บท 9: Chapter 9 Amari

The devastation that had occurred today in Metropolis was so unexpected, leaving hundreds if not thousands dead and many more injured in one way or another.

Was it a tragedy? Yes, it was.

Was it shocking? Maybe?

Was it completely out of the norm? Now that was a definite No. Things like this weren't abnormal. At least not anymore.

If you thought about it with half a head filled with good brain cells, you wouldn't be half surprised that this kind of event really happened.

After all, this was the DC world, where crazy shit regularly happened on a weekly basis. Ever since the formation of the league, sworn to uphold Justice and combat evil, it seemed like world ending events akin to alien attacks, mutant menaces and armored terrorists running about to wreak havoc had just become your regular old Tuesday.

The mayor getting kidnapped by criminals with plasma charged weapons wasn't even enough to elicit a reaction from a listener, and Super villains remaining at large were only good enough to get on the front page.

Normal civilians had gotten so used to it to the point that they didn't realize the Earth was turning into a major beacon for all sorts of trouble.

So today's event was at best another tragedy that would soon disappear from the papers in about a week or slightly more. Maybe used for references in future stories for the media.

But that would happen later. Presently, Superman was neck deep in search and rescue operations alongside Batman. Trying to save any additional soul they could before death took them away.

It was at times like this that they truly needed Barry.

And in a certain alley flanked by two buildings dozens of blocks away, a figure mysteriously appeared out of thin air, his feet gently landing on the cemented floor without so much as a sound.

The alley wasn't as dark, damp and disgusting as most would usually describe alleyways.

Although this could be attributed to the fact that this was an alley in Metropolis, not Gotham.

His facial features were almost otherworldly and could only be described as truly impressive.

A Mangekyo Sharingan spun in his eyes as his vision peered far beyond what normal eyes could see.

Looking at all the destruction that was caused, he had to generously admit one thing.

Superman's fights are a true property hazard.

That's right. Regarding the Man of steel, there are very few fight scenes in which he was actually able to instantly incapacitate the enemy without first causing one form of damage or the other.

It always made him wonder, who paid for all the cars and personal property that Superman and his opponents destroyed in each battle?

As Superman never seemed capable of quick one shots against his opponents despite his super speed that although wasn't as impressive as the flash, could be considered in a league of its own when compared to non speedsters.

Was Superman slacking off? No, that wasn't even a question anymore. For a kryptonian that absorbed energy from the yellow sun for a thirty-year period, his performance showed that the guy was clearly slacking off.

Still, that didn't matter to him. Once again, he cared little for Kal-el.

What truly mattered right now was whether his labor had borne fruits. He raised his hand that was holding the phone towards his ear and answered the call.

It was this call that had timely prevented Batman from losing a limb moments ago.

Silence reigned as he pressed the answer button. Neither side spoke as the seconds passed.

...

The Pentagon, United States, Virginia.

Inside the General's office.

The place looked clean and well decorated, save for the somewhat messy table that held heaps of unchecked documents slipped between manila folders.

The office consisted of a table and a rather comfy chair, few amenities needed, as well as a television screen which was displaying a breaking news report from a city towards the middle end of the American map.

A cup of coffee that had the words, 'World's best Dad' written on the Mug was placed at the edge of the table.

Sitting on the swivel chair facing away from the table was a man all garbed in an army green jacket, green long trousers along with four stars on the right chest area of his uniform. His head filled with short gray hair and his blue eyes showed a gaze, cold and piercing as he ignored the television screen and gazed at the glass wall that separated him from the outside world.

The dignifying aura that surrounded his presence was a clear symbol of someone who held considerable authority. Someone who considered himself a man of importance, and a man of importance he was.

Secretary of the United States Department Of Defense, General Sam Lane. A career military man holding the position of general, the father of Lois and Lucy Lane and is also interesting enough, the future father-in-law of the one and only Superman according to almost every DC timeline.

And currently, the general had a phone held towards his ear, indicating he was on a phone call, yet strangely enough, he didn't say a word. Apparently, neither did the person on the other ends as they both stayed silent.

Seconds passed by, seconds turning into a minute before the person on the other end finally said a sentence.

"If this is an attempt to trace this call and discover my location, then I regret to inform you that your action is quite pointless". General Lane still didn't answer, seemingly preferring to hold the silence.

After a while.

"So you weren't kidding, huh? And here I thought yesterday was a prank call". The general finally said. His voice was deep and from the tone of his words, one wouldn't be able to ascertain whether he was trying to make a joke or not.

FYI, it wasn't a joke. You never see anyone accidentally call the president of the United States now, do you? Even in movies, it just doesn't happen.

"Let's not waste any further time. I believe you've seen it".

"I watched it. The whole thing". His eyes were visibly narrowed as various thoughts, known only to the general himself, passed through his head.

His chair spun around with him in it as he turned his gaze towards the flat screen TV on the wall of his office. There was the video of his beloved daughter, Lois Lane going about her dangerous job giving a news report about a major disaster in Metropolis.

"Good to know Mr. Lane. Now we can finally talk about cooperations. I'll meet you at your office". The male said in a flat tone, causing the general to fall into confusion for a second.

"Come to meet me? I doubt you would be able to make it all the way to where I am from, Metropolis on the assumption that you even know where I am". That is, unless he could fly fast like Superman or run like the Flash.

Yet before he could even reminisce, a plain voice came from both his phone and, strangely enough, behind him.

"There is no need to doubt, Mr. Secretary. Trying to estimate my capabilities is a task better suited to Superman".

Sam Lane didn't even think. His body with reflexes honed over many years moved on instinct as he pulled his gun and aimed behind him while turning around.

And there a person stood behind him, who certainly wasn't there before. His face was the same as the one he had seen on the news mere moments ago.

"Teleportation ability?" Sam creased his forehead as he pointed the gun at him. His hands showed no intent of letting the gun down.

"Whatever you say. Though I do suggest you put the gun down, general. We both know it won't matter whether you use it or not, and might just put you into an early grave if that bullet leaves its barrel". The man said with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

His glowing purple eyes with strange patterns scanned the office with slight interest, leaving Lane to observe him.

He didn't seem at all worried that there was a Glock 19 aimed at his head, showing his blatant disregard for him and any means he may have.

Though after what Lane had seen him do on TV, he didn't think it was the least bit strange.

Still with the gun in his grasp, which proved to give him even a bit of security, he asked.

"Who are you alien?" He didn't answer.

He walked past the general with his eyes looking almost everywhere. His gaze eventually turned towards the multitude of folders on his table.

Lane seeing his gaze raised the gun that was already half lowered back to face his head. These were files, some of them containing national secrets.

He would rather die here before he let this...

"I thought I told you to put the gun away, Mr. Lane. I don't like having a toy being pointed at my face". His expressionless face gazed at the gun still aimed at him and his eyes swirled.

The gun in Sam's hand disappeared into thin air, leaving him slightly stunned.

"Now that that's out of the way... Let's answer some of your questions. After all, cooperations always starts with healthy communication". He sat on the chair in front of the table, his lips slightly upturned.

General Lane quickly recovered from his composure in a split second. He had seen flying men capable of moving houses and fish people who could lift submarines.

Making his gun disappear was nothing more than a parlor trick when compared to those things.

"The fact that you can make my gun disappear in this building at least wipes off on suspicion of you being a metahuman". Sam said as he sat on his chair, his face back to being dignifying.

Despite being in the presence of a potentially dangerous extraterrestrial, he kept his composure with a calm outlook. Heartbeat steady and vigorous, all as a result of his military discipline, making him worthy of his position.

Inwardly however, his brain was springing in many directions. The whole building was filled with Meta human dampeners created by Star Labs to ensure the Pentagon's security against Meta-humans.

The fact that this male had appeared seemingly out of nowhere at least gave some credibility to the statement he made about being an extraterrestrial.

"But whether you're truly an alien or a human with some tricks up your sleeve remains to be decided. We earthlings have had some pretty unpleasant experiences with otherworlders. Now I need to know Mr. alien, who are you and what is your goal on planet Earth?"

Sam asked with a piercing glare that could give Batman a run for his money. His hand under the table was resting on a small black button as a security measure should this discussion end in an unpleasant situation.

The alien in the room knew, yet he didn't care in the slightest.

"Who am I? Well, to be honest general, I don't have a name. Neither do I have a world I belong to". His words made Sam frown deeply, his gaze scrutinizing the latter's facial expressions to catch anything he could find.

The latter continued without a care.

"However I believe your planets species tend to have a small tradition of exchanging their names alongside pleasantries before undergoing business talks. So…."

His finger talked lightly on the chairs' armrest as he opened his lips.

"You, General Lane can call me Amari, first and possibly last of the Energy Sentient. And as for my goals on your planet....". A smile appeared on his face. It carried no trace of emotion whatsoever but had its own peculiar charm.

"Nothing much, to be honest. I only plan to rule the world!"

And with that sentence, General Lane pushed the button.

....

Contrary to common belief, the Hall Of Justice wasn't the Justice League's primary headquarters.

The League's original base of operations, the now abandoned Mount Justice, had been compromised during an attack by the Joker, and they'd been forced to relocate.

Relocate, and upscale to prevent a repeat performance.

And so was the Justice leagues watchtower created. A space station, way out in orbit, financed by Bruce Wayne, otherwise secretly known as Batman and built by both green lanterns with highly advanced technology from multiple planets such as earth, Mars, Krypton, and Thanagar to better defend the planet and prevent any extraterrestrial invasions from reaching earth.

Effectively stopping potential space threats before they were even allowed to attack.

After all, the Joker had already proven that a sufficiently motivated enemy could overcome their defenses, and between all the original members of the league, they had dozens of dangerous criminals to contend with.

What would the world think of its greatest heroes if their base of operations was repeatedly breached by villains on a weekly basis?

So now the Hall of Justice in Washington, DC was now nothing more than a tourist attraction. A deliberate front for the league while their true base of operations would remain unknown and only accessible by certified league members only.

And now, on the watchtower, far above Earth's atmosphere

[Recognized: Wonder woman 03]

[Recognized: Superman 01]

A thrum of powerful machinery and a pulse of golden light heralds the arrival of the well-known superheroes within the Justice league.

The light dissipates showing the graceful figure of a wonder woman, her gait filled with easy grace, dignity, and the form of a well seasoned warrior.

And Superman who... had a significantly different outlook to him than he did days ago. His suit was back to the way it should be, giving the Man of steel his iconic red and blue getup but the confident air around him was gone.

With shoulders slumped and a back slightly hunched, he followed behind Diana with heavy eyes and a loveless look.

Diana, seeing him like this, could only sigh inwardly as she felt the heavy guilt that weighed on his heart and mind, but could find no words to comfort him more than she already had.

A day had passed since what was now deemed, 'The Clash Of The Otherworlders' by various newspapers all over the country had taken place in Metropolis, and it held the number one hot search list on all information sites.

Countless online debates had sprung up on social media, fervently discussing the terrible disaster of metropolis and the battle of the extraterrestrials.

Most of it revolved around the three key figures, Superman, The white alien otherwise known as Lobo and the last one left unidentified but was now being referred to all over the internet as the Red Transflux, Paraflux, Deviate or Warp.

Many of these discussions were sharply pointed at Superman, and not in a good way at that.

That was something Clark had already learned to ignore, as there would always be people who didn't like you for being you.

Especially when you were an alien from another planet with power capable of swatting them to pieces of flesh and blood with a casual wave of a hand.

Humans tended to fear what they didn't understand. Clark understood that. But what truly troubled him was the fact that thousands of people had died and, whether directly or indirectly, he was the one at fault.

So the accusing fingers being pointed at him only made him to feel all the more guilty.

For all his might and god-like power, there is and always has been something darkly ironic about how empathetic and human the alien among them is. This was probably the reason Batman was able to become friends with Superman and trust him, despite how distrustful he was of almost everything and everyone else.

Both marched forwards, their path headed towards the Watchtowers Monitor womb whereupon reaching their destination, were greeted by the sight of Batman knee-deep in dozens of holographic projections showing different news feeds and running search protocols and archives of the leagues' database.

The room was wide and spacious with an astounding backdrop view of beautiful, blue planet earth yet none of them present were in the mood to enjoy it.

"How are the search and rescue operations going?" He asked despite already knowing the answer. After all, he's Batman. It was basically his job to know everything there is to know about the league and more that they didn't.

Superman's aura of gloom grew even heavier.

"The operations have mostly run their course. Flash is still in Metropolis performing constant checks, while Shazam and Zatara are lending aid wherever needed. But..." Diana's face turned glum as she continued.

"Still, the casualties are drastic. The number of deceased and injured are in the thousands, many families are in mourning. But everyone who can be helped his been given the best treatment and assistance we could provide. Adequate procedures for the deceased should take place within the week".

Batman nods at the report as he continues to stare at the screen. His thoughts unable to be discerned from the expressionless look that graced his features hidden under a cowl.

Wayne's industries were already doing their part in giving donations to the affected. Similarly, Lexcorp had done the same thing, leaving Batman with yet another headache to worry about.

Lex Luthor, an ambitious, intelligent, bald egomaniac, would certainly not let this little slip up slide easily.

What Luthor planned to do, he didn't know, but he had a hunch it would be a hassle.

"What about the rest of the league?" Wonder woman asks as she stared at Batman.

"I've already convened for an emergency meeting in light of the recent…. unfortunate accident. The Lanterns will be arriving within the hour from their space duties. Their help will be required for clearing out the rubble to make way for reconstruction alongside Zatara. While everyone else should arrive in a few hours at maximum". Bruce replied, his face still expressionless.

"Others are clearing up and rearranging their schedules to see how they can contribute in any way they can. Luckily, the damage wasn't too widespread and only consisted of several blocks. The main cause of the massive death numbers being the seismic activity caused by Superman's landing ". Bruce, although not looking, could feel that Clark had flinched.

"What about Lobo?" Clark finally spoke, while Batman's expressionless facade broke.

His features scrunched up considerably as he replied.

"He's at a containment facility within Star Labs. Cyborg is keeping an eye on him, except…" Batman pushed the holographic monitor.

Live footage of a containment cell appeared on the holographic screen, showing a black skinned alien with dark hair strapped in a rehabilitation pod with green liquid filling up the tank.

He had an arm missing alongside numerous bruises and injuries all over his blackened skin, which was an oddity itself, indicating his condition was anything but good.

Wonder Woman and Superman frowned. Especially Superman, looking at Lobo's condition, his eyes were wide in disbelief as his mind struggled to believe what his vision was telling him.

"... his condition is..... peculiar to say the least". Batman finished.

....

POV Change.

In a large mansion, Lex Luthor stapled his fingers together as he looked at a screen in his living room. The television replayed the footage of the 'Clash of the Otherworlders' reported by Lois Lane. Nothing could be heard apart from continuous booming sounds, which even drowned out the noise of the helicopter.

Lex watched attentively in interest.

The video ended quickly before being replaced by a close up picture of the one now recently known as Deviate, or was it Warp, or Transflux?

Bah! Who cares?

But he did. Lex was genuinely interested in this new yet unknown variable that had popped up in Metropolis. Of course, the White Alien capable of defeating Superman was also something of interest but this. …

"An alien from another planet, you say. With an interesting ability of teleportation and intangibility. What other secrets do you hold? This will be of interest to The Light". Lex Luthor said to the picture.