Chapter 4

Brightest Doom

Chapter 4

May 4th

No matter the reality I lived in, a tie was still such a hard thing to get proper. Ivy sat in the chair before the mirror and the dresser. I noticed the smile in her eyes, and I couldn't help but roll my own in exasperation. I finally finished the tie, and still, the bloody thing was crooked. Twice I had the knot redone with my telekinesis and with my own hands, and yet it still would not sit properly. Ivy noticed my scowl and decided to put me out of my misery and help fix my tie.

She stood a little under my chin in her emerald-green skin, still wrapped in a towel from our morning shower together, as she fixed my tie. I wanted her to start wearing regular clothes, but there was no need to argue when I was given such a delectable sight.

Ivy looked at me with a smirk on her lips, "You can f.u.c.k like a demon and fight like a savage, but a little ole tie defeats the mighty Doom?"

Ice grey eyes met Ivy's bright emeralds. With a quirk of the lips, I sealed mine with hers as I pulled her in close with one hand holding onto her nice firm rump. Our lips parted, and I was greeted with a dazed Ivy. Inwardly smiling to myself, I gave her rump a quick swat as I took a step back to look in the mirror. The smoldering look Ivy gave me in return as I took a step back gave me all the information I needed to know about her current sensual and emotional state.

I returned the look with my own grin as I looked myself over. I was wearing a custom made Armani suit; the fit was perfect for a man of my stature. I summoned over my cufflinks, and Ivy brought my lapel pin and placed it for me. The pins where something that I made using the vibranium, it was a black dragon on a green background. The first one I made had a tree headed hydra, but it reminded me too much of the Nazi group from the comics and movies.

"So do you plan to take the job offer from Luthor? Ivy asks as she backed up to look me over.

With my head tilted to the side, I thought about it for a moment, "No, but this will be an opportunity for the future."

Ivy raised an eyebrow at me for such a cryptic reply.

"Do you trust me?"

It took a lot of will power to force my body not to flinch at her statement. True I was helping her, but the immune booster was to make sure I didn't die from anything before I could make myself a suit of armor.

"Remember when I told you that there are better ways to help the planet than to give your things away for free?" I asked as I put a certain smartwatch onto my wrist. This little watch was made from a few grams of vibranium and some other metals. What made it so special was the nanites that were housed on the inside. Extremely versatile for one-handed use, and with it, I was going to get myself some of Luthor's prints and other things.

"Yes, I remember when you said that," Ivy said as she looked into my eyes.

I couldn't help the smile that I gave her in return, "Luthor stands in the way, but we have to lay the plan properly if we wish to rid the world of him. Make too loud a noise, and the Justice League will be after us, but with a little subtle plan here and there, we can be rid of what ails us."

"The coffee beans are one of these subtle plans," Ivy said as the admission finally dawns upon her.

"Everyone will love such a rich roast that's smooth on the palate; they won't even notice the slight increase of addictive quality," I replied with a shrug. "With your help, the beans can be grown and mass-produced anywhere. I already have the shell company Starbucks being built overseas."

"But where does this put Luthor in those plans?" Ivy asked me as she dropped her towel.

Looking up and down Ivy's perfect form, and I was struck with the urge to bend her over the parlor and have my way with her before my limo arrives. That defiant look in her eyes and the slight smirk that teased me, the hardened n.i.p.p.l.es that begged for my touch.

"Even if I refuse to work for the man, his money and connections will go a long way," I replied as I watched Ivy's form become covered in leaves. Ivy blew me a kiss and then walked over to the lab that we had set up in the corner to continue her experiments. My watch buzzed to let me know that my ride was turning up the driveway, and it was time to go. "Please keep your eye on that little dose for our mutual friend, please."

"Have fun," I said as I placed a kiss on the top of her head before turning to walk outside the jungle of a greenhouse, we called a lab and bedroom.

With a shake of the head, I placed some thoughts to the back of my mind as I felt the two unknown presences pull up to the house.

The first mind that I felt was just here to drive and do a job. The second mind, though, was something else, this mind was brimming with ambition and a need to please. There were strong tones of loyalty and passion but all tempered by fear. Oh, this was going to be an interesting ride to Metropolis.

An all-black Cadillac Limo pulled out, and the one and only Mercy Graves stepped out to greet me.

"Good morning ," Mercy said as she did a slight bow. "As Mr. Luthor's attendant, I have been tasked to show Mr. Luthor's gratitude in your acceptance of this interview."

Stepping forward, I held my hand out for a shake once Mercy was finished with her pleasantries.

"That's fine and all, but may I have the name of the lovely lady that will be my escort today?" I said with a genial smile on my face.

"Well, let's clear that up. My name is Mercy Graves." Mercy said before standing aside and directing me into the back seat of the limo.

Looking down, I activated a few things on my watch and erased the GPS on the limo and got into the back. A lot to do and only an hour to get it done. Smiling to myself, I went to work to convert Mercy into someone that could help me with my goals. Mercy's mental shield was strong, but living such a life as Luthor's lackey was not a life that she wanted even if she was loyal to the man.

Walking into LexCorp offices, I had an instant dislike for the bald man before me. It was one thing to read about him in comics and to see his representation on the screen, but it was another to meet the man in person. Everything about Lex Luthor screamed polluted to my senses. The light glint of green on his fingers gave me a hint of why. Lex was wearing a kryptonite ring, and I was certain from the vibes that I was picking up; this man had some form of advanced cancer from that stone's radiation.

I watched as Lex got up from behind the desk and came around to give me a handshake. Luthor was a well-built man in his early thirties and bald to boot. It was odd how he matched up so well with his comic book counterpart: it was unnerving, to say the least.

"Ahh, Mr. Doom, it's such a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet someone of your intellect finally," Lex said as he took my hand and shook it.

"Mr. Luthor, please just call me Vince," I replied as I shook the bald man's hand while I worked my way past that fortified wall of will Luthor called his mind.

"Then, by all means, call me Lex," Luthor returned with a smile. Returning the smile myself, I followed Lex to the bar to get myself a drink. While Lex was pouring it, I had finally worked my way past what appeared to be his twentieth mental barrier. Good, now let's set up Mercy as his heir apparent on his will and business. With brief changes here and there, I was surprised to feel another cold and metal presence within the mind of Luthor.

Admittedly, my first thought was to investigate: but I stopped because there is only one mind besides Luthor that could ever be classified as cold. That presence could only be that other mind that infected Luthor with the nanites. Luthor had already found technology connected to Brainiac, shit.

Pulling back from Luthor's mind, I followed him back to the desk and took the seat that he directed me to and sat with my scotch in hand.

Luthor talked, and I listened, but aside for listening to Luthor drone on about being a self-made man. I was making small tweaks to his mind for Mercy to be placed as an inheritance in his will as well as other back up plans. The things I found in Luthor's mind were beyond revolting. From clones and starting wars to the fact that he killed his own parents and used the insurance money to start his company.

We went back and forth over the whole business world and what the rest of the tech industry had to offer before we closed out the meeting with me still declining the offer to work at LexCorp.

"Sorry, but I won't be needing that ride back. There is a science fair that I would like to attend." I said with a charming smile on my face.

Mercy lifted a single eyebrow, "That is understandable, would you like me to accompany you to this fair?"

"I would love for a lady as lovely as yourself to accompany me?" I replied with a smile.

"I would love to attend, but I have further work to do, maybe I can call you another time," Mercy said before a quick bow before turning around and going back in. I couldn't help but watch that ass; it was so perky you could bounce a quarter off it.

With a smile, I turned away from the beauty. Walking down the sidewalk, I began to wonder if this is the Mercy that is descendant from the Amazon.

Checking the time on my watch, I found it was a little after one. With a wave of my hand, I sent out a telepathic summons for transportation. The yellow cab smoothly arrived, and we were off. My watch beeps, and I look down to see the notification of genetic material viable.

There was no stopping the smile that spread across my face; Luthor had no clue what's coming for him. Since he liked to clone Clark so much, I wonder how much he would appreciate it if he was replaced by a clone of my own.

o.O.o

Pamela didn't know how to feel. She always thought that after the explosion, she would always be alone in life. Then she found Harley, and everything changed. Harley was a breath of fresh air from all those that were scared of her. With Harley, Pamela thought he was going to live a new life, but that wasn't her destiny.

That was the same gift that she gave Harley. What surprised Pamela more was that Vince not only recreated the serum that she gave Harley, but Vince had also expanded it into healing as well.

The trickle-down her inner t.h.i.g.h distracted Pamela from her musing. A delightful shiver ran up her spine from the remembrance of last night's promiscuity. Vince was filled with such virility that she almost couldn't keep up. The thought of last night and how she was stretched so deeply had Pamela's loins moist with need. She thought she had gotten it all while in the shower, but that deep warmth inside her core told her another thing. Closing the computer she was working on, Pamela decided it would be best to take another shower before having Waylon drive her to the Tin Roof In.

From the information Pamela received from Vince, Selina was running the place and had been in Gotham for some time now.

*BEEP*

The sound drew her attention, Pamela changed positions to face the computer Vince liked to use the most. On the screen was something that placed a smile on Pamela's face. The computer screen was flashing green with a toxicology chemical chain that would be able to counteract the joker gas but boosted to override any chemical chain that follows with a nano replicant. Pamela's good feels would never go away now. Picking up her phone, she sent a message to both her driver and to Vince to update them with the current situation. Now all that was missing were tracking down her girl and the lunch plans with Selina. Pamela would be able to get the information she wanted. Without even looking back at the confirmation, Pamela walked back to the showers to get herself ready for her lunch date.

After a nice long shower after having spent all morning in her labs, Pamela was finally ready for her lunch with Selina, and the buzz of her cell phone was a clear sign that her ride was here. With a final quick look in the mirror, Pamela had one last smile as she looked herself over. Her lips and hair were flawless, and the dress she wore was an autumn leaf amber that matched her hair and made her look delectable. With a nod, Pamela picked up her leaf handbag and left out the front door.

In the parking lot was a custom-built car that Pamela had seen Waylon and Vince work on when she first arrived. Vince had invented something he called an Arc reactor that produces clean energy without any pollution to the environment. When she found out about the reactor, Pamela wanted to view the blueprints and was amazed at how much power was produced by something so small. With a wave to Waylon, Pamela closed the door to the garden house and got into the car. This car, in particular, was an Audi A8, which was custom built by Vince. All sleek black lines with more horsepower than anything else than she had driven before her accident.

Taking her seat in the car, Pamela was greeted with a futuristic interior. Sleek lines and blue lights with hints of computer interfaces. Waylon closed the door, and holograms sprang forth for Pamela to interact with during her ride.

Maybe she could get used to dating someone with such imagination and intellect, Pamela thought to herself. Now, the only thing missing is enjoying this with Harley. The drive was quick, and before she knew it, she was at the Tin Roof Inn bar run by Selina. Pamela looked at the bar from inside the car and noticed the dust and dirt. It was a little after one, and the bar wasn't open yet. Pamela waited for Waylon to get the door: once she was out, she used her extra key to open the door of the bar.

This particular breed of fern she was using had such an interesting dash of shading with her skin. The heels made no noise and molded to her feet like a glove. Being aware there was no noise, Pamela cast her gaze towards the back of the bar, where she knew a set of stairs lead up to the living quarters. With a snort, Pamela held her head high and walked in the direction of the stairs. The stairs were firm and did not crack under her steps as she walked up towards the bedroom she knew was located at the top.

With a knock on the door, Pamela heard no call back for entrance. The first thing Pamela noticed was all the cats that slept around the room. The other thing that she noticed was that Selina was sleeping with the blanket half on and half off with her b.a.r.e behind up and showing to the world. With a slight snicker, Pamela walked over to the bedside to wake up her friend. Without another thought, Pamela yanked out the blanket from where it was wrapped around Selina.

Selina cried out as she rolled out of bed with a murderous look on her face. The look on her face sent a delicious shiver down Pamela's spine as she looked over her friend. Selina was in a crouch on the side of the bed with a truly fierce and intimidating look. Pamela could only shake her head at the sight before her.

"Selina, we should be at lunch right now," Pamela replied with a tap on her wrist. Selina got up but said nothing as she moved over to where one of the cats laid on top of the parlor.

Bending over, Selina picked up a towel and some of her u.n.d.e.r.g.a.r.m.e.n.ts, "Last night ran late."

Pamela looked her friend up and down, noticing the small bruise around the rib area. With a shake of her head, Pamela sat down at the side table and watched as her friend brushed the cat before walking into the bathroom located at the side of the room.

"I heard you might have seen her last," Pamela said as she listened to her friend go about her wake up routine. There was no reply to her statement, so Pamela just listened. The shower ran while she sat in the seat and waited for Selina to finish what she was doing.

Leaning back, Pamela relaxed as Selina walked back out with a towel around her waist.

Selina looked at her for a moment before walking into her closet, "Yeah, I was able to talk to her not too long ago."

Pamela could only sigh at hearing that. Moving her mind away from such thoughts, she waited for Selina to get dressed. Selina wore a pair of tight-fitting jeans with slashings on the t.h.i.g.hs. The top she wore was a loose-fitting blouse, the color of cream, and the heels matched the top. Selina's hair went up into a loose ponytail as she presented herself as ready for lunch.

Selina grabbed a pair of shades then nod towards Pamela, who got up and followed along down the stairs back towards the waiting car outside. Waiting for them was Waylon as she had asked him to before she walked up to get Selina.

"Waylon, what are you doing here?" Selina asked as she pulled down her shades to get a better look at the large guy.

"Yeah, I got myself a legit gig," Waylon replied with a shrug in the large custom suit that he wore.

"Yes, I can see that," Selina replied as she looked back between her long-time friend and the big croc-man. "So, are you going to tell me what you have been up to?"

"A lot has happened over the last few days," Pamela said before smoothly sliding into the back of the vehicle.

Sliding in behind Pamela, Selina gave her a look with a raised eyebrow, "Your going to tell me more, right?"

"Only if you share what you know."

o.O.o

Sitting in a cafe, I relaxed as I enjoyed a nice lunch. The sandwich was chicken on flatbread with three sauce spread on grilled chicken. The day had gone in a way that I had not expected it, but that was okay. Online there was nothing about Brainiac invading, so that would mean that his ship wasn't on Earth with all those civilizations shrunk down for me to raid. The other thing I wasn't expecting was to find a nano-variant of that same Brainiac within Luthor's mind, along with a growing tumor created from the kryptonite radiation.

Staying out a sight, I finished my water and gathered my things before leaving. Two blocks down from the restaurant where I had my lunch, the Metropolis convention center where the science fair of the new age inventions was hosted. The convention center was a large triple section monstrosity that the city paid for after one of Superman's fights.

Shaking my head at the thought, I strolled down the sidewalk with a skip to my step. After a short walk, I had my tickets and a wristband that allowed me entrance to speak to some of the inventors who had their various inventions on display. Putting out a slight 'notice me not' field around myself, I spent the next hour and a half checking out the various inventions, but there was this feeling that I was being watched that I couldn't shake.

This was Metropolis, so I knew Clark was around here somewhere, but I had no clue where until my A.I was up and running. The other person I had to be sure to avoid was Supergirl or whatever her name is outside of the costume. Clearing my mind of such thoughts, I kept on walking, but something ran into me that felt like a brick wall.

With a grunt, I paced out a step to keep myself from falling, but what surprised me was the steel grip that grabbed me around the bicep. My head whipped around, and I was greeted with a small blonde girl with piercing blue eyes that felt as if they looked deep within my soul. Well, shit, speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Taking a quick glance around, I didn't see the big blue boy scout anywhere in sight, but I did notice the people looking at me with the little blonde.

"Ohh my gosh sir, are you alright?"

"Kara, you have to watch where you're going."

"Jimmy, get a picture of that, and have you seen Clark, he told me he would be here."

Looking down at the blonde, I had to center myself and play the game that was shoved before me. Kara stood a little over five feet-five inches of pure Kryptonian power. The outfit she wore said farm girl but also a teenage girl that liked to visit the city with the mix of that blouse and jeans combo. The jeans said hard worker but the blouse said girly girl.

"Thanks, and I must apologize, miss?" I asked with a slight bow of the head.

In front of me, Supergirl looked up with blushing cheeks, "Kara, my name is Kara Kent. Sorry about bumping into you."

"No offense was taken," I replied with a small smile of my own before taking a side step as I prepared to turn and leave.

"Kara, who is your friend?"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Doom himself."

I wanted to sigh and then rage, but I couldn't, I had to play this cool because I knew exactly whose f.u.c.k.i.n.g trap I was just pulled into and I was not pleased at all with this little situation.

"Of course, you would be here Barbara, but how come I don't see your little puppy?" I asked with a raised eyebrow at the speaker that called my name.

"Haha, he's got you there, Barb." The other lady said as she laughed at the younger girl. "Where is Grayson anyway, I don't think I have seen you this long without him around before."

"And may I get the name of the beauty before me," I asked while keeping the smile on my face as I tried to ignore the bait that Batman sent. I didn't even have to read her mind to know she was sent on a mission, and Clark being Clark folded like a lawn chair and allowed it.

"Lois Lane, reporting for the Daily Planet, and I would like to get an interview with you ." Lois said then she started to fire off questions before I could answer the first.

I had to hold up a hand to cut her off before Lois could go any further with her reports tirade, "Miss Lane, I'm not here in any official capacity. So I will have to turn you down for that interview, but we might be able to reschedule in the future."

With a nod, I turned around and tried to get out of there before I could get s.u.c.k.e.d back into this trap, but I wasn't so lucky with the vice grip that grabbed ahold of my hand. Looking back, I found the eyes of Kara on me with a smile on her face. Smiling back, I slowly used my telekinetic powers to try and get her hands to release me, but the pressure was far too much, and I couldn't help raise an eyebrow at the girl. This was not something I was expecting, which means I would have to put my plans for the boy scout to the side for now.

"Yes, Miss Kent, May I help you," I asked, keeping my voice even and the surprise off my face.

"Well, you seemed lonely, and since you know Barb, I thought you would like to join our group," Kara said with a stunning smile on her face.

Just looking at her I understand why Bruce had Barbara talk her into this because the girl was far too cute to turn down. Kara had the mix of a kitten and little sister feel to her aura and I almost fell for it. My mental muscles might not be strong enough to remove a Kryptonian grip, but I wasn't into jailbait, so I wasn't going to get infatuated with Supergirl.

"My lady isn't here kid, but I'll be fine," I replied as I looked down at the hand that held me in place. I had to point out the word kid because Lois had no mental shields and broadcast kara being in highschool.

Kara gave me a cute pout and then let go of my hand, allowing me to get away from the group.

o.O.o

A few hours went by as I walked around and made mental notes of the various inventions and their applications, but it was also inspiring how my mind could scan each invention then create a mental deconstruction of the device. The things I was discovering I was able to do with the Sage Force was growing more and more each day, almost a thousand people around me and my mental shields were keeping them all out. It goes to show that it was Charles messing with Jean Grey's head that made her so unstable and mentally weak.

There was no way that Jean Grey should have been so weak if she was on the Omega list of powers. Shaking those troubling thoughts out of my head, I turned and ignored the reflection of Barbara Gordon and Kara Kent behind me as they followed me after I shut that little scheme of Batman's down. Laying low or not: Bruce will forever be a paranoid asshole, but at least I'm under the government's radar. Only they can mark me as public enemy number one and have the world after my blood unless I f.u.c.k up my approach to Clark Kent and get his Superman persona to mark me.

Walking up to the center display, I took in the information about this new gamma energy array, but it felt off in its calibration. Taking two steps back, I make one more movement to sidestep the tail behind me so I could get away from the device that had a radiation bubble around it.

BOOM!

The earth shook, and the roof collapsed, smoke and darkness surrounded me as I pushed the body that lay on top of me off. There was a hole in the roof above, and my head pounded from crashing into the ground. Touching the back of my head, I found blood on my hands, but I placed that out of my mind because I knew I improved my healing factor. Yet, there was no way I was going to leave behind my DNA. With a quick sweep, I gathered the dust on my blood, then poured out my bottle water diluting the sample down further.

BOOM!

I rolled behind one of the display cases and looked around for the sound of the bangs and crashes that sounded as if they were explosions. There was no way I could pinpoint the location with the screaming and the alarms going off, settling down I opened my mind to scan for those around me. What I found surprised me, Barbra still had those martian mental shields, so I ignored that, but the mind next to her felt solid and yet pliable, but it also instantly reacted to my mental probe.

Ignoring the mind that I knew had to belong to Kara, I found Lois doing her stupid trouble magnet thing she does and heads towards the fighting. Turning myself away from Lois, I felt another mind strong and solid, yet this one had a hint of pain that bled through the probing that I did even if I couldn't enter it. The mind that I felt was similar to Kara was approaching my location rapidly, and I was amazed to see her crash through a wall smashing into another one of the display cases.

Green was the first thing I thought when I noticed the light that shone in the dark. It was a pair of eyes and a glowing c.h.e.s.t. I knew that green glow it's the thing that I have been worried about poisoning me, and it's the reason why Luthor was so crazy. This was Metallo, and he had Kryptonite in his c.h.e.s.t. I wanted that rock, and Metallo had to die today, but I had to remove him in a way that wouldn't get me in trouble.

Shifting my weight behind my makeshift defense, I bumped the gama device that was in the center display. That gave me an idea, but I would need another power source and something to boost it's overall power. PowerGirl was hit with another punch that forces the very air to scatter, and I took a moment to really think, do I want to get myself caught up in this bullshit.

SPLAT!

There was a spray of blood out of PowerGirls mouth; then I knew I had to do something. Kara was with a knocked out Barbara and Lois, pulling out my phone. I found the live news, and Superman was on the other side of the earth. The way things looked was that they were useless, and I had not only fallen into a trap by Bruce but also Luthor because there was no other way that Metallo would show up if he wasn't sent here.

I took a broad look around me and noticed the camera's that were still up and recording the situation. Taking a deep breath, I ran and slid on over behind another display case and grabbed the Ion energizer from the top. I couldn't keep the grin off my face once I started to cannibalize both machines to create something new. There was another bang, and I had to move because I felt a rapidly approaching aura, and I could only think of that being one person.

With a commando roll out of the way, I made it clear in time to miss the body of PowerGirl being launched towards my hiding spot. Things were set, and I just had to wait on Metallo so I could ambush him.

I waited and waited... then there was the steps, slow but steady steps. PowerGirl was down for the count, and Superman was nowhere in sight. My thrummed within my c.h.e.s.t like a drum, and my fingertips were moist from the adrenaline that pumped through my veins. Taking slow deep breaths, I had to look around me and make sure that there was no glass for me to crunch under myself and not give away my position. A shadow loomed closer and closer, but I had to creep back slowly to keep myself out of the line of sight from the approaching menace.

The steps were heavy yet slow, and I knew that Metallo was trying to savor the moment before Superman came back, and I was going to use this to my advantage. So many calculations and so many traps and plots I could play to make this happen. I heard the crunch of the steps Metallo took as he got closer, and I watched him with the light from the broken roof.

Slowly, I stalked my prey. I watched as Metallo raised his foot and prepared to slam it down on the c.h.e.s.t of PowerGirl, and that was when I struck. Raising up behind the so-called SuperVillian, I blasted him in the back with my own cannibalized version of a magnetic ION scrambler.

"AARRGGHH!" Metallo screamed as his body parts began to separate and fall apart.

The arms broke and fell off, and then the legs blow off next. The torso fell as the components fried themselves, releasing smoke from the mouth and the blown-out eyeballs. While all that was happening, I clamped the inside lead lined frame that held the kryptonite. The case closed around the stone, and I sent it away with my telekinesis. The stone flew into the air vent and out the side of the building into the dumpster.

Throwing the mini canon away, I walked up to the recovering PowerGirl as she tried to catch her breath with her hands on her knees.

I stood there, breathing hard as my adrenaline bled out of my system, raising an eyebrow at the beauty before me I took in the look of her. When the comics said she was busty, they didn't give PowerGirl enough credit. Power Girl was stacked and built like a shapely amazon. She looked like a far better version of the smaller sized her. Womanly curves and a dashing smile that showed one dimple. The leotard that she wore was all white with that classic boob window from the comics. Blue gloves and boots that went with the red cape that completed her costume.

PowerGirl stood up, and I noticed she stood at five-eleven, yet still not my height, but I knew better. I might be taller, but this woman could kill me easily, and this was the version that came from another reality. I knew that version of PowerGirl was a hard case and would kick a.s.s.

"You know hitting Metallo with your laser beams from a thousand feet from up high would be a lot better than throwing around punches," I said as I held my hand out to help her up. The blond bombshell before me glared at me then knocked my outstretched hand aside.

"I'm a hero, not a killer," PowerGirl growled out as she stood up tall.

Shaking my head at her, I decided to cut her off and shot back before she said anything else, "He isn't dead just offline and hitting him from a mile high wouldn't kill him if you combined your visions and tag his power source before you encounter him in a fight. Work smarter, not harder."

"Then, let me thank you for your assistance here."

I turned around at that voice and kept my face straight because I felt when he entered my range of sensing, and the mental shields on the person were amazingly strong. Hovering above the ground was the blue boy scout himself.

This time, I did release an audible sigh, which got me a raised eyebrow from the man.

"You're more than a little late, Superman," I said as I looked at the powerhouse before me.

"I was saving a village from a flood on the other side of the world because of a dam rupture," Superman replied defensively.

I couldn't help but sniff at the man, "I know already because I checked my phone before I helped."

"So you're just going to ignore me now?" PowerGirl asked as she started to hover at my shoulder.

"Well, I was thinking about maybe telling you ways to improve that uniform of yours to help prevent things like this from happening again." I said with a shrug, then looked at Superman then shrugged at him also, "This situation is no longer my problem. If the cops would like to talk, have them contact my lawyer for a statement."

"Why won't you stay and get looked at by one of the medics arriving?" Superman asked as he touched down on the ground.

I glared at the man for being so dense, "So your detective can get his hands on my DNA? I would rather not have any drop of my blood in the hands of that man."

I held solid eye contact with the man of steel, nothing was said. Before more could be said, Lois Lane, like she always does, came and demanded an interview and wanted to know about the device I created. There was no way I was going to give a statement, so I had to brush Lois Lane off and have the interview reschedule. Ignoring the look I was getting from Superman, I made my way past the gathering group of heroes in their mundane clothes and made my way to one of the police officers that stopped on the outside of the perimeter.

"Excuse me, officer, do you mind telling me who is free currently?" I asked the officer before me. He was of average height but also had a high and tight haircut that showed his professionalism.

"Yeah, there is a rookie that's free. What kind of help do you need, kid?" The Officer returned as I was giving off the trust field. Then the officer pointed out the rookie that he was telling me about.

"Would you mind having him send me along my way?" I asked the officer while waving a hand at myself and how messed up I currently was.

"Damn, I'll have the rookie take you?" The officer asked with a raised brow.

"I just need a ride to a nearby hotel, and he can be back quickly," I said and made sure to act like everything is normal even though I can feel a pair of eyes focused on my back. I had to play this smoothly, so they don't snap me up while I was walking around or away. The worst thing now would be to walk away with some blood on me, but I also wanted to distance myself so that I wouldn't be tempted to take the kryptonite with me right now.

The officer looked at me for a long time before he gave me a nod and walked me over to the rookie of the hour. After some talks back and forth, the rookie got roped into driving me to a little hotel out of the way so I could get myself a room. The drive took a while because of the traffic, but it was good to get out of that location. My field kept me ab.r.e.a.s.t of that one person hovering out of sight but staring at me hard. I wanted to look up and blow a kiss at PowerGirl, but I had to hold that urge back and focus on the now. That didn't stop me from writing down my number for her to take a look at.

After thirty minutes of traffic, it didn't take us long to pull up to a cozy little hotel where I booked a room. I sent a message to Waylon before I hopped into the shower to wash away the blood and grime from the day. Getting out of the shower an hour later, I sat on my bed with my legs crossed and slowed myself into meditation.

So many minds and so many flavors, but I had to ignore all the noise. I sank deeper into my meditation. My range expanded, and I felt more and more minds, but I had to ignore them for what I really wanted. Even under the stare of PowerGirl, I used my telekinesis to pick up the lead wrapped kryptonite package and send it over the water back to my place in Gotham.

This was the first time that I had flexed my powers in such a way. Beads of sweat raised on my forehead as I continued to concentrate on getting the stone where it had to go.

Doom never fails.

o.O.o

Hours Later….

Luthor sat back in his chair while watching the footage play on his monitor.

"Amazing, isn't it Mercy." Luthor drooled out as she watched the replay of the security footage.

"Yes sir, but we were unable to get our people inside to gather the devices on display." Mercy replied as she looked over her mentor's shoulder.

"Hmm, my people have already gathered them behind the scenes as they became secure," Luthor replied as he watched the footage of Vincent Doom cobble together a device to take down Metal. "The best things in life happen without having to lift a finger."

Mercy said nothing as she watched over the shoulder of Luthor before she began to put the parts of the puzzle together. "Sire you had Metallo start the fight, why?"

"Easy, Superman would have solved this issue, so I had to get rid of him to the other side of the planet then set Metallo on PowerGirl while restricting him to this section of the city," Luthor replied as he smirked at the monitor.

"So when the flight crashed into the convention, then they played right into your hand?" Mercy asked as she looked at the dismantled robot.

"Correct and look," Luthor said as she changed the view to show the labs with people going over a device recovered earlier in the day. "We got something out of just having Metallo show up. None of the scientists can even solve the complex interact grafting of the device he created.

Luthor put those thoughts out of his mind and changed what he was doing again. There was the sound of minor ringing, and then a dark screen came up, and Luthor spoke without any pleasantries.

"I resend my claim over Mr. Doom." Luthor said before shutting down the computer. "Come along Mercy; there is plenty more for me to teach you."

o.O.o

Somewhere in the Tibetan Mountains….

"Look at him, my dear."

"Who is this father?"

The light of the monitor showed a man of age and distinction. Whites showed on the sides of his hair, and there was a small patch in his beard. A green cape hung around his neck, and he sat within a seat that was closer to a throne than chair within the vicinity. This man was known as Ra's Al Ghul, the Demon Head and current leader of the League of Shadows.

"This young man is a candidate that I have been keeping an eye on," Ra's replied as he examined the footage.

Without showing any emotion on her face, the lady at his shoulder gave her answer, "He shows promise, father."

"Yes, I believe it is time we made our way to Gotham," Ra's replied as she went over the footage for the tenth time that night.

o.O.o

KNOCK... KNOCK... KNOCK…

There was a rapid knock at the door which drew me back from my mental roaming across the large river that separates Gotham from Metropolis. Pulling my mind back closer to myself, I had to make sure that no one was following me. The person outside the door was Waylon with the things I had ordered, but I was surprised that PowerGirl was no longer keeping an eye on me.

With the robe around me, I made my way to the door and let in my assistant. Waylon shuffled in and placed down the box that had a smooth top that glowed with blue lines. Within the center was an octagon with a hand shape for someone to put there hands and unlock the box. Along the side glowed more blue of intricate circuitry that ran down to the bottom.

Ignoring the box, I turned and took the duffle bag that Waylon was holding out for me. With a nod, I went and changed into my combat wear. The suit was made out of a nano-carbon fiber weave with Vibranium coating, but this was just the under armor for my back up plan just in case. The under armor fit snugly with the gunmetal grey and silver shadings that blended amazingly with the black dragon with green shades and gold trims. The color scheme matched flawlessly.

There was no way to wipe the smile off my face once I caught a look at myself in the mirror. I looked at my wrist communications and changed the appearance of my clothing to a simple set of jeans and a black fitted shirt. Then I changed it back towards my combat wear. I took a look at Waylon and noticed that he was in an article of fitted but comfortable clothing, it was functional.

Nodding my head at him, I placed my hand on the octagon and watched the seams release and the holograms play before me as my combat suit came up on display. When I was going to make myself a suit, my mind went to the whole Iron-Man armor but also the armor from the comics. Then I changed my mind when I got my hands on some good metals like the vibranium, and I knew what I had to make.

The suit was a combination of Iron-Man, , and Black Panther all rolled into one. The helmet was in the shape of a black dragon above the visor, with green accents running down along the back and around the h.i.p.s. The suit was made out of interlocking plates that would layer over the under armor suit that I wore. There was a retractable cape that I could deploy at my choice. The power source was a miniature arc reactor, and the overall concept of the suit was model after the Panther suit with dashes of Iron man mixed in. There was no A.I. core created yet, but I had updated the computer with plenty of commands for the system to keep up with my demands. With a nod, I closed the box and turned off the light show and dropped it back into stealth mode.

Now, I was dressed to impress and had work to do. When Waylon had shown up this night, he brought with him the location of Intergang that had ties to Luthor. I had no need for the gang, but they used certain tech, and that placed them on my radar, unfortunately. Checking the news network and a few things I had in the fire, I smiled as I was told that a certain enabler was no longer in town.

Taking slow deep breaths, I let my mind flow with the wind and felt for the presence of others around me. The information that I was picking up allowed me to understand that no one was watching my room balcony. With a few small pushes here and there, the cameras that were trained on this building were shifted slightly for tonight's efforts.

I placed my helmet over my head, and the world came alive with information. Weather, speed, altitude, and information on cell phones or cars license plates if I focused too hard on a person or thing. Slowly, I floated out and off the balcony and then made my way to the roof. The gps was showing the location that I needed to make my way to was near one of the chop shops that was owned by a guy calling himself Brink. Super strength and durability but was also thrown into jail by SuperGirl, but that was fine because Brink wasn't here to keep an eye on his territory.

The air was cold on my lungs, but the adrenaline that coursed through my veins put a smile on my face as I flew and leaped from roof to roof while I made my way across town. When I was three blocks out, my radio notified me of action going down, and no one was to interfere with the gang. I came up short on the outer edge of a block from the place that I heard over the radio for the police to stay away from. I knew this was one of those Luthor paid for situations, but they had what I wanted, and I was going to make a move on it.

BOOM!

Before I could even settle down into a comfortable position, the wall opposite of my location blew apart as some people came running out.

And my Prey delivered himself right to me.

o.O.o

Dashing across the rooftops, I followed along silently as I tracked them back to their secret base. The secret chase took me ten minutes, but I wasn't going to complain. The Hunt was enjoyable, and I was going to enjoy getting my prize tonight. Taking up my position on the rooftop, I sent down a bug to latch onto the window to pick up the sonics. This way, I could listen in and know what was happening.

I waited and listened, and I was a little distracted by how weird it was to walk with vibranium laced soles. No sound nor bump escaped from my steps, and it was something new I had to get used to. Putting those thoughts out of my mind, I focused on what was happening before me. The guys that got away from the heist had pulled into a warehouse on the bad part of town, but from what I saw through the window, I should have brought some big guns.

Down below were more than thirty people with high tech laser weapons with what I could only guess what I was here for. The other set of technology that the InterGang was using had to have come from Apocalypse, and that gave me both the good and the bad vibes. The big bald guy in the center pulled out exactly what I wanted. There was no way I was going to miss the Mother Box, well that, and he summoned a Boom Tube not ten feet away from him.

From the roof, I watched the gang go from the warehouse and through the Boom Tube and back again. With the Bald ones back towards me, I struck down on them as swift as lightning. The glass beneath my feet didn't stand to my telekinetic push as I forced my way inside the warehouse. The Mother Box that was in my line of sight was pulled into my hands, I then placed it on my magnetic belt clip. I wanted to fly back out and leave, but my hunger for their tech and knowledge couldn't stay bottled up inside. The grin on my face was hidden within my helmet, but that didn't stop me from giving out the vibes of a hunter. My HUD zooms in on the scarred face of the man before me; the fear on his face triggered my primal instinct to act.

In the middle of my yank, the Bald man pulled on a tab that connected to his jacket. The jacket burst forth with nano-tech, Apocalypse nano-tech, and he was ready to play. My eyes widened as a red laser beam came out of the c.h.e.s.t cannon that was currently aimed at me. Throwing my hands before me, a shield manifested to block the beam of energy. This cause the energy to knock me into the wall of the warehouse. There was no shock, there was no jarring, but that didn't mean the sudden impact didn't shake me for a moment.

"Well, well lookie here another wanna be hero," The bald man said as he looked at me from his position.

There was nothing to say between us, I had the Mother Box, and I wanted whatever knowledge that was in his head, but I will enjoy my hunt first. Out of the sheaths on my back, daggers were released, and I had them moving to my telekinetic commands.

Three daggers launched from over my head while two were launched off from my left side. I dashed to the right to get out of the way from another cannon blast. Out of the Boom tube came more of the InterGang, and I wasn't going to have any of this shit today. With a twitch of my finger, the shield I summoned turned sideways and launched at the back up that came out of the teleportation tube.

Six people were instantly cut down, and some of the others were able to jump out of the way. Flying over the crates, I grabbed one person with my telekinesis and launched him at the Bald guy with the cannon on his c.h.e.s.t aimed at me. I could have done this the easy way and just took the knowledge while I was on the roofs, but I needed actual battle experience, so I wasn't going to skip out on this opportunity.

I sent more bodies flying around me as I watched my daggers hit upon a shield that flared around the body of the bald man. The only thing I would think besides interesting was that I want that shield generation technology. My HUD was cataloging and analyzing everything within sight while I was also making my own plans and how I wanted to approach the battle.

Dodging around the heist truck took me out of sight from the Bald man, and I used this time to set up another attack I wanted to pull off. The daggers that got knocked back from the initial attack returned to my sides, and I launched them back out to attack the guards that took up position behind some cover.

AARRGHH!

Screams abounded when I made a leap at the bald man with my hand outstretched. The guy didn't even flinch, he pulled the trigger, and I prayed that my suit could take the punch. I took the full blast force so I could gather data on how vibranium would do against attacks in the DC universe. Gritting my teeth, I took the full force as I held myself in the air. The suit took the hit, and my HUD showed slight heating on the outside surfaces, the eye ports cracked, and I made a note to self to upgrade the recipe on glass or maybe find something to replace it with.

The cannon blast tapered off before I lowered myself back to the ground.

"Doom, has deemed your efforts of defending your territory worthy," I said before grabbing the bald man in my telekinetic grip and pulling him to face me.

The bald man screamed and struggled, but I refused to release my grip on him. The shield that protected his body flared and kept my grip at bay, but that only increased my interest in the device even more.

"Shhh, there is no need to scream," I said as I tapped on the bald man's forehead. "You should be honored that Doom has taken an interest in one such as yourself."

The wad of spit never made it to my helmeted face. Pulling the man forward, I had him splatter himself, and then my anger flared. My gloved hand gripped onto the head of the man before me, and I yanked the information that I wanted out of his head. There was no care to go easy, nor was there a need to be kind about it. This was an enemy, and he had what I wanted, and Doom shall have what he wants.

Within seconds I went over and assimilated the knowledge that I wanted. With a smile on my face, I forced the bald man to turn off the shield that was placed on his belt. With the shield off, I took the belt into my hands and read the glyphs in Apokoliptian on the side. With a nod, I tossed the body of the bald man aside now that I was finished playing with my food. Pulling up my wrist communicator, I sent out a message to Waylon to come and make a pick-up.

With that message sent, I pulled up the Mother Box and closed the Boom Tube that was still open. With my biggest concern out of the way, I went along and did my plundering. There was a lot of alien computer components that I wasn't going to leave and some weapons that were also going with Waylon. Everything that didn't pick up my interest was destroyed, but the good stuff I had placed aside and prepared for shipment. Floating up into the middle of the warehouse, I folded my legs for meditation and released my telekinetic control, and everything came under my command.

Hundreds of different components came alive and did my bidding. This was all considered practice by me for future plans. There was no backing down now, and not too long after I sorted the things that were going with Waylon, I received another message that placed a smile on my face. This night was getting better and better.

[Joker is located at the chuckle palace. - Ivy]

That message was all I needed to make my night even better.

[I'm around back.-Waylon]

With a quick mental command, all of the floating weaponry that I had no need for warped and lowered back to the ground. With the rest out of the way, I floated myself and the items that I deemed worthy towards the back garage door. The back door went up, and I was greeted by a large black man staring me down.

"Really, I didn't make that hologram-watch for you to use it as a crutch," I said as I floated the box out into the back of the pickup truck. "It's so you can blend until the serum is complete."

Waylon shrugged before looking me up and down, "It's just good not to have people run away from me scared, you know."

"I understand," I replied as I helped the big man tie down the items in the bed of the truck. It took fifteen minutes of hard work to get everything strapped and set before Waylon was ready to go back to the house.

"I have something else to take care of big-man. I'll see you back at the house." I said as I gave Waylon a nod and closed down the garage. Without looking back, I floated above the roofline and made my way towards Gotham in haste. At the start of all this, my plan was to cure the Joker, but things have changed.

One of the things I did during my research time was to see what the villains have been up to before I came. It was one thing to read the comics, and it was another to be apart of the world. One of my conclusions was that Jack Napier had to die. There was no ifs ands or buts about it. I wanted him alive for some sick justice to be done, but that was the geek inside me and not something that a Doom would do.

So, I put aside my feelings on the matter and went after my prey.

o.O.o

Chuckle Palace….

It took a twenty-minute flight over the bay, but I had to take my time because I knew that Batman had all kinds of sensors rigged around Gotham. There would be no other way for him to know someone was in his city if he didn't have some type of detection systems set up for alerts. So I took my time, and while I flew, I talked to Ivy, and my decision for Harley was solidified.

So here I was sitting on top of the Chuckle Palace waiting.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

There was the laugh that used to make me chuckle, but now I had to accept that it was from a horrible man. There was a flash of pain, and I waited no longer. I descended on the Chuckle Palace with a vengeance. The wall was blown into the air like so much confetti because Doom would not be denied. There was no stalling; there was only action.

The halls were filled with grime and glass, cobwebs, and dust. It was all kinds of nasty within the old Chuckle Palace, and no one had taken down any of the clowns. None of that was paid any attention though; I forced my way through everything before me until I came to a room and found the duo.

The Joker sat there in his chair laughing at Harley on the ground, and from the smudged bruise on her face, I knew what it was from. The Joker had a crazed wild grin on his face, the suit he wore was purple and damaged, his hair was green and bright while his skin was white in contrast to his stained yellow teeth. Harley Quinn on the ground was something else, though.

Harley wore a set of booty shorts in her iconic colors of red and back paired with a set of fishnets that covered her legs with boots on her feet that had the same color. Even from my location, I could tell she was a shapely woman, but this wasn't the time to get swayed with my feelings over the female gender. The corset that she wore hugged her c.h.e.s.t but was also in the same color scheme as her leggings, which also matched the hair. On her face was blurred makeup.

"Ya!" Harley squeaked as I pulled her towards me with my telekinesis. Now she was outside the reach of the Joker, and even though the night was late, things were just starting. "Who are you?"

"There will be no more Joker, there will only be Doom," I said as I traced my index finger from under her chin so I could take a better look at her face. "And you my dear, are now my Harley Quinn."

And without further preamble, I laid a blazing kiss on the dame within my arms. Harley was flushed, but the dazed look with the wide smile on her face said all that I needed to know.

BANG!

The Joker fired a gun, and the bullet froze in the air before us, no the bullet was frozen in the air right before my face.

"Not fair, not fair." The Joker ranted as he stomped his feet where he stood.

With an arm outstretched, it was time to clear up a little karma.

"Doom believes that Ms. Quinzel is spoken for and is now free for your debas.e.m.e.nt," I said as I had Joker suspended in the air. Slowly my hands curled into a fist.

"No, no, no, that's my pudding put him down," Harley yelled as she struggled in my arms. With a quick mental flex, I placed Harleyh asleep so she would not witness what happened next.

Before things could get out of hand, Harley was locked in position at my side as I looked at her. This would be a step in the way to a brighter future for her. There was also no way I was going to share with Joker. The Joker yelled and laughed, but I ignored him for the lady before me, then with a swift wrist jerk.

SQUELCH!

The heart of the Joker floated suspended in the air before us. The blood flew everywhere, but the shield up in front of us kept the blood from splashing onto us. The heart floated for a moment, and the Joker's hand extended for the retrival, but I crush that last moment of hope that I noticed in the Joker's eyes when I crushed his heart.

Damaged and broken cars around the Chuckle Palace were culled and brought to my location for their parts. One garbage fire that was active was also summoned to my side. The Joker's body was ripped apart and doused in gasoline as I placed everything within a metal casket that I molded out of the metals that I summoned.

With Harley out cold, I had her shifted into a bridal style carry, and we floated there as I watched the Joker's body burn. This should have been a moment of triumph, but it felt so anticlimactic: but I will not complain about tonight. Slowly the body burned down to nothing, but I floated there and watched for a time. Before long, there was nothing left but charred bones.

With the body taken care of, I placed heavy weighted rocks in the coffin to help it sink properly. With one last look at the Chuckle Palace, I took my damsel in distress and floated us out towards the water under the cloak of night. Without looking back, the coffin was dropped into the water with holes allowing the critters to get in and snack on what's left of the bones.

Shaking my head at the disappointment, I turned around and flew home. I'm sure Ivy will love my spoils of war.

Please leave a review and comment.

Well, well, well, who thought that the Joker was going to get some epic fight and showdown because I'm sure plenty fo you didn't see that coming..

So I received more than a few comments about Vincent speaking in the 3rd person. Sorry to say thats also how Victor Von Doom speaks and I was using it to throw off Bruce. Its also the way royalty spoke in the old days and their use of WE when someone is the ruling monarch. Just a little fact for all those that like to cry out that the 3rd person speach is a problem, know that its apart of actually history.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts, I enjoy those because they help me understand how people view the story as a whole. Also please think about leaving a nice rating.

You can reach me here at my discord or join my patron and get early chapters.

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