One Universe: Season III IC Thread

[Byrd Man]

"We do."

I step down from the ledge and join Jim near the signal. There's an empty space where our third member once stood. We both recognize the whole.

"I should have been here."

"Where exactly were you?" I say with a scowl.

"I was in the court that day. I saw his face, or what was left of it. I watched my friend's descent into madness! Where exactly were you?! Off hiding in the shadows?! Acting all high and mighty with your mask on?!"

My pulse starts to quicken, I grab my chest and calm myself down.

"I...I'm sorry....that's not fair to you. I didn't....mean that. It's my fault Dent became that. I stuck Wuertz on Maroni, Havey knew that Wuertz was crooked, but I refused to listen. I thought the MCU was full of untouchable cops, but I was...I was wrong. "

 

[wiegeabo]

"If I could have been there...But the Joker..."

I clinch my fists in frustration. I could have been there...I could have saved my friend and stopped all this.

"It's my fault..."

"What was that?"

"It doesn't matter." But it does. I invited Harvey to Gotham. I told Harvey we needed him and could save the city. I damned him...

"There's going to a war now."

 

[Byrd Man]

"If I could have been there...But the Joker..."

I clinch my fists in frustration. I could have been there...I could have saved my friend and stopped all this.

"It's my fault..."

"What was that?"

"It doesn't matter." But it does. I invited Harvey to Gotham. I told Harvey we needed him and could save the city. I damned him...

"There's going to a war now."

"I know." I say as I adjust my glasses and stare out at the city, my back turned away from Batman.

"I'm getting constant pressure from the Mayor to severe my ties with you. He's saying you're a bad infulence on this city, that you're inspiring people like Joker to dress up and kill. When the war does come, it's going to hit us from more than the streets and gutters.It's coming from City Hall too."

 

[Eddie Brock]

"I agree. Let's find them." Iron Man agreed as the duo went to locate the Four, staring at the pile of rubble that used to be the Baxter Building. As he was sure that Spider-Man did too, Stark hoped that the Fantastic Four didn't suffer the same fate as their home...

"No sign of them anywhe--"

"Flame on!"

"Found them!" The Armored Avenger exclaimed after hearing the voice of Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. As expected, he, as well as Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, and his sister Susan Storm, we fending off mutant attackers.

"We'd better go give them a hand..."

"Johnny, Johnny, Johnny," I sigh disappointedly as I web down an attacking mutant. I stand back-to-back - well, as close as I can be without burning myself - with the Human Torch. "The world-famous member of the Fantastic Four can't handle a few mutants?" I mock playfully. "Tsk, tsk."

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, webhead," Johnny replies defensively. I'm glad he has thick skin. Otherwise, I'd receive a singed toushie for busting his chops like this. Johnny, to his credit, can roll with the punches. "Hey - when we're done here - want to take a quick flight around the city? Oh, I forgot. You don't fly."

I laugh sarcastically. "Attacking the powerset? That's low, Mr. Storm." I smirk beneath my mask and add, "Even for you." I deliver a leaping kick to the chin of another mutant. "Besides, I wouldn't want to embarrass you in a race, anyway."

"Is that a challenge?" Johnny asks, half-excitedly, half-defensively. He tosses a fireball casually into a crowd of mutants. Naturally, they scatter. I guess that's the advantage of having your home trashed. You don't have to worry about burning it to the ground.

"Hey, knuckleheads, how about a little focus?" the Thing grumbles. He stomps, and the mere shockwave is enough to stop a charging mutant dead in his tracks.

Mr. Fantastic jumps in. Well, he actually sorta stretches in, but I digress. "Ben's right, boys. You guys can have all the fun you want later." A mutant throws a spike at Mr. Fantastic, but his elasticy body acts like a big rubber band and returns the projectile. It would be so cool if it wasn't so disgusting.

"Pfft. Who says this isn't fun?" I ask as I pull down a pile of rubble with a webline. The mutants beneath it look up in terror as large slabs of plaster collapse on top of them.

 

[wiegeabo]

My name is Wally West.


I am the Flash. The Fastest Man Alive

For the first time in a long time, Wally is not running. He's not trying to get there as fast as he can. In fact, he's trying his hardest just to keep his feet moving. But, finally, he steps up behind Jay Garrick and pats him tentatively on the shoulder.

"Uh, hi Jay." he says, the same little boy that used to be struck speechless by the first Flash.

I spin around. "Wally!" I grab him in a rather unprofessional hug before realizing what I'm doing and letting him go. Luckily it was all at superspeed, so I doubt anyone realized what happened.

"I'm glad you could help out. Was it bad back home?"

 

[wiegeabo]

"I know." I say as I adjust my glasses and stare out at the city, my back turned away from Batman.

"I'm getting constant pressure from the Mayor to severe my ties with you. He's saying you're a bad infulence on this city, that you're inspiring people like Joker to dress up and kill. When the war does come, it's going to hit us from more than the streets and gutters.It's coming from City Hall too."

"You do what you have to do to keep the GCPD running. I won't stop protecting this city. There's still a lot of corruption. We both know that. And someone needs to be able to work outside of the system."

"Especially with Harvey out there. He knows all the dirty secrets. Everything about the crooked cops and politicians that he never had enough evidence to go after. That makes him 'public enemy #1'." I look Gordon dead in the eyes. "I'm not going to let anything happen to him. I'm going to bring him save him from himself."

 

[Blacklight]

"Johnny, Johnny, Johnny," I sigh disappointedly as I web down an attacking mutant. I stand back-to-back - well, as close as I can be without burning myself - with the Human Torch. "The world-famous member of the Fantastic Four can't handle a few mutants?" I mock playfully. "Tsk, tsk."

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, webhead," Johnny replies defensively. I'm glad he has thick skin. Otherwise, I'd receive a singed toushie for busting his chops like this. Johnny, to his credit, can roll with the punches. "Hey - when we're done here - want to take a quick flight around the city? Oh, I forgot. You don't fly."

I laugh sarcastically. "Attacking the powerset? That's low, Mr. Storm." I smirk beneath my mask and add, "Even for you." I deliver a leaping kick to the chin of another mutant. "Besides, I wouldn't want to embarrass you in a race, anyway."

"Is that a challenge?" Johnny asks, half-excitedly, half-defensively. He tosses a fireball casually into a crowd of mutants. Naturally, they scatter. I guess that's the advantage of having your home trashed. You don't have to worry about burning it to the ground.

"Hey, knuckleheads, how about a little focus?" the Thing grumbles. He stomps, and the mere shockwave is enough to stop a charging mutant dead in his tracks.

Mr. Fantastic jumps in. Well, he actually sorta stretches in, but I digress. "Ben's right, boys. You guys can have all the fun you want later." A mutant throws a spike at Mr. Fantastic, but his elasticy body acts like a big rubber band and returns the projectile. It would be so cool if it wasn't so disgusting.

"Pfft. Who says this isn't fun?" I ask as I pull down a pile of rubble with a webline. The mutants beneath it look up in terror as large slabs of plaster collapse on top of them.

"I must second that notion..." Tony Stark chimed in towards the group, his repulsors blasting away the hordes of mutants attacking them. Smiling behind his golden helmet as he did.

"This is fun..."

 

[Byrd Man]

"You do what you have to do to keep the GCPD running. I won't stop protecting this city. There's still a lot of corruption. We both know that. And someone needs to be able to work outside of the system."

"Especially with Harvey out there. He knows all the dirty secrets. Everything about the crooked cops and politicians that he never had enough evidence to go after. That makes him 'public enemy #1'." I look Gordon dead in the eyes. "I'm not going to let anything happen to him. I'm going to bring him save him from himself."

"You can try, Batman. I'm afraid Harvey is truly gone."

I turn and look at the gap between us, where our friend once stood.

"It's just you and me now."

 

[Eddie Brock]

"I must second that notion..." Tony Stark chimed in towards the group, his repulsors blasting away the hordes of mutants attacking them. Smiling behind his golden helmet as he did.

"This is fun..."

"See? See what the man in the--" Before I can finish, I'm tackled by a mutant. All I can manage to say is, "Oof!" Then, the next thing I know, I'm landing hard on the roof of a building. I suddenly realize what's going on.

I'm fighting a teleporter.

"That wasn't very polite. Now, no one knows what I was going to say." I get to my feet and get ready to defend an attack. None comes. There's no tingling of the Spider-Sense. No teleporter magically 'poof'ing out of thin air. My attacker is merely standing on the edge of the roof, looking down.

After some silence, I announce, "Okay. I'll give. What's the--?" I, too, am made silent by the sight below. Mutants - no joke, hundreds of mutants - are surrendering below. The police are arresting them, and all the fighting outside has ceased. "So...this is pretty awkward now, huh?" I ask the teleporter.

He looks at me in defeat. "It must be over," he remarks solemnly. "Magneto must have been captured - or worse. So much for mutant supremacy..."

"Look, man, if you wanted supremacy, just become a celebrity or something. Those guys always get what they want." He offers no response. "Listen, if you cooperate, I'm sure the police will--"

In a sudden gust of wind, he's gone. Teleported away. So much for turning himself in, I guess. I merely shake my head and start swinging back to the Baxter.

"Hey, everybody, I just found out something that you all should probably know!" I announce as I swing through a broken window. I notice a television - flatscreen plasma, no less - hanging precariously from the wall. Perfect. I dash towards it and turn it on.

"--again, we report to you live with the news that the mutant terrorist Magneto has been captured in Metropolis. Magneto's forces across the continent are standing down in the wake of their imminent defeat--"

Everyone in the room is still. As the news sinks in, the Fantastic Four and Iron Man turn to the mutants. They look dumbstruck. No one says a word.

And you know me. I hate awkward silences.

"Hear that, guys?" I ask. "Imminent defeat." I smirk and fold my arms.

Reed returns to his normal shape and size. He - along with the other Fantastic Four and Iron Man - stands by my side, facing the mutants. "Do any of you care to give up now, or shall we drag this out?"

The mutants look at each other, as if hoping that someone will step up and shoulder the blame. Unfortunately for them, they're all equally guilty. They know now that they're the last ones standing, and it seems like they're uncomfortable with being so. These guys are followers, not leaders. Without Magneto to rouse them into action with passionate words and vigorous promises, these guys are helpless.

"I think it's over, Reed," Sue says softly.

 

[wiegeabo]

I spin around. "Wally!" I grab him in a rather unprofessional hug before realizing what I'm doing and letting him go. Luckily it was all at superspeed, so I doubt anyone realized what happened.

"I'm glad you could help out. Was it bad back home?"

"Yeah, yeah. Family reunions are sweet and everything. But we've still got a fight that needs stoppin'."

"Actually," I say, turning to Wolverine. "Now that Erik is down...I've got an idea."

***

Attention!

In the heads of all those fighting across the country, my voice rings out load in clear.

The is Jay Garrick of... I think about my teammates. I really should have talked this idea out with them, but there really wasn't time. Of...The Justice League.

I get some odd looks from the others. But we needed a name that would inspire the authorities, and make the rampaging mutants think twice. League wasn't going to cut it.

We've stopped Magneto here in Metropolis. SHIELD is taking him into custody. The fight is over. No one, mutant or otherwise, need be further hurt. I ask that you either surrender yourselves to the authorities, or go home. Let the violence end.

Everyone's looking at me, not sure what to think. But then we notice the streets beginning to quiet. The fighting we can see begins to stop as everyone considers my words.

I believe your plan is working, Jay.

Glad to hear it, Charles. Thanks for the help. I know getting into people's heads without permission is not something you like to do.

It was a sad necessity, Jay.

I agree.

I turn to Fury. "I think your men can start rounding them up now."

 

[Byrd Man]

I turn to Fury. "I think your men can start rounding them up now."

Nick and the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents start arresting mutants. I put my arm on Jay's shoulder and smile.

"Justice League, huh? I like it, has a nice ring to it. Remind me of the old days."

"And you live for them old days, boyscout!" A voice calls out.

I look up and see a green bubble filled with Alan, Ted, and Xavier's students come floating to the ground.

"I trust everything went okay in L.A. and Chicago?"

"Swimmingly."

 

[wiegeabo]

"You can try, Batman. I'm afraid Harvey is truly gone."

I turn and look at the gap between us, where our friend once stood.

"It's just you and me now."

"No. Not quite."

Gordon's confused. But this has just occurred to me as well. "We don't have to do it ourselves. We can't. That's why I have Robin. And you have some good people under you. Officers you can trust. I know, I've looked into them all."

Now Gordon looks surprised.

"I'll get you everything I have on them. There's still a lot of corruption in your department, but that's starting to change. I will say, you can trust Bullock. He's never taken a dime. Would probably break any one who offered him money in half."

My mind starts to race as a plan comes together. "If there's going to be a war, we need to get ahead of it. You need to clean house, and I need to gather information."

 

[Byrd Man]

"I'll get you everything I have on them. There's still a lot of corruption in your department, but that's starting to change. I will say, you can trust Bullock. He's never taken a dime. Would probably break any one who offered him money in half."

My mind starts to race as a plan comes together. "If there's going to be a war, we need to get ahead of it. You need to clean house, and I need to gather information."

"What exactly are you suggesting? I've already started putting my Major Crimes Unit together piece by piece. I have good officers I know I can depend on, like Bullock and Essen, and then there are those that worry me....like Wuertz. I had no idea he was in debt to the mob."

 

[wiegeabo]

"What exactly are you suggesting? I've already started putting my Major Crimes Unit together piece by piece. I have good officers I know I can depend on, like Bullock and Essen, and then there are those that worry me....like Wuertz. I had no idea he was in debt to the mob."

"I have...a way into the mob. It should still work. Whatever I can find, I'll pass onto you."

"You, are going to have your hand full. The mayor breathing down your neck. The pieces of the mob trying to pull any strings they have inside your department. And cleaning house."

I step up to the ledge. I'm tired. More tired than I have been in some time. And yet, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. "I do have one suggestion. When the mob starts pulling on those strings...pull back. Who says manipulation only has to go one way." I pull out my grapnel.

"I'll be in touch."

 

[Byrd Man]

"I have...a way into the mob. It should still work. Whatever I can find, I'll pass onto you."

"You, are going to have your hand full. The mayor breathing down your neck. The pieces of the mob trying to pull any strings they have inside your department. And cleaning house."

I step up to the ledge. I'm tired. More tired than I have been in some time. And yet, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. "I do have one suggestion. When the mob starts pulling on those strings...pull back. Who says manipulation only has to go one way." I pull out my grapnel.

"I'll be in touch."

"One more thing." He turns and looks at me. I let a little smile escape out.

"If that Darkclaw man ever comes back, I've given all my officers permission to shoot him on sight."

 

[wiegeabo]

"One more thing." He turns and looks at me. I let a little smile escape out.

"If that Darkclaw man ever comes back, I've given all my officers permission to shoot him on sight."

I don't want to do it. I fight it with everything I have. Batman is supposed to be above this. Perhaps I'm more tired than I thought. But it still slips out.

"...heh."

I hide my grin and leap off the building, letting Gotham's night air wake me up for the drive home.

 

[Byrd Man]

The Nite-Owl Coffee Shop

The rain is steady pouring down on the windows. Sideways rain, real nasty stuff.

"Good thing I brought my umbrella." Sarah says as she looks out the window and turns back to me.

"Yeah. It's coming down cats and dogs."

She smiles and squeezes my hand gently. I feel my pulse race slightly.

"So, why call me up and ask to meet me here?"

"I need your help. The fiasco with Wuertz. He was an officer I thought I could trust. I'm going to start reforming the MCU, as Captain of the MCU, I'll need your help picking out trusted officers. Men and women we know won't turn on a dime and help out criminals."

She nods and takes a sip from her coffee cup. I watch intently as her lips press against the cup's rim.

"Well, Jim. There's one problem with finding an incorruptible cop."

"What is that?"

"You're have to find a perfect being among humans. Nobody is perfect."

"Then we'll do our best. I have a friend, who will provide us with files on almost all our potential recruits."

"You mean?"

"Yes. Him."

She takes another sip of her coffee and reaches for the sugar.

"So, your divorce is final?"

"How did you know that?" I ask as I arch my eyebrow.

"Your wedding ring is gone." She says with a slight grin as she pours sugar into her cup.

"I am a detective, you know."

************

Two Weeks Later


"Welcome." I say to the two dozen officers in front of me as I stand in the MCU squadroom.

"You have been chosen because you are the best and the smartest this police department has to offer. Furthermore, you're good officers who won't back down and give in to temptation of being corrupt."

I know some of the faces in the group. Bullock, Montoya, Driver, Sawyer.

"We'll split you up in half. One of you will work days, the other half will work nights. You will rotate nights and days after a two month period. Your job is all the high profile cases this city has. Doesn't matter if it's homicide, robbery, or even the crazies in Arkham. If it's too hard for the cops downstairs, we get the call. The buck stops here ladies and gentlemen."

Some of the younger faces look nervous, while some of them smile those cocky grins.

"Captain Essen will be CO over the day shift, Lieutenant Akins has nights. Now, the captain and lieutenant will now split you up into your respective ****s and give you your partner assignments. Each team will have three cases to start out with."

I walk over to the dry erase board on the wall. Names and case numbers are written in red.

"You know how this works. Cases are red until they're cleared. Then, and only then do you get the right to erase them from the big board. Without furter ado, I'll let Captain Essen and Lieutenant Akins take over. So, we've got names in red people and cases that need clearing. Let's move!"

************

Still no signs of Two-Face, my former friend. He's somewhere in Gotham, I can feel it. His wife Gilda left town, not sure where. Poor girl, I don't blame her. Slowly, we're rounding up all of Two-Face's cronies. Kraven was arrested this morning, we pinched Cletus Kassidy two days ago.


So far, the new MCU has been going for a week. In that time, my detectives have a clearence rate of 95%. They're working themselves out of a job almost.....almost. That's the good thing about criminals, they always are giving us work.

I told them last week that the buck stops with us, but that's not always true. Sometimes things need to be taken care of without the red tape. Like this for instance, the Scarecrow has been out of Arkham for a month. He kidnapped the entire crew of WSGC, Gotham's biggest radio station. He's holding them hostage in the studio while he preaches his fear message.

I've got the SWAT team outisde the studio ready to go, but as soon as I do he'll gas the hostages. This is something that requires stealth, a one man operation.

That explains why I'm here on the roof of Gotham Central.

I've got a friend coming, he may be able to help me out.

​

 

[Keyser Soze]

I'm finished.

I stand in the penthouse apartment in a recently-constructed high rise building, the apartments inside not yet on the public market. One of several properties peppered throughout the city that my newly-made contacts have enabled me to acquire. The police is looking for me, I know that. Gordon's new MCU is heading the hunt. But I'm not hiding. I'm right here, in the heart of Gotham, looking out my window at the city festering below.

Gotham City is a monster. It eats people up, good people, and spits them out. It drains all the good right out of you. It seems like an eternity ago now, when that plane took me from New York into Gotham for that mutant benefit. I should never have come back here, it was hard enough escaping the first time round. It's like... it's like this city doesn't want to let any of its souls go. You work hard, try to be a better person, try and get the hell out... and it's like the city rises up to drag you back down to the gutter, back down to it's level.

But not only did I come back, I stayed. Because in spite of it all, I was in the thrall of the cruelest of human conditions. Hope. I had hope for a better Gotham. I believed in this city. And crazy as it might be, a part of me still does. There are good people here, people like Jim Gordon, people like Batman. It is possible to save this city from itself, I was so close to doing it. So close...

Now look at me. I've lost everything. I've lost my face. I've lost my reputation. I've lost my wife. I've lost my moral compass. I... I crossed a line when I killed Maroni. When I killed for the first time, when I became a murderer, it's like something broke inside me, something I can never fix. And from there, I feel like I've left nothing but corpses in my wake.

What have I done? What have I become? The monster that is Gotham City has made a monster out of me. When I unleashed a side of myself that I'd kept buried for decades, when I... when I let Two-Face out of the basement, that was it for me. I had no choice. I needed... I need to save Gotham City, and Maroni showed me I could never do that through the impotent legal system. I had to end it. I had to end it! I had to end it, but I couldn't. Only Two-Face could, his way.

I thought that, once I wiped out Gotham's organised crime infrastructure, I would free the city from the malevolent force that has been suffocating it for generations, that finally I would see a light at the end of the tunnel. I thought it would be over. But more and more, I see that's not the case. Gordon saw it too. It never ends. It will never be over. Crime and corruption is too entrenched in Gotham to ever be fully purged, it's in the foundations. You scew with the foundations, and you risk the whole deck of cards coming toppling down. That's what almost happened, without the gang leaders. Anarchy, chaos on the streets. There always has to be someone in charge, someone ruling the criminal underworld. There always has to be someone...

I am in blood stepp'd in so far, that should I wade no more, returning would be as tedious as go o'er.

I don't think I really got Shakespeare when I was a kid. But now I know what Macbeth was going through. I know how it feels to compromise yourself, to step over the line and get blood on your hands, and all of a sudden find yourself king. What do you do then? Confess your crimes to make yourself feel better, and let the kingdom you sacrificed so much to get go to hell? No, you keep on going, wading deeper and deeper into that pool of blood you're making for yourself, voyaging deeper and deeper into damnation to preserve an idea, to keep that shred of hope that you can make things better alive.

Two-Face is a golem, I can see that now. I let him out of his box to fix things, but now I'm stuck with him. Because I need to be that someone. I need to be king, so I can make things better. I'm Maroni now, I'm Falcone. But I'm not. I can be better than them, I can use their power the right way, to try and save Gotham. That's still all I want to do. Now it's the only thing I have left. Gotham City.

My home.
My burden.

"My city."

THE END​

 

[trustyside-kick]

OOC: Previously...

Out from the shadows, Shadow Thief jumps out, hitting Katar's jaw with a hard blow. He then yet again disappears at the other side of the room, in the shadow made from one of the chairs.

"Pity you are without your wings, armor, or weaponry. Then again, the quicker you to meet your doom, the quicker I can get back to Thanagar and have some REAL fun!"

Katar stands in a defensive stance, every few moments turning around, pivoting at the center of the hospital room. Shadow Thief cannot be seen, however Katar sees as the intangible foe leaps from shadow to shadow.

"If you think I'm really such an easy prey to devour, then why do you choose to hide, Krl?"

Behind Katar, the Shadow Thief comes flying, but this time Katar is agile and cunning as he rolls to his side, evading the attack. The shadowy foe attempts to strike once more, and each time Katar is able to dodge just in time.

"Could it be that you are scared? You possess such shadow technology, yet you cannot defeat an unarmed Thanagarian warrior?"

Hearing Krl Zanz snarl as Katar's insults continue to annoy him, Katar counters hits Shadow Thief as the villain makes way for his attack. Dazed for a moment, Hawkman makes the best use of this time, delivering hard crushing blows at Krl's stomach and face. Taking one of the chairs, and picking it up over his head, Katar hurls it at the villain, but the villain escapes into the shadows.

"Hehehe. You of all people, Katar, should know I like to play with my prey before handing them their complete utter annihlation. Without this little game of ours, well it'd be no fun now would it?"

"The words of a coward."

This time, Katar isn't able to detect where Krl surfaces from. The Shadow Thief rises from Katar's very own shadow that is casted in the room, grabbing hold of the Thanagarian hero. Shayera, while still wounded, musters up the strength to grab the telephone, and strike the back of Krl's head as hard as she can. Instantly the villain lets go out Katar, tending to his new prey.

"Well well well. I know you did that out of love, but are you really that stupid? Like you're in any shape to fi--"

"Krl."

"Huh?"

"You talk too much."

With one cling hook, Katar sends Krl Zanz flying out the hospital window, falling down several floors to the ground below parking lot. Wasting no time, knowing the fall wouldn't severely wound a fellow Thanagarian, Katar leaps out of the broken window, to greet his foe.

"Next time you're sent to kill two highly trained, highly experienced Thanagarian Warriors, might I suggest you take the first chance you get?"

The Shadow Thief looks around, but in all this sunlight, there is little shadow for him to escape into and become intangible. He spots a tree about 20 feet away with some shadow beneath it, but so does Katar. As the villain makes a break for it, Katar turns and grabs a motorcycle parked nearby. He starts to slowly jog, picking up his pace and getting into a sprint. Like a javelin he hurls the motorcycle, which strikes Krl Zanz in the back, pinning him down. Katar slowly walks the remaining distance, as the villain lies dazed.

"Where's your ship, Krl?"

The villain mutters words, but they come out as gibberish and as such, inaudible to Katar. Lifting the motorcycle from off of Shadow Thief's back, Katar begin's to search his black suit. At the buckle of his belt Katar spots a remote control; a remote that will turn off Krl's ship's cloaking device as well as provide him the location of the nearby craft.

Picking the villain up, and throwing him over his shoulder, Katar starts to walk back towards the hospital. Shayera looks above from the window, and the two lovers smile. With Krl's ship, they can now return to Thanagar, and stop Byth's overthrowing of the Thanagarian Empire.

Then. Just maybe...then they can have peace as they start their life anew.
​

 

[Keyser Soze]

EPILOGUE
ATHENS, GREECE

It's beautiful out here. That was the thought running through Gilda Dent's mind as she drifted along the pristine beach, white sand shifting smoothly under her bare feet. It was early morning, the sun just beginning to rise up over the coastline. The beaches were largely empty at this time in the morning, and so Gilda was left alone. Alone with her thoughts.

This was the place Harvey had promised to take her. When the Maroni case was all over, and he had rescued Gotham from the abyss, they would ride off together into the sunset. They would run away together to this paradise, and Gotham City would be nothing more than another unpleasant memory in the distant past. Nothing more than a bad dream, soon to be forgotten...

It's just another day in court, my love, that's all it is. After all we've been through, I have to see this to the end. Then we're free. Then we're free.

She had been wrong to convince him to stay in Gotham. It was her fault that Harvey had let himself become entangled in that awful city. She was the one who had given him false hope that he could make a difference. By the time she realised that Gotham could never be changed, not even by the best of men, it was too late. And instead of Harvey changing Gotham, Gotham changed Harvey. It destroyed him. It ruined him.

She would never forget the look in her beloved Harvey's eyes, the last time she saw him. It wasn't the face. As horrific as his scars were, they were just scars. She would have stood by him, just as he always stood by her. No, it was the eyes, the look of savage glee as he hovered over the butchered corpse of Sal Maroni. A killer's eyes. It was then she knew the man she loved was lost forever.

So she ran. Ran far away, retreated to the one place she'd pinned what little hope she had left on. She was here, in her paradise, but without Harvey by her side... it was just sand and water. And every glimpse of beautiful scenery was tainted by the image of those eyes, burned into her mind. She would never be able to escape. Gotham had stolen her soul along with Harvey's.

She took a step into the water, looking out at the flat, endless horizon before her. Like the sea went on forever. Running away wasn't enough. She wanted to disappear, wanted to go somewhere that no one would ever be able to find her. Where she would be lost even to herself.

She kept on walking into the sea. Her legs were submerged in the warm, soothing currents. They welcomed her. And so she kept on walking. If only she could lose herself. If only she could get away from it all...

Soon, she was up to her waist, her clothes soaked. The current had more power here, waves lifting her up off her feet and jostling her back and forth. Moving further forward was a struggle, it took will. But forward she moved. For so many years, she had been poor, frail, weak Gilda. She would show strength now, for once in her life.

Up to her shoulders now. The first mouthful of saltwater jarred her, made her cough and gag. The sand was no longer beneath her feet, her legs kicking feebly in water. But the rising sun encouraged her, invited her further forward. Now that horizon was within her reach, she could feel it. She would go to it.

But before she did, she took one last look back at what she was leaving behind. And there, on the shore, for a moment she thought she could see a couple standing by the shore, hand in hand. A handsome young District Attorney, a good man, with his faithful wife by his side. He knew his wife would never let him down, and she knew they would be together, forever. They were free.

The freely-flowing tears were indistinguishable from the seawater stinging her eyes. Just as her head began to sink beneath the waves, she turned back forward to face that horizon. It was waiting for her. Gilda closed her eyes, and let the water take her there.

Farewell, my Apollo.

 

[wiegeabo]

"Please stop right there sirs."

We do. Despite having already passed through a series of scanners, the SHIELD agents pat Charles and I down.

"Can never be too careful, eh."

"You don't know the half of it, sir."

"Heh. I think I do, soldier."

The soldier nods at his partner. "You're both clear."

"Thank you." I step behind Charles and push his plastic chair through the next set of security doors as one of the soldiers follows behind, weapon at the ready. We cross the non-metallic bridge that has moved into place, linking the outside world with the cell inside. We reach the final set of doors, and the guard left behind press the button, opening them.

Inside, one of our oldest friends looks up from his book. "Good morning Charles, Jason. I assume it is morning. Very little sunlight here, as you may suspect."

Charles rolls up to the table opposite Erik, and I stand off to the side.

"It didn't have to be this way, Erik."

"This was the only way it could be, Charles. It's either them or us."

"How can you say that? There are so many people out there accepting of those with us with power."

"Those of us? Jason, you're powers were an accident of science, not an accident of genetics. And in the ever hypocritical nature of humans, they accept those who gain their abilities rather than those they birth with abilities."

"You talk as if humans and mutants were two separate races. We are all human."

"Wrong, Charles." Erik's voice starts to pick up. "That's where you've always been wrong. Mutants are as far above humans as humans are above cattle."

"Is that really how you see humans?"

"That is how they see us. Or they would not fear us."

"They only fear what they do not understand. They just need time, Erik."

"And how much time to we give them, Jason? Ten more years? Twenty? Fifty? They've had decades already. How many more mutants must suffer and die while we just wait."

"Erik..."

"I know what you are going to say, Charles." Erik enjoys the bit of irony in that statement. He sighs and leans back in his chair. "I too have grown tired with this argument. It's been years and our positions have not changed. So, why not tell me why you are here, and either join me in a game of chess, or leave me in peace."

"We wanted to give you an update."

"My attorney has already done so. I am being charged with any number of crimes, and a conviction will likely result in life imprisonment or death."

"You don't sound very concerned."

"I don't?" Erik just looks at me. I glance at Charles, but he just shakes his head. "That's right, Charles. I have no plans to escape. "So," he indicates the board on the table, "do you care for a game?"


***


I lean back in the chair as the late afternoon sun keeps dipping down. A warm breeze blows over me. I take a puff of my cigar, one of the good ones, and a drag from the bottle. Sometimes a man's just got to kick back and enjoy the world.

"Well, Chuck?"

The sound of his chair's motor comes to a stop as Chuck rolls up next to me. "He has no escape plans."

"Bull."

Chuck looks at me. "You doubt what I read?"

"Not really. Just surprised. Not like Erik to go into a situation without a backup plan."

"I'm sure he has one."

"But you just said...Ah. So you're thinkin' either he's gotten good enough to block you, he purposely kept himself out of the loop."

"Which means he wouldn't be able to betray an escape plans to me. Yes, I have considered it."

"And?"

"It is possible."

Possible, I think, leaning against the chair again. "Not a whole lot we can do about it if he is. Just keep a watch on the place."

"Indeed."

"So, you play him again?"

"Yes. He checkmated me."

"Heh. Checkmate indeed. Guess we better get back to training..."


***


"That's what he said?"

"That's what he said." I sit the bowl on the table and sit down with Joan. "I couldn't believe it myself. He's always been committed to his ideals, but this..."

Joan takes a bite of pasta. "So what do you think will happen to him?"

"I don't really know. It pains me to see Erik like this. He used to be a good man."

"And now he's brought the world down on him." I nod. "Is the League going to break from SHIELD?"

I choke on my drink. "What makes you say that?"

"You've told me what everyone thinks of working with SHIELD. There's a lot of benefits, but even you have to see how the winds have shifted."

"Yeah. You're right about that. I'm afraid of what will happen to the League with them. And without them."

"It'll survive. You have a lot of good people working together. And I must say, I do like the name change."

I laugh a little. "Justice League?"

"A little bit of the old, a little bit of the new."

"Oh, so you're calling me old?" I tease. "If I'm old, what does that make you?"

"I'm not old. That's for sure. You are, but I'm not."

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that."

Joan gives me a sly look. "When's the next League meeting."

I smile. "Oh...not for a while..."

 

[Eddie Brock]

SPIDER-MAN

I pout disappointedly at the glowing screen before me. I have combed - literally combed - every inch of the Daily Bugle database, and my search has come up empty. There is no mention of the Green Goblin. No arrest report. Nothing. My hand releases the mouse, but only so I can ball it into a fist. This is my fault. I should have made sure the Goblin was taken out of the game, once and for all. Now, he's free. And he's out there.

And he knows who I am.

Yet, for some reason, I can't help but feel like the sinking in the pit of my stomach has nothing to do with the Goblin. Sure, I'm worried about him. Why wouldn't I be? He's easily the most dangerous foe I've faced, and he possesses the ultimate advantage: knowledge of my identity. Still, I don't think it's the Goblin I'm really afraid of. I just have this feeling, this itching in the back of my mind, that there's someone - something - out there that's even worse than the Goblin.

And I feel like it's getting closer every day.

"PARKER!" I've become so accustomed to the outburst that it no longer catches me off-guard. I simply look up casually and see Jolly Jonah, the veins in his neck pulsing. "Why are you sitting around, wasting my time?! Did you bring pictures or not?!" He checks his watch impatiently. I sigh and grab my folder.

***

"Well, well, Mr. Parker. Color me impressed." Babs is standing with her arms folded. She has a genuine look of surprise on her face. Smiling, she says, "I do believe this is the first date you've ever been early for."

Smirking, I take her in my arms and kiss her. "Did you expect any less?" I ask sarcastically. Let's face it: I'm not in line to win any 'Boyfriend of the Year' awards anytime soon. And I know that it can sometimes get to Babs. So, every now and then, I make the conscious effort to devote time entirely to her.

After all, the city won't burn down because Spider-Man wasn't there.

"Oh, like 'super-reliability' is one of your powers," Babs responds with equal sarcasm. "Well, I guess this means I owe my mom five bucks." I give Babs an inquisitive look, and she explains, "I made a bet with her that you'd be late."

I pull away from Babs and ask, "You bet against me?"

"Can you blame me?" No, I can't. "Besides, I figured Spider-Man would have somewhere better to be than Gotham on a Friday night."

"Nope. This is where I'm needed." I smile and Babs smiles back. And, for once, all is right with the world.

***

A shadowy figure lurks in the darkness, watching the young couple. "We'll be seeing each other soon, Parker." A sinister smile seems to challenge the shadows. "Very soon."
​

 

[trustyside-kick]

Epilogue:

Manhattan, New York

Katar and Shayera take the elevator to the hotel Katar and Shiera were staying at after their trip back from London. Just before Katar and Shayera can make their way back to Thanagar using Krl's ship, there is another matter that is to be solved: a heart must be broken, so that two others can be made whole.

"Do you know what you will say, love?"

"...No."

Katar recalls the bizarre journey he's found himself involved in ever since their ship was attacked by one of Byth's followers. Falling through the Earth's atmosphere, falling through the sky, strapped and stuck as he found himself bound to the ship. The body of his beloved, thrown out of the ship so easily as the debris from the attack, not knowing if she landed safely or not.

"I knew it would come down to this. I just...hoped that for whatever reason there was another way. Another solution. Even though I am not this Carter Hall that Miss Saunders is in love with...I still felt though emotions and sense those memories of his before. They simply cannot leave me at peace."

Katar grabs hold of the photo he has kept of the couple in his pocket.

"He loved her, Shayera. He loved her so much."

Shayera places her hand upon Katar's cheek, as the Thanagarian warrior sinks his head in sadness of what he is about to do.

"She has to know the truth, Katar. Otherwise, if we just leave now, she will forever search for her love thinking him to be lost somewhere. She must know."

The elevator stops, and the door opens. Katar slowly walks out of the elevator, turning around as Shayera remains. The doors slowly shut closed, and the elevator takes Shayera back down to the first floor. Katar turns his head, his eyes fixated on the hotel room.

He takes it easy. One step at at time.
​

 

[Keyser Soze]

Edit.

 

[Blacklight]

[YT]ACn684LWa1I[/YT]


"Tony... If your hearing this, then I've already left..." the message in Tony Stark's voicemail inbox started to play while he sat in the chair in his office at Stark Towers.

"I've decided that I'm not going to wait for you any longer... I've met someone, and even though I was going to wait for you to put a stop to your drinking, I can't anymore. I love him... and I'm taking time off from the League to be with him. I'm sorry..."

"End of message..."

Tony didn't say a word. All this time wasted he thought, and for what? I stop drinking for her, and she's leaving me anyways... Way to go, Tony. Way to go...

But I guess it was inevitable he figured. I mean, I almost just had a relapse as it is. What with Fury highjaking my Human Torch android, and my near quitting the League. I was just about ready to open that bottle up and chug it down whole. Who says it wouldn't have happened after me and Dinah got back together?

Tony sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Trying to hold back the tears... Because whether or not it was meant to be between him and Dinah Lance, it still hurt him... Deep down.

"Sir..." Edwin Jarvis interrupted, after entering his employers office.

"What is it, Jarvis?" Tony Stark replied, still focusing his eyes on the records handed to him from his faithful secretary of his latest sales.

"There's a phonecall on line-one from a Miss Virginia Potts for you, sir."

"Thank you, Jarvis."

Tony sighed before he pressed the button on his telephone that sat patiently on his desk, and bringing the reciever to his ear.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Yes, Pepper?"

"I just recieved a phonecall from a Whitney Frost regarding a proposition she wanted to run by you. Should I arrange a meeting?"

"Sir..." Jarvis interrupted again.

"Hold on a sec, Pep..." Tony asked, covering the mouthpiece with his hand. "What now, Jarvis?"

Jarvis simply pointed to the wall-sized window behind Tony, and Tony turned around in his chair to see a small explosion down below, and a man with a red and silver suit of armor, similar to his own, nearby. Tony quickly removed his hand from the mouthpiece in haste...

"Pepper? You still there?"

"Yes, Tony."

"Good. Tell this Whitney person that I'm available Friday, and while you're at it, cancel all meetings for the next couple hours. Someone apparently needs an ass-kicking..."

"Yes, Mr. Stark." she finished, hanging up on her end, before Tony did the same.

"Jarvis..."

"Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"Prepare the suit." Tony stated, getting up from his desk.

"Yes, sir. Anything else, sir?"

"Yeah..." Tony said, pulling a secret lever on his office wall, revealing the entrance to his Iron Man lab.

"Get me a scotch. Something tells me I'm gonna need it..." Tony Stark asked his faithful butler, figuring that there was no more reason to stay sober.

Despite his heart being broken and shattered, there was still a job to do, and Tony Stark knew it would be a job for the Invincible Iron Man.