pressure, Superman felt something he seldom experienced.

Pain.