Superman: Soldier [DC Antiverse]

Escape

I slowly open my eyes. I try to move but I can only squirm. I look down and see restraints on my hands. I feel weak and I look around and see tanks of green liquid.

"What is this?! Where am I?!" I yell in confusion.

The door opens and two men walk through. I recognize Luthor but I have never seen the other one.

"You have kept your word, Mr. Luthor. You have delivered the alien to us."

"And remember your end of the bargain, Mr. Savage?"

"Ah, yes. I promise to help you expand your Luthor empire."

They walk towards me.

"He looks almost human. Not what I expected an alien to look like but he will do."

"I am glad to see you are pleased. Now you said you had something for me?"

"Right. Follow me."

Savage leaves the room. Lex stares at me.

"Just to let you know. This isn't personal. It's just good business," he says, smiling.

I clench my fist

"One day I am going to knock that smug smile off of your ugly face!" I yell.

He leaves the room and I look around to see if there is anything I wise to escape. I focus my heat vision but can only generate a small amount. I target it towards my restraints but it barely cuts through.

"Damn it!" I yell out.

Suddenly my restraints open. A the doctors look are stunned and suddenly they get shot. A man enters with a large rifle.

"Dr. Hamilton?"

"We don't have much time!"

"Where's Lex and Savage?"

"They left! Let's get you out of here!"

Dr. Hamilton carries me by his arm and we walk out of the room.

"How is this green stuff hurting me? What is it?" I ask.

"I overheard LexCorp workers calling it kryptonite. Apparently fragments of them have been found in meteorites all over the world."

We continue walking until we reach the front entrance of the facility.

"Has your strength returned yet?" Dr. Hamilton asks.

"Still weak."

I hear screaming suddenly. We pass a room and see a soldier getting tortured and experimented on.

"Do you know him?" Hamilton asks.

I look on in horror as I slowly realize who it is.

"JOHN!!!" I cry out.

One of the only few soldiers who I was friends with was being tortured and turned into Rao knows what.

"I have to save him!"

"There is nothing you can do, Superman! You're still weak!"

We begin to walk away but something inside me tells me to try. I run back to the room and with the little strength I have, I push down the door.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!" I yell in anger.

Two scientists in the room jump at me but I knock them backwards with a single punch. A third scientist manages to grab me by behind but I toss him over me and slam him on the ground.

"Keep watch!" I tell Hamilton as I run to the chair where they are keeping Corben.

I remove the restraints from his hands and try to get him off the chair but I notice wires attached to his arms, back, and legs.

"What have they done to you?!" I ask.

I detach the wires from him and try to help him stand but when he gets up he begins to fall forward. I catch him before he falls.

"It's alright! I've got you!" I say.

I carry Corben and place his arm over my head. We walk out of the facility together with Hamilton. As soon as we get out I look up at the Sun. I feel the rays of the Sun bringing strength back to me.

"So what's your plan now, Superman?" Hamilton asks.

"I am going to kick Luthor's ass!"

I turn to Corben who sits down and doesn't say a word.

""Hey man! You alright?"

Something is different about him. Why was he attached with wires on his back.

"John?" I ask.

He remains speechless. He looks up at me and his eyes begin to glow green.

"What the hell?!" I ask.

Green lasers project from his eyes. He bolts up from sitting and raises his arm. It transforms into a blaster of some sort.

"John, what are you doing?"

"Destroying you!" He says in a robotic voice.

He begins firing at me but the bullets don't scathe me.

"I am your friend, John! Remember who I am!" I yell.

John stops firing. His face transforms into a metallic shape.

"John is gone! Call me Metallo!" He yells.

His human body glows green and transforms into a fully robotic body. He opens his chest-plate, revealing a green rock inside.

"Kr-Kryptonite?!"

I step back from him.

"AARGH!!!" I yell in pain.

I turn towards Hamilton, desperate for an answer.

"Hamilton! What have they done to him?!"

"It seems Lex had John turned into a cyborg and brainwashed him. Now he thinks that you are his enemy."

"Can you reverse the brainwashing?"

"Maybe."

I watch as Hamilton gets into his bag and looks around. Finally he pulls out a flash drive.

"Use this!" He yells, throwing it at me.

I grab it and run at Metallo. I stab the drive into his head. Suddenly his eyes stop glowing and he falls to the ground. I close his chest plating which blocks the radiation from the Kryptonite.

"What is blocking the radiation?"

"Lead. It's an element used numerous times during radiation testing."

"Would you mind doing something for me?"

"Of course."

I take off my uniform and put on an additional pair of military uniform that I was given. I hand my uniform over to Hamilton.

"Take Corben back to your lab. Also I need you to make an adjustment to my costume."

"Say no more, Superman. What will you do?"

"Time to go undercover!"