//------------------------------// // Man of Steel, Part II // Story: Spiders and Magic: Dimensional Crisis // by MetalJrock //------------------------------// The doors to LexCorp were busted open, them launching across the room and banging onto a wall. Spider-Man was the first to be seen, his leg stretched out. "Time to make a house call!" he shouted, putting his leg down. Batman and the others followed Peter inside, noticing that the company was strangely empty. Twilight looked around, "How could someone like Lex be able to have his own company?" "Money." Logan answered, "Even the most rational of people turn a blind eye fer some greens. Most of 'em anyway... There're some who have a brain and know of his deeds to destroy Superman. This is just one example." "He was president at one point, leading the entire country." Batman added in a stoic tone. "How could someone like him rule a nation?" Luna huffed, "Your worlds confuse me sometimes..." "You and me both, Luna." Spider-Man sighed, sticking to a wall and climbing to the ceiling. "I'm gonna scout ahead and make sure Lex didn't leave us a parting gift or something. I'll be back in a jiffy!" he shouted, crawling through the dark hallway. 'Spider-Sense isn't going off, which is a good sign.' he thought. He turned around, hopping off his perched hising spot. "All clear." "How can you tell?" Twilight asked him, "You only moved three feet away from us." "Spider-Sense." Peter bragged. Batman scowled, "One of these days you're going to lose that sixth sense of yours. What are you going to do if you ever lose it?" he questioned the spider. Peter shrugged, pausing to think. "Train? I dunno. What? Does your super Bat-detective skills tell you something is wrong? Like your instincts always do?" he wondered. "I swear you have like a Bat-Sense or something like that." Batman walked ahead of Peter, "It's better to be wary of your surroundings in enemy territory. Especially an enemy as smart as Lex Luthor." he scolded. "The last thing we need right now is to be caught off guard by something just because you didn't sense anything." he droned on. Twilight crossed her arms, "That sounds a little cynical. What if Lex didn't expect us to come here?" "He would. This is where Superman is at. Of course he'll have somethin' to keep us out." Logan responded, sniffing the air. "I smell something off... I can't tell ya what it is exactly." "You had to prove me wrong, Logan?" Spider-Man groaned jokingly. Wolverine managed a smirk, "Someone had to do it." "Then you haven't met Twilight. She thinks she's--" Peter began to joke, unprepared for the sharp pain ringing in the back of his head from his wife's palm. "Ow!" he moaned, rubbing the aching spot near his neck. "Nevermind." "What were going to say about me?" Twilight asked through gritted teeth. "That you're the best wife anybody could ask for?" Peter wondered aloud, a sly smile seen on his face as he wrapped his arms around Twilight's waist. "And you're the best husband ever." Twilight answered, lightly stammering, surprised by Peter's sudden response. Logan gagged, "Get a room, bub." he teased, patting Peter on the shoulder. "Yeah, seriously! There may be children watching!" Deadpool scolded loudly, raising his arms in an exaggerated manner. "Think of the children, dude!" "Would that even matter right now?" "Who cares! We have a rating to keep!" "What rating?" Deadpool ignored his inner voices, nudging Logan's shoulder. "Hey, Wolvie. Why'd you need me here anyway?" "I told ya. Don't call me Wolvie." Wolverine mumbled, raising his middle claw to the Merc with a Mouth. Luna rolled her eyes, while Peter chuckled. "I don't understand the hatred for such a name." she mumbled. The group continued on, Wolverine using his heightened senses to ensure that they were safe. "I dunno... Somethin' is wrong. We gotta be careful." Spider-Man nodded, "Yeah..." he then clenched his head, "My Spider-Sense is starting to go nuts!" Twilight placed a hand on the young man's shoulders, seeing that he was now tense. "Do you know what's triggering it?" the sorceress asked. The sound of rumbling got their attention. The heroes ran into another room. A brightly lit room thanks to the window at the corner. They did their best to shield their eyes from the glare. Except Peter, who continued to hold his head. "What was that?" Luna asked, the princess raising a hand and readying a spell. "It's nothin' pleasant that's fer sure." Wolverine growled, unsheathing his claws. A roar got their attention. Twilight also readied a spell for self-defense. Batman growled, his mind racing through possibilities. "No... They didn't..." he muttered in disbelief. "Didn't what?" Spider-Man asked. Loud footsteps were heard and felt. Small tremors were noticed by the heroes. Spider-Man's eyes widened as did Twilight. The wall-crawler hopped in front of everyone else with Batman. A pale spiky foot was seen first stepping into the room. A clawed hand gripped the wall, cracking it. The figure was a large pale spiky creature the size of the Hulk and Grundy. Wolverine held out his claws in front of him while Deadpool pointed his guns ahead while Luna hovered. "Doomsday." Batman hissed. Doomsday stretched his arms, roaring loudly. He charged ahead at the heroes. Luna shot a laser from her hand, knocking Doomsday back before he could rear his fist. She hopped in front of Spider-Man. "You three find the Superman! We will face this Doomsday!" she ordered the superheroes. "What? Luna! Are you crazy? This guy killed Superman before!" Spider-Man shouted. "This... being killed the Superman?" Luna questioned, "Then how is he still alive?" Spider-Man shrugged, trying to cover Doomsday in webbing. "Us superheroes have a nasty habit of coming back from the dead. You should know, you did it to me before!" he explained, kicking Doomsday, the sound of cracking was heard as his foot collided with his face, and even Peter winced in grief. Twilight used her magic to lift Peter away from Doomsday right as he raised his arms, almost crushing Spider-Man. "How powerful is Superman compared to this monster?" she asked. "One of the most powerful men across our worlds. He is capable of almost anything." Batman replied, using his Gel Launcher, he aimed a shot at Doomsday, then detonated it, creating a small explosion, which the monster roared in response to feeling. "At first I thought he would abuse his power, and use it to take over our world." 'Oh boy, here comes the monologue.' thought Peter. He jumped up and punched Doomsaday. Wolverine grunted, using his claws to try to tear into the boney protrusions on Doomsday's body. "I believed that even if there was a one percent chance he was a threat, I took it as an absolute certain. But..." Batman continued, "Despite his incredible power, he is to be respected. He only uses his power to help others as I learned. But him..." he glanced at Doomsday, "He is a remorseless monster. He can stand against Superman, and has killed him once before. The best we can do is take him offworld, but we'll need Superman in order to get him far enough away." the Dark Knight explained. "Honey, you, Luna and Wade should take this outside, where there's more room to fight. Have the others make sure this doesn't become a Metropolis invasion." Spider-Man ordered. "We'll go on and find Superman!" Twilight looked at Peter, "Alright. Hurry up please!" "We will." Logan grunted. The three of them ran ahead, but not before Batman could land another blow with his Gel Launcher, creating another explosion. Deadpool cheered, "Aw yeah! I'll do the honors!" he ran ahead toward Doomsday. The monster tried to attack him, but Wade teleported above him, slamming his fists hard on his head, but another crack was hard. Deadpool raised his arm, seeing his dislocated hand. "Aw man..." he moaned, he used his other hand to fix it, another loud snapping sound echoed. "You are a repulsive creature." Luna mumbled, pushing back Doomsday with Twilight. "She's not wrong." "No! We're the definition of cultured!" Twilight shook her head, "It was a mistake bringing him." she whispered to Luna. "But he is useful." "Damn skippy, I am!" Deadpool shouted, jumping off Doomsday. "Hey, mister spiky bones! Say cheese!" he shouted, kicking Doomsday. Everytime Doomsday tried to attack, Wade teleported, each punch pushing the both of them closer to the glass wall. Deadpool reared his fist back, punching Doomsday once more, shattering the window. He too jumped down while Doomsday fell. "WHEEEEEE!" Twilight ran ahead, "Oh come on!" she shouted, revealing her wings. Luna began to reveal hers as well, ans the two jumped down, chasing after Wade and Doomsday. Spider-Man 2099 tapped his foot, "The things that I do..." he muttered, annoyed that he's on the sidelines at the moment. "It's not that bad, Miguel." Sunset told him. Miguel sighed, "I got benched, Sunset. I should be out there!" he pointed at LexCorp. He placed a hand on his head, "And Lex is still somewhere out there in Equestria..." Sunset frowned, "They're safe with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Nightwing, and Quicksilver there. Rainbow Dash and Applejack should be out of the hospital tomorrow and our friends can handle themselves. They'll be fine, even if Lex revealed himself." "You mean like how you handled Loki and the shocking Chituari?" Miguel snapped. "What about them?" Sunset questioned, crossing her arms. Spider-Man 2099 raised a hand, "He just showed up out of nowhere! Of course he'd use those bitheads he called allies to distract most of us! But without your magic, you were defenseless! Brock, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Kaine couldn't have handled all the work!" he shouted, but then he went to a whisper, "I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you." he muttered inaudibly. Confused, Sunset leaned closer to O'Hara, "W-What did you say?" she wondered. Remaining silent, Miguel inhaled, his eyes widened underneath his mask, 'Why the shock did I say that?' he thought. "N-Nothing. Just thinking aloud." he studdered. 'Hm... I gotta talk to Parker about what's on my mind later on.' Suddenly, Ben hopped next to the tel, wrapping his arms around the two. The Scarlet Spider chuckled, "Am I interrupting you lovebirds?" he teased with a light chuckle. Sunset stammered, "No... W-We're not." "The shock are you talking about?" Miguel shouted. Scarlet Spider laughed, "This. It feels great being back!" The three walked ahead to Bobby, Johnny, Barry, and Spike. "So, Ben? What's your story?" Johnny asked, "Peter mentioned you were his clone as well as Kaine. Wished we were there." "Me too, honestly. I'm another clone, turned into a spider-monser, Eddie turned me back, I donned the costume, and that's pretty much it." Ben swiftly explained. "The hell?" Bobby questioned. Ben waved a hand, "Ah, just go with it, got'cha." Spike lowered his head to talk, "While we're sitting here bored out of our minds... What about you two? Peter was really excited to see you two again." "Oh yeah. Before Peter went to your world, the three of us got along perfectly. Started off as a rivalry, but he became family to is, don't tell him I said that. The three of us were Amazing Friends." "Technically, it was Peter, me and Firestar who were amazing friends. But Firestar went her own way, and Johnny filled that void." Bobby elaborated. "The three of us were the new Amazing Friends." "Do you have like a team name for everything? Cause if so, there's a guy named Cisco I want you to meet." Barry chuckled. "I imagine they do, knowing Peter." Sunset teased. "Yeah, add Deadpool with us three. Everyone called us Team 'Shut Up Already'." Johnny laughed. "Peter, Miguel, Kaine, Eddie, and myself are called the Spiders." Ben revealed. "Everyone gets a team name." he declared. "When I was on Earth we were called the Harmony Avengers." Spike also revealed. "Speaking of... Where's Black Cat and Ant-Man at? They should've gotten out by now." "Maybe they're waiting to make a comeback knowing those two." Johnny said. Spider-Man 2099 lowered his head, "What the shock did I get myself into?" he whispered. "It's fine, Miguel." Sunset assured. "I gotta agree with O'Hara, I'm getting bored too." The Flash agreed. "So? We're just gonna wait here--" Spike was cut off by the sound of glass shattering above him. Pieces of clear glass fell onto the ground. The Flash ran around, creating a small whirlwind to ensure that no one got impaled. He stopped, as the glass lowered gently onto the ground. "Nevermind..." the dragon sighed. "Son of a glitch!" Miguel shouted, looking up. The future Spider saw a large creature falling toward the ground, Deadpool standing on top of him with his arms crossed and Twilight and Luna flying toward them. "What the shock is that!?" "Oh crap." Barry whispered in disbelief. The Human Torch and Iceman backed away, allowing the Flash to use his hands to spin a small tornado to catch the giant creaure, or at least slow their descent. The monster fell on its back, with Deadpool poking his nose. "Boop. You're not a lovable pony, but you will do for now." the mercenary laughed. Doomsday growled, grabbing Wade by his head and threw him aside. "Doomsday." Barry hissed. "Who?" Johnny asked, seeing Twilight and Luna land next to their group. "A creature powerful enough to stop Superman, apparently." Twilight explained, "At least, that's what Peter and Batman said." Luna shot at Doomsday, "We have to hold him off until Superman can dispose of him." "Great. Now we're stalling. This just gets better and better." Miguel said sarcastically. He and Sunset were the first to leap, ready to attack Doomsday. Barry dreaded this, knowing first hand what this creature was capable of. Spider-Man looked back for a second, "Oh man, I hope they're fine." he muttered. "Doomsday doesn't kid around. My leg is still sore." he quietly whined. "They'll be fine." Logan growled his assurance. "It won't be fer long, bub." he added. "All Justice League members to Metropolis, this is Batman. Doomsday is here. Any and all members hurry." Batman ordered through his communicator. "Give them a minute." "Now, anything at all?" Logan asked. Batman gave him a silent nod to Logan's question, using his Detective Vision to scan the immediate area. "Wait a second..." he slowly walked forward, placing a hand on the wall. "This is lined with lead, which can't be scanned by my cowl or even Superman's X-Ray vision. Why didn't I see this before?" he wondered aloud. "Because Lex hid him in the most obvious spot? He's a bigger dumbass than I took 'em for." Logan admitted. Batman pressed his hand on the wall again, a small segment of it sinking in. Spider-Man watched as a secret door opened itself. "That's not weird at all." he gulped, seeing a staircase. The three nontheless walked down the stairs, entering a small laboratory. "Yeah, not weird at all." he repeated. Batman scowled, "This must be where Lex was hiding Superman and Doomsday." he turned his head, seeing a window. He walked closer, his eyes narrowing at the red glare. Spider-Man and Wolverine looked as well. "There." he pointed. The heroes saw a man, tied in a strap-jacket, unable to move, only able to eat from a mechanical claw. His eyes were bagged, and an eternal frown was on his face. "He's trapped under a room with a light as powerful as a Red Sun, which weakens his abilities and can kill him if over exposed. Luckily, it seems Lex only used enough to weaken him. Once we get him out, the sunlight should bring him back to full strength." he explained. "We should get his attention. Show him that even though he's down. The world can still hope." Spider-Man decided. He tapped his knuckles on the glass, getting Superman's attention. "Yo, Supes! We finally found you, don't worry!" he comforted. "S-Spider-Man...?" Superman questioned, "I-I thought you were in another world." "I'm back. But I'm not alone. Got Wolverine and an old friend of yours." Peter said. Superman managed a smile, seeing who it was, "Been a while, Bruce." "The world needs you, Clark. Just give me a minute, and I'll deactivate the miniature Red Sun." Batman responded, using his Cryptographic Sequencer to begin the process.  Spider-Man rubbed his neck, "I feel calm, but why is my Spider-Sense going off?" he asked himself. Suddenly, a clanging sound was heard, surprising the heroes. Superman turned around, wondering what was happening, only seeing gas. "God damn it!" Logan shouted in between coughs, "Nerve gas! Get outta here, kid!" he ordered, collapsing on the ground after a clanging spund was heard. 'Oh man. His healing factor can't work if his lungs and brain can't function. How did whoever did this know?' Peter thought, looking for Batman while holding his breath. He saw Batman already on the floor. 'Oh no... I gotta find the guy who did this quick! I can't hack this in time!' his brain shouted, shaking the unconscious Batman. "Spidey! Look out!" Spider-Man was unprepared for a slam to the back of his head, knocking him out as well. Superman scowled at the person standing on top of Batman, seeing the gas mask covering his smile. "Oh, sorry for the hopeful moment and being late, but I had to make a quick detour before I got here!" "Joker." Superman growled. "Who else!?" Joker shouted, lowering himself to face Batman, who was still. "Now look, Batsy! This war is over, starting with you and your friends here! What a riot!" he laughed, raising himself before looking at Wolverine.  "I even got through to the furball!" Joker taunted, slapping Logan's face with no reaction from the mutant. "Wade wishes he could do this." he said. Then, he walked to Spider-Man, declaring one last thing to the wall-crawler. "After so long, we could have a rematch. And I. Win. Again!" the Clown Prince of Crime laughed. "I'm gonna have so much fun!" he carried the bodies on by one to his destination, Superman unable to do anything at the moment. A small smile was seen on his face anyway, "They'll do it. I was a symbol of hope, but now I can place my hope on someone else. Glad to know they handled things while I was gone."