The Gotham skyline burned under a shroud of green-tinted smog, the city's gothic spires clawing at a sky fractured by emerald lightning. Superman hovered above the docks, his black cape snapping in the wind, the Kryptonite burn from LexCorp Plaza still a dull ache in his side. Beside him, Green Lantern's ring pulsed with emerald light, casting Hal Jordan's determined face in sharp relief. Below, the Syndicate's Kryptonite mech rampaged, its hulking frame a nightmare of jagged metal and glowing green veins, tearing through shipping cranes like paper.
"Clark, you sure about this?" Hal's voice crackled through the comms, his ring scanning the mech's energy signature. "That thing's radiating enough Kryptonite to drop you mid-flight."
Clark gritted his teeth, the faint hum of the radiation already tugging at his strength. "No choice. It's tearing Gotham apart. We stop it, then figure out Verdant's next move."
The mech pivoted, its shoulder-mounted launchers whirring. Anti-hero missiles streaked upward, their tips glowing with refined Kryptonite shards. Hal raised a construct—a shimmering green shield—intercepting the volley. The explosion rocked the air, fragments raining down, but one missile grazed Clark's leg. Pain lanced through him, his flight faltering as he plummeted toward the docks.
"Clark!" Hal shouted, diving to catch him. The ring's aura stabilized Clark mid-fall, but the Kryptonite's curse lingered, whispering doubts into his mind. You're weakening. They're winning.
"I'm fine," Clark lied, forcing himself upright. The mech charged, its massive fist smashing a warehouse, debris flying. Clark blurred forward, slamming into its chest plate with a thunderous crack. The impact dented the armor, but the Kryptonite core at its center flared, sending a wave of energy that staggered him. His vision blurred, the green glow seeping into his senses like a poison.
Hal swooped in, crafting a giant green hammer to strike the mech's back. The construct shattered against the reinforced plating, but it bought Clark a moment. He scanned the machine—its core pulsed irregularly, a weak point. "Hal, hit the chest again! Full power!"
Green Lantern nodded, his ring flaring as he summoned a battering ram. The construct slammed into the mech, cracking the armor around the core. Clark seized the opening, driving his fist through the breach. The Kryptonite energy scorched his skin, but he ripped the core free, hurling it into the harbor. The mech groaned, collapsing in a heap of sparking metal.
Breathing hard, Clark landed beside Hal, the burn in his leg intensifying. "Good work," he managed, but his voice wavered. Hal's eyes narrowed, sensing the strain.
"You're not okay, man. That Kryptonite's eating you alive." Hal's ring beeped, analyzing the core's residue. "This isn't natural—refined with something alien. Verdant's upping their game."
Before Clark could respond, a faint wail rose from the wreckage—ghostly echoes of Krypton, distorted by the mech's energy. Shadows flickered, forming fleeting images: a crystalline city, a red sun, a voice crying out. Clark's chest tightened. "It's… my home. They're using its memory against me."
Hal placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll stop them. But you need to rest. I'll call in the League."
Clark shook his head. "Not yet. Lois is decoding those blueprints. We need answers first."
Back at the Daily Planet, Lois hunched over her desk, the recorder's digital files splayed across her screen. The blueprints from LexCorp revealed a sprawling Antarctic base—labs, refineries, and a central chamber labeled "Phase Two: Genesis Awakening." But it was the audio logs that chilled her. A Verdant scientist's voice, clipped and clinical: "Subject 17 expired. Kryptonite infusion too rapid. Adjusting for Subject 18—Nexus protocol initiated."
"Nexus?" Clark muttered, leaning over her shoulder. The Kryptonite burn throbbed, but he pushed it aside. "That's new."
Lois tapped the screen. "There's more. A mole—someone inside Metropolis PD. The logs mention 'Officer K.' Feeding Verdant intel on you." Her eyes met his, fierce. "We've got a leak, Clark."
Before they could dig deeper, the TV blared to life—Elias Thorne's face, broadcast across every channel. The Verdant CEO stood in a snow-swept Antarctic vista, a Kryptonite shard gleaming in his hand. "Superman," he purred, his voice smooth as ice, "your reign ends. A storm brews over Metropolis—green fire to cleanse the alien taint. Face me, or watch your city burn."
The screen cut to static, replaced by live footage: a swirling Kryptonite storm forming above Metropolis, lightning arcing through the clouds. Clark's heart sank. The empire was closing in.
Lois grabbed her coat. "We're going to the roof. You need to fly out there."
"Not alone," Hal's voice cut in, stepping from a green portal. "League's on standby. But Clark, you're in no shape—"
"I have to," Clark interrupted, his resolve hardening. The ghost echoes faded, replaced by a surge of determination. "This is my fight."
As they ascended to the roof, the storm's green glow intensified, casting Metropolis in an eerie light. Lois squeezed his arm. "Come back, Smallville."
He nodded, launching into the sky, Hal at his side. The Kryptonite storm roared, its energy a blade aimed at his heart. Below, the city held its breath, unaware of the empire's shadow tightening its grip.
Mid-flight, a squadron of Kryptonite-infused drones emerged from the storm's edge, their sleek forms glinting with green energy. Hal cursed, raising a construct—a net of green light—to snare them. "Verdant's got toys everywhere!" he shouted, as the drones fired precision beams, each pulse laced with Kryptonite radiation. One grazed Clark's shoulder, the burn spreading like wildfire. He gritted his teeth, diving into the swarm, his fists a blur as he smashed two drones mid-air. The impact sent shards flying, but the effort drained him further.
Hal's ring flared, creating a giant fist to crush another drone, but the remaining two veered toward Metropolis's power grid. "Clark, the grid!" Hal yelled. Clark pushed his limits, racing ahead, catching one drone and hurling it into the other. The explosion lit the sky, a brief flare of green and black, but the cost was clear—his breathing grew ragged, the Kryptonite's toll mounting.
"You can't keep this up," Hal warned, his ring scanning Clark's vitals. "Your cells are breaking down."
Clark wiped sweat from his brow, the storm's roar drowning his reply. The drones were just the beginning. Thorne's trap was tightening, and the real battle loomed ahead. As they pressed toward the storm's heart, the green lightning intensified, a promise of the fight to come.