@ak-spra ( plotted )
It’s a quiet, peaceful night in Metropolis, for once. Only a few petty squabbles and thefts to thwart so far. But of course, someone’s determined to cause trouble. Floating high above the tallest skyscrapers, Clark lets his hearing expand, until the sounds of the entire city fills his head. Sorting through all the noises is easier than it used to be, but still takes a lot of focus.
After a minute, one sound in particular catches his notice. “Hey, roach!” That phrase has never preceded anything good. Clark turns his head to observe the scene from up high, debating if he should intervene.
A man is making his way down a dark, deserted alley. Several yards behind him, a group pours into the narrow space, all sneering nastily at him -- Children of Liberty, if Clark had to guess. Lately they’ve been spreading out from National City like a cancer. No one has a gun, thankfully, but a few are wielding baseball bats and crowbars, and seem a little too eager to use them.
One man seems to be leading this gang. He storms right up to the stranger and yanks the cap off his head, revealing pointed ears that are definitely not human. “I knew it! Nothing but a filthy roach.”
Some echoes of agreement spring up from the people behind him, and one with a bat steps menacingly closer. “This planet would be better off without the lot of you.”
There is no universe in which this ends well. Some alien refugees are able to defend themselves, sure, but they shouldn’t have to. So Clark sets his sights on the alley and is there in a blur, landing behind the group near silently.
“Good evening!” he calls, startling a few of them. They whirl around to see Superman, leaning casually against the alley wall -- conveniently blocking their way out -- and smiling cheerily. “Beautiful night, isn’t it? Now, I think it’s time to let this gentleman be on his way.”
