Comments | jla_watchtower: At L'Eclair, a fine bistro in Metropolis

jla_villains in jla_watchtower

At L'Eclair, a fine bistro in Metropolis

Mar 15, 2006 14:39

Merlyn sips his espresso and sighs contentedly. There aren't too many places in America where you can get really decent coffee, but this is one of them.

He looks around idly. Surely Superman won't be late. He's Superman after all.

nite-lite, oracle, camilla marlowe, dr. mid-nite, lois lane, merlyn, calculator, superman, flash wally west

Comments 101

_man_of_steel_ March 15 2006, 20:11:52 UTC

Of COURSE Superman won't be late. He is Superman.

What he is NOT, though, is in obvious costume. He's wearing faded blue jeans and a Gotham Knights hooded sweatshirt, with the back slightly puffed out. To a trained eye like Merlyn's, he would think 'tucked cape', although not obviously so. His boots, however, are visible. It's fairly apparent his costume is under the civvies, though.

Superman sits down. "Next time, try E-Harmony, you'll get someone cuter."

jla_villains March 15 2006, 20:15:01 UTC

He smiles, genuinely amused.

That's good. You don't have a reputation for being funny, but that's really quite good.

He waves at the waitress, who brings over a steaming chai with milk.

I heard through the grapevine you like chai, so I went ahead. Don't worry, there's no Kryptonite in it.

_man_of_steel_ March 15 2006, 20:18:56 UTC

"You're not that obvious. You have a reputation for being slightly more honorable than the average thug." He pauses, then turns to the waitress. "Actually, I'd like a cup of Guatemala Antigua, please, 2% milk and three Splenda's on the side, thanks."

He turns his attention back to Merlyn. "So what's your interest in Ms. Lane? Or should I say, your employer's?"

jla_villains March 15 2006, 20:23:02 UTC

He raises his espresso in salute at the compliment, sips, and lowers his drink.

My interest is - well, it doesn't pay to advertise going rates to your side, but suffice it to say I am being extremely well compensated. Ms. Lane has evaded a number of attempts. As you well know, considering you stopped them. So I tripled my usual fee for this one.

As for my employer's, that's their business, you understand.

Thread 19

jla_villains March 16 2006, 15:55:49 UTC

A shimmering, and suddenly he's at the end of the street.

His eyes pick out a number of thugs looking at him, attempting to convey menace. It isn't really working, so far as he's concerned.

The target is apparently in that doctor's office at the end of the street. Amazing that his guess was correct, and he wonders momentarily why she'd be visiting a doctor so distant from Metropolis, but dismisses it as unimportant.

Time to work.

_man_of_steel_ March 16 2006, 16:03:39 UTC

Superman lands in a small village, where the hypersonic whine is strongest. Without giving the villagers any time to react, he lands in front of the makeshift school and sweeps the area with X-ray vision.

He finds the bomb roughly five feet underground. A spin and dig later, he emerges with it, and disconnects the wires with a flash of heat roughly two seconds before explosion.

He's already in the air. "Flash, meet me in Cairo. Green Lantern, wait for about two more stops after that and meet me there."

fleet_feet March 16 2006, 16:52:49 UTC

The Flash is on the move instantly. You don't ignore a call from Big Blue.

_man_of_steel_ March 16 2006, 17:40:53 UTC

This time it was set up in the marketplace, in the den of one of the more notorious criminal parlors of the land. Biff, wham, pow, again, two seconds to spare.

As he heads out towards the desert, he catches Flash on the way.

And despite the dire situation, he can't help but say it.

"Flash, I need you to make my pants out of goes fast."

Thread 28

midnite_md March 17 2006, 15:13:43 UTC

The bow's a lot more aggressive than he'd thought, and the doctor is driven back, his own armored chest plate suddenly cleaved apart as he staggers back, trying to maintain his balance.

And that's when the owl swoops down to attack from behind, to snap the quiver off of Merlyn's back.

jla_villains March 17 2006, 15:30:24 UTC

The owl was unexpected, and he rolls away from it easily - and comes up shooting backwards over his head, a spread of bolts. He just needs a few more seconds...

midnite_md March 17 2006, 15:41:55 UTC

DAMMIT!

An arrow catches him in the right shoulder, spinning him around on his precariously balanced feet and dropping him too quickly... dammit.

Aside from the pain, his first thought is that he won't be able to patch up Nite-Lite's boys if he dies here... and his second thought, after potential death occurs to him, is Dinah.

jla_villains March 17 2006, 15:57:02 UTC

He doesn't waste any more time on Mid-Nite beyond a second arrow and a third, both aiming for the leather shoulderpads to pin him in place, then twists around and nocks a final arrow.

Lane is in his sights. Time to finish it.

He releases...

Thread 39

jla_villains March 18 2006, 01:33:55 UTC

He flickers into a studio apartment he keeps in Djakarta, and immediately picks up a secured comm.

Calculator, this is Merlyn. I need a 'port to the Crime Doctor. As soon as possible, please. Payment from the Caymans account.

jla_villains March 18 2006, 01:35:21 UTC

Fifty thousand being routed. Stand by for teleport - I'm signaling the Doc that he's got incoming in two minutes. Can't do it faster. Mirror Master's not available at the moment and Faust can do it but he needs to set up the ritual.

Pause.

So I'm guessing the job went south, huh?

jla_villains March 19 2006, 23:00:11 UTC

Somewhat. Superman was faster than anticipated - I laid down that network of bombs, all eighty, only told him about three-quarters of them, and he still made it just in time to save the target's life. Another two seconds would have made the difference.

He smiles nonetheless.

Good thing I warned Miss Reyes that payment would be half in advance, non-negotiable, no refund on case of failure...

jla_villains March 19 2006, 23:00:29 UTC

Yeah, that's going rate for anything where Superman or Batman might be the opposition these days. Starting to see a lot of jobs demand that for Wonder Woman too. Can't fight inflation.

Faust? Okay, Merle, stand by for 'port on my mark... Mark.

Thread 5

_loislane_ March 18 2006, 19:22:57 UTC

As she and Superman fly toward safety and away from the spot where Mid-Nite and company helped Superman safe her life, Lois pokes out her tongue at the Last Son of Krypton and notes, "Something like that. Hey...did you say Hal and Wally? What the heck happened, anyways? And Fuentes was responsible?"

_man_of_steel_ March 18 2006, 19:26:23 UTC

"I can't prove it, but it's the only thing that makes sense. It's not like Merlyn didn't already have ties to Costa Linda as part of Deathstroke's group. I really should have a chat with Ollie about where all this is going."

"Yeah. Basically, Merlyn set up what he said was about 50-60 bombs worldwide with 30 second timers as each one was dissolved. It was intended to keep me busy long enough to kill you. But Wally juiced me up with Speed Force to make my pants out of goes fast, then I had Hal analyze the bomb makeup and have his ring find them all, including the 20 or so extra past the 60 he had set in the base of the Planet building."

_loislane_ March 18 2006, 19:30:20 UTC

"Great, so you think I've got a Latin American dictator trying to kill me? Terrific." Lois is in the process of mulling over that fact when the rest catches up with her. "Wally did WHAT?"

_man_of_steel_ March 18 2006, 19:33:02 UTC

"You're one of worlds most famous reporters doing a SERIES on all the caca Fuentes is trying to do. Now you see why I wanted to go to Costa Linda?"

"Oh yeah, he lent me some of the Speed Force. Made me go really really fast. It's one of the only reasons I beat that arrow Merlyn shot at you." A pause. "I've got great friends."

Thread 10