Clark stood just behind Adrian, watching his brother's brutal tactics with a complicated mix of awe and concern. The force of Adrian's punches seemed to shake the air itself, the vibration hitting Clark's senses like tremors.
On the ground before them, Solomon Grundy, once a ferocious and unstoppable force, now lay curled in a ball, making soft, almost childlike whimpers. The monster that had howled and rampaged only moments ago now looked pitiful, clutching its forehead and breathing shallowly.
Adrian paused, staring down at the trembling creature before him, its once ferocious countenance replaced by fear and desperation. A part of Clark couldn't help but feel uneasy at the dramatic shift — was this really the same monster?
Adrian raised his fist again, taking in the pathetic plea etched on Grundy's face. The sudden display of emotion seemed almost foreign to the undead behemoth. Humans pleading for mercy, Clark thought, was strange enough — but to see this from something like Grundy felt surreal.
Mercy? Too late.
Another blow smashed into the creature's arm muscles, shredding tissue and exposing bone. The shockwave rippled outward again, like an invisible explosion, causing tremors that rattled nearby debris. No healing ability in Grundy's monstrous body could keep up with that destructive force.
"Did… did he just cry?" Midnight Doctor asked Courtney, eyes wide in disbelief.
"I swear I heard it!" Wildcat echoed, glancing at Courtney with incredulous shock.
Crowds that had been gathering around were now captivated by the spectacle, unable to tear their eyes away from the violent showdown.
Courtney watched in disbelief. "He killed Hourman's parents… and now he's reduced this thing to tears? How? Why?" Her voice carried both awe and despair, remembering just how brutal Grundy had been moments before.
Mike, held back by Barbara, had a simpler reaction. His eyes shone as he watched Adrian straddle the giant corpse, both punching and firing beams of heat. For someone who lived on superhero comics, this moment blurred into fantasy.
Grundy lay on the ground, breath uneven, curled up with his head covered. He looked as if he were trying to hide from the world itself.
Sirens echoed from far off as more people began to gather. Adrian did not continue his assault. This creature was essentially immortal — it would rise again no matter how many times it was struck down. And now that it had lost its fighting spirit, it posed no threat.
Adrian leaned forward, eyes cold, and looked down at the creature. "You're not without emotion after all. Now, do you understand your weakness?"
Grundy slowly lifted his head, terror in his small, watery eyes, and nodded rapidly, his expression a desperate attempt at submission.
The crowd around them took in the sight with growing unease, uncertainty etched on every face.
"Adrian," Clark said softly, stepping close, brow furrowed. "This might be trouble."
"What now?" Adrian asked flatly.
"These people…" Clark gestured at the onlookers. "You were probably seen."
Clark's biggest fear was exposure. Ever since he'd learned to control his powers, he had gone to great lengths to hide them — from his school, his friends, even from his father, Jonathan. Now people had witnessed something beyond human limits.
"Relax," Adrian said with a shrug that carried his usual detached confidence, "they didn't see anything significant."
Only a handful of witnesses near Courtney and her friends had actually seen the full extent of the battle; everyone else arrived after the worst was over.
Before they could speak further, several police cars pulled up. Blue Valley law enforcement arrived on scene, and officers stared in stunned silence at the destruction before them: shattered glass, pitted walls, cracked roads, twisted metal, and a trembling giant lying in the middle of it all.
"This looks like a war zone," one officer muttered, shaking his head.
Barbara, bleeding from her forehead and still holding Mike, looked at the chaos with disbelief. "What are we going to do now?" the boy asked nervously, wringing his injured arm.
"We need to go to the hospital," Barbara said sharply as she gathered Mike and hurried toward the awaiting ambulance.
"Mom, can you put me down?" Mike asked, his expression fixed on Adrian's retreating back.
"I want an autograph!" he called out, hopeful.
"No!" Barbara immediately denied it, pulling him away before he could step closer.
Meanwhile, Adrian saw the police approaching and started walking in the opposite direction.
"Clark, let's go," he said casually over his shoulder.
Clark hesitated, staring at the wreckage, anxiety tightening his chest. How would they explain any of this? But when Adrian called him, Clark followed without hesitation. With him around, things always seemed to be resolved — even if not in the most conventional way.
As they neared their car, a young female police officer called out to them.
"Sir, you can't just leave!" She was blonde, seemingly younger than most of the others, her voice professional but edged with nervousness. Something told her not quite to trust the calm man before her.
"Is something wrong?" Adrian asked.
"Witnesses said you were present here. We need you to come to the station and give a statement. It won't take long," she said politely, though her eyes lingered with distrust.
"We're not locals," Adrian said coolly, eyes unbothered. "We're just passing through and in a hurry."
"It'll be quick," the officer insisted, "just for your safety."
More officers began to close in, and Clark's heart thudded with worry. Going to the station could mean endless explanations, misinterpretations, and worst of all — being locked up just for existing with powers no one could understand.
Clark looked to Adrian, panic flickering through his expression.
Adrian's eyes narrowed, lips curling into a cold smile as he faced the female officer.
"I think you should be more concerned about your own safety," he said with an unnerving calmness.
Suddenly, an invisible pulse swept outward, causing every sound to vanish. Like rippling silence, the environment froze. Police officers snapping to attention stood still, faces vacant. Barbara, clutching Mike, became motionless, her expression frozen in mid-step. Mike's injured arm struck the pavement as he fell, and his cry hung in a silent void.
Clark stared, stunned as everyone around them paused as if time itself had locked them in place.
"Adrian, what just happened?" Clark whispered.
"Psychic control," Adrian replied without urgency, walking toward the car. "Someone is manipulating their minds, turning them into puppets."
His tone was matter-of-fact, almost bored.
Clark's eyes widened. "Do we just leave them like that?"
Adrian slid into the passenger seat, flipping his hair back with that trademark air of indifference.
"Look," he said, voice unnervingly calm, "if we don't go now, when they snap out of it, they'll haul you into an interrogation room. Three days of no sleep, awful food, and endless questions. You really want that?"
Clark shook his head immediately.
"But the people out there… we can't just walk away while they're like that. Whoever did this, we have to stop them."
"I know who did it," Courtney's voice suddenly called out as she jogged up to their car window. "It was Brainwave. He woke up and got pulled back into the Injustice Society's plans."
"What plans?" Clark asked.
"Icicle and the others are trying to build a 'New World,'" she explained. "They set up a huge underground device that amplifies Brainwave's power. With it, he can control people's minds within a wide area."
Adrian leaned back, unbothered as ever, but attentive. "A controlled population project?"
Courtney nodded. "Adults get controlled, but minors don't because their brains are still developing. That's why I, Mike, and Yolanda weren't affected."
Adrian considered this with an almost amused calm.
"New World, huh?" he said. "Well, villains with ambition are always fun to watch."
He pulled out his phone and called his parents, confirming they were safe outside the affected zone. Then he turned back to Courtney.
"So what's their vision for this 'New World'?" Adrian asked with casual interest.
Courtney took a deep breath. "They want to force changes: clean energy like solar and wind, end discrimination... and universal healthcare."
Clark blinked slightly, taken aback by the high-minded rhetoric mixed with villainy.
"Yes," Courtney continued, voice softer now, "and Brainwave thinks controlling minds is the answer."
Adrian tilted his head with that detached smirk.
____
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