Ultraman was flying over the Pacific Ocean, in particular the Gulf of Mexico, when he noticed he had a visitor. The familiar blue and red costume flashed into the corner of his eye: Ultraman turned his head sideways and was shocked to see his idol flying next to him, Superman.

“Holy Crap!” Ultraman spitted out. Superman only chuckled and flashed a smile at him.

“Hello. Are you on your way to the Florida Keys?”

“Uh, yes. Me and my team, the Champions.”

“Nice name; catchy. You guys are U. N. sanctioned.right?”

“Uh... I dunno. We are government sponsered.”

“Which government sponsers you?”

“America.”

“Then you’ll have been U. N. sanctioned. The U. S. is really strict about that. You mind if I tag along?” He flashed that smile again.

“Of course not,” he replied. After that there was a pause in the conversation where the two flied by each other in silence, no words needing to be said.

Gravity was sitting on the toilet, the new issue of Playboy in hand, when the Champion’s jet suddenly lurched. Gravity assumed that the jet must have hit a bird or something. He was in the bathroom even when they were going through the worst of the tuberlancce. He was still in the bathroom when the plane started in its sharp sudden decline.

Gravity kicked open the door, pulled up his pants, and leaptout of the john. Looking around and noticing both that more than half of his teammates were injuried and that the jet was crashing. He held up his hands and focused his mind. Power seemed to be leaking out of his eyes in fumes.

He could see the Earth’s magnetic force, attracting the plane, dragging it to its grave. The draw came in wavesm each time a wave hit it pulled down the plane faster. All thse waves pulling the plane closer and closer to the ground. Manipulating the very fields of the Earth, Gravity slowed the plane’s sharp descent. Then, he ever so carefully, laid the plane on the ground. Even with all his concentration, the plane still smacked upon the ground.

Everyone was checked and accounted for, most of the team and crew were injuried, but no one was hurt badly.

Speed, although the most hurt by the crash, had already healed and was standing on his feet next to Gravity.

Protecter’s armor absorbed a majority of the damage, leaving Protector, himself, realitvely unharmed. Gravity approaced the other two conscious survivors.

“What the hell happened?” Gravity yelled.

“We were attacked,” Protecter replied calmly.

“You woulda known that, had you been at your post and not wacking it in the bathroom!” Speed accused.

“You shut your mouth, or I’ll shut it for you,” Gravity growled.

“Enough!” Protecter shouted. “We are still in danger here, let’s not make it any easier for our pursurers by doing their job for them and killing each other!” Speed took a deep breath and calmed himself. Gravity, took a breath and tried to make it look like he had calmed himself.

“Okay, Speed, you run a check around the island. Then meet back up with us.” Speed only stood there. “Now!” Proctecter barked. Speed quickly turned around and ran off.

“Gravity, go up and see if you can notice anything from up there that we might be overlooking.” Gravity floated up a little bit, just above the treetops, and look around himself.

“Uh, boss?” Gravity stuttered.

“Yes,” Protecter replied impatiently, “what is it?”

“It’s Ultraman, he’s...

Ultraman and Superman were still flying over the ocean. Ultraman still felt uncomfortable flying next to to the legendery Superman.

“So,” Superman eventually started, “where did you get your powers from?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”

“Try me.”

“Well, I’m the last child of Ebon. Ebon being the planet I was born on. The planet was destroyed by some being, but not before my planet jetisened its generation’s Ebon Knights, which I am one of. My pod landed here on Earth, were I was raised in a good loving home. I realized that I was gifted and had to help the world.”

Superman let loose a chuckle. “Well,” he responded, “my origin is the same as yours, except I come from Krypton and I was the sole surivovor of the destruction of my planet. But, it seems that we have much in comm...”

No matter how many times Ultraman played and replayed the event through his memory, he never saw Superman’s fist until after it had hit him. A force that can level a mountain struck Ultraman in the jaw.

“What are you doing?” Ultraman shouted out. Superman only glared at him in return. Ultraman tried to use his mind to probe the mind of Superman. Alas, he met only with defeat and failure.

A blast of energy escaped Superman’s eyes. Quickly using his telekinesis, he erected a force field around himself, protecting himself from Superman’s heat vision. Then Superman’s eyes went black and he started screaming.

“You’re a fraud! You are not a true member of the Knights!” Superman’s voice had turned into an inhuman screeching. It echoed across Ultraman’s memory. It was his father’s voice from when he was a small child. “That’s why they haven’t picked you up yet; they know that you’re not worthy of Knighthood. I was a Knight. My father was a Knight. His father was a Knight. Even your brother is a Knight. But, you’ll never be a Knight. Not a true Knight. Not ever.”

Ultraman plugged his ears with his fingers. He cried and tried to pretend that he didn’t believe any of it. But everyday he was faced with the questions: Why haven’t they picked me up yet? Am I trully not worthy of Knighthood? If so, I wish I would be told and not dropped off in the middle of nowhere like some unwanted pet.

To say, the least, Ultraman’s mind was elsewhere which allowed Superman to hit Ultrman with his heat vision. The rays of red light burned through Ultraman’s T-shirt and irrated his skin, turning it pinkish. But, not hurting him.

Ultraman growled at the burning sensation on his chest. He then flew up and punched Superman in the mouth. Superman’s head jerked bacl and to the side with the tremendous blow. Ultraman landed three more quick punches into Superman’s stomach.

Superman turned around in a flash and threw his punch. Ultraman ducked under the titan’s swing. Ultraman socked Superman in the jaw again. Ultraman listened on as the Man of Steel’s jaw dislocated and two teeth broke free. Superman looked down, his eyes glowing red, and stared at Ultraman for a moment.

Blood oozed from the corners of Superman’s mouth. Then he started laughing, insanly laughing. Before Ultraman could even be frightened off by this frightening image, Superman wrapped his arms around Ultraman’s ribs. For a moment the tension around Ultraman eased up and Superman locked eyes with Ultraman.

“Please, help me,” Superman whispered. While Superman’s grip was still lose, Ultraman wiggled free. He got his balance and turned to hit Superman when he noticed that Superman was not moving. “Hurry,” Superman whispered and a tear fell from his right eye.

Ultraman cocked his mighty right arm back, then threw it forward, smashing into Superman’s face. As Ultraman’s fist collides with Superman’s nose, blood squrted everywhere and his nose twisted to an angle.

Superman’s eyes fluttered shut, as Superman lost consciousness. His body began to plummit since he was no longer able to maintain his flight. Ultraman swooped down and grabbed his fallen companion. As he continured to fly, he pulled Superman into his arms and scanned his mind. The scan came back normal. Whatever was inside of Superman’s head wasn’t there any longer.

“Good to have you back, sir,” Ultraman whispered. Superman groaned a bit, but remained uncommunative. “I’m taking you to S.T.A.R. labs, since they probably know the most about you.”

“Ultraman’s carrying who?” Protector shouted back.

“Superman,” Gravity responded. “Ultraman’s craddling him in his arms like you’d hold a baby.”

“He’s not... dead? Is he?” Protector asked.

“No, he’s moving. Maybe not very well, but he is moving.”

“Where’s Ultraman heading?”

“It appears like he’s heading back to the States.”

“What? It looks like he’s returning to America?”

“Yep.”

“This insane breach of protocol cannot be tolerated! I will make sure he is punished for this myself.” Protector barked.

“You mean, we’re not returning to the States?” Gravity asked, bewildered.

“Of course not, the mission is incomplete.”

“We still got to free that island?”

“This island, Gravity. My G. P. S. (EDITORS NOTE: Global Positioning System - Merry Marc) just gave me our coordinates. We’re on the island. One of the terrorists must have the plane down.”

“Where’s Speed?” Gravity asked. Protector stood there for a moment in silence while he checked his sensors before he spoke again.

“He’s ten kilometers to the north-east. He must have been captured, because he’s not moving.”

Gravity leapt up and hovered there for a moment before Protector swooped by and picked him up. The two flew off towards their comrade together.

“And how’d you happen to come across Superman?” The nurse asked.

“Well, I was flying and he flew over next to me. Then, out of nowhere, he clocked me. So, then we got into this fight, and I knocked him unconscious.” The nurse stared doubtfully at Ultraman.

“Superman started a fight?” She asked.

“Yes,” Ultraman responded.

“With you?” She extended the question.

“Yes,” Ultraman said again.

“And you knocked him unconscious?”

“Yes,” Ultraman repeated.

“Let me see if I get this straight. The name of the man you knocked out was Superman. The man who is a fighter for deceny, truth, and justice. That’s who you decided the beat upside the head?” She asked accusingly.

“It’s not like that. He hit me first. Like out of nowhere... BANG! He pops me.”

“Uh-huh,” the nurse grunted. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to wait here for the police.”

“Police?” Ultraman asked.

“Yes, sir. They’re going to want to investigate your... story.”

“What is there to investigate? He tried to kill me!” Ultraman shouted. “I was only defending myself!”

“Sir, if you don’t calm down, I’m going to have to call for security,” the nurse stated in her calm nasal voice. “Now, please, just sit down over there,” she pointed to a chair in the corner, “and we’ll clear this little matter up.” Ultraman sighed and went to the chair. He sat down, and looked down at the ground.

He was reminded of his time in school in when his teachers would tell him to sit still and be quiet. It was not a feeling that he enjoyed. But, he sat there for the next hour and half until the police arrived.

Gravity and Protector were heading towards Speed’s position when Protector’s armor went haywire. He was flying when his computer flashed him a warning, it told him that he was falling due to an increase in gravity. Protector looked down to see Gravity’s eyes fuming with power.

“Gravity!” He yelled. “You’re dragging me down!” Gravity only looked up and smiled.

“I know.” Protector’s systems flashed another warning. He was being yanked to the ground. Protector attempted to compensate for the pull by firing his boot jets harder and aiming higher up.

“Don’t make me drop you,” Protector grunted from under his mask. The strain of holding Gravity up was almost more than his suit could bear. Protector imagend that he could hear the bolts unsnapping at his shoulders.

“You won’t. You don’t have it in you.”

“Oh yeah?” Protector challenged.

“Yes. You don’t have it in you to kill a man. It takes a certain type of person to murder. You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you dropped me.”

Protector feared that he was right. He couldn’t very well drop a teammate, even one that could stop himself from falling. His armor was being heavily strained though, and it couldn’t take much more. He felt Gravity slip from his fingers, and the sudden weightlessness that seemed to follow.

Protector looked down to see Gravity waving good-bye to him, a smile on his face. Then, Protector saw as Gravity’s face changed into one of shock. Gravity began screaming in terror.

“No!” Protector screamed and started flying towards the ground. Gravity was falling very quickly, but with the aid of his boot jets, Protector caught up with him before he hit the ground. Swooping him up.

“Why the hell did you drop me?” Gravity screamed.

“Because you incresed the gravity!” Protector shouted.

“I did not,” Gravity defended himself. “The last thing I remember is us flying, then I was falling.” Protector thought about it for a moment, and then landed on the ground.

“What a minute, let me get this straight. You don’t remember talking to me?” Protector asked.

“Nope.”

“You don’t remember increasing the gravity?”

“I’m telling you, the only thing I can remember was falling, because you dropped me!” Gravity shouted. “Except...” Gravity started, straining to remember correctly.

“Except what?”

“Except this afwul darkness. Only it was like the darkness was trying to eat me.”

“Eat you? What you mean ‘eat you’?”

“Like it was trying to absorb me into it. I can’t explain it. It was like this thing was trying to force me to be inside of it.”

“Well, then, it must be the work of a telepath. Someone must have invaded your mind and took control of your body.”

“How do we fight against that?” Gravity asked. Protector didn’t answer for a moment. “I said, how do we fight against that?” Gravity repeated.

“Oh, shit.” Gravity breathed. That would be the last thing that either of the two would remember before they were knocked unconcious.

The police had been questioning Ultraman for hours. They held him in custody, where they made him sit in Holding Room number 2 while he was handcuffed for a few hours. After Superman regained consciousness they sent him into the holding room to have a discussion with Ultraman.

Superman paced around the room for a little bit, before finally sitting down in front of Ultraman.

“You got a cigarette on you?” Ultraman asked.

“Don’t smoke. It’s not good for you, anyway.” Superman replied. His voice sounding its usual deep self.

“I quit smoking anyway, but they lock you up in a room, that is permantly filled with second hand smoke and you start craving again.”

“I can understand.” They looked at each other for a moment, as if both of them expected the other to break the silence. It was finally Ultraman who spoke.

“I didn’t assault you, you know.”

“I know. I’m not pressing charges, I thought they told you that.” Superman asked confused, wrinkling his brow.

“No, nobody told me. Does that mean I can get out of these now?” Ultraman held up his handcuffed wrists.

“Of course, let me call a guard.”

“No bother.” With that Ultraman swung his wrists apart, snapping the flimsy chain between the cuffs. Then, he ripped up off both of the cuffs.

“You could have done that at anytime?” Superman asked.

“Yeah, but until now, I thought I was under arrest.” Ultraman replied. At this Superman let out a deep laugh.

“Good point. You know, most heroes would have broken out and tried to prove their innocence.” Superman said.

“Well, I figured once you woke up and told them what happened they’d let me go.”

“And you were right.”

“Do you want to go get some coffee or something?”

“I’d love to.”