JB: Chapter 15

I charged forward, launching a flying kick at Shrapnel that slammed into his chest with a crunch, denting the super-hard, jagged, metallic scales that made up his body. He flew backward for a few feet before bursting into a cloud of razor shards and reforming in front of me, only for me to hit him again, my fist smashing into his face and knocking him down once again. He tried getting up again, only for me to slam a combination of a knee to the gut and an elbow strike to the top of his head into him as he stumbled to his feet. He exploded into a cloud of shrapnel once again, cutting up more of my outfit but still failing to punch through my skin. This time, when Shrapnel reformed, it was three yards away from me instead of where I'd been standing.

"Damn it! How many times are you gonna do that?" He questioned.

"As many as it takes before you stay down." I answered.

"I'm gonna enjoy skinning you alive, Kid!" Snarled Shrapnel.

"Not like that you won't." I smirked, Saiyan DNA making me taunt him.

He let out a snarl and exploded himself at me again, this time making sure to keep some of his various razor bits flying about in a whirling cloud that gouged into the concrete of the sidewalk and punched through the steel of nearby street signs, mailboxes, and parking meters. I was made of sterner stuff than the street was, though, and the whirling razors moving with explosive force barely did more than leave scratches in my body and shred the rest of the top of my Gi. My fist slammed into his nose, sending him skidding backward as Shrapnel's whirling assault on me was brought to an abrupt stop. I followed that up with a flying kick that launched him into the air.

Smirking, I gathered Ki into the palm of my left hand as he flew upward and fired a one-handed, basic Ki blast at his ascending form. He exploded into a cloud of whirling shrapnel, dodging the Ki blast and descending toward me with explosive force plus the added momentum of Gravity in a torrent of whirling blades. Unfortunately, while this did cut up my shoulders a bit, it was hardly anything more than a flesh wound, and I was easily able to smash him back to the pavement as he reformed again, this time slamming an axe kick into him with enough force to smash him through the street and down into the sewers.

This time, when he exploded into shrapnel, flying back up onto the street with explosive force, he let out a scream of pain and anger as he reformed. I could see that the damage he had taken was extensive, with large cracks running through his metallic form across the torso and head. I smirked at that, and Shrapnel growled as he saw that. Snarling as he fired two of his razor-like fingers at my eyes, trying to hit a soft target. That was clever, but I'd been holding myself back substantially before this, and as I moved to the side away from the razor shards, I did so at my full speed, causing a localized sonic boom that broke the windows across the front of the bank and several car windows nearby to boot.

When I came out of my dodge, I once again slammed a first into Shrapnel's gut, widening the cracking along his torso and bending him damn near in half around my punch. A follow-on Brazilian Kick to the back of his head slammed him back down onto the pavement. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to back off on the power of my blows, so I didn't do even more damage to the street. I was gonna have to pay for damages enough as it was, after all. This time, Shrapnel was slower to reform, taking ten seconds instead of the three to six it had been taking him previously.

"Gah! Damn it! Why can't I cut you? I know I did it before, what changed?" Queried Shrapnel.

"I've stopped holding myself back to your level." I responded.

"What? That's not how this is done! Don't you get that?" Asked Shrapnel.

"I think you might be under the impression that just because Superman believes in fair play, that we all do. I stopped playing around so much after you cut me up a bit. This isn't the sort of fight where I'm happy to draw things out and have fun. There are innocent people around, after all." I pointed out.

"There are, aren't there?" Questioned Shrapnel with a savage grin before exploding into a whirling cloud of razors once again.

This time, when he reformed, it was next to a Redhead who was standing off to the side watching the fight. The Woman tried to run, but Shrapnel snaked an arm around her neck and held his hand to the side of her head, using her as a human shield. I frowned at that, my Saiyan instincts bristling at the fact that he would use a non-combatant like that to try and win a fight. It was very against the Pride that the Saiyan Race held so dear, and even if my training at the Monastery of the Great Kha'zro had helped me to overcome my baser Saiyan Instincts, along with the remnants of my human mind, it still rankled enough that I bared my teeth at Shrapnel instinctively.

"Ha! You reminded me that there were looky-loos all around us! Now, here's what's gonna happen! You're gonna let me walk on out of here or the Pretty Lady here gets a second smile, this one a bit lower than normal, understand?" Demanded Shrapnel.

I frowned at that. I could play this a couple of ways. I could try to bullseye Shrapnel with a Chi Blast in the head, I could use my speed advantage to hit him before he could cut her, or I could try the spell of deep slumber. The first option would be tricky to pull off without practicing that sort of thing beforehand. The second option would be easy to pull off, but would cause more damage to the street. The last option was the safest in terms of potential casualties or damage, but there was a chance it might not totally work, given how Shrapnel's biology worked, or rather, didn't.

In the end, I chose to take the third option while being prepared to hit him with the second if the third didn't work. I muttered an incantation, dredged up my mystical reserves of power, and shaped the spell, then fired it at Shrapnel with a mystic gesture before preparing to launch myself at him. Fortunately, it seemed that just because you didn't need to eat or drink to survive didn't mean that you didn't need to sleep, also, or maybe the Monks that invented the Spell of Deep Slumber just ensured it was useful against any opponent. Either way, Shrapnel sank to the pavement, unconscious as the Redhead managed to shrug out of his slackening grip at the same time.

"What was that?" Queried the Redhead.

"Magic." I informed.

"And you didn't do that from the start because?" Asked the Redhead.

"I wasn't sure it would work on someone with his biology." I shrugged.

"Well, thanks for the save. I'm Lana Lang, by the way, Business Editor for the Daily Planet." Introduced the Woman.

"Rugulo." I returned.

That was odd. I thought Lana Lang was a brunette? Maybe that was just the influence of Smallville on my imagination. I hadn't been as up on Superman as I would have liked in my Old Life back on Earth, after all. I barely knew anything about Superman's supporting cast, at least not about the less well-known ones. Hell, the only reason I knew who Dan Turpin was is because he featured in the events of Final Crisis. Lana Lang was slightly better known, but only because of Smallville back in the day, where she initially filled the niche that Lois Lane had. I briefly wondered how much of my knowledge of the DCU was going to be useless here because of it coming from adaptations, but Lana's next question drew me out of my thoughts.

"Rugulo? Just the one name?" Lana questioned.

"Yes." I nodded.

"So is that like your codename, then?" Lana queried.

"No. My race only ever give their children given names. If you want to get technical, I'm Rugulo, Son of Kolard. That's how you're supposed to introduce yourself to important folks." I shrugged.

"Your people? Then you're an Alien, like Superman?" Asked Lana.

"Sort of? He's a Kryptonian. I'm a Saiyan. We're two different species." I opined.

"Huh, you know, the Metro Desk would kill to get an interview with you. Would you be interested?" Questioned Lana.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt." I frowned.

"Great! I'll set it up! How do I contact you?" Queried Lana.

"I do not currently have access to the Earth Telecommunications System. I could get it easily enough, but I'm not sure about the legalities." I mused.

"Wait, you mean you don't have a phone?" Asked Lana.

"I have a comms unit on my ship, and I have my Scouter. I suppose you could contact me on my Scouter frequency. I'll need to tune it into low-tech radio waves, though." I mused.

"Nevermind. Look, just be at the Daily Planet in three days at ten in the morning, all right?" Sighed Lana.

"Very well." I nodded.

"That's the building with the bronze globe statue on the roof." Pressed Lana.

"So I gathered." I remarked.

And with that, Lana turned to leave. As she did, several Police Officers in what seemed to be some sort of composite armor that was High Tech for Earth moved to take Shrapnel into custody. I turned to head into the bank to arrange payment for various damages incurred by my fight with Shrapnel. The Special Crimes Unit was on the scene, apparently. I wasn't aware it had been a thing this early in the timeline. Apparently, it hadn't formed too long after Superman's first appearance, though. Thankfully, it turned out that everyone, the bank, the city, and the random car owners whose windshields had shattered from the sonic boom of my movement were all insured. I guess when you lived in a world that had Metahuman Battles on a regular basis, things like that just cropped up as a matter of course.

I wasn't sure about all the Redheads I seemed to be running into, though. You'd think that the Universe was trying to tell me something about my preferences this way. What was next? A random appearance by Barbara Gordon? She wouldn't even be Batgirl yet, I don't think, but that didn't seem to matter today. Chuckling as I shook my head, I made my way out of the First Metropolitan Bank, headed for a Chinese restaurant that Trixie had recommended.

I would head back to my ship after eating a Saiyan-sized amount of food, much to the astonishment of the owner of the restaurant. . .

XXXX

Lex Luthor frowned as he reviewed the footage that Barrage had taken of the New Alien's fight with Shrapnel, alongside his Chief of Security, Alan Powers. The New Alien had displayed a frightening amount of power, though not as much as the First Alien. His powers seemed to be about as varied, though. Super-speed, flight, super-strength, super-durability, energy blasts, and some form of Magic Sleep Spell had all been on display during the fight.

Lex also didn't believe that was all the New Alien was capable of. Magic tended to be one of those things where you could use it for any number of applications, provided you had the correct mindset. Lex himself had always been somewhat limited as a Sorcerer. He knew the theory behind a few spells, but had never truly been able to put that theory into practice, his Scientific Mind hindering him. He had contracted sorcerers in the past, however, whenever he needed a magical solution to a problem, so he knew quite a bit about what it could do when properly utilized.

"So, what does this tell us?" Questioned Lex.

"He's a talented Martial Artist. His technique is perfect." Informed Alan.

"Yes, he's also got an array of various powers, including Magic." Mused Lex.

"I hate magic." Scowled Alan.

"You have experience in that field?" Queried Lex.

"More like I have experience on the other end of that field." Scoffed Alan.

"And what experience would that be?" Asked Lex.

"It was during my time with Force Recon, I'd been with a Sniper Team on overwatch helping Army Rangers assault a Compound in the Colombian Jungle. Some Drug Lord who had been working with the Medellin Cartel and a Smuggling Ring operating out of Corto Maltese to smuggle some kind of super-pure Cocaine into the US. The Cartel would ship him the raw stuff, and he'd process the Coke at his compound before shipping it out to a fishing village on the Gulf of Uraba, where the Smugglers would pick it up and take it to Miami. What we didn't know at the time was that when the locals called the Drug Lord El Mago, it wasn't just cause he was a good chemist." Recalled Alan.

"Let me guess, he was an Alchemist using Magic to refine the raw Cocaine into a new, super-pure form?" Questioned Lex.

"He was. That wasn't all he cooked up in his lab either. The Ranger Team that went in had to contend with biological monstrosities. Some sort of Jaguars that he'd fed some kind of Magic Goop to that mutated them into hulking monsters. Half the Rangers got torn apart by those things. Half of the ones that were left got hit with some kind of incendiaries that wouldn't go out no matter how much you stopped, dropped, and rolled. We almost didn't manage to get the Guy." Intoned Alan.

"So what happened?" Queried Lex.

"He made the mistake of jumping out the window. Sure, he took out the remaining Rangers by blowing up the room they were in, but he had to jump out the window to avoid blowing himself up, too. Three of his Bodyguards came running out of the House to help him out, and we knew that it was now or never. If he and his remaining guards got to one of the trucks, he'd disappear into the jungle, and we'd miss our shot. We were half a klick out and had him in our sights then, so we started putting shots down range. We dropped two of his goons before the Third pulled out a syringe and injected himself with something. Whatever it was had given him boucoup reflexes and sight cause he started shooting back at us and managed to take out half our Sniper Team with an accurate burst from his rifle." Continued Alan.

"So, how did you win?" Asked Lex.

"I got off a lucky shot on El Mago while his Bodyguard downed the last of my teammates. The bullet went right through the bastard's eye, and he dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. As soon as El Mago went down, I ducked for cover. I still got hit in the shoulder by a ricochet that rebounded off a rock nearby me, but we'd done it. I had to crawl my way back to the extraction point with bullet fragments in my shoulder, but I made it. Of course, when I got back to base, a pair of Spooks from the DEO showed up to debrief me and I learned exactly what sort of shit he was pulling to take out two squads of Army Rangers and most of a Force Recon Sniper Team." Finished Alan.

"I see. So what would you recommend here?" Questioned Lex.

"If you've got a Sorcerer on the Payroll, now would be a great time for them to earn their keep, Sir." Answered Alan.

"And if I don't?" Queried Lex.

"Get one. The best counter to magic guys is having a magic guy of your own to deal with them. Other than that, I think the Plan with Mercy might work, though you might need to tweak it. Some Magic Guys can read minds, or so I've been told, Sir." Responded Alan.

"I suppose that might be prudent. After all, what good is being a multi-billionaire if you can't hire the best people for the job?" Asked Lex.

"I wouldn't know, Sir. I'm not a Multi-Billionaire." Shrugged Alan.

"Very well. We'll keep an eye on the situation and send in Mercy when she's ready. Dismissed." Nodded Lex.

And with that, Alan left Lex's office. As he did, Lex once again opened his drawer, sliding up the hidden compartment and punching in the code to the keypad of the hidden section. This time, when he pulled his little black book out, he was looking for a Sorcerer. Felix Faust was always up for making a quick payday to fund his mystical research. Lex would call him in. To his surprise, it was Felix's Daughter Fauna who answered the Phone. Apparently, Felix had finally sold his soul in such a way that he couldn't renege on the Contract, while Fauna was too wrapped up in her own schemes to take on contract work.

That meant that Lex Luthor was going to have to go shopping for a Sorcerer. There was only one place he knew of that made that sort of thing feasible. The Oblivion Bar. Lex sighed as he resigned himself to a night of middling quality alcohol and mystical networking. He hated doing it, but it was the only opportunity to gain a new Sorcerous Contact he had. It may have been a distasteful opportunity, but it was one he would grab nonetheless.

After all, Lex Luthor was nothing if not an opportunist. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. Rugulo beating Shrapnel was never really in doubt. The Guy isn't exactly at the level where he could do more than go after Superman's Supporting Cast, after all. Even holding back to ostensibly Shrapnel's level, Rugulo could take the Guy down easy. The more interesting bit is stuff going on with Lex in the background. After all, one Alien trying to take Lex's City away from him is bad enough, but two is unconscionable. Lex is plotting to deal with Rugulo one way or another and is about to try to hire a sorcerer to do it.

At any rate, the next chapter will be Rugulo's Interview with the Daily Planet, where he'll meet Lois Lane, Jimmy Olson, and Superman's Real Identity as Clark Kent.

Stay tuned. . .