Kind of Like A Superhero
Chapter Two
TMNT (2k3) and JLA (The Animated Series) Crossover

"So let me get this straight -"

"Evil Bats wants some serious reckoning on his villainous counterparts," Flash darted passed Superman as he was trying to speak, cutting him off for the third time in the last few minutes. He didn't miss a beat as he rambled the words out in one massive run-on sentence.

"Would you stop calling him that? He's not 'Evil Bats'," John, the Green Lantern, chided. Half the time, Flash was his best friend. The other half of the time it was like wrangling an AWOL electron or dog-sitting his neighbor's yappy little mutt. "And, to be clear," John went on, on behalf of Flash, "we don't know if they're villains or former friends or, shoot, strangers who ticked him off on the subway. For all we know, they could be good since Saki is the one in working with Luthor. In fact, we know very little about Oroku Saki; that's about all this has come to."

"I'm telling you, he sits up in that skyscraper mansion and watches news feeds and fights crime - or good guys - in a funky suit late a night. Too much money man, that's what causes this problem. Or mom might not have hugged him enough. Do Japanese people hug?" Derailed, Flash's question came out in the spirit of a child asking 'why', complete with arched brow and bemused smirk.

"Your mom hugged you too much, long enough to cut the air off in the developmental stages." John shot back.

"HEY! Leave a man's mom out of it." Flash shot back jovially, he was in good spirits with his energy as high as a kite. It was rare that he wasn't teasing or playing or shooting off at the mouth in some fashion, but all in good fun.

Superman sighed, only just as J'onn arrived. "Actually, we have learned something of value about Oroku Saki that we didn't know before," the Martian interjected. "There was some suspicion in the conversation which led to this deduction initially. I had spoken of him not being human. Indeed...Saki is an alien, not a man at all."

Flash's white eye covers, in the mask over his face, widened as evidence of his eyebrows shooting up under the fabric. His mouth even fell open a little bit and, for the moment, he was speechless. Truly a feet considering the speed at which his neurons fired and the quickness those words traveled to his lips.

"Martian?" Superman asked immediately. "I thought you were the last."

"I am. He is not Martian. The race, it seems, is called 'Utrom'. I could find little about them or their culture. It will be difficult to know what to expect."

"So wait, you think he wants Luthor going after other aliens and that's why Cadmus is involved?" Flash blurted out before anyone else could speak. "Because, lets face it - it'll be funny to watch Lex try and catch some aliens who have super powers or something. I'll make popcorn, you guys save me seats, okay!"

"Don't underestimate Luthor, Flash," Superman held up a hand briefly before tucking it in the bend of his arm where the other was folded against his massive chest. The unofficial leader of the Justice League was deep in thought as he digested the news presented before him. "If Luthor thought himself strong enough to complete whatever task Saki wanted then, chances are, he can."

Wounded, Flash took a small step back, which couldn't be seen as he'd moved so fast. Instead, it just looked like he was in the center of their circle and then, in a blink, on the rim of the human circle with everyone else.

"Have you been keeping an eye on the lab, J'onn?" Superman questioned further, true to his inquisitive and turning mind.

The tall, green Martian gave a single nod of his head. "Each time we pass for any mission or patrol, though it is arguably quiet on a typical day and even more so when things are going well for the scientists within."

Superman took that too and considered what it might mean. "It'll be difficult to tell what Saki wanted amid whatever other experiments are going on in there."

"Yeah...and rumor has it there's a new head scientist. Luthor bought 'im out from the government. That's scary right? A man, normal guy - bald but normal...sort of, actually not very normal but you get the idea - anyway! - more money than the government! Stockman right? Baxter Stockman?" Flash looked over to the Green Lantern.

There was a moment of hesitation and Flash held up his hands suddenly, panic flooding him. "It wasn't a race thing! I know you're both black and stuff but...you're my best friend and he's like creepy mad scientist central. I wasn't...saying you had anything in common by looking at you."

"Something on your mind, Flash? Like guilt?" John prodded, intentionally in Flash's self induced weak spot, to get a reaction from the crimson speedster.

"It's like saying J'onn has anything in common with Evil Bats! Because they're both aliens. No hard feeling J'onn and I don't actually think you have anything in common with Evil Bats," Flash deflected quickly. The Martian merely peered down at the smaller man. All the other's seemed to be enjoying Flash's discomfort in their own way. "Stockman, he really is a creep. And hey! Saki looks awful human for being an alien."

"Right, well, head scientist or not it's good to know who we'll meet once we go into Cadmus labs." Superman said. "J'onn, find out anything you can about this Stockman character."

"Yeah but," Flash mouthed again, his words running together again, "what are we looking for in there? How will we know Luthor's other weirdo experiments from the ones that Evil Bats wants? I doubt very much that Luthor's going to bag and tag 'em with 'For Oroku Saki AKA Evil Bats - with Love, Lex Luthor.'" Flash traced the words in the air with his index finger as if he were writing it in cursive on a gift tag.

That was an answer no one seemed to know.

"What is that you're doing again exactly?" Shade sat with his fingers laced together, elbows propped up on the arms of the cushy chair in the bowels of one of Lex Luthor's many fine office buildings. Some he claimed taxes on, others were off the books, but there was one commonality among them all; they were lavished in the most luxurious good that money could buy. Shade liked that, he liked things that marked the value in purchasable items.

Money always drew Shade's attention. There was a price for everything and his abilities, in a way - manipulating the dark - were for rent as well. Though he'd failed against the Justice League in the past, even under Luthor's command - which, to Shade, actually meant Luthor's dime - he was right back under the master mind's thumb with the promise of gold. And, with the caveat that the Justice League wouldn't be involved in this one. It was a different 'friend' that Luthor was working with. It could have been the Devil himself that Luthor'd made a deal with and Shade wouldn't care, so long as he got paid in the end.

Ultra-Humanite, a massive albino gorilla-like bodied man with a overly pronounced double-lobe on the top of his head, poured over maps spread out on the solid mahogany table. Shade noticed it was mahogany and not pressed wood covered in a thin layer of the real, rich, red wood it was trying to be. He leaned forward and ran a finger along the surface and examined it for any evidence of dust. He was clearly bored by the genius like man who was in the form of a mutated gorilla.

"You bother me." Utlra-Humanite said in his refined and sophisticated dialect that seemed like it should belong to someone with a little more snobbish clothing and lean body, but the man was indeed a genius.

"What's he offering you? Why did you take the job?" One corner of Shade's mouth turned up; he cared little for the other's irritation. His already thin lips turned into a narrow line.

Ultra-Humanite didn't respond to that particular question. Instead he pointed to the map. "It's simple really. When looking for any sort of culturally aware creature, you should first look for modern comforts. Primarily electricity. Though there is no direct source, these...men..." he cringed at the word, as if it left a sour taste in his mouth the very second he uttered it, "are actually using a brilliant set up but not so brilliant as to be entirely over looked. Luthor said to look in the sewers. And I did. Sources of energy are being funneled here, to this area. Whatever it is that Luthor is looking for, it will be found here." The gorilla's meaty finger tapped on the map.

"Only little bits of electric siphoned off and all channeled to one place, but that looks like a pumping station." Shade leaned back in his chair and cringed a little. One hand came up to cover his mouth at the mere thought of diving under the city for whatever bounty Luthor was after. He knew, however, that they would have to. At least with Utlra-Humanite, they could pinpoint the source and find the most likely location with the fastest path.

"Not afraid of the dark, are you Shade?" Luthor had arrived just then, a slightly arrogant remark meant to mock the man who used the power of darkness and shadow to manipulate those he wanted to. The man didn't answer, he merely looked up to Luthor through his spectacles.

"I don't care how many people it takes, get me those turtles and deliver them to Cadmus labs by midnight."

::Author's Note::
Thank you for ALL that held out to read a little more of this tale. You actually have the AMAZING demonsweat and the INCREDIBLE Loki's Son to thank for this update. We have long since had it in the works but getting it from head to paper (or word document) took a bit of persuasion. And once more...Mandy got to write Flash. *squee* With that said, thank you for stopping by. We'd love to hear what you think!