[Third Person Pov]
"Anyways, as fun as this little meeting was, I have something very important to acquire before I can officially begin my conquest to take over the world. Toodle-loo!" Technus declared, wiggling his fingers tauntingly at the group. He phased straight through the nearest wall, cackling as he vanished from sight.
Danny let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He turned toward Superman with an exhausted, apologetic expression. "I would first like to sincerely apologize—"
"You can save that for later," Superman cut in, already stepping toward the wall Technus disappeared through. "Right now, we have to stop him from reaching the Tachyon Capacitor and upgrading himself." He placed a hand on Danny's shoulder, and with the ghost boy's help, they both phased through the wall in quick pursuit.
They emerged into what resembled a high-end display chamber, the room illuminated by cold white lights. Rows of pedestals showcased devices of every shape and function, ranging from prototype micro-reactors to half-finished alien tech conversions. Holographic information screens hovered beside each item, flickering with blue readouts. In the center of the room, housed behind a transparent containment field, sat the Tachyon Capacitor—no larger than a motherboard.
Technus floated before it like a pilgrim before a holy relic. His hands phased effortlessly through the containment barrier, gripping the device before lifting it triumphantly over his head. "Ha-ha! It is mine!" he announced, as arcs of electricity danced up his arms. "Next step—WORLD DOMINATION!!"
Before Technus could revel any further, Danny materialized upside-down above him like a mischievous bat and snatched the Tachyon Capacitor clean out of his hands. "Thank you verrry much~!" he chirped, phasing away in a blink. He reappeared next to Superman a heartbeat later. "I got it!"
"MY TACHYON DEVICE!" Technus shrieked, voice cracking. He lunged through the air, reaching out desperately. "Give it BACK! It's supposed to be mine!"
Superman flew forward to intercept him, holding out an arm. "You shouldn't take what doesn't belong to you," he lectured firmly—only to suddenly stumble midair. A sluggish heaviness washed over him, dragging his movements down in a way entirely unnatural for the Man of Steel.
Technus' eyes flashed with malicious delight. "No one is getting in my way!!" he roared.
From behind his back, he produced a Morningstar crackling with sharp, oscillating waves of electricity—clearly supercharged and ghost-enhanced. He swung it at Superman with shocking speed.
Superman raised his forearm to block, but the moment the weapon made contact, a violent explosion of static detonated through the room. The blast sent him rocketing backward like a fired cannonball.
Danny barely had time to blink.
Superman shot past him as a blue-and-red blur, smashing through the wall with a bone-rattling boom, followed by the sound of another wall breaking… and another… and another.
He finally crashed outside the laboratory, colliding with a parked truck. The metal caved inward, perfectly molding to his shape. Superman groaned, peeling himself out of the twisted vehicle. He rubbed his jaw, testing it with a slow swipe of his tongue along the inside of his cheek. "That… that hurt…" he muttered in genuine disbelief.
Back inside, Danny stared wide-eyed at the destruction path carved by Superman's body. Then he looked back at Technus—who now seemed a lot more dangerous than your average tech-obsessed ghost villain.
"Now," Technus hissed, extending his hand toward Danny. Static crackled violently across his fingertips, and Danny felt a sudden tug—the Capacitor being pulled toward the ghost like a magnet. "Give me what's mine."
Danny tightened both hands on the device and planted his feet firmly on the floor. "Not happening!" he shot back. His hand darted to his utility belt, pulling out a small canister. With a flick, he activated it, unleashing a swirling green cloud of ecto-smoke that immediately filled the room.
Technus charged, swinging his electrified Morningstar blindly through the haze. The weapon whistled through empty space. "Where are you?! Show yourself!"
He stopped, eyes narrowing. He reached out with his senses—and felt the faint, unmistakable pull of the Capacitor above him. He snapped his gaze upward just in time to see Danny's ghost tail disappearing into the ceiling.
"GRRAAH!" Technus howled.
A wave of his hand sent a surge of energy blasting through the display room. Every piece of technology within his sphere of influence trembled violently before bursting out of their casing. Screens shattered, plating ripped open, wires curled into the air like serpents.
One by one, the pieces assembled themselves into floating humanoid constructs—Technusbots, each shaped in Technus' own likeness, each glowing with bright green circuitry.
"AFTER HIM!" Technus commanded, pointing upward. "And retrieve my Tachyon Device!"
The Technusbots activated instantly, eyes lighting up as they phased through the ceiling in pursuit. More pieces of machinery ripped free of their mounts and swirled around Technus, orbiting him like a mechanical halo. He didn't use them yet—they were clearly being kept in reserve.
And with a snarl of frustration, Technus rocketed upward, his Technusbots close behind him, all racing to reclaim the device Danny now carried.
Superman was seconds away from re-entering S.T.A.R. Labs when something streaked across his peripheral vision. He paused mid-flight, eyes narrowing. Danny shot out of the building like a comet, the Tachyon Capacitor tucked safely on his person—right before a swarm of ghostly, neon-green robots poured out after him, rising in a cloud like mechanical hornets.
A moment later, Technus himself erupted into the sky, dragging behind him a storm of loose technological components: plating, wires, processors, entire machine casings. The tech orbited him like a chaotic metallic aura.
Superman didn't waste a second.
He accelerated instantly, breaking the sound barrier with a sharp thunder-crack. For a moment he was nothing but a streak, a blur of blue and red racing through the air. He overtook Technus effortlessly and planted himself directly in the ghost's path.
Twin beams of heat vision erupted from Superman's eyes—bright, focused, and slicing through the air like a pair of burning spears.
Technus barely had time to register what was happening before the beams slammed into his chest. The impact hurled him backwards like a ragdoll. He crashed into the open road with explosive force, carving a long trench through asphalt as chunks of black pavement erupted around him in a plume of smoke and debris.
Civilians screamed in terror. Cars screeched to a halt. Glass storefronts rattled. Fear shot through the crowd like a rippling wave.
Before Superman could capitalize, Technus suddenly vanished—phased cleanly into the ground, disappearing beneath the surface like a ghostly shark diving into the ocean.
Superman inhaled sharply and switched his senses. His pupils dilated as he filtered his view into the electromagnetic spectrum, scanning for abnormal energy signatures. His head whipped around—there! A streak of bright ectoplasmic energy soared behind him.
Technus reemerged high in the air, smirking triumphantly. In a sweeping gesture, the revolving tech around him expanded and morphed, snapping and folding into shape until two colossal, truck-sized speakers hovered beside him, each thrumming with an ominous charge.
"I remember who you are, Superman!" Technus announced gleefully. "My special friend told me everything about you… and all your weaknesses!"
With a thunderous clap of his hands, the speakers activated.
The sonic blast was instantaneous.
The soundwave ripped through the neighborhood in a violent ring. All windows within several blocks detonated outward in a chorus of shattering glass. Cars flipped, skidding across the pavement like kicked toys. Buildings trembled as cracks split up their sides. Civilians were blown off their feet, tumbling like rag dolls.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!" Superman bellowed, agony ripping through him. He clamped both hands over his ears, as he curled inward, overwhelmed. The scream was raw, primal—pain he rarely ever felt.
His vision blurred. His eyes watered uncontrollably. He tried firing a counterblast at the speakers, but Technus simply phased them aside, cackling as Superman's beams scorched only empty air.
---
Meanwhile, Danny tore through the city sky at over a hundred miles per hour. Buildings blurred past him in streaks of color, the wind howling in his ears. Behind him, every last Technusbot locked their targeting systems onto him, unleashing precise emerald energy blasts.
Danny weaved through the barrage, twisting, flipping, and corkscrewing through the air. His brows knit tight in concentration as he let instinct guide every movement. The Tachyon Capacitor was already tucked into the pockets of his suit—safe, but far from secure.
He threw his hands forward and conjured a glowing green energy platform in front of him. He planted his feet on it mid-flight, letting his momentum twist him into a tight spin. As he rotated, he wound back his arm, ecto-fire swirling around his fist like a green inferno.
The platform shattered behind him like glass as he launched himself straight at the incoming swarm.
Energy beams grazed past his face—hot, crackling streaks—but Danny didn't flinch.
His fist connected with the first Technusbot.
The explosion was instant.
A roaring bloom of green fire and twisted metal engulfed the air. The shockwave blasted the remaining robots backward in a chaotic ripple, momentarily clearing the skies around Danny.
Burning fragments of android rained down like mechanical ash. Danny held his fist up, smoke and glowing embers curling off his knuckles. He blew the lingering heat away with a smirk.
"I almost feel bad for you guys," he said casually, "I don't have to hold back on any of you."
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