Xcalibur Xc
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[Shazam] Ch: 12 [One problem after another]
🕑 Added 2025-06-19 22:47:19 +0000 UTCAN: Writing this one after a long time. Too much work at the office. Anyway, I think this ch is slightly dull, maybe. I'll add a big fight scene in the next chapter.
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Superman landed with barely a sound, the concrete beneath his boots cracking slightly from the force. John didn't turn around. He stayed near the bike, eyes fixed on the bomb.
"Sir," Superman said, his voice calm and respectful. "I need you to step back slowly."
John didn't move. His fingers hovered near the edge of the bag, careful not to touch anything.
"It's rigged," John said without looking up. "Not just a regular bomb."
Superman used his X-ray vision to look through John's body. He could already feel it; the green glow was unmistakable.
"Kryptonite," John added. "And something else. I don't know what, but it's probably airborne. Toxin. Virus. Chemical agent, maybe. There's a vial right above the core."
Superman's brow furrowed. His eyes narrowed, focusing in on the small camera embedded near the timer. 'How does he know? I'll ask him later. Need to focus on the bomb.'
"There's a trigger," John said. "Tiny camera, facing up. The moment it recognizes your face, or maybe even just picks up your heat signature, it'll go off. Could be coded to your energy pattern. Whoever made this knew exactly how you work."
Superman stayed where he was, fists clenched at his sides.
"If so, then the other explosives..." He mumbled to himself.
"There are other bombs?" John asked. "If so, you heroes gotta be careful because you or the other heroes could be the trigger of those bombs, and that's not a good thing. So, what now? Got a plan?"
Superman pressed two fingers to his earpiece, his eyes still locked on the bomb.
"Batman. It's confirmed. Kryptonite core, some form of nerve agent suspended in liquid, rigged with a sensor. It's camera-based, possibly also scanning for my biometric signature."
Batman's voice came in through the comm, sharp and steady. "Do not get any closer. It's a Kryptonian-trigger bomb. I suspected this after Waller mentioned the stolen technology. The device is equipped with a DNA scanner. Facial recognition is just a decoy. The moment your molecular structure is picked up within range, it detonates."
Superman took a slow step back.
"We have barely 3 minutes left. I'll just grab and throw it out of the Earth's atmosphere."
"No. We can't risk it. For all we know, that bag itself could be the trap. The moment you grab, it's all over. Put the guy before you on the comm," Batman said calmly. He has locked onto Superman's location and has the live feed before him.
Superman tapped the earpiece, then looked at John.
"He wants to talk to you. You're the only one who can get close."
John looked up, eyebrow raised. "Seriously?"
Superman nodded and threw the comms over to him. "It's either you or no one. If I even sneeze near it, we lose a few blocks."
John caught the comm device and placed it in his ear. "Go."
Batman's voice came through clear, firm, and focused.
"This is Batman. I need you to focus and listen to my instructions, or else that entire block will blow up. You're dealing with a hybrid detonation system. Kryptonite-based energy core, liquid dispersal toxin, and a pressure-sensitive circuit. Probably VX or a fear-toxin derivative. Do not touch the vial. If it cracks, the gas will spread in seconds."
John nodded once. "Got it."
"Reach under the camera lens. There's a black pinhole beneath it. Stick a small flat object inside, gently, and tilt it left. It'll shut down the scanner."
John pulled a knife from his boot. "I've got a flat tip."
"Careful," Batman warned. "Too much pressure and you'll snap the lens. You'll need to apply steady force until you hear a soft click."
John moved the knife under the lens carefully.
The blade touched the pinhole. He tilted it left.
Click.
The camera light blinked off.
"It's down."
"Now move to the bottom panel. Slide it open. There's a circuit cluster with three vertical wires. Blue, white, and green."
"Got it."
"Cut the white wire first. That shuts off the signal relay."
John did it quickly.
"Next?"
"Green. That one disables the toxin dispersal."
"Done."
"Last one's blue. Count till 5 and cut on my signal."
John counted under his breath.
One… two… three… four… five.
"Now."
John cut the blue wire. The device made a soft beep. Then silence. He leaned back, heart still steady, hand resting on his knee.
"It's dead."
Superman finally took a step forward.
John stood, handed back the comm.
Batman's voice came through again. "Well done."
Superman looked at John, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "You've done this before."
"No," John said with his usual deadpan expression.
Superman stared at the bomb for a moment and tapped his comms. "This changes things. If Joker built these to react to me, then I can't be anywhere near the others."
Batman's voice came through, calm and composed as always. "You sit this one out. Flash has already defused five. He also captured Harley Quinn. She's in the Batcave now."
Superman's eyes flicked toward the sky for a brief second. "Harley…?"
John's expression shifted the moment he heard the name. Just slightly. His jaw tensed. He took a step forward and raised a hand toward Superman. "Give me the comm."
Superman looked at him, uncertain.
"Please," John said, voice low but firm. "I need to tell Batman something. Privately."
Superman hesitated only a second, then handed him the device.
John placed it in his ear again. "It might be late, but I never thanked you for that night. Do you remember me?"
Silence on the line for a moment.
Then Batman replied. "The Lazarus Pit. The girl with the bullet in her skull. Yeah. I remember."
John closed his eyes briefly. "Then you know I'm not bluffing."
There was a pause. Batman didn't respond immediately. The weight of what was coming hung in the air.
John opened his eyes again, voice calm but steady.
"Don't hurt her. Don't lock her in some freezing cell. Don't play your interrogation games. No mental pressure. No cold silences or trauma triggers. You sit her down. You give her water and wait for me to come."
"She's dangerous," Batman said.
"She's not Joker," John replied. "You know that. I can save her."
Another pause.
"She's unstable and unpredictable. And thousands of lives are riding on this information."
"You think I care? Remember Khandaq? People died every single day while you heroes and everyone here moved on with your lives. And now, you hypocrites want to save lives, huh? Funny. Anyway, if she gets even a scratch on her," John said, his tone still polite but now terrifyingly calm, "I'll kill you and everyone close to you. And I may not be able to face all the heroes, but I sure will go on a rampage and kill a few. Imagine the destruction."
He didn't raise his voice. Didn't yell. He didn't need to.
"So, think before you act."
Batman finally spoke.
"Superman is right before you."
"He can try," John replied. There was a brief pause. "Harley is important to me. She made my life a bit brighter... Fun. You want to stop the bombs, let me talk to her. I'll give the locations and you leave us alone."
Silence stretched on the line again.
Then Batman responded.
"You've got one shot."
A sudden rush of air whipped through the street as a red blur appeared, sending a swirl of dust and loose papers flying. The figure stopped with a dramatic skid just a few feet from John and Superman.
Flash stood there with a grin on his face and Harley Quinn tucked under one arm like a wayward duffel bag. Her pigtails were wind-tangled, her oversized jacket flapping like a flag, and her face lit up the moment she spotted John.
“Jooohn!” she shouted, wiggling out of Flash’s grip and stumbling forward with a little spin. “Ooooh, that was like riding a blender full of coffee and ice cream. I’m dizzy, everything smells so funky, and I’m pretty sure I saw my soul do a backflip.”
John caught her by the shoulders before she collapsed.
“Are you alright?”
Harley blinked up at him, then grinned.
“Bats has the worst-smelling dungeon in the country. Damp walls, moldy tech, and not a single air freshener. What kinda stupid doesn’t have a lavender diffuser?”
Flash crossed his arms, still catching his breath despite the speed. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Yeah, yeah, Speedy McZoom,” Harley said, waving him off. “Now scram, adults are talking.”
John ignored the exchange.
“Harley,” he said firmly, eyes locked on hers. “I need something. It’s important.”
She raised an eyebrow, then straightened up a little. “Whoa. Serious voice. Okay, shoot.”
“The bombs. The ones Joker planted around the city. Do you know where they are?”
Harley blinked. Then slapped her forehead so hard she staggered back.
“Oh, crap! Crap on a cracker! I totally forgot!”
Flash sighed and rubbed his face.
John didn’t flinch. “Harley.”
She looked sheepish, rubbing her temples with both hands.
“I’m such a moron. I meant to tell you. I even had a list written in lipstick and everything. Then I got distracted by, you know, shooting, explosions, rain, and you being weirdly hot in sweatpants.”
John took a breath. “Do you remember where they are?”
Harley perked up like someone had turned on a switch.
“Yup. Most of ‘em, anyway. Joker used a pattern. Old haunts, personal jokes, places he thought were ‘symbolic.’ I already burned down the warehouse and took what I could from his stash. But I saw the map. I remember the targets.”
She stepped back and started counting on her fingers.
“Okay. One was the pizza shop. You found that one. Go you. Then the hospital near 12th and Beck. A library uptown—big fancy one. An old amusement park on the edge of the city, the one with the broken carousel. A police memorial statue. A courthouse. The news station, the subway hub, and the toy factory.”
She paused, trying to remember.
“Oh! Oh! And a petting zoo. Don’t ask me why. Joker hates goats. I think it’s the eyes.”
Flash pulled out his comm and relayed the list at super speed.
John watched Harley carefully.
“That all of them?”
Harley squinted. “I think so. But knowing that sick bastard, he probably hid a few. You got people scanning, right?”
Superman nodded.
“Good,” Harley said. “Because if I’m wrong, and a school explodes because I forgot, I’ll never forgive myself.”
John placed a hand on her shoulder.
“You did good.”
Harley beamed, then immediately leaned her head against his chest.
"Don't let them take me away again," She mumbled.
"No worries, they won't," John whispered to her while hugging her. He then looked up at Superman. "You got what you want. So, hurry up and never interfere with us again."
Batman spoke in Flash and Superman's comms. "Harley's telling the truth. Flash, run."
"What about these two? You are just going to let them go?" Flash asked,
"Yes. Now, get to it."
Flash ran away with a streak of lightning, and Superman flew up into the sky with a sigh.
John looked at Harley, "Let's hit the supermarket before going home."
However, as they turned around...
Booom!
John sighed, "Not again."
They turned back and saw Superman lying in the crater. In the sky was a silver cyborg with a green glowing chest.
"Ooh! Metallo," Harley said, looking up.
"You know that thing?" He asked,
"Yup! He always tries to kill Supes and fails... And we should run," Harley said as she was already dragging John by his hand. "Let's go, let's go, let's go."
Comments
Calvin Ellis
❤️TFTC❤️
Ethan Freeman
Great chapter thank you but I have a question can you read minds because I was just thinking about this and BLAMM new chapter!
