CHAPTER 115 — UNMASKED TRUTHS
Gaius did not raise his voice.
He simply looked at the man lying in the broken pavement and said, calm and certain:
"Stop pretending. Get up."
The words carried no anger. Only certainty.
The soldiers around them did not understand why he said it that way. To them, the man should have been dead. When Gaius had grabbed him by the neck and lifted him, the force alone should have crushed bone. When he threw him across the street, the impact should have shattered every rib.
But Gaius already knew.
When his hand had closed around the man's throat, he had felt it. Not skin and muscle the way a human body felt. There had been resistance beneath it, dense and wrong. Like stone wrapped in flesh. When he threw him, the body had pushed back, just slightly, in a way no human body ever could.
The man was not a nomal human.
The wind moved through the street, carrying dust and the heavy smell of blood. Two guards lay nearby, their bodies still and broken. One was missing his head entirely. The other lay twisted, helmet split open, dark red pooling beneath him.
Then the man on the ground moved.
Slowly, he pushed himself up.
There was no groan. No sharp breath of pain. No shaking limbs.
He rose as if the ground had simply inconvenienced him.
Dust slid from his coat. He stood straight, adjusted his posture, and looked around calmly.
A murmur passed through the soldiers.
Several of them stiffened. Rifles came up again without orders. Fingers tightened on triggers. Wide eyes tracked the man as if he might change at any second.
Any normal human would have been broken by that throw.
This one stood unharmed.
The man turned his attention to Gaius and bowed his head slightly.
"I apologize," he said. His voice was steady. Clear. "I truly did not mean it that way."
There was no fear in his tone. No attempt to defend himself. Only sincerity.
Soldiers rushed toward him at once.
Even though what was shown was far from normal, he was still their lieutenant general.
"Sir, are you okay?"
"Sir, don't move-"
He raised a hand.
"I am fine," he said firmly. "Lower your weapons."
They hesitated.
Training screamed at them to keep their guns up. Everything they had just seen told them this man in armor was dangerous. Unnatural.
The speed on display was terrifying, far too fast for someone of his size, almost like watching Superman in combat.
But his voice carried authority.
Slowly, rifles lowered. Not fully. Not slung. But no longer aimed.
The man's eyes moved past them.
To the bodies.
He looked at the dead guards, their blood dark against the pavement. The clean cut of the neck. The head being crush. His expression did not change much, but something heavy passed behind his eyes.
Regret and sadness.
He walked closer to Gaius and the others, steps measured, hands visible.
"You didn't have to kill them," he said quietly, his gaze lingering on the bodies of the guards who had tried to protect him
Diana stepped forward before anyone else could speak.
"You should not have tried to enter another's mind," she replied. Her voice was calm, but firm. "You crossed a line."
The man, refuted by Diana, said nothing.
For a moment, the street was silent.
Then metal moved above them.
Tony descended from the air, repulsors flaring as he made a controlled landing. The situation had deescalated, and he immediately powered down his weapons. The faceplate of his helmet slid open smoothly, revealing his eyes, sharp, alert, and focused.
"We need information," Tony said plainly.
The man looked around again. Soldiers. Police. Blood on the ground. Too many eyes. Too much tension.
"This is not the place to talk," he said.
He turned, raising a hand to signal a nearby soldier.
The soldier understood immediately and radioed in, requesting a helicopter.
A helicopter moved into view moments later, descending behind a nearby building. Its rotors cut through the air, loud and steady.
The man walked to it and addressed the pilot briefly. The pilot exited without argument, moving away quickly.
"I will fly," the man said, taking the controls. He looked back at the group. "Follow me, we'll talk to a more private place."
Gaius and the others exchanged glances, each offering a subtle nod of agreement. Tony and Diana, in particular, were keen to move to a more private location, lingering here any longer risked drawing attention from other forces in Diana's world, who might seize the chance to interfere. Though they felt no fear, it would be far too troublesome.
Diana stepped aboard first, composed and steady. Naruto followed, carrying the sealed Mother Box, casting a quick glance back at the street. Saeko hesitated at the doorway, her gaze lingering on the blood before moving inside. Mindy entered last, quietly closing the door behind her.
The helicopter lifted off.
Gaius first walked back to the table and lifted his helmet, settling it onto his head. The helm hissed softly as it sealed into place, locking perfectly around him.
Seeing Gaius ready, Tony lifted into the air and followed the helicopter. Flames roared from Gaius' jetpack as he activated it, surging forward effortlessly and keeping pace with the chopper without strain.
They flew for nearly twenty minutes.
The city faded beneath them. Buildings thinned. Roads became narrow lines. Fields opened up, wide and empty.
At last, the helicopter descended near a lone farmhouse, sitting quiet in open land. No nearby homes. No roads close enough for traffic.
The helicopter settled in the backyard.
Everyone disembarked.
Tony opened his faceplate the moment his boots touched the ground.
"You'd better have information worth our time," he said. Not angry. Just direct.
After all, they flew for more than twenty minutes, then landed in this desolate place.
The man nodded once.
"I will tell you everything I know," he said. "But I will ask something in return."
His gaze lingered on Gaius.
When he had tried to enter Gaius' mind earlier, he had not found thoughts. He had felt something else instead. Cold. Vast. Heavy. Like staring into a deep void that pressed back.
It had unsettled him.
Gaius met his gaze.
"Do not attempt to enter my mind again," Gaius said. His voice was low, even. "I will not allow it."
Diana nodded in agreement. "He is not wrong."
The man inclined his head.
"I understand," he said.
Tony folded his arms. "Let's start simple. Where is Superman?"
The man exhaled slowly.
"After the explosion at the Capitol," he said, "he helped the survivors. Pulled people from the rubble. Saved as many as he could."
"And then?" Tony asked.
"And then he disappeared," the man replied. "There have been no confirmed sightings since."
Tony nodded. "I see."
He paused, then continued.
"Tell us what you know about Doomsday."
The man frowned slightly. "Doomsday?"
"An… apocalyptic event?" he added, seeking clarification.
Tony gestured vaguely. "A person… or something like one," he said, uncertain himself. After all, the only information they had was the directive: kill Doomsday.
The man shook his head. "I know no one by that name."
Tony watched him closely.
"If the name exists," the man continued, "some might use it to describe Superman."
He stopped himself immediately.
"But that would be wrong," he said firmly. "I know him. He has compassion. He protects life. He cannot become something like that."
Silence followed.
Then the man shifted.
"There was something," he said slowly, "two years ago. Something that could have ended this world."
Tony leaned forward slightly. "Go on."
"Kryptonians," the man said. "The same race as Superman. They invaded Earth."
He glanced at Diana, puzzled. Her companions showed no sign of having heard of, or knowing about, the catastrophic events that had occurred two years ago, though he was certain she would be aware.
Diana paused slightly.
"They brought a machine," he continued. "A World Engine. It was designed to change this planet. To make it like their own world."
"And that would have killed everyone here," Tony said.
"Yes," the man replied. "Extinction."
"Superman stopped it," Tony said, as he connects the puzzled.
"Yes."
Tony took a breath. "What happened to the Kryptonians?"
The man's answer was simple.
"They are all dead."
The words hung in the air.
Tony, Diana, and Gaius absorbed it in silence.
Kryptonians were gone.
Superman was missing.
Something called Doomsday was still expected.
Gaius spoke next.
"If it is called Doomsday," he said, "it will appear eventually."
Tony leaned back slightly. "Looks like we're staying in this world longer than planned."
Diana nodded once.
Saeko glanced between them. "So… we're really staying?"
"For now," Tony said.
The man stepped forward again.
"I can offer protection," he said. "Shelter. Resources. You can stay here."
Tony shook his head immediately.
"No," he said. "This place is too quiet. Too isolated."
"Metropolis makes more sense," Diana added.
Gaius said calmly, "We don't need protection."
The man considered this, then nodded.
Tony glanced at Naruto and said, "Get the Mother Box, Naruto."
Naruto, who had been standing off to the side in a quiet trance, unable to offer any words during their exchange, stirred when Tony called to him. He stepped forward, climbed into the helicopter, and handed the Sealed Mother Box over to Tony.
Tony reached out and took the Mother Box from Naruto's hands, securing it carefully.
"Then let's finish our second objective."
He opened it. Inside sat a cube, its surface alive with faint light.
The Mother Box.
Tony activated the sensors in his helmet visor, scanning the Mother Box. Streams of data flowed across his HUD, revealing massive energy signatures pulsing from the artifact.
he used the identification skill on the Mother Box. The information displayed:
Mother Box:
A Mother Box is a sentient, hyper-advanced alien supercomputer created by the beings of Apokolips. Possessing vast processing power and its own form of consciousness, it can manipulate energy, matter, and technology on a fundamental level. Mother Boxes are capable of opening Boom Tubes for interstellar travel, healing or reconstructing organic and mechanical life, interfacing with any technology, and reshaping environments through immense energy output. Responsive to its user's will and emotions, a Mother Box is not merely a tool but a living machine, one of the most powerful and dangerous artifacts in the Universe.
Tony's eyes widened as he studied the Mother Box, astonished by the sheer magnitude of its power. He wants to analyze and understand it fully before handing it over to the Multiversal Chat.
Diana's eyes widened slightly, her breath catching. Though she had recognized the Mother Box once it was unsealed, she hadn't been entirely certain, seeing the identification panel now confirmed her suspicions.
"The Box of the New Gods," she said softly.
Tony looked up. "The box of what?"
Diana said quietly, "The Mother Box, we also have one in Amazons, in my homeland."
On the other side of Tony, Gaius's eyes fell on the Mother Box and the floating information panel hovering above it. The artifact seemed almost alive, its subtle tremors suggesting awareness, as if it recognized the presence of someone far beyond ordinary power. The Mother Box seemed to tremble as Gaius's gaze fell upon it, as if sensing the immense presence before it.
He spoke then, his voice low but resolute. "Then let us secure The Second Mother Box while we wait for Doomsday."
~~~
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