章節 40: CHAPTER 40
The Justice League had faced numerous challenges over the years, but they never expected to be attacked by a team-up of Vandal Savage, Black Adam, and Lex Luthor who wore a mech-suit. The three villains had always been dangerous in their own right, but together they were almost unstoppable. They each had different ideologies but they had one thing in common, and that was to bring the League down on their knees. The League knew they were in for the fight of their lives as they prepared to face off against their foes.
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter stood ready for battle as the villains approached. They knew they couldn't let Savage, Adam, and Luthor get their hands on whatever they were after. But as the battle began, it became clear that their opponents had a plan in mind as it seemed like they drew out the League on purpose.
Black Adam attacked first, striking Wonder Woman with a bolt of lightning that sent her flying across the battlefield. Martian Manhunter rushed to her aid, but was met with a powerful blast of energy from Vandal Savage that sent him crashing to the ground. The rest of the League sprang into action, bent on taking down the opposing villains.
The battle raged on, with each side exchanging blows and trying to gain the upper hand. But it was Lex Luthor who eventually found a way to turn the tide of the fight. He fired a weapon directly at Superman, hitting him square in the chest. The Man of Steel staggered backwards, clutching at his chest in pain.
That was his objective all along. Lex Luthor had built a weapon which targeted the cells of the Man of Steel and crippled him from within.
Lex Luthor had been experimenting with Kryptonite for some time, working on creating a synthetic version. Unlike actual Kryptonite, this modified version stopped every cell in Superman's body from storing and processing radiation while simultaneously boosting the rate at which they absorbed the surrounding radiation.
Superman's powers had always been a source of strength for the League, but in that moment, they became a liability. The radiation in his cells began to malfunction, causing him to lose control of his powers. Superman's eyes glowed bright red as he struggled to keep his powers in check, but it was no use. He began shooting lasers randomly and in all directions, endangering everyone around him.
Since the modified Kryptonite caused Superman's cells to absorb and accumulate radiation without being able to process it, the excess radiation had nowhere to go, which led to him losing total control of his powers.
The League tried to stabilize Superman, but it was no use. His powers were too unstable, and they couldn't risk getting too close to him. The rest of the League knew they had to act fast if they were going to prevent any more damage from being done.
Green Lantern used the power of his ring and created a shield between Superman and them, protecting the League from his dangerous outbursts. Batman and Green Lantern tried to come up with a way to neutralize the weapon that Lex Luthor had used on Superman, while Flash and Martian Manhunter kept Savage and Black Adam at bay.
Batman and Green Lantern watched in horror as Superman thrashed about, his powers seemingly out of control. They knew they had to act fast if they wanted to save their friend and teammate, the Man of Steel, who seemed to be in agonizing pain as he held his head with both hands and a fluctuating stream of laser beams kept shooting out of his eyes.
"Green Lantern, we need to neutralize the effects of whatever has been done to him." Batman said. "But first we need to know what exactly that weapon did to him."
"On it." Green Lantern said before taking flight, heading directly to Lex Luthor as Batman ran along.
Lex Luthor stood at a reasonable distance as he observed the effects of his weapon on Superman, relishing in the feeling of causing the Man of Steel such agonizing pain.
"Haha, you feel that Superman? How many times do I need to prove to you that I'm the bane to your existence." With a smug look on his face he praised himself for his brilliance, gloating about how he had finally found a way to defeat his greatest enemy.
Batman and Green Lantern were quick to attack, catching Lex Luthor off guard. The two heroes engaged Lex Luthor in a tense battle, dodging the powerful weapons he fired at them from his suit, as Green Lantern struck back with his own impressive arsenal. Knocking Lex Luthor off balance for a second, as Batman took advantage of that moment and threw explosives between the crevices behind the knee joints on the suit.
Suddenly, he felt sharp pains as electricity coursed through his body. He turned to see Batman, who had attacked him from behind with explosives, causing Lex Luthor's mech-suit to lose power and shut down.
As he lay on the ground trapped in his suit, powerless, the Green Lantern took the weapon Lex Luthor had used on Superman and created an orb shield with the power of his ring as it shielded both him and Batman, while they ran quick analysis on it. Together, they studied the weapon, trying to figure out what exactly it did to the Man of Steel.
To their greatest surprise, they discovered that the weapon was powered by a somewhat Kryptonite core. Batman was outraged. "Lex Corp must have been experimenting with Kryptonite," he said. "He's been trying to find a way to defeat Superman for years, but I guess he found another way to exploit his greatest weakness."
"And we won't let him succeed on this," Said Green Lantern as he ran a quick survey on the components which made up the weapon.
"It seems like the effects of this weapon operate at a cellular level, and only pure Kryptonite is our best chance at nullifying whatever it is that's going on with them." With a concern on his face, Green Lantern stared at the core of the weapon.
"Like using the original to counteract the effects of the artificial." Batman averted his eyes from the weapon and to Green Lantern, in realization of what needed to be done.
Green Lantern nodded. "The problem with that plan is that Superman destroyed every Kryptonite that could be found on earth himself. How are we going to get our hands on any?" He cocked up an eyebrow when he noticed the lock he received from Batman who seemed to already have that part figured out.
"I have that covered." Batman said, earning him a 'not so surprised' look from the space cop.
"I have some stashed in the Batmobile." He pulled out his comms and called Alfred. "Alfred, bring the Batmobile to our location."
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman and Flash struggled to contain Superman, who kept releasing a stream of laser beams. She flew after him while the Flash chased at the Man of Steel as he careened through the battlefield, leaving a scattered trail of destruction in his wake.
A blur of movement caught Martian Manhunter's attention, and he turned just in time to see Vandal Savage hurtling towards him with a savage yell. He reacted quickly, raising his arms to block the incoming attack.
The two warriors collided with profound impact, Martian Manhunter grunted as he felt Savage's immense strength pushing against him, but he held his ground, using his telekinetic powers to push back against the immortal's assault.
Savage roared in frustration, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity as he redoubled his efforts. But Martian Manhunter was a formidable opponent, and he fought back with all the power at his disposal.
At one point, Savage managed to land a powerful blow that sent Martian Manhunter hurtling backwards, but the Martian quickly regained his composure and retaliated with a devastating telepathic attack. Savage screamed in pain as Martian Manhunter's mental assault ripped through his mind, but he refused to give up, redoubling his efforts to take down his opponent.
On another side of the heated battle. Aquaman strode confidently towards Black Adam, his trident at the ready. He had to be careful not to underestimate his opponent's incredible strength and speed.
Black Adam stood his ground, his muscles bulging as he prepared for the coming attack. He had been waiting for this moment, eager to test his might against the King of Atlantis.
Without warning, Aquaman lunged forward, thrusting his trident towards Black Adam's chest. But the powerful villain was too quick, and he dodged the attack with a lightning-fast sidestep. Before Aquaman could react, Black Adam had closed the distance between them and landed a punishing blow to his midsection.
Aquaman grunted in pain, but he refused to back down. With a roar, he spun around and swung his trident in a wide arc, catching Black Adam off guard and sending him reeling backwards.
But Black Adam quickly regained his composure, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity as he launched himself back into the fray. The two combatants traded powerful blows, each one seeking to gain the upper hand.
Aquaman used his trident to keep Black Adam at bay, his speed and agility allowing him to stay one step ahead of his opponent's lightning-fast attacks. But Black Adam was relentless, his immense strength and durability making him a formidable opponent.
After a while of chasing the distorted Kryptonian as he kept dodging the stray laser beams. The Flash caught up with Superman and with Wonder Woman who flew behind him. She wrapped her lasso around Superman, trying to calm him down. But he was too far gone as it seemed every cell in his body caused him unbearable pain, his powers wildly fluctuating and out of control.
A few moments later, the Batmobile pulled up next to them as Alfred remotely controlled it to their location. Batman opened the trunk and pulled out a lead box containing the Kryptonite. "You know what to do." He said as he handed it over to Green Lantern.
"Wonder Woman, Flash, immobilize him for a while." He said as he flew towards them.
Wonder Woman managed to subdue Superman using her lasso, with the help of Flash. Green Lantern arrived at their position then he opened the lead box and placed the Kryptonite on the chest of the Man of Steel, who was currently held down by both heroes.
The Kryptonite weakened his cells and drained them of the excess radiation, while reverting them back to their original Kryptonian state.
They watched as Superman's outburst was suddenly put to a stop and he lost the strength to even move a muscle. He weakly looked up at Batman, Flash, and Wonder Woman. Batman removed the kryptonite from his chest, putting it back into the lead box.
Turns out Black Adam, Vandal Savage and Lex Luthor, were somehow able to escape the Justice League. They didn't see the need to continue with the fight when their main objective was sabotaged and put to a stop. Besides, Superman was already regaining his strength and his participation in that fight would reduce their chances of emerging victorious over the League.
Superman was particularly affected by the battle. He knew that his powers had become a liability, and he couldn't risk losing control like that again. The League rallied around him, offering their support and understanding as he apologized for his rampage. They waved it off as they knew it wasn't intentional and that together, they were strong enough to face any challenge that came their way.
As the League regrouped and took stock of the damages dealt on the area, It was obvious that they had been lucky to contain a rampaging kryptonian who was losing his mind, from entering the city and turning it into ruins.
The thought of Lex Luthor being able to do such a thing to the Man of Steel, made them wonder what else that evil genius was cooking up in his laboratories, and they would need to be prepared for whatever came next. But for now, they took comfort in knowing that they were able to foil the plans of those crafty villains, and that they were the only ones capable of protecting the world from the dangers that lurked in the shadows.
章節 41: CHAPTER 41
Batman sat at his command center in the Batcave, surrounded by towering computer monitors that flickered with data. He was dressed in his iconic black and grey suit, his cowl resting on the table beside him.
The cave was dimly lit, with only the glow of the monitors providing light, his eyes scanning through lines of data he collected from Lex Luthor's mech-suit after the Justice League's previous fight against Lex Luthor, Black Adam, and Vandal Savage.
Since that fight, he still deliberated on the fact as to why a prideful being such as Black Adam who was as strong as Superman, would team up with the likes of Lex Luthor. He put that thought on hold for now and moved on to analyzing the data they had obtained from Lex Luthor's mech-suit.
The data he obtained from the suit, primarily concerned the weapon that Lex Luthor used against Superman. As he continued to sift through the information, he felt a presence behind him.
Turning his head, he saw Superman standing there, his arms crossed over his chest. "What are you doing, Bruce?" He asked in a low voice.
Batman didn't look up from his computer. "Going through some data from our last fight," He replied calmly.
"How did Luthor get his hands on that Kryptonite weapon?" Superman asked, breaking the silence in the Batcave.
Batman frowned, "I don't know yet. I've been going through all the data we collected during the fight, but there's nothing conclusive."
Superman sighed, his frustration evident. "There has to be a way to find out. We can't let him get away with this."
Batman nodded, "I have an idea. I've been tracking Luthor's activities for a while now. He's been making some suspicious purchases and transactions lately. I think he's planning something big."
Superman's eyes narrowed, "What kind of purchases?"
"Chemicals, electronics, and other materials that could be used to make weapons," Batman replied. "I've been monitoring his financial transactions as well. He's been funneling a lot of money through his company, masking it as funds for a new green project, but the costs just don't add up."
Superman's expression turned awkward, "... That's kinda low, even coming from you. But I guess such things matters much when Lex starts moving shady."
Batman nodded, "Agreed. I'll continue to track his movements and see if I can find any leads on where he got his hands on that kind of weapon. In the meantime, we need to be ready for whatever he has planned."
Superman clenched his fists, "I'm ready. Whatever it takes to stop him."
Batman turned to face Superman, "We have to stop Luthor soon. Whatever he is planning can't be good."
Superman nodded, determination etched on his face. "I'm with you, Bruce. Just hit me up and the rest of the Justice League once you find something."
"Sure." Batman replied, then returned back to his computer as Superman flew out of the Batcave.
…
[Bruce Wayne's POV]
After the impromptu confrontation from Superman, I went back to reviewing what I could glimpse from Luthor's little Kryptonite experiment.
For now what actually worried me were the schematics from the weapon Luthor used against Superman, to harness the power of the Kryptonite which worked at a cellular level.
The technology needed to achieve that result was near impossible to find. If Lex actually created that technology himself, then I would have to give more credits to his genius.
Another difficult fact to accept was that he had the ability to create synthetic Kryptonite, as labeled in the schematics.
The Man of Steel's most persistent and unwilling adversary was now developing weapons that could level the playing field, giving him an advantage. With these weapons, he would undoubtedly gain the upper hand.
It was a very disturbing discovery on our end. Knowing that the Beacon Of Hope wasn't as invincible as we thought he was, weary us.
If that battle had taken place within the city while Superman was losing control of his powers, he would have caused more damage than the villains themselves could have done.
I did a search on technologies which made use of the vital parts of the weapon I disassembled, but there was no solid result.
I proceeded to check several technologically advanced companies and one data caught my eye. I could feel it in my guts that I had just found a clue.
A few months ago, Ivo Laboratories were working on a project that aimed to revolutionize power sources as we know them today. This experimental project led to the discovery of an energy signature that had never been recorded or studied by scientists before.
They studied it to the best of their knowledge but were unable to proceed any further. They were stuck at a crucial part of the experiment that required external stimuli to jump-start it, but they did not yet have the necessary technology.
Fortunately, a laboratory located in their neighboring city had developed a technology that could be the key to their problem. This exceptional research and development company in Central City was known as Mercury Laboratories. Mercury Laboratories' expertise in harnessing the power of tachyons particles.
Tachyonic particles are hypothetical particles that travel faster than the speed of light if harnessed correctly. They have been proposed as a possible explanation for certain unexplained phenomena in physics, such as the phenomenon of faster-than-light communication and the existence of negative mass particles.
After they reached out to Mercury Labs, they came to a conclusion of transporting the experiment over to them. Where the scientists who were in charge of that project would continue their research and pursue that scientific breakthrough they all wanted.
According to the reports from that day, a mysterious group intercepted the transport vehicle a few meters away from the border of Central City.
They carried out their operation swiftly and with precision, as they subdued the guards and stole the case which contained the experimental project. Before the cops arrived at the scene, they scattered in different directions as they fled the crime scene, losing the cops to the cold trail of their dirt bikes.
According to the police it was as if they had vanished into thin air, without leaving any evidence that could be traced back to any criminal group or person.
"Hmm." Something suddenly clicked as the missing pieces slowly came together. I saw a sketch of the project and it looked similar to one I had seen earlier.
The data I and Green Lantern retrieved from Lex's mecha-suit, provided a sketch of how the weapon worked. I brought up the image to monitor and compared it with the project Ivo Labs had lost.
To most people, these two projects might seem entirely different, and I almost missed the similarities myself. However, upon closer inspection of the data from Ivo Labs, I realized that their fundamental structures were the same. The information from Luthor's project, on the other hand, appeared to have been modified and restructured to achieve his desired results.
That was what he used in creating that synthetic Kryptonite weapon. He must have replicated the energy signature of a pure Kryptonite during it's modification, then exposed its core to a calculated amount of radiation before advancing with the project.
It was just a replica that was why it had a different effect on the Kryptonian cells of Superman. While Kryptonite weakened his cells, this aberration messed with the cell's ability to process and absorb radiation.
Luthor usually paid criminals to do his biddings, so it couldn't be traced back to him but with this, I'm certain he was behind the theft of that project. Why? Because I'm staring at the evidence.
I sat in front of the large monitor at my Batcave, I could feel my face tense as I analyzed the data on the screen. The images flickered rapidly as I scrolled through surveillance footage from various locations surrounding that area the project was stolen, trying to identify the group of thieves who had made off with the project that Lex Luthor had paid them to steal.
I tried tracking the unknown group using every resource at my disposal to gather intelligence on their movements and activities. But despite my best efforts, they remained frustratingly elusive.
As I studied the cases, I came across another case which peaked my interest some more. The theft of a Khandaq diamond, a priceless gemstone that had been taken from a heavily guarded museum exhibit. Despite an extensive investigation, no suspects had been identified, and the trail had gone cold.
Suddenly, something came to mind and I began to connect the dots between the various unsolved cases on record in the police database.
Each crime seemed to have been executed with an insane level of precision and expertise, which confirmed my suspicion that they were all the work of the same group of thieves.
I had always been able to locate my targets eventually, no matter how elusive they seemed. But this time, the trail kept leading to dead ends. It was as if the group disappeared into thin air.
===========
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