[A/N] - Support & Read Up to 11 Advanced Chapters on Patreon!
[A/N] - For More Chapters - Drop Some Power Stones! 💎💎
.....
The Kryptonian spaceship hovered in the sky. The Kryptonian who had been fighting Roger was retrieved by his allies, as his shattered helmet prevented him from adapting to Earth's atmosphere.
Roger, who had been knocked back, got back up and watched the departing Kryptonians without attempting to stop them.
He knew that even if the spaceship exploded, it wouldn't harm the Kryptonians inside. And if these Kryptonians adapted to Earth's environment and atmosphere, he'd be facing not just one Superman but a whole group of them.
So, Roger chose to do nothing.
Fortunately, it seemed that these Kryptonians knew Roger wasn't easy to deal with, or perhaps they had more pressing matters to attend to, so they didn't waste much time on him.
After retrieving the Kryptonian who fought Roger, the spaceship quickly flew away.
Roger waited for a while, and soon after the Kryptonians departed, he noticed several armed human helicopters approaching from the distance, more than before.
Roger eyed the approaching helicopters and could guess that they intended to make contact with him.
After all, the Kryptonians had previously claimed that there was only one of their kind on Earth, the current Superman, Kal-El.
Now, suddenly, out of nowhere, another individual with Superman-like abilities, Roger, had appeared.
It was natural for humanity to feel uneasy about the emergence of a second Kryptonian-like individual. This led them to doubt the authenticity of the Kryptonians' words.
They wondered if Kal-El wasn't the only Kryptonian on Earth, and perhaps more of them had already arrived, unbeknownst to General Zod and his group.
To clarify this, they needed to make contact with Roger.
If time permitted, Roger could indeed chat with them, but he didn't have that luxury now.
The retrieval of the Kryptonian he fought meant that General Zod was preparing to execute his next plan. He would soon activate the World Engine, attempting to alter Earth's ecosystem and transform it into the next Krypton.
This process would result in countless deaths.
Before crossing over, Roger had been curious about this scenario while watching the movies.
Superman and Zod battled in Metropolis, with the terraforming machine positioned in the city. From the film scenes, it was evident that every gravitational pulse from the World Engine killed some of the innocent civilians caught in its path.
So, after all was said and done, how many people actually died in Metropolis?
His friend estimated a number in the thousands, possibly approaching ten thousand, claiming it was a reasonable estimate found online. As for the real figure, judging from the movie's portrayal, it could be even higher.
Roger never considered himself a citizen of the U.S., and after crossing over, he became a completely free individual. Besides his pre-crossing country, no other nation held any sense of belonging for him.
But that didn't mean he could stand by and watch innocent civilians suffer.
Just like he had done in Cairo, Egypt, Roger was now determined to save the people of Metropolis who were destined to die.
He didn't expect to save many, but he wanted to act with a clear conscience.
So, he had no intention of talking with these humans; instead, he decided to head to Metropolis first to stop the World Engine's activation and reunite with Jean Grey.
Unfortunately, time was tight, and communication technology in the X-Men world wasn't advanced enough. After parting ways, he and Jean couldn't immediately pinpoint each other's locations, so they had to use the most primitive method to find each other.
Now, Roger could only head toward Metropolis as quickly as possible, hoping to arrive before the Kryptonians activated the terraforming device.
But...
Just as Roger took off, a troubling thought crossed his mind.
Where... is Metropolis again?
...
Roger's problem was the same one Jean was facing.
After parting ways with Roger, Jean followed his instructions and headed for Metropolis.
But the issue was that she had just arrived in this world and had no idea where Metropolis was.
However, unlike Roger, this problem didn't stump Jean for long. She casually read a passerby's memory and easily pinpointed Metropolis's location before flying in that direction.
While Roger was battling the Kryptonian, Jean had already arrived over Metropolis.
Facing a completely unfamiliar city, Jean wasn't sure what to do. This was her first time carrying out a mission alone, and it was across worlds.
In this world, without the backing of the X-Men, Jean felt a heavy pressure.
Although Roger had advised her to find the leaders of Metropolis and issue an evacuation warning, locating the mayor in such a large city was no easy task.
"Calm down... Stay calm, and find the military first."
Jean forced herself to stay composed, quickly formulating a plan.
First, she needed to find military leaders, then contact the government through them and issue an evacuation alert.
This was the best solution she could think of for now.
Finding Metropolis's military wasn't difficult. Due to the arrival of the extraterrestrials, planes were constantly taking off, heading toward the alien spacecraft.
Following these planes, Jean soon found a nearby military base.
But as soon as she landed, she was surrounded by a group of soldiers.
"Hands up! Keep your hands where we can see them!"
A soldier shouted at Jean.
Jean looked around and realized she was surrounded by troops. Through their thoughts, she sensed their tension and fear, they feared she might be one of the aliens.
With so many soldiers, Jean's telepathic powers couldn't control them all. She raised her hands and disarmed the soldiers, turning their guns against them before saying:
"I'm not your enemy. I have something very important to say!"
Jean's actions left the soldiers stunned. Some instinctively raised their hands, while others reached for the knives at their waists, staring at the rifles now aimed at them.
No one trusted Jean's words. Or rather, her actions made it hard for them to believe her.
She was an unfamiliar superhuman, possibly an alien like the Kryptonians, and definitely not an Earthling.
But fortunately, with Jean controlling their weapons, the soldiers refrained from making any rash moves. Before long, a Black general approached, glanced at the rifles hovering in the air, pointed at his own men, and addressed Jean:
"Ma'am, your current actions don't seem like those of a friend."
"I'm sorry, I truly am, but there's no time to explain. This was my only option."
Jean apologized to the general.
The general asked:
"I'm the commanding officer here, General Swanwick. What is it that you have to say?"
Jean replied immediately:
"Metropolis, the city nearby, will soon face a catastrophe due to those Kryptonians' actions. We need to evacuate the citizens immediately! The sooner, the better!"
"Are you certain?" Swanwick frowned. "Metropolis has a population of over eight million. Do you understand how much preparation is needed for such an evacuation?"
"I know, I know there are many people there. We just need to evacuate a part of them…"
"A part? Which part?"
"This…"
Jean was at a loss for words.
Roger had only told her that Metropolis might soon face a disaster. He had never mentioned where exactly the disaster would strike within the city.
After hesitating for a while, Jean tentatively said:
"The... center?"
"Ma'am, I need a precise location!"
Swanwick spoke seriously.
He didn't doubt Jean's words, and even if he did, he had to take her seriously. If she was right, evacuating the citizens in time could minimize casualties.
But the pressing issue now was that Jean seemed unsure about the exact location of the impending disaster.
However, the general didn't have to wait long. A report from the observation center provided the answer.
Through his earpiece, Swanwick learned that the Kryptonian spaceship had just split into two parts, one heading toward the Indian Ocean.
The other... was hovering directly over Metropolis's central district!
Hearing this, the general spoke to Jean in a grave tone:
"Ma'am, I think I know where the disaster you mentioned will happen. But the bad news is... we're probably too late."
The general's words made Jean realize that they had missed their chance.
But Jean understood it wasn't her fault, nor the general's, and certainly not Roger's.
They had crossed over too late. If they had arrived a day earlier, or even twelve hours sooner, they could have done much more to prevent the impending disaster.
But there was no point dwelling on it now. Jean's mission had failed, and she no longer had a reason to stay.
She looked at the solemn-faced General Swanwick and said softly:
"General, I'm sorry…"
"It's okay. It's not your fault."
Swanwick reassured her. Jean took a deep breath, released her control over the weapons, letting them drop to the ground, and flew away.
With her mission failed, Jean needed to find Roger and regroup.
She wasn't sure where he was, but she knew he would head for Metropolis. As long as she flew in that direction, they would eventually reunite.
On her way to Metropolis, Jean finally spotted the enormous Kryptonian spaceship hovering over the city.
Seeing the alien ship with her own eyes made her realize the awe-inspiring, intricate, and... scary nature of technology beyond human reach.
And when the massive ship unleashed its first gravitational wave upon the city below...
Jean understood that not all aliens were as friendly as those in Roger's memories.
Some aliens were born to be enemies.
...
Support and Read 11 Advanced Chapters, Ahead of the Rest!!
https://p@treon.com/dragonnx
[Replace '@' with 'A']
There is 6 more exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon page!