Far Away (Closed)

Participants: Clark Kent and Diana Prince
Open/Closed: Closed
Location(s): Metropolis - far reaches of space!
Time of Day: Afternoon - spacetime!
Weather: Cool - spaceweather!
Summary: Is Wonder Woman a wanted woman?!

Superman stared after the police trucks as they drove off into the distance, sirens blaring until they became little more than whispers. His red cape billowed in the wind as he watched, aided by x-ray vision, to ensure their shackles and specialized containment truly worked in keeping Metallo locked in their custody until he could be placed in the high tech government facility designed to specifically hold supervillains like the Kryptonite-hearted cyborg. Once he was satisfied that his enemy would not be breaking loose in mid transport Superman allowed himself to turn away from the squadron of vehicles and let his soft gaze settle on a woman he was very close to.

Call it fortune or what have you, either way Superman had lucked into Wonder Woman being in the area and lending a hand in stopping Metallo before he could cause any destruction that might've been otherwise irreparable. He offered her a smirk in thanks while striding closer.

"Bold of him to think he could take the both of us on his own."

While Superman worried most of his foes they were usually downright afraid of the Amazon, and for good reason, making it a bit comical that Metallo would think he could contend with the both of them with no backup of his own to speak of.

"Well, with that wrapped up, do you want to grab some tea? I think we deserve a little winding down after that, right?"

Superman offered with a healthy dose of his own brand of friendly charm. Diana was one of his closest and oldest friends in the hero community and yet the two of them rarely got the chance to just relax and enjoy each other's company as friends. He knew Diana was usually much busier than he was, she was a hero and emissary meaning she her schedule was almost always tied up. Therefore he would completely understand if Diana had no time to grab tea or anything else. Kal wasn't going to push it if she turned him down, he would probably just get his own drink and then look for a story he could look into as Clark Kent.

While Superman's attention was bent on Metallo's transport and distant, the superheroine standing beside him studied their immediate surroundings with just as much intensity. Altogether the conflict with Metallo had been resolved relatively neatly. Diana observed the destruction that the altercation had wrought, and though it was less than what it could have been, she still lamented the damage.

More specifically, her ear was trained on a paramedic a hundred or so feet away who was treating a man that had been pelted by falling debris. He had been insisting he was well, but it wasn't until Diana heard the physician agree with that self-diagnosis that a part of her relaxed. It was about that time that Superman's faraway focus faded and he walked closer to her with a soft smirk.

Diana gave a small smile of her own. "Foolish," she corrected Kal's comment. "I'm glad I was able to lend a hand." Again, her grey eyes swept over the scene. Superman's proposition drew her gaze, and the look of thoughtfulness that'd crowded out her grin faded, letting it come back. Diana reached out and plucked a bit of crumbled concrete off of Kal's shoulder.

"I would love that." She and Kal hardly ever had down time together, between each of their warring responsibilities and congested agendas. Particularly now that Diana was leading the Justice League and heading its newfound branches. The thought of sharing a peaceful moment with one of her dearest and truest friends was one that made her heart sing.

Clark Kent

Kal scoffed at the bit of ruined concrete getting plucked from his shoulder. He had tried to free himself of any of the remnants of their bout but there was almost always some sort of reminder of the fight clinging to his costume. Superman was thankful the cleanup after dealing with Metallo would be an easy one, no doubt thanks to the assist from Diana, it wasn't something he liked to admit but Superman often seemed to collect a lot of collateral damage. It wasn't because he was careless or because of not knowing his own strength, it was simply the fact that those who would square off against him loved to cause wanton damage as a means of distracting him, knowing that Superman would always put the public first. Though, for as much as Superman tried to protect people and property around him, sometimes things slipped through his fingers. Diana was a whole different machine in that regard. Wonder Woman did not let the villains jeopardize the innocent, she was far too skilled and compassionate to late anything at all slip through her fingers. It was honestly amazing.

The smirk on his face shifted a just noticeably higher when the invite was accepted. He was now two for two. He had had his meeting and dinner with Bruce, and it had been very lovely with Bruce even behaving himself much better than usual (Clark was really starting to penetrate that concrete heart of his). Now Kal-El was going to get a chance to just breath the fresh air and relax with Diana, someone who could be even harder to reach than Bruce at times. The Kryptonian did not fault either of his friends though - how could he? He knew that far too many times he himself had been unreachable as well. But still, this was nice to have the chance to be together as friends and not just Justice League team mates.

"Perfect. There's this place called Naw-Tea by Nature," Superman explained as he began to fly in the general direction of the teahouse. "They specialize in teas and other natural foods and beverages. It's pretty good, Lois loves the place." Whenever the woman wasn't busy running around chasing this lead or closing in on that deadline. But it had been good enough to grab Superman as a dedicated customer and he was very pleased and honored to turn another onto the small business.

He didn't bother changing out of costume, while it would have been a quick adjustment he ultimately judged it to be completely unnecessary. The people of Metropolis were used to seeing Superman in the daylight and up close & personal. Superman stopping by in a shop for tea would be nothing out of the ordinary, but maybe seeing Wonder Woman too might be just a little unordinary.

The caped hero of Metropolis was just opening the door to Naw-Tea by Nature when a bright yellow light sparked into existence behind himself and Wonder Woman.

"Great Rao!"

Superman had never seen anything so bright, and he had been on the surface of actual stars. The yellow light stretched into a perfectly rectangular shape and through it exited three individuals. Immediately Superman recognized them, or at least recognized whom they represented. They wore beaked helmets and had large wings jutting from their backs. The three Hawkmen brushed past Superman and leveled their attention squarely on Wonder Woman. 

"Diana Prince of Earth you are hereby seized by Thanagarian authority!"

All three of them held weapons, some form of rifle, but they weren't foolish enough to actually point them at the Amazonian, instead they just held their riffles across their chests, showing that they could be used if deemed necessary. 

"You will be taken into custody on Thanagar where you will promptly stand trial for your terrorist actions against the galactic Thanagarian Embassies."


Everything was happening so fast, even for Superman it felt like a lot to keep up with in such a short time. He felt like he had been caught up in a whirlwind and couldn't tell which way was up. It didn't matter though, because even in that confusion Superman did notice that two of the three Hawks had flanked Diana.


"Now wait just a minute," Superman exited his stupor with a grimace tight on his face. "This is insanity! Diana would never! You've obviously got the wrong person!"

"Stand down, Superman. We need not make this into an incident."

Why did that sound like a threat?

Kal began explaining the destination he had in mind as his feet left the ground. Effortlessly, Diana followed suit, keeping a comfortable distance between them as they cut through the open air over Metropolis. She smiled thoughtfully, knowing that if Lois Lane endorsed the venue, it wouldn't disappoint. No sooner had Kal finished his explanation than they were drifting to a halt at the tea shop - flying had a way of trimming commuting time like that.

Diana nodded in thanks when Kal opened the door for her, ever the gentleman. What transpired next, in some way, didn't surprise or confound the Amazon at all whatsoever. Things had been going much too smoothly. On a subconscious level she'd been waiting for something to shatter the tranquility and peace - even if not, specifically, a contingent of Thanagarian warriors with their piercing gazes bent upon her.

She turned to face them, brow creasing in mild confusion at the accusations placed cooly upon her shoulders. Diana's grey eyes took in the soldiers while her body language remained proud, but passive as ever. She had never been one to cast the first stone, and ever fiber of her being rolled against rash, thoughtless action just now.

Diana didn't stop staring at the speaking Thanagarian as his two compatriots moved to stand on either side of her. Kal, understandably stupefied by the change in events before, snapped back to the moment. The warrior cut into Kal just as frigidly, threat intentionally unmistakable, tacked onto the end of his words. The Amazon felt her friend's eyes on her, her own expression puzzled and contemplative.

Finally, her lips broke into a gentle smile. Diana reached out a hand and braced it lightly on Kal's chest, fingers splaying over the insignia spread across it. "Peace, Superman. I'm no surer of what this is about than you, but we both know I'm innocent. The truth will prove as much." She turned, then, to the impatient Thanagarian who'd been his people's mouthpiece thus far. "I will come willingly, but may I request that my friend be allowed to accompany me?"

(OOC: If you (understandably) need more to work with, just let me know and I can add more!)

Clark Kent

Clark's eyes softened as he searched Diana's own. She was resigning to their misinformed and unjust will. It was unfair and absurd, but Diana's stoical acceptance of the unfounded charges was not entirely surprising. Wonder Woman was an agent of peace, while it was equally true that she was a warrior Clark had learned long ago that Diana's first instinct was to always broker order and amity. While it made him annoyed to witness such a thing unfold before him, Superman also recognized were the roles reversed and he were in her place he too would have aimed to go peacefully. 

Superman stood down quietly at the behest of his close friend, only looking at her and ignoring the daggers that were being glared at him. If this was the way things needed to play out then so be it. After all, they were in a very public space and there was no need to further any more agitation than what was already sewn by these men's appearance and their demands to take Wonder Woman into custody. Superman knew how to be diplomatic and if they were going to get this clear misunderstanding sorted then he was going to have to do as Diana insisted and cooperated. A pressing thought in his mind was seized quickly by Diana herself as she made the request for Superman accompanying her. Clark nodded at this request, if she hadn't put it on the table then he surely was going to.

The two Thanagarians on either side of Diana glanced between themselves and then ushered looks at their apparent leader, the one who had not so subtly threatened the Man of Steel.

The atmosphere suddenly shifted however as a group of three elderly women approached. They had joined the five some extraordinarily quick, before anyone could object to their arrival.

"Shoo! Shoo, birdman! You bullies leave Superman and Wonder Woman be! They're not going anywhere with you birdbrains!" The designated leader of the pack of women shouted as she sternly shook a fist. Cheers came from civilians nearby, voices reiterating her demands and spurring her with shouts of yeah!

It was enough to make Superman smile, but he reacted immediately to quell the unrest. Though the people of Metropolis had good intentions and deserved praise for standing up for their heroes, Superman knew this had a very plausible negative outcome. He was between the Thanagarians and the trio of gray-haired women in an instant. 

"Thank you, it means so much to see our citizens stand up for what's right without a moment's hesitation. Wonder Woman and I are immensely thankful and appreciative. However, if we're going to clear up the confusion going on here we are going to have to go with these gentlemen. Can you promise to hold down the fort for us while we're away?"

The elderly woman's brown eyes met with Superman's cool blues and she smiled tenderly, offering a nod to the Kryptonian before pointing a creased scowl at the Hawkmen.

"If we are done with petty displays of insolence, we'll take our leave." The lead Thanagarian decreed.

Upon said decree the other hawks each grabbed an arm of Diana and began to usher her to the blinding doorway they had arrived through. 

An itch at the base of Superman's skull, a nagging sense that would not be silenced, spurred Superman to use his X-ray vision. The Thanagarians wore their masks for anonymity, Superman sought to remove that. His vision pierced through the metal veil revealing a scarred visage, but that was not all, there was something beneath the scarred surface. When Superman peered deeper he gasped and stumbled backward, awe hitting him like a blow from Doomsday.

"Get her into the doorway, now!"

"Diana, get away from them!" Superman shouted once he had regained himself and thoughts. "They aren't Thanagarian!" His words flew from his lips just as heat vision erupted from his eyes, aimed squarely on the leader of the disguised troupe. 

Panic set in and the crowd of civilians began running disorderly for any realm of safety they could find. This was bad, Superman thought, something needed to be done quickly to significantly cut down the risk of casualties. The Thanagarians raised their rifles and prepared to return Superman's assault. Clark did not let up on his heat vision, in fact it only increased in intensity as he waved the lasers in an arc to catch the other two fakes, simultaneously he propelled himself at Diana. Heat vision subsided as Superman wrapped his strong arms around Wonder Woman's muscular frame, and with her he flew into the doorway of light.

The imposters were clearly after one thing, to remove their threat from civilians he had to remove their target. He flew into the unknown completely blinded, and quietly Superman prayed to Rao that he had made the correction decision in his gambit.

((Feel free to have our heroes arrive to any sort of landscape you like; fairytale, hellish, doesn't matter. The Thanagarians have definitely followed them though.))
Diana Prince