One Flesh, Infinite Stars

The Hall of Justice thrummed with urgency. Holograms flickered above the table Brainiac's drones mapped in red dots, a swarm converging on Metropolis. Batman's voice cut through the chatter, sharp and clipped. "His ship's decloaking above the city. He's targeting the power grid."

Metro Man leaned against the wall, arms crossed, half-listening. His eyes flicked to Diana, who stood poised beside Superman, her shield gleaming. Their rooftop duel still hummed in his veins her strength, her fire. He'd fought plenty, but she'd matched him in a way no one ever had. Now, with Brainiac looming, he felt something new: anticipation.

"Let's hit him hard," Superman said, fists clenched. "Metro Man, you're with us."

"Wouldn't miss it," Metro Man replied, cracking his knuckles. The sound echoed like a gunshot. "What's this guy's deal, anyway?"

"Brainiac's a collector," Diana said, her voice steady. "He harvests worlds knowledge, cities, lives then leaves them barren."

"Sounds like a jerk," Metro Man said, pushing off the wall. "Let's rearrange his circuitry."

Batman's glare pierced through his cowl. "Don't underestimate him. He adapts."

Metro Man grinned. "So do I."

They launched into the sky, a trio of power cutting through the dawn. Brainiac's ship hung over Metropolis a jagged sphere of green and black, tendrils snaking downward like a mechanical octopus. Drones buzzed around it, spitting plasma at the streets below. Civilians fled, sirens wailed, and Metro Man's grin widened. Showtime.

Superman barreled into the drones, fists smashing metal into sparks. Diana followed, her lasso snaring a cluster and hurling them into the bay. Metro Man took the direct route straight for the ship. He punched through its hull, steel crumpling like paper, and landed in a cavernous chamber. Lights pulsed, wires writhed, and a voice boomed cold, synthetic, everywhere.

"Intruder detected. Power levels: anomalous. Initiating containment."

"Containment?" Metro Man laughed, flexing his arms. "Buddy, you're gonna need a bigger box."

A dozen robotic arms shot from the walls, tipped with glowing clamps. He blurred, dodging one, then grabbed another, twisting it into a pretzel. The others fired lasers, nets, sonic pulses. He tanked them all, heat sizzling off his suit, nets snapping like thread. With a casual swing, he smashed the arms into scrap, the chamber trembling.

Superman and Diana burst in behind him, drones on their tail. "You're reckless," Superman grunted, blasting a pursuer with heat vision.

"Effective," Diana corrected, slicing through another with her sword. She glanced at Metro Man, a flicker of approval in her eyes.

"Teamwork," Metro Man said, winking. "Now, where's the big guy?"

The floor split, and Brainiac rose a towering figure of green metal and glowing circuits, his skull-like face unreadable. "You are anomalies," he intoned, voice reverberating. "Your data will enhance my archive."

"Pass," Metro Man said, and charged.

The fight erupted in a storm of motion. Brainiac's tendrils lashed out, fast and precise. Metro Man dodged, then grabbed one, yanking the android forward. He slammed a fist into Brainiac's chest metal buckled, sparks flew, and the ship shuddered. Brainiac retaliated, a force field flaring, shoving Metro Man back. He hit the wall, denting it, and laughed.

"Nice try," he said, dusting off. "My turn."

He blurred forward, faster than thought, and unleashed a barrage punches like cannon fire, each one rocking the chamber. Brainiac staggered, circuits frying, but adapted mid-fight. His arm morphed into a cannon, blasting Metro Man with a beam of green energy. It scorched the air, hit him square, and… did nothing. Metro Man shrugged it off, grinning.

"That tickled," he said, then grabbed the cannon, crushing it in his grip.

Superman joined in, hammering Brainiac from above, while Diana circled, her lasso looping around the android's legs. She pulled, toppling him, and Metro Man seized the moment lifting Brainiac overhead and hurling him through the ship's ceiling. Metal tore, the sky peeked through, and Brainiac crashed back down, smoking.

"Stay down," Metro Man warned, hovering over him.

Brainiac's eyes glowed brighter. "Recalibrating. Power output insufficient. Deploying countermeasures."

The ship pulsed, and Metropolis trembled below. Tendrils burrowed into the streets, siphoning energy lights flickered, buildings groaned. Superman cursed under his breath. "He's draining the city."

"Not on my watch," Metro Man said. He dove through the hull, landing in the streets amid chaos. A tendril loomed, thick as a skyscraper, pulsing with stolen power. He grabbed it, muscles flexing, and pulled. The ground cracked, the tendril resisted then snapped free, whipping back into the ship. One down.

Diana landed beside him, deflecting debris with her shield. "There are dozens more."

"Then we move fast," he said, and they did.

They flowed together like a tide Metro Man tearing tendrils from the earth, Diana guarding his flank. He'd rip one loose, hurling it skyward; she'd lasso another, slamming it into rubble. Their rhythm was unspoken, seamless his raw power, her precision. A tendril swung at her; he caught it midair, crushing it before it touched her. She nodded, a silent thanks, and kept moving.

Above, Superman wrestled Brainiac, keeping him pinned. Metro Man glanced up, then back at Diana. "Think Blue's got him?"

"He will," she said, slicing through a cable. "Focus here."

"Bossy," he teased, but obeyed, uprooting three tendrils at once. The city stabilized lights flickered back on, the trembling eased. He dusted off his hands, grinning at her. "See? Piece of "

The ship roared, a final gambit. Brainiac broke free, rocketing downward, his body glowing with overloaded energy. "If I cannot harvest, I will destroy."

Metro Man met him midair, their collision shaking the skyline. He gripped Brainiac's arms, holding him still as the android unleashed a point-blank blast pure force, enough to level a continent. Metro Man tanked it, unshaken, and squeezed. Metal crumpled, circuits popped, and Brainiac's glow dimmed.

"Game over," Metro Man said, then punched once, hard, straight through Brainiac's core. The android sparked, shuddered, and went limp, crashing into the bay with a tidal splash.

Silence fell. Metro Man hovered, chest heaving not from effort, but adrenaline. Superman landed beside him, breathing harder. "That was… decisive."

"Had to be," Metro Man said, glancing down. Diana joined them, her armor scratched but her stance unbroken.

"You're a force," she said, her tone softer now. "Reckless, but effective."

He smirked. "You're not so bad yourself, princess."

The League swarmed in after Flash securing the streets, Green Lantern hauling Brainiac's wreckage, Batman barking orders. Metro Man stood on the shore, watching the ship sink, its tendrils lifeless. Diana stayed close, her shield resting at her side.

"You saved them," she said, nodding at the city. "All of them."

"Didn't do it alone," he replied, meeting her gaze. "You and Blue pulled weight."

She stepped nearer, her voice low. "You could've ended it faster. Why wait?"

He shrugged, but his eyes lingered on her. "More fun this way. Plus, I like the company."

Her lips curved, a rare, fleeting smile. "You're impossible."

"Impossibly charming," he corrected, and she didn't argue.

Superman approached, interrupting. "Brainiac's down, but his tech's still active globally. We've got work."

"Always do," Metro Man said, cracking his neck. "Lead on, Blue."

As they took off, Diana flew beside him, their shadows merging against the waves below. The fight had been big, loud, cosmic but it was her presence, steady and fierce, that stuck with him. He didn't say it, didn't need to. Something was shifting, and for the first time in forever, Metro Man felt more than invincible he felt alive.