Shiller put down his phone after seeing the ssage, stood up, and prepared to change his clothes. He had to attend Jonathan's dinner party that evening. Although it was still early, Charles was joining Barry and the others on their trip to tropolis, so Shiller decided to et them first to ensure they'd adjust to soone talking in their heads.
Though they planned to et in the square by the statue, when Shiller called Barry, Barry was actually at the Quizer Ice Cream Shop. Thinking about that overly sweet soda, Shiller quickly declined Barry's offer to bring him a cup.
Shiller drove to the ice cream shop and saw Barry and the group walking out with drinks just as he arrived. He went over and noticed their rented vehicle—a red pickup truck. Besides the newly purchased drinks, the truck was packed with plenty of snacks.
"Are you planning to drive all the way to Los Angeles?" Shiller asked, eyeing the amount of food in the truck. The trip from Gotham to tropolis was less than four hours; there was no way they'd need that much.
"We're going for so physical labor," Pala said, craning her neck out from the front passenger seat. "The Justice League will cover our expenses anyway, so we stocked up on snacks—we won't have to worry for the next few days."
"Let's hope Oliver doesn't object to you snacking during etings," Shiller remarked, shaking his head. "Although I think that's highly unlikely."
Harley jumped out of the truck, taking the drink from Barry's hand. She glanced at it and asked, "You didn't get the new mint flavor?"
"Co on, I don't like mint—it tastes like liquid toothpaste," Barry said with a look of disgust. "The peach flavor you guys released last season was great, but unfortunately, it was quickly discontinued."
"You liked that flavor too?" Pala leaned against the car window. "I was just suggesting to Harley to bring back the peach flavor."
"Peach did sell pretty well," Harley said with a snap of her fingers. "I'll make sure it's back next spring."
As they chatted, a blonde figure approached from a distance, carrying a large travel bag on her back.
"Hi, everyone! I'm Kara." Kara quickly adjusted her mood and greeted the group enthusiastically, sharing warm hugs. Pala was even more animated.
Pala gave Barry a loaded glance, and Barry rolled his eyes slightly before walking over to hug Kara and saying, "You ca at the perfect ti. We just bought so cold drinks—do you want one?"
"Uh, aren't we fighting soon? I don't like drinking too much before exerting myself."
"Don't worry; it's still early. Even if aliens invade Earth, we wouldn't be the first line of defense," Barry said, shaking his head while handing Kara a drink.
"We rented two vehicles," Pala inford the group. "The blue pickup over there is ours too, and I've packed so plants in the back. I'll drive that one."
Harley and Barry knew all too well what Pala was up to and waved her off toward the blue pickup. Kara, intrigued, asked, "Plants? Why bring plants?"
"They're not ordinary plants—you could consider them weapons," Barry replied. "They're from Gotham University's biological research lab. You should check them out."
Kara's curiosity led her to follow Pala to the other truck. As she rounded the vehicle, she spotted Shiller and greeted him. He nodded in acknowledgnt.
"Alright, Barry." Shiller stopped Barry, who was about to head around the car to gossip. "You might need to bring in a new teammate. You likely know who he is—or at least have heard of him. He's from another universe."
"Another universe? You an the one Spider-Man cos from?"
"Exactly."
"Who?" Barry asked, sipping his drink.
"Professor X."
"Pfft!!"
Barry sprayed his drink onto the car door.
"Who??!!!"
"Professor X. To be precise, a fragnt of Charles Xavier's brainwave," Shiller explained patiently, predicting Barry's reaction. "He'll temporarily reside in your psychic battlefield, but he won't harm you. He might talk to you ntally; I ca here specifically to warn you so you wouldn't be startled."
Barry grabbed tissues from over the car window, wiped his mouth, coughed twice, and said, "That's a bit much, isn't it? Professor? It's just the Krypton General attacking, not the entire planet—no need for the leader of mutants to get involved."
"This universe hasn't found the Martian Manhunter yet, so communication isn't as smooth. Kryptonian technology might also block Earth's electronic signals. If we don't use magic, this is the only solution."
"Alright," Barry said, adopting a sowhat fatalistic attitude. Shiller sighed. "This is just a fragnt of Charles Xavier's brainwave—it's limited in both offensive and defensive capabilities and doesn't..."
Before he could finish, Shiller noticed Barry's eyes glaze over slightly. Suddenly, Barry stepped forward and shook hands with the air.
"Uh, hello, hello! I'm Barry. Yes, pleasure to et you, Professor Xavier. Didn't expect you to be so young—I always thought we'd cross paths on Battleworld soday..."
Barry was seemingly talking to an empty space.
Shiller began to doubt how "limited" Charles's abilities were.
Indeed, making soone "see" a specific figure was easier than having an unfamiliar voice abruptly speak in their head. It was likely Charles had manipulated Barry's brain's image processing system to achieve this effect.
Satisfied that Barry had adjusted, Shiller left. From Barry's perspective, a young, bespectacled Charles Xavier chatted with him warmly.
Harley popped her head out, feeling a bit puzzled, until she suddenly saw a blue-eyed young man appear out of nowhere, startling her.
Barry glanced at his watch and announced, "It's getting late. Harley, text Pala—we need to head out."
Then, he thoughtfully opened the car door for Charles, watched him climb in, and suddenly rembered to offer him a drink.
"Thanks, but I don't drink cold," Charles replied with a smile.
Barry pulled his hand back. Sitting in the driver's seat, Harley felt a strange sensation and glanced at the rear-view mirror—there was nothing in the backseat.
The two pickups quickly departed Gotham University, speeding along the coastal highway toward tropolis. Passing a beach, they spotted a massive sandcastle with a giant bat crafted atop it.
The vehicles zipped down the highway, nearing tropolis. Kara's flowing blonde hair painted shapes in the wind. As she stared out at the sunlit coastline, lost in thought, she suddenly asked:
"Do you know Clark Kent?"
Pala rested one hand on the steering wheel, glancing at Kara's expression as she deliberated her response: "I've t him a few tis—not very well."
"What kind of person is he?"
"Are you a fan of his?" Pala asked tactfully, though her tone hinted at sothing flirtatious—like asking if Kara had a crush on him.
Kara picked up on this imdiately and turned to Pala with a smile. "He might be my younger cousin."
Pala sized up Kara—she seed no older than her teens, while Clark had long since graduated college.
Then, the realization hit her: Clark was an alien. Could Kara be one too?
"Yes, I'm Kryptonian as well," Kara admitted, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. "I didn't expect to find family on Earth, and I'm not sure how he's doing."
"Probably pretty well," Pala replied. "Superman is one of the Justice League's leaders, and Clark Kent is an esteed journalist—he's far more successful than most humans."
"What worries is another issue," Kara said, slowing her words. "The other Kryptonians invading Earth might make his life difficult."
"You're worried they won't trust him?"
Kara shook her head. "If I were the one planning to invade Earth, I'd expose his alien identity. That way, the masses wouldn't trust him and might push him to the other side."
"You've known about the alien invasion for a while, but you haven't seen any sign of them—that ans they're likely hiding, biding their ti to execute their plan," Kara continued. "I suspect that's part of it."
Pala felt a jolt of realization—she hadn't considered this possibility. mbers of the Justice League shared strong bonds, making this level of manipulation unlikely to sway them.
But factoring in ordinary citizens—especially the ones in tropolis, whose comfortable lives dulled their sense of perception—things might indeed get tricky.
As soone who occasionally glimpsed cosmic events on Battleworld, Pala had seen how ordinary people's indecision could result in catastrophic tragedies, albeit rare.
Pala pulled out her phone and began texting Oliver. If anyone could prepare for this, it would be him. He understood the psyche of ordinary people and knew how to guide them.
As she glanced down at her phone, Kara suddenly gasped. Pala jerked her head up—a figure was speeding toward them at alarming velocity.
"Screech—"
The piercing sound of brakes filled the air. Pala ignored the aching pressure in her chest from hitting the steering wheel and reached out, summoning vines to erge from the ground.
Almost simultaneously, red laser beams slashed through the air, severing the green-glowing vines mid-motion. Without their interference, they would have surely been obliterated.
Kara was the first to leap out of the vehicle, her gaze locked on the flying figure above. Barry and Harley from the other truck also stepped out, their expressions tense as they stared at the descending figure.
"Superman... No, that's not the Clark we know. Get ready!" Pala shouted.
The descending Superman glowed with tallic energy, his light-blue eyes nearly turning white under the sunlight.
Standing next to Barry, Charles spoke directly into everyone's minds:
"His brainwaves are disrupted—I'm working to stabilize them, but I need about five minutes. Stall him."
"Got it." Barry nodded, black and gold layers of energy surging in his eyes. "Leave it to ."
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