5692/Murder Circles - Halloween Hijinnks

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Murder Circles - Halloween Hijinnks
Date of Scene: 31 October 2018
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Lucky Day, Black Cat, Kid, Lex Luthor, Kaelyn Silverleaf, Martian Manhunter




Lucky Day has posed:
It has been a quiet couple of months, and the Cult of Carcosa has laid sufficiently low that their activities have largely gone unnoticed. They are used to this, since their umber has fluctuated over the years but they are very used to keep secrets and moving in the shadows. Gotham's finest are gathered at a Masquerade that happens to be one of the focus of the ley lines that they are trying to weaken.

Black Cat has posed:
    What could be more thrilling than being in the wolf's den? Being the very sheep the wolves are seeking and hiding out amongst them is exhilarating. Felicia Hardy has shown up to the Masquerade with a beautiful dress, a black number that sparkles in the light in a very quiet, almost cosmic appearance. This Halloween is certainly going to be one the thief wants to enjoy.

    Felicia is standing arm in arm with an officer and her green eyes flutter while she dances the night away in ecstasy.

Kid has posed:
    Well it nice to be around the police WITHOUT them trying to cage you! Kid was...cautiously excited, there was alot of people here after all. But thanks to his former parole officer and friend Orion, he was allowed to come with the old man!
    Unsure how to come, Kid simply came in a mobster style suit, with a bowler hat that feature a purple band around it. He even wore a domino mask. He secretly thought this was stupid but spirit of things?. All things consider he was actually quite respectable looking and actually not in a bad mood! Though people where not quite sure what to make of the gorilla. Still Kid took this in stride as he quite carefully maunvered in the crowd.

Lex Luthor has posed:
    The CEO of LexCorp himself, Lex Luthor, has decided to arrive fashionably late to the proceedings. What business does Lex Luthor have in Gotham? The company has business interests in the city. Not nearly as extensive as Metropolis... but the Man of Tomorrow still has a foothold on the business world here, and it's been far too long since he's checked in on his Gotham subsidiaries.

It also helps that he's very curious what this cult is up to, and he can knock out two birds with one stone.

Coming through the entrance, Luthors impeccible masquerade tuxedo is sure to draw attention as much as the beautiful bodyguards flanking him; Mercy and Hope. They're well known to never leave his side publically, and are never hesitant in their job of protection of Lex Luthor. As he goes along, so do they, as Lex begins to mingle with the guests.

Kaelyn Silverleaf has posed:
Dressed in a seemingly a combination of some anime witche's outfit, and the best one possibly worn by Morticia Adams is Kae. The curvy redhead has filled her outfit out to the nines as it were, wearing a black miniskirt, knee high boots, some garters, and a white shirt with black vest over it as well as a mini cape and of course a pointy hat... This one has a band with goggles on it...

Kae also is wearing her usual backpack, has a belt with many pouches on it, and well, a broom. She's also wearing a tiny black mask.

The redhead peers around the place curiously now, tilting her head first left, then right... "This is interesting..." she says and is suddenly all smiles

Lucky Day has posed:
Ain't no party like a Gotham Party and this one is over the top for even that. The family members of the Old Families not in the cult have all been having dreams in the dreamlands, and the deocrations refflect it. Lex would spot odd hypercubes and non euclidian geometry in paper miche costumes that assumes rubes this intelligent would have an understanding of mathematics much higher than what they should have. The party is in full swing, with the band actually playing Swing and a happening dance floor with a lot of very skilled dancers. It's a fun party with quite a bit going on so of course you know something horrible is going to happen. Well, Tom would but he's not here which is part of the reason why its fun.

Meanwhile, around the fringes of the party, the cult is slowly grabbing 'volunteers' a curious person who goes down the wrong cooridor, a drunken partner who is 'encouraged' to see this one really neat thing. One by one the highly observant would notice a few people not being at the party and not leaving the front door, but the cult has every intention of keeping things ...subtle.

Though anyone with enhanced senses would hear a low level chanting and any one with arcane or cosmic senses would sense something distinctly....wrong....with the world. The hairs on Black Cat's neck would begin to stand on end. The viel between worlds is lessening.

Black Cat has posed:
    Felicia's gloved hands clench against the back of her partner's body and she pulls herself closer to him, burying her face into his shoulder. "Something's wrong." She whispers quietly enough that only the man she's dancing with could hear.

    Cat's have great intuition and this kitty is no different. Felicia lifts her chin so her mouth is next to her acquaintence's ear. "I have to go, find your way out of here asap babycakes." She says before nibbling on his ear lobe and turning to look around the place with a more meticulous eye.

Kid has posed:
    More swing and jazz! Right up Kid's alley, cause if there a difference, he doesn't know it. But the gorilla was certainly swinging to the swing music! A good bit of actual fun never hit and this was prime time for it! He was even bold enough to take up one of the bravery ladies offer in a dance. Sure he wasn't so refined, but who cares!

Though Orion at one point nudges Kid and points out "Ha! They even got Lex Luther out here. He one of them top wigs if not THE top wig of LexCorp. Always trying to make things better for folks by what I hear. Maybe someday you get to make gagets with him" he winks at the gorilla.

Kid looks to Lex...and back to his friend signing "Yea, in the world doesn't go KABOOM" first. Though he couldn't help but notice Kaelyn and almost groans. She was there when he had robbed that store. A pause. Yea he had nothing to worry about. Though as subtle as things where, as fun as he was having. Something else was growing, hidden beneath the viel of those who didn't know anything was wrong. It was like an itch to him, but he couldn't quite figure out why.

Kaelyn Silverleaf has posed:
Kae was about to sip on some punch before she pauses with the glass held to her lips... A long sigh and she mutters "Girl what do you keep getting your self into." she says and begins looking about subtly before taking a pull on the punch as she casually reaches into a white sleeve and pulls a tube out. She unhooks the lid from the vial and tiny insect-like artifices silently buzz from the opening, now starting to take up position around the place. Some lighting on walls, others on tables, some even on clothes and the like.

Kae then glancs around curiously and tilts her head the other way, eyes now taking in folks faces, and well looking on at the guests... Her lips even begin to move subtly, but nothing can really be heard... Kae's turn to begin chanting.

Lucky Day has posed:
As Black Cat begins looking for trouble she easily finds it. At the fringe of the party there are two folks in hooded robes that ...don't quite fit in. She also sees someone zip tied and squirming with a hood being lead down stairs. One of them says something into a wrist band.

Kaelyn chant is not observed but as the power gathers around her she feels it surge. Someone is tampering with the ley line here and it makes all magic easier.

Kid begins to get echoes of lands that do not exist in his mind and as sensitive to the unseen he can see otherwise invisible spectres moving about the room, observing, ready to strike but taking no action yet.

Black Cat has posed:
    "Excuse me, I was looking for the bathroom, and I think I took a -HYAH!-" Felicia says as she approaches the two hooded folks and as soon as she gets close enough, her left leg snaps out in a blur. The top of her foot at the end of her long leg aims to strike the closer of the two cultists in the side of the head, and she's swinging hard, trying to put the person down in one kick so she can worry about the other one.

Kid has posed:
    And....those were ghosts. Those were definintly ghost. How the frack does he keep ending up mixed in with magical voodoo like this! But more importantly he sends a message to his friend Orion o O ("Uh Orion. You should haul ass and get out of here. Things are about to get freakeh. And not in the good way") Orion gives Kid a questiongly look ("....look bud. Just trust me here. I'll explain later if I even get an explanation"). The old officer nod and quietly excuses himself taking a moment to 'let Kid know' he will be back.

With his old friend out of the way - the hunt was ON! He eyes the spectre and carefully begins trying to figure out where the largest concentration is, or where they are comming from...once he does, if he does, that is the direction he would head.

Kaelyn Silverleaf has posed:
Kae continues muttering letting her own magic begin to drift out from her, trying to lace it in with whatever the other folks are doing as she begins trying to undo whatever magic they're trying or at least slip in a proverbial 'poison pill'. She tries to be subtle about it, counter magic of most kinds is a strong point of hers while she begins walking toward the outsides of the party, her lips still moving but really she can't be heard too far away. As she passes by those with better senses they might pick up a vague unintelligable whispering, a quiet noise just on the edge of hearing and quite possibly irritating in sound.

Kae sets her punch glass down and picks up her walk now, moving with more purposes as she finishes off her little incant, "Lezzeeee if that messes up with their little party." She mutters as she looks around curiously, eyes taking everything in around her at this point.

Lex Luthor has posed:
He's gone from one end of the room to another. Making connections in Gotham might be useful later, after all. Still, Lex was here for the behind the scenes work.

Eventually, he makes a discreet exit through the back of the room. His arm hairs are raising from the energy, which means it's starting. As he goes out of sight, he exchanges one mask for another, and dons a robe as he approaches two cultists guarding a door down into the ritual room. Mercy and Hope do the same.

"Show me." Lex commands of the two at the door. He came here to observe their workings, after all.

Lucky Day has posed:
The Kung Fu Action cat is able to take on the two glorified frat boys in robes without a single problem. As it is, the zip tied girl nearly flies down the stairs but stops herself just in time. She can hear chanting from downstairs and it is getting destinctively louder.

Kaellyn's poison pill is an important adition since as she tries to couter magic the movement it isnt enough to stem the tide directly since she can tell the magic here is overwhelming on a ley line on halloween no less but they are messing with the line as well trying to strengthen it and once she realizes that, she can tell it is somewhat easer to counter....but the cruz of the ritual is downstairs but she has definitely been noticed.

Kid got his friend out just in time because as he tracks down the largest focus of spectres he sees that there are most downstairs but more are coming up through the floor toward Kae, who can now see them. Some of the more sensitive party members can see them as well and begin to scream and panic. Others are confused and think it is a gag but etheric tentacles begin to circle all around KAelyn.

Kid has posed:
    Kid let out a beastly growl and snarl at the spectre's and tentacles! Which might scare some patrons, but he didn't exactly care. That being said, as annoying as he found Kaelyn to be from the last time they met, letting her get eaten...possessed..ect? By tentacles seemed a bit much.
    So one moment he is looking down the stairs, the next moment he is bounding over to Kaelyn on all four of his limbs to essentially try and tackle her out of the circle of ethereal tendrills of doom!

Lucky Day has posed:
The ritual downstairs is a distrubrinng sight, but nothing that would truly phase Lex by itself. It slowly carefully shows a series of impossible rings drawn into the floor. Magic stuff. Again, nothing Lex hasnt seen befoe but there are seven human sacrfices trussed up and ready, not his style, nothing ...What...the...heck...is that...there is something moving in the shadows, something alien. Its the kind of thing that you might have to make a sanity check to look at much less be around that slithers with tentacles whispering. There are whispers and a pulsing. They are speaking in latin and Lex is able to catch just enough to tell they are trying to unloose something under Gotham.

Black Cat has posed:
    "What are you doing..." Felicia asks of herself as she moves down the stairs towards the chanting and takes a moment to help the girl that was zip tied up. "Wait a moment." The white haired woman requests before she reaches a gloved hand out and switches masks with the other woman. Carefully making sure it's in place before she rolls her chin twice, once in each direction to stretch her neck.

    Felicia slowly begins to approach the chanting sound, not feeling very confident in herself but she's seen weirder stuff. Like Venom. Yeah. That guy was disgusting and nuts, she can handle anything. Right?

Kaelyn Silverleaf has posed:
Kae blinks and frowns "oopse made them mad!" she mutters now. Hands go outward as she hisses out a few sylables and suddenly several wards snap into place around her, both to help from physical and astral assault.

She doesn't seem to notice Kid bounding toward her for a few moments before her green eyes settle on him "Go break out he cult casting this stuff, I can take care of my self." She says simply, hoping he listens "I'll see if I can't make those helping do this completely visible while I try to mess up their ritual." She adds.

Now's probably not the time for subtlety with her incantations, first she attempts to banish the shades coming up from the floor, the redhead's eyes now glowing as she attempts to chanel as much energy as she can handle at this point, now grinning "Well ley lines and hallows eve can work for more than one caster...."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"What's the meaning of this? When you said you wanted to release the entity, you didn't say anything about it being an insanely dangerous monster." Lex points an accusatory finger at the cultist that was his contact, his appearance still cloaked by the robe, "what are you *actually* trying to do here?"

Kid has posed:
Of course, Kid was fairly fast - so before anythimg *SMACK*! He hits the physical wards with quite a bit of face. His eyes were wide as he spits out some blood. He was not expecting that. He moves his jaw a bit pained from that one. She definintly didn't need help.
    But at least her words weren't lost on the slightly dazed rilla. Not that he responds as he does more stumble away before the effects ware of. Alright. Cultist. Break. Break neck? Whatever, just move. He begins heading towards the basement - and swiping at spectres along the way. Could he even punch spectres here? Who knows, but worth a shot.

Lucky Day has posed:
The cultists around Lex are not pleased. Most of them are tied up in the ritual so they can't do anything but the tentacles begin to move. And a voice speaks. "Lex Luthor. There is a finite amount of a certain kind of magic in the world. Finite resources are something you understand well. With this demon bound, I cannot take what does your world no good. The magic would be removed and ultimately your world improved. Less monsters, less otherworldly intrusions. Yes, there would be two or three centuries of chaos but ultimately your world will be more stable. Much more Stable." There is something just...wrong with the words, clearly not english or any human lnaguage whatsoever made of concepts that would drive any lesser mind mad to hear but a syllable. It is clearly doing him an honor by speaking to him but at what cost? Who else...who else has seen the greater dark hidden truths it offers?

Kaelyn's wards stop the etheric tenatcles cold but the hammering is getting louder and louder. The timing of the ritual is working to her own good indeed, and their summoned magic is easily stolen but its a madhouse and if external factors dont distrupt the activities downstairs no one will be able to contain it.

Speaking of external factors, the newly remasked Black Cat goes downstairs and sees the same thing Lex sees, sans the bonus of telepathic narrative and an understanding of latin. It might save him though because half the combatants coming for him suddenl turn for her. Kid is able to knock out the limited opposition before him and a great many of those in front. The spectres, he can tell as they solidify will be too much for him...when solid...they are more like jelly now but solidifying.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Go ruin another world." Lex scathingly replies. He turns around and heads back through the door he came from. A side glance to Mercy, "Toss it." To Hope, "Close it." Then he continues on, heading for the basement exit he'd prepared ahead of time out of the building and away from the party.

Mercy? She tosses a combination White phosphorus and fragmentation grenade inside. Immediately after, Hope closes the door, and they both hold the door closed as they wait for the grenade to do it's work.

"I have plans for this one." Lex continues, to himself.

Kid has posed:
That...that was NOT good! He growls in pure annoyance, there were far to many...and getting tougher. His temper was of course rising at this point. And he decided to try something dumb. Why not, tentacles, spectre, magic. May as well try something stupid.
    And by stupid, he really just means forming an illusionary axe. No, it cannot actually hurt people....but maybe since these are spectre, different rules apply? if nothing else, hopefully his illusion is real enough to get the spectre to back off as he swings the meanacing axe around at them, trying to keep them at bay if he can't harm em.

Kaelyn Silverleaf has posed:
Kae frowns, "Still building." she mutters, focussing throught he pounding her wards are taking as they are now quite visible at this point, glowing brightly with each impact, the sound a kind of combination of crackling electricity and small explosions. She tilts her head curiously to the left, then right and now focusses on whispering again, her voice now carrying quite well and possibly to those below...

. o O (Lets see if I can cause a rebound on the cultists...) She mutters as she tries to again lace her magic into theirs, weaving a veritable ticking time bomb as it were, one meant to snap the power they're using in their summoning back on them and the creature they're summoning, hoping to use their own summoned energy to close the gate they were trying to open, and hopefully with 'explosive' force as it were...

She sees them, Kae's eyes following the threads and pattern of the ritual being cast, she adds more of her own little trips and traps to them, while at the same trim trying to cut and or redirect the cultist as fast as she can, but she's really just one person.

Kae begins chewing on her upper lip in concentration, sweat forms, and she exhails, her breath ragged with her exertions.

Lucky Day has posed:
Elsewhere..."Don't step there, that's a precise spatial repsentation of Gotham. If you step on that you could crush whole build...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Tom's foot fell into the hyperspacial magical bypass at precisely the moment that Lex's white Phosphorus grenade was going to kill everyone in the basement ...along with Kid and Black Cat...while three spectres instantly manifest to protect themselves, Kid was protected due to the pie he had slammed into Tom's face which made the curse like him though did cause a nice hot White Phosphrus burn on Tom's foot ...

From Kid and Black Cat's perspective, a giant foot landed and then lifted only to leave smoldering burned corpses on the other side. All Lex heard on leaving was the satisfying sound of screams. He had disrupted the ritual but the ensuing chaos of Tom's Foot plus the disruptive magical energy now caused the spectres to manifest in their entirity. Kid's telepathic axe was close enough to Dream energy that it split through the spectres like butter, more solid than solid as far as they were concerned.

Upstairs, Kaelyn slowly worked her magic, countering the ley lines and containing the ripple from harming the rest of the city but the traps only temporarily held the specters in the party from devouring the party goeers above now in full panic mode.

Meanwhile, poor Cat fails her sanity check and begins to gibber passages from the Necronomicon she never read.

Lex Luthor has posed:
As Mercy and Hope catch up to Lex, they have their hands on their respective weapons. Mercy keeps her right arm ready, the laser contained within ready to defend her employer. Hope slips on her electrical gloves as they head for the exit. A pair of guards at the exit they had prepared get the taser treatment from Hope, and they strip out of their robes before they head outside and to Luthors limo.

Once inside, Lex taps the intercom to Mercy, his driver, "take us to Gotham HQ. These fools need to be dealt with."

A moment later, and Lex Luthor has left the scene.

Black Cat has posed:
    Seeing the demon does cause the Cat some insanity damage, and the girl, not knowing what she's looking at, can't handle it. With no warning, her mind simply ceases to function and the thief blacks out. Instantly the thief drops down and is unconscious.

Kid has posed:
Kid stares. Was...was that a giant foot? You know, don't care, it was better than nothing. Cultists where dead, foot was gone and....OH HELL THE AXE WORKS! Haha! Well this was a nice change of pace! Kid, proffessional ghost killer has been born!

And than he looks at Balck Cat gibbering like a mad woman. Humans. He rolls his eyes but considering everyone else was dead, no need to worry about her. Instead he heads upstairs to begin get his Axe Murder on! He even forms a white ski mask to go along with it.

Once upstairs kid begins axing the spectres as best he can. And he wasn't exactly nice about it. Weather decapatation or dismember...or just a good gut sliceing and dicing, he didn't care. He struck to kill in essence....or rekill as it were? Sematics

Kaelyn Silverleaf has posed:
Kae frowns now, continuing to manipulate the energies, trying to make them push whatever door way that had been opened closed again. "Where's Strange when ya need em.." She mutters to her self. She reaches into a pocket now, grabbing a small well crystal ball... It's a focus, something to help further steady her self as she now channels energies through the item. She's an artificer after all, what good would she be if she didn't do that.

Next her eyes glance around and the tiny insects she released earlier open up, each glowing just slightly as ghostly runes appear above them and a circle starts to form around Kae, yet more focus while she attempts to close the now open door...

She pauses mid focus just briefly now blinking "Giant... Foot.... OH well, seen wierder." she mutters and well she continues her own little ritual.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
A small rat climbs out of a nearby sewer grate and flees into a nearby alley. J'onn then assumes the form of a homeless man in ragged clothing, using the darkness to his advantage, and keeping an eye on the current events. He is not here to fight, rather to observe and report his findings. He hugs the wall, to all appearance being a scared old man who was in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Lucky Day has posed:
The spectres are getting stronger. The three downstairs merge with their human hosts who's eyes glow briefly as they sink into the sewers below. Too much attention has been drawn to this place and the timetable will not be ignored.

Kaelyn's runed insects not only protect her but make a firely latice that protects her at just the right moment. The spectres are finally strong enough to shatter her defenses in sufficient number and she can feel it about to buckle while she desperately works to close the thin link between worlds and she is so close while it cracks and cracks. She can feel the chill in the air as one slings a tentacle inches from her as...an axe wielding psychopath in fur with a white hockey mask cuts the tentacle that falls writhing to the floor. But make no mistake, these things are growing stronger as the insanity teeming in the room seems to almost spread. She is close, very close and alost done with the ritual and just as they remound the attack, flanking Kid to the point that the axe will not save him....All is quiet....the spectres are gone and there is nothing but the quiet weeping and moans of the newly mad.

Kid has posed:
    Kid was in a frenzy at this point, he feels the maddness almost as his own. If it wasn't for the fact the axe was merely illusion that just so happened to be lucky enough to work on spectre - he mighta been trimming a few family trees. But as the spectres dissappear and the danger gone...he begins trying to drown out these mad minds filtering all around. It was so loud...and where those walls closing in? Kid growls at this sensation, at the sufficating quietness, the voloumn of the moaning, his temper begining to boil. It was confusion, madness and intolerability being rolled into one.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
A pidgeon flees the alley and happens to be flying in the same direction Lex was fleeing! The bird's speed builds as it distances itself from possible observers. It won't be long before Lex's getaway car is reached.

Lex Luthor has posed:
The 'getaway car' is in fact a luxurious, top-end stretch Limousine. The pigeon attracts no serious notice from Hope or Mercy as they keep an eye out for pursuers. Lex himself sits in the back seat, the portable communication system built into the roof already down as he talks to the CEO of his local subsidiary to prepare the local offices for his arrival.

Kaelyn Silverleaf has posed:
Kae finishes her little ritual now, blinking as she opens her eyes and peering about the place... "Oooh, well ummm, Don't know if it completely worked but if it did.. Yay! That was like soooo close!" she calls out, and blinks at the spectral ax wielding furball in a Hockey Mask... "Oookaaay, yeah, sooo the spectres are gone and all, you can stop swinging your axe around..." She says and rubs at the back of her neck at the people made gibbering wrecks...

"Arkham is sooo going to have their work cut out here..."

Kid has posed:
Kid turns and HURLS the spectral axe at Kaelyn. Of course it won't actually do anything to her, cause...it just an illusion, it not real, at least to people in this world. But it might provoke a reaction. After a growl...he knew what he need to do, get away from the madness. He turns with a grunt the mask dissappearing as he leaves the now mad party. He would check on Orion.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
The pidgeon is by now travelling at super-pidgeon speeds, indeed superhuman speeds by definition. The car is caught up to and J'onn simultaneously phases through the car and shifts into the form of a 1950s detective, completely with the hat, "Lex.. do not be alarmed. I did not want to interrupt your escape, however I could not help but notice that you are fleeing the scene of an attack by what appeared to be.. spirit entities of some kind. I am, as you know, detective Jones. We need not ponder how I entered your car I am sure." He grins mischievously, "I do not assume that you were behind this of course. I am merely trying to determine the source of this attack and whether you know of a means to thwart it."

Lex Luthor has posed:
It's not Lex J'onn needs to worry about. It's the cybernetic arm that Mercy brings around from the drivers seat to aim direct at him, and Hope with her electrical gloves ready to strike. Lex himself merely looks in the 'detectives' direction. There's a hint of disdain in those green eyes, and Lex frowns slightly. "Martian, if you haven't understood what happened back there already, you're an even bigger idiot than I originally suspected." Lex replies, his tone dripping with undisguised annoyance. But then, this is Lex Luthor... master manipulator. Is he really annoyed? Or was he expecting pursuit?

"Something magical used a group of pawns to try and pull itself into our world, by all indications. You're seeing the aftermath of it's latest attempt at breakthrough." Lex explains, as if to a child.

At least Lex hasn't ordered the Amazons to kick J'onn out of the Limo, yet.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn remains calm as he addresses Lex, "You are correct Mr. Luther. I have entered this battlefield without any prerequisite information. I am.. winging it as you humans say. I am not here to fight you. I do not believe that you played a part in this as you are fleeing in a way that... implies fear.. caution perhaps. I do not presume to assume what would frighten you Lex. But I understand.. a greater threat is behind this and I have arrived late in this particular conflict. I believe that we have found ourselves against a common foe perhaps. I understand if you wish to keep your intelligence to yourself, however it could be beneficial to work with those of us who have as much experience as you in fighting such.. threats."

Lex Luthor has posed:
"If you were here to fight me, this conversation would be going very differently, martian." Lex replies, before he brings up his right hand in front of himself. Both Amazons keep their weapons trained on J'onn, but relax just slightly. Through the windows, J'onn can see the Limo parking itself, apparently Mercy set the Limo autodrive system to get them to the side of a road, "If you want answers, I suggest taking a look in the basement back there. Something looked to be using the guests for food or fuel or something."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn nods, "Indeed. I do not doubt that you are prepared for a hostile intruder. And I will certainly investigate the basement you mentioned. If our foe is using people for food or fuel then it is clearly a parasitic lifeform. But as we both know that does not present a narrow list of culprits. I would include lifeforms which are merely carnivorous but they tend to be... more abrupt in their consumption. I trust that what you say is true Lex and I would like to set aside the differences between your corporation and the Justice League as we investigate, and resolve this crisis. Would you be willing to do that?"