CHAPTER 176

"Help, is anyone there? I need help, anyone." The voice which came from Batman's transponder.

"Is this some kind of trick?" Wonder Woman asked Batman. The cry for help was sent to the heroes' Watchtower and those who were active at the moment heard the cry for help.

"No way, is that…?" Green Lantern inquired but was unsure of who he thought it to be because it was almost impossible to get a call from and saying all that.

"I need help, I just woke up in some alleyway in San Francisco and without memories of how I got here. I don't know why my powers are not responding at the moment, I was able to get some coins and dial our emergency line on a payphone." The voice said as it sounded to be in a state of panic over the line.

"It's Clark." Batman said. "What was the last thing you remember?" He asked.

"Were about to make a burst on Lex at one of he's estates, when we got ambushed and I think I saw the president in that room. That is all, I had to steal some clothes to change from my hero's costume." Superman replied.

"Could it really be him? Or just another one of Lex's mind games?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"There's only one way to find out." Wonder Woman said as she folded her arms looking at Batman.

"Maybe whatever mind leech Lex had on him doesn't have a range as far as San Francisco." Green Lantern said, trying to make sense of the situation they've found themselves in. Doubting their own was far from their hero code.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Martian Manhunter said. Wonder Woman and Green Lantern turned, headed to San Francisco to bring Superman.

"Wait, it might actually be a trap so be careful." Batman warned.

"And if it isn't a trap, this might be our one and only chance to get him back. Let's go!!!" Wonder Woman commanded as Green Lantern followed behind her to pick up their lost and stranded comrade.

…

[Tom Hendricks POV]

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the air filled with the Christmas feel and aroma of delicious food seem to fill for odd reasons. Selina came over this morning carrying some groceries in hand and practically forced her way into the kitchen, saying she had the feeling we boys wouldn't have anything planned out for Christmas Eve.

"You don't seem like you cook." I said as she offloaded her groceries. On the kitchen counter.

"I do, when I want to. And right now I need something that would take my mind off a few things." She replied as she waved to Leo who replied with a confused look.

After contemplating a few things he mind, he finally spoke up. "You no what…? I don't even want to know." He said as he walked over to the living room.

Apparently, there was another party at some club in Gotham that night but I and the boys have had our fair share of parties and decided it was better we stayed in tonight.

The general public a.k.a the dumb and clueless, were in good spirits. The heroes on their toes, Lex Luthor must be drinking a glass of martini right about now, it was indeed a good day for an alien invasion.

"Is it the end of the world already? Something smells really good. Jason said as he walked down the stairs, only to see both Leo and I playing chess in the living room. Walking into the kitchen Jason spotted Selina cooking.

"I was wondering where you might have been." She said as she spotted him.

"Oh, it's you again. I forgot to ask Tom last time but I guess I'll just ask you instead. Are you Tom's girlfriend we've been hearing a lot about lately?" Jason opened his big mouth to ask.

"Tom has a girlfriend uhh, he didn't mention her. I guess I'd have to squeeze it out of him." She said, with a mischievously sexy look on her face as she liked her cherry red lips.

"So mind telling l me again why you are in our kitchen?" Jason inquired, it was definitely odd for Catwoman to spend her day in the kitchen of some dude when she had more important things she could be doing.

"Well, that's me to know and for you to dot, dot, dot." She quoted. Jason rolled his eyes and headed for the living room.

"Here I was thinking you two might have been kidnapped by aliens and they must have swapped your bodies." Jason said as he walked into tge living room.

"What? Why would you think that?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow in confusion, to that dumb statement.

"Because something smells awfully good in here, and we all know none of you could cook something that good." He said with a smug look on his face as he mocked us.

"You underestimate me Jase, I'm well vast in multiple culinary cultures and can match up to a standard chef if I put my mind to it." Which was quite true because being from a rich and strict household, my dad made me undergo private culinary training saying I need to be effortlessly better than the common folk.

Although I can't speak much for my current cooking skills, it's been a while since I cooked anything out of our mundane meals. Leo quietly laughed at us bicker as Jason said he had next on whoever won against the other in our game of chess.

Late on the night before, I had informed Deathstroke and Deadshot to stay clear of whatever war was going to break out today. I can't have them dying in a fight that doesn't benefit my cause.

Asked my immediate and profitable clients to take their families on a vacation out of the States for their own safety, they were skeptical at first but I told them they'll hear about it from the news later on.

Why leave the States? You might wonder. But in a lot of movies and cartoons whenever aliens were to attack or invade earth, they always seem to attack the United States for some reason.

All I can do right now is sit back and wait if Lex would come to his senses and abort his plan or let his ego get in the way of his judgment then proceed with his plans.

Fingers crossed, I hope for the latter.

…

Wonder Woman and Green Lantern had returned to the Watchtower with Superman who was looking and acting like he old self before he turned into Lex's puppet and started to act like a dictator.

They laid him on a bed in the med bay where Batman scanned and examined his brain for unusual activities. He found nothing and assured everyone that Superman was right to stop them from worrying so much, but deep down something didn't feel right and he still wasn't believing this sudden return.

There was no way Lex would make a mistake as to let his guard dog wander out of his reach. The remaining League members at the watchtower headed back to patrol in case Lex or some villain decided to ruin Christmas for everyone.

Batman headed back to his workshop as Martian Manhunter sat in a chair in the med-bay to ensure everything was right with Superman.

As he did a few check ups and was about to head out when something from the monitor screen caught his attention. He looked at Superman's brain wave frequency only to see an imprint of another brain wave frequency tangled up in his.

Earlier it wasn't visible and it looked like it was a result of what Lex did to Superman, the mind fucking and all.

Martian Manhunter continued to ponder on it. Just as it got to him that Superman might not completely be himself and may still be under Lex Luthor's control, he received a strike to the back of his head and was knocked out cold.

Batman didn't trust the scenario that was currently playing out, the only way Lex could manually get into the Watchtower was with Superman's help. It didn't make sense for him to make that mistake when he was so close to enacting his plan.

Batman tapped on his keyboard to review Superman's brain scans and the MRI that was done on him earlier, he noticed the current scans having a foreign imprint on his brain waves frequency chart.

"Oh, no!!!" He exclaimed as he rushed to the med-bay to confirm the results for himself because it wasn't there when he did the scans earlier.

He headed up there with hope of naturalizing Superman before things took a dramatic and unexpected turn, only to see Martian Manhunter laying on the floor and unconscious.

Batman looked around the room and couldn't find Superman anywhere around. He checked Martian Manhunter's pulse and saw he was just knocked out and would be okay after regaining consciousness.

Superman was up to something and he needed to stop him from achieving his purpose for acting his way into the Watchtower.