fin
"all i do is finesse, man."
TITANS
LORE
GENESIS.Early 2000's.
For a long time superheroes were simply fictional beings plastered on the faces of comic books and television. The faint whispers of powered individuals inhabiting the Earth inspired stories like these, but the small fraction of enhanced beings were either living in hiding or captured by the government for further testing.
Except for the event sparked in 2002. S.T.A.R. Laboratories was a Central City scientific institution unconnected by government or business interests. The building washed in and out with the brightest minds ranging from astrophysics to molecular biology. It was the purest form of scientific imagination, and perhaps the truest example of Icarus' Story.
The Particle Accelerator was a project headed by Professor Edward Thawne and his team (Francisco Ramone, Caitlyn Frost, Ronald Raymond, and Silas Stone) of scientists with a mixture of expertise. Harnessing the form of energy discovered by Thawne, Anti-Matter, they hoped to solve the energy crisis much to the dismay of the darker side of world politics. Ever speculated to be sabotaged, or perhaps overly ambitious, whatever the matter was, things did not go as planned during its unveiling. The Particle Accelerator exploded, releasing a wave of anti-matter energy throughout Central City and its neighbours (Keystone City and Vermont).
Those afflicted by the wave had their DNA modified on a molecular level and were imbued with abilities beyond imagination. Nowadays they are dubbed "Bang Babies."
Their very strength invited challenge.
Some used their newfound abilities for good, and others to exercise their heart's evil desires. Crime rates increased with said newfound power, but a new hope leaped to combat it. Vigilantism and heroics rose in the face of such dangers, and the world was finally introduced to the likes of Superman, Batman (although Gotham suffered a deep-rooted evil long before), Flash, and Wonder Woman.
Metahuman and Vigilante Registration acts were made mandatory by world governments, but the gravity of powered individuals made some wary of making their identities known, even to the government. Instead, the world soon grew accustomed to masked threats powered or non-powered that were capable of mass destruction.
DOOM'S DAY.July 18th, 2014.
The Day of Doom is not one easily forgotten in the history of Metropolis, and the world as a whole. The story of the catastrophic monster simply dubbed "Doom" was one that began a millennia in the past. Several years before the feral beast would terrorize the Metropolis, New York, and go toe to toe with the Superman.
Doomsday's initial arrival was propped up in the center of Metropolis. The monster was quickly met by the efforts of the Justice League, although only the Man in Red and Blue could ever truly combat the beast. Doomsday was thwarted, but not without the loss of countless civilian lives. Although Superman was seriously injured, no heroes were killed in the attack. The world had never seen their resident Boy Scout struggle. It cast a fear that would linger for years to come.
Except that Doom's presence on Earth was simply not coincidental. A black out struck the Western Hemisphere some short hours after the Beast's containment. All communications, however sophisticated, were abruptly shut off. The extraterrestrial carrier had cast a massive shadow above Metropolis and New York City. It would mark the true beginning of the Day of Doom. Headed by a sentient humanoid alien with green skin, Vril Dox (Benedict Cumberbatch) arrived with only one purpose: To kill the last Kryptonian. Doom had been a failed effort, but he would be there to finish what he had began.
Vril Dox's army was a mixture of humanoid androids, drones, and green-skinned aliens with technological enhancements. His army decimated what was left of Metropolis while the weak efforts of the Justice League and their cohorts evacuated any remaining civilians. Incapacitated after the previous battle against Doom, Superman was absent during the first hours of the invasion.
The Martian Manhunter and the Batman were able to board Vril Dox's ship. After their covers were made, they confronted Vril Dox's and questioned the nature of his arrival on Earth. Several years ago there was a world like our own, Colu, the homeplanet of Vril Dox. Colu was one of many planets destroyed by Doom, a Kryptonian effort to create the ultimate life-form and guardian. The being responsible for their own planets' demise. Vril Dox was able to recover, and plan his vengeance. After taming Doom, he set his sights on Earth, where interstellar chatter had made him aware of a Kryptonian's presence.
Alas, the duo were also made aware of the presence of the Motherbox. Ancient technology that was created by a race of technologically advanced, god-like extraterrestrials. It was technology with the rumored capacity to create new worlds. This was all explained to them by Scott Free, a universal thief with a spotty moral compass who'd stolen the Motherbox from a tyrant far greater than Vril Dox. Now a trio, Manhunter used telepathic abilities to free them, and Batman along with help from Scott Free found and used the Motherbox to open an interstellar boom tube above the Big and Second Apple.
In timely manner, a rested Superman inspired by Lois Lane and fueled by the sun, forced the carrier into space. With it, Doom.
Still, the Earth had faced two calamities that day. Surviving civilians could not help but wonder whether or not having a hero of Superman's strength was protecting them from danger, or inviting it.
THE MOTHERBOX.Post Doom's Day.
Salvaged from Vril Dox's alien warship was the Motherbox, a renowned interstellar bounty and technological wonder.
Under the supervision of Bruce Wayne and Silas Stone, the Motherbox was researched in a secret operation known only to both Wayne and Stone. It was revealed to be sentient, at least partially, and capable of recognizing its host- or master. The Motherbox was a very submissive piece of alien technology, a living computer that was far more developed than its small, brick-like appearance. In spite of rerouting, or rearranging its systems, the Box's programs remained fully functional.
The Motherbox quite literally generated and manipulated Anti-Matter energy on a scale that far surpassed Edward Thawne's calculations, the man who'd discovered this kind of energy several years prior.
Deeming it a weapon and far too dangerous in the wrong hands, Bruce Wayne ordered it be hidden away. Nevertheless, it was already too late. Somewhere between its separation from Vril Dox's ship and its transportation down to Earth, a beacon alert ever so faintly had already reached the darkest depths of space. The World-Ender was on his way.
JIM OLSON || DAILY BUGLE, STAFF WRITER.
Superman, 2015.
THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN
November 13, 2025.
The world is in mourning at the death of Superman, the selfless guardian that's served the Earth for years.
Superman's shocking death came at the hands of the second extraterrestrial terrorist known to man, Darkseid, seeking to invade and conquer the Earth. The Justice League, their affiliates, and the UN were all present at the scene. All were operating in tandem in hopes of vanquishing a foe that was supposedly beckoned by alien technology in the League's possession. The alien warlord was apparently summoned by the foreign technology acquired during Braniac's invasion in 2014.
Yet, despite their best efforts, even the most brilliant minds have proven that power to that extreme spells nothing but destruction. The death count from Darkseid's attack is not yet known globally, but is estimated to be in the millions.
Metropolis was the pinpoint of the destruction; the country's second time as the target of a devastating alien invasion. Civilians were evacuated by vigilante and government forces. Even still, millions of lives were lost there too, and the destruction can be seen from space. The world mourns Metropolis.
There is much deliberation concerning the status of the Justice League, and whether or not government intervention will be present in their unmonitored operations.
"It just doesn't make sense," Governor Lex Luthor said at the recent press release about the city's devastation. "Keep supporting the League? They called the damn tyrant, they destroyed my city, and we're supposed to keep supporting them? When was the last time there wasn't thousands of casualties, or millions of dollars in damage when they start stomping around? The time for heroes is over. We need to rebuild ourselves and our communities, not empower dangerous lunatics with superpowers any further."
Silas Stone, one of the primary associates of the Justice League and a of the survivor's of Darkseid's attack, was not available for a comment. Neither was any other Justice League members, or any of the responsible parties.
In a time when we need them most, for some explanation after so many years vowing to protect the world, how could they leave us now? Speaking personally, I can see where the resistance is coming from. Maybe the time for heroes is over?
Lex Luthor is scheduled to have an emergency meeting with the President next week. After, a global conference is in the works with the United Nations to discuss amends, and next plans of action.
