Righteous Lad
Annual #1What was meant to be his day off from Civil Duty was quickly changing and being imposed upon by a stalking hostile. A returning threat, no less. 

Tyson intends to attend the premiere release of a new DC film at his local cinema theater, but one of the fairest warnings he has ever received from an associate comes back to chop down on him with canines of a harsh reality -- the necessary need to be incognito. 

The young man does nothing to really differentiate Righteous Lad from Tyson Luthur - nothing besides a change of attire and perhaps a minor tweak in his vocabulary. No hoods, no glasses, hair adjustment, or even color eye contacts. Thus, it's all too easy for Malware to track him down. With his extraterrestrial high-end tech makeup, it takes only accessing as many cameras as he can to find a match for the hero who thwarted his plan back when he first came to Earth.

 

Now here they were. Tyson, none the wiser, sits among others within a packed room while the villain observes from his place levitating overhead, concealed by his transparent camouflage. 

Unaware of Earth customs, the alien android refrains for the time being. The movie is around ten or so minutes in, which is time spent alternating his mechanical eyes between the big screen and his target, delaying his endeavor only to study the movie and his adversary's interest in it. Soon enough, an assumption clicks within the machine's mind. 

 

{ "A public programming facility for humans... This is likely where those like him undergo a conditioning process to embody the virtues of those shown in this presentation." } is the thought that crosses the android's mind before he finally makes his move.

Just as Tyson brings another handful of popcorn to his parting lips, half a dozen steel tendrils descend upon him swiftly and latch on. They wrap around his neck, arms, legs, and torso before lifting him from his seat.

 

"What the--!?" 

DHOOM!

KRASH!

CRRRSSSH!

KROOOM!

Left wall, right wall, ceiling, and down to the floor - fortunately without harming a pedestrian - Tyson finds himself being slammed around before those tendrils squeeze as tight as they can around him while simultaneously lifting his body. More swept up within a state of confusion than actually affected by any level of pain, he tries to gather his wits in the midst of the assault. Others within the theater scatter in panic, rushing out to safety.

 

"YOU again!?" The Chicagoan hero practically exclaims with a look of disgust and shock on his face once he comes face to face with his attacker.

 

"So you do remember me... Good.  I left this planet last time with a poor grasp of what its inhabitants were capable of -- what abnormal lifeforms lay in the river of malleable flesh that runs predominantly through it. But I come, better prepared, to eliminate you now before I reinstall my control over the masses of this watery planet." Malware informs confidently.

 

"Not going to happen. I wasn't going to let you have your way seven years ago, and I'm not... Going... To.. Start NOW!" A brief pacing in speech as Tyson begins fighting against his restraints, inevitably flexing enough to break free with his unearthly strength - something Malware may not have gotten to examine as precisely as he thought. As scraps of metal plummet to the seats and floor, Tyson lunges at the android with a right hook - a strike Malware evades by leaning back while floating in retreat. The hero persists, closing in while attempting to land heavy blows. Perhaps telegraphing too much, his adversary weaves out of the way of every last one of them with minimum effort - and on the 6th punch, Malware uses Righteous Lad​'s own momentum against him. Tossing the male by the forearm and sending him crashing through several walls and soaring outside.

 

"Perhaps I was a bit too hasty... Clearly, I didn't make enough adjustments. However, that can easily be compensated." Malware muses to himself as the fragments of himself he lost a moment ago suddenly shift to monochrome liquid and rise to rejoin his body. His attention then shifts toward the enormous screen once more, and his eyes begin to glow. A light projection emits from his sockets and creates a rift in the media before him, his intent being to bring villains from the movie out and into the real world.

 

His plan, Malware's scheme, is promptly compromised when Righteous Lad returns. The wrist cuff on the hero's right hand releases nanotechnology that materializes his trademark suit upon his person as he rushes the android down, tackling him through that very same rift, only to come out of an identical movie screen elsewhere. The two roughly land in the middle of a drive-in movie parking lot, much to the shock of the attendees, where their fight continues. It doesn't take long at all for eyes to redirect to the young man in black & green and the android - an exoskeleton being wearing a hooded white cloak. 

 

KROOOOM!!

 

The sound of Malware's metal tendrils lashing out all at once to smash Righteous Lad into the ground, but only managing to strike the pavement is all it takes for the civilians around to panic and flee for their lives. 

After jumping back a short distance out of the way of the attack, the hero lunges forward to grip one of those snake-like limbs and swings. Using all the might he can muster within a shallow windup to throw the android skyward like a missile. The latter ascends involuntarily and away from the innocent bystanders - though manages to use his adaptive capability to briefly create small thrusters on the palms of his hands, his calves, and back to deplete all of his momentum and bring himself to a halt. When he does, there's just a short moment of 1.5 seconds before Righteous Lad catches up and collides into his midsection with a flying tackle, taking him further up beyond the clouds. Malware reacts in time to use both of his arms and tendrils to pry the hero off him before entering the abyss of space, resulting in the hero flipping yards away. Quick to take back control of his balance, Righteous Lad rushes in yet again and his adversary does the same. With keen eyes, Malware is able to react and maneuver his body in a way to where leaning his head at an angle results in Righteous Lad's punch missing completely while his own fist successfully meets with flesh and sends the other male soaring away at breakneck speed. The android perseus and closes in within 3.7 seconds. He grips the hero's forearm with the intent of tossing him down like a meteor. Tyson thwarts the attempt by gaining a grip of his own and spinning his body to steal the momentum and toss the android downward instead.

 

Malware plummets and pierces through the clouds in an instant, quickly coming upon a crash landing. The android just barely manages to stop his fall in time with the tip of his foot a mere inch from meeting the barren ground below. He looks up afterwards and in time to see the hero coming swiftly dropping above his head.

 

TOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!

 

Tyson's attempt of stomping the android into the ground with unimaginable force only manages to result in him crouching within a deep crater. The mass of dust settles from the impact and he sees that his target is floating at a distance. The two silently stare one another down for a moment, each likely assessing the best tactic to reclaim the advantage in the next clash. Eventually, Malware readies his tendrils of steel while imbuing them with high voltage electricity - at the same time, Righteous Lad's emerald green eyes begin to shift to a shade of gold that steadily grows in light and heat that rivals the sun's blazing warmth. Just as the two are about to go on the assault again, a sudden explosive shockwave interrupts their bout and sends an aggressive wind blowing by. A disturbance that comes from the city that stands no more than 6 miles away from where they are. What follows next is a powerful feral roar strong enough to cause Tyson to grimace in pain and clamp his hands over his ears, and draw the androids immediate attention to analyze the source throw various visual adjustments including but not limited to scoping vision, infrared vision, and x-ray lenses that allow him to peer through buildings.

 

"A peculiar specimen…" Malware comments, then briefly shifts his sights toward Righteous Lad again. The latter is opening his eyes again and eventually returning his stare.

"...Perhaps next time. For now, an opportunity has made itself known." 

 

"What?" The remark from the android draws an expression of confusion across the young man's face. In the next moment, his adversary suddenly clashes the tips of his tendrils to discharge a flashbang that plays hell on Righteous Lad's senses and causes the hero to fall to a knee. It's then Malware suddenly takes off at high speed and leaves the other alone.

"Hnnnngh! Jesu–uh-! Jeeze… What was THAT ?" He regains his wits and eases back up while holding a corner of his cranium. He takes a moment to look around for any trace of the android, eventually giving up and ascending skyward to fly his way back to the city. He misses it, but he passes a billboard with the words 'Welcome To Metropolis City'. 

 

The hero wanders aimlessly above the town, but his eyes and ears open for anything concerning. That very thing reveals itself to be a sudden eruption of sound that resembles the crackle of lightning. He hurries over toward the source just in time to metal tentacles dragging what appears to be some sort of imposing monstrosity that looks familiar in a way. Gray skin, spiky bones protruding from his flesh all all over, the physique of a man-beast. 

Tyson touches down upon the street, but by then that rift is gone without a trace. 

"What was that Doomsday…?" He questions while arching a brow. Then a realization dawns on him and horror seeps in.

"Did he just drag DOOMSDAY away!?"

 

"Dooms… Day? That's what its name is?" A voice from behind the young man questions, snagging his attention. He turns and finds himself looking upon none other than the Last Son of Krypton, Superman. Adorn by his New 52 redesign as blood trickles down the side of his face.

 

"Superman!? Dude, no way!" Tyson exclaims with a bright smile as he approaches the taller male.

"It's… YOU. It's really you!!" He adds, though the urgency of the moment reminds him that this isn't really time for this when he notices the man taking a moment to wipe the blood from his brow.

"...Are you okay, Kal-EL?" He asks softly and with concern at the forefront of his expression. The question earns him a skeptical frown from the Man of Steel.

 

"I'm fine, but… how do you know that name? That's not public information." The kryptonian responds.

"Just who exactly are you?" As he asks that question, his companions - members of the Justice League - arrive on the scene. The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, and Batman. 

The sight of them is enough to make him both nervous and awestruck. 

 

"Oh man… This is… This is so crazy.." Tyson murmurs under his breath, staring like a deer in headlights.

 

"Superman, what happened? Where did that thing go?" Batman questions.

 

"Some sort of metal man–.. An android, I think… suddenly came and took it away via some sort of portal he made from thin air." Clark answers.

 

"I see." The Dark Crusader briefly scowls in thought before looking the stranger over.

"Is this a friend of yours?"

 

"No, never met him before. But I'm there with you… I'd like to know who he is, too." Superman responds.

"Got a name?"

 

"Oh, me? I-I'm Righ- Ahem! I'm Righteous Lad! But… I'm not from this world. I technically shouldn't be here. This is all Malware's doing."

 

"Malware?" Wonder Woman questions.

 

"The android Superman spoke of. He's a dangerous being capable of manipulating media on a whim, and that's just one aspect of what he's able to do. If Doomsday caught his attention, then that could only mean he's planning on weaponizing him somehow."

 

"Manipulating media? Like, TV shows and stuff?" Hal Jordan asks.

 

"Tell us EVERYTHING." Batman demands right after.