An Un-Paralleled Crisis -- Bid For Power

[Shadow Ranger]

An Un-Paralleled Crisis
A Marvel/DC Crossover RPG
Creator: Gold Phoenix Ranger


"Bid For Power"
Moderator: Shadow Ranger

Player Cast

Tony Stark/Iron Man & Stark Industries
Lex Luthor & LexCorp
Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin
Ra's Al Guhl & The League of Shadows
The Mandarin/Marcus Khan & Ten Rings Inc. & Manadrin's Crime Organization (yet to be named)
Ares & His Demi-Gods & Generals
Matthew Murdock/Daredevil (Maybe? Since Kingpin is involved?)

Main NPC Cast (Subject to Change)

Perry White
J. Jonah Jameson
Lois Lane
Jimmy Olsen

Story

With the Universes of Marvel and DC having merged once again, the heroes and villains of both universes co-inhabit the new world. There are many stories to be told across the vast, newly merged planet, and this is one of them. Metropolis and New York have merged to become New Metropolis. The Daily Planet and The Daily Bugle are now one Paper called simple "The Daily." Lex Luthor and his LexCorp are poised to take control of this new city, but the merger has brought new and unexpected competition in the form of Wilson Fisk, The Kingpin and Tony Stark, the Owner and CEO of Stark Industries and The Invincible Iron Man! Yes, Stark Tower and the Stark Industries HQ has also survived the merger. With three major powerhouses of the business and political arenas poised to strike, New Metropolis stands on the brink of a Corporate War the likes neither New York nor Metropolis have ever seen. Lurking in the shadows, biding their time and pulling the strings are two of the most cunning and brilliant minds in their respective universes... The Demon's Head, Ra's Al Guhl... and The Mandarin. And the last player in this tale exists on a level above even Metropolis' greatest hero, Superman. Ares watches from on high for the time to strike. When The God of War is involved, nobody is safe. The Bid for Power has begun and the citizens of New Metropolis will be caught in the crossfire!


The Game

Tony Stark

Location: Tony's Office - Penthouse Suite - Stark Tower

BZZZZZZT! BZZZZZZZZT! BZZZZZZZZZZT! Tony reached over and slammed his right hand on the digital alarm clock sitting on the table beside his black leather couch. The alarm silenced as Tony blinked away the sleep from his eyes and yawned. He sat up and stretched as he looked around, "I fell asleep in my office again..." He shook his head and stood up, "What is it Jarvis?" The console on Tony's disk lit up as the AI came to life, "Take a look outside sir. There's something you need to see." Tony cracked his neck and smoothed out his suit and tie as he walked around the couch and opened the vertical blinds covering his wall-sized windows. The mid-day sun bathed Tony its bright light. causing him to raise his right arm and turn his head away. He blinked a few more times as his eyes adjusted to the light. He lowered his arm and stepped up to the window, leaning on its frame as he looked outside. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the sight before him, "What... happened?" Before him lay a city that was both familiar and alien. Some landmarks he recognized, others he didn't. The two most prominent being a tall skyscraper with a globe sitting on top of it and the other being an equally tall skyscraper shaped in the letter "L." He spun around and walked behind his desk, "Jarvis, what's the meaning of this?!" The computer whirred for a moment before Jarvis' face appeared hovering inches above the console screen, "While you were asleep, a major cosmic event took place. Stark Industries satellites recorded all manner of data before they simply... ceased to exist." Tony raised an eyebrow, "Ceased to exist? How is that possible?" Jarvis sighed, "Perhaps it would be best if you were to peruse the collected data before asking further questions, sir." Tony nodded and pulled his chair up as he sat down, "Ok Jarvis. I'll bite. Bring up the latest telemetry from the satellites and let's see what we got." Jarvis' face disappeared, appearing to fold back into the screen as a screen of flowing data replaced it. Tony began to look through it as his face began to look grim, "Looks like I'm not in Kansas anymore..."

[GoseiManta]

Alexander 'Lex' Luthor

Lex sat down in a large, black, leather easy chair. His figure slowly sank down into the chair, as he crossed his legs putting more weight on his lower back. His arms rested up onto the arm rests of the chair.

"Open"
Lex commanded toward a blank, black wall. Suddenly the wall faded, the transition glass that made up the wall in front of him. Slowly a picture of Metropolis came into view. Lex owned the highest building, allowing him to look down upon the city below. However this was a different view; Metropolis was different, buildings out of place, new buildings, different buildings. A completely different city scape before him.

While Lex observed what was before him, one of his aids rushed into his office.
"Mr. Luthor! Mr. Luthor! The compu--"

Lex interrupted his aid by lifting his right hand into the air, declaring a halt to the other man's voice.

"I know."
Lex stated as he lowered his hand.

"Last night, New Krypton vanished from it's coordinates. It literally just faded into the darkness of space. Completely off of the radar. It was around the time that a massive energy wave swept over our solar system."
Lex stated as he stood up. He lifted a remote up off of his desk, and pointed it at the glass. He pressed down on a green button, and the sglass blacked out again, displaying a satellite view of New Krypton. In the lower right hand corner of the screen a scale of energy levels. The energy levels elevated rapidly around the time in the video of New Krypton vanishing from sight.

"My God.."
The aid exclaimed falling to his knees.

"That wasn't my reaction.. But it fits."
Lex pressed the green button on the remote again. The city was revealed to Lex and his aid.

"It appears that yet another parallel universe has merged with our own."
Lex turned away and left his office grabbing his black suit jacket from the coat rack by the door.

"I've left for the day."
Lex stated just before the hydraulic door shut behind him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

[The Grand Kage]

Wilson Fisk

"Sir, sir, You need to see this, I mean you REALLY need to see this", the servant took a remote control off the shelf and opened the blinds that filled the room with blinding light, waking up the massive hulk of a man Mr. Wilson Fisk or as he was better known as The Kingpin.

"Status report immediately!" getting up to see the outside world on this brand new day Mr. Fisk was more than surprised to see what had happened. "You!, come here" pointing to one of the 'assistants', "Tell me what you remember from last night?".

"Well sir, I don't remember much at all, I was up on my computer till late at night and for some reason I just blacked out and woke up just as the sun was rising, I stepped outside of my home and everything was different."

"Different How?"

"Well Sir, the building across from the street is normally a post office, this morning it was a candy shop."

"Everyone to the Control Center Immediately" and out the door the group of them went, into the elevator and to the top floor, as the door open Fisk started shouting out commands, "Power On, All Blinds Open!" giving the group a view of the entire City, some parts left untouched but others left in ruin. "Sir over here!", "and sir over here!"

Fisk look to were both of his assistants pointed, one towards Stark Industries and the othe To LexCorp, they were the two biggest buildings in this 'new city' apart from his own. "Well it looks like I finally have some competition hahaha"

[Shadow Ranger]

Tony Stark

Location: Stark Tower

Tony closed the data stream as Jarvis' face replaced the data, "Who or what could have done this, sir?" Tony stood up, "I can think of a few beings with the power and gumption to pull something like this off. Why they would, however, is beyond me." He stepped out from behind his desk and walked back to them massive windows overlooking the city, "Jarvis, can you identify the other two massive skyscrapers? The one shaped like a "L" and the one with the Globe on top?" After a few minutes, Jarvis came back, "Unknown. However, I have managed to locate a Stark Industries Global Positioning Satellite." Tony whirled back around his desk, "Create an uplink and see if you can get a clear shot of the front of the 'L' building." Jarvis' floating head nodded and disappeared again as a 3-D image of Earth appeared. The Earth zoomed in to New Metropolis, then further as it scanned the buildings. Once it found what it was looking for, the image zoomed in on the skyscraper in question, displaying a 3-D image of its front, "LexCorp... never heard of them. Jarvis, run an Internet Search on LexCorp and swing the Satellite around to zoom in on the building with the Globe." The image zoomed out to show the city again before zooming back in, this time on the Globed building, "The Daily?" Tony examined the building's structure and brought his right hand up to his chin, "The Daily Bugle? But not... Parts of the building definitely look like the Bugle." A soft whirr hummed for a moment, "Indeed sir. I believe that is a result of the merger. It would seem The Daily Bugle has merged with another newspaper business that occupied the same location in the world that merged with ours. According to Official Records, The Daily has two Editors-In-Chief. J. Jonah Jameson of The Daily Bugle is one. The other is a man by the name of Perry White." Tony continued to stroke his chin and nodded, "I would hazard a guess that White was the Editor of the other Paper... What about LexCorp?"

The Satellite image disappeared to be replaced by an image of a bald man, an air of evil surrounding him, "Alexender Luthor. He goes by the name of Lex. He is the Owner and CEO of LexCorp. According to what little documents survived the merger, Luthor has the reputation of being a very ruthless businessman. It would appear he believes Metropolis to be HIS city." Tony raised an eyebrow, "Metropolis?" Jarvis continued, "Correct sir. Based on data that I have cross-referenced, I believe Metropolis was the city that merged with New York." Tony lowered his hand, "He 'believes' Metropolis to be his city?" The profile shot of Luthor slid aside to make way for a newspaper clipping, The Daily Planet emblazoned across the top, "Well well well... that explains the Globe." The Headline read as follows: Superman Saves Metropolis From Malfunctioning LexCorp Armageddon Failsafes & Countermeasures! The credited author was Lois Lane. Tony sat down in his leather chair, "Superman..." He scanned the article and nodded, "Jarvis, cross--" The newspaper clipping slid up to reveal an image of a muscular man with black hair, a jerry curl, and a large 'S' on the chest of his costume, "Already have sir. Iron Man, meet Superman." He leaned back in his chair, "I don't suppose he survived the merger?" Jarvis' voice returned, "Unknown sir. No sightings of Superman have been reported as of yet." Tony nodded, "So... what else can you tell me about Luthor? And what about his apparent relationship with Superman?" The image of Superman slid down as several other images slid in from different angles. The images were of Luthor, Superman, and Lois Lane. Some of Luthor were of him in a suit, others were of him in some sort of battle armour, "Lex Luthor always seemed to have it out for Superman. He very truly did and does consider Metropolis to be his city and, in all likely hood, feels threatened by Superman. According to the data I've managed to cross-reference, Luthor firmly believes that he should be the city's protector and has gone so far as to create his own super-powered security force, Team Luthor." At that, an image of a squad of armored men and women appeared with the LexCorp Logo on their left pec. Jarvis continued, "It would appear that Luthor was always trying to either discredit Superman or kill him and the citizens of Metropolis would always end up paying for his personal vendetta. Every news article revolving around Superman and Lex Luthor were written either by Lois Lane or Clark Kent, both of The Daily Planet. Of note is that Luthor harbored affections for Lois Lane, but Superman and Clark Kent would prevent that at almost every turn. Also, Mr. Stark, I've come across one fact about Lex Luthor you might find fascinating." Tony nodded, "Lay it on me." All of the images vanished, leaving one, an image of Luthor on the front lawn of the White House, "Lex Luthor, at one point, became the President of the United States. His term was cut short when Superman lead a group of Heroes called The Justice League to expose Luthor's corruptness." Tony leaned back in his chair and tented his hands on his chest in front of his face, "So at every turn, Lex Luthor met shame and defeat at the hands of the man he hates the most... so cliche."

He stood back up and turned toward the window to see smoke billowing up from the ground below, accompanied by the sounds of crashing and alarms blaring, "This City... this New Metropolis is about to be wracked by chaos and confusion. I don't know if Superman is still here... but I know one former Hero that is. He hasn't made an appearance for a while..." He pressed a button on his desk, but nothing happened. He pressed it again and still nothing, "Pepper?" Nothing. He looked down, "Pepper, are you there??" Still nothing. He released the button, "Jarvis, scan the premises for Pepper Potts." After a moment, Jarvis returned, "Miss Potts is not on the premises." Tony's face became a mask of worry, "Pepper..." He whirled around and walked to a large bookcase adorning the back wall, "Jarvis, have my driver bring my Limo around to the front. Oh and prep the Mark III." Tony pulled a book from the highest shelf of the case titled: The Man In The Iron Mask. The book glowed for a second when he held it with both hands, then it clicked. He opened the book to reveal, what appeared to be, an Iron Mask inset where the pages of the book should have been. He brought the mask in front of his face as the eyes lit up. Beams of energy lanced out to scan Tony's irises, then disappeared. He closed the book and slid it back in its slot as the bookcase swung open to reveal a metal door, "Sir? The Mark III? Are you sure? I thought you--" Tony cut Jarvis off as he placed his hand onto the scanner to the right of the metal door, "I did. I changed my mind. I don't know who or what survived this merger of the worlds, Jarvis. And I'm not going to wait around to find out. This city... no this world... whether they like it or not... whether they want it or not... they need HIM... they need... ME." The door slid back as Tony adjusted his suit and stepped in.

The door slid closed as the room descended the length of Stark Tower. He was glad his personal, hidden elevator still worked after all this time. The elevator stopped several levels beneath Stark Tower. The door slid open to reveal a long, metallic hallway, lit by dim lights that were flickering to life. Tony walked the hallway quickly, with a purpose as the lights finally reached full illumination. He turned the corner at the end of the hallway as a large pair of double doors slid open and hissed, allowing various pressurized gases to escape. As the thick gasses faded, Tony step into the room and crossed his arms. There in front of him, encased in a glass tube, was a familiar suit of red and gold armour. He walked up to the glass and placed a hand on it, "I never thought I'd say this again... It's Hero Time." He turned and walked to a door on the right of the room, "Is it ready?" The doors slid open to reveal a gleaming, skin-tight, metallic suit that looked like a suit made of circuits. Tony smiled and reached out for the suit, "Retract." The suit glowed for an instant before collapsing in on the left arm, leaving only what appeared to be a watch. Tony took the watch, pulled his own off, and put the new one on his left wrist. He tossed his watch on the nearest table and left.

Moments later he exited his private elevator in a hidden, secluded area of Stark Tower. He walked the darkened hallway which led to the Elevator Call Room. As he walked out of the Elevator Call Room, he smoothed out his suit and adjusted his necktie. The doorman opened the front doors of Stark Tower and nodded to Tony, "Mr. Stark." Tony nodded back and left his building, "Jarvis, initiate remote link." The face of the watch he now wore lit up as it became linked to Jarvis, "Link established." Tony nodded as the driver held the door to his Limo open, "Where to sir?" Tony ducked into his Limo, "LexCorp Headquarters. The big building shaped like a 'L.'" The driver nodded and closed the door before climbing into the Limo himself and driving off.

[Question]

Ares, God of War

The Kryptonian is gone

Ares' eyes shot open as the psychic message invaded his mind. He closed his eyes once more, briefly piercing the veil of Tartarus to inspect the world that would one day be his dominion.

It was... different.

In a flash of deep purple light and a puff of smoke, Ares teleported to Earth, deciding that the risk of detection by the Olympians was worth the intelligence he could gather.

Ares reappeared in the city known as Metropolis, on the building marked by a large golden globe. Superman spent an inordinate amount of time defending it, but with him gone, it was an excellent vantage point with which to survey the city.

Ares closed his eyes, reading into the psychic aura of the city. Metropolis was like a microcosm of the world as a whole, and the changes here would very likely reflect whatever changes the entire planet had gone through.

Even Metropolis was barely recognizable. Buildings moved, disappeared, replaced. 'New' Metropolis, for lack of a better name, was almost completely different.

And it didn't have a Superman. Nor did Wonder Woman often come here.

The thought of Wonder Woman brought a small smile to Ares' lips. He would plung the world into neverending war... and he would make her his. These were the only two goals in his life. The first goal, however, demanded Ares' immediate attention. With Superman, the most powerful mortal in the world (well, save perhaps the child with the ridiculous lightning bolt emblazoned on his red uniform) gone, the world would be ripe for Ares' plucking.

Ares took a moment to consider his next move. It would have to be made quickly, for fear that the world would repair itself and Superman would return.

Ares would need generals. And allies.

Ares plotted.

[The Grand Kage]

Wilson Fisk

"Mr. Fisk your car is awaiting you at the entrance gate." Repeated the loud voice over the intercom, "Time to explore and conquer", "All of you have the day off, go explore the new city, you know what, while your doing that Map it out for me, I want to know every nook and cranny in this new city." At these words all the staff rushed out of the room leaving Fisk alone too view this 'new city' for him self. "Hmmm, The Daily huh, sounds better than nothing", "Sirrrr, your car?" the long droning voice spoke out again over the intercom. Pressing a button on one of the desks, "I'll be right down!"

Reaching the base of his tower, Fisk made his way to the garage where he kept all his 'cars',upon entering this 'garage' you could see rows upon rows, shelves upon selves of Guns all different kinds. Then right down the back of the Garage was his car collection, "I ain't taking that heap of trash Limo anywhere, time for a bit more style and power" His Customized Nissan 240SX, Opening the door he flew out with a screeching bang, racing up and down the streets of New Metropolis, trying to find his was to the Daily was a more difficult task than he had originally thought, "Ahhh, where is this damn place!!!!".

[GoseiManta]

Lex Luthor

The elevator ride was agonizingly long. A horrible mode of transportation, however teleporter technology still left too much residual energy for Lex to be using on a daily basis. Thankfully though Axel F was playing in the elevator, at least the ride wouldn't be so bad.

"With Superman gone, no doubt a horde of villains will pour into this city. I can't help but feel disgusted by the idea that my city will be over-run by b-rate trash."
Lex sneered as he slid his hands into his pants pockets. His suit jacket simply laying across his shoulders, sort of like a cape.

"I need someone capable of defending the city, yet too kind concerned with the average citizen to consider it's me asking for help."
Lex commented as the elevator doors opened revealing the parking garage. Directly across from him, a parking lot of cars turned to face him. Each being parked on a circular rotating pad. Spot lights fell on each of the cars, until finally, directly across from him, Lex spotted his favorite cruiser. The Mazda Furai (http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2008/klm/2008-Mazda-Furai-Concept-Debut-1024x768.jpg), a concept car from Mazda that Lex had bought and retrofitted with his tech in order to bring it up to his standards.

Lex sat down into the car, and pressed it's push button start. A female voice greeted him as the v16 (That's two V8's slapped together) powered up. Lex knew full well that the Batmobile had nothing on this piece of machinery.

"Mr. Luthor, your ingenious identity security monitoring software has picked up a rapid influx in traffic regarding your background. An initial probe reveals that the protocols enacted to commence such a wide data collection did not originate with the usual suspects. Instead, the protocols appear to have originated from Stark Industries."
The female voice announced. This computer assistant was more or less, NOT AI as it is an actual woman. Though, the voice was also more or less, not human. In the sense that Lex had digitized one of the interns from the MIT that had visited. Imprisoned in LexCorp tech, this personality has no choice but to do Lex's bidding.

"Stark Industries? I've never heard of them. Are you sure you're not confusing it with Wayne Industries?"
Lex asked, knowing the answer, but he wanted to hear the frustration in her voice.

"No Mr. Luthor, it's Stark Industries. An initial scan reveals that Stark's building is less than a block away. Surveillance has picked up a limousine exiting Stark Tower, the headquarters I previously mentioned."

"I see. Do me a favor, as if you have a choice. Hack into the Hall of Justice's tracking system and find Wonder Woman for me, would you?"
Questioned Lex as he shifted the car into gear and idled his way toward the exit of the parking garage, planning to exit, just as Stark's limousine pulled up.

"She's just the hero this city needs."
He commented a wicked grin crossing his lips.

"Yes Mr.Luthor, and what about the limousine. Based on it's rate of speed and dire-"
The computer was interrupted.

"He's on his way here. You see Mercy, he's just like me. A business man, with something to hide, and a curiosity only matched by the ego that drives him to become what he is."
Lex stated as he reached the exit door of the parking garage.

"I'm not Mercy."
The computer corrected.

"You'll be Mercy if you don't want to be deleted.. Now shut up and give me an ETA."
Lex commanded, a slight twinge of frustration in his voice. He missed his assistant. After all, had it not been for her mouth, the real Mercy would've lived. But Lex had to shoot her, in order to shut her moronic mouth up.

"Ten seconds."
Mercy informed, idly.

[Shadow Ranger]

Tony Stark

Location: On The Road --> LexCorp

Tony sat with his shins crossed as he read the data Jarvis acquired regarding Lex Luthor and LexCorp on the built-in screen in the Limo, "What a slime-ball. Fury would have a field day with this." Tony laughed inwardly as he imagined the SHIELD Heli-Carrier flying in and hovering above LexCorp's Corporate Headquarters and Fury apprehending Luthor for any one of the number of crimes he's committed. He sighed, "It's really a shame that the universe that merged with mine doesn't have anyone willing to do what's necessary... I suppose I should be ready for anything with Luthor. Get eyes on the back of my head, as it--" Jarvis interrupted Tony via the mobile link to Stark Tower, "Mr. Stark. There's something you should know about." Tony raised an eyebrow, but kept reading, "What is it Jarvis?" Jarvis returned, "Someone has detected your inquiries regarding LexCorp and Luthor. And that someone is--" This time Tony interrupted Jarvis, "Lex Luthor himself. Of course." Jarvis' complicated algorithms allowed him to feign human emotion, the algorithm he called upon was that for human shock, "You knew, sir?" Tony smiled, "No, but it doesn't surprise me." Jarvis emulated a sigh, "He probably knows you're coming, sir." At that, Tony's smile widened into a grin, "Of course he does. Thank you Jarvis." The driver's intercom beeped at that moment, "Mr. Stark? We've arrived at LexCorp Headquarters. The garage door is open and there appears to be a car moving toward the exit." Tony shut off the screen, "Pull in front of the garage. Cut off the exiting car."

Tony smoothed out his sit and adjusted his tie as his Limo swung around perpendicular to the garage door, cutting it off as Luthor's car crept to a stop a few feet from Stark's Limo. Tony pulled an expensive pair of shades from a nearby container and slipped them on before exiting the Limo. The rear door of the Limo, facing the garage swung open as Tony Stark stepped out. He tugged on his suit jacket once more before walking toward Luthor's car, "Come now Lex. I know that's you in the car. And I know you've been expecting me." He stopped six inches from the car's front grill and smirked, "Why don't you come out and play?"

[Question]

Wonder Woman

"Wonder Woman, thank you so much for coming," the President of the United States (who Question isn't sure is right now, what with the merged universes, so I'm just going to refer to him as Prez) told Wonder Woman, visibly shaking with some combination of relief and stress.

Diana smiled that serene smile she was kind of known for as she walked toward the President's desk in the Oval Office. "Of course, Mr. President. I'm always available whenever you need me."

Prez pressed a hidden button on his desk, lowering a viewscreen behind Diana. She'd seen it many times before, usually when the President asked to meet with the three senior members of the Justice League. It was actually pretty unusual for the President to ask for Wonder Woman alone, possibly explaining his nervous demeanor.

"I'll cut right to the chase. Superman's missing," Prez told Diana, cutting right to the chase like he promised. "Furthermore, our satellite tracking systems indicate that New Krypton itself has vanished." The viewscreen showed what Diana assumed was a real-time video feed of New Krypton's location, on the other side of Earth's sun. "Superman disappearing is always something to be concerned about, but now, with the disappearance of a hundred thousand Kryptonians, each with the powers and abilities of Superman..." The President's voice trailed off here, and the implication was clear to Diana - the President was worried about a sneak attack by New Krypton.

"Mr. President, I spoke with several of the New Kryptonians myself shortly before their new world was built. They're a peaceful, if confused, people, and they would not seek to threaten Earth. Especially not with Superman there to counsel them," Diana assured.

"Still, my people can't ignore the coincidence," the President emphasized that word, presumably for Diana's benefit. Even if she didn't quite see the point. "that New Krypton's disappearance was concurrent with the recent spacial... instabilities detected by S.T.A.R. Labs, WayneTech, NASA, and a number of other scientific research institutions. We can't just ignore the possibility that this is an attack with some sort of hyperadvanced Kryptonian superweapon, perhaps a modification of the Phantom Zone technology."

"Mr. President, with all due respect, that's patently absurd," Diana replied, suppressing any urge she might have had to laugh at the idea. "The New Kryptonians are only interested in re-establishing their society, and living lives free from Brainiac or the Phantom Zone."

"Perhaps a more Kryptonian response to that ideal would be to take a nearby planet, and its infrastructure, from its indigineous species," Prez countered. "The only Kryptonians we've ever met are Superman and Supergirl, and Superman, as far as we know, was raised on Earth."

"And Supergirl was not," Diana replied. "Supergirl has shown nothing but agreement with Superman's ideals, and no signs of a vanguard for planetary conquest."

"That was when she thought Krypton destroyed. Now that she knows her people survive, her priorities may shift," Prez countered again. "But with respect, I didn't ask you here to discuss the United States' thoughts on New Krypton. With Superman missing, we're missing our foremost line of defense against attacks on our nation, and with reality somewhat in flux, we find ourselves particularly vulnerable."

Diana, naturally, knew exactly where this was going. "Of course, Mr. President. Whenever you need me, I'm available."

"That time is now, Wonder Woman." Prez pushed another hidden button, changing the image on the viewscreen. An unnaturally large woman, somewhere on the order of Giganta's enhanced height, was punding on what appeared to be a sports bar in downtown Washington DC. "This woman is apparently from whatever reality merged with our own. She calls herself Man-Killer (http://marvel.com/universe/Man-Killer), and she's been on a rampage for the last hour, destroying what she calls 'the centers of male oppression of women' in the greater Washington area."

Briefly, Diana wondered why the President had bothered arguing about New Krypton when this 'Man-Killer' seemed to be the more immediate threat, but she assumed the President knew what he was doing. "Do we know anything about her beyond her hatred of men and size-altering abilities?"

"She seems to have enhanced strength proportionate to her size, making her a more formidable threat than your Giganta," Prez replied.

Diana bowed slightly to the leader of the free world. "Then if there's nothing else, Mr. President, I should be off."

"And Wonder Woman, if anything else should arise...?"

"The White House has the frequency of my JLA communicator. I'm only a phone call away," Diana replied, smiling.

"Thank you, Wonder Woman. And godspeed."

[GoseiManta]

Lex Luthor

The door of the Furai opened and Lex' right foot met the ground. He stood up out of the car, and slowly shut the door.

"Keep the car running.."
Lex noted before shutting the door completely.

"Aren't you a brute.."
Lex coyly replied to Tony's taunting as he clapped his hands.

"Your limousine is blocking my Furai.."
Lex asserted as he slid his hands into his pockets. Lex relaxed his shoulders. Although the tension Lex was exerting could be cut with a knife.

"Expecting you? Hardly."
Lex chuckled before opening the door to the Furai.

"Move your limousine, I've business else where. New Krypton has vanished and I need to find it.."
Lex announced as he opened the driver's door to the Furai.

----

Superman - Kal-El - Clark Kent

Meanwhile..

Argo City - New Krypton - Location Unknown

Within the halls of what seemed to be the Fortress of Solitude, a lonely figure stands at an alter that appears to be carved from ice, glass, and crystals. A dense fog seemed to spew from all around this alter, and above this lone figure's head, a star scape flashed and rotated in random directions.

"Kal-El, you must rest."
Alura commented resting her hand on Kal-El's shoulder as she approached him from behind.

"I can't right now. Alura, when is Zor-El going to return?"
Questioned Kal-El as he released two Kryptonian crystal globes, which appeared to be floating on twin ice water fountains. He turned and faced Alura before stepping around her toward a crystal spire that appeared to bear the 'S' shield of the house of El.

An uncomfortable silence fell over this great hall. Alura clasped her hands at her waist and calmly shook her head.
"I'm not sure. He is.. Occupied studying the land masses of New Krypton. After all, someone must be charged with the task of mapping this beautiful new world of our's.

"Yes, but he has to come home soon.."
Kal-El placed both of his hands on the shield which promptly began to glow a bright red color, almost hot pink. The spire itself began to glow that same color and again fog began to cover the floor, flowing freely from the base of the spire.

"Are you trying to contact Earth?"
Questioned Alura as she approached him again, crossing her arms under her chest.

"Yes, I'm trying to trigger the alarm system within the Fortress of Solitude. If I can get someone there, I'm hoping I can use the Kryptonian krystals left in the Fortress to walk them through opening up a communication channel."
Kal-El replied as he closed his eyes, calmly leaning into the spire, as if forcing his energies into the spire.

"Perhaps this is permanent? What will you do then?"
Questioned Alura, she has no intention of mocking Kal-El, she just felt all of this effort was fruitless.

"So be it, but at least I'll know how to get back to Earth.."
Kal-El replied with a very dry tone in his voice. He seemed to be annoyed with her question.

"With any luck, this won't be permanent. Like it or not, we need Earth as much as they need us. New Krypton still needs a great deal of terraforming before it can sustain the Earthen material that the Kryptonian crystals bonded to during the formation of the planet while it incubated under the Atlantic ocean. Without that, the ecosystem that has developed here.. Will surely die off."
Kal-El explained as he pulled his hands away from the spire.

"Were you successful?"
Questioned Alura as she sat down on a crystalline arm chair that appeared to rise slowly from the floor amidst a pool of rising fog.

"Yes, the Justice League will be alerted in a matter of seconds. Hopefully the Fortress is still located on Earth. If not, I'm out of ideas.."
Commented Kal-El as he sat down in a crystalline chair that had risen from the floor in a similar foggy fashion.

[Shadow Ranger]

Tony Stark

Location: LexCorp

Tony adjusted the shades on his face and walked toward Luthor as he waved off his Limo Driver, "You can leave. Take the rest of the day off. Explore the city." The driver bowed, hopped into the Limo, and drove off. He stopped at the driver's door and placed a hand on the door's frame as he came face-to-face with Lex Luthor. With his free hand, he pulled his shades off so Luthor could see his eyes, "You don't know me and I don't know you. But, neither of us know this city. I'd say we need all the friends we can get. And right now... I'm the best friend you can have. Besides..." He smirked, "...I have an offer a man like you just won't be able to refuse."