CHAPTER 132 — COLLAPSING CONTROL
The Joint Operations Center Room was quieter than it should have been.
Rows of screens covered the walls from floor to ceiling, each one showing a different part of Metropolis. Government buildings. Streets. Security feeds. Live drone footage. Civilian phone videos pulled in from social media and emergency channels.
At the center of the room stood the President and General Reeves.
Neither spoke.
The President's hands were folded behind his back, fingers tight, shoulders stiff. His face looked older than it had that morning, lines deeper, eyes fixed forward. General Reeves stood beside him, arms crossed, jaw locked so tight the muscle in his cheek twitched now and then.
On the screens, Titus moved through a federal building with three Bladeguard at his sides.
They did not rush.
They did not hesitate.
They moved with steady steps, boots heavy against polished floors. Civil servants were ordered to their knees. Police commanders were restrained. Military officers who tried to draw weapons were put down before they could fire a second shot. There was no shouting, no threats screamed into the air. Just short commands, clear gestures, and immediate action.
Behind them, a Dreadnought stayed outside the building.
It moved slowly, each step shaking the floor beneath it. Its presence alone was enough to stop most resistance. People froze when they saw it. Some dropped their weapons without being told.
High-ranking officials were taken alive.
That was clear from the footage. Hands bound. Faces pale. Fear visible, but also confusion. They were being captured, not slaughtered.
Soldiers and police who resisted were another matter.
Those feeds were harder to watch.
The Bladeguard did not linger. One strike. One shot. One clean motion. Then they moved on. No anger. No pleasure. Just efficiency.
Civilian recordings began to appear in a corner of the main screen.
Shaky phone footage from office windows. From behind cars. From across the street.
In one video, Titus stood still while two Bladeguard restrained a shouting official. His voice came through the phone speaker, calm and flat, giving an order that ended with the man being dragged away. In another, the Dreadnought stood at the entrance of a building, massive and silent, like a wall made of iron and fire.
There was no chaos from them.
Only controlled violence.
General Reeves clenched his jaw harder, his teeth grinding for a moment before he stopped himself. The President exhaled slowly through his nose, a long breath meant to steady himself.
Neither man looked away.
They watched as their authority was stripped piece by piece, live on screen.
Then an officer's voice cut through the room.
"Sir! The scout ship is drawing all the power of the city!"
The President turned sharply, frustration flashing across his face. "What is it this time?!"
The officer straightened, hands shaking slightly as he spoke fast, knowing time mattered. "Power draw is spiking across all sectors. The scout ship is consuming energy at an extreme rate. At this pace"
He swallowed.
"the entire city will lose power in seconds. A total blackout, sir."
The words barely finished before the first screen flickered.
Then another.
Then three more.
Live feeds froze. Security cameras went dark. The image of Titus walking down a government hallway vanished in a burst of static. The Dreadnought feed cut out completely. One by one, the screens lost signal, replaced by black panels or error messages.
The city had gone dark.
The blackout was complete.
General Reeves slammed his fist down on the console in front of him, the sound echoing through the room. "This is why private companies should never be trusted with this kind of technology," he snapped. "This should've stayed under government control."
Since LexCorp had been given control of the scout ship.
The President didn't argue.
His face hardened, his eyes never leaving the dead screens. "It's already happened," he said quietly.
He knew the truth of it.
He had approved Lex Luthor's access. He had signed the papers. He had accepted the benefits and ignored the risks. Now the cost was coming due.
He turned sharply to his secretary. "Contact Lex Luthor. Now. I want an explanation. If he doesn't answer, he's imprisoned."
The secretary nodded quickly and moved to comply. She tried Lex's personal number first. Then the emergency channel reserved for national threats.
Only a dull tone answered.
She tried again.
Nothing.
Her shoulders stiffened as she turned back. "Lex Luthor can't be contacted, Mr. President."
General Reeves let out a low, bitter breath. "That bastard's done."
Before anyone could respond, another officer spoke up, his voice tight with urgency. "Sir, energy readings inside the scout ship are rising again."
The room stilled.
Moments later, the officer Said, eyes locked on his display. "All remaining power is concentrating in one location."
His head snapped up. "it just exited the scout ship!"
One of the screens switched on by itself.
A live news broadcast filled the display.
A Daily Planet helicopter feed.
The image shook as the camera tried to focus, city streets below dark and powerless. The reporter's voice came through, strained but steady. "We are witnessing an unidentified creature in the streets of Metropolis."
The camera zoomed.
Doomsday stood in the middle of the road, roaring into the night. Lightning cracked from the dome above, illuminating its massive frame in flashes of white and blue. Buildings around it were dark, windows dead, streets frozen in fear.
The creature was the threat now.
Everything else faded into the background.
Then the camera shifted again.
Three figures stood behind the monster.
Gaius, his golden armor catching the lightning, unmoving and solid. Superman, floating just above the ground, cape stirring in the wind. Tony Stark, repulsors glowing softly as he hovered beside them.
From the angle of the news feed, they looked united.
A line drawn between the city and destruction.
The control room fell silent.
The President watched without blinking. General Reeves said nothing.
Across the city, inside the Daily Planet newsroom, the atmosphere was tense but focused. Screens showed the same live feed, reporters moving quickly but quietly, voices low.
Perry White stood with his hands on his hips, eyes narrowed as he watched Doomsday roar on screen.
"I knew it," he muttered. "Lex Luthor was hiding something."
The connection was clear now. The scout ship. The creature. The timing. All of it traced back to Lex's company.
Lois Lane stood nearby, arms crossed, watching the screen. She had been the one who pushed for the helicopter, insisting they get eyes on the streets the moment power began flowing to the scout ship.
Perry glanced at her. "Looks like your alien savior has his own monster to fight," he said. "And he's not alone this time."
Lois didn't answer right away.
She watched Gaius, Superman, and Tony standing together behind the creature. Then she spoke quietly. "It seems so."
There was no smile in her voice, only uncertainty, as she didn't know if they were truly allies or enemies.
Back on the battlefield, the helicopter hovered at a safe distance.
Gaius noticed it.
He did not react.
Tony saw it too and dismissed it just as quickly. Fame, cameras, public opinion, it all meant nothing right now.
Superman glanced at the helicopter for a brief moment, then turned his attention back to Doomsday.
The creature moved.
Its body shifted, muscles tightening, regeneration already working beneath torn flesh.
The fight was not over.
"We can't keep hitting it," Superman said calmly.
Tony exhaled through his helmet. "Then we do it the hard way."
Gaius already understood.
Every blow they had landed before had made the creature stronger. Its regeneration was improving. Its reactions were faster. Continuing the same approach would only make things worse.
He opened the Multiversal Chat and typed a message.
"Naruto. Diana. Status."
The reply from Naruto came almost instantly: Safe. Intruders did appear, but they were easily defeated.
Diana's message followed moments later. She was returning from Themyscira. The second Mother Box was secured. Negotiations with her mother had delayed her, but she was already on her way.
"Come to us," Gaius replied.
He hesitated before sending the next order. Naruto was told to stay back at first.
Naruto pushed back immediately, insisting he hadn't fought at full strength and wanted to help.
Gaius considered it for a moment, then sent a single response.
"Alright. Come."
Naruto's reply came back with a single word:
"Yehey."
While Gaius was chatting in the Multiversal Chat,
Tony glanced sideways.
"Hey… is Batman coming yet?"
Superman turned his head slightly, listening beyond sight, beyond sound. His expression changed.
Tension sharpened in his posture.
"Batman has encountered your men, Gaius," he said.
Tony groaned. "Oh man."
~~~
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