3061/Superman and the Main Man

Superman and the Main Man
Date of Scene:	23 August 2020
Location:	Central Business District - New Troy
Synopsis:	Superman encounters Lobo for the first time, while the Main Man is hunting a bounty. They don't become friends. But at least Superman tried.
Cast of Characters:	America Chavez, Clark Kent

---

America Chavez has posed:
It is a quiet day in Metropolis. Which, in general, simply means that the Bad Thing, or Things, just haven't happened yet. While Superman doesn't necessarily attract the same vitriol and madness that seems to fester around the Batman and Gotham it's not, certainly, out of line to say that things ... tend to happen in Metropolis. And often.

Admist the cloudless bright blue sky, high off in the distance a smoke trail can be seen. No more than a thin, sewing thread of a line, but it is not the 'white' smoke that jets or planes might leave in their wake that fascinate children who dream of being pilots and flying like Superman.

This trail is black. And, the highly perceptible will be able to see that it's not flying across the sky, but rather, on a fast-tracking line towards the center of Metropolis, perhaps even the Daily Planet itself.

Clark Kent has posed:
Over the weekend, mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent has been putting in overtime to get an enterprise piece on corporate corruption ready to print in the Monday edition. The reporting is all in place, but the copy desk is still triple-checking his sourcing -- this kind of exposé can land the Planet in hot water if it isn't painstakingly accurate -- and he needs to be on hand to contact anonymous sources and delve through his shorthand notes.

Of course, needing to be on hand isn't the same as being busy. At the moment, he's just enjoying a pastrami sandwich at his desk and waiting for the copy desk to call on him, if needed.

He absent-mindedly looks out the window and does notice that line of black smoke, but aside from a slight frown, he doesn't yet react. It could always be some new hero he hasn't met, with a jetpack that doesn't pass emissions standards. He'll listen in, but won't break cover unless it becomes clear there's a real problem.

America Chavez has posed:
To keen eyes, and super vision, as the smoke trail gets closer one can percieve it's no ordinary thing. It is neither a hero, nor a jet. Rather, it's an alient space craft. A small vessel, likely seating at maximum more than a few people if even that many.

Then, there's a glint from behind; something smaller, and from it a few energy blasts are shot, and the whine of engines starting to fail begin to hit the ears of those keenly tuned into such things before they outright explode, new plumes of black smoke erupting from behind, as well as either side.

As the first vessel plummets - the persuer seems to follow - and, by the flight of the persuer, it almost seems ... casual, bragging, flaunting, as the second vessel kicks their engine into high gear and begins to circle the plummetting victim like a predatory animal about to go in for the kill.

Clark Kent has posed:
Energy blasts in the sky over Metropolis? That's a very different matter. Clark sits forward, bumping his phone in its much-abused Otterbox off his desk with one elbow, and then grumbles as he crouches to retrieve it. When he disappears beneath his desk, though, he's actually gone: in a blur of motion too fast to track even if someone were watching, which he made quite sure they weren't.

Moments later, the roof stairwell access door on the Planet building is flung open, and a streak of blue and red launches into the sky at a sharp angle. Superman arrives at the scene of the confrontation between the space vessels, looping around the damaged ship too fast for the eye to follow, then comes to rest below its center of mass, shouldering the vessel in an Atlas pose. He heaves upward and banks it to the side, trying to steer it toward the West River for a safer water landing. There's no time to deal with the attacker -- he has to preserve any lives on the ship, and prevent a crash in the middle of the city's population center!

America Chavez has posed:
As soon as Superman begins to grab the descending vessel and slow it, there's suddenly someone in his face. The second vehicle, well - it looks as if someone simply had taken some slightly futuristic Harley Davidson and given it some really high tech star-travelling engine power without ruining the feel, or the purpose of the hog. On it's frunt? A death skull. In it's seat? A burly man of bright-white skin, and dark hair.

His hair is outrageous, as hairstyles go, spiked and so volumnous it seems to give him even greater height; the back of it flows down his back past his shoulders. A beard, and moustache accompany the hairstyle, and the leather black vest, and black leather pants accompany the overall look.

In one hand, he's holding some type of energy weapon while his other is on the handlebar. And by the red glowing eyes set into his skull, the man isn't very happy.

"Hey, get yer mitts off that," he growls, "This is -MY- bounty. Nobody messes with the Main Man."

Clark Kent has posed:
Through gritted teeth, the Man of Steel answers, "Your 'bounty' is about to crash into a city full of innocent people. Either help me divert it into the river, or move out of the way." He doesn't have time to trade snarky comments with this... space biker, but he has got enough of a feel for the ship's weight and inertia to heave it onto a safer course. The ship's superstructure groans under the unaccustomed force, but stays in one piece as it curves through the sky. Now Superman just has to guide it down so that it skips intact across the surface of the water rather than slamming into it full force.

America Chavez has posed:
Lobo gives Superman, suddenly, a rather confused look. Even as they continue to fall towards the Earth, he almost seems to not be paying attention to where he's going. Instead, he looks down at the city, looks back to the ship and Superman.

"So?" With the casual indifference of someone watching someone getting their ass handed to them in an alleyway without a second thought for the other person.

There's a long, pregnant pause before Lobo sighs, exasperated, and then without a word he puts the gun back into his holster and instead picks up a chain off the bike, throwing it hard, fast, and straight into the guts of the ship.

He pulls on the chain, and the ship begins to lurch between his tension and Superman's, away from Metropolis and instead towards the safer outskirts. "I hate frackin' do-gooders," Lobo snarls. "Always butting your nose into someone else's business."

Clark Kent has posed:
With the unexpected assist from the alien bounty hunter, Superman brings the ship down on top of him in a relatively gentle, belly-first landing in the river. It doesn't fragment into pieces, at least. The last son of Krypton disappears into the frothing water beneath the ship for several seconds, but then reappears in a blast of water. He spins at vortex speeds for a second, shooting water in every direction like a shaking dog, then hovers in a ready stance off its nose, facing Lobo with his newly-dry cape billowing behind him.

"There now; that wasn't so tough," he says with a friendly smile, shaking off the jabs about do-gooders as easily as he did the river water. "You said something about a bounty -- are these offworld criminals of some kind?"

America Chavez has posed:
Lobo set his bike down on the ground, and climbs off it, moving towards the ship and Superman after pulling and twisting on the chain to snatch it back, roping it with a smooth and efficient effectiveness around his wrist. Doing so also tears a hole through the hull of the now ruined spacecraft, and Superman can hear the quiet, fearful whimpers from within; two people, a man and a woman.

"No idea," says Lobo, with that same indifference. Then, with shocking speed and near Kryptonian strength, Lobo's fist shoots out to his side without warning, slamming into Superman's jaw. "Told you to mind yer business," he growls, moodily.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman isn't easy to get the drop on, but Lobo just managed it. The Kryptonian had escorted the ship to shore as Lobo reeled it in, then touched down next to him to observe the capture of the seeming fugitives. Confident in his ability to build rapport and find the best in people, he wasn't on his guard, trusting that this cooperation could be the basis of some interstellar law enforcement cooperation.

Not so much.

Superman goes flying, nearly level to the ground, punching through a sail, kicking up a high wake of river water, and then cratering into the concrete abutment of the Queensland bridge.

All is still, for a second, then a bare hand and the end of a blue-clad arm slams into the crater rim and Superman drags his torso free of the hole he just made. "I think you just made it my business, friend," he says, without rancor, but in a voice undergirded with steel.

America Chavez has posed:
Lobo peels away the rest of the hull, having already forgotten about Superman, calling, "Now, get out here."

The 'man' is a young looking alien of some indiscernable race; blue skinned and thin-limbed, head almost humanoid. This alien is grabbed with one meaty hand around the throat.

Then inside the vehicle, Lobo can be heard, "Hey baby. Aren't you lucky? You got to be rescued by the Main Man." And, he walks out, kicking a bigger hole as he goes back through, one bounty claimed and being held aloft by the throat, while his arm is around the shoulders of a buxom green-skinned girl of rather attractive, but different alien heritage.

"No, please, I love him," she calls, plaintively to Lobo who looks at her with disbelief. He shakes the poor guy like one would a wet towel, "This little guy?" He starts laughing, "He couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. Trust me, babe. I'm the real deal."

Of course, eyes off Superman, whom he's sure is pretty much gone for good, he instead is focusing almost exclusively on the woman, his bounty right now merely an afterthought as the guy squirms, pushes, pulls at fingers helplessly, trying to escape. The fear on his face can't be mistaken.

But, Lobo at least doesn't seem interested in killing him. Not yet, anyways.

Clark Kent has posed:
Momentarily forgotten, but hardly out of the fight, Superman launches himself free of the shattered masonry at bullet speeds, his cape a taut delta behind him from the acceleration alone. He raises one fist, aimed to return that jaw-shattering hit with the full follow-through of his flight momentum.

But that's not all: with his acute hearing, he has picked up enough of their conversation to be confident that this is not a bounty he wants Lobo to earn. After the initial hit, his trailing arm will snap out in an attempt to grab Lobo by the collar of his jacket and drag him away from his quarry. A quick discus-spin after that should send the space biker skipping across the surface of the West River like a flat stone.

America Chavez has posed:
It's now Lobo's turn to be caught off guard as his very durable clothing provides Superman the leverage and grip needed to hurtle the white-skinned alien across the West River, and into a pile of trees which crunch, break, and tumble with loud creaking and popping noises before the resounding falling of them echoes across the way.

The boy, presently safe and bewildered, looks around as if dumbfounded to what happened while the girl, too, seems utterly confused if they've been saved, or - if someone else is after them as she moves to drape herself over the boy, "Please, don't hurt him! We just want to be left alone!"

...

Meanwhile, Superman's hearing will pick up a new sound, of trees getting pushed out of the way, and Lobo's voice, "Oh. You wanna pick a fight, d'ya?"

Then, there's a sharp whistle, and suddenly Lobo's motorcycle spurns to life from behind Superman, going from 0 to - a lot - in a heartbeat. Whatever it's made of, it doesn't crunch against the stamina of the Kyrptonian. It hits Superman like a semi-truck then veers towards Lobo, who jumps onto it, and begins to barrel towards Superman.

"Let me introduce myself," he says, with a savage, almost joyous grin at the fight. "I'm Lobo. That's L as in Lacerate. O as in Obliterate. B as in DisemBowel and O as in ...," a pause, a confused look as he drops off the bike to land in front of Superman, "Uh ... I guess I can use Obliterate twice. Yeah."

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman hovers in place after launching Lobo across the river. He stares after the bounty hunter, dropping to the ground between him and the aliens he's hunting. "I won't hurt you, but you need to get out of here, while I hold him off," he answers the girl, without looking over his shoulder.

He lifts a small device from his belt, points it at the ground behind him, and hits a switch. "In a few seconds, a teleporter beam will align to this spot to pick you up. It'll take you to the Watchtower, where there will be others who can--"

He's cut off by the full-on impact of the space motorcycle, which drops him to the ground, skidding a groove through the dirt. By the time he picks himself back up, Lobo is arriving and giving his taunting introduction. Superman spits out a mouthful of dirt and squares his stance.

"It's also Spanish for 'wolf,' if you're ever looking for a slightly shorter introduction," he says, with a bit of dry humor. "I'm Superman. I protect the people on this planet."

He lunges forward into a super-fast three-punch combo: a right cross, a left jab, then an uppercut: testing Lobo's defenses and his fighting style.

America Chavez has posed:
Lobo is pummelled by the three-punch combo, putting up absolutely no defenses, the chain sends him flying, flying again, and flying and skidding into the ground much like Superman had been sent just moments ago. It's not a pretty sight, all in all.

Lobo gets up, though, taps his chin again, "Go on," he says, grinning like a maniac, "Hit me like you really mean it this time." Then, he blows Superman a kiss. "Show me how you really feel."

Then, he starts walking towards Superman, and he sneers in derision.

"Good for you," he says in response to Superman's declaration. "They ain't from this planet," as he points to the two in question. Then he's throwing his chain at blue-boy, fast, fierce, sudden, and with ultimate precision, even as the two start to run away towards the river in hopes of escaping Lobo - and, too afraid yet to trust Superman and wherever he might be 'beaming them' to.

"Now, now, now," Lobo sneers at his bounty, as the chain neatly binds him up. "No runnin' away while the adults are talking," he warns. "I was told to bring you in alive. Didn't say anything about how many limbs I needed to bring you back with."

He winks at the girl, "Lobo'll just be another few moments, babe. Then you can spend all the time with the Main Man that you want." Yes. He's flirting in the midst of a battle with Superman, and utterly clueless that the girl is terrified of him.

Then, he's grabbing Superman by his own clothing and smashing his head into the Man of Steel with yet another maniac grin.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman lunges sideways to grab the chain by its middle as the end wraps around Lobo's quarry. He's not going to let him reel the boy in the way he did his starship. "I didn't say 'from' this planet," he says, pointedly. Superman's protection extends to aliens and refugees, as a matter of bedrock morals.

Superman's protection does not, as it turns out, extend to an immunity to superstrength headbutts, and he staggers back from the impact. As he moves, though, he yanks downward and back on the chain to pull Lobo in toward him, setting the bounty hunter up for even greater impact on another rising uppercut.

"This planet has its own protectors," he says, squeezing the chain hard enough to crush most metals into powder and rising a couple of feet into the air to glare down at Lobo. "It doesn't need your kind of law. Find another bounty to chase ... /somewhere else/."

America Chavez has posed:
The chain is still connected to Lobo's wrist, and so the alien is pulled forwards, and he flies upwards as the well-timed uppercut lands against his jaw, sending him flying, ... and then slamming into the ground with a crater impact of his own.

The chain - perhaps surprisingly, doesn't crush, or get turned into powder at Superman's attempt to destroy it. It's far more durable than expected - but, Superman's already seen some signs of that as he virtually helped stop the shuttle crash with it. Still, his snatching of the chain, and use of it against himself has Lobo in a foul mood again.

"You know," Lobo growls, "You're gettin' on my nerves, you frakkin' bastich." He pulls the chain sharply to himself, foot rising up to give Superman the literal boot to dislodge the Man of Steel from his favorite weapon, "You shouldn't go grabbin' other people's property. Didn't your momma teach you better than that?"

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman is disappointed, but not altogether surprised at the chain's durability. That would be too easy, wouldn't it? He takes Lobo's boot directly to the midsection, and instead of trying to hold onto the chain where he is, he keeps his hand closed but loosens his grip so that the links can slide freely through his hand. This sends him flying back toward the alien couple, where he lands in another end-over-end skid.

No time to keep fighting Lobo, though; Superman darts toward the entangled man and yanks the coil of chain open to free him, just as the teleportation tube flares into being a few meters away.

"You've got to get out of here," he forcefully warns the pair. "Please." Then he spins to face Lobo again, moving to keep himself between the bounty hunter and his target, rubbing the back of one sleeve against his mouth. "My Ma taught me not to chase down people who are just trying to live their lives, too," he counters. "Maybe you should leave Earth and find a place where people's manners are more to your liking."

America Chavez has posed:
Lobo grins that savage, sarcastic grin again. "Your ma probably never offered you a 20 million bounty, either," he calls back to Superman even as the teleportation beam flares.

The couple look at each other, wordlessly, and then decide that there is at least a chance in the unknown versus getting caught by Lobo. Newly freed, the girl drags the stumbling, bumbling boy towards the light, which swallow them up.

"Ohhhhh," and now Lobo's face twists into a veritable snarl. "Now you've gone and done it, Blue. You've gone and pissed off the Main Man. I -always- get my bounty."

He grabs the chain, flicks it expertly as if to wrap it around Superman, and he pulls on it. But he doesn't pull Superman to him - he pulls himself towards Superman, and begins to slam fist-over-fist against the Kryptonian, in an endless barrage.

Superman had been trying to pin down Lobo's fighting style; in a nutshell, he doesn't have one. It's simply brute instinct, brawling, and beating. There is no real 'skill' in it, not compared to a Batman or any others studied in hand-to-hand.

"Now I gotta go track them down all over again, you fraggin' frackkin' bastich!" Lobo yells, as he double-fists a punch into Superman's side.

Then the 'Main Man' whistles for his partner in crime, the motorcycle that flies through space. "Here's a present for you."

A button is pressed, and from the mouth of the motorcycle a missle suddenly blasts out, heading straight for Metropolis.

Lobo winks. "I'll be dreaming about you, Big Blue." Then, he takes off, heading up towards the sky, and the atmosphere.

Wait. Did Superman hear him sniffing?

Meanwhile, the missle fires forward, headed at no particular target, but, it's going to land somewhere in Metropolis unless Superman stops it. Clearly, a diversionary tactic as not even the Man of Steel can stop the missle, -and- stop Lobo from escaping.

Clark Kent has posed:
With Superman's focus fully on getting the couple safely away from Lobo, it wasn't much of a challenge for the hunter to entangle the Kryptonian in the coils of his chain. Superman swiftly comes to regret that, as the monsoon of blows from the interstellar bounty hunter pummel his body. He tries to shift so that the chain will catch at least some of the impacts, but in the end it's just a war of attrition between Czarnian knuckles and bulletproof Kryptonian skin.

Eventually, though, a last blow sends Superman spinning out of the chain and crashing into the dirt. He rises, wipes a bit of blood away from the corner of his mouth, and prepares for the fight to begin anew, but Lobo has other plans. Superman doesn't have to think for a moment about whether or not to play into them: saving lives comes before fighting villains, every time. Injured or not, he leaps into the air with staggering speed, gaining on the projectile bit by bit, giving Lobo's motorcycle all the time it needs to rev up to full throttle.

Superman catches the missile and redirects it, much as he did the starship earlier, this time straight up into the air and as far from Metropolis as it can possibly go. Without knowing what kind of blast radius it brings to bear, he can't be too cautious.

America Chavez has posed:
The blast is - perhaps surprisingly, not immense; it matches merely the destructive capability of an earth missle; likely due to its small size. The explosion in the atmosphere burns bright and short, before disspating into a smoke cloud and burning out completely, while the Main Man makes his getaway.

As for the Watchtower? They now have two unannounced guests who are going to have one hell of a time getting home.

When pressed, Superman will at least find out (presuming they aren't lying) that the boy is a Prince of a planet hundreds of light years away from Earth and had been running from a tyrant of a father and a pre-arranged wedding, and there was a bounty to bring him home.

And, it's likely enough that Superman, and perhaps Earth, hadn't seen the last of the Czarnian, though it may be a good while before he shows up again. The galaxy, afterall, is a big place.