One Flesh, Infinite Stars

The black hole wasn't supposed to be there. Metro Man had retired hung up the cape, ditched the hero gig, and left Metro City to fend for itself under Megamind's questionable watch. He'd been lounging in the stratosphere, strumming a guitar he'd fashioned from a meteorite, when the sky cracked open. A swirling maw of darkness yawned above him, its edges jagged like broken glass. He'd seen a lot in his day death rays, giant robots, Megamind's tantrums but this was new.

"Alright," he muttered, setting the guitar aside as it floated in the vacuum. "Guess the universe isn't done with me yet."

He didn't fight it. Maybe he should have. The pull was instantaneous, a force beyond gravity, beyond physics he'd ever flexed against. His white cape snapped taut, then shredded as he tumbled into the abyss. Light bent, sound warped, and for the first time in forever, Metro Man felt small. Not weak never weak but insignificant against the infinite. His last thought before the void swallowed him was of Roxanne Ritchie's smirk. She'd have something snarky to say about this.

Then, nothing.

He woke to screaming. Not his Metro Man didn't scream but the kind that comes from a city mid-panic. His eyes snapped open, and he was falling, fast, a streak of white and gold cutting through a sky he didn't recognize. Below him sprawled a metropolis, gleaming with steel and glass, bigger and brasher than Metro City. He squinted. No giant "M" on the skyline. No tacky billboards of his face. Where the hell was he?

Instinct kicked in. He flexed his arms, slowing his descent with a casual burst of power that rattled the air. Windows shattered in his wake, a chorus of car alarms erupting below. "Oops," he said, grinning despite himself. Retirement hadn't dulled his flair for dramatic entrances.

He landed in the heart of the city, boots cracking the pavement into a spiderweb of fissures. People scattered some gawking, some running, all shouting. A skyscraper loomed behind him, its top floors wobbling from his impact. He winced as a chunk of concrete the size of a bus peeled off and plummeted toward the street.

"Gotcha." He zipped upward, catching it midair with one hand, then gently set it down beside a hot dog cart. The vendor blinked at him, mustard dripping from his ladle. "Uh… free dogs for life?" Metro Man offered, brushing dust off his gloves.

Before the guy could answer, a shadow fell over them. Metro Man turned, and there he was blue suit, red cape, that stupid "S" plastered across his chest. Superman. Metro Man had seen the comics back home, smirked at the knockoff vibe. But this wasn't a drawing. This was real, and the Man of Steel looked pissed.

"Who are you?" Superman demanded, hovering a few feet off the ground, fists clenched. His voice carried that righteous edge Metro Man knew too well from his own hero days.

"Name's Metro Man," he said, cracking his neck. "Just dropped in. Literally. You?"

Superman's eyes narrowed, glowing faintly red. "You just demolished half a block. Explain yourself."

Metro Man glanced at the crater he'd left in the street, the toppled streetlights, the skyscraper now sporting a stylish new lean. "Yeah, my bad. First time using the black hole express. Where am I, anyway?"

"Metropolis," Superman said, descending to eye level. "And you're not from here."

"Sharp guy." Metro Man crossed his arms, sizing him up. Superman was big, sure, but Metro Man had wrestled kaiju for breakfast. This guy didn't scare him. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble. Just trying to figure out what's what."

The heat in Superman's eyes faded, replaced by curiosity. "You're not Kryptonian. But you're… something."

"Something awesome," Metro Man corrected, flashing a grin. "Don't worry, Blue. I'll clean up my mess."

He turned to the skyscraper, grabbed its base with both hands, and without so much as a grunt tilted it back upright. Steel groaned, glass popped, but it held. The crowd gasped, phones flashing like a paparazzi storm. Superman's jaw tightened, clearly not used to being upstaged.

"Impressive," came a new voice, smooth and steady, cutting through the chaos. Metro Man spun to see her tall, armored, a lasso glowing gold at her hip. Wonder Woman. Her dark hair caught the sunlight, and her stance screamed warrior. Metro Man's grin faltered, just for a second. She wasn't Roxanne, but damn if she didn't have that same fire.

"Thanks," he said, dusting off his hands. "You're not bad yourself. What's your deal?"

"I am Diana, princess of Themyscira," she said, stepping forward. "We protect this world. And you, stranger, are a mystery."

"Metro Man," he replied, offering a hand. She didn't take it, just studied him with those piercing eyes. "Used to protect a world too. Guess I'm back in the game."

Superman landed beside her, still wary. "If you're a hero, prove it. Help us fix this."

Metro Man shrugged. "Fair enough. What's first?"

Diana pointed to the skyline, where smoke curled from a distant explosion. "Trouble. Parasite's draining power plants again. Care to join us?"

He cracked his knuckles, the sound like thunder. "Let's make it quick."

They moved as a trio, Metro Man keeping pace with Superman's flight and Diana's leaps. He could've outrun them both hell, he could've lapped the planet twice before they blinked but he hung back, watching. Superman was all grim determination, Diana all grace and steel. Metro Man felt a pang of something he hadn't in years: curiosity. This wasn't his world, but it might be worth sticking around for.

Parasite was a hulking purple mess, siphoning energy from a reactor on the city's edge. Civilians fled as he roared, tendrils of power lashing out. Superman charged in, fists flying, while Diana swung her lasso to bind the beast. Metro Man hovered above, arms crossed, assessing.

"Need a hand?" he called.

"We've got this," Superman grunted, dodging a blast.

"Suit yourself." Metro Man smirked, then blurred into motion. He grabbed Parasite by the neck, lifted him like a ragdoll, and hurled him into the stratosphere. The creature vanished with a distant pop, leaving silence in its wake.

Superman landed, breathing hard. "That was… excessive."

"Effective," Diana countered, coiling her lasso. She met Metro Man's gaze, a flicker of respect in her eyes. "You're stronger than you look."

"Lady, I look pretty strong," he shot back, winking. She didn't laugh, but her lips twitched.

Superman crossed his arms. "We need to talk. The Justice League will want to know about you."

Metro Man glanced at the horizon, the unfamiliar stars peeking through the dusk. He was a long way from Metro City, from retirement, from everything he'd known. But as Diana's gaze lingered on him, he felt a pull not a black hole this time, but something deeper. Purpose, maybe. Or something more.

"Alright," he said. "Let's talk."

The trio took off toward the gleaming Hall of Justice, its silhouette sharp against the night. Metro Man didn't know what lay ahead heroes, villains, a whole universe of chaos but for the first time in a long time, he was ready to find out.