The New Ultimate DC RPG - Season II

[Doctor Love]

Senses are still reeling. Can't feel my chest. I can only look into the eyes of my enemy, gazing down at me with something more than a taunting sense of arrogance. I see hatred behind that cowl. Whoever he is, however he's managed to accomplish his considerable skill, it doesn't matter when compared to his true motive. This is supposed to be revenge from an enemy that I do not know. And if he completes this blow, he'll have achieved it before I can even comprehend why.

I suppose that, above everything else, is what motivates me to do what I do next. Even though it's practically numb from his attacks, my arm reaches back into my belt and pulls out the closest weapon at my reach's disposal. A twelve-inch long collapsible batarang, designed for long-distance strikes against multiple targets. My enemy is so focused on my surprised reaction to his attempt at the Leopard Blow that he doesn't even notice. With a precise, abiet barbaric force, I take the weapon and slice hard into his forearm, the blade instantly severing through armor and flesh, drawing a wide margin of blood.

The attacker is thrown off course by this, and I'm allowed a second's worth of counter room. Taking his hand as it tries to subdue me in place so that he can attempt his death strike once again, I stop trying to estimate his skill and simply drive the steel horns of my cowl into his pelvis to cause him some extra discomfort. I was right when I told myself that he knows how to fight. He's even mastered some forms of martial arts that I've barely even attempted to tap into. But when it comes down to it, I know how to fight dirty.

He comes at me in a blind fury, but I only dodge. The wound was designed to throw off his concentration, and for a fleeting moment, it actually worked. Now I just need to improvise and find out how to keep the pressure on.

"I don't know... who the hell you really are,"

"But if you thought that was all it took to end me, you were mistaken."

Driving my elbow into the back of his neck, I throw the brunt of my shinguard armor into his face and grab his skull, slamming him headfirst into the pavement beneath our feet. Even though I'm still winded from his last attack, I manage to find a small bit satisfaction in the sound made of his exposed jaw hitting solid concrete.

"I won't be imitated. Not by murdering filth like you."

"Then you are a fool!"

Planting his hands firmly on the ground, the man dressed as Batman sprang up into a flying kick that the smaller costumed man barely managed to duck beneath just in time. Ignoring the loose teeth in his mouth, the villain immediately spun into a roundhouse kick that connected hard to the hero's crouched body. "You have always been a fool!"

Reaching into a pouch on his belt, the false Batman produced another handful of explosive batarangs and threw them all at his foe. In another highly impressive show of skill, the real Batman leaped cleanly out of the way of the flying weapons and raised his cape to help protect him from the force of the resulting explosion. When he lowers his cape, the monster is already on top of him.

One hand wraps tight around the Dark Knight's neck in a grip of iron as the doppelganger slams the real Batman down hard and hears the sound of the ceramic plate breaking in the back of his opponent's cowl as it hits the ground. With his other hand, "Batman" hits the hidden switch on the hero's utility belt, unlocking it and throwing it out of reach as he uses his knees to pin both of the caped crusader's legs to the ground.

"I am going to strangle the life from you now. Pity you won't enjoy it as much as I will."

 

[Batman]

One hand wraps tight around the Dark Knight's neck in a grip of iron as the doppelganger slams the real Batman down hard and hears the sound of the ceramic plate breaking in the back of his opponent's cowl as it hits the ground. With his other hand, "Batman" hits the hidden switch on the hero's utility belt, unlocking it and throwing it out of reach as he uses his knees to pin both of the caped crusader's legs to the ground.

"I am going to strangle the life from you now. Pity you won't enjoy it as much as I will."

Windpipe's starting to feel the pressure as he holds me down. Vision's fading from the blow to my scalp. Running out of options, can't figure out how to escape his grip. All I can keep a steady focus on is the belt, as it lies scattered on the docks above. The fact that he could have even gotten it off in the first place surprised me. He didn't struggle with it for a moment, didn't even falter. Should have at least given him pause, considering the counter measure systems integrated in the buckle. There's only one way he could have removed it that easily - and that alternative is impossible. Only someone with considerable insight could have even guessed that there was a switch. Someone who's studied the Waynetech schematics incredibly well.

And then there's his accent. As he lost himself in the rage and attacked, I noticed an obvious slip in his pronunciation. Would've been an easy mistake to ignore if I hadn't already guessed that, based off of his complexion and the nature of training, his ethnicity wasn't the one he was trying to pass off. Someone who nearly managed to pose as an American, all for the sake of selling himself as the real Batman. But his height, his girth, even his level of strength greatly differ from mine. Details that would have gone relatively unnoticed, had he not encountered me.

Dammit. Too many questions. Have to figure out who I'm dealing with, I haven't been given this much trouble with an opponent since...

Wait.

That's not possible.

Surely, he can't be...

"Y... Y..."

Noticing my attempts to speak, he only loosens his grip slightly, almost amused as the realization hits me. The swagger of his, that sense of superiority, I knew it was familiar. His arrogance paints a clear picture now. It's him, it has to be. No one else fits the profile as well as the only man to leave as much of an impact.

"You. It was you the entire time. Courting the mob... then killing them. Using what you'd learned... against me."

My hands reach out and sharply secure a grip onto his forearms, as I growl the name. A man who's terrorized Gotham almost completely in his own right. This ill-attempted facade was just a brand new level of his madness.

"Bane."

 

[Spike_x1]

Windpipe's starting to feel the pressure as he holds me down. Vision's fading from the blow to my scalp. Running out of options, can't figure out how to escape his grip. All I can keep a steady focus on is the belt, as it lies scattered on the docks above. The fact that he could have even gotten it off in the first place surprised me. He didn't struggle with it for a moment, didn't even falter. Should have at least given him pause, considering the counter measure systems integrated in the buckle. There's only one way he could have removed it that easily - and that alternative is impossible. Only someone with considerable insight could have even guessed that there was a switch. Someone who's studied the Waynetech schematics incredibly well.

And then there's his accent. As he lost himself in the rage and attacked, I noticed an obvious slip in his pronunciation. Would've been an easy mistake to ignore if I hadn't already guessed that, based off of his complexion and the nature of training, his ethnicity wasn't the one he was trying to pass off. Someone who nearly managed to pose as an American, all for the sake of selling himself as the real Batman. But his height, his girth, even his level of strength greatly differ from mine. Details that would have gone relatively unnoticed, had he not encountered me.

Dammit. Too many questions. Have to figure out who I'm dealing with, I haven't been given this much trouble with an opponent since...

Wait.

That's not possible.

Surely, he can't be...

"Y... Y..."

Noticing my attempts to speak, he only loosens his grip slightly, almost amused as the realization hits me. The swagger of his, that sense of superiority, I knew it was familiar. His arrogance paints a clear picture now. It's him, it has to be. No one else fits the profile as well as the only man to leave as much of an impact.

"You. It was you the entire time. Courting the mob... then killing them. Using what you'd learned... against me."

My hands reach out and sharply secure a grip onto his forearms, as I growl the name. A man who's terrorized Gotham almost completely in his own right. This ill-attempted facade was just a brand new level of his madness.

"Bane."

A smile comes over my face at last as Wayne struggles for air and the truth dawns on him while he lies dying by my hand. "It was the belt that tipped you off, yes? No matter. This charade had run its course anyway."

I slam the Batman's head down hard against the pavement once more and grit my teeth as I tighten my grip. The kevlar gorget built into his costume does little to protect his neck from my hands. When I began this impersonation of Wayne's alter ego, it was merely to ruin his reputation as a hero while simultaneously furthering my goal of removing my competition in the Gotham City underworld. It's only now that I have to admit that the poetry of Batman being brought down by his own image is too delicious to pass up.

Seeing the light begin to fade from his eyes behind their lenses, I lower myself and whisper into his ear, "This is for Talia, Wayne." Yes, I know who is under that mask.

You finally realize that I have always known and that you never stood a chance against Bane. I have known who you were since the beginning and studied Batman and your character for a year now. I have known where you worked and slept, I have known your methods and weapons and you only discover it now. It's almost a shame that you have to take this realization with you to Hell. You are the thing that stole my love and her life, and I have brought ruin to your life in return before I kill you. I am the Bane of your existence, Mr. Wayne.

That's when the gunfire explodes around us again. Zucco and his men have returned.

"NO!"

I'm forced to break away from Batman as the bullets begin flying too close for comfort. Grabbing a stray handgun as I dive and avoid machine gun fire, I fire off a few return rounds.

The sound of approaching police sirens can be heard between bouts of gunshots now too. It took them long enough to respond. I look back at Wayne, struggling to regain his breath while dodging and defending himself from the assault. "This is not over, Batman!"

I fire a grapple line and swing to one rooftop and break into a hard run. The police will not have scrambled their helicopters yet, and Wayne knows that he is not in any condition to take me on at this juncture. I am thankfully in the clear for now, which suits me fine. I have a meeting at one of my casinos later tonight anyway, and I need to set a respectable example for my employees. Standards must be set and maintained.

 

[Batman]

"This is for Talia, Wayne."

He knows.

It was something I had always anticipated at the back of my mind. In my darkest moments, I had long dreamt of a world where an enemy would learn the truth about me and expose it to the world, turning everything I had worked to achieve on it's head and destroying the life that I know - replacing it with an existence that would defy my every imagination of a living hell. But when those images of my subconscious flashed across my mind, I would always picture myself torn and ragged. Beaten beyond repair, forced to go into hiding after years of mercilessly fighting the good war. Yet all in one instant, it takes but a simple whisper to shatter such images and fill me with all-consuming dread, a kind I've never felt. And I can't even process the thought before it's gone, replaced with an imminent peril.

My god. Bane, the man who's been impersonating me, ruining my reputation, evoking senseless slaughter in my image - he now knows my greatest secret. And in the chaos, he's taunting me further by running off with it into the night. Every instinct tells me that I should give chase, to stop at nothing to catch up and beat him senseless enough to never utter it to anyone. But if I even could catch him, if I even believed myself able to take him, I have three obstacles standing between us. The police. Zucco's thugs. And my own endurance, fading away with every passing second. I can't catch him. He's already escaped. And he knows - he knows...

Given a boost through the anxiety mixing into complete frustration, I turn channel my emotions towards the thugs and lash out as cruisers surround the area. Some have already backed off and are trying to make a hasty retreat. Others stay to ensure that I don't leave this area alive. And the rest, they feel the agony. The torment that rips into me as I realize that at any moment, Bane could tell whomever he wishes that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one in the same. My friends, my family, everyone who's associated with either men - they become instant targets. I think of Alfred. I think of Jason, of Harriet, of Dick, or Helena. And I imagine them all becoming nothing more than a few names on a couple of headstones, all because of the fact that I was careless enough to allow an enemy to invade my most private sanctum.

And I unleash it on all of them. I break bones, I shatter jaws, I keep fighting them in a blind fury that I can't even control, much less bring to an end. Several weapons scatter across the docks as their wielders fall to my feet, and I growl out in a rage, stupidly letting my personal quarrels unleash a disturbed, twisted side of my combat instincts. By the time I've regained control, there are few that remain. The others lie beaten, broken. Scattered like glass across the docks. I don't look down at them, afraid of what I might see. I only breathe in, feeling the sensation as several of GCPD's Swat Unit and Tactical Squad swarm the area like a cancer. A helicopter light hits me from above, momentarily blinding me and snapping me back into reality.

Have to get out of here, I've done enough. And if I dwell too much on Bane now, if I allow myself to be corrupted by hatred any further, I'll have already lost. Not that it really even matters anyway - unless he's convinced himself that he's gained nothing by revealing the information, Bane holds my existence in his hands. An existence he's already proven to be determined in damning.

As the helicopter pilot rounds the scene, I dive out of view and scoop up the belt that had been tossed aside. My gauntlet conceals a one-way transmitter that beams directly into The Batmobile's engines, so it should arrive here momentarily. Right now, I just have to survive long enough for it's sensors to have someone to retrieve.

"Oracle, lock current position into Batmobile database. Route to position."

Batmobile Online. Thrusters Engaged. Estimated Time Of Arrival, Thirty Seconds.

Damn it all to hell, how could he have known? Did I make some sort of drastic misstep? Or was it something else - has he been watching me? Stalking in the shadows, monitoring my every move until it finally pieced itself together. Perhaps he's been there even longer than I imagine. He used the knowledge to his advantage, to mimic me down to the intricate designs of my arsenal. So he must have put it together through such study. To think, all this time, the things he could have done with such knowledge...

My thoughts are momentarily interrupted as gunfire slices across the wooden boards beneath my feet. I've reached the end of the docks, indicated as the Gotham Harbor's tide licks across the soles of my boots. And behind me, a chopper and several dozen heavily armed GCPD Swat approach. This would be an otherwise perilous situation. But a roar from the clouds gives me solemn comfort, as I sling the belt across my shoulder and stand, facing them.

"Batman, don't move! You're under arrest! Place your hands over your head and drop onto your knees, nice and slow!"

I comply with the officer and raise my hands. But what they don't see is the shadow approaching from above them, a steel ladder descending from the heavens. My escape blasts into the area as my hand catches the bottom step, and I spin, shielding myself from the oncoming gunfire. The police try aiming for the car, but it's already airborne once more as I climb into the cockpit, piloting my way back into Gotham.

Given enough time, if I could search for him, I could probably find him. I could tear the entire city apart, but I know it won't do me any good. He's gone, vanished into the shadows as effectively as I would have. God, for the first time in my life, I have to ask myself that most difficult of questions.

What the hell am I going to do now?

 

[Mr. Majestic]

Doris nods and asks Eduardo, "<Why do you call him Sovereign?>"

Eduardo replies in an almost whisper, "<He protects us from the soldiers who used to terrorize us, but at least with the soldiers they could be bribed with food, money, livestock, and even sex, or we could try to elude them. Sovereign though takes whatever he wants. Livestock, food, and people with no compromise and at times little if any compassion for us. If he takes a person rarely are they ever seen or heard from again. Those of us who have served him well are given his mark and we are told to call him Sovereign.>"

Eduardo takes a drink and says, "<I'll be back with more drinks>."

Eduardo leaves and Doris says to Majestic, "Interesting situation we have here. Although we need to be mindful we're not here to liberate these people we're here to do a job for Mr. Luthor. If that means liberation for these people so be it. If it means the soldiers return so be it."

Doris does make a point, once we complete our mission there is no telling what will happen once the Sovereign is gone. I can assume a good amount of people will be happy but his loyal followers won’t take the same liking. There is no telling if things will turn out for better or worse. Just in case it won’t be a problem for Majestic to fly here once in a while to see how things turns out. But enough about that I need to get to the matter at hand.

I lean in towards Doris and whisper. “When Eduardo mentioned Isis, it wasn’t my first time hearing her name. Earlier I heard some of the Sovereign’s followers saying something about her. Since we haven’t really found a weakness on him maybe we could use this against him. It would make for a much easier confrontation. But then again there is no telling if this story is even true to begin with. What are your thoughts about this?”

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Doris does make a point, once we complete our mission there is no telling what will happen once the Sovereign is gone. I can assume a good amount of people will be happy but his loyal followers won&#8217;t take the same liking. There is no telling if things will turn out for better or worse. Just in case it won&#8217;t be a problem for Majestic to fly here once in a while to see how things turns out. But enough about that I need to get to the matter at hand.

I lean in towards Doris and whisper. &#8220;When Eduardo mentioned Isis, it wasn&#8217;t my first time hearing her name. Earlier I heard some of the Sovereign&#8217;s followers saying something about her. Since we haven&#8217;t really found a weakness on him maybe we could use this against him. It would make for a much easier confrontation. But then again there is no telling if this story is even true to begin with. What are your thoughts about this?&#8221;

Doris nods and says, "Exploiting an apparent weakness is always a good strategy, but we need more info on Isis if possible to make best use of this apparent weak spot."

Doris finishes her drink and says, "We are getting some good intell on the ground for the time being. But what we hearing is a lot of legend and hear-say."

Eduardo returns with more drinks and says, "<My friends it would be wise for us to finish our drinks quickly it is getting close to the time Sovereign appears to take people to the mountain and to return those worthy from the mountain>."

Doris says, "<Those who are worthy? They are given a mark such as yours so he knows not to take you again>?"

Eduardo nods and Doris asks, "<What made you worthy>?"

Eduardo says, "<I do not know, but he mentioned something about needing the blood of the gifted. I do not know what it means.>"

 

[Mr. Majestic]

“Lonnie I’m at the location now.” I inform him while I do a quick surveillance around the area. If I was a betting man I would say this is a set up. It’s painfully obvious that he or someone else found my tracer, my money is on someone else. Eddie doesn’t seem like the thinking type.

“This is interesting.” Lonnie utters over the comm.

“What’s that?” I question.

“I’m going over the lay out of the park and I can’t believe I’ve never noticed this but if you cut off the exits to Avalon Hill and Thrawn Terminal-Redline you’re trapped in.”

So it appears my presumption was correct after all. “It’s just as I thought Eddie is not in on this alone. Most likely who ever he is working for found my tracer and now they plan on introducing their selves so to speak. But I’m not going into this blind. They have to be in the area watching so tap into any traffic light cameras ATM anything and let me know what you can find.” If this is a tap I’m not going to make it easy for them.

There is no easy way to make it to Eddie without him seeing me. Not really too much cover but a couple of trees. With all these high buildings around me my best bet will be to stay close to the trees and not be out in the open.

“Lonnie tell me something.”

The line on the other end is silent for a moment before I get a response.

“This is not good at all, Chuck. Someone is keeping me out of the system.”

I really do have to come up with a name.

“Can you stop them?”

“I could but if I do they might be able to find this location.”

“Then don’t worry about it, it appears I’m going to have to do this on my own.”

I watch as Eddie paces back and forth, I wait for the one moment he turns his back to me and buster off to his direction. As he turns around he is surprise to see me in front of him. To be honest I’m a bit shock I cleared the distance before he turned back around.

“Where did, how?” He mumbles as he can’t get a complete sentence out.

“What are you doing out here Eddie?” I ask with my more dark, deep and rugged tone I use while in costume.

“I have news about the girl.” He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a sheet of paper and hands it to me. “This is the address where they are holding. They plan on moving her tomorrow night some time.”

I take the paper. I don’t know how much of this I really can believe. Looking at his face I can tell he is very nerves and being this close to him I can hear his heart rate beating incredibly fast.

“How did you know I would find you?”

“I didn’t, I just figured I’d come to this area and hope for the best. I remember you telling me that you will find me and you did. They didn’t…” He then stops in mid sentence as he just realizes what he has just said.

Just as I thought it is a trap.

“Who are they Eddie?” I question him as I lean in towards him.

He takes a couple steps back and starts looking to his left and right as if he is looking for someone or if something is about to go down. I begin to approach him slowly.

“I’m only going to ask you one more time Eddie. Who are…” Then right as I was about to finish my sentence my ears picks up on the sound of something slicing through the air. Out of instinct I quickly dodge to the right. As the object missed me I turn to see where it originated from.

“Eddie I need answers and I need them now.” I say as I turn around only to see him on the ground with a shuriken in his head.

I bend down next to his motionless corpse and close his eyes. I slowly get back to my feet and find myself surrounded by ninja’s.

 

[Batman]

The sun had just risen over the Gotham skyline. What looked to be a bright day was soon interrupted by a barrage of clouds that brought a thick rain, showering the rooftops and sheeting over every crack that only served to enhance the city's architectural flaws. The skyroom wouldn't normally be my first choice for shelter in the penthouse - frankly, I've always hated the room - but for my purposes today, it is practically ideal. I've been sitting here for three straight hours since the incident on the docks, without so much as a regard for food or sleep. Just watching Gotham, patiently waiting for any sign of the man who's been tormenting and dominating every corner my mind. The man who made himself an enemy with a purpose that, as of yet, is wholly unknown to me. He's called himself Bane, but I know him better as something else. The embodiment of an evil that I swore I would fight against until my dying breath, one that I was confident I could beat into submission.

Now it only seems like I've been forced into a corner, waiting for the moment when it's all ripped away from me. Bane managed to take my already suffering reputation and twist it even further, turning my city against me in droves and using the symbol I had intended for hope to shed another coat of blood onto Gotham's streets. And worse, he's somehow managed to exploit my greatest weakness in the process. Every moment that he's still out there is a moment closer to the destruction of the life that I know, and I have absolutely no idea how I'm supposed to find him. It seems that for the first time since my life took this unorthodox turn, I've run out of options. And I start to wonder if that means I've truly lost.

"Sir? You've returned?"

Alfred approaches the entrance adorned in a robe, barely awake at this hour. Usually he's left undisturbed as I tend to any minor wounds and try to get some work done into the morning hours, but I suppose I lost the track of time tonight. He scans the room and notices the pieces of my armor scattered across the floor.

"Apparently you've returned intoxicated. Shall I prepare the usual herbal remedies?"

I don't acknowledge him at first. My eyes are still trained on every street corner, in every skyscraper's window. Waiting for the sign that assures me I'm right. Waiting for any sign at all that my every movement has been watched. Alfred steps closer.

"Bruce, are you alright? You seem rather... misplaced."

My eyes sneer out at Gotham. I almost hope he's watching tonight. I want him to know that I'm onto him now. That his sick little game is over, and my secrets are no longer his.

"He's out there."

Alfred follows my gaze out into Gotham. "He? I don't understand. Who are you referring to?"

My voice grows cold. Enraged, but silent. Almost like a whisper.

"Bane. He's been watching me. Watching everything that I do."

To say that Alfred looks at me like I'm a rambling lunatic would be doing a disservice to rambling lunatics. "I beg your pardon, but did you just say 'Bane'?"

My gaze narrows. "Don't you understand? He's out there, in Gotham. On the rooftops. Stalking me like I'm his prey, it's the only way he could have known."

Placing his hand on my shoulder, Alfred tries to usher me to rise.

"Perhaps you're more intoxicated than I realized. These windows are tinted, sir, no one could possibly see inside. And given your current state of attire, it is quite fortunate. Ms. Harriet will be here in fifteen minutes to begin her shift, do you realize what could have happened if she had arrived early and found you like this?"

I push his hand aside, focusing on the city. I know it's hard to explain to him, I know that Alfred's right. But he had to have found a way. I covered my tracks the best that I possibly could, I thought there'd be no indication left to find. And yet here I am in the dusk of dawn, feeling completely exposed. Completely vulnerable.

"Sir, you're not listening. We need to hide your equipment."

I break focus and look up at him. His expression indicates worry, as he peers back into my tired eyes. "Good lord, how long have you been up here?"

"Alfred..."

My voice rasped with the rage I barely contained, I swallow it and suffer the sting.

"He knows who I am. He knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman."

Alfred's face nearly turns white as the realization hits him.

"He called me by name. I don't know how he figured it out, but he escaped with it. It's out there with him now, and at any moment, he could..."

I lean forward, staring at the floor.

"I... I don't know what to do."

Finally deciding to compose himself, Alfred breathes in.

"Perhaps not. But we both knew and believed this day would come."

I shake my head. "I tried to prepare myself. Tried to say it wouldn't last, but I'm not ready for it. Not now, not when I'm so close."

"That's not important now. The day is here, we're in the thick of it. The only suitable action is to accept it and deal with it as best we can."

He grabs my arm. "But this isn't the way to do it. Wallowing in your own guilt has brought you nothing but torment, and this requires more than that."

My head still lowered, I break free of his grip once again.

"I'm not even sure I can this time."

"Of course you can. You just need to try."

"It's not just that, Alfred."

Placing my hands together, I meticulously go over the information I've acquired once more. Which is surprisingly very little, considering the scope of vengeance that my enemy has tried to seize. "He's planning something. I don't know what, but it has to do with the mob. He killed Carl Grissom and took control of his men. Then he tried to attack Maroni that night, and I only just found out he was the one impersonating Batman. And it's because of me. All because of me."

My voice shifts from sorrow to rage once again.

"He literally wants to shatter my life apart, and the only reason he gave was a name from my past. Someone that once meant more to me than anything."

Alfred sits down on the nearby couch, with a loud sigh. He doesn't realize what I'm talking about, I haven't yet told him everything about my past. I figured - I assumed, that there were some things that were worth keeping private from anyone. But Bane proved that notion inaccurate.

"Alright. Then consider this. If it's something personal with him, if he's truly after you for revenge, then why would he have withheld your identity for so long?"

Stopping myself in place, I look back over at Alfred. He raises an interesting point.

"Perhaps this isn't a mere case of exploitation, sir. If he truly wants to destroy you, then perhaps he'd like it to be on his own terms. A privatized battle between the both of you. You're obviously his target, but he hasn't acted to pick your life apart just yet. He wants to prove something."

I lean in. "Prove what?"

"I'd imagine it's something that's designed to get your attention. And if that is the case, you have no reason to suspect your secret is in danger. He will use it for his own gain, not the needs of those who would otherwise benefit."

He indicates Gotham. "Think about it. If you were this 'Bane' and had an enemy that you hated with so much passion, who would you entrust to destroy him? Who's the one person you would feel deserves the right to make him suffer?"

It takes no effort for me to answer the question. Because in all honesty, I've considered it before.

"Myself."

"Precisely. Personal revenge leaves no room for allies, sir. It can only be wanton destruction passed down between two bitter enemies, leaving no stone unturned until the other is vanquished. He knows your secret, so know his. He can never betray his own need to see your death at his own hands."

He's right. I didn't see it before, but it's all so clear. Tonight's struggle would have ended with him killing me with his bare hands, he made that notion very clear. I could see the pride beaming off of his face as he thought he had me under death's grip, and the wallowing anguish as Zucco's men prevented him from carrying out his task. Were he after something greater than me, he could have easily aided the mob in taking me down. Instead, he chose to systematically destroy his competition. His pride wouldn't allow the chance that The Syndicate would eventually remove me from the equation.

Allowing myself a chance to take this in, I sit up in my chair and rub the bridge of my nose. The lack of sleep's finally catching up to me. "Jesus. He's even more deranged than I realized."

"It would seem so. Now, if I could quickly change the subject, I have something else to direct your attention towards. Another enemy that Bruce Wayne has seemingly made."

Holding up the remote, Alfred turns on the television and switches the station to a morning news report.

"-and after hours of verbal protest, police were finally able to control the scene at The Gotham Paladium as Dr. Hugo Strange finally left the premises after another highly publicised seminar for his pattoned 'Strange Way' method of self-help psychology. Strange, a former employee of Gotham University's counselors group, declined to comment to the media after several questioned his taped rants that called out several of Gotham's elite by name, focusing particularly on billionaire Bruce Wayne, whom Strange cited several times during the seminar. Wayne's publicist has yet to issue a response, but sources close to Waynetech's CEO say that although Strange's public outbursts are harmless at best, Wayne has been under lock and key following the purported attempt against his life back in September. We'll have more on this story as it develops."

The screen shows a side-by-side picture of me and my supposed "attacker", whoever this Hugo Strange is. I've honestly never heard of him before now, but it seems that he's heard quite alot about me. I look back at Alfred and then pull myself up, beginning to collect pieces of my uniform.

"I'm hardly worried about some television personality with a grudge, Alfred. Especially right now."

Turning off the television, Alfred grabs my cape from the couch and folds it over his arm, grabbing my cowl as I hand it over to him. "Be that as it may, one of my many responsibilities requires me to deal with such matters and repair any damage made to your reputation among the press. And it would seem that somehow, this man has made quite an impression."

Heading upstairs, I begin unfastening my utility belt.

"Then handle it. I don't have any comment right now, just make up whatever you want."

"Will you at least consider scheduling a meeting with him to settle this, or at least give yourself some decent press? It could help ease your mind about what transpired tonight."

Waving him off as I approach the door to my bedroom, I toss the belt back at him. Surprisingly, he catches it at the bottom of the stairs with ease.

"So shall it be."

I close the door and lock it behind me, hitting the bed rather hard as I drop my torso armor. Feel like I could sleep for hours, yet my mind's still going. Between Bane, Hugo Strange, and The Syndicate, I feel like I'm starting to compile a long list of people who don't like me over the people who do.

When did it all come to this?

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Hugo begins reviewing and making notes on Summer's video footage of him.

Oh my dear Summer while you've proven to be a lot of fun in privacy you have no idea of your true potential to me.

Hugo notices something in one of the crowd shots that catches his attention.

Oh this is interesting. Professor Edwards of the University one of my more vocal critics. Perhaps I can turn this to my advantage with his endorsement the University would come begging me to teach there, and I can stop dealing with these sniviling simpletons and start influencing a whole new generation. Besides I have enough money and information that I can effectively use my influence where ever I choose.

Hugo picks up the phone and calls Professor Edwards to set up a meeting.

Hugo watches the video footage of the near riots outside of the Paladium from the seminar from his office.

He lights a cigar and smiles the smile of the conceited.

Ahh delicious. Truly a masterpeice of one of my finest hours!

Just then there is a knock. Hugo shuts off the monitor and opens the door. Standing before him is Dr. Charles Edwards head of the Psychology Department at Gotham University.

Hugo says, "Charles will you please come in it's so good to see you again."

Edwards clearly doesn't share the sentiment as he enters the office.

He says, "Strange I'm not in the mood for games! Let's get this over with!"

Hugo closes the door and takes a seat he motions for Edwards to do the same. Edwards does so with a huff.

Edwards says, "You said on the phone you found a major flaw in one of my arguments against you and your so called Strange Way. Well what is it?"

Hugo says, "Well I saw the footage of the seminar last evening and you were there in the crowd. How can you speak out against something that you were a witness to?"

Edwards rolls his eyes and says, "Really Hugo? Is that the best you got? The day I recomended your dismissal from our counciling services is still one of the highlights of my tenure!"

Edwards stands up and says, "I was there so I could get information about your program. Information that would show you as a fraud and a snake-oil salesman!"

Edwards begins to leave and Hugo says, "One last thing before you go."

Edwards turns to Hugo and says, "And what is that?"

Hugo says, "You will offer Dr. Anita Goodson the golden parachute."

Edwards replies nodding, "I can arrange for that."

Hugo says, "Then you will recommend me for her position. You will say you have had a change of heart and my name at the University could bring the department a fresh perspective. You will do everything in your power to get me that position."

Edwards says, "That's an excellent idea Hugo. I'll take care of it and have everything in place for you within the next two months. I won't let you down"

Hugo says, "It will be done in one month."

Edwards says, "Even better. I'll have the papers Fed-Exed to you in matter of days."

Hugo replies, "Good see you later Charlie."

Edwards says, "Goodbye Hugo."

Hugo takes a long drag off of his cigar and watches over the skyline of Gotham.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

The Atom watches the drones that delivered the CADMUS equipment to the Justice League base begin to assemble it and intergrate it into the main systems.

Who knows maybe when the finish intergrating my stuff they intergrate the rest of it. We got some pretty impressive stuff here.

She looks over shoulder and sees a rather imposing laser cannon.

Even if I don't know what all of it is. The drones are gonna be busy for a while I guess it's okay if I look around the rest of the place and get used to it.

The Atom begins to float through the base and with every turn she makes she is more and more impressed with what she sees.

Oh Rhiannon you really are in the big leagues now! Boy if the gang at Gotham University could see me now.

 

[Andy C.]

"You can't fight against everything that's wrong in this world. You can only rise above it, and hope that everything you're doing right pays off."

".....maybe you're right," is all I say after a long, sullen silence.

And in this case, he is right. I went overboard and could have put that kid in the hospital. That doesn't do anyone any good.

In the larger scheme of things, I still don't buy it. I don't see how you can 'rise above' the fact that people get victimized every day, beaten or scared into submission by people who abuse their power. That's not something you can just ignore by hiding behind a veil of moral superiority.

But that's another argument for another day. The fact of the matter remains that I'm the bad guy here, at least in most people's eyes. I can't win this one. And that's something I've got to learn both as Dick and on patrol as Redbird: you can't win the war if you don't know how to pick your battles.

The rest of the ride home is silent as Mister Wayne wants me to think about what he said, and what I did. I used to resent the way he tries to play the part of the concerned parent, but this time he let his guard down a little bit. He could have just let Miss Cooper chew me out and ground me, but instead he's actually tried to help me out himself. Showed that he actually does care about what happens to me, and not just how it affects his social status.

For the first time since the adoption, I'm actually kind of glad that Bruce Wayne took me in.

That evening, things are frighteningly quiet at Miss Cooper's apartment. Her tone isn't as explosive or outraged as it was over the phone, but rather tired and hurt. It's the first time I really see what kind of toll my actions are taking on her.

The house rules during my two-week suspension are pretty straightforward-- no TV, no internet unless it's for school work, lights-out at 9 o'clock. I knock out my assignments for class as quickly as I can, do my chores, even go out of my way to try and fix a few things that Miss Cooper didn't see needed fixing. And I keep to my word, not ducking around the rules of the curfew, even though I could do it easily.

I don't even go out on patrol, despite how maddening it is to be cooped up in the apartment when Batman and Zucco and the rest of the city's scum go free. As much as I want to find them and take them out, I at the very least have an obligation to make amends with her and Mister Wayne. I may not care about what happens to me in the near future, but they do, and I want to set things right as much as I can before then.

So I don't go to my lair in the condemned apartment building. I don't put together new equipment out of the weapons and armor I'd been stealing from the mob. I don't go looking for that Starfire girl hoping to form some kind of team with her. I don't even check the camera network with my phone--

"....my phone!!!"

It's nearly a week before I realize I don't have it. It's not in any of my pockets or my backpack. I turn the apartment upside-down and inside-out looking for it, and come up with nothing. I'm frustrated and worried all at once--not only was that an expensive piece of technology and a gift from Mister Wayne, but it also has so much pirated software and questionable apps that it could land me in jail if it ever winds up in the wrong hands.

After two frantic and fruitless days of searching, I give up. If I'm lucky, someone found my lost phone and is running up a huge bill on my monthly plan. If I'm unlucky, someone's found it and saw that it's been modified to the point where it could disable half of the city by accessing the right combination of databases.

Knowing that it's out there completely unaccounted for is just as frustrating as knowing that I'm letting Batman and the like run around for two weeks without tailing them. And I feel.....helpless without it.

As evening sets over the city, I get a notification on my laptop. It's an alert from my surveillance network, a notice that someone's messing with one of the camera I'd set up.

I open up the window to see the live feed.......

....and see a girl with a pale complexion and dark blue hair, wearing a black top and a purple-plaid skirt, fiddling with my camera.

Rachel Roth pulls out a piece of paper from one of her notebooks, writes something down on it, and shows it to the camera feed:

DICK: YOU DROPPED YOUR PHONE.

And for the first time since my suspension, I break my curfew, sneaking out the window and out onto the rooftops to meet her.

 

[Spike_x1]

It takes some convincing on my part when I hand Schott over the police, plus some cross-referencing with a call that Cat Grant seemed to have made to them just before I arrived at the station. She apparently went into great detail as she described the circumstances of her kidnapping, and I offer to escort the authorities and STAR Labs to the site of Schott's secret underground base. When all is said and done, Winslow Schott is waiting for his lawyer and sitting in a holding cell for the moment until Cat's story can be properly verified. Even if he somehow manages to weasel his way out of the kidnapping charges, his robots that attacked me were traceable to him thanks to the expertise of Professor Hamilton, and each of them are responsible for massive amounts of property damage and public endangerment while under the Toyman's control. He may be a technical genius and decades ahead of his time, but when it comes to covering his tracks and manipulating certain events, Schott's no Lex Luthor.

Content that things have turned out for the best, I think it's finally time to track down Lor and have a long overdue talk. Judging by the fact that Cat was able to put a well-composed call in to the police, I think I can assume that Superboy safely delivered her home to her son. I can only hope that Lor is still there and I can catch up to him before he leaves again.

I arrive at Cat's apartment within a few seconds of flying time and land on the balcony. Seeing Catherine and her son in a tearfully joyous embrace on their couch, I hate to interrupt them but don't have too much choice. Tapping on the glass door to be let inside, a startled Catherine regretfully lets go of her son and comes to open the door.

"Thank you, Ms. Grant. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's glad to see you're home safe and sound." Smiling from Cat to Adam sitting on the couch, I ask "Superboy wouldn't happen to be here, would he?"

 

[Bounce]

I arrive at Cat's apartment within a few seconds of flying time and land on the balcony. Seeing Catherine and her son in a tearfully joyous embrace on their couch, I hate to interrupt them but don't have too much choice. Tapping on the glass door to be let inside, a startled Catherine regretfully lets go of her son and comes to open the door.

"Thank you, Ms. Grant. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's glad to see you're home safe and sound." Smiling from Cat to Adam sitting on the couch, I ask "Superboy wouldn't happen to be here, would he?"

"Su... Superman," Cat began, finding herself with a need to try and express many things at once, and at the same time unable to say anything at all.

After a moment of looking between the two adults, the younger Grant finally spoke up and offered, "Lor went back to NASA to get, like, his clothes an' stuff!" The boy was neigh brimming with emotion as he happily added, "Mom said he could sleep ov..."

Trailing off, Adam's eyes deviated to a point just over Superman's shoulder. Suspended in the air just beyond the apartment balcony, the small Kryptonian was glaring down at Kal-El's back with an utterly expressionless face. Beside him, a large white furred canine floated beside him, teeth bared as it growled with obvious suspicion.

The boy's clothing was soiled from their plunge through the earth, bits of concrete and asphalt clinging to his sandy hair. After a moment, the child lowered himself down to the balcony and unslung the backpack he wore which was weighted down with his pajamas and toys. "I brought over some of my Dragonball figures," the son of Zod explained, pressing the pack off into Adam's arms.

"You don't look very happy to see Superman," Adam whispered sullenly, prompting Lor-Zod to shift his gaze over to the adult Kryptonian for a moment. With their hearing, the boy might as well have been shouting.

"It's... complicated, Adam," Lor stated finally, before drifting back into the air. "I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

Reaching back to pet Krypto, the boy turned his attention back to the caped son of Jor-El. And waited for him to make the next move.

 

[trustyside-kick]

"HOWDOISTOP!"

"GetouttatownBart. Getsomewheresafeandawayfrompeople. I'lltakecareofTurtle."

Jay takes off towards the right as I keep going, racing across the bridge and running through Keystone before I speed across the Kansas plains. I hope Jay can figure out what the hell is happening before it's too late.

The two speedster heroes react to the situation exactly as one of the ways The Turtle predicted they would. A true mastermind has plans for multiple turn-outs although Lady Luck is very much in his favor. For this is what he was hoping would happen of the possibilities. Now the young hero donning the name The Flash is blitzing through the city at speeds he cannot control leaving Mercury to adjust to an un-planned plan.

Which was what always intrigued Naydel in the classic speedster foe in the first place. For all the hero's cunning and uncanny abilities it was The Turtle who could run him off a familiar track. None could have predicted that Gardner Naydel could do what he did to the young scarlet speedster therefore whatever plan the two heroes had coming in knowing it a trap was rendered obsolete. The old villain made a sport out of outsmarting and ensnaring the speedster when he didn't have super powers.

Of course now that he harnessed this raging force of kinetic energy the way he can he would be a much greater threat.

"Mercury."

Sensing the hero's speed nearby closing in as he searches throughout the city for Gardner, the turtle-costumed villain removes his large trenchcoat to let his appearance be known. As he can feel the uncanny speeds coming in from around the corner, clearly being Mercury, The Turtle sends a young man riding on a motorcycle nearby to suddenly accelerate at high speeds.

As was expected by the time the man on the bike makes it to the corner the vehicle crashes into the parked dump truck. But the young victim of Naydel's cruel act does not in fact go with the explosive as the villain's nemesis Mercury is standing in front of the explosive with the young man in his arms. As he hero lets the citizen onto his feet The Turtle starts to slow walk towards him.

"Hahaha. How long has it been, Mercury? Do you know? Of course not. You moved on with your life while I rotted in a cell all these years. I see you have adopted a new costume. Interesting as I have done the same. Not as...sophisticated as my old look but I trust you will agree with me when I say that wearing more green this time around is rather...fitting for the name."

 

[Byrd Man]

Dreams playing on a reel in my head.

December 23rd, 1982. Mary Nyma + Bottle of Drano = Under the Christmas tree, puking blood and chunks of guts. Ten year old Eddie comes home from school, finds mommie twitching and puking. Hospital says she's braindead. Daddy says **** it. Call T.O.D. 11:23 PM, 12/23/82.

Mary Nygma, drive to suicide by her piece of **** husband. My father, boiling cats, beating me. Eight years of torture, eighteenth birthday had him committed. He died in the mental hospital, ****ed up on psychotic drugs and a shell of the man he once was.

Good. He deserved worse.

****

Glasgow, Kentucky


The alarm clock bleeps, waking me up. I sit up and look around the dumpy motel room that I'm calling home for the next week or so. I get up and begin to dress. Somebody defiled my mom's grave, somebody who wanted me to come back home.

I think about my enemies. As bad as it is in Gotham, they're even worse here. Enemies from childhood, my adolescence, and my time as a deputy. The list is easily three times longer than what I have to deal with in Gotham.

I'm putting the finishing touches on my tie when a knock comes on the door.

"Morning, Ed," Sheriff Glover says as he waddles in. "Jesus, son. You still wearing that ugly-ass green?"

"I like my green jacket. It keeps me safe when I'm jogging at night."

"Right, well, like I said I was gonna help you track down whoever did that to your momma. Got an idea of where you want to start?"

"I'm thinking about heading out to Hiseville and seeing what Daniel McGivens was going the other night."

"Think he'd have done it? I know you two did your share of butting heads back when you were a deputy."

Daniel McGivens is Barren County's biggest moonshiner. We're a dry county here, so most people go see Danny if they want to get their beaks wet. I busted him at least a dozen times when I was a deputy.

He's not number one on my list, but he's close.

"It's worth a shot, sir."

"Alright, then. Let's go to Hiseville."
​

 

[Mr. Majestic]

Doris nods and says, "Exploiting an apparent weakness is always a good strategy, but we need more info on Isis if possible to make best use of this apparent weak spot."

Doris finishes her drink and says, "We are getting some good intell on the ground for the time being. But what we hearing is a lot of legend and hear-say."

Eduardo returns with more drinks and says, "<My friends it would be wise for us to finish our drinks quickly it is getting close to the time Sovereign appears to take people to the mountain and to return those worthy from the mountain>."

Doris says, "<Those who are worthy? They are given a mark such as yours so he knows not to take you again>?"

Eduardo nods and Doris asks, "<What made you worthy>?"

Eduardo says, "<I do not know, but he mentioned something about needing the blood of the gifted. I do not know what it means.>"

She is more than correct, if we could use this Isis as a weakness it would make this mission a lot easier. Only thing is I seriously doubt we will be able to get any information on her seeing that we can’t really get hard facts on Black Adam himself.

As Eduardo returns with our drinks I grab mine and begin to sip from it as he tells me and Doris that we should be getting ready to head out. Seems that Black Adam is about to make an appearance to gather some people he deems as the gifted. This is nothing more than another answer that reveals more questions. Who exactly are the ones known as the gifted?

I begin to gather our things to get ready to leave.

“<We should have enough time to make it to my home.>” He tells us as we leave.

Within a reasonable time we made it to Eduardo’s home. Once inside he leads us to our room.

“<Sorry my friends but this is the best I can do, I hope the one bedroom will do you well.”>

“<It’s fine I can sleep on the floor.>” I tell Eduardo as I walk over to the corner of the room placing our things down.

Once I place our thing to the side I stroll over to the window standing in front of it gazing around the area with my super vision hoping I may see anything interesting while Doris finishes up with Eduardo. With what we learned so far I wonder what plan of action she would like to take.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

She is more than correct, if we could use this Isis as a weakness it would make this mission a lot easier. Only thing is I seriously doubt we will be able to get any information on her seeing that we can’t really get hard facts on Black Adam himself.

As Eduardo returns with our drinks I grab mine and begin to sip from it as he tells me and Doris that we should be getting ready to head out. Seems that Black Adam is about to make an appearance to gather some people he deems as the gifted. This is nothing more than another answer that reveals more questions. Who exactly are the ones known as the gifted?

I begin to gather our things to get ready to leave.

“<We should have enough time to make it to my home.>” He tells us as we leave.

Within a reasonable time we made it to Eduardo’s home. Once inside he leads us to our room.

“<Sorry my friends but this is the best I can do, I hope the one bedroom will do you well.”>

“<It’s fine I can sleep on the floor.>” I tell Eduardo as I walk over to the corner of the room placing our things down.

Once I place our thing to the side I stroll over to the window standing in front of it gazing around the area with my super vision hoping I may see anything interesting while Doris finishes up with Eduardo. With what we learned so far I wonder what plan of action she would like to take.

Eduardo leaves and Doris looks at Majestic and says, "My guess is that Black Adam will be here soon enough. If he is portraying himself as a God he'll make his entrance and pressence known through a lot of theatrics and drama."

She pulls out a water bottle and takes a swig.

Doris says, "For now we stay out of sight watch through openings in the windows and walls. It's pretty safe to say that Black Adam will know we are outsiders if he sees us, and I'd prefer we not assault him until we know exactly we're dealing with."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Hugo watches the video footage of the near riots outside of the Paladium from the seminar from his office.

He lights a cigar and smiles the smile of the conceited.

Ahh delicious. Truly a masterpeice of one of my finest hours!

Just then there is a knock. Hugo shuts off the monitor and opens the door. Standing before him is Dr. Charles Edwards head of the Psychology Department at Gotham University.

Hugo says, "Charles will you please come in it's so good to see you again."

Edwards clearly doesn't share the sentiment as he enters the office.

He says, "Strange I'm not in the mood for games! Let's get this over with!"

Hugo closes the door and takes a seat he motions for Edwards to do the same. Edwards does so with a huff.

Edwards says, "You said on the phone you found a major flaw in one of my arguments against you and your so called Strange Way. Well what is it?"

Hugo says, "Well I saw the footage of the seminar last evening and you were there in the crowd. How can you speak out against something that you were a witness to?"

Edwards rolls his eyes and says, "Really Hugo? Is that the best you got? The day I recomended your dismissal from our counciling services is still one of the highlights of my tenure!"

Edwards stands up and says, "I was there so I could get information about your program. Information that would show you as a fraud and a snake-oil salesman!"

Edwards begins to leave and Hugo says, "One last thing before you go."

Edwards turns to Hugo and says, "And what is that?"

Hugo says, "You will offer Dr. Anita Goodson the golden parachute."

Edwards replies nodding, "I can arrange for that."

Hugo says, "Then you will recommend me for her position. You will say you have had a change of heart and my name at the University could bring the department a fresh perspective. You will do everything in your power to get me that position."

Edwards says, "That's an excellent idea Hugo. I'll take care of it and have everything in place for you within the next two months. I won't let you down"

Hugo says, "It will be done in one month."

Edwards says, "Even better. I'll have the papers Fed-Exed to you in matter of days."

Hugo replies, "Good see you later Charlie."

Edwards says, "Goodbye Hugo."

Hugo takes a long drag off of his cigar and watches over the skyline of Gotham.

Hugo finishes the video review as Summer walks into his office.

She asks, "So what do you think?"

Hugo replies, "I just made a couple of minor notes nothing too drastic."

He hands her the video and his notes. As she reviews the notes he fixes himself a drink.

Summer says, "I don't see any issues here. Paints you in a very humane light and allows the people to see you as I see you."

Hugo bows his head and says, "Thank you my dear. Would you be adverse to making sure that this gets on the air as soon as you can?"

Summer replies, "It'll be on within 24 hours."

Hugo replies, "Excellent."

Summer leaves the office as Hugo continues having his drink.

Nothing like striking while the iron is hot.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

The Atom watches the drones that delivered the CADMUS equipment to the Justice League base begin to assemble it and intergrate it into the main systems.

Who knows maybe when the finish intergrating my stuff they intergrate the rest of it. We got some pretty impressive stuff here.

She looks over shoulder and sees a rather imposing laser cannon.

Even if I don't know what all of it is. The drones are gonna be busy for a while I guess it's okay if I look around the rest of the place and get used to it.

The Atom begins to float through the base and with every turn she makes she is more and more impressed with what she sees.

Oh Rhiannon you really are in the big leagues now! Boy if the gang at Gotham University could see me now.

The Atom continues floating through the base and is in awe of what she sees.

This place is just amazing! Well given my size right now Barbie's dream house is impressive. I guess there is no harm in doing this and in 24 hours the drones memory units will erase themselves.

She transforms back into Rhiannon Palmer and begins walking around.

Okay to quote Yoda size matters not. This place really is impressive.

Rhiannon yawns and realizes she is getting somewhat sleepy.

I've been at this for so long I could use some rest. I think I saw where the sleeping area is I might need to check it out.

 

[Spike_x1]

"Su... Superman," Cat began, finding herself with a need to try and express many things at once, and at the same time unable to say anything at all.

After a moment of looking between the two adults, the younger Grant finally spoke up and offered, "Lor went back to NASA to get, like, his clothes an' stuff!" The boy was neigh brimming with emotion as he happily added, "Mom said he could sleep ov..."

Trailing off, Adam's eyes deviated to a point just over Superman's shoulder. Suspended in the air just beyond the apartment balcony, the small Kryptonian was glaring down at Kal-El's back with an utterly expressionless face. Beside him, a large white furred canine floated beside him, teeth bared as it growled with obvious suspicion.

The boy's clothing was soiled from their plunge through the earth, bits of concrete and asphalt clinging to his sandy hair. After a moment, the child lowered himself down to the balcony and unslung the backpack he wore which was weighted down with his pajamas and toys. "I brought over some of my Dragonball figures," the son of Zod explained, pressing the pack off into Adam's arms.

"You don't look very happy to see Superman," Adam whispered sullenly, prompting Lor-Zod to shift his gaze over to the adult Kryptonian for a moment. With their hearing, the boy might as well have been shouting.

"It's... complicated, Adam," Lor stated finally, before drifting back into the air. "I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

Reaching back to pet Krypto, the boy turned his attention back to the caped son of Jor-El. And waited for him to make the next move.

"I'll have him back before you know it," I reassure Cat and Adam as Zor begins following me out into the Metropolis skyline. Shortly thereafter, we arrive at the roof of the Daily Planet building.

"I come here to think sometimes.

Weaving around the signature holographic spinning globe, we touch down onto the roof and look out over the city. "Zod." I can't help but let my voice come out in a bit of a sigh. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the idea that, of all the other potential survivors of Krypton's demise, I would meet a child from the House of Zod. Still, judging by his apparent age, Lor had to have been born after the destruction of the planet. How?

I turn to the boy and try to look as comforting as possible. "Tell me, Lor, what do you know about Krypton?"

 

[Bounce]

The child trailed through the air, watching as Kal-El descended first and only then lowering himself down so that he was perched atop the massive globe. The white super-mutt landed with the boy, stretching out across Lor-Zod's lap with a toothy yawn, tail wagging errantly as the boy ran one hand across the canine's side. It was clear that Lor-Zod didn't trust this son of El, but who could blame him? One didn't exactly welcome the son of the devil without suspicion.

"Tell me, Lor, what do you know about Krypton?"

The young boy just blinked. Krypton, seriously? That was a question? "Only that it's the bestest planet in the whole universe!" Lor exclaimed excitably, obviously enthused by the topic. He liked talking about Krypton though, because it went straight to his own superiority complex. That was something of a family trait. "My father always told me that it was home to the strongest military, the smartest scientists, and the bravest soldiers. Krypton rules over conquered worlds and is the center of the known galaxy!" the child explained, arms waving wildly as he used sweeping gestures to try and illustrate the magnitude of awesomeness to be associated with Krypton.

Shooing Krypto out of his lap, Lor raised himself up in the air to do his best impression of the general as he quoted, "'Before a Kryptonian, even a god can bleed!'"

Giggling, the small Superboy shot down to the rooftop where Kal-El was, now too excited to recall his earlier reluctance. "I've always wanted to go there," Lor-Zod added wistfully, before an idea struck him. "Hey, how come you're on Earth and not Krypton?"

Without giving Kal-El any time to answer the question, the boy plunged on ahead in a steady stream of juvenile rambling. "I mean, this planet totally sucks! These people barely manage to orbit their own world! My dad's starship was powerful enough to travel across dimensions. Humans are completely weak. If my mom and dad come here..."

The boy stopped, a sheepish look crossing his face as though he realized that he'd said more than he should have. Falling silent, the boy just turned back to look at Superman. "There are some nice things about this world, but I'm the general's son. Even I have to kneel before Zod," Lor stated finally.

 

[Mr. Majestic]

Eduardo leaves and Doris looks at Majestic and says, "My guess is that Black Adam will be here soon enough. If he is portraying himself as a God he'll make his entrance and pressence known through a lot of theatrics and drama."

She pulls out a water bottle and takes a swig.

Doris says, "For now we stay out of sight watch through openings in the windows and walls. It's pretty safe to say that Black Adam will know we are outsiders if he sees us, and I'd prefer we not assault him until we know exactly we're dealing with."

“From what we have gathered so far I believe what you said to be right. Even if I don’t happen to see him I’m pretty sure the screams of people yelling for help will grab our attention.” I tell Doris as I back away from the window for a moment to face her.

“Only thing that I can’t seem to shake is this thing about the blood of the gifted. I’m starting to wonder if there is any truth about this Isis thing. Maybe he is trying to collect the blood of these so called gifted in order to bring her back but then again maybe he has another reason. I just wished we had more information on the situation.”

I take a deep breath and just start thinking on all the information we have attained. We still don’t have no hardcore facts, everything is just pretty much word to mouth. Hopefully tonight when he shows his face we will be able to at least learn something.

As I turn back towards the window I stop for a moment as I catch my reflection in the mirror. For a split second I almost didn’t recognize myself.

“Forgot I had these on.” I say to myself as I take the glasses off and focus my attention back outside the window.

 

[Spike_x1]

The young boy just blinked. Krypton, seriously? That was a question? "Only that it's the bestest planet in the whole universe!" Lor exclaimed excitably, obviously enthused by the topic. He liked talking about Krypton though, because it went straight to his own superiority complex. That was something of a family trait. "My father always told me that it was home to the strongest military, the smartest scientists, and the bravest soldiers. Krypton rules over conquered worlds and is the center of the known galaxy!" the child explained, arms waving wildly as he used sweeping gestures to try and illustrate the magnitude of awesomeness to be associated with Krypton.

Shooing Krypto out of his lap, Lor raised himself up in the air to do his best impression of the general as he quoted, "'Before a Kryptonian, even a god can bleed!'"

Giggling, the small Superboy shot down to the rooftop where Kal-El was, now too excited to recall his earlier reluctance. "I've always wanted to go there," Lor-Zod added wistfully, before an idea struck him. "Hey, how come you're on Earth and not Krypton?"

Without giving Kal-El any time to answer the question, the boy plunged on ahead in a steady stream of juvenile rambling. "I mean, this planet totally sucks! These people barely manage to orbit their own world! My dad's starship was powerful enough to travel across dimensions. Humans are completely weak. If my mom and dad come here..."

The boy stopped, a sheepish look crossing his face as though he realized that he'd said more than he should have. Falling silent, the boy just turned back to look at Superman. "There are some nice things about this world, but I'm the general's son. Even I have to kneel before Zod," Lor stated finally.

A starship capable of interdimensional travel? Conquering civilizations? A military culture? The center of the galaxy?

It sounds as if the boy's father was really playing himself up in the eyes of Lor. Of course, there are hints of truth sprinkled here and there in Zod's words that are filtered through his son. Dru-Zod's vessel did cross dimensions in the last day of the General's insanity, right into the Phantom Zone. And he did lead a campaign that conquered a number of worlds, but it was that same pointless war effort that stretched the resources and manpower of Krypton's relatively small military far past their limits. Many Kryptonians theorized that the inevitable failure of that campaign contributed greatly to Zod's weakening grasp on reality.

Characterizing Krypton as a warrior society when describing it to his son was probably Dru-Zod's way of remembering it as how he'd prefer instead of how it actually was. Even if I knew how to go about telling Lor that what his father told him wasn't true, what reason would he have to believe me?

"Humans... aren't weak, Lor. Not where it counts." My voice drops and I scratch Lor's dog behind the ears as he cautiously floats around us. "You're friends with Adam Grant? Now, you might be able to do things that he can't, but look at the bond between him and his mother. Even against all odds, they would have done anything to see one another again after Toyman kidnapped Catherine. Looking at that kind of love and determination is where you'll see the real strength of the human race."

The dog's now licking my hand. He seems to have taken a liking to me. "Krypton... the real Krypton was a lot like that in many ways. In some respects, it might have even been better if it were more like Earth. It was a peaceful civilization, not a society of soldiers and conquerors. A commitment to science and the betterment of all life was what drove them. Krypton's interplanetary military had incredibly powerful technology behind them, but they were actually relatively small." I can see the disbelief in Lor's face, and I can't blame him at all. I'm challenging the beliefs instilled in a child by his own father after all.

"They overthrew a number of worlds in a brief war to take over the galaxy, but it didn't last long. My father, Jor-El, sent your father and his ship into the Phantom Zone prison after Zod decided to turn around from his campaign and wage his battle against his very home." I feel almost ashamed of myself for shattering the boy's ideas about his father and Krypton, but he needs to hear this. "With the help of the Galactic Lantern named Tomar-Re, things began to calm down from this violent time." I realize that Lor probably doesn't know of the Galactic Lantern Corps. "The Galactic Lanterns are a sort of interstellar police force. They're gathered on the planet Oa, the real center of the galaxy." I need to get back on topic here. "Tomar-Re was a big help in repairing the damage and returning things to normalcy, but even he couldn't have known what was going to happen to Krypton only a few short years later. If he did, maybe he would have stayed in the solar system and could have stopped it before..."

I see the boy looking at me with frustration in his eyes, but curiosity about my words that just trailed off. I take a deep breath. "Just a few years after Tomar left, something arrived on the planet. No one was ever able to actually study it, so I don't know exactly what it was. I only know that Kryptonians called it The Green Death. Whatever it was, it tapped into Krypton's core --the center of the planet-- and began feeding on it. In the process, it... altered the core and made it unstable. People began dying as radiation started sweeping across the planet, and soon after... Krypton exploded."

 

[Spike_x1]

The Materioptikon procedure. The very idea of it was just so farfetched. Even after everything I had put into this project, part of me never dreamed that it would actually work.

Let alone on its first human trial run.

Sitting up in my bed, I reach down and carefully pull each of the electrodes off of me. No emergency alarms rang out while I was sleeping, so I take it that all went well. I had the Materioptikon feed information into my mind while I slept, and I can recollect every bit of it. Since this was only a test, I just used today's edition of The Daily Planet to see if the written articles could be implanted into my consciousness. It... seems to have been a success. I know about the arrest of Winslow Schott, the breakout and reported activities of Gardner Naydel, and the Batman's murderous rampage in Gotham City. All without having even opened the newspaper or gone to the Planet's website. It's amazing!

What's equally shocking is that the phone rings as if on cue. It's Lex Luthor himself telling me that, in light of he success of the Materioptikon procedure, LexCorp will take me back and give me all the funding I could ever want!

Funny...

I don't remember actually picking up the phone. And how did Luthor know of the project's success?

...am I still dreaming?

No, the world feels real enough. I can feel the weight of my body against the floorboards of my apartment. I can feel the cheap air conditioning circulating through my home. No, this is real. I turn to look at the vials of drugs resting on my bedside table, right next to the Materioptikon standing beside them. The machine seems to be in perfect working order and the chemicals each have the proper dosages taken from them. Things do indeed seem to have gone off without a hitch.

Even the people in the streets outside are cheering my name and praising me for my success. They even want me to pose with the Justice League as they give me the key to city.

Wait, what?

Why am I sharing the spotlight with these phonies? Seeing the disgust on my face while we're all standing here in front of City Hall, they recognize the hatred in my eyes. "You're always in the news while people like me..." Superman attacks, but my claws rip through his chest and pull out his heart. "People like me aren't even given the time of day anymore!" Wonder Woman hurls her headpiece at me, but this is my world! I can control the very fabric of this reality however I see fit, so I casually redirect the course of the Amazon's tiara until it flies back to her and slices her own throat. "You all believe that you can change the course of the world by teaming together, but all you do is hog the headlines!" Trying to flee, the Flash drowns as the ground beneath him turns to an ocean and he's forgotten how to swim, while the Atom shrinks into nothingness in her cowardice. "Someone needs to put all of you showboaters onto your proper course!" The Batman --the boogeyman-- tries to intimidate me as he has done to so many others, but the blackness envelops even him as my cape expands to engulf him and all of reality. "If it is your destiny to change this world, then you and the rest of humanity will need a Doctor to guide you!"

I was wrong before. This is a dream. No. More like a nightmare. It always has been. But I'm going to fix that.

Looking at the burning images of the Justice League in front of me, I can't help but laugh. "We'd better get started if we're going to save the world, team!"

 

[MST3K 4ever]

“From what we have gathered so far I believe what you said to be right. Even if I don’t happen to see him I’m pretty sure the screams of people yelling for help will grab our attention.” I tell Doris as I back away from the window for a moment to face her.

“Only thing that I can’t seem to shake is this thing about the blood of the gifted. I’m starting to wonder if there is any truth about this Isis thing. Maybe he is trying to collect the blood of these so called gifted in order to bring her back but then again maybe he has another reason. I just wished we had more information on the situation.”

I take a deep breath and just start thinking on all the information we have attained. We still don’t have no hardcore facts, everything is just pretty much word to mouth. Hopefully tonight when he shows his face we will be able to at least learn something.

As I turn back towards the window I stop for a moment as I catch my reflection in the mirror. For a split second I almost didn’t recognize myself.

“Forgot I had these on.” I say to myself as I take the glasses off and focus my attention back outside the window.

Doris focuses her attention outside the window and notices the people gethering about.

Doris says, "My guess the great Black Adam will soon appear."

She grabs a bottle of water and Doris says, "I agree with you about Isis as well. Your guess about the use of the blood seems to be a somewhat logical assumption. I believe it has some merit to it."

She takes a swig of water and says, "What do you know of her? You seem to have some knowledge about what she was."