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—
Metropolis
Tomorrow Expo
Claire rolled to the side to avoid the stall the tin can villain pursuing her had thrown as she led him to the tower.
She didn't know if the whole thermal shock plan would work; Metallo didn't even flinch from all the heat she and Supergirl had exposed him to.
But just in time, Superman joined the fray.
"Sorry, I am late. There was a traffic accident."
Claire snorted. Of course there was. "Glad you could join us, boy scout. We need to heat his body as much as possible and lead him to the tower over there."
"Got it."
One final turn, and they arrived at the EnviroCorps stall. The tower was covered in frost, and the temperature noticeably dropped near it.
"Keep heating him up!" Miles shouted, standing ready to engage the modified tower after sending Victor away.
Claire's flames, combined with the heat beams of Superman and Supergirl, stopped Metallo in his tracks, and the villain's body began to glow red.
"Now." Miles shouted, and Claire jumped out of the way, and Miles pressed the button, running away from the tower as a cryo beam pushed out of the open panels over the main coolant line, covering Metallo entirely, and freezing asphalt down to the end of the street, and the small buffet too.
Even encased in a giant block of ice, it didn't take Metallo long to break out, having pulverized the ice.
"Do you think ice could stop me?!" Metallo's scream was accompanied by his body groaning due to the thermal shock, and as he tried to walk, joints warped under the stress, the rapid and violent expansion and contraction creating microfractures, and entire sections of his plate began to snap and splinter apart.
Three steps and Metallo was lying on the ground, his left arm having splintered and fallen off, his back plates gone, exposing the inner circuitry.
The supervillain was still alive, and Miles approached to assess the situation and take the chunk of kryptonite from Metallo's chest.
The situation with the kryptonite was getting ridiculous. At this rate, every two-bit mugger in Metropolis would be carrying a chunk of the supposed-to-be rare crystal.
"Claire, help me."
They pushed Metallo on his back, and Miles grasped the kryptonite where it was embedded in the chest section, pulling it out in chunks as it too was damaged due to the thermal shock.
He put the kryptonite chunks into a briefcase, taking it away before the authorities came for Metallo and the government had another weapon to use against Superman and Supergirl.
"What are you going to do with that?"
"We need to find a lead-shielded box or something else that could block the radiation. You can go and throw it in the sun afterwards."
"Okay, I'll go find one now." Superman blitzed away, anxious to get rid of the kryptonite as fast as possible.
And just in time, the government decided to make an appearance, late as always. An agent in a suit came out of the lead SUV, quickly approaching the downed cyborg.
"Take him away; make sure he is well restrained." Four men rushed out of the truck at the command, lifted Metallo onto a gurney, secured him with thick metal restraints, and then rolled the cyborg into the vehicle.
One of the agents inspecting the melting ice walked up to the man in charge. "Sir, the kryptonite is missing."
The agent in question turned to Miles. "Excuse me, have you seen any green glowing crystals around here?"
Miles pointed to the sky in the direction where Superman had flown off to. "I believe Superman just left with them, something about throwing it to the sun."
"I see, and what is inside that briefcase?" The agent was suspicious of Miles' calm demeanor at having a villain attack the expo.
"Confidential files related to my business as the owner of EnviroCorps." The agent wouldn't be able to conduct a search, especially before Superman returns, and they would be forced to retreat.
"Sir, we are ready to leave." The lead agent frowned and turned around to get back into his vehicle.
Just as fast as they came, the government packed up and left with Metallo in tow, and Superman returned once they were out of sight.
"Where is Metallo?"
"The government took him away, and they wanted the kryptonite too. Seems like they aren't fans of yours." Various organizations within the US government made regular plans to replace or kill Superman, all because neither he nor the rest of the Justice League were under their control.
"The government? Why?"
Superman didn't know the problems the government would cause, especially Cadmus.
"Isn't it obvious? They want to have weapons to use against you."
"But…"
Displeased at having to fight a villain so closely, Miles cut Superman's sentence off, not in the mood for his naivety. "But what? You are a hero? You save lives? I can assure you, they don't care. As far as the government higher-ups are concerned, you are a dangerous variable not under their thumb. You could be a saint, and they would still look for a way to kill you."
Clark cast his eyes down, wordlessly leaving the lead container on the ground and stepping away.
Miles opened the lid and poured the contents of the briefcase inside and closed it for Superman to take it away.
"A piece of advice: don't leave your, or her, DNA lying around, no matter the circumstances." While Superboy was a hero, Galatea and a myriad of other clones of Superman didn't tend to share that disposition.
And who knows what else the government could do with Superman's DNA?
Clark took barely a second to realize what Miles was insinuating. "They wouldn't, would they?"
"The United States government employs people who don't believe in innocence, ethical values, or moral lines not to be crossed. They absolutely would." Amanda Waller was chief among them, but Miles wouldn't utter her name to Superman.
"Here I was having a good day so far."
—
The Cryo Tower brought for the expo would have to be scrapped since it had gone way beyond its operational parameters, and the extreme temperatures turned it into a giant block of ice.
On a positive note, using the tower to defeat Metallo had resulted in excellent publicity.
Mary had even given an interview to Lois Lane; the heroic actions of the scientist and her staff in assisting Supergirl and Superman had made the headlines, and interest in EnviroCorps had surged like a flood.
Superman had disposed of the kryptonite by throwing it to the sun as suggested, since any other method was liable to leave residue.
Miles and Claire had left the scene quickly to avoid having their faces plastered on the evening news.
—
Central City
Mark Mardon, a.k.a. the Weather Wizard, was a fool of the highest order. Having the technology to control the weather, instead of using it to start rains on states facing droughts in return for a hefty fee, he chose to try and extort the government.
He could have gone even bigger, offering aid to countries like China and India in return for millions, perhaps even billions of dollars, or to African countries for their raw resources, such as diamonds and gold.
Miles wouldn't make the same mistake.
So right now, he was busy tracking the Weather Wizard.
The device he used during the charity race between Superman and Flash had been destroyed, but as it was his brother who created the tech, Mark should still have the schematics.
No need to let such a valuable technology collect dust in his hands.
But finding Mark was proving to be hard after he escaped from prison, with no leads on where he was, so Miles instead chose to go for the next best option, Mark's brother, Ben Mardon, the creator of the weather control device.
Locating him was a far easier endeavor.
Knocking on the door, Miles waited for the man to answer.
"Yes?" A soft-spoken man in a high-collar blue t-shirt and large glasses opened the door, looking at them from the small gap.
"Ben Mardon?" Miles asked to be sure, since seeing someone in a cartoon wasn't quite the same as real life.
Ben closed the door a bit, no doubt ready to bolt inside if he feels danger. "That's me. How can I help you?"
"I am here regarding your creation of the weather control device." Miles went straight to the point, because he had wasted enough time trying to locate Mark.
Now Ben was extremely suspicious. "Are you with the government?"
Miles shook his head. "Believe me, the government would have knocked your door down with a battering ram and dragged you away in cuffs to a secret research facility. No, I am here because we share a vision."
Perhaps not so violent, but organizations like Cadmus would not waste time having a conversation on the doorstep.
"What vision?"
"The vision of using technology for the betterment of mankind."
Ben opened the door, inviting Miles and Claire inside. "Come in."
—
Ben was a gracious host and had brought them some of the tea he had brewed for himself. "What exactly do you want from me?"
"I want you to make another weather control device to combat the environmental issues the people of the world face." The younger Mardon brother was an idealist who wanted to help people, and Miles would give him exactly that.
"Why should I believe you?" Ben was burned once, by his brother no less, and wasn't in the mood to take a stranger's words for it.
Miles pulled out his phone to show some photos to Ben. "Have you seen the Cryo Towers, the ones meant to cool down entire cities to fight the rising global temperatures?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with you?"
"I happen to be the founder of EnviroCorps." Miles showed him the photo he had taken with the staff after the expo to commemorate the rather adrenaline-filled experience.
"Oh."
"What I am offering you is a job. Come work for EnviroCorps to build a better future for humanity, just as you had wanted."
"I… still haven't found a way to generate ionic energy to power the device." Miles remembered it being necessary to power the device, which was the whole reason for the charity race.
"We have access to extremely advanced techs, and you will have more than enough resources for your work." Thanagarians were bound to have something useful, and if not, there were other avenues he could pursue.
"Okay, I am interested, but there is something else. My research notes were on my computer, and it was stolen a month ago. I made a complaint to the police, but they haven't found anything yet."
"Any idea who could be responsible?" It was either the government or the rotten apple of the two Mardon brothers.
Ben sighed. "Mark, my brother."
It seems finding Mark was a necessity now, rather than an option. "How about you think on my offer while I find your brother and retrieve your computer?"
"That works for me." Ben looked hopeful that his device could finally be used for the benefit of mankind.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"How are we going to find this idiot?" Wherever Mark was, he knew how to keep a low profile.
"Mark is an extortionist, so we find the people he extorted and try to catch a lead." There was bound to be a pattern between the people Mark Mardon had targeted, and if Miles could find it, he could track the man himself.
Pulling out his phone, he dialed Zalika. "Zalika, how are you doing?"
"I was in the middle of my lesson. What happened?" She knew Miles wouldn't have interrupted a lesson if it wasn't important.
"It is. Do tell your teacher you are done for the day; I need you to track someone." The lesson would have to be rescheduled, but Miles would pay the full lesson fee for the trouble.
"Got it, give me five minutes."
—
Five minutes later, Zalika was ready. "Who am I tracking?"
"Mark Mardon, the villain known as the Weather Wizard. I want you to make a list of the people he extorted, their addresses, and whatever dirty laundry you can find on them." The last part was just in case he needed to convince someone to come forth.
"Okay, I'll call you back when I am done."
"Understood." Now, it was time to wait.