Metropolis—Today

My name is James Olsen, but everybody calls me Jimmy. When I was just a teenager, I got a job at the Daily Planet, one of the greatest newspapers not only in Metropolis, but on Earth. Started out as a copy boy then gradually worked my way up to become a photographer.

I spent a lot of time with Clark Kent and Lois Lane, going with them on assignments, learning the ropes from them and Perry White, the Planet’s editor in chief. Eventually, I got a job as a news anchor for WGBS, but that fell apart and I came back to the Planet, working as a photographer again.

Now I’m a reporter. Well… sort of. I wrote a story about Superman that landed me on the front page. That was my big break. And now that CK is MIA, Perry’s got me covering this current situation. Which could be the start of World War III for all I know.

See, it all started when Solomon Grundy and the Floronic Man started tearing up City Hall. Superman came in to stop them, but it was an ambush. Brainiac and Ra’s al Ghul showed up and the four of them kept Superman on the ropes. Except that’s not as bad as what happened next.

A new guy entered the scene. Dressed in this heavy, black armor and with a big Z on his chest, kind of like the S on Superman’s. He called himself Zod and he was able to batter Superman in a way I haven’t seen since Doomsday came to town.

I was stuck on the sidelines, watching. And I was terrified. All I could think to do was snap photos of the whole ordeal, the entire time wishing that there was something more I could do.

Unfortunately, that was only the start of what happened. What came next was like something out of a nightmare. Strange to think that all this happened within the span of about two weeks.

One Week Earlier

The first wave came almost without warning.

After the capture of Superman, General Zod retreated to parts unknown. Utilizing LexCorp’s laboratories and with Brainiac to speed up the process, the General soon had a small army of Bizarros under his command.

They swarmed across Metropolis first, quickly decimating the police force and taking control over City Hall. Meanwhile, in surrounding cities, attacks were led by Ra’s al Ghul’s League of Assassins.

It was not long before the state came under the control of Zod.

When the United States was prepared to send in the National Guard, Brainiac halted their assault with a national communication:

[ People of America. Your greatest city is now under the command of General Zod. We have taken the necessary steps to ensure your quick surrender. We have your much-vaunted nuclear weapons at our disposal, as well as an army of Supermen. You are to surrender immediately or suffer untold casualties at our hands. The choice is yours. We await your response. ]

The Pentagon

"Is he telling the truth?" asked the President.

"Unfortunately, he is," said the Secretary of Defense. "We no longer have control over any of our nuclear weapons. All of them are now targeting major American cities. If Zod wants to, he could annihilate the entire country several times over."

"Where the hell is the Justice League when you need them?" asked the Vice-President.

"We’ve been trying to reach them, but with no luck," said the Secretary of Metahuman Affairs. "The Watchtower is completely cut off from our communications."

"What about the JSA? The Teen Titans? Anyone?" asked the President.

"The JSA are also unreachable, all we’ve been able to get are the Teen Titans. They’re on standby right now."

"No more standby, send ‘em in," said the President.

"But sir, they’re just kids and this guy was able to subdue Superman."

"Yeah, well we gotta try something. I’m not about to hand America over to some alien terrorist with a god complex."

"Someone tell me what the hell we’re waitin’ for!" said Superboy. "Zod’s got Metropolis under his control plus nukes and a Bizarro army! So why are we sitting around on our asses?"

"For all the reasons you just listed, Kon," said Robin.

"The Superman Revenge Squad alone were able to take down Superman, what makes you think you’ll last any longer?" asked Cyborg.

The combined members of the Outsiders and the Teen Titans sat in the Outsiders’ base, an abandoned bomb shelter beneath New York City. The Outsiders—Arsenal, Grace, Thunder, Jade, Shift and Indigo and the Teen Titans—Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl and Superboy—all waited for some word. The Department of Defense had both teams on standby, prepared to call them into Metropolis.

"They took down Supes, but there’s more of us," said Superboy. "We could take ‘em out."

"There’s still the army of Bizarros to consider," said Arsenal. "We need a plan before we just go charging in."

"And we’ve got one," said Nightwing. The leader of the Outsiders, he entered the room with those words. Behind him was another man, one who drew looks of fear and uncertainty from all who laid eyes on him. Even the metahumans feared this man who possessed no powers.

"So what’s the good word, Wingster?" asked Beast Boy. "Have we been drafted or what?"

"Some of you have," said the Batman. "The Outsiders will go into Metropolis and do what they can in regards to damage control. The Titans are to remain in reserve and assist Steel and Oracle with breaking Brainiac’s control over the missiles."

"The hell we are!" said Superboy.

"Kon…" began Robin.

"Don’t even think about telling me to be quiet, Rob!" said Superboy. "No way am I letting some self-righteous prick tell me what I will or won’t do! And I’m not sitting on my ass when my family’s in danger!"

The Batman strode over to Superboy in silence. He stared down at the brash young hero, his eyes hidden behind the opaque lenses of his mask. The Batman leaned over, his face inches from Kon-El’s and he spoke in a low, grave tone. "Yes. You are."

He turned away. "Starfire and Beast Boy will accompany the Outsiders. Cyborg will remain with the Titans and Steel. Your technology might prove an asset to hacking Brainiac’s firewall. Jade—" he turned to the emerald-skinned heroine. "—you’re the only Outsider not going to Metropolis. With your powers, you’re the best hope we have of reaching the Watchtower and breaching Brainiac’s defenses from the outside." He looked at the gathered teams. "Get to work. Maintain contact with Oracle at all times."

With that, the Dark Knight turned to leave the room, but Superboy’s final words called for a pause. "And where are you going?"

The Batman turned his head slightly. "I just laid out three fronts of attack. I’m going to find the fourth."

Daily Planet

"OLSEN!"

Perry White stood in the open doorway of his office, looking out onto the Planet’s newsroom. His shirt collar was open, his vest unbuttoned. Not even he was sure what happened to his tie, which he tore off in frustration as he tried to keep the world’s greatest newspaper on a regular schedule.

"OLSEN!" he shouted again. He was too busy scanning the area by Jimmy’s desk—or rather, Clark Kent’s desk, that he didn’t notice the photographer-turned-reporter come up behind him. "OLSEN! IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR DAMN JOB, YOU’D BETTER TURN UP RIGHT NOW!"

"Right here, Chief," said Jimmy.

Perry turned, somewhat startled. "Oh. Get in my office now!"

Jimmy did as he was told and stepped inside the editor’s office. Perry looked at the rest of the newsroom. "I want the rest of you to be on this story like white on rice! I don’t care what it takes, but I want to know everything there is to know about this Zod character an’ I wanna know it yesterday!"

Perry walked back into his office, slamming his door behind him. Jimmy jumped slightly, but maintained his composure. Perry picked up a cigar from a box on his desk and started to light it.

"Umm Chief…?"

"I swear on Caesar’s ghost, if you say one word about me smoking, I’ll see to it that you spend the next five years writing obituaries," said Perry.

Jimmy decided the best course of action would be to change the subject. "I got the impression you wanted to see me."

"You got it right," said Perry. "First off, any word on Kent?"

Jimmy shook his head.

Perry scoffed. "Typical. Never around when you need him." He sat in his chair. "That means you’re my guy. We’ve gotten reports that the Outsiders have arrived in Metropolis and are taking on Zod’s army. And I want you out there snapping pictures and reporting on everything."

Jimmy looked around the room nervously.

"You got somethin’ on your mind, kid. So spit it out, we don’t have all day."

"Well… it’s just…" Jimmy sighed. "Are you sure you want me covering this, Chief? I know Clark’s missing, but I don’t know if I’m the best guy for the job. We’ve got other reporters and—"

"Olsen, it’s the bottom of the ninth and I need a catcher I can trust," said Perry. "You’re better at this than you give yourself credit. This isn’t a time for pity parties, so if you don’t grow a pair right here, right now, I’m gonna shove my foot up your ass until your balls do peek out!"

Jimmy nodded. "Okay… disturbing visuals aside, I’m your man."

"So why are you still standing around here?" asked Perry. He pointed to the door. "Get moving, kid!"

Jimmy left the office and sprinted towards the elevator. Before he pressed the call button, the doors opened and the last person he wanted to see at the moment stood in the elevator.

"Lana!" he said in shock. Lana Lang. Clark Kent’s childhood friend and ex-girlfriend. Currently the object of Jimmy’s own affections.

"Jimmy, thank god," she said. "Look, we should talk about the other da—"

"Listen, I’d love to talk, but Perry’s riding me pretty hard at the moment," said Jimmy. "So can we put a ‘to be continued’ label on this conversation until things calm down?"

"You mean if they calm down," she said.

"That’s exactly what I mean," said Jimmy. "I’ve gotta run, Lana. The Outsiders just showed up in Metropolis and I have to be there to cover it."

"Then I’m going with you," she said. Lana pulled him into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. As the elevator began its descent, the pair stood in an awkward silence.

"Look," began Lana. "I think you got the wrong impression the other day. I’m concerned about Clark, I am. But—"

"You don’t have to explain," said Jimmy.

"Oh for…" She shoved him against the wall and locked lips with him. Jimmy was shocked, but accepted the kiss, a kiss that lasted until the elevator arrived with a DING at their destination.

"Listen," she said. "Clark’s my best friend. Anything more than that was over between us a long time ago. I’m just concerned about him, that’s all. And once this is all over, I want us—meaning you and me—to pick up where we left off. Okay?"

"Uhh…" He began to stammer. "I mean… umm… yeah! Definitely!"

"Then go to work," she said. "And when you get back, I’ll be waiting."

Jimmy smiled. He kissed her once more before running out the door.

"SCRAMBLE!" shouted Nightwing. "Arsenal, Grace, you two are on crowd control with me! Everyone else, grab a Bizarro and don’t stop hitting until they fall! Then grab another! And watch each other’s back!"

"Me don’t want to fight you!" said one of the Bizarros.

"Hey, no one’s forcing your hand, big guy," said Shift, his body changing shape to avoid the creature’s blows.

Starfire barreled into one of the Bizarros, combining her strength with her energy projection. The Bizarro flew back into the pavement. It stood up and opened its mouth, blowing a stream of fire at her. Indigo came to her newfound teammate’s aid, nailing the creature in the back of the skull with an energy blast of her own.

Thunder’s control over density amplified her strength to the level of the Bizarro she sparred with. She fended well against the abomination, pummeling it into the ground. Another Bizarro grabbed her from behind in a chokehold.

"That am not very mean!" it said.

Grace pulled away from her position and grabbed the Bizarro by the head, pulling it away from Thunder and hurling it into a building. Thunder coughed and looked up at her teammate, who smiled down at her.

"If anyone’s gonna kick your ass, it’s gonna be me," said Grace.

"Thanks," said Thunder, climbing back to her feet. "…I think."

Beast Boy took the form of a tiger, growling as it pounced on a Bizarro, tearing into it. The Bizarro’s eyes began to glow a bright blue as it unleashed its freeze vision.

The Bizarro Starfire contended with lifted her over its head, prepared to slam her onto its knees. "Me am fix you!" it said.

"Kori!" shouted Nightwing. He leapt into the fray, hurling a flurry of nightarangs to get the creature’s attention. It worked as the Bizarro dropped Starfire, its focus now on Nightwing. It rushed towards him and Nightwing leapt into the air, planting his hands on the Bizarro’s head and flipping off. The Bizarro reached up and felt a device on there. Before it could remove it, the thermite Nightwing planted exploded, reducing the creature to dust.

"You see what I see?" asked Nightwing.

"You mean the dust bowl?" asked Arsenal.

"Exactly," said Nightwing. "These things are inferior. Probably why they were mass-produced so quickly."

The Outsiders continued their assault, the tide turning against the Bizarros. For the moment, it seemed like the heroes might gain the upper hand. But before they could truly claim victory, they had another foe to contend with. One far more dangerous than the Bizarro Supermen.

A dark blur moved about the battlefield, announcing his presence by incapacitating Nightwing, taking out the leader first. Without the leader, he knew the rest of the team would be weakened.

"Your battle is lost," he said, finally appearing in clear view of the heroes. The sunlight reflected off his sleek, black armor. The giant red Z on his chest serving as the only label he needed.

Arctic North

An aircraft in the shape of a giant bat streaked across the frozen landscape, heading towards what was once Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. The craft touched down and the Batman emerged from the cockpit. He entered the remains of the Fortress, searching for one man.

It didn’t take long to find him. Lex Luthor lay unconscious on the crystalline floor. The Batman removed a vial of smelling salts from his utility belt and waved it under Luthor’s nose. The former President began to cough as he woke, reacting in surprise to the face of his savior.

"Get up," said the Batman. "We have work to do."