38 An Arrival And A Mission
(Superman (Injustice) POV)
"According to these reports, the death toll has numbered up to eleven million. The city of metropolis lost to us. Let it be known that all of the studio members on Channel 69 news goes out to all survivors."
"Thousands dead as skirmishes in the nations of Bialya and Qurac increase in intensity. According to our sources, the president of Qurac will not back down until he stands atop the bodies of Bialya's government."
"Attempts to identify lost children and adults in Metropolis halted by radiation-induced damage to mechanical equipment."
"Crime is at an all-time high, and many supervillains are attacking key infrastructure due to the death of the Joker."
Shut up.
"Where is the Justice League?! Where were they?!"
"The Flash captures the Rogues after being stopped by a new masked vigilante, Taskmaster. But during the scuffle, the man known as Taskmaster killed Heatwave and Mirror Master before escaping."
Be quiet.
"Unconfirmed reports state that billionaire industrialist Lex Luthor died in Metropolis. His assistant, Mercy Graves, takes over until his body is found."
I'm sorry.
"Footage taken seconds before the explosion in Metropolis shows what looks to be Taskmaster running from three members of the Teen Titans. Explain this then, Joe: why would he run without involvement in the explosion?"
"Where is Superman?!"
"Superman, if you're still out there-
"Superman could save my family-
"SHUT UP!" My scream rippled through the Fortress as the screens around me shattered. I sat back down and took a deep breath. The blood on my hand still on my arm has mostly disappeared now, but I can't stop seeing it. The laughter won't stop.
"Are you alright, Master Kal?" I hear Kelex ask as I wonder about that question.
"I'm fine Kelex. I'm fine. Has any of the League tried to contact me?" My robotic servant does not seem to notice my shaky tone; he simply shakes his head.
"There have been no transmissions in or out of the Fortress. Do you wish to speak to the Jor-El hologram?" I almost want to say yes, but I feel almost afraid to look my Father in the eyes.
"No, that is not necessary. Kelex, just make sure to let me know if anyone contacts me."
"Of course, Master Kal." He then floats away as I look to one of the shattered screens and see the man with the skull mask.
Picking up the nearly shattered screen, I simply stared at the glitchy image in front of me.
Why was he there?
Did he know the Joker's plan, or was it a coincidence?
They say that grief requires rest. But as my eyes glowed red in rage, I knew one thing. I don't need rest; I need answers!
Walking to a nearby terminal, I type in the line for the Justice League members, and as everyone except Bruce joins the call, I hear Wonder Woman ask, "Clark, are you okay?"
My lack of an answer seems clear enough as Hal asks, "What up, Supes? We're just finishing up at the place that shall not be named."
"Have any of you seen the news about this new vigilante in play?"
Cyborg then says " Taskmaster right? Yeah, we heard about him. Why?"
"Have any of you been able to find him?"
Barry then says, "Sorry, Superman, but I believe I got close, but he just vanished somehow. I never even saw him."
"Do we have any leads?"
I see all of them shake their heads as I try to keep my hand from crushing the crystal near me, but a few seconds later. Martian Manhunter says, "I believe I may have a theory."
"What is it, John?" I ask as the Martian's eyes never blink.
"Harley Quinn has disappeared after the Joker's death, and I believe I know why." He then shows an image on the screen, and my eyes widen subtly as I see the headless corpse of Quinn in a sewer.
"How did you find this, John?" My question is met with a grim scowl from the man.
"After she escaped, I began to scan the city for her mind, but by the time I found her and was able to lock onto her psychic signature, all I heard was screams of agony before she was silenced. I was only able to get a lock on her general position and not on her exact location, and by the time I got there, the murderer was already gone. It is no coincidence that a new vigilante appears and a person associated with the nuking of Metropolis dies in such a manner. He is not afraid to kill. But for why he did so, I do not know."
"So what is your theory, John?" Wonder Woman asks.
"My most prominent theory is that this murder was personal, but other than the previous tragedy, I have no other reason why this new player decided to kill her specifically. According to the data that Batman has sent, all of the Joker's gang has disappeared overnight. He may be on the run. He is heading west. But where exactly? I do not know. I would advise letting the Titans know he may be heading to their city."
This was all guesswork, though. He may be heading anywhere else!
"Cyborg, I need you to have the Titans searching the city for this guy. If they find him, let me know. I need answers." The cybernetic man then leaves after nodding his head.
"Well, after Diana and I finish up here, Supes, we will go on this goose chase with you." Lantern's joking manner lightens the mood a bit.
"Hal, this is not the time for jokes," Diana says as Hal tries to keep smirking.
They all then leave, but before Barry does, I ask him, "Flash, how fast can you search the whole country?"
"I could probably do it in an hour or three if I search everywhere. But the problem is that he could hear me coming and escape again." Sadly, he's right as well. The flash is fast, but he isn't exactly stealthy as he gains speed. At worst, the number of sonic booms he causes has regularly caused noise complaints to be sent to the Hall of Justice.
"Barry, if you ever have the time, check state to state from the Midwest to the West Coast." Flash seems hesitant but nods and signs off. Before I signed off, I looked again at the Skull-faced man, just wondering why he was there. I need answers, and I am not going to find them here.
"Kelex, if Batman makes contact, let me know."
I then flew through the roof and began to fly across the USA.
(Nathan POV)
Chills, utter and complete chills, spread down my spine as I look around my location. The train car was still empty, but I trusted my intuition, so I got up from my seat and looked around. But as quickly as I looked around, I shook my head, seeing no one.
My paranoia may be getting to me, it seems.
The story of this world has been changed by me simply being here. Throughout the entire trip, I see my wanted poster, and while I am tempted to make a One Piece bounty joke, I hold it in.
For now, though, my train had pulled into the station and won't be moving for a while, it seems. It appears that some of the tracks were damaged in a fight with the fearsome Five a few days earlier. And while the train will be able to move, eventually, I do not have much time. I imagine that the money for my capture is going to motivate a lot of people.
But none of them know what I look like, so it is of no trouble for me. The benefits of being a shapeshifter strike again. As I exited the train and left the station, I looked at the pacific ocean and, more importantly, an island with a large T-shaped tower.
It does make me wonder how such a feat of engineering was achieved. As if the building was created like this, how has it not toppled over on one side?
Unless it was all built simultaneously so that the weight was equally distributed, or am I going insane trying to apply logic to a comic world?
I have seen such differences between my former reality and this one, as it innately seems that normal humans are stronger than the average in my previous world.
While the improvement is not very noticeable, it is still there. But for now, I have a small mental picture of the tower. I did very much enjoy the Teen Titans television show as a kid, and seeing it in real life is something else. But I can say I'm much more of a Starfire enjoyer than a Raven lover, to say the least.
There is nothing wrong with either, but it comes down to preference at this point.
But before I do anything else, I have my daily gacha:
1. Box Of Tissues (Keeps Covidius At Bay)
2. Normal Extension Cords (Have Fun keeping Theses Straight)
3.10 1.315 OD x 1.049 ID Metal Pipes (Insert Sound Effect Here)
4. Eye Glasses Cleaner (Amazing For When The Glasses Get Foggy For The Worst Reason)
5. Oppai Sweater (One Punch Man)
6. Collection Of Percy Jackson Books (Childhood Classics With Terrifying Undertones)
7. Krusty Krab Employee Hat (Who Doesn't Live In A Pineapple Under The Sea?)
8. Blue Shell Plushy (The Item That Has Ended Many Friendships)
9. 3 Dry Ice Bags ( Perfect For Cooling Items Or Preserving A Body)
10. Lelouch's Cloak And Helmet (For Britanina! And Depression!)
This is a sign of something, but what that is, I dread to think about.
