SLASH FIC: Metropolis Boom (1/?) Powerpuff Girls/Superman
Title: Metropolis Boom
Author: Feygan
Fandom: Powerpuff Girls/Superman
Pairing: Boomer/Clark
Disclaimer: I do not own the Powerpuff Girls or Superman.
Home: http://www.darkgesture.com/fanfiction.htm
It was yet another perfectly sunny day in Townsville. Corresponding with the perfect weather were the annoyingly cheerful moods of the common Townsville citizenry. He was probably the only one moping around unhappy.
Brick had passed the Bar exam. He was now licensed to practice law. Butch was happily selling cars to gullible people. And Boomer was the only one without a job or any kind of plan for his future.
The life of a slacker somehow didn't appeal to him, especially since marijuana or any of the harder drugs had no effect on him. He didn't even have the luxury of getting drunk, since alcohol was like water to his superhuman metabolism. It just wasn't fair.
Four years of college should have given him some idea about what he wanted to be, but he was still wallowing in general cluelessness. The fact that he was the only one of the Rowdy's so afflicted just made it worse.
All those years ago when they had decided they were someday going to grow up and be men and needed to start acting like it, they had put aside the "Rowdyruff Boys" and become Brick, Butch and Boomer Rowdy, non-supervillain teenagers. It had taken a lot of effort, but they had caught up to their age group academically and started junior high. From there they had lived the lives of normal teens and had largely ignored the fact that they had been created rather than born. They hadn't really even used their superpowers for anything more than the occasional bread-to-toast breakfast or a bit of ice breath to quick-cool a drink. It was like they were normal, and it was cool.
They made friends. They had fun. And they grew up, graduated high school and went to college, even if Butch only managed to last a year before dropping out and getting the job at the dealership. It was a nice way to live.
It was just that Boomer was realizing how boring their lives were. Brick and Butch were living nine-to-five and Boomer wanted something more than that, but it just wasn't happening.
Maybe he could have become a superhero, but the Powerpuff Women had that role all buttoned up in Townsville and a superpowered freak wasn't really welcomed in any other city. Besides, he had a past as a villain to contend with and even though everyone said that what he'd done as a child was forgiven, he still occasionally felt the condemning stares burning through him.
The people of Townsville were largely good, but that didn't mean they were quick to forgive someone that wronged them. And back in the day, Boomer and his brothers had gone out of their way to break as many laws as possible, up to and including trying to beat the Powerpuff Girls to death and there had been a couple of times when they had even managed it. The Powerpuffs had always bounced back, but that had only been luck.
Looking back, Boomer couldn't believe that had even been him. He just couldn't relate to the little boy whose sole desire was to cause trouble. Sure, he'd been more mischievous than evil, but the damage he and his brothers had done was real.
He had a lot of regrets, but he truly was a different person. He had consciously made the choice to change his life and he was proud of that and wouldn't wish things different.
Boomer of the Rowdyruff Boys was gone, but Boomer Rowdy still needed to get a job.
.
"Why so sad, Boomer me lad?" Seamus O'Flaherty asked as he passed over the hotdog.
Boomer sighed as he paid his two dollars. He took a big bite out of his hotdog before answering. "I need to get a job," he said. "Both Butch and Brick have careers, but I'm still wandering around with my thumb up my ass."
"Now, now, there's no need for that kind of language," Seamus chided.
Boomer sighed and nodded. "Sorry. I'm just really frustrated. I should have my whole life planned out, but I don't have clue one."
"Maybe you're looking at things the wrong way," Seamus said.
"What do you mean?" Boomer asked.
Seamus looked at him seriously. "I remember how you were when you were younger," he said. At Boomer's half-ashamed look, he held up a hand. "I don't care about that, I was just mentioning it so you knew that I knew what resources you have at hand. You have superpowers, it's a fact. So if you wanted, you could pretty much do whatever you wanted to do, even leave Townsville. Heck, you could even leave the world if you wanted."
"Leave the world?" Boomer said. "Now there's an idea. Talk about leaving for somewhere where I'm completely unknown."
He tried not to be, but he couldn’t resist feeling a bit charmed about being completely unknown to a new bunch of people. He could be whoever or whatever he wanted and there would be no one that could deny the truth of it. All together a very nice thought.
To be a new man with no preconceived notions of what he was like hanging over his head would be a nice way to live. He would have no kind of reputation and could make whatever kind of life he wanted for himself. All those suspicious gazes would just melt away and Boomer Rowdy could be accepted as just a normal man.
"You know what?" he said. "That's actually a pretty good idea."
"Huh?" Seamus looked surprised. It wasn't often that anyone took his advice as anything more than the semi-intelligent ramblings of a hotdog vendor. Like the fact that he spent his life selling boiled meat meant that he was automatically relegated to the role of halfwit. They never thought that maybe he liked spending his days outside in the lovely Townsville weather and that he actually made a pretty good profit, selling hundreds of hotdogs a day at $2 a piece. No, to the world he wasn't as smart as the average chipmunk and his advice meant less than nothing. So it was a real surprise to have someone--anyone--listen to him seriously.
"That's actually a pretty good idea," Boomer repeated. "On another world I could make a new life from scratch and be anything I wanted and there wouldn’t be any preconceived notions of my character hanging over my head. Of course, I wouldn't go to another planet, just to another reality, but still... very good advice. Thanks."
He walked off whistling while Seamus O'Flaherty still stood there gaping. Boomer was just so excited.
He had a bunch of plans to make, but it seemed like he had a general plan for the future. He just had to tell his brothers and ready himself for his brand new life.
It was going to be a wonderful adventure.
===================================
Metropolis was a real city, even realer than Townsville somehow. It had a gritty feel to it, though from what he'd already heard about Gotham, it was a veritable paradise when compared to some other cities. Especially that cesspit Blüdhaven.
He'd only been in Metropolis a month, but he'd already gotten himself a job and rented an apartment. He didn't have much in the way of furniture, but it was only a matter of time before he had himself a pretty good life here.
It hadn't taken much real effort to forge himself a history. And now he was in the bank about to open a bank account in order to create himself a future. He felt very proud of himself.
So of course someone had to ruin it for him.
* * *
A random patrol interrupted by the echo of screams, then the blaring wail of silent alarms. The Metropolis National Bank was being robbed.
Clark was feeling depressed. His four year relationship with Lex had just fallen apart, mostly because of all the secrets they both had--Clark's as a superhero alien, and Lex's as a supervillain. So the bank robbery couldn't have come at a better time. He had a lot of frustrations to get out, and here was his chance.
No matter how aggravated his everyday life made him, Clark was always careful to curtail his strength as Superman. Most of the guys he went up against, no matter how evil, had normal human strength and he could easily kill them without even trying. It was a sobering realization.
A lifetime of pretending to be human had drilled control into him, and he always used it. Anything to keep from ever being labeled a freak by the people he tried so hard to protect. And nobody would ever say that he had a messiah complex. That was the last accusation Lex had thrown after him as Clark stormed out of the penthouse.
With his cape fluttering behind him, Clark landed on the bank's front steps, slamming through the double doors with a carefully modulated human strength.
"Stop, Superman," a harsh voice ordered. "Make one wrong move and I'll snap his neck like a twig."
Clark stilled himself, knowing that to human eyes he was suddenly as immovable and lifeless as a statue. "Just let the hostage go and put down your guns. Come quietly and everything will be all right."
The bank robber snorted. "I don't think so, Supes. Ya see, me and the boys here are going to walk out of here untouched. And if you make one move I don't like, this guy's gonna die."
Clark was surprised to see that instead of being terrified, the handsome blond man just looked exasperated. He stood there with the bank robber's arm around his throat and leg jutting between his and rolled his eyes.
Clark had never seen someone whose physical form so typified arrogance. Not even Lex Luthor could pull off such a complete image of superiority.
When Clark met his gaze, the man rolled his eyes again and quietly sighed.
* * *
His luck was unbelievably bad. Just minding his own business and waiting in line to open a bank account and he's taken hostage by an obvious idiot.
"You're kidding me, right? You're going to take me as a hostage?" He couldn’t help the smirk that shaped his lips. "Okay. I like a bit of fun."
Standing in the grasp of the bank robber, Boomer kept his eyes on the blue clad figure posed before them. This was his first up close look at Superman. He'd tried to stay off the hero's radar, but here he was now.
"Don't worry, sir," Superman said, glancing at Boomer. "Everything is going to be all right."
Boomer rolled his eyes at the disposable superhero chatter. It was always the same no matter the hero.
Looking at Superman, Boomer had to wonder, 'What the hell?'
A gorgeous bit of buff dark haired, golden skinned superhero dressed in a blue spandex body stocking, red boots, and a blazing red cape. Boomer had to wonder how anyone could take the guy seriously. The costume was ridiculous.
How anyone could think Superman was straight was a real mystery. From the "S" emblazoned on his chest to his yellow underwear as outerwear, it was obvious that Superman was gayer than a three dollar bill.
Boomer stood still in the bank robber's grasp, accommodating the directional nudges he was given. If he hadn't wanted it, there was no way the man could have moved him, but he wanted to see how this situation was handled. Superman was no Powerpuff Woman and it showed.
"I advise you to let him go and give yourself up," Superman said.
The robber made a sound of derision. "Tell me Supes, has that ever really worked for you or do you think I'm stupid enough to be the first?"
Superman got a determined look on his face and blurred into action. He moved so fast that no normal human could have seen him.
Which made it a bit of a surprise when the bank robber tossed Boomer out of the way--and across the room--so he could grip Superman in a headlock. The superhero almost immediately got out of it, but it had happened.
"Looks like I'm not as easy as you thought," the robber taunted. "I used to work for Lex Luthor. There was a bit of an accident and, well, I got some very powerful new skills."
Boomer, with his superhearing, was probably the only one that heard Superman mutter, "Shit."
Then stuff really started happening.
Lounging on the floor where he had fallen, Boomer watched interestedly as Superman and the here-as-yet unnamed bank robber got into it: superhero versus guy with superstrength and near invulnerability. The guy couldn't fly, but he could really do some damage to the normal humans that hadn't run away yet.
The robber's buddies were standing with their guns aimed at the hostages while they watched their leader take on Superman. One was laughing maniacally as he joggled around. "Yeah man, yeah man, go, go, GO!"
Boomer shook his head and turned his attention back to the fight. It was obvious that Superman was going to win. Years of superhero experience had let him pick up some tricks that a guy just gaining superstrength couldn't match.
As Superman was getting him in a painful looking arm lock, the guy suddenly twisted and jerked his necklace from around his neck, popping a secret latch. Radiant green light flooded the area around the two figures.
Superman suddenly seemed to sag. Sweat burst out of his face and his arms trembled with stain. Black veins pulsed across his grey-cast skin.
"Working for Luthor, you find out a few things. Like what can make Superman squirm. It would be so easy to kill you now." He pulled out of Superman's weak grasp and stepped away.
Without the support of someone to hold onto, Superman fell to his knees. It looked painful for him to lift his head to look at the bank robber. He opened his mouth to say something, but a hissing gasp was all that came out.
A mean smirk twisted the bank robber's face. "Hurts to be this close to a chunk of rock, don't it?" He laughed and slammed a fist into Superman's face with a CRUNCH of broken bone.
Superman fell limply backward, his crushed nose awash in blood. He couldn't even bring up his arms to block as the guy drew back his leg for a powerful kick.
It was obvious that whatever the green light was, it sapped Superman's strength to the point of helplessness. And now this guy was going to take advantage of that weakness and beat Superman to death.
"What's the deal, big blue?" Boomer demanded, climbing to his feet. "You were so taking this guy."
Superman tried to turn his head, but he was too weak. Whatever that light was, it was sending jolts of pain through him.
Realizing that Superman was totally out of it, Boomer shrugged. "Whatever." He jumped into the air and flew toward the bank robber, slapping him back and away from Superman.
"It's kind of weird helping the good guys, but my therapist suggested I try new things." BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! He slammed his fists into the guy's body, easily beating the crap out of him without using even a fraction of his strength.
"You really picked the wrong bank to rob today," Boomer said, breaking the man's arm just above the elbow. He laughed at the sound of splintering bone, a thrill going through him at being able to hurt someone. "I was happy just being Joe-normal, but you had to mess with that. It kind of makes me a little angry." He broke the guy's leg with a step-twist of his foot. "Angry enough that maybe I should just finish you. There's no reason to give you the chance to escape from prison and try for revenge. That was always the Powerpuff's mistake. If it was me, I would have just killed Mojo-Jojo before he could do some of the really bad shit he came up with. But I guess the death of the Professor taught them the error of their ways."
Boomer clamped his hands on each side of the man's head, braced his knee in the guy's spine, and began to twist.
"Stop!" The voice was ridiculously weak, but it snapped with authority.
Boomer turned his head to look at Superman. The hero had managed to make it to his knees and was trying to pull himself across the floor to save the life of someone that had just tried to kill him. Typical superhero insanity.
"This yahoo was about to kill you," he said. "Why the hell do you want to save him for? He's a complete waste of space."
"I... I don't kill people. That's what separates me from the bad guys that I try to stop," Superman gasped.
Boomer raised an eyebrow. "And what do your morals have to do with me? I'm not trying to be a superhero. I'm just... having fun and trying to lend you a hand."
"If you kill him, then I'll have to bring you in to the police," Superman said, his muscles trembling convulsively.
Boomer shook his head and sighed. "That's what's so stupid about you hero types. You spend so much time saving people from villains, then saving the villains from themselves that you lose all touch with reality. This asshole was going to kill you. After he's locked up, he's just going to break out and come after you again, and maybe next time he'll really kick your ass."
"Still. Please, please don't kill him," Superman said.
Meeting Superman's eyes, and seeing the pleading words he would never say aloud, Boomer sighed and released the bank robber. "Whatever. I'll let him live just because you asked me."
He focused on the necklace around the guy's neck and a red beam shot out of his eyes. The chunk of green rock disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving no trace behind.
"There," Boomer said. "You take care of him now."
He stepped back and crossed his arms, watching to see what was going to happen now.
As soon as the rock was taken out of the equation, Superman was on his feet and superspeeding around the room, snatching the guns out of the hands of the other bank robbers and tying them up with rope that he got from somewhere. Then he stood over the superstrengthed bank robber and frowned down at him for a moment, probably checking him out with his X-ray vision.
"Call the police," Superman said, turning to look at the bank manager. The guy nodded quickly and ran off to do just that.
"Well, looks like the fun's done here," Boomer said. "I really don't think I want to do business with this bank though. I don't want my money to get stolen." He started heading toward the doors.
"Wait," Superman called, walking after him with that straight backed, stick-up-his-ass walk of his. "Who are you?"
Boomer looked over his shoulder at him and smiled. "I don't think I'll be telling you that just yet. Maybe later. If you ask nice."
He zipped off at his fastest speeds, moving so fast that the buildings of Metropolis trembled at his passage. He was careful to curtail his wake though, not wanting to start any fires or destroy the pavement beneath his feet. It had taken him years to learn how to compact the bubble of force that surrounded him when he traveled at superspeeds so that he didn't end up destroying the world around him.
So that was Superman, Boomer thought. He was kind of cute.
He smiled.
Let me know what you think. I'll try to get you some more soon.
Author: Feygan
Fandom: Powerpuff Girls/Superman
Pairing: Boomer/Clark
Disclaimer: I do not own the Powerpuff Girls or Superman.
Home: http://www.darkgesture.com/fanfiction.htm
It was yet another perfectly sunny day in Townsville. Corresponding with the perfect weather were the annoyingly cheerful moods of the common Townsville citizenry. He was probably the only one moping around unhappy.
Brick had passed the Bar exam. He was now licensed to practice law. Butch was happily selling cars to gullible people. And Boomer was the only one without a job or any kind of plan for his future.
The life of a slacker somehow didn't appeal to him, especially since marijuana or any of the harder drugs had no effect on him. He didn't even have the luxury of getting drunk, since alcohol was like water to his superhuman metabolism. It just wasn't fair.
Four years of college should have given him some idea about what he wanted to be, but he was still wallowing in general cluelessness. The fact that he was the only one of the Rowdy's so afflicted just made it worse.
All those years ago when they had decided they were someday going to grow up and be men and needed to start acting like it, they had put aside the "Rowdyruff Boys" and become Brick, Butch and Boomer Rowdy, non-supervillain teenagers. It had taken a lot of effort, but they had caught up to their age group academically and started junior high. From there they had lived the lives of normal teens and had largely ignored the fact that they had been created rather than born. They hadn't really even used their superpowers for anything more than the occasional bread-to-toast breakfast or a bit of ice breath to quick-cool a drink. It was like they were normal, and it was cool.
They made friends. They had fun. And they grew up, graduated high school and went to college, even if Butch only managed to last a year before dropping out and getting the job at the dealership. It was a nice way to live.
It was just that Boomer was realizing how boring their lives were. Brick and Butch were living nine-to-five and Boomer wanted something more than that, but it just wasn't happening.
Maybe he could have become a superhero, but the Powerpuff Women had that role all buttoned up in Townsville and a superpowered freak wasn't really welcomed in any other city. Besides, he had a past as a villain to contend with and even though everyone said that what he'd done as a child was forgiven, he still occasionally felt the condemning stares burning through him.
The people of Townsville were largely good, but that didn't mean they were quick to forgive someone that wronged them. And back in the day, Boomer and his brothers had gone out of their way to break as many laws as possible, up to and including trying to beat the Powerpuff Girls to death and there had been a couple of times when they had even managed it. The Powerpuffs had always bounced back, but that had only been luck.
Looking back, Boomer couldn't believe that had even been him. He just couldn't relate to the little boy whose sole desire was to cause trouble. Sure, he'd been more mischievous than evil, but the damage he and his brothers had done was real.
He had a lot of regrets, but he truly was a different person. He had consciously made the choice to change his life and he was proud of that and wouldn't wish things different.
Boomer of the Rowdyruff Boys was gone, but Boomer Rowdy still needed to get a job.
.
"Why so sad, Boomer me lad?" Seamus O'Flaherty asked as he passed over the hotdog.
Boomer sighed as he paid his two dollars. He took a big bite out of his hotdog before answering. "I need to get a job," he said. "Both Butch and Brick have careers, but I'm still wandering around with my thumb up my ass."
"Now, now, there's no need for that kind of language," Seamus chided.
Boomer sighed and nodded. "Sorry. I'm just really frustrated. I should have my whole life planned out, but I don't have clue one."
"Maybe you're looking at things the wrong way," Seamus said.
"What do you mean?" Boomer asked.
Seamus looked at him seriously. "I remember how you were when you were younger," he said. At Boomer's half-ashamed look, he held up a hand. "I don't care about that, I was just mentioning it so you knew that I knew what resources you have at hand. You have superpowers, it's a fact. So if you wanted, you could pretty much do whatever you wanted to do, even leave Townsville. Heck, you could even leave the world if you wanted."
"Leave the world?" Boomer said. "Now there's an idea. Talk about leaving for somewhere where I'm completely unknown."
He tried not to be, but he couldn’t resist feeling a bit charmed about being completely unknown to a new bunch of people. He could be whoever or whatever he wanted and there would be no one that could deny the truth of it. All together a very nice thought.
To be a new man with no preconceived notions of what he was like hanging over his head would be a nice way to live. He would have no kind of reputation and could make whatever kind of life he wanted for himself. All those suspicious gazes would just melt away and Boomer Rowdy could be accepted as just a normal man.
"You know what?" he said. "That's actually a pretty good idea."
"Huh?" Seamus looked surprised. It wasn't often that anyone took his advice as anything more than the semi-intelligent ramblings of a hotdog vendor. Like the fact that he spent his life selling boiled meat meant that he was automatically relegated to the role of halfwit. They never thought that maybe he liked spending his days outside in the lovely Townsville weather and that he actually made a pretty good profit, selling hundreds of hotdogs a day at $2 a piece. No, to the world he wasn't as smart as the average chipmunk and his advice meant less than nothing. So it was a real surprise to have someone--anyone--listen to him seriously.
"That's actually a pretty good idea," Boomer repeated. "On another world I could make a new life from scratch and be anything I wanted and there wouldn’t be any preconceived notions of my character hanging over my head. Of course, I wouldn't go to another planet, just to another reality, but still... very good advice. Thanks."
He walked off whistling while Seamus O'Flaherty still stood there gaping. Boomer was just so excited.
He had a bunch of plans to make, but it seemed like he had a general plan for the future. He just had to tell his brothers and ready himself for his brand new life.
It was going to be a wonderful adventure.
===================================
Metropolis was a real city, even realer than Townsville somehow. It had a gritty feel to it, though from what he'd already heard about Gotham, it was a veritable paradise when compared to some other cities. Especially that cesspit Blüdhaven.
He'd only been in Metropolis a month, but he'd already gotten himself a job and rented an apartment. He didn't have much in the way of furniture, but it was only a matter of time before he had himself a pretty good life here.
It hadn't taken much real effort to forge himself a history. And now he was in the bank about to open a bank account in order to create himself a future. He felt very proud of himself.
So of course someone had to ruin it for him.
* * *
A random patrol interrupted by the echo of screams, then the blaring wail of silent alarms. The Metropolis National Bank was being robbed.
Clark was feeling depressed. His four year relationship with Lex had just fallen apart, mostly because of all the secrets they both had--Clark's as a superhero alien, and Lex's as a supervillain. So the bank robbery couldn't have come at a better time. He had a lot of frustrations to get out, and here was his chance.
No matter how aggravated his everyday life made him, Clark was always careful to curtail his strength as Superman. Most of the guys he went up against, no matter how evil, had normal human strength and he could easily kill them without even trying. It was a sobering realization.
A lifetime of pretending to be human had drilled control into him, and he always used it. Anything to keep from ever being labeled a freak by the people he tried so hard to protect. And nobody would ever say that he had a messiah complex. That was the last accusation Lex had thrown after him as Clark stormed out of the penthouse.
With his cape fluttering behind him, Clark landed on the bank's front steps, slamming through the double doors with a carefully modulated human strength.
"Stop, Superman," a harsh voice ordered. "Make one wrong move and I'll snap his neck like a twig."
Clark stilled himself, knowing that to human eyes he was suddenly as immovable and lifeless as a statue. "Just let the hostage go and put down your guns. Come quietly and everything will be all right."
The bank robber snorted. "I don't think so, Supes. Ya see, me and the boys here are going to walk out of here untouched. And if you make one move I don't like, this guy's gonna die."
Clark was surprised to see that instead of being terrified, the handsome blond man just looked exasperated. He stood there with the bank robber's arm around his throat and leg jutting between his and rolled his eyes.
Clark had never seen someone whose physical form so typified arrogance. Not even Lex Luthor could pull off such a complete image of superiority.
When Clark met his gaze, the man rolled his eyes again and quietly sighed.
* * *
His luck was unbelievably bad. Just minding his own business and waiting in line to open a bank account and he's taken hostage by an obvious idiot.
"You're kidding me, right? You're going to take me as a hostage?" He couldn’t help the smirk that shaped his lips. "Okay. I like a bit of fun."
Standing in the grasp of the bank robber, Boomer kept his eyes on the blue clad figure posed before them. This was his first up close look at Superman. He'd tried to stay off the hero's radar, but here he was now.
"Don't worry, sir," Superman said, glancing at Boomer. "Everything is going to be all right."
Boomer rolled his eyes at the disposable superhero chatter. It was always the same no matter the hero.
Looking at Superman, Boomer had to wonder, 'What the hell?'
A gorgeous bit of buff dark haired, golden skinned superhero dressed in a blue spandex body stocking, red boots, and a blazing red cape. Boomer had to wonder how anyone could take the guy seriously. The costume was ridiculous.
How anyone could think Superman was straight was a real mystery. From the "S" emblazoned on his chest to his yellow underwear as outerwear, it was obvious that Superman was gayer than a three dollar bill.
Boomer stood still in the bank robber's grasp, accommodating the directional nudges he was given. If he hadn't wanted it, there was no way the man could have moved him, but he wanted to see how this situation was handled. Superman was no Powerpuff Woman and it showed.
"I advise you to let him go and give yourself up," Superman said.
The robber made a sound of derision. "Tell me Supes, has that ever really worked for you or do you think I'm stupid enough to be the first?"
Superman got a determined look on his face and blurred into action. He moved so fast that no normal human could have seen him.
Which made it a bit of a surprise when the bank robber tossed Boomer out of the way--and across the room--so he could grip Superman in a headlock. The superhero almost immediately got out of it, but it had happened.
"Looks like I'm not as easy as you thought," the robber taunted. "I used to work for Lex Luthor. There was a bit of an accident and, well, I got some very powerful new skills."
Boomer, with his superhearing, was probably the only one that heard Superman mutter, "Shit."
Then stuff really started happening.
Lounging on the floor where he had fallen, Boomer watched interestedly as Superman and the here-as-yet unnamed bank robber got into it: superhero versus guy with superstrength and near invulnerability. The guy couldn't fly, but he could really do some damage to the normal humans that hadn't run away yet.
The robber's buddies were standing with their guns aimed at the hostages while they watched their leader take on Superman. One was laughing maniacally as he joggled around. "Yeah man, yeah man, go, go, GO!"
Boomer shook his head and turned his attention back to the fight. It was obvious that Superman was going to win. Years of superhero experience had let him pick up some tricks that a guy just gaining superstrength couldn't match.
As Superman was getting him in a painful looking arm lock, the guy suddenly twisted and jerked his necklace from around his neck, popping a secret latch. Radiant green light flooded the area around the two figures.
Superman suddenly seemed to sag. Sweat burst out of his face and his arms trembled with stain. Black veins pulsed across his grey-cast skin.
"Working for Luthor, you find out a few things. Like what can make Superman squirm. It would be so easy to kill you now." He pulled out of Superman's weak grasp and stepped away.
Without the support of someone to hold onto, Superman fell to his knees. It looked painful for him to lift his head to look at the bank robber. He opened his mouth to say something, but a hissing gasp was all that came out.
A mean smirk twisted the bank robber's face. "Hurts to be this close to a chunk of rock, don't it?" He laughed and slammed a fist into Superman's face with a CRUNCH of broken bone.
Superman fell limply backward, his crushed nose awash in blood. He couldn't even bring up his arms to block as the guy drew back his leg for a powerful kick.
It was obvious that whatever the green light was, it sapped Superman's strength to the point of helplessness. And now this guy was going to take advantage of that weakness and beat Superman to death.
"What's the deal, big blue?" Boomer demanded, climbing to his feet. "You were so taking this guy."
Superman tried to turn his head, but he was too weak. Whatever that light was, it was sending jolts of pain through him.
Realizing that Superman was totally out of it, Boomer shrugged. "Whatever." He jumped into the air and flew toward the bank robber, slapping him back and away from Superman.
"It's kind of weird helping the good guys, but my therapist suggested I try new things." BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! He slammed his fists into the guy's body, easily beating the crap out of him without using even a fraction of his strength.
"You really picked the wrong bank to rob today," Boomer said, breaking the man's arm just above the elbow. He laughed at the sound of splintering bone, a thrill going through him at being able to hurt someone. "I was happy just being Joe-normal, but you had to mess with that. It kind of makes me a little angry." He broke the guy's leg with a step-twist of his foot. "Angry enough that maybe I should just finish you. There's no reason to give you the chance to escape from prison and try for revenge. That was always the Powerpuff's mistake. If it was me, I would have just killed Mojo-Jojo before he could do some of the really bad shit he came up with. But I guess the death of the Professor taught them the error of their ways."
Boomer clamped his hands on each side of the man's head, braced his knee in the guy's spine, and began to twist.
"Stop!" The voice was ridiculously weak, but it snapped with authority.
Boomer turned his head to look at Superman. The hero had managed to make it to his knees and was trying to pull himself across the floor to save the life of someone that had just tried to kill him. Typical superhero insanity.
"This yahoo was about to kill you," he said. "Why the hell do you want to save him for? He's a complete waste of space."
"I... I don't kill people. That's what separates me from the bad guys that I try to stop," Superman gasped.
Boomer raised an eyebrow. "And what do your morals have to do with me? I'm not trying to be a superhero. I'm just... having fun and trying to lend you a hand."
"If you kill him, then I'll have to bring you in to the police," Superman said, his muscles trembling convulsively.
Boomer shook his head and sighed. "That's what's so stupid about you hero types. You spend so much time saving people from villains, then saving the villains from themselves that you lose all touch with reality. This asshole was going to kill you. After he's locked up, he's just going to break out and come after you again, and maybe next time he'll really kick your ass."
"Still. Please, please don't kill him," Superman said.
Meeting Superman's eyes, and seeing the pleading words he would never say aloud, Boomer sighed and released the bank robber. "Whatever. I'll let him live just because you asked me."
He focused on the necklace around the guy's neck and a red beam shot out of his eyes. The chunk of green rock disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving no trace behind.
"There," Boomer said. "You take care of him now."
He stepped back and crossed his arms, watching to see what was going to happen now.
As soon as the rock was taken out of the equation, Superman was on his feet and superspeeding around the room, snatching the guns out of the hands of the other bank robbers and tying them up with rope that he got from somewhere. Then he stood over the superstrengthed bank robber and frowned down at him for a moment, probably checking him out with his X-ray vision.
"Call the police," Superman said, turning to look at the bank manager. The guy nodded quickly and ran off to do just that.
"Well, looks like the fun's done here," Boomer said. "I really don't think I want to do business with this bank though. I don't want my money to get stolen." He started heading toward the doors.
"Wait," Superman called, walking after him with that straight backed, stick-up-his-ass walk of his. "Who are you?"
Boomer looked over his shoulder at him and smiled. "I don't think I'll be telling you that just yet. Maybe later. If you ask nice."
He zipped off at his fastest speeds, moving so fast that the buildings of Metropolis trembled at his passage. He was careful to curtail his wake though, not wanting to start any fires or destroy the pavement beneath his feet. It had taken him years to learn how to compact the bubble of force that surrounded him when he traveled at superspeeds so that he didn't end up destroying the world around him.
So that was Superman, Boomer thought. He was kind of cute.
He smiled.
Let me know what you think. I'll try to get you some more soon.