The Man of Steel [open]

[Deleted]

It was 6:00 in the morning and the sun was just rising the Man of Steel was standing on a roof top on the edge of Metropolis. He had got up and flew to the building only a few hours ago. At the moment he was simply listening to the waking sounds of the city. It was actually a nice thing to hear. It was oddly relaxing it let him know that, even with all the chaos and strife in the world, at least one part of it could be peacefully waking up. He knew that this peace would eventually be broken by some kind of crime. Weather it be a mugging, a bank robbing, or even a car jacking. But it was still peaceful. And it was home.

He then turned around and looked across the bay at Gotham. He wondered if Batman was just going to bed. After all he must have been out all night. An amused smile crossed his face as he thought about the differences in his style of crime fighting and Batman's style. They both got the job done but he wished that Batman could be abit nicer about it.

Then he turned back around and looked at his city. His city had a different feel about it then Gotham did. It seemed somewhat brighter. He saw the globe of the Daily Planet and thought about his life as Clark Kent. 'Well Clark has today off.' He thought to himself. Then he smiled again and then he finally looked up to the sky and the rocketed into the air. Then he stopped and hovered where he was. He looked back down at the city and listened. He was honestly hoping that today would be an uneventful day and that there would be no crime. Maybe he would be able to talk to a friend or give pointers to someone new. But he would feel fine with simply having an uneventful day. But in the back of his mind he knew that something would eventually happen and break the peace that the morning brings and he would have to do something about it. And so the Man of Steel hovered where he was and listened. Listened to the life of the city below.

He then heard the sound of tires screeching. He looked towards the origin of the sounds and saw a car speeding away from the police. He used his X-Ray vision to see what was going on with the man. He saw the driver of the car running away was armed with a gun. He sighed and thought 'Already? The sun just came up.' Then without any more hesitation he flew down to the commotion. He then started to fly along side the driver's side window and knocked on it. "You wanna pull over or do I have to do all the work?" He asked the man. In response the man floored the gas pedal. Superman watched him speed away and sighed. Then he grabbed the back bumper of the car and lifted it up off the ground and then flew to the Police station. When he got there the police were ready. The man gave up without a fight. Superman smiled and told the police good morning. "I thought you boys would like a present." And then flew back to his spot above the city. And he once again listened to the city below.

[jokerforever]

So this was Metropolis? It wasn't as gloomy or clustered as Gotham. The sky actually shone a faint blue amidst dark white, fluffy clouds. The sun was climbing it's way up the horizon, but most of the city was still dark, thanks to the towering skyscrapers that cast long shadows about the city all day long, depending on where the sun was. Scourge had arrived about an hour earlier, sticking to the alleys, clad in his usual black, flowing cloak, along with thick, black leather thick enough to stop a halfhearted knife thrust. He didn't expect much trouble in Metropolis, but he was still equipped with a wide range of weapons. Scourge had wanted a break from the polluted wastes of Gotham, which was why he was here, in a more quiet part of the city to be sure. Though it was early, he figured the streets woukd still be hustling with people by now.

It seemed even Metropolis had it's faults, though there weren't much cities that were as grand as the one he was now exploring. Scourge muttered to himself about how he could create a greeting as grand as the city itself and figured he could always just blow something up. That would get people's attention for sure. Besides, the last thing he blew up was Blackgate, and there wasn't really a satisfying bang to that. He wanted something more. Something that would really wake the city up. "Hey man, wanna join the Crimsons?" A voice asked, deep and brute like. Scourge looked up and frowned, his facial features obscurred by the shadow of his dark, low hanging hood. His sapphire eyes settled on the large man. He held a large gun, probably a shotgun, and the barrel of it was pointed right at him. That's fine, he could take one man with a gun on. But the Crimsons? What the hell?

"Why would I join a boy scout's club that doesn't even have a decent name? The Crimsons? Really?" Scourge sneered. The other man scowled angrilly, but was rather cautious. Until the other three men arrived, all similar in build and each one carrying a gun. Scourge placed a clawed, white gloved hand on the black hilt of his dagger, though it certainly wasn't the only weapon at his disposal. He considered a smoke pellet, but these guys didn't seem very competant in the weapon s they held, which they weren't even holding correctly. He found himself smiling as the other man answered. "Your in our territory. Now you either join, or you die." The lead man stated.

Did Metropolis usually have gangs? It certainly didn't seem like it, with Big Blue in Tights flying around all over the place. This gang must be new, and stupid, at that. Not even Scourge was that dumb. "Territory is it? So we're animals now?" Scourge snickered. The thug who was presumably the gang leader went red in the face, but Scourge could see the uncertainty in his eyes as well as the slight hesitation with his actions. The first gunshot rang out, hitting concrete as Scourge was already up in the air, slamming into the lead thug. His claws bit into the flesh of his shoulder and the man gave a shout of surprised, kicking him away. The blow was absorbed by the leather, but it still knocked his breath away. Scourge lunged again, and this time, pulled his black hued dagger free, sliding the blade cleanly across the other man's neck. He fell back limp, without a sound.

"Blood is red. Veins are blue. I sliced him open now I'm coming for you." Scourge chuckled insanely to the others. They had recovered from their surprise at his swift attack and shots rang out in unison. Scourge lept back as a bullet slammed into his shoulder and bit back a yelp, his other hand flicking a smaller knife free from a pocket beneath his robe. His hand flashed out and the knife flew toward the second thug, slamming into his head, right above and between the eyes. He fell back, clutching his head as he died. Another bullet dug into his flesh, this time in his stomach. He saw the triumph in the last two of his opponent's eyes as they knew they had struck a serious blow, a possibly mortal wound that spurted crimson.

Scourge gasped and retreated, now was the time to use that smoke pellet. He stumbled blindly as he reached for one, barely avoiding another bullet that tore into his cloak. No wonder they had shotguns, they obviously had to have something sturdy they could aim with, being so incompetent with guns. But it was the third that had the experiance, unlike the others. He was the one that had given him the stomach wound. Scourge would be sure he payed for that. His hand slipped and shook, he couldn't pull the pellet free, his mind reeled as he stumbled out of the alley and onto a wide, bustling street. A car honked and swerved, screeching, around him. The two thugs ran out after him, jumping through traffic. He made it into the other lane when he saw it, a massive truck to heavy to stop in time. The thugs jerked back as the truck honked warningly, Scourge's eyes widened and he lept to the side. But his wound pained and slowed him and he knew he wouldn't make it. How much would it hurt, he wondered.

[Deleted]

Superman was still hovering in the air above Metropolis. He felt the breeze on his face and knew that it was stronger up here then down amongst the buildings. And with that thought he looked around to make sure there were no falling planes. When he didn't see any he sighed a breath of relief. 'Maybe they've finally found a type of plane that won't fall out of the sky so often.' He mused he doubted it though. It just wasn't that kind of day. He went back to listening to the sounds below and then he heard gunshots.

Instantly he reacted by looking all across the city as quickly as he could. He heard the sounds of gun fire pause for a second and then pick up speed again. He looked harder and finally found the location that the shots were coming from. He flew towards the sounds and stopped to hover above the sight. He saw a few dead bodies and looked around to see where those responsible had gone. He flew back up and looked around. Superman saw a few men with guns and another strange figure. And the figure was about to be hit by a truck.

In an instant he landed in between the figure and the truck and stopped the truck. The grill of the trunk crumpled around him. When it came to a stop he flew up to where the driver could see him. "Sorry about that." He said. He then landed and looked at the men with the guns. As most did these men opened fire on Superman. The bullets bounced off. As most did. Superman simply shook his head sadly. "You'll never learn won't you?" He asked. In retaliation Superman simply used his heat vision to melt the guns away and then with astounding speed he subdued the men and hung them from a lamp post. He then landed and turned to look at the figure. "And who might you be?" He asked looking the figure over. "I've never seen you in Metropolis before." He said in a kind voice. Then he noticed that the figure had been shot. "Are you ok? Do you need the hospital?" He asked stepping close as to better catch the figure if it fell due to pain.

[jokerforever]

Scourge bit into his tongue as he hit the concrete on his side, the salty, metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. Frowning, he spat and suddenly realized he was still in one Peirce. No crushed limbs. No terrible agony. The gunshots that had rang out earlier had ceased suddenly, as if time had stopped. He looked up from the black concrete and stared up the large figure offering him help. Boy, what an idiot. His eyes traveled all the way up the tall figure and back down again, sizing him up. A grin played across his face as Scourge pushed himself into a half sitting position, clutching his stomach with one hand, and pressing against the warm concrete with the other.

Traffic was stopped for the moment and some drivers didn't like that at all. So this was the great Superman? Scourge chuckled. "Nice tights." He mockingly complimented, staring at the bent front of the truck that had been so close to maiming him. It was terribly obvious he needed a hospital, or just medical attention in general, but Scourge didn't care to answer. He glanced around, hus eyes suddenly flooded with rage. "Where did you put those fools who shot me?" Scourge asked, snatching up his bloody dagger which had landed a few inches away when he had lept for safety. "I'll make 'em pay for this."

[Deleted]

When the figure commented on his tights Superman simply sighed. He wasn't the first person to mock him like this. And had grown used to it. Granted it wasn't the best fashion statement but it worked for him, and in his mind that's all that mattered. When the figure asked where to men who attacked him were he pointed over his shoulder at the street lamp. "They won't be bothering you anymore."

Then when he saw the figure pull out a knife he stepped in front of it. He assumed by the sound of the figure's voice it must have been a man. He looked at the man sternly. "I can't let you hurt them." He said standing in front of the man sternly and watched him for any sudden moves from the man.

[jokerforever]

"You can't let me hurt them?" Scourge gritted his teeth together with fury, spitting out more blood. His breath was ragged and uneven, but it didn't seem to bother him at the moment. Scourge jerked back his hood, letting his untrimmed white hair fall around his shoulders, crimson tips making it seem as if he had dipped his hair in a pool of blood and left it to dry. Sapphire eyes burned with fury as Scourge struggled to his feet and swayed, dizzy. He soon recovered and waved his clawed fist at Superman, which shook from the effort. "You can't let me hurt them?" Now he was yelling, he raised his fist again, which had fallen to his side, and sent a solid punch right into Superman's face, knowing it wouldn't bother him, though he felt the sting of the impact on his own flesh, recoiling with anger. "Look what they did to me!" Scourge yelled in his face, before collapsing onto his backside, panting and clutching his stomach.

[Deleted]

Superman watched the man spit out blood and couldn't help but think. 'I'm bringing him to the hospital weather he likes it or not.' He took in the man's features. He could tell that this wasn't a normal man. He looked the man in the eye and could tell that he was craving for vengeance against the men from before. When the man punched his jaw he reacted only so he wouldn't break the man's hand. "Revenge isn't the answer." He said in reply to the man's outburst. "Now lets get you some medical attention." He said stepping in to help him stay standing. He used his X-Ray vision to look at the man's injuries. They were bad and he needed a hospital soon. Otherwise he wouldn't last much longer. Superman lifted the man off the ground and started to fly towards the nearest hospital. "I know your probably going to hate me for this. But I hope that you will live long enough to hate me." He said in mid-flight.

[jokerforever]

Scourge growled softly at the other man's touch. He didn't mind females touching him, not one bit, but unless a male had permission, like Joker or Batman, who always had permission when it came to physical contact, Scourge wasn't happy. There was only one reason Scourge didn't resist, Superman was invincible. As the lifted off, Scourge grasped Superman tightly and looked down, his mind spinning. "I already hate you." Scourge choked, trying to hold back the contents of his stomach. "I prefer getting beat up by Batman and shoved in his trunk to this flying and getting shot in the stomach." He admitted.

[Deleted]

Out of simple kindness Superman listened to the man talk as he flew to the nearest hospital. He wasn't paying all that much attention to him until he heard him mention Batman. "So your from Gotham?" He remarked. "Well this is Metropolis and I do things abit differently then Batman." He said as he neared the hospital. "And I can't blame you about getting shot." Then he landed out front the hospital. "I'm going to make sure you get medical attention." He said and then after a pause "And sense in all honesty it seems like you were fighting out of self-defense I can't really take you in." He said in a kind hearted tone. Then his voice took on a hardened tone. "And don't give me a reason to."

[jokerforever]

Scourge narrowed his eyes. "Home is where your getting therapy. Gotham's the place." He chuckled lightly. He coukd tell they had landed,and raised his head to peer at the hospital. That was it, a hospital. What could he do to get the necessrry attention he deserved? Blow up a God damned hospital. Perhaps it had already been done once but hey? There was no problem in doing things twice, or even three times. He smiled cooly at Superman and nodded. "Self defense, that's it." He agreed. "I'm not one for jail hopping." He chuckled again, though hus chuckle ended with a croak and his head rolled back with exhaustion as blood loss took it's toll. Scourge had slipped into uncounciousness.

[Deleted]

Somethi9ng about this guy made Superman's skin crawl. He knew he shouldn't be letting this man go. But still he brought him into the hospital and then he turned hi over to the medical staff. As he watched them take him into the E.R Superman turned to the secretary. "Are there any outstanding warrants on that man?" The secretary set to work to find out.

It took about an hour but the secretary managed to find a few warrants on this man. Though they were all Gotham based, and Superman didn't want to upset Batman so instead of bringing this man back home himself. He was going to sit in the room with him and watch him. Keep him in one spot and wait until a few officers from Gotham arrived to watch him. If it came down to it though. He would gladly bring him back. So Superman sat in an available chair and looked at the man. 'Scourge?' He thought. 'What kind of a name is that?'

[jokerforever]

"I guess it's only about as weird as yours. Oh but wait, Superman isn't your real name, is it?" Scourge opened his eyes and turned his head to smile at Superman. "Can you guess it? No? Then why don't you go ask Batman? After all, he is the detective. Your just the aerial lifeguard wearing the same tights as always. Atleast Battterbat has some style. I suppose that's why I deal with him. Of course, he could never come close to Joker's style. That man has taste." Scourge chuckled. "I suppose I shoukd be getting back to Gotham, Joker will be wondering where the hell I'm at. Probably wanted something blown up hours ago. And I cant just settle for Blackgate. Hey, what are you still doing here? Don't you have a job to do? Somebody to save?" Scourge frowned at the hero. "Lazy!"

[Deleted]

Superman looked at the man lying in the bed when he started to talk. "Well I don't like to interfere with Batman's work." He said. "And Scourge.... I'm here because I'm keeping an eye on you. I know about your habit of killing and causing chaos. I don't want that in Metropolis." He said to the man

"And as for me being a flying lifeguard. Well at least I do my job." He said. He really wasn't being too effected by what the man was saying. After all if he let every man that taunted him get to him, there wouldn't be very many criminals in the local prison.

"I'm keeping an eye on you until the officers from Gotham arrive to pick you up." He said. "Does that answer your question as to why I'm here?"

[jokerforever]

"Aww come on! You don't trust me? What could I possibly do against you? I mean come on...it isn't like I have some ultra powerful divine weapon or anything." Scourge snickered. It was the truth of course. Alright, so, he had his target, now he needed a plan to escape Superman, and of course, he needed explosives. Wasn't like he could pull them out of thin air. And the Gotham police wouldn't be showing up because, well, they belong in Gotham, and they wouldn't cross boundaries. It was practically against policy. This wasn't their territory, they wouldn't come. Batman perhaps, but Scourge doubted that as well. This was Superman's turf. Superman didn't invade Gotham to catch escaping criminals when he knew Batman could take care of it, did he? "Guess we'll be waiting a while."

[Deleted]

Superman stared at the man in the recover room. "I've come not to trust anyone who has warrants on them." He said and stood up then he walked over to the man. "And I have been told that they are sending a van to pick you up." He said.

Then he started to walk out to the hall. He didn't leave the room he poked his head out and asked how long it would take for them the men who said they would pick him up would take to get here.