Post by Dean on Jul 19, 2015 1:32:47 GMT -5
S.T.A.R. Labs, Metropolis: Rudy Jones had been a janitor for a majority of his adult life, cursing fortune for giving him an average intelligence and below average living conditions. He’d turned to petty crime at a young age and was now using this opportunity to make a step towards the big leagues. Late night access to S.T.A.R Labs, everyone knew they had loads of military contracts, one prototype sold to the right fence for the right price and he’d be set for life. So far his supervisor had been observant and Rudy knew what kind of opportunity this was, so he’d take the paranoia, he’d sweep the floors and soon, he’d make his move. It happened later that evening, he’d timed his supervisors hourly smoke breaks and positioned himself near the restricted area, waited till he was sure he’d just let up and crept inside. Camera’s would pick him up, an i.d. log would verify it was him, but he planned to be well payed and long gone by that time. His eyes were immediately attracted to an area marked “Danger, no admittance!” with a large red sign. He slipped behind, surely there was something he could fetch a pretty penny for here, probably their most dangerous military designs. He found a container and immediately opened it, the vibrant radioactive waste inside assaulted his senses immediately, the smell forcing him to breath deep before holding. An alarm sounded before before the doors immediately locked, a lead wall descended on all sides, locking Rudy Jones and the radiation inside.
Perry immediately stepped out of his office, his head on that swivel that only meant he was looking for someone in particular. “Ah, Kent, where’s Lane?” Clark shrugged. “She said she had a lead and left, is there anything I can help with, sir?” The editor in Chief of the planet placed his hands on his hips and then nodded. “I guess it’ll have to be you, some kind of meltdown alarm is going Haywire at the S.T.A.R. Labs facility, take Olsen with you and get me the story.” Clark nodded and moved toward the elevator, joined seconds later by Jimmy Olsen. “Hey, CK! Looks like we get to work together again, huh?” Clark smiled. “Looks that way, Jimmy, got everything you need?” The young man beside him double checked. “Yep, ever since Perry put me with Lois I keep a go bag by my desk, I made her a few seconds late to the prison break a few months back? By the time we got there Superman had already cleaned it up.” Clark grimaced before he and Jimmy stepped onto the elevator and the doors began closing once more. “What happened?” Jimmy smiled and shrugged. “She said if it ever happened again, she’d put a six inch heel...somewhere really uncomfortable.”
Bruce Wayne walked out the office door, a grin on his face while the sounds of light laughter could be heard behind him. "Ah, Mr. Wayne. I'm so glad we were able to get this meeting going as soon as we did!" The suited gentlemen spoke out behind him. "As am I, Mr. Wetworth." Bruce turned, taking noticing of the hand that extended towards him and shook it. "Your solar energy plants looks to be a very promising project that I want Wayne Enterprises to be a part of." the handshake was firm but only momentary before they released. "I promise, you'll be updated frequently on the progress we've made. Can you imagine it? A world were electrical poles and power plants were a thing of the past? Where each morning Mother Nature granted all the energy the world would ever need. Your funding won't go to waste at all, Mr. Wayne. With your help, our research time will be cut down nearly in half!" the excitement in the man’s voice could be clearly heard... Bruce could only give a light chuckle while lifting his hand to pat the man on the shoulder as if attempting to calm him down. "I can only hope, Mr. Wetworth. I can only hope." final goodbyes were said and eventually Gotham's favorite Billionaire Playboy was taking the elevator down from the 20th floor. Staring out the wide window, he had a clear view over Metropolis. Even at night, the city had a different look and feel compared to Gotham. Though he was hoping the newest of solar energy research would help spring the world to a better tomorrow, he in some ways selfishly had it written out that Gotham would be one of the first to receive the benefits should the outcome be fruitful. The dinging sound of the elevator verified that he hit the ground floor, all while the doors slid open. Stepping out, his hand would lift and raise towards the security. "Have a great night, Mr. Wayne!" one of them called out. "Same to you, Jim." One of the other guards opened the door for Mr. Wayne, causing Bruce to give him a quick and thankful nod before stepping outside.. from there, his transportation would be readily waiting. His dearest butler Alfred would be waiting, already having the back car door opened for him. Once he had entered and allowed Alfred to step around and enter the driver’s seat, Bruce gave a slow exhale. "And did everything work out as planned, Master Bruce?" the butler questioned. "That it did... I have a good feeling about this company, Alfred. It could really shed some light on Gotham. Another step in a better direction." The butler glanced up through the review mirror, taking note of this glimmer in Bruce's eyes... a sign of hope in which he hadn't seen in quite some time. "Very good, sir." the butler said with the gentlest of smile before finally driving off.
He could hear the voices outside, but he couldn’t answer them, his legs were like jelly, where was he, what had he been doing? Stealing, that was it, he was supposed to steal a weapon. It all came back to him suddenly, he was here to steal a prototype weapon and he triggered a lock down. It was all over, he was caught, he’d never have the opportunity again. Some kind of bio waste had spilled into the air, his skin was on fire, maybe he’d die before they had a chance to arrest him, one could only hope. As the lead walls raised, and men flooded into the room, he remained still, not that he was sure he could move if he tried. He heard the metal snap back into place over the canister, a high pitched beeping in rang in his ear. “The filtration system seems to have worked, the airs clear.” Came the distorted voice of the clean up team. “Jesus, what happened to this guy?” He felt a man kneel next to him. Radiation of that level in a 12 x 12 lead room? It ate him alive, no need for a medic, you might as well call a coroner.” His mouth tried to move, eventually, his jaw seemed to work, though it felt..different and when he spoke, it wasn’t his voice. “I’m not dead!” His hand shot forward, latching onto the man’s wrists, immediately, his strength seemed to return. Shouts filled the room, the men in the bio-suits made an immediate break for it. “No, please! Help me!” His voice was hoarse, monstrous, but the longer he held on, the more alive he felt, the more powerful. Soon, the memories came, a man with his wife and kids, college education, a middle class childhood, everything he’d ever dreamed of, but they weren’t his memories, they belonged to the man he was touching.
Clark and Jimmy arrived a block away from the facility and quickly approached the nearest blockade, Jimmy began snapping pictures of onlookers and medical staff standing by outside of the lab, waiting for the all clear. Clark made his way through the crowd, his hand pushing his glasses up on his nose. “Excuse me, Officer, Officer!” The rookie cop set to keep the pushing pedestrians back turned, quirking a brow. “Look, like I told all the other reporters, when the department knows something, they’ll release a statement!” Clark continued anyway. “I just need to know if there is any danger, is it true that there was a bio spill?” The guy shook his head. “You’d think we’d let people this close if there was chance of exposure? All I can say is there was an accident, but the labs have a full proof containment system which activated correctly, and a filtration system to keep it from spreading, now let me do my job.” The event had occurred close to shift change, he couldn’t imagine the young man was happy pulling so many hours overtime, so, Clark didn’t push. Soon, Jimmy came and joined him soon after. “Lot of activity if it’s under control, I counted three ambulances, two fire engines and what I can only guess is a whole precinct of cop cars.” Clark nodded. “We’ll just have to wait it out, apparently the detectives are under orders not to speak.” Jimmy smiled. “Well, I been working with Lois, want to me to find a car alarm so you can sneak in, get the scoop?” Clark turned and quirked a brow. “It was only one time! She got the story!” Clark shook his head. “No, Jimmy, it’s not worth, jail time, besides, it was probably just an accident.” It was then he heard the screams, from inside the lab, it sounded like someone was getting murdered. His eyes focused, but the walls of lead were still down on his side, he’d have to go around them. “I’m going to see if I can find a more chatty officer, text me if you see a captain or lieutenant coming to address the press.” Clark moved away, quickly but as inconspicuously as possible. “You got it, Ck.”
Alfred was on route to his private jet, which would have taken then about another hour and a half, if the traffic wasn't heavy. Both Bruce and Alfred rode in silence with the radio off... nothing but the sounds of the tires running along the road to be heard. Bruce enjoyed his times of solitude when he was able to get them. It allowed him to think and sort all the various thoughts that riddled his mind out. Though the further down the road they traveled, the louder things seemed to become. Sirens blaring, crowds of bodies chattering, news teams attempting to set up their equipment to report the events to the world. Alfred was forced to slow down and drive to a near crawl as the traffic started to build, giving Bruce time to properly look out his dark tinted windows. "An accident, perhaps?" Alfred spoke up... Bruce's eyes never left the scene as gave a very low response. "Perhaps..." Now seemed like one of the few rare times breaking the silence was completely necessary. Flicking on the radio, Alfred would turn up the volume just enough to get the radio edition of Metropolis’ news. From the sounds of it, there wasn’t much being said. S.T.A.R. Labs were keeping a tight lid on things, which Bruce could understand on a business perspective. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was happening. The butler glanced back in the rear view, taking note on the look on Bruce’s face. “This traffic is absolutely dreadful sir.” He spoke out. “Perhaps we should pull over and continue on our way once things have settled?” Alfred knew that all Bruce wanted to do was satisfy his curiosity on the matter, and then they could be off once again with a clear conscious. Bruce finally tore his gaze from out his window and glanced at Alfred back through the rear view. “Just until the roads pick up.” Bruce confirmed. Alfred turned his wheel, hopping out the lane and started to park off to the side of the street “Of course, sir.”
There was a gasp before the crowds began clapping and cheering excitedly, in the skies, Superman flew past the blockades and into S.T.A.R. Labs building itself. His vision was focused, looking through the floors to find the source of the screams, the basement level. He made his way down the stairwell, and caught the first person he saw in a Hazmat suit. “What happened.” The man was out of breath, Superman released him, letting him know he was not being held against his will. “I don’t know, there was someone in the room when the canister opened...he’s still, I’m not gonna go back there.” Superman nodded. “I’ll see for myself, get you and your men out of here.” Clark continued past them to the containment area, on the floor was a skeleton, smoldering with smoke coming from the bones. The other side of the room, a man in a hazmat suit, it’s hood raised, sat against the wall. Superman stepped past the bones, towards the man taking count of the room, one side of the lead lined wall had been raised, the others were still lowered, the canister was sealed once again and the man in the hazmat was breathing heavily, his head in his hands. “Hey, tell me what happened here.” The man shook his head. “We came in, cleared the area, there was a body on the floor, it had to be dead, no way it could still be alive. I went to check it out and it grabbed me, freaked me and the team out and then it just...melted away.” Superman nodded, still scanning the room. “So, that’s the person that was trapped in here?” The man nodded. “That was him, he said he needed something, then he just died.” Superman placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “There’s nothing you could have done, what’d he say he needed?” He sounded strange, hoarse, possibly from all the screaming. As Clark’s hand touched the man, his hands moved to Clark's wrist, latching on tighter than should have been possible. “Energy, I need energy, and you have more than enough!” Clark focused his vision, pulling his hand free until the man’s suit disappeared, what he saw wasn’t a man at all. His body was totally deformed, muscles bulging from all ends. His skin had turned a deep purple and his teeth, his mouth was no longer human, the jaw opened the same, but it’s teeth were jagged and sharp and completely circled all inches of his mouth. Clark’s surprise took his focus from his target, the man jumped toward him his teeth cutting through through the thick material of the hazmat suit and sinking in Clark’s shoulder. He was slower, it wasn’t like Kryptonite, but he could feel his energy draining. His eyes cut to the smoldering skeleton and the choice was made. His hand came forward, a full first striking the creature in his jaw and sending him flying through the floor. Clark followed the man’s body, his skin wasn’t cut, he hadn’t been injured, but something was definitely wrong. “OH, you are delicious, I feel alive again! I want your energy, I want it all!” He charged Superman and Clark quickly dodged to the creature’s left, his hands gripping the beastly man by the shoulders and turned tossing the creature toward the street. The doors to S.T.A.R Labs burst open and the creature rolled across the cement, his body healing nearly as fast as the abrasions occurred. “Is that the best you’ve got!” The crowds around screamed and the man grabbed the nearest police officer toward him, pulling him close to his body, much easier with it’s new found strength. Within seconds, the man’s skin was gone and only his smoldering skeleton remained. -e-
Bruce stepped in between the vehicles, moving past bodies of people and began heading towards the nearest alley with a large suitcase in hand. People were so busy trying to look and see what was going on in front of Star Lab’s that they would be unable to even pay attention to the billion dollar body shifting past them. As he moved deeper into the alley, he’d make a sharp turn into a nearly pitch black section of the alley. It wasn’t quite his normal area for changing, but he’d make due. A minute or two passed by while the sounds of squeaking wheels coming from the other side of the alleyway. There had been a homeless man carrying all of his life’s possessions in a single, broken down cart…. He paused for a moment, swearing he heard something from the right of him. As if the shadows birthed a child of it’s own, Batman would be seen slowly stepping outward. The homeless man’s eyes widened … partially out of fear… and partially due to just how impressed he was. “Nice gear, man.” mumbled timidly. The Dark Knight simply stared. Unhooking his the grappling gun from his utility belt, he’d raise his hand and fired the trigger sending hooked line spiraling up and digging in deeply into the surface of the building. With one last flick of his finger he would be send shooting upwards, and fading back into the shadows of the night. The homeless man looked up in shock and watched what he hoped wasn’t a figment of his imagination …. Stepping into the darkened section of the alley, he’d park his cart and set up camp there. May as well… better place to sleep for the night. As he went to lay down, he’d feel the fine quality of material he had never even known of. His hands grabbed at it and lifted it up only to see a rather snazzy business suit laying on top of a brand new suit case. He man couldn’t help but smile “Niiiice gear” Naturally all of Bruce’s personal items had been extracted… besides the one thousand dollars in hundred dollar bills he ‘accidentally’ left in his back pocket. Oh well. Billionaires didn’t fret about such small amounts of money anyhow, right?
It was a tangle of blue and purple as Superman continually used his strength to subdue the creature, only to feel his energy depleting and then be forced to release him, the nearby crowd had scattered, and if let go, Parasite would simply grab an innocent bystander and force Superman to step back in. He had a lot of civilians around, the fight would need to go elsewhere, but it would take some strategy. “I’m going to drain you all! I’ve never felt so alive! Screw petty theft, I’ll do whatever I want!” Superman flew toward Parasite cocking his arm back and sending it full force into the face of the being, if brute strength wasn’t working, he’d have to try a different tact. While up close and personal, his vision focused, scanning through several different types of vision until saw it, this thing used to be a person, but now, it’s energy seemed to flair and then diminish over time, the radiation had changed it somehow, made him something more. He was somehow able to draw the life energy out of people and use it to extend his own life. “Stop, we can help you, there are several advances being made, we could reverse this.” Parasite laughed, spinning with his grotesque arms out wide. “Why would I want to reverse this? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and there is no one to stop me, not even you, Superman!” His eyes flashed and then Superman was struck in the chest, heat vision, it wasn’t as powerful as Superman’s own but the fact that he was absorbing his abilities made him an even larger threat. Superman avoided the second blast of the heat vision fired a blast of his own, sending the beast flying backwards into a nearby alley. He roared, leaping forward and striking Clark in the jaw, the strike was strong, stronger than the last time he’d struck him, and Superman was knocked into the street, the pavement cracking under the force of the blow. He made to stand before the creature leaped on him again, gripping his shoulders and again, Clark felt the pull of radiation leaving his body. ‘This isn’t going to work, the more energy I expend, the more he absorbs, the longer I fight, the stronger he’ll get!’ Clark pressed his feet to Parasites chest, kicking his body from into the air, he flew high, landing on a nearby car, the top caving in, windows, and windshield bursting on impact. He had to stay away from him.
-The Batman found himself perched on the shadowed end of a building’s rooftop, his form leaning slightly over the edge. Through the white lenses of his cowl, he'd carefully analyze the ensuing battle occurring between the purple creature and Superman. From the looks of it, physical contact wasn't something to be limited when facing this creature. The longer they touched, the weaker Superman seemed to become. Even going as far as being capable of leeching other's abilities, evident by the sudden heat vision being fired by the purple being. It was as if he was some sort of parasite. As Superman successfully kicked the Parasite off and sent him flying into a car, Bat's found the opportunity to strike. His right hand reached and grabbed for his Bat-Claw, aiming at a lamp post and firing. As the grappling hook connected, Batman would be suddenly sent launched forward. In mid-air, he'd disconnect the grappling hook from the lamp post and holstered his weapon all while gliding his hand past. The left side of his utility belt. Three individual batarang’s would be skillfully placed between his fingers, while he soared over the body of the Parasite. A quick flick of the wrist would send the edged weapons whirling towards their target, each hitting different sections of the already totaled vehicle. Meanwhile, the Dark Knight would allow gravity to bring him closer towards the ground, rolling into a safe landing right next to the red and blue uniformed hero. His head swiveled ever so lightly, eye’s meeting with the others. “It seemed like you needed a hand…” At that moment, the three different batarangs would have a depleted timer that caused them each to explode. The eruptions combined with the car explosion would have made it look as if Batman had killed the man! But the Bat knew better. So far he had absorbed enough of Superman’s energy to successful take rather hard hitting strikes from the Man of Steel. That explosion would have hurt… definitely would have done damage but it wouldn’t be anything lethal. If anything, Batman was hoping it would at least stun the target and buy Superman enough time to regain his strength.-e-
As soon as Superman saw the Batarangs make contact with the vehicle, he checked the surrounding area, luckily, the crowd had managed to clear, panicked by Parasites actions, there was no one in the blast radius. As the car exploded, Superman leapt into the flames, Briefly taking hold of Parasites arms and spinning rapidly before tossing the creature to the ground. He’d absorbed a bit of his energy, but Superman couldn’t be sure he’d absorbed all of his abilities as well, he wasn’t flying and he certainly wasn’t moving at any incredible rate of speed, so perhaps the beings healing powers hadn’t matched up to Superman’s yet, and he could steal be knocked unconscious. “I certainly wouldn’t turn it down.” Superman replied, staying airborne and keeping his eyes on the purple creature. He had tried every form of vision in his impressive repertoire, from x-ray to microscopic. So far, as much as he could gather was that the thing they were fighting had been changed at an atomic level. It’s body no longer behaved like a carbon based lifeform and it seemed to be living off of the energy of those it drained, how quickly it spent that energy could very well determine how long Parasite lived.
Parasite’s mind was a million different places at once, he’d been blown up, slammed to the dirt and now, the body that had once felt so new and alive was beginning to fade. He figured he’d be smart, play dead, recuperate a bit, work out a new strategy. He didn’t move, his body didn’t bleed anymore, it seemed to repair damage done to it nearly immediately, but every time, a little more energy was used and it didn’t replenish on it’s own, he’d need a more suitable source.As he lay there, several things happened all at once, he felt more intelligent than he had been his entire life and he began remembering things that never happened. A life on a farm, and old mom and pop smiling sweetly at him, lifting a tractor over his head, putting on a red and blue suit. So, he didn’t absorb only their energy, he absorbed their memories, this he could work with. “Clark, eh?” His voice took on multiple sinister turns at once. “A farm boy playing at hero. They call you Superman? HA! What would they do if they knew their savior was a backwater redneck from farmer country U.S.A?” He pushed himself to his feet. glancing at Batman and Superman in turn. “Alright, you got me, I surrender, so, which one of you lucky guys wants to put on the cuffs? All you gotta do, is come a little bit closer, Clark.”
His form turned, watching Superman fling Parasite's form into the ground. His motions were quick, and effective. Physical contact was kept to a minimum and it allowed for Parasite very little energy to absorb. It wouldn't be too long before Parasite began to slowly rise from the ground... only to speak out the name of Superman's secret identity. Batman's eye's widened for a split second before quickly reverting back to his hard glare. So, he absorbed the memories of those he touched as well? It would be imperative that the Dark Knight kept his distance then. The Bat already could tell the man's surrender was a false means of trying to bring Clark closer. Giving the purple figure yet another chance at getting his hands on the Man of Steel and absorbing even more of his abilities. "I think I'll take care of your arrest." by the time Parasite would shift his focus off of Superman and back onto the caped crusader, Batman would have already dug into his utility belt and tossed a small handful of pellets directly at the creature. Upon making contact, the pellets would immediately begin to release a brown and foamy substance that seemed to expanding just as rapidly as it began to harden. It was porous enough to allow air to travel through it, yet became as hard as concrete given the few seconds it took to fully set in. The primary function of this foam is to be sold off by Wayne Industries and used for filling in structural gaps after natural disasters such as earthquakes …. Naturally, The Dark Knight found another means of making the compound rather useful. –e-
Clark’s eyes widened for a moment, hearing the name his parents gave him. It wasn’t the full details, he didn’t mention Lois, or the planet, or the secrets of Krypton, but it was enough, his parents were in danger and everyone Clark had been in contact with publicly after. He couldn’t afford to get closer, not if it meant revealing more about himself. He hung in the sky, frozen, considering his options. If he blasted him with heat vision, he’d simply absorb the energy and be further strengthened, but perhaps not the memories. He was taunting him and the worst part was there was nothing Clark could do about it. Then, Batman spoke and Superman watched the pellets fly from his hand, good, the man that thought of everything also thought of a way to take down a villain who couldn’t be touched without risking further exposure. It seemed their partnership was a well timed incident indeed.
A lot of things happened all at once, Batman spoke and then Parasite saw the pellets coming at him, his vision was still enhanced and he remembered, the heat vision. He focused as he leaped to the side, striking and incinerating the pellets while also leaping far farther than intended. He ended up jumping from one crosswalk to the other, apparently his strength was recovering on it’s own. Clark knew immediately that the beast had absorbed enough of his Dna, his cells were taking in strength from the Sun, not at the rate in which Clark’s did and he’d never grow stronger than he was at this moment, but the fact remained, he currently stood at the strength and speed of a Kryptonian adolescent, though he used up the stored energy much more quickly than Clark or a Natural Kryptonian did, the damage was done, he’d found a rejuvenating power source. “So that’s your secret! This planet’s energy feeds you! As long as I have a little bit of you in me, Superman, I’ll never, ever, starve!” Screamed the beast. “Batman, a pleasure to have you with me, but, I think this is were I’ll make my exit!” He ran, his feet tearing up the road as he did, bolts of heat vision fired in several directions, setting several surrounding buildings on fire. He knew better than to attack both men head on, he had enough energy to sustain, to wait, to strike when the iron was hot, what he needed now, was a chance to find out just what this new energy could do.
Batman's mouth could visibly be seen frowning while he snarled. Stupid mistake. Should have figured Parasite still had enough of Superman's energy stored up to use his heat vision. Should of waited it out more. Get a better idea of just how weak he became the longer he went without absorbing the energy of others. Now he had put two and two together, knowing full and well that the energy of earth's own sun powered the Man of Steel, thus sustaining Parasite that much longer. As he ran off and began to cause fires and destruction on the building structures of Metropolis, Batman would immediately shift his attention up towards Superman. "Deal with the fires. I'll tale him." It was the best course of action. At this state, Superman could handle all of the fires faster than Bruce could deal with one of the buildings. On top of that, they couldn't risk allowing Superman to make physical contact with Parasite again. Not without a proper plan on countering his absorbing abilities. Batman would simply continue working at subduing the target while making sure he didn’t take harm any of the civilians. Even if Superman wanted to argue the idea, he wouldn’t get the opportunity to. Batman had already drawn his Bat-Claw, fired it at the side of a building, and launched himself straight into the air. Gloved covered fingertips reached for the edges of his cape, an electrical charge causing the material of his cape to stiffen and allowing him to glide over the city. Glancing down below, he’d keep a close eye on the Parasite. It was odd working at these hours of the day. He’d lose some of the advantages the night gave him, as well as having to deal with the advantages the sun gave the Parasite. On top of that, he was in the city of Metropolis. Though he did some basic study of the city, it was more than fair to say he wasn’t as comfortable maneuvering around as he would within Gotham. No matter. He’d simply have to make due. -e-
Superman was already moving before Batman began speaking, taking in great lungfuls of breath he quickly flew to each of the buildings damage and subdued the flame. “You can use the destruction to plot his course!” He called out as he began evacuating those that were trapped under fallen debris, he didn’t stick around for the hysterical “Thank yous” that poured from the victim's lips, simply moved them to the nearest paramedic, who were already on scene due to the lockdown of S.T.A.R. labs, and went back for more. The creature had grown more intelligent, causing the damage as a diversion to keep one of the two occupied while he made his attempted escape. He had worked with Batman before and he knew the man was skilled, still, he was in a relatively new city and the creature knew it better, he’d offer air support as soon as he had cleared the victims. There was a lot of rubble, some of it could have possibly compromised the structural integrity of the building, progress was much faster with Superman at the helm, but he still had to be extremely careful. He began reworking his battle strategy, if he could use other modes of combat he could still join the fight, the thought occurred to him a bit too late, but he was sure it was the right one. With the last building clear, he x-rayed the integrity finding a spot that held no load he picked up a large piece of Rebar with about a ton of concrete still attached to the end and made his way to the skies to help Batman with the chase.
Parasite continued down the street, mixing leaping and running together in order to stay ahead of his pursuers. As he ran, he randomly threw all manner of objects from street lamps to cars behind him, while they didn’t go as far as Superman would have thrown them, they still managed to make quite a scene, he ran for ten solid blocks, leaving roadblocks and path of destruction in his wake before picking up a manhole cover and slipping into the sewers. He couldn’t know if one of them was following him, and from everything he’d seen on the news about Batman, he had a penchant for showing up at just the wrong time. So, he kept moving, deeper into the catacombs of the under dark of the city to explore his new found power and think of ways to allow it to help him seek his revenge on all the socialites and upper echelon of society that left him behind. He needed to escape for now, absorb and come back stronger than ever before.
Batman continued to glide through the air with the use of his cape, only to eventually swooped down and land gracefully on the streets. The destruction he caused was minor, at least in comparison to what he could of done. He was weak. Retreating. Looking to regroup. If Batman was alone in this situation, he may have been slowed down with the task of dealing with the burning buildings and civilians who needed assistance. Luckily for him, Superman was on the job and handling it rather successfully. On top of that, it allowed Superman a chance to recover without constantly being zapped from touching Parasite. Looking down at the manhole the Parasite dove in, Batman would glance over his shoulders and stare directly behind him. Following the bath of the flipped cars and screaming city people and anyone would be able to track down exactly where Parasite head ran off too... So it shouldn't of been too much of a task for the Man of Steel to catch up with the Dark Knight. With that being said, Batman would turn back towards the Manhole, flip the lid over to the size and dive directly down. Within the darkness of the underground, only the light from above would illuminate over Batman’s body like a spotlight of sorts. Reaching up towards his cowl, he’d activate his night vision, giving him perfect clarity within the dark for quite some time. Allowing his cape to completely wrap around his form, the caped crusader would slowly shift through the tunnels that were the Metropolis sewer system. As odd as it may have seem, this all brought an odd comfort to the Bat. The darkness… the closed spaces … the hunt for one of the world’s worst dirt bags … It reminded him all too much of Gotham. Of his home. Parasite may have believed that he was hiding from the two in the dark abyss… but obviously wasn’t aware that Batman was the one that lived in these very same shadows. He owned them.-e-
With victim recovery well in hand, Superman continued through the air, patrolling for Parasite’s whereabouts, his eyes scanned the streets, his ear keen on the sound of his distorted voice, if the beast spoke, he’d be found in an instant. His eyes found the form of the caped crusader venturing into an open manhole and made to follow suit. Dropping down not far behind him, he made short work of catching up. “We don’t know what we’re up against.” Superman’s ability to change his vision on a whim was usual in dark crevices, the darkness disappearing, his voice kept low, it was possible Parasite had attained a level of his super hearing and if so, he’d know they were coming anyway. The improvised club was hefted in one hand, balanced on his shoulder, he couldn’t attack him directly, that plan of action was foolish and would only succeed in making him stronger. His eyes scanned, looking for any heat sources that seemed unusual, occasionally x-raying to see if he could spite the strange villains hideous form. Continuing to update Batman on what he’d learned from their fight. “He is able to take my energy, the harder I hit him, the stronger he got, I’m afraid my heat vision would just be absorbed as well, but it gave me an idea. If he’s truly hungry for more energy, my energy, he’ll come after me again. If his body works like the battery I think it does, he can only store so much before he reaches his limit. If we’re able to overcharge him, get his cells so full, they start breaking down, we may have a chance to win this here and now, but, it’ll mean making him stronger and stronger to do it. Rats scurried across the ground, running in the opposite direction of the two heroes.
Perry immediately stepped out of his office, his head on that swivel that only meant he was looking for someone in particular. “Ah, Kent, where’s Lane?” Clark shrugged. “She said she had a lead and left, is there anything I can help with, sir?” The editor in Chief of the planet placed his hands on his hips and then nodded. “I guess it’ll have to be you, some kind of meltdown alarm is going Haywire at the S.T.A.R. Labs facility, take Olsen with you and get me the story.” Clark nodded and moved toward the elevator, joined seconds later by Jimmy Olsen. “Hey, CK! Looks like we get to work together again, huh?” Clark smiled. “Looks that way, Jimmy, got everything you need?” The young man beside him double checked. “Yep, ever since Perry put me with Lois I keep a go bag by my desk, I made her a few seconds late to the prison break a few months back? By the time we got there Superman had already cleaned it up.” Clark grimaced before he and Jimmy stepped onto the elevator and the doors began closing once more. “What happened?” Jimmy smiled and shrugged. “She said if it ever happened again, she’d put a six inch heel...somewhere really uncomfortable.”
Bruce Wayne walked out the office door, a grin on his face while the sounds of light laughter could be heard behind him. "Ah, Mr. Wayne. I'm so glad we were able to get this meeting going as soon as we did!" The suited gentlemen spoke out behind him. "As am I, Mr. Wetworth." Bruce turned, taking noticing of the hand that extended towards him and shook it. "Your solar energy plants looks to be a very promising project that I want Wayne Enterprises to be a part of." the handshake was firm but only momentary before they released. "I promise, you'll be updated frequently on the progress we've made. Can you imagine it? A world were electrical poles and power plants were a thing of the past? Where each morning Mother Nature granted all the energy the world would ever need. Your funding won't go to waste at all, Mr. Wayne. With your help, our research time will be cut down nearly in half!" the excitement in the man’s voice could be clearly heard... Bruce could only give a light chuckle while lifting his hand to pat the man on the shoulder as if attempting to calm him down. "I can only hope, Mr. Wetworth. I can only hope." final goodbyes were said and eventually Gotham's favorite Billionaire Playboy was taking the elevator down from the 20th floor. Staring out the wide window, he had a clear view over Metropolis. Even at night, the city had a different look and feel compared to Gotham. Though he was hoping the newest of solar energy research would help spring the world to a better tomorrow, he in some ways selfishly had it written out that Gotham would be one of the first to receive the benefits should the outcome be fruitful. The dinging sound of the elevator verified that he hit the ground floor, all while the doors slid open. Stepping out, his hand would lift and raise towards the security. "Have a great night, Mr. Wayne!" one of them called out. "Same to you, Jim." One of the other guards opened the door for Mr. Wayne, causing Bruce to give him a quick and thankful nod before stepping outside.. from there, his transportation would be readily waiting. His dearest butler Alfred would be waiting, already having the back car door opened for him. Once he had entered and allowed Alfred to step around and enter the driver’s seat, Bruce gave a slow exhale. "And did everything work out as planned, Master Bruce?" the butler questioned. "That it did... I have a good feeling about this company, Alfred. It could really shed some light on Gotham. Another step in a better direction." The butler glanced up through the review mirror, taking note of this glimmer in Bruce's eyes... a sign of hope in which he hadn't seen in quite some time. "Very good, sir." the butler said with the gentlest of smile before finally driving off.
He could hear the voices outside, but he couldn’t answer them, his legs were like jelly, where was he, what had he been doing? Stealing, that was it, he was supposed to steal a weapon. It all came back to him suddenly, he was here to steal a prototype weapon and he triggered a lock down. It was all over, he was caught, he’d never have the opportunity again. Some kind of bio waste had spilled into the air, his skin was on fire, maybe he’d die before they had a chance to arrest him, one could only hope. As the lead walls raised, and men flooded into the room, he remained still, not that he was sure he could move if he tried. He heard the metal snap back into place over the canister, a high pitched beeping in rang in his ear. “The filtration system seems to have worked, the airs clear.” Came the distorted voice of the clean up team. “Jesus, what happened to this guy?” He felt a man kneel next to him. Radiation of that level in a 12 x 12 lead room? It ate him alive, no need for a medic, you might as well call a coroner.” His mouth tried to move, eventually, his jaw seemed to work, though it felt..different and when he spoke, it wasn’t his voice. “I’m not dead!” His hand shot forward, latching onto the man’s wrists, immediately, his strength seemed to return. Shouts filled the room, the men in the bio-suits made an immediate break for it. “No, please! Help me!” His voice was hoarse, monstrous, but the longer he held on, the more alive he felt, the more powerful. Soon, the memories came, a man with his wife and kids, college education, a middle class childhood, everything he’d ever dreamed of, but they weren’t his memories, they belonged to the man he was touching.
Clark and Jimmy arrived a block away from the facility and quickly approached the nearest blockade, Jimmy began snapping pictures of onlookers and medical staff standing by outside of the lab, waiting for the all clear. Clark made his way through the crowd, his hand pushing his glasses up on his nose. “Excuse me, Officer, Officer!” The rookie cop set to keep the pushing pedestrians back turned, quirking a brow. “Look, like I told all the other reporters, when the department knows something, they’ll release a statement!” Clark continued anyway. “I just need to know if there is any danger, is it true that there was a bio spill?” The guy shook his head. “You’d think we’d let people this close if there was chance of exposure? All I can say is there was an accident, but the labs have a full proof containment system which activated correctly, and a filtration system to keep it from spreading, now let me do my job.” The event had occurred close to shift change, he couldn’t imagine the young man was happy pulling so many hours overtime, so, Clark didn’t push. Soon, Jimmy came and joined him soon after. “Lot of activity if it’s under control, I counted three ambulances, two fire engines and what I can only guess is a whole precinct of cop cars.” Clark nodded. “We’ll just have to wait it out, apparently the detectives are under orders not to speak.” Jimmy smiled. “Well, I been working with Lois, want to me to find a car alarm so you can sneak in, get the scoop?” Clark turned and quirked a brow. “It was only one time! She got the story!” Clark shook his head. “No, Jimmy, it’s not worth, jail time, besides, it was probably just an accident.” It was then he heard the screams, from inside the lab, it sounded like someone was getting murdered. His eyes focused, but the walls of lead were still down on his side, he’d have to go around them. “I’m going to see if I can find a more chatty officer, text me if you see a captain or lieutenant coming to address the press.” Clark moved away, quickly but as inconspicuously as possible. “You got it, Ck.”
Alfred was on route to his private jet, which would have taken then about another hour and a half, if the traffic wasn't heavy. Both Bruce and Alfred rode in silence with the radio off... nothing but the sounds of the tires running along the road to be heard. Bruce enjoyed his times of solitude when he was able to get them. It allowed him to think and sort all the various thoughts that riddled his mind out. Though the further down the road they traveled, the louder things seemed to become. Sirens blaring, crowds of bodies chattering, news teams attempting to set up their equipment to report the events to the world. Alfred was forced to slow down and drive to a near crawl as the traffic started to build, giving Bruce time to properly look out his dark tinted windows. "An accident, perhaps?" Alfred spoke up... Bruce's eyes never left the scene as gave a very low response. "Perhaps..." Now seemed like one of the few rare times breaking the silence was completely necessary. Flicking on the radio, Alfred would turn up the volume just enough to get the radio edition of Metropolis’ news. From the sounds of it, there wasn’t much being said. S.T.A.R. Labs were keeping a tight lid on things, which Bruce could understand on a business perspective. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was happening. The butler glanced back in the rear view, taking note on the look on Bruce’s face. “This traffic is absolutely dreadful sir.” He spoke out. “Perhaps we should pull over and continue on our way once things have settled?” Alfred knew that all Bruce wanted to do was satisfy his curiosity on the matter, and then they could be off once again with a clear conscious. Bruce finally tore his gaze from out his window and glanced at Alfred back through the rear view. “Just until the roads pick up.” Bruce confirmed. Alfred turned his wheel, hopping out the lane and started to park off to the side of the street “Of course, sir.”
There was a gasp before the crowds began clapping and cheering excitedly, in the skies, Superman flew past the blockades and into S.T.A.R. Labs building itself. His vision was focused, looking through the floors to find the source of the screams, the basement level. He made his way down the stairwell, and caught the first person he saw in a Hazmat suit. “What happened.” The man was out of breath, Superman released him, letting him know he was not being held against his will. “I don’t know, there was someone in the room when the canister opened...he’s still, I’m not gonna go back there.” Superman nodded. “I’ll see for myself, get you and your men out of here.” Clark continued past them to the containment area, on the floor was a skeleton, smoldering with smoke coming from the bones. The other side of the room, a man in a hazmat suit, it’s hood raised, sat against the wall. Superman stepped past the bones, towards the man taking count of the room, one side of the lead lined wall had been raised, the others were still lowered, the canister was sealed once again and the man in the hazmat was breathing heavily, his head in his hands. “Hey, tell me what happened here.” The man shook his head. “We came in, cleared the area, there was a body on the floor, it had to be dead, no way it could still be alive. I went to check it out and it grabbed me, freaked me and the team out and then it just...melted away.” Superman nodded, still scanning the room. “So, that’s the person that was trapped in here?” The man nodded. “That was him, he said he needed something, then he just died.” Superman placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “There’s nothing you could have done, what’d he say he needed?” He sounded strange, hoarse, possibly from all the screaming. As Clark’s hand touched the man, his hands moved to Clark's wrist, latching on tighter than should have been possible. “Energy, I need energy, and you have more than enough!” Clark focused his vision, pulling his hand free until the man’s suit disappeared, what he saw wasn’t a man at all. His body was totally deformed, muscles bulging from all ends. His skin had turned a deep purple and his teeth, his mouth was no longer human, the jaw opened the same, but it’s teeth were jagged and sharp and completely circled all inches of his mouth. Clark’s surprise took his focus from his target, the man jumped toward him his teeth cutting through through the thick material of the hazmat suit and sinking in Clark’s shoulder. He was slower, it wasn’t like Kryptonite, but he could feel his energy draining. His eyes cut to the smoldering skeleton and the choice was made. His hand came forward, a full first striking the creature in his jaw and sending him flying through the floor. Clark followed the man’s body, his skin wasn’t cut, he hadn’t been injured, but something was definitely wrong. “OH, you are delicious, I feel alive again! I want your energy, I want it all!” He charged Superman and Clark quickly dodged to the creature’s left, his hands gripping the beastly man by the shoulders and turned tossing the creature toward the street. The doors to S.T.A.R Labs burst open and the creature rolled across the cement, his body healing nearly as fast as the abrasions occurred. “Is that the best you’ve got!” The crowds around screamed and the man grabbed the nearest police officer toward him, pulling him close to his body, much easier with it’s new found strength. Within seconds, the man’s skin was gone and only his smoldering skeleton remained. -e-
Bruce stepped in between the vehicles, moving past bodies of people and began heading towards the nearest alley with a large suitcase in hand. People were so busy trying to look and see what was going on in front of Star Lab’s that they would be unable to even pay attention to the billion dollar body shifting past them. As he moved deeper into the alley, he’d make a sharp turn into a nearly pitch black section of the alley. It wasn’t quite his normal area for changing, but he’d make due. A minute or two passed by while the sounds of squeaking wheels coming from the other side of the alleyway. There had been a homeless man carrying all of his life’s possessions in a single, broken down cart…. He paused for a moment, swearing he heard something from the right of him. As if the shadows birthed a child of it’s own, Batman would be seen slowly stepping outward. The homeless man’s eyes widened … partially out of fear… and partially due to just how impressed he was. “Nice gear, man.” mumbled timidly. The Dark Knight simply stared. Unhooking his the grappling gun from his utility belt, he’d raise his hand and fired the trigger sending hooked line spiraling up and digging in deeply into the surface of the building. With one last flick of his finger he would be send shooting upwards, and fading back into the shadows of the night. The homeless man looked up in shock and watched what he hoped wasn’t a figment of his imagination …. Stepping into the darkened section of the alley, he’d park his cart and set up camp there. May as well… better place to sleep for the night. As he went to lay down, he’d feel the fine quality of material he had never even known of. His hands grabbed at it and lifted it up only to see a rather snazzy business suit laying on top of a brand new suit case. He man couldn’t help but smile “Niiiice gear” Naturally all of Bruce’s personal items had been extracted… besides the one thousand dollars in hundred dollar bills he ‘accidentally’ left in his back pocket. Oh well. Billionaires didn’t fret about such small amounts of money anyhow, right?
It was a tangle of blue and purple as Superman continually used his strength to subdue the creature, only to feel his energy depleting and then be forced to release him, the nearby crowd had scattered, and if let go, Parasite would simply grab an innocent bystander and force Superman to step back in. He had a lot of civilians around, the fight would need to go elsewhere, but it would take some strategy. “I’m going to drain you all! I’ve never felt so alive! Screw petty theft, I’ll do whatever I want!” Superman flew toward Parasite cocking his arm back and sending it full force into the face of the being, if brute strength wasn’t working, he’d have to try a different tact. While up close and personal, his vision focused, scanning through several different types of vision until saw it, this thing used to be a person, but now, it’s energy seemed to flair and then diminish over time, the radiation had changed it somehow, made him something more. He was somehow able to draw the life energy out of people and use it to extend his own life. “Stop, we can help you, there are several advances being made, we could reverse this.” Parasite laughed, spinning with his grotesque arms out wide. “Why would I want to reverse this? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and there is no one to stop me, not even you, Superman!” His eyes flashed and then Superman was struck in the chest, heat vision, it wasn’t as powerful as Superman’s own but the fact that he was absorbing his abilities made him an even larger threat. Superman avoided the second blast of the heat vision fired a blast of his own, sending the beast flying backwards into a nearby alley. He roared, leaping forward and striking Clark in the jaw, the strike was strong, stronger than the last time he’d struck him, and Superman was knocked into the street, the pavement cracking under the force of the blow. He made to stand before the creature leaped on him again, gripping his shoulders and again, Clark felt the pull of radiation leaving his body. ‘This isn’t going to work, the more energy I expend, the more he absorbs, the longer I fight, the stronger he’ll get!’ Clark pressed his feet to Parasites chest, kicking his body from into the air, he flew high, landing on a nearby car, the top caving in, windows, and windshield bursting on impact. He had to stay away from him.
-The Batman found himself perched on the shadowed end of a building’s rooftop, his form leaning slightly over the edge. Through the white lenses of his cowl, he'd carefully analyze the ensuing battle occurring between the purple creature and Superman. From the looks of it, physical contact wasn't something to be limited when facing this creature. The longer they touched, the weaker Superman seemed to become. Even going as far as being capable of leeching other's abilities, evident by the sudden heat vision being fired by the purple being. It was as if he was some sort of parasite. As Superman successfully kicked the Parasite off and sent him flying into a car, Bat's found the opportunity to strike. His right hand reached and grabbed for his Bat-Claw, aiming at a lamp post and firing. As the grappling hook connected, Batman would be suddenly sent launched forward. In mid-air, he'd disconnect the grappling hook from the lamp post and holstered his weapon all while gliding his hand past. The left side of his utility belt. Three individual batarang’s would be skillfully placed between his fingers, while he soared over the body of the Parasite. A quick flick of the wrist would send the edged weapons whirling towards their target, each hitting different sections of the already totaled vehicle. Meanwhile, the Dark Knight would allow gravity to bring him closer towards the ground, rolling into a safe landing right next to the red and blue uniformed hero. His head swiveled ever so lightly, eye’s meeting with the others. “It seemed like you needed a hand…” At that moment, the three different batarangs would have a depleted timer that caused them each to explode. The eruptions combined with the car explosion would have made it look as if Batman had killed the man! But the Bat knew better. So far he had absorbed enough of Superman’s energy to successful take rather hard hitting strikes from the Man of Steel. That explosion would have hurt… definitely would have done damage but it wouldn’t be anything lethal. If anything, Batman was hoping it would at least stun the target and buy Superman enough time to regain his strength.-e-
As soon as Superman saw the Batarangs make contact with the vehicle, he checked the surrounding area, luckily, the crowd had managed to clear, panicked by Parasites actions, there was no one in the blast radius. As the car exploded, Superman leapt into the flames, Briefly taking hold of Parasites arms and spinning rapidly before tossing the creature to the ground. He’d absorbed a bit of his energy, but Superman couldn’t be sure he’d absorbed all of his abilities as well, he wasn’t flying and he certainly wasn’t moving at any incredible rate of speed, so perhaps the beings healing powers hadn’t matched up to Superman’s yet, and he could steal be knocked unconscious. “I certainly wouldn’t turn it down.” Superman replied, staying airborne and keeping his eyes on the purple creature. He had tried every form of vision in his impressive repertoire, from x-ray to microscopic. So far, as much as he could gather was that the thing they were fighting had been changed at an atomic level. It’s body no longer behaved like a carbon based lifeform and it seemed to be living off of the energy of those it drained, how quickly it spent that energy could very well determine how long Parasite lived.
Parasite’s mind was a million different places at once, he’d been blown up, slammed to the dirt and now, the body that had once felt so new and alive was beginning to fade. He figured he’d be smart, play dead, recuperate a bit, work out a new strategy. He didn’t move, his body didn’t bleed anymore, it seemed to repair damage done to it nearly immediately, but every time, a little more energy was used and it didn’t replenish on it’s own, he’d need a more suitable source.As he lay there, several things happened all at once, he felt more intelligent than he had been his entire life and he began remembering things that never happened. A life on a farm, and old mom and pop smiling sweetly at him, lifting a tractor over his head, putting on a red and blue suit. So, he didn’t absorb only their energy, he absorbed their memories, this he could work with. “Clark, eh?” His voice took on multiple sinister turns at once. “A farm boy playing at hero. They call you Superman? HA! What would they do if they knew their savior was a backwater redneck from farmer country U.S.A?” He pushed himself to his feet. glancing at Batman and Superman in turn. “Alright, you got me, I surrender, so, which one of you lucky guys wants to put on the cuffs? All you gotta do, is come a little bit closer, Clark.”
His form turned, watching Superman fling Parasite's form into the ground. His motions were quick, and effective. Physical contact was kept to a minimum and it allowed for Parasite very little energy to absorb. It wouldn't be too long before Parasite began to slowly rise from the ground... only to speak out the name of Superman's secret identity. Batman's eye's widened for a split second before quickly reverting back to his hard glare. So, he absorbed the memories of those he touched as well? It would be imperative that the Dark Knight kept his distance then. The Bat already could tell the man's surrender was a false means of trying to bring Clark closer. Giving the purple figure yet another chance at getting his hands on the Man of Steel and absorbing even more of his abilities. "I think I'll take care of your arrest." by the time Parasite would shift his focus off of Superman and back onto the caped crusader, Batman would have already dug into his utility belt and tossed a small handful of pellets directly at the creature. Upon making contact, the pellets would immediately begin to release a brown and foamy substance that seemed to expanding just as rapidly as it began to harden. It was porous enough to allow air to travel through it, yet became as hard as concrete given the few seconds it took to fully set in. The primary function of this foam is to be sold off by Wayne Industries and used for filling in structural gaps after natural disasters such as earthquakes …. Naturally, The Dark Knight found another means of making the compound rather useful. –e-
Clark’s eyes widened for a moment, hearing the name his parents gave him. It wasn’t the full details, he didn’t mention Lois, or the planet, or the secrets of Krypton, but it was enough, his parents were in danger and everyone Clark had been in contact with publicly after. He couldn’t afford to get closer, not if it meant revealing more about himself. He hung in the sky, frozen, considering his options. If he blasted him with heat vision, he’d simply absorb the energy and be further strengthened, but perhaps not the memories. He was taunting him and the worst part was there was nothing Clark could do about it. Then, Batman spoke and Superman watched the pellets fly from his hand, good, the man that thought of everything also thought of a way to take down a villain who couldn’t be touched without risking further exposure. It seemed their partnership was a well timed incident indeed.
A lot of things happened all at once, Batman spoke and then Parasite saw the pellets coming at him, his vision was still enhanced and he remembered, the heat vision. He focused as he leaped to the side, striking and incinerating the pellets while also leaping far farther than intended. He ended up jumping from one crosswalk to the other, apparently his strength was recovering on it’s own. Clark knew immediately that the beast had absorbed enough of his Dna, his cells were taking in strength from the Sun, not at the rate in which Clark’s did and he’d never grow stronger than he was at this moment, but the fact remained, he currently stood at the strength and speed of a Kryptonian adolescent, though he used up the stored energy much more quickly than Clark or a Natural Kryptonian did, the damage was done, he’d found a rejuvenating power source. “So that’s your secret! This planet’s energy feeds you! As long as I have a little bit of you in me, Superman, I’ll never, ever, starve!” Screamed the beast. “Batman, a pleasure to have you with me, but, I think this is were I’ll make my exit!” He ran, his feet tearing up the road as he did, bolts of heat vision fired in several directions, setting several surrounding buildings on fire. He knew better than to attack both men head on, he had enough energy to sustain, to wait, to strike when the iron was hot, what he needed now, was a chance to find out just what this new energy could do.
Batman's mouth could visibly be seen frowning while he snarled. Stupid mistake. Should have figured Parasite still had enough of Superman's energy stored up to use his heat vision. Should of waited it out more. Get a better idea of just how weak he became the longer he went without absorbing the energy of others. Now he had put two and two together, knowing full and well that the energy of earth's own sun powered the Man of Steel, thus sustaining Parasite that much longer. As he ran off and began to cause fires and destruction on the building structures of Metropolis, Batman would immediately shift his attention up towards Superman. "Deal with the fires. I'll tale him." It was the best course of action. At this state, Superman could handle all of the fires faster than Bruce could deal with one of the buildings. On top of that, they couldn't risk allowing Superman to make physical contact with Parasite again. Not without a proper plan on countering his absorbing abilities. Batman would simply continue working at subduing the target while making sure he didn’t take harm any of the civilians. Even if Superman wanted to argue the idea, he wouldn’t get the opportunity to. Batman had already drawn his Bat-Claw, fired it at the side of a building, and launched himself straight into the air. Gloved covered fingertips reached for the edges of his cape, an electrical charge causing the material of his cape to stiffen and allowing him to glide over the city. Glancing down below, he’d keep a close eye on the Parasite. It was odd working at these hours of the day. He’d lose some of the advantages the night gave him, as well as having to deal with the advantages the sun gave the Parasite. On top of that, he was in the city of Metropolis. Though he did some basic study of the city, it was more than fair to say he wasn’t as comfortable maneuvering around as he would within Gotham. No matter. He’d simply have to make due. -e-
Superman was already moving before Batman began speaking, taking in great lungfuls of breath he quickly flew to each of the buildings damage and subdued the flame. “You can use the destruction to plot his course!” He called out as he began evacuating those that were trapped under fallen debris, he didn’t stick around for the hysterical “Thank yous” that poured from the victim's lips, simply moved them to the nearest paramedic, who were already on scene due to the lockdown of S.T.A.R. labs, and went back for more. The creature had grown more intelligent, causing the damage as a diversion to keep one of the two occupied while he made his attempted escape. He had worked with Batman before and he knew the man was skilled, still, he was in a relatively new city and the creature knew it better, he’d offer air support as soon as he had cleared the victims. There was a lot of rubble, some of it could have possibly compromised the structural integrity of the building, progress was much faster with Superman at the helm, but he still had to be extremely careful. He began reworking his battle strategy, if he could use other modes of combat he could still join the fight, the thought occurred to him a bit too late, but he was sure it was the right one. With the last building clear, he x-rayed the integrity finding a spot that held no load he picked up a large piece of Rebar with about a ton of concrete still attached to the end and made his way to the skies to help Batman with the chase.
Parasite continued down the street, mixing leaping and running together in order to stay ahead of his pursuers. As he ran, he randomly threw all manner of objects from street lamps to cars behind him, while they didn’t go as far as Superman would have thrown them, they still managed to make quite a scene, he ran for ten solid blocks, leaving roadblocks and path of destruction in his wake before picking up a manhole cover and slipping into the sewers. He couldn’t know if one of them was following him, and from everything he’d seen on the news about Batman, he had a penchant for showing up at just the wrong time. So, he kept moving, deeper into the catacombs of the under dark of the city to explore his new found power and think of ways to allow it to help him seek his revenge on all the socialites and upper echelon of society that left him behind. He needed to escape for now, absorb and come back stronger than ever before.
Batman continued to glide through the air with the use of his cape, only to eventually swooped down and land gracefully on the streets. The destruction he caused was minor, at least in comparison to what he could of done. He was weak. Retreating. Looking to regroup. If Batman was alone in this situation, he may have been slowed down with the task of dealing with the burning buildings and civilians who needed assistance. Luckily for him, Superman was on the job and handling it rather successfully. On top of that, it allowed Superman a chance to recover without constantly being zapped from touching Parasite. Looking down at the manhole the Parasite dove in, Batman would glance over his shoulders and stare directly behind him. Following the bath of the flipped cars and screaming city people and anyone would be able to track down exactly where Parasite head ran off too... So it shouldn't of been too much of a task for the Man of Steel to catch up with the Dark Knight. With that being said, Batman would turn back towards the Manhole, flip the lid over to the size and dive directly down. Within the darkness of the underground, only the light from above would illuminate over Batman’s body like a spotlight of sorts. Reaching up towards his cowl, he’d activate his night vision, giving him perfect clarity within the dark for quite some time. Allowing his cape to completely wrap around his form, the caped crusader would slowly shift through the tunnels that were the Metropolis sewer system. As odd as it may have seem, this all brought an odd comfort to the Bat. The darkness… the closed spaces … the hunt for one of the world’s worst dirt bags … It reminded him all too much of Gotham. Of his home. Parasite may have believed that he was hiding from the two in the dark abyss… but obviously wasn’t aware that Batman was the one that lived in these very same shadows. He owned them.-e-
With victim recovery well in hand, Superman continued through the air, patrolling for Parasite’s whereabouts, his eyes scanned the streets, his ear keen on the sound of his distorted voice, if the beast spoke, he’d be found in an instant. His eyes found the form of the caped crusader venturing into an open manhole and made to follow suit. Dropping down not far behind him, he made short work of catching up. “We don’t know what we’re up against.” Superman’s ability to change his vision on a whim was usual in dark crevices, the darkness disappearing, his voice kept low, it was possible Parasite had attained a level of his super hearing and if so, he’d know they were coming anyway. The improvised club was hefted in one hand, balanced on his shoulder, he couldn’t attack him directly, that plan of action was foolish and would only succeed in making him stronger. His eyes scanned, looking for any heat sources that seemed unusual, occasionally x-raying to see if he could spite the strange villains hideous form. Continuing to update Batman on what he’d learned from their fight. “He is able to take my energy, the harder I hit him, the stronger he got, I’m afraid my heat vision would just be absorbed as well, but it gave me an idea. If he’s truly hungry for more energy, my energy, he’ll come after me again. If his body works like the battery I think it does, he can only store so much before he reaches his limit. If we’re able to overcharge him, get his cells so full, they start breaking down, we may have a chance to win this here and now, but, it’ll mean making him stronger and stronger to do it. Rats scurried across the ground, running in the opposite direction of the two heroes.