“These ‘Supermen’ of the Krypton Academy are becoming a problem, Nathaniel,” Amahl Farouk tapped his fingers against the table, a frown on his face. “Their mental barriers are too powerful for any of us to penetrate and their strength is only on the rise.”
“Calm your worried heart, Black King,” Mr. Sinister frowned at the use of his abandoned name. Only the people in this room were confident enough to call him as such. “I have done much research over the last decade on both Superboy and Supergirl, these self appointed protectors of Earth have many weaknesses we can exploit.”
“Perhaps, but the main one, Superman… he’s been out of the public eye since his actions during the war,” Emma Frost shook her head, face pinched with concern. “None of the others have displayed anything close to his power. We can handle Charles and his schoolteachers, but if Superman returns…”
“If he returns, I shall deal with him,” Cassandra Nova’s voice hummed through their minds, edged with wrath. “Nothing will stop my vengeance against my brother, not even these ‘Supermen.’”
She glanced from face to face, with only Sinister willing to match her gaze. His red eyes flared, a wave of psychic power that tangled with her own. The White Queen took her diamond form, immune to the energy that tumbled through the air.
“Let’s not fight amongst ourselves,” Emma rose from her seat and strode between Sinister and Nova. “Together, no mental shield will be enough… combined with the abilities of our allies, not even Superman can stand in our way.”
“True enough,” Nova shrugged as she halted her mental pressure. “I have been preparing for this moment for the last ten years, no variable has been left unscrutinized…”
“Still, caution is for the best,” Farouk rubbed his temples and scowled at Nova’s bald figure. “Charles is powerful, and Superboy has a relationship with the Sorcerers of Kamar Taj.”
“The boy is skilled in the mystic arts, but Kamar Taj will not get involved in our affairs,” Sinister smiled at the nervous Farouk and leaned back in his oaken chair. “The Hellfire Club is an institution of Earth, and the Ancient One limits her involvement to outside perils.”
“Then it is decided,” Nova clapped her hands, smooth face marked with a cheshire grin. “Tomorrow, my brother Charles will fall and his students will serve our cause, or become fodder for our experiments!”
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“Come on you fish-brained mongoloid,” Kara twisted between columns of water, a hair's breadth from the ocean’s grasp. “Show me what you’re really made of!”
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Namor laughed as he slapped his hands together, a signal for the water to close up around her. Her fists lashed out, concussive blows that pushed the waves back. She released a frozen breath, hurricane winds that transformed Namor’s constructs to super-chilled ice.
The Atlantean King snorted and blitzed forward, in front of her eyes before she could blink. Lips twisted in a vicious grin, Kara dipped under his grasp and planted a fist into his gut. Air forced its way past Namor’s lips as his momentum reversed.
Kara pounced after the King, a feral light in her eyes. These battles were the only place she could go all out, a cathartic release of her pent up urge to leave this planet and travel the greater universe. Fifteen years as ‘Supergirl’ was enough.
“You’re in a mood today,” Namor wrapped himself in a layer of compressed water, crystalline armour that reflected the sun. “Normally you’re much less worked up, what’s happened in the land of the surface-dwellers that’s gotten you so upset?”
“Nothing’s happened… that’s the problem,” Kara paused her assault and gave the Atlantean a dirty look. Her time was divided between teaching at Krypton’s school and her assigned efforts as a hero of Earth, yet no villain’s rose to greet them. “...Superman promised this world held countless powerhouses, but so far it’s just you and the bald Sorceress.”
“Your school holds many talents, some that may overtake me in the future,” Namor rolled his eyes at her complaints. “Be grateful you’ve been given this time to grow, when we first met you weren’t my match at all.”
“True, but I’m still far behind Superman…” Kara’s mood deflated and she lowered her fists. “Let’s get lunch in your city, I’m not in the mood to fight today and the seafood there is better than anywhere on the surface.”
“Fine, but one of these days I’m going to hold up all our dinner bills as collateral,” Namor chuckled as his armour evaporated into a fine rain. He waved towards the water and gave a mock bow. “Ladies first…”
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“Master… We are finally detecting something,” Venom whispered into his ear, a sibilant tone that pulled him from the depths of sleep. “The symbiote hive of this universe is dormant, but We can now feel their thoughts… they dream of our maker.”
“Hmmm?” Dan shook his head, arms extended as he slipped from beneath the surface of his chosen star. It was far from any life worlds, secluded and quiet. “Well that’s ominous… can you pinpoint their locations?”
“Most are on Klyntar, but a few clusters exist within the greater galaxy,” Venom hissed, its voice unusually quiet. “It is best to leave them undisturbed… our creator is dangerous, an evil beyond all things.”
“True enough,” Dan nodded idly as he flexed his hands into fists. Knull was still a bit much for him, if the Eldritch God had power close to his comic counterpart. “I wonder why my power isn’t higher? A blue sun should boost my growth by close to ten times…”
In his youth, he’d assumed it was because his body had yet to mature, but now he was over thirty. Ten years in this star should have boosted him to the same levels as one hundred years under Earth's sun. Combined with his past blue sun dips in other universes, he had around 300 years worth of yellow sun banked.
“What is the status of the resource projects?” Dan stretched his body and initiated a phantom jump. A flash of light and he emerged in orbit around an oceanic world. “Have the Primes made any progress since I last woke up?”
“The solar suit is finally ready, at least its prototype…” Venom paused, consumed with the many efficient reports of the Primes. “There is also major progress on three of the super serums, but your oversight is needed before they move into production.”
“Perfect,” Dan scanned the surface of the planet below, until he came across a temple beneath the waves. It was time to snatch up his second infinity stone, well before its appointed time. “I’ll take a look once we’ve finished here and also take a reading on my solar absorption rate… it seems a bit lower than it should be.”
A smooth dive took him into the ocean’s depths, where the stone waited within its protective orb. The ancient walls fell apart, pried open by his biofield and tossed aside. The power stone floated to his hand, still wrapped in its container.
“We are receiving an emergency signal from Krypton Academy…” Venom projected a tone into his ear, a broadcast that travelled through the phantom zone. “They are under attack…”