Chapter 12: The Starro Affair Part 2/3.

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-0-

-Jon's P.O.V-

Well, this was awkward.

It was Monday, which meant school. Normally, I'd get a ride from Mom, but today, things were... different. For starters, what in the hell was I looking at? It looked like a vehicle, but it was so beat up, I wasn't sure how they even allowed it on the road.

"Hey buddy, ready to ride with Uncle Jimmy?"

'Uncle Jimmy' held up a bag of chips through the window, grinning.

"I got snacks."

"Ef it, let's go."

I accepted, hoisting my bag over my shoulder. Snacks sealed the deal.

I got in the car, and we pulled away from the sidewalk of my apartment building.

"So... what do you think of my ride?"

Jimmy asked after a few minutes on the bridge.

I stopped munching,

"The paint is peeling off, there's a dent on the roof, one of the doors is stuck, oil stains on the windshield, and the backseat smells like Funyuns and mold. The snacks are good, though,"

I replied, casually resuming the consumption of said goods. Man, I'm so glad of my Kryptonian biology. I could eat this junk every single day and not worry about obesity.

"Ah, right..."

Jimmy looked a bit embarrassed, turning his focus back to the road. He gave off the impression of a kicked puppy.

Was I being a dick? Possibly. But I was in a bad mood. A really, really bad mood. Why do you think I was stress eating?

---

"Thanks for the ride, Jimmy. Sorry about what I said earlier... about your car. It was mean... but also kinda true."

I apologized, sort of.

"Don't sweat it, buddy."

Good natured Jimmy waved it off, his tone light.

"I've been planning on an upgrade anyway. You just gave me the push I needed. See you later."

He waved, pulling away from the school gate, the car leaving a trail of smoke behind.

I wasn't sure he'd make it all the way to Metropolis without breaking down. Which made it even weirder that Mom had asked him to give me a ride.

I reread the letter clutched in my hand.

"Dear Jon,

Something serious came up at work, and I had to leave early. Your father is not back from his League mission either, so you're on your own. Take out the trash, and don't be late for school. I sent Jimmy to take you.

Love, Mom.

P.S. I'm still mad at you, mister.

P.P.S. I'll see you soon, baby. Ma loves you."

She hadn't said a word to me since Saturday. I had thought they would have cooled off by today, and we could talk, but instead, their work was more important.

Dad's League business was understandable, but reporting could wait a few minutes, right? At least for a 'good morning,' but no... she just left.

It pissed me off. Then I got pissed off at myself for feeling that way, putting me in a bad mood that would only get worse as the day progressed.

---

"Look at this, Perry. I cross-referenced the morning and late night's news and found something odd."

Lois told the senior editor, pointing at a series of reports on her computer.

"Numerous unidentified objects fell from the sky all across the country."

Perry rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You think it has something to do with the strange disappearances and information blackout?"

"I think it has EVERYTHING to do with it."

Lois replied, her voice firm.

"Some of my contacts in the southern states have reported a 100% decrease in crime. That is basically impossible. In addition, ant colonies have been acting weird in response to something. And then there's the fact Superman has been absent for more than 24 hours."

She slapped the table, frustration and worry clear in her eyes.

"I'm telling you, Perry, there's a story here. A dark one."

Just then, Jimmy burst into the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Jimmy? What—"

"Everyone is going crazy out there! They're attacking each other!!"

Jimmy shouted, his face pale with fear.

The door behind him suddenly buckled, and he was thrown off balance as a stream of employees and coworkers tried to rush in, but ended up stuck, pink colored octopus-like creatures with a single yellow eye covering their faces.

It was as if they were mindless zombies, being controlled by the thing latched onto their heads.

One of them, Peter from Accounting, goy through and tackled Jimmy to the floor, his mouth opening to reveal a similar creature, pink limbs waving in the air.

A heel pierced into the creature's eye. It let out a bloodcurdling screech before falling off the man's face.

"Thanks Lois."

Jimmy gasped as he got up, dusting himself off.

"You two done talking? In case you didn't notice, we have more incoming."

Perry remarked, his voice strained as he pushed his bulky weight against the door.

"It's an invasion."

Lois realized, catching a glimpse of the chaos outside through the window.

---

The day stretched on and on in Jon's eyes. The lessons were boring, the food was boring, and it was even more so by the fact that Dick was missing.

"Maybe he's sick."

Danny guessed, poking at his lunch.

"He'd call." Betty shot it down, shaking her head.

"I'm worried. It's not like him to just... go silent. I can understand if he did that to us, but not to Barbs."

Betty added, her voice tinged with playfulness that masked concern.

A piece of corn hit her on the forehead.

"Keep your matchmaking to yourself, Kane."

Barbara growled, throwing a weird glance at Jon that went unnoticed by everyone... except Betty.

Before she could tease Barbara some more, Jon abruptly stood up, a strange expression on his face.

"I, uh... gotta use the bathroom. See you guys later."

He mumbled before hurrying off.

The rest exchanged confused looks.

"Gotta use the washrooms too."

Barbara quickly added, following after him.

-(Jon's P.O.V)-

A drawback of enhanced hearing was that I was the only one affected by the low-pitched whistling sound coming from somewhere.

It only got stronger and more annoying as I moved toward the school exit, until finally, I stopped in a hallway, freezing in surprise.

And there, leaning against a locker, was the culprit.

A boy in a red, yellow, green, and black costume. Even with the mask on, I could immediately tell who it was.

"Kent, glad you could make it. I was counting on that enhanced hearing of yours."

Dick said, waving a dog whistle at me.

"Worked like a charm. I can see why Batman uses it."

"Dick, are you crazy? What is Robin doing here?!"

I harshly whispered, walking over and snatching the annoying whistle from his hand, crushing it in my palm.

"That cost me five dollars, you know."

He quipped, smiling.

"Talk. Now."

The look I gave him told him I was not in the mood.

"I came to get you, Kent,"

Robin said, his tone suddenly serious. "Mind-controlling aliens have taken over the Justice League, and we're the only ones who can stop them."

Was he still joking? Unlikely, his heartbeat was steady.

"Fine. I'll humor you. What do we do?"

I asked, crossing my arms. School was boring today anyway.

He actually looked taken aback by that.

"Hah, you believe me?"

I gave him a firm nod.

"It would explain why Dad hasn't come home yet. Plus, I heard Mom talking on the phone about ants going crazy all over the world. It might have something to do with it."

"Yeah, well, Batman almost killed me. I only survived due to sheer luck. If they got him, then it's most likely they got..."

"Superman."

I finished, my stomach sinking.

"And the Justice League," he grimly added.

Just then, my watch started beeping. A glance at it, and I immediately zoomed away, blowing past the doors before taking flight, uncaring whether I was seen or not. None of that mattered.

Not when I had received a Red Alert from Ma, meaning she was in danger.

-0-

"Wait... Kent! Dammit!"

Robin cursed as he ran out the exit. Fortunately, the Batwing was parked nearby so he could catch up to the Kryptonian.

After he'd left, a shocked Barbara, having seen everything, stepped out of the corner.

"What the hell?"

she whispered, her eyes wide.

-(Jon's P.O.V)-

Sunday was spent learning flight control above the clouds. It wasn't as intuitive as I would have liked just yet, but using a manual Grandpa had compiled for me on how birds and a few alien species fly, I was getting there.

And if it was a straight line, I could move fast enough to brush against the sound barrier.

The Gotham-Metropolis Bridge disappeared behind me just as fast as it had appeared, and in a few more minutes, the Daily Planet's bronze sign emerged among the jungle of tall buildings.

Weaving around skyscrapers and a news helicopter that I almost collided with, I broke through the glass windows to Ma's office.

One glance, and I had a basic understanding of my role- why she had called me. My eyes lit up...

"Jon, don't hurt them..."

Ma's voice was a mix of fear and pleading.

...and I released a rapid barrage of focused heat vision on the pink creatures controlling the Planet's employees.

Limp bodies flopped to the floor, the now-roasted aliens detaching from faces.

"Are they...?"

Jimmy's voice trembled.

"Dead? No, I only aimed for those weird parasites."

I assured him, trying to sound confident.

"It's true, they're okay."

Mom breathed out in relief after checking her boss's pulse.

And then I was enveloped in her arms. At first, I was unsure how to react.

"I'm so glad you came when I called. Thank you for saving me, Son."

She whispered, her voice soft and filled with emotion. The warmth of her embrace melted away my bad mood instantly.

"So we're good?"

I ventured, looking up at her with hope.

"All is forgiven. I hope you can forgive me too." she responded, her tone gentle. The relief that washed over me was so overwhelming that I found myself smiling.

"Yo."

Robin's voice suddenly interrupted, catching me off guard. I spun around just in time to see him swing in and land gracefully from outside.

"As touching as this is...we have an invasion to stop."

"How?"

I blurted out, still surprised. A few minutes ago, I had left him back in Gotham.

"Dude, I have a jet."

he quipped, a smug grin spreading across his face.

"Now, how about we go save the world, Momma's boy?"