"Yeah. If I get a sample back. Or a blood sample from the soldiers exposed. We do have small treatments." Max said. Feigning disgruntled a little less. "Wouldn't keep working on it with out it. I do have regular people in that factory."
"Regular people?" Lois arch an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah, interns." Max arched an eyebrow back at her. "Stupid interns that might do something dumb to try and get more money for something. We have security, but nothing is perfect. Human error and all that."
"Yeah. I wish I had my phone on me to make a call." Lois looked a little depressed. The news was to good to be true. And she did not want to use Max's phone considering how sweaty she was. "I should head back. Which is a pretty long way. My legs are killing me."
"A little more Lane." Max sprinted off. She kept up. 'A very fruitful morning.' Then the A.I. came with some news.
'A special Scenario is unfolding. A very small window to do it.' Atlas' words were cautious. Not really wanting to venture in to that avenue. With what Max had going on already would be a weird thing to say the least. 'It ties into Batman in the long run. And several of those in Gotham city.'
'Do it. Gotham is home remember. Can't just ignore it for easier things. Test of our metal so to speak.'
'I understand.' Atlas felt a weird sensation come from Max. It caused his thought process to change more. Sense of self to develop more. 'Gotham Military Academy Scenario unfolding. Going through the files of possible recruits.'
After another half hour, they stopped. The duo were at the Kent farm. Max figured they wouldn't mind her waiting for someone to pick her up. He took off in a full sprint. More markers to place on his way to the caves.
Lois watched him intently. Both scared and intrigued her. Like looking at a wild animal. Max's spiritual energy is what she picked up on. Which was bad for someone untrained.
When he left, Clark couldn't help asking Lois what it was all about. Why she semed different.
"So how are you? And what is that in your pocket?" Clarke eyed her pocket. Which had the inhaler. He already checked it with his eyes. 'A type of medicine inside. But what is it exactly?'
"Something to help with breathing is all. We ran down Jenkins road." Lois sprawled out on the porch. Spread out like roadkill. "Max has an inhaler to treat the symptoms the spore produce. But it is really expensive. His company is finding ways to take care of it. He is not that bad Clark."
"Sure he isn't." Clark said simply. "Just bugs me is all. I can not help it. Here is the house phone." Clark gave her the phone and actually had to look away. His eyes started to heat up from seeing a sweat drench Lolis. 'Shooting off will not go over well!'
The good news, his dad came and gave him some help. And a excuse to get away by needing his help in the barn. Leaving Lois with Martha who had something for her to drink.
"How was your run?" Martha asked innocently.
"Exhausting. We ran all the way from town." Lois said. She left a voicemail with General Lane saying had a answer to his recent problem. He would call her back or she would blow up his phone later. "Man can he run. Barely lost his breath. He did sweat a weirdly. Well barely at all."
"Anything to do with the clothes he wore? Looked pretty expensive." Martha entertained the thought he was like Clark only for a moment. 'I doubt he is. But Clark said he has been gathering meteor rocks. Watching him is just so weird for him.'
"Might be. He was prepared. All kinds of things in his bag to." Lois passed the phone back to Martha. "Thanks. My ride should be here eventually. Or I could run back?" She shook her head feeling tired. "No way am I running back."
.
A plan-
.
Gotham Court House was pretty busy. Especially with a few members of the Court of Owls lingering inside. Trying their best to get a hold of anything to save their butts in the area.
A chance arrived. The Falcone's were putting pressure on the Mayor. Trying to get him to arrest Max. But with no one stepping forward and the witness unaccounted for, demons had a good way of protecting the teens in the shadows.
"Listen.. I do not want to know why you want trouble for the Wayne kid. And I do not want to know." The Mayor cut his hand in the air to show his resolve. A message appeared on his phone causing a slight problem. Reading it over, a smile came to his face. "How about a different solution?"
"Such as?" Don Falcone was not a happy camper. Squeezed from every direction made things hard to do business. Only good news was that all the families were suffering with him.
"Your son's testimony itself. I understand you have an image to uphold. But.." The Mayor leaned back in his chair twiddling his thumbs. ".. that boy of yours. Disgraced your family by getting beaten by a rich boy. In front of everyone. Let him be a rat. Send him away as an excuse after he gives the Watne boy up. His lawyers will fight and contest. But it will be good enough to embarrass him."
"Fine!" Don Falcone didn't like it. But arrest for even a little while will let his guys in the inside deal with Max. "Get him tried as an adult then. I have people to take care of him."
"I will see what I can do." The Mayor looked back at his phone shaking slightly. No new message from what he responded to. "Now get out of my office."
As the mobsters left, some one else walked in. Some one he did not expect to see. Especially with the Owl mask on.
"The Wayne matter, do not interfere in it anymore." The owl man said. "He is the prey of the court."
"Of course, I understand." The Mayor answered scared. He was sick of all the trouble he recieved on all sides. The Mob, High Society, and even the common people. Not to mention the A.D.A. with her agenda of cleaning the streets up. "I will do nothing else."
"Good." The owl man started to back away. But left a final message. "Even as we are, we can still burn Gotham to the ground. Starting with you Mr.Mayor."
.
Elsewhere-
.
Shazamo was in the Rock of Eternity. Contemplating over what happened to the Son of Vulcan. After the argument with Vulcan himself, he realized he was very misguided in his actions.
Discussing things over was fruitful. But one thing was suprsing, was the visitor he recieved. Teth Adam appeared in the Rock. Floating in all his majesty.
"Black Adam. Come here for revenge I take it?" Shazamo sat down on his throne. But he was in for a suprise. Teth Adam shook his head no and floated a good distance away. "Then why are you here?"
"Just to tell you, I forgive you and understand why you did it. I lost my way." Teth-Adam said humbly. He had a long time to think things over when he was exiled and the talks with Max helped even further. "In time, maybe we can return to what we were before everything happened."
"I doubt that. But it is worth a try." Shazamo said. Teth-Adam left after a small dialogue between the two. It was awkward at first. But would get better eventually.
"Goodbye Shazamo, may you find peace with yourself." Teth-Adam flew away. LEaving the Rock of Eternity quiet once more.
The wizard Shazamo felt very weak from everything that happened recently. Even more so after the discussion with his former pupil. Reflection was good, but also bad in a way.
*Crack!* A bit of the Rock gave way some. During his time causing trouble, Shazamo neglected his duty some. Considering their was no Champion for a while, things were bad. And the wizard was still weak from what he had done.
"Huk huk!" Shazamo had a small coughing fit. Weakened, he collapsed to the floor. "Huk!" A bit of blood left his mouth as he clutched his chest. Fainting from the strain.
*Boom!* The statue that housed the Seven Deadly enemies of Man were released. Centuries of planning coming to the forefront. They were the reason for the wizards' torment and delusions. Praying on his fear of the Watcher.
"Hehehe! Freedom!" The demon Pride announced. Voice savage and just deadly. Even in the rock they could feel something on Earth call to them. Protected but so close to them, they couldn't resist. "A delicious soul! A human that is the same as us!"
The demons left in an instant. Leaving the Wizard Shazamo for dead. But breath was still in the wizard. Just to weak to do anything. The Rock activated on its own in a way. Wrapping the wizard up and putting him in a chamber to help heal him.
Vulcan felt something was wrong. Still had an attachment to the actual place. Leaving from his current surroundings, he flew to the Rock of Eternity as fast as he could.
.
Later that night-
.
Max was chiling on the porch of a farm he purchased. A bout of dizziness overtook him for an instance. It was weird considering only something at a Cosmic Scale could mess with him while he was attentive.
"What.. the Hell?!" Seven spirits rammed into him. Trying to take over him. "Came to the wrong person fuckers!" Max circulate his cultivation. The seven demons were pulled into his Sin Aspect of Cultivation.
"Hehe, not bad human!" Sloth said. Voice a drone but slightly rushed as it was consumed. It put up a fight for a moment but fell first. "Sleep time. The others can handle this."
"Idiot!" Wrath barked! Angry at its lazy brother. But even more angry at the human that new how to break them down into raw energy. "You can not defeat us human! Your soul will be hours!"
"Cute. Bigger demon's and even a devil has tried." Max started circulating his Virtue to weakened the demons further. The pure energy eating away at them. "You underestimate humans to much."
"Such a beautiful body. I will enjoy tacking it for a ride." Envy said. A slight tug from Lust however, caused them both to refine. "What are you doing!?"
"I am sick of you fools making terrible for the rest of us!" Lust screeched. "Possed this possed that. We should have found someone to become one with us."
"Now we are turning into nothing!" Greed fought along with Lust. Wanting it to end. Max stooped attacking the two and focused on the others. With the combined efforts, Pride and Wrath were the most difficult to deal with. "Hehe, good luck human!"
*Woom!* Max's spiritual energy rampaged outward. Dark light shined for a moment before disappearing.
Freshly awakened, the demons were to weak to really amount an assault against him. The reason three of them gave up so quickly. With a large discharge of energy, Max refined the others and turned them to nothing.
'Max, it will take a few days to completely refine them. I suggest you to rely only on magic for the time being.' Atlas continued to run checks over his body. Not finding any issues. Until hid brushed against something deep inside Max. 'I have located a piece of Noveria. What do you wish for me to do?'
'Leave it be.' Max thought back as he focused on refining. 'We will tend to it later. Just keep a look out. And send some one to the Rock of Eternity. If Shazamo sent them to deal with me, he has reached a new low.'
Max doubted it. But not everything was simple.