The New Ultimate DC RPG - Season II

[MST3K 4ever]

Hugo is mingling with the crowd at the Mayor's party. He has completely lost track of Ellen, but he doesn't care he got what he wanted access to the Mayor. Hugo is enjoying the attention. Taking pictures, signing autographs, enjoying the food and drink, and talking to the major power players in Gotham.

Eventually he gets to his goal of the evening: Mayor Grange.

Soon I will have the Mayor under my command and then this pathetic little burg will belong to me.

He and the Mayor are sharing a conversation about his position at the University and the Mayor's Daughter.

Hugo says, "Do you think I can come by and see you tomorrow it's about a couple of ideas I have for the city?"

Mayor Grange says, "Well I'm not sure I'm pretty busy tomorrow I..."

Hugo interupts, "You will see me..." just then he feels someone bump into him and he spills his drink.

"You clumsy fool! You..."

Just then Hugo turns and sees standing before him Oswald Cobblepot.

Hugo says, "Mr...Mr. Cobblepot I didn't know I..."

Oswald replies, "Hugo Strange? Oh good evening! I'm terribly sorry my apologies my good man!"

The two shake hands and Hugo feels a slight pinch in the palm of his hand.

Hugo trying to maintain his composure is shaken and says, "It's all-right Mr. Cobblepot."

Oswald takes his hand back and turns his attention to the Mayor.

He says, "Mayor Grange charming as always to see you Madame." as he gives her a peck on the check

She says, "Mr. Cobblepot so glad you were able to make it this evening. I was so hoping you could be here."

Oswald replies, "My dear friend Madelyn I wouldn't miss this for anything in the world. I was able to put a lot of things on the back burner as it were."

The Mayor asks, "Tell me the warehouse fire has that been resolved? I know that was a big issue for you."

Oswald replies, "Yes it has been resolved. I got the insurance money a week ago, but I decided to put the money back into my foundation. I have plenty of other business ventures to off set the loss. Not worried in the least I've already put it behind me."

A server comes by and offers Oswald a glass of Champagne. He takes it and says, "Thank you, but Mayor Grange this is not the time to be discussing my business or other issues such as that this is a party in honor of you and that is my focus of the evening."

She replies, "Of course Oswald again thank you for coming. If you'll excuse me I have other guests to see, but I hope we can talk again this evening."

Oswald replies, "As do I."

The Mayor begins to leave Hugo begins to follow her but two sizable gentlemen intervene and Hugo says, "Excuse me you want to get out of my way."

The two men hold their ground and Hugo says it again.

Hugo turns to Oswald and Oswald says, "That slight pinch you felt it was a tiny needle being pressed into your skin. The drug is a mixture of the secretions of the female African Humming Bird with a psychedelic compound. In about 10-15 minutes you're going to look like a falling down drunk. Then I'll play the role of Good Samaritan and take you away from here. When you wake up within two-three hours you and I will have a long overdue chat Hugo."

Hugo says, "How can you...I..."

His words are starting to slur and Oswald says, "You never really could handle your booze Hugo. If life is a party then the party is over for you. In more ways than one."

Hugo starts swaying back and forth and says loudly, "You disgusting slug. I'll kill you."

He then takes a swing at Oswald which Oswald side-steps with ease, but now Hugo is attracting attention.

People are murmuring and pointing and Oswald helps Hugo stand up. Oswald says, "Now now Hugo I think you've had enough fun for the evening."

He motions for his two associates and says quietly, "Take him to the lounge I'll be there within the next three hours. Make sure he's ready for our talk when he comes to."

The two men nod as they take him away. Oswald says, "Don't worry ladies and gentlemen my associates will take him to the Iceberg Lounge where he can sleep it off in my private suite. He'll be all-right in the mean time let us continue this evening's celebration."

He motions for the band to play on and everyone begins to resume their previous conversations. Oswald mingles about accepting the praise for being so compassionate to Hugo and doing what he can to keep the party going.

 

[Andy C.]

"Atom, Green Lantern, thank you for helping Donna," I say, still hating myself for getting her involved in this in the first place. "She still needs proper medical attention, but right now too many lives are at risk to divert our attention from Superman. Now that she's stabilized, we can focus on the task at hand and get her help when it's done. You two have kept her safe for now, which is....more than I can say for myself."

Already Donna has suffered, mere hours after I taken her from the custody of the CIA, promising I would be able to protect her. I will never forgive myself for this failure. But I cannot dwell on this long, not with the battle that is to come. If I am to survive against Superman, my mind must be entirely focused.

"Batman's strategy is sound, but do not be afraid to improvise," I say. "Few plans remain intact once exposed to the realities of battle. Still, we cannot afford to let ourselves be disheartened or intimidated. Have faith in yourselves, and have faith in each other."


"Okay, but why are you giving us this big pep talk now and not when we arrive?" Green Lantern asks.

"Because we have arrived," I say, looking out through the canopy upon the smoking ruins of the Pokolistani capital.

The streets are pockmarked with craters, impacts from rockets and artillery shells. Upturned vehicles lie strewn through the city, rifles and RPGs broken and scattered where soldiers had thrown them down in their flight. An entire army stood against Superman.....and was broken.

I land the jet in an abandoned parking lot less than a block from the Capitol Building, entering a sequence on the jet's command console before getting up from the chair and walking over to the semi-conscious Donna.

"I have entered a command to the plane's autopilot," I say sofly, unsure if she can hear me. "It is set to return to the CIA facility from which I took you. If the battle goes poorly, I want you to take the jet back there. I don't trust their superiors, and neither should you....but Terry Long and Etta Candy are good people with caring souls. They will take care of you, at least until you are strong enough to slip from their bonds again."

I lower the jet's ramp.

"Lantern, you're with me," I say, in accordance with Batman's plan. "Batman, Atom, I trust you will do your parts. Flash, you can cover the most ground in the shortest time. If there are any survivors in the area, you need to evacuate them as quickly as you can. Once that is done, join Lantern and I and try to distract Superman enough for me to get the Lasso on him."

The sirens coming from the Capitol Building suddenly shut off, and I steel my nerves.

"Good hunting, everyone."

They're all gone. All of the soldiers and guerrilla fighters of Pokolistan have fallen or retreated, and I wonder how much progress I've really made as I float down and land amidst dozens and dozens of unconscious bodies.

"This is for your own good," I tell them, as if they could hear me now. I'm finding that it helps to reassure them of my cause as much as myself, in spite of the solitude I've created for myself here on the battlefield. It's the closest I can get to feeling a sense of comfort in what I'm forcing myself to do.

But I have doubts. That should go without saying, considering I just toppled almost the entire fighting force of a small country, but there are times when it's as if I'm not in control of myself here. It's like I can almost see another, darker person pulling my strings when I catch sight of my reflection in a puddle of water or a shard of glass...

Spoiler

But it's just my imagination and conflicted conscience playing tricks on me. Of course I have reservations about what I'm doing. I would have to be insane not to, but I also know that I'm the only one who can get things like this accomplished. I can't trust the other members of the Justice League, or even anyone else in the global superhero community to properly clean up this trash that's been rotting our world to its core.

I turn my attention to the sirens that have been blaring from the Capitol Building of Pokolistan several hundred miles away. Over the dull wailing, I can hear the panicked leaders within the building desperately calling for aid from neighboring nations. Every one of their means of communication suddenly go dead as I disconnect all power sources from the complex.

I can't have the countries that I'm targeting next knowing that I'm coming for them when I'm done with Pokolistan.

"SUPERMAN!"

The Man of Steel turns to face me, but as he does, the Green Lantern unleashes the power of his ring. A glowing emerald chain forms around Superman and constricts him, binding his arms to his side. I ready my Lasso, hoping against hope that it should be this easy.

"We are here to help. Do not struggle, and we will make this quick."

 

[Byrd Man]

I lower the jet's ramp.

"Lantern, you're with me," I say, in accordance with Batman's plan. "Batman, Atom, I trust you will do your parts. Flash, you can cover the most ground in the shortest time. If there are any survivors in the area, you need to evacuate them as quickly as you can. Once that is done, join Lantern and I and try to distract Superman enough for me to get the Lasso on him."

The sirens coming from the Capitol Building suddenly shut off, and I steel my nerves.

"Good hunting, everyone."

"Right on."

I take a deep breath and let it linger before I leap out of my seat and race out of the jet. I pick up speed and race through the destroyed and desolate parts Superman has tore up. In a matter of seconds, the displaced citizens begin to disappear from the rubble and debris, relocated to safety outside of the city.

 

[Spike_x1]

"Superman! We are here to help."

Just as I am about to step into the center of Pokolistan's crumbling government, a familiar voice calls to me, and for the briefest of moments, I think that I might not actually be in this fight alone.

"Do not struggle, and we will make this quick."

Then it hits me like I always knew it would. She's betrayed me, just like everyone else. I see that Wonder Woman also brought an ally when a set of heavy glowing green chains materialize around me. The world suddenly slows to a practical halt as my perceptions shift into superspeed. If Wonder Woman brought one friend, does that mean that...

Yes, I can see the other members of the Justice League scrambling out of an aircraft that seems to warp even my sense of vision. Among the "heroes," I see the Flash as the only one who is not moving in slow motion from my current point of view. Every single one of them is working against me.

I am in this alone.

From the perspective of a normal human brain's required time to process information, I've been constrained by the green newcomer for barely a second, but it's been more than enough time for me to work up the strength needed to free myself. The chains around me begin to groan and crack before finally exploding into thousands of fading shards of solid light, and I grab the remaining links from the chain that lead back up to the ring on the green man's finger, and I start taking control. Specifically, I begin swinging him around and use him as a flail to swat Wonder Woman away before letting go.

Now floating several feet above the ground, I try to address all of the Leaguers. "This isn't going to get you anywhere. I don't want to hurt any of you, and I'm only going to say this once: Go home. I have work to do here." It took me a few moments, but I finally spot the real threat that the team brought with them. "And don't believe for a second that I can't see the Atom coming from a mile away." With microscopic and telescopic vision, I look the miniature vigilante right in the eye.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

The Atom manuvers in at microscopic size alongside Batman.

Okay just need to find the right moment to strike and...

Just then she hears Superman:

. "And don't believe for a second that I can't see the Atom coming from a mile away."

He turns a pair of red glowing eyes at the tiny heroine who freezes in place.

At my size those eyes are the size of Jumbotrons and more intimidating than anything else on the planet except for my Father's look that one night when...okay time to improvise.

She grows to 6 inches and lands on Batman's shoulder. She sits down and applies with her hand into Batman's shoulder making sure not to make a sound a morse code message. Buying time...see an opening go.

She says to Batman, "Someone has to do something. He acts like an over-grown Boy Scout maybe I can appeal to that part of him."

The Atom floats up and looks him in the eyes.

She says, "All-right Superman so you can see and hear me. Okay then listen to this. TAKE A LOOK AROUND YOU! GO ON USE THAT SUPER-VISION OF YOURS! GO ON!"

The Atom is now in full voice yelling, "LOOK AROUND YOU AND SEE THE INNOCENTS YOU'VE HURT! LOOK AT THE MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN YOU'VE HURT AND FRIGHTENED!"

She feels her blood begin to boil.

Big Finish! Time to hit him where he lives.

She locks her jaw and says, "Is this what you want Superman? To be the most powerful person on the planet and have the entire planet by terrifed by you!"

The Atom begins to float slightly more upward away from Superman and says, " Whoever your family is I bet they are so proud of you right now, because word of this is all over the planet. You know who I bet is really proud of you right now..."

She says in almost a whisper, "Lex Luthor. Think it through Boy Scout. Thiink it through."

The Atom closes her eyes and bows her head.

Our Father who art in Heaven.......

 

[Aleksei]

Swamp Thing
The Green Spark
Part 5

The job had not gone as planned. It was suppose to be simple. Find the lab and kill the doctor. Make sure the whole place burns down and that nothing could survive. The first two parts went easy enough. The intel on the doctor had been right, he died easy enough, but the fire quickly got out of control. The fire spread too quick and than explosions of blue fire seemed to set the sky ablaze.

Three had entered the lab, armed and ready. Two were consumed in the fire and the final gunman was badly burned. He stumbled forward through the swamp trying to find the car, but the car was on fire too.

When the gunman first saw the creature he though he was seeing things. He was in a lot of pain and who knows what was in the air now that the lab had blown up. He must be seeing things but just in case he was going to run like hell.

The problem is you can't run like hell when your leg is tore up and half your body is burned. All you can do is stumble around and the gunman was struggling to do even that. It felt like the swamp was working against me, mostly because it was. Vines kept tearing at him and the undergrowth was getting so dense it was hard to move through it.

Than a wall of much and vine rose up in front of him. As he tried to turn thick vines lashed into him. His feet sunk deep in muck. Than he saw the figure up close. He loomed over six feet tall and shaped like those blurry photos you see of bigfoot. His body was covered in plants, and these plants writhed all around him. His face was oddly expressive for being a mask made of leaves and fines, but it was the eyes that finely caused the man to break. It was the eyes of the doctor, they looked back at him in anger.

The man tried to scream but the creature put a hand to his mouth. His nostrils filled with the smells of flowers and decay. The creature moved closer. "Listen to me. Don't scream or I will fill your lungs with moss. Give me a name. Who hired you?"

When he moved the hand way it was obvious he was half mad. He was laughing..."I don't have a name...never a name. It was just a job...even if I did have something to tell you doc you would kill me...thats how the job ends."

The creature thought about it. It would be so easy. He started to tighten the vines around him so that he could hardly move. "Murder based on anger is a very human thing to do and you made sure I would never be human again. I think I will leave you for your employers. They can decide what to do with you...can I borrow your phone."

He pulled the phone from his pocket and called 911. Than he pulled him up into the canopy. He tossed the phone down leaving it on. If the man was lucky help was on the way. Of course the kind of employers this gunman kept he might be lucky to die in the swamp. It didn't matter much to Alec. He had the primal energy of Mother Earth flowing through him. He had a whole world to save.

​

 

[Spike_x1]

The Atom begins to float slightly more upward away from Superman and says, " Whoever your family is I bet they are so proud of you right now, because word of this is all over the planet. You know who I bet is really proud of you right now..."

She says in almost a whisper, "Lex Luthor. Think it through Boy Scout. Thiink it through."

The Atom closes her eyes and bows her head.

Our Father who art in Heaven.......

I can't help but sneer when she brings up Lex Luthor's name. None of them are even aware of how close they came to annihilation at his hands last year. They don't know how he forced me to watch with him from the moon as Lois and the Earth itself were almost...

"Luthor?" My thoughts suddenly feel so muddy, it's hard to think clearly for a brief moment. "Lex Luthor is not an issue any more. His office is my next stop when I'm done in Pokolistan, and I'm not planning on being as polite there as I was here."

I don't want to kill the Atom or any of the other heroes, but I won't let them stop me. Forceful waves of intense heat explode outward from my eyes and push the tiny superhero far away. Assuming she has no enhanced durability, the Atom will feel like she's had a bad sunburn, but she'll survive. That's when I hear a rapid heartbeat approaching from behind, taking advantage of the distraction provided by the Atom.

I barely manage to dodge her attack in time, and can feel a faint tingling sensation as the golden cord comes within inches of my body. That can't be a good sign. I need to watch out for that rope in the future.

Just as I am about to retaliate against Wonder Woman, I catch sight of the man in the green uniform getting back to his feet and pointing his ring at me again. "Not this time, Mister," I say as I rush through the air towards him.

"Hey pal, the name's Green Lante--"

"Shut up." Before he can even finish his introduction, I've already grabbed hold of the hand that bears his ring in a clenched fist, and I force him to punch himself in the face before I throw him through the air over the ruined street. I'm definitely not in the mood to entertain this sort of nonsense.

 

[Batman]

Just as I am about to retaliate against Wonder Woman, I catch sight of the man in the green uniform getting back to his feet and pointing his ring at me again. "Not this time, Mister," I say as I rush through the air towards him.

"Hey pal, the name's Green Lante--"

"Shut up." Before he can even finish his introduction, I've already grabbed hold of the hand that bears his ring in a clenched fist, and I force him to punch himself in the face before I throw him through the air over ruined street. I'm definitely not in the mood to entertain this sort of nonsense.

Damn it, it's just like I thought. He's too powerful.

Watching Superman disperse the others with such a lack of effort only fortifies all of my concerns about facing him. Going off of the few internet videos captured of him in action and all of those archived Daily Planet articles, I already knew a few of the tricks he had in store for us. He's able to generate heat from his eyes. His skin is incredibly durable, perhaps even outright invulnerable to conventional attack. He's considerably strong, perhaps one of the strongest beings on the face of this planet. He can move faster than the human eye, perhaps even faster than the speed of light. And ontop of all of that ludicrous amount of power, he can fly. To say that our chances of outmatching him were slim was a bit of an understatement, as I can only imagine how much of his true power we're really seeing in action.

Unfortunately, now's the time for me to decide that the others have had their chance to handle him alone. He's too unstoppable for Lantern's constructs or Diana's raw strength to pin down, and he's somehow able to keep himself ahead of Atom's attempts to converge onto his person. I need to give them an advantage to seize upon. Something that'll shift the odds in our favor before he gets way too out of hand.

"Superman!"

His attention turns to me, unphased as I step out of the shadows of the jet. No use in trying to be discreet when it comes to someone who could very well have ultra-sensory capabilities."Start listening to reason... or we're going to stop being reasonable."

He doesn't show any sign of compliance. Guess we're going to have to make this difficult.

"Have it your way."

In a single forward roll, I dole out three prepared attacks at once. The same three that I used against Flash, Lantern, and Atom whenever I was under the same sort of external manipulation. Superman is first hit with the frequency of my sonic pulsator, which I activate and toss directly at his head in order to achieve the maximum effect. Nearly split Flash's skull, so I'm curious as to how it affects him. As that goes to work, my other hand disperses a string of the electrical batarangs that I used to taze Lantern. The first two shatter upon impact with his skin, confirming the stories, but the other two hit eachother and magnetize, combining their output to form an electrical field. I can only hope that can stun him.

Finally, I use the same trick that I implemented against Atom. Holding up the brunt of my gauntlets as I finally manage to get near him, I clench both fists in order to activate the smoke pumps. A fog of the same unbreathable agent that nearly choked the life out of Atom clouds his entire head, allowing him to be less focused on whatever damage that the other two attacks inflicted on him.

As he deals with the aftereffects of those attacks, I fire a grapnel line back out to the jet and swing back, in order to better spare myself whatever wrath that he has to offer me. I don't expect to be capable of taking him out, either by my own means or through my arsenal. I'm only a man. But if I can do something - anything that helps the others, then I'm willing to try it.

"Wonder Woman! Lantern! While he's distracted!"

 

[Spike_x1]

Damn it, it's just like I thought. He's too powerful.

Watching Superman disperse the others with such a lack of effort only fortifies all of my concerns about facing him. Going off of the few internet videos captured of him in action and all of those archived Daily Planet articles, I already knew a few of the tricks he had in store for us. He's able to generate heat from his eyes. His skin is incredibly durable, perhaps even outright invulnerable to conventional attack. He's considerably strong, perhaps one of the strongest beings on the face of this planet. He can move faster than the human eye, perhaps even faster than the speed of light. And ontop of all of that ludicrous amount of power, he can fly. To say that our chances of outmatching him were slim was a bit of an understatement, as I can only imagine how much of his true power we're really seeing in action.

Unfortunately, now's the time for me to decide that the others have had their chance to handle him alone. He's too unstoppable for Lantern's constructs or Diana's raw strength to pin down, and he's somehow able to keep himself ahead of Atom's attempts to converge onto his person. I need to give them an advantage to seize upon. Something that'll shift the odds in our favor before he gets way too out of hand.

"Superman!"

His attention turns to me, unphased as I step out of the shadows of the jet. No use in trying to be discreet when it comes to someone who could very well have ultra-sensory capabilities."Start listening to reason... or we're going to stop being reasonable."

He doesn't show any sign of compliance. Guess we're going to have to make this difficult.

"Have it your way."

In a single forward roll, I dole out three prepared attacks at once. The same three that I used against Flash, Lantern, and Atom whenever I was under the same sort of external manipulation. Superman is first hit with the frequency of my sonic pulsator, which I activate and toss directly at his head in order to achieve the maximum effect. Nearly split Flash's skull, so I'm curious as to how it affects him.

"AAAAARRAAGH!!"

I clap my hands hard over my ears as the Batman's weapon goes into effect. It's not as powerful as the Silver Banshee's scream, but it's certainly bringing back those painful memories as I stumble backwards.

As that goes to work, my other hand disperses a string of the electrical batarangs that I used to taze Lantern. The first two shatter upon impact with his skin, confirming the stories, but the other two hit eachother and magnetize, combining their output to form an electrical field. I can only hope that can stun him.

Overshadowed by whatever sort of sonic weapon he's hit me with, I barely even feel the electrical assault and begin firing heat vision wildly, trying to hit the source of that damn noise. As disoriented as I am right now, it's more than a little difficult to get a bead on him as he bobs and weaves around me before finally getting in close. Wha-? Batman's trying to take me on in close combat? Is he insane?

Finally, I use the same trick that I implemented against Atom. Holding up the brunt of my gauntlets as I finally manage to get near him, I clench both fists in order to activate the smoke pumps. A fog of the same unbreathable agent that nearly choked the life out of Atom clouds his entire head, allowing him to be less focused on whatever damage that the other two attacks inflicted on him.

As he deals with the aftereffects of those attacks, I fire a grapnel line back out to the jet and swing back, in order to better spare myself whatever wrath that he has to offer me. I don't expect to be capable of taking him out, either by my own means or through my arsenal. I'm only a man. But if I can do something - anything that helps the others, then I'm willing to try it.

"Wonder Woman! Lantern! While he's distracted!"

My ears are ringing badly now, and if Batman thinks this smoke will stop me, he's dead wrong. Aside from the suddenness of the smoke attack itself, it doesn't faze me in the slightest and I can see him as clear as day through this fog.

Surprising even myself with the snarl that comes out of my mouth when I launch myself towards this self-proclaimed boogeyman, I clamp my hand tight around his throat, feeling the armor segments inside his costume and how easily they'd give in if I squeezed just a little harder. Catching myself, I have to consciously make an effort to breathe and calm down. A small blast of heat vision destroys the source of the noise on his belt and I catch sight of the look in his eyes. "Fear?" The question is more for myself than for Batman when I look at his face. "You knew what you were doing when you turned on me. All of you did."

What's wrong with me?

No, Clark, what's wrong with the world? Look at them. They're the ones who started this brawl. They came here specifically to fight you. You can't trust people like that to protect the world the way you can.

 

[Andy C.]

Batman's momentary distraction is enough to give me an opening-- the man's bravery in the face of nearly insurmountable odds is, frankly, astonishing. I slam both of my fists into Superman's ears, in a desperate gambit to disorient him: a man who has the natural gift of flight would have to have an extraordinarily sensitive equilibrium in order to maintain a proper flight path. And as Batman's sonic attack demonstrated, taking advantage of Superman's 'super-hearing' should be particularly unpleasant for him.

He wheels around towards me, throwing a punch that would crack a mountain in half....

....and I barely manage to deflect it in time, the power of my Gauntlets absorbing the immense energy from the blow.

"Superman, you must believe us! You are being manipulated!" I plead as he throws another punch. "An enemy has infiltrated your mind, poisoned your perceptions! You must--AAAAAAAAAGH!"

This time, when I bring my arm up to deflect the blow, he grabs at my wrist instead, and begins to squeeze. I can feel the bones in my arm pressing against each other, ready to snap. The pain is blinding....

....but I have not lost enough focus to land a blow of my own.

Superman is indescribably strong, but he fights like he was raised in a barn. I, on the other hand, have the martial knowledge of every god of war there has ever been, from Ares to the Aesir, embedded into my being. The vast gulf in skill may be all that's keeping me alive.

Beams of immense heat erupt from his eyes, and it is all I can do to avoid them. However, even while I move defensively, I prepare my counterattack.

I throw my Lasso towards him....

....but with his immense speed, he passes right through it before the golden strand can close. Faster than I can believe, he has me by the throat, climbing ever higher into the air.

"You.....must....listen!" I say, my voice becoming a croaking gasp as I struggle for breath.

I try to hook his arms, but they do not budge. I ram elbows and knees into major nerve centers, but he barely flinches. In this position, all of my skill is for nothing against his power.

Again, I see his eyes glow red, preparing to burn me with his vision. Whatever force is polluting his mind has made him into something monstrous.

I have to believe he will hesitate, that he will resist the enemy's control enough that I can escape.....but just to be sure.....

....my thumbs dig into his eyes, as his Heat-vision lets loose. Again, agony turns my world white as my hands are exposed to a searing heat greater than any on earth, as if I were trying to grab the sun itself. Still, if I let go, that same heat will incinerate my entire body.

"Lantern! Atom!" I cry out, hoping someone will hear me. "My Lasso! Get the Lasso! It's the only--"

My sentence is cut off, when Superman shoves me away long enough to wind his fist back.....

.....and then everything goes black.

 

[Spike_x1]

"I'll kill you!"

What in the name of Rao am I saying?! I'm way too worked up from the heat of the battle. Things have gotten too far out of hand. It wasn't supposed to be like this! My thoughts and my actions seem to contradict one another; I can feel myself going out of control, but I can't bring myself to care enough to stop. The Justice League is in my way and will do anything to stop me.

I need to be willing to do anything to stop them in return.

"Wonder Woman." Her name escapes my mouth in a guttural growl and spittle flies from my lips. I punched her into one of the shallow craters made by a missile that a guerrilla fighter shot at me earlier. "You can't win. Give up. Now!" Fists clenched so tight that my knuckles have turned white, I approach the superheroine as she groggily regains a glimmer of consciousness. I'm caught off guard as, even in her painful state, she explodes outward with a kick that takes the wind right out of me.

"GAH!"

I instinctively float upwards to gain a little distance and catch my breath. The League... they've taken a lot out of me...

My ears are still ringing and my eyes are a mess of pain, but I can't let Wonder Woman get back up and resume the attack. This has gone on for far too long already.

 

[Andy C.]

Superman is able to freeze the air around me with his breath alone; with every new power he displays, our chances of defeating him seem even smaller.

The sheer shocking cold from the ice is paralyzing, but only temporary--my strength may not be able to match Superman, but it is more than enough to break through these constraints. Unfortunately, the second or two it takes to force my way out of the ice is enough time for Superman to send me reeling with another shattering blow.

By the time I regain my senses I'm on the ground, virtually every part of my body throbbing in pain. So much of my strength is gone, and it takes so much still to pull myself up.

Still, I rise to my feet, trying to ignore the pain, readying myself for Superman's next attack.

" 'Give up,' " I repeat his words back to him, in a tone full of disdain. "You and I have met only once, so I know you do not know much about me. But one thing you will learn, is that when innocent lives are at stake.......

Superman flies towards me again with another fist, but time I block it.

"....I never give up."

Around me I can see Green Lantern and Atom regaining their bearings, ready for another attempt at neutralizing him. The fact that I don't see Batman tells me that he's doing the same.

I have little strength left in me, and little to no hope of surviving the battle at this rate. But it will be worth it if I can give my allies enough time to get my Lasso around him and break the telepath's control.

So I grit my teeth, and I do the only thing I can do at this point....

....I hold the line.

 

[Spike_x1]

"Stay down!"

Wonder Woman is just like me, never willing to rest in the face of adversity, which is why it pains me to see that she picked the wrong side in this fight. With barely contained rage quietly boiling just beneath the surface now that Wonder Woman's attacks have weakened dramatically, my knuckles again meet the Amazon's face and I find myself feeling sick at the sight.

~Listen to those feelings, Superman. Ride them to the surface of the storming seas you're drowning in.~

I know that voice! "Get out of my head, J'onn!" With a single telepathic invasion of my thoughts, my anger reaches critical mass once again. The traitorous assault that they've beset on me is coming from every conceivable direction now! Even from inside my own mind! "I can't trust any of you! How can I leave the protection of the world and humanity in your hands?!"

 

[Byrd Man]

I set the woman down in a field outside of the city. Even though she can't speak English, and I can't speak uhh...whatever language they speak here, her grateful nod is universal. I nod back and smile before turning back to the city.

All told, I managed to evacuate thirty-six people from the area. Everyone else had already escaped...except for a unlucky few.

Rushing back to the battlefield, I see a slew of carnage. Green Lantern and Batman are both beaten and bruised. I can't see the Atom, but I hope she's alright. Meanwhile, Superman is beating on Wonder Woman.

I know that voice! "Get out of my head, J'onn!" With a single telepathic invasion of my thoughts, my anger reaches critical mass once again. The traitorous assault that they've beset on me is coming from every conceivable direction now! Even from inside my own mind! "I can't trust any of you! How can I leave the protection of the world and humanity in your hands?!"

Kicking into high gear, I run down the street Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Batman all stand still like living statues. Only one person is fast enough to see me: Superman. His unwavering eye turns away from Wonder Woman and stares me down.

"I'm not even gonna try to talk some sense into you." I say, talking so fast and so high that he's the only one possible of hearing it.

Picking up speed, I run out of the city and out of Pokolistan. Pushing myself faster and faster, I tear through Russia and across the Pacific in just a fraction of a second. America is nothing but a blur as I race through it and continue across the Atlantic. Faster as faster, I rip through Europe and through Pokolistan again. This time, even Superman can't keep up with me as I blow past him.

No.

I need to be faster. Keep going, you have to keep getting faster.

The whole world around me starts to become one big gray mass. I'm getting closer to speed light, and my body can feel it. My hamstrings are tightening up, the arches of my feet ache more and more with each step. I'm going faster than I've ever gone, faster than anything has ever gone. My chest tightens up and I feel a jolt of electricity running down my spine. I don't know what's happening, but I got to keep going. Before I know it, I've passed through Pokolistan about five times now. It's the sixth time that I make my move.

Nothing is moving at all as I run down the wartorn street towards Superman. Nothing, that is, but me. My mind thinks back to something I learned in physics class.

Remember that paradox, the unstoppable force meeting an immovable object?

It used to be a paradox, until modern day physics looked into it. The truth is, no force is completely unstoppable. No object is completely immovable. That was one of my papers...Professor Thawne gave it a C, saying that there was no real world application to my thesis.

Well, I wish Professor Thawne could be here to see this.

With each and every step I take, my body hurts that much more. The G-forces and speed is taking its toll. I'm only a few feet from Superman when I cock my arm back and swing.

My fist, with all the inertia and force that I can muster, connects with Superman's jaw.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A shockwave ripples out from the punch, the sounds of explosion deafen my, a bright white light blinds me, and I'm suddenly weightless and falling from parts unknown to parts unknown.
​

 

[MST3K 4ever]

The Atom is staggering not only from the heat vision blast but witnessing the battle between the Justice League & Superman.

The heat-blast should've done some serious damage luckily my bio suit protects me from extremes of heat and cold. When either extreme temp kicks in several bio-filters and shields kick in as well. But the Vibrations from the blast...dealing with them though...I'll feel this in the morning and the morning after that. Not to mention this is not gonna help the League's image. Five heroes who are brawling with one another and tearing apart a small nation while at it. Maybe I can....

Just then The Flash launches his attack.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The Atom is caught in the ripple effect she is knocked back and unable to focus. The world is a mass of colors and sound unlike anything she has ever experienced. Her sense of direction is badly distorted and she collapses to the ground. Her quivers and shakes as she begins to lose consciousness.

No...not like this. The League is counting on me....gotta show I'm not a one trick pony...Batman has no powers and he kept going...gotta do it...show I belong.

The Tiny Heroine staggers to her feet barely able to see and begins to float.
Just then she is able to find...


Wonder Woman's lasso! Time to pull it together. I'm counting on Flash's attack to have provided enough of a distraction

She floats over and picks up the lasso and The Atom throws the lasso at
Superman. She sees it wrap around Superman's lower leg and The Atom pulls it as tight as she can.

Let's see what this does!

 

[Spike_x1]

Kicking into high gear, I run down the street Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Batman all stand still like living statues. Only one person is fast enough to see me: Superman. His unwavering eye turns away from Wonder Woman and stares me down.

"I'm not even gonna try to talk some sense into you." I say, talking so fast and so high that he's the only one possible of hearing it.

I had wondered where the Flash had gotten off to during the course of this fight. Now here he is, locked with me between the ticks of a second.

He and I have had stood in this scenario before. I can't give him the chance to--

Picking up speed, I run out of the city and out of Pokolistan. Pushing myself faster and faster, I tear through Russia and across the Pacific in just a fraction of a second. America is nothing but a blur as I race through it and continue across the Atlantic. Faster as faster, I rip through Europe and through Pokolistan again. This time, even Superman can't keep up with me as I blow past him.

H-he vanished. No! Where the hell did he disappear to? How did he disappear? Was it some sort of teleportation? He's not...

No, it can't be. Nothing could possibly be that fast!

The whole world around me starts to become one big gray mass. I'm getting closer to speed light, and my body can feel it. My hamstrings are tightening up, the arches of my feet ache more and more with each step. I'm going faster than I've ever gone, faster than anything has ever gone. My chest tightens up and I feel a jolt of electricity running down my spine. I don't know what's happening, but I got to keep going. Before I know it, I've passed through Pokolistan about five times now. It's the sixth time that I make my move.

Nothing is moving at all as I run down the wartorn street towards Superman. Nothing, that is, but me. My mind thinks back to something I learned in physics class.

Remember that paradox, the unstoppable force meeting an immovable object?

It used to be a paradox, until modern day physics looked into it. The truth is, no force is completely unstoppable. No object is completely immovable. That was one of my papers...Professor Thawne gave it a C, saying that there was no real world application to my thesis.

Well, I wish Professor Thawne could be here to see this.

With each and every step I take, my body hurts that much more. The G-forces and speed is taking its toll. I'm only a few feet from Superman when I cock my arm back and swing.

My fist, with all the inertia and force that I can muster, connects with Superman's jaw.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A shockwave ripples out from the punch, the sounds of explosion deafen my, a bright white light blinds me, and I'm suddenly weightless and falling from parts unknown to parts unknown.

The world goes dark as everything explodes around me. I can't move and I can taste copper. I...

"I'm not... I'm not going... to give up..."

The feeling of the scalding hot pavement meeting my face is the last thing I remember before my body gives out and the world fades into silence.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Hugo slowly begins to stir back into consciousness He finds himself laying on a cold floor near the Shark Tank at the Iceberg Lounge.

Oswald lightly jabs at him with his cane and says, "Yoo-Hoo Hugo. Yoo-Hoo wakey wakey."

Hugo opens his eyes and peers up at Oswald who is flanked by two bodyguards.

Oswald says, "Oh good you're awake. I was so afraid that this was going to be a one sided-conversation. Actually it will be but I want to see the look on your face while we go through this."

Oswald sits at a table with a flute of champagne and says to Hugo, "Want some? Sorry probably not a good idea especially after the scene you made at the Mayor's party."

Oswald takes a sip and sets the flute down.

He says, "It's a You Tube sensation. Well-Respected Gotham University Professor out of control at the Mayor's party. The University President was at the party you know. Getting falling drunk and belligerent in public. Tsk-Tsk-Tsk Hugo not going to look good on your next employee evaluation I can tell you that. Assuming you have a next evaluation I over heard the University President mention something about disciplinary action and possible dismissal. You should have a message about a hearing sometime in the next couple of days."

Hugo looks at one of the bodyguards and says, "Kill Cobblepot."

The bodyguard doesn't move. Hugo says it to the other one he doesn't move either but merely yawns.

He looks at Oswald and says, "Kill yourself!"

Oswald blinks and says, "Beg your pardon Hugo? Oh your mind control power. Aah yes well you see while it is an impressive feat there's one flaw with it. If the person you are trying to use it on can't hear you the that power becomes useless. Like you are to me."

Hugo's eyes widen in horror as Oswald takes another sip and sets the glass down.

He says, "A silicon based wax-gel invisible to the naked eye my bodyguards are wearing it as well. You see while I do rely on audio and video surveillance devices for my information I also have a requirement that my employees are able to read lips which is also an effective way of getting information. That's why I was able to carry on a conversation at the party this evening."

Hugo says, "Why are you doing this to me? I have served you loyally these years."

Oswald stands up and replies, "Oh yes of course you have, but I asked you to do one simple thing; Take Down Bruce Wayne and you failed in that job."

He crosses over to Hugo and says, "I bankrolled you and your operations I used my connections to help set you up with others so that you were in the same social circles as him. I took every roadblock out of your way all with the goal of Bruce Wayne being left in ruins or leaving Gotham. All that time and effort and what do you have to show for it?"

Oswald looks into the shark tank and sees three great whites swimming about. He smiles and then turns back to Hugo.

He says, "You've become the Head of the Psychology Department at Gotham University, you're well-renowned, you're sleeping with Summer Gleason that's actually pretty impressive..."

Hugo stares wide-eyed at Oswald and Oswald says, "I'm very well connected I know these things. I like to keep tabs on my investments and I know about the money being kept in various off-shore accounts. Your ultimate goal to out earn me and pay off my network of contacts to destroy me."

Hugo says, "No Oswald that's not true."

Oswald says, "Don't insult my intelligence Hugo. That makes me very angry."

Oswald walks back over to the table and tosses a folder over to Hugo which details Hugo's banking activities.

Oswald says to Hugo, "Your accountant is very loyal to you to a point, and in the end he had his price self-preservation. The money trail led me to him, and he gave you over to me. He's working for me now retrieving the money from your accounts by this time tomorrow you'll be penniless and he'll make sure the money is distributed elsewhere in my company."

Hugo says, "But I earned that money! It's Mine!"

Oswald says, "Didn't you know that when you sign a contract with me if anything should happen to you all assets become part of my company."

Oswald crosses over to Hugo and says, "Hugo Hugo poor Hugo you were never able to see the big picture. I guess that is why your family always ended up second best to the Waynes."

Hugo gets up on his knees and slugs Oswald. His bodyguards spring to Oswald's side and grab Hugo.

They go to hit him and Oswald says standing up and rubbing his jaw, "No no I took it too far that one was my fault. Family pride is an issue with him I should've remembered that."

Oswald shakes his head twice and says, "Nice right hook Hugo, but tell me about this.."

Oswald nails Hugo twice in the stomach and then hits him in the face with his cane twice once on each cheek cutting them open and leaving Hugo staggering.

Oswald looks at each bodyguard shifts his eyes to the left and right. They back off to the sides and Oswald hits Hugo square in the face and he falls back into the Shark Tank.

Oswald takes out a cloth and wipes the blood off of his cane. He throws the cloth into the water and Hugo sees the fins coming towards him.

Hugo frantically tries to get up the sides of the tank but can't and he begins screaming as the Sharks commence with a feeding frenzy.

Oswald motions for his bodyguards to have a seat at the table.

They sit down and he removes his earplugs as do the others. Hugo's screaming is at a fever pitch.

Oswald looks over at the tank and says, "Would you mind dying quietly? Have some dignity Good Lord."

He looks at his bodyguards and says, "I need to make a phone call I'll be back."

Oswald steps away and dials a number on his cell-phone.

He says, "Don Torsamano this is The Penguin sorry to be calling you so late."

The Don replies, "What can I do for ya Penguin?"

The Penguin says, "Well my friend I seem to have had another accident at the lounge another poor soul got to close to the shark tank and fell in. I need your men over here to clean and sterilize the tank right away at least two hours before we open before lunch."

The Don says, "Getting that kind of manpower up and moving at this hour for a job that quick ain't gonna be easy it's gonna cost ya big."

The Penguin says, "I understand that which is why I am sending you this."

He pushes a few buttons on the touch-screen of his L-Phone and says, "I'm sending you something that might be of interest to you check your L-Phone. It's the manifest for my next shipment which will arrive in Gotham Harbor in 48 hours."

There is silence for a few moments and then Don Torsamano says, "How in the world did you pull this off? The XLR-42KJ Gun! That thing is experimental and only in Europe we won't get it here for another 18 months and you got 10 of them!"

The Penguin replies, "I've got my connections. Now none of these weapons won't be for sale for another two months. However if you help with this situation my friend I will let you have the keys to the store seven days from now and give you a 15% discount."

Don replies, "I'll have my guys there in two hours."

The Penguin says, "Make it one hour and you'll get 25% off instead."

Don says, "They'll be there Penguin! You can count on it."

The Penguin replies, "Excellent! We'll be expecting your men within the hour and I'll let you know when your boat has come in my friend."

The Penguin hangs up his L-Phone and walks over to his pet vulture Titan.

He strokes his feathers and says, "There there my beloved pet did the incompetent failure's screaming upset you?"

The bird leans into Oswald who gives the bird a snack.

Oswald re-enters the lounge area and sees that Hugo is still being gnawed on by the Sharks.

He walks over to his bodyguards and says, "Don Torsamano is sending some of his gentlemen over to take care of the tank. Make sure they take care of it properly. Tell them any cash or jewelry they find at the bottom of the tank is theres for the keeping, but any credit cards are to be destroyed."

Oswald looks over at the tank one last time and says with a smile to his men, "I believe Phillip said there was some leftover crab & lobster from the Seafood Bar this evening. Feel free to have as much as you want finish it off if you want, have some drinks, enjoy the show and when the tank is finished take tomorrow off it's been a long night. Thank you gentlemen for your services this evening.."

The two men smile and nod and one says, "You got it Mr. Cobblepot!" and the other says, "Thank you sir."

Oswald waves to them and leaves the lounge through a private garage in his Sapphire Blue Lamborghini.

 

[Byrd Man]

"....."

I look up at the sky, laying on the ground flat on my back. My legs, my arms, my whole body feels entirely sapped of strength. Then there's the pain. It hurts all over, but especially my right hand. I muster up all my strength and pull my hand up to look at it. The fingers are twisted and misshapen.

"That's not how...they're supposed to look. Owww."

Where is everyone? It's way too quiet and I can barely move my head.

"Hello....anybody out there? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?"

~Superman is unconscious. Wonder Woman's lasso is no longer an option.~ J'onn announces. ~I am attempting to severe his link with the telepath. Stand by.~
​

 

[Spike_x1]

"This isn't how things were supposed to go. This isn't how things were supposed to..."

~Superman. You have been trying to convince yourself of that opinion ever since you decided to overthrow an entire country. Moving from one assault to the next, each time telling yourself that things were supposed to be better; that is how things are not supposed to be. You would easily have been able to see the pattern if you were in your right mind.~

"J'onn!" For the first time in what feels like forever, my surprise to hear another hero's voice doesn't take the form of a snarl and preparing to attack. "Where am I?" Taking a few steps around this black void surrounding me, I can't see or hear anything other than the Manhunter from Mars speaking inside my head. He's been calming me down in this place. That rage that I felt in my voice and attitude mere moments ago in Pokolistan has been soothed, but I feel it like an itch on the back of my neck, crawling to be let loose again.

~You have fallen into a pit of illusions created by a powerful telepath who invaded and manipulated your dreams to give you an artificial... epiphany, for lack of a better term. Our enemy twisted your fears to suit his or her own ends, sowing the seeds of doubt you have had in being a part of the Justice League. Your fear that your new allies would betray you was the perfect clay for this villain to mold. Any attempt on our part to stop you would only reinforce the very madness that you have been infected with.~

My God, what have I done? "J'onn, I feel fine now. Where do I go from here?"

~I have only lifted part of the veil over your mind, and it is taking considerable effort. With the other members of the Justice League having broken free of the entity's control, the unknown assailant has poured all of their effort into keeping your mind a slave without your even realizing it. If you were to wake up now, you would likely convince yourself that I have been lying to you here. You know that I'm not. Your conscience has been fighting your actions with every step you've taken on this journey. You know that what you've been doing is wrong.~

"I need to break free, but how? If what you say is true, then that 'epiphany' will fall back into place as soon as I wake up. The League and I will end up destroying each other."

~You need to reach... for... the...~

J'onn's voice fades away and I find myself standing alone in the darkness. "The what?"

~Ignore his nonsense, Clark. None of that made sense anyway. Think about it: someone invading your dreams and making you attack a foreign nation? Putting aside how completely absurd that sounds, there's the fact that you're Superman! Nobody can make you do anything.~

It's that thing that's been talking to me and pulling my strings all this time. "Quiet. The charade is over and I'm not under your control any longer, whoever you are." I'm suddenly taken aback as the cloaked skeletal figure that I've been seeing out of the corner of my eye materializes before me.

~The name is Doctor Destiny, and you'll be back under my thumb soon enough." Even appearing to lack flesh, somehow within the context of this unconscious realm, I think I can see Destiny grinning. "You have to wake up some time, hero. And when you do, this entire conversation will seem utterly ridiculous, like any other odd dream, and will be immediately dismissed and forgotten as you pick up where you left off. The Martian can't help you anymore, since the extreme distance he is from Earth lets my telepathy completely overshadow his. Give up.~

"I never give up." I need to figure out what J'onn was talking about before Dr. Destiny forced him out of my mind! That's when I see a faint golden glimmer flickering in the distance. What was it that Wonder Woman said?

"Lantern! Atom!" I cry out, hoping someone will hear me. "My Lasso! Get the Lasso!"

Even before the fight started, she was so desperate to get that lasso around me, and she tried to use it again and again throughout the battle.

A simple golden cord.

It couldn't have been a weapon like I had thought, but was instead a tool to try to break the illusion before the fight had even broken out! I was too blinded to realize it at the time, but it looks like it's not too late!

Pushing Dr. Destiny out of my way, I make a mad dash across the dark void of my subconscious and reach out for the golden threads...

**********​

My eyes flicker open and I let out an audible groan. My vision is blurry and framed in red, but I can see that the man in green with the energy-manipulating ring has constructed a protective dome barrier around me as I slowly pick my head up off the ruined street and look at my bruised body to see Wonder Woman's glowing lasso wrapped around my leg.

"Is everyone all right?"

 

[Andy C.]

"Dick.......are you okay?"

Rachel waves her hand in front of my face as if to snap me out of a daze. The gesture is only half-kidding.

"Hm?" I say, blinking as I realize I've been staring blankly at my lunch for the past five minutes.

"Look, I know we're both very into introspection, and I hate when people call me this, but.....you're being genuinely weird today," she says, a look of concern on her face.

"No, I'm....it's nothing, I just...."

Today has been weird, almost surreal. The things in my room seemed almost like props on a movie set, the actions of my morning routine like they'd been rehearsed. My clothes feel like a costume on loan. Every conversation I've had felt completely disingenuous. Nothing seems real.

It's weird how your perception of the world changes when you wake up knowing that it might be your last day alive.

Rachel looks me dead in the eye, demanding an answer without even saying another word. It's the first time all day I've felt an actual connection with someone. And suddenly, it becomes vitally important that I ask her something:

"Rachel......why did you sit next to me?"

She blinks, caught off guard by the question.

"Because I sit next to you every day at lunch," she answers.

"No, I mean, the first time. When I came to Gotham Heights, I didn't want to make friends. I didn't talk to anyone, I didn't stick around after class, I didn't sit next to anyone. I just....I didn't want to be noticed. So of all the empty seats on this end of the table....why did you pick the one right next to me?"

Rachel looks away, carefully contemplating her answer.

"Maybe I was just feeling uncharacteristically friendly that day," she says, almost sarcastically. "Or maybe I just thought you had a nice butt."

"Rachel, I'm serious, I....." I stop myself before I even really know what it is I was about to say. "I just want to know, okay? Something's come up, and I....I might not be here tomorrow."

She stiffens and gives me a deadly serious look.

"What are you talking about, Dick?"

"I can't talk about it right now, it's, well.......stuff."

Rachel bites her lip to cut off her words. Only a couple of weeks ago, I told her that Batman had killed my father, that I was searching the city for him, and that I would tip off the police when I found him. Only two of those things were true--I have no intention of letting the police know I've found Batman until he's dead-- but it did paint a dangerous enough picture for her to keep my secrets just that.

"I've found something pretty huge, something that I think can finally lead me to....stuff....but I might have to leave town if it goes badly," is the best lie that I can manage, not having the courage to tell her that I plan on fighting a wanted vigilante to the death.

She merely nods.

"I sat next to you because you looked like someone who I could relate to. Someone who didn't fit the usual mold, and who didn't try to. A misfit, a stranger in a strange land. An outsider. And if we outsiders don't look out for each other, who will?"

"That's how you'd classify us?" I say, raising an eyebrow. "Outsiders? That's a little overly dramatic, don't you think?"

"It beats 'birds of a feather,'" she says, mocking me for my clumsy attempt at banter when she bestowed a nickname on me.

"I guess it does," I say with a forced laugh, before turning my gaze back to the Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes on my tray. "Anyway, um.....thanks for taking an interest. It's been a long time since I've had an actual friend, Raven."

To my surprise, she doesn't object to me using her real name.

"Likewise, Robin," she says, calling me by her nickname for me as she turns back to her lunch.

A few minutes later, the bell rings and we head our separate ways.

"Dick?" she calls back to me before I head out the door.

"Yeah?"

"Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"....okay," I say with a nod as I make my way towards my next class, back to sleepwalking through the rest of the day.



***********

"Are you leaving for good?" Tim Drake asks as the streetlights turn on in his neighborhood.

"I hope not, but I might be," I say, decked out in my Redbird gear. "I'm going to be doing something really dangerous tonight, and if I don't come back, I didn't want you to think I'd just forgotten about you. Anyway, I've got some homework for you."

I unzip my backpack and give him a stack of books-- Integrative Criminology, On Crimes And Punishments, The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, an e-reader containing the complete works of survivalist and home-made weapons expert Ragnar Benson, and of course, The Complete Sherlock Holmes.

"That's an awful lot of reading," Tim says uneasily.

"Fortunately there's no time limit. I don't know how long I'll be around to look after this neighborhood, Tim. And you're an extremely bright kid--smarter than me when I was your age. Anyway, I don't want you doing anything stupid, but if things ever get bad enough, well......these might help you."

".....okay," he says, looking in wonder at all the hand-me-downs he's getting from his very own neighborhood superhero. It's then that I realize just how crazy and irresponsible what I'm doing is.

"Just.....make it a last resort, okay? I'm not exactly the best role model to follow."

"Got it," he says.

"Okay, well, I need to get going. Take care of yourself, Tim. And your Mom and Dad."

With that, I head towards my final stop for the evening.



*********


"Dad, I.....I hope you can forgive me for this," I say as I pull the collapsible shovel from my utility harness, "but I think you'll understand why I have to do it."

I plunge the shovel's blade into the earth covering my father's grave, scooping out a clump of dirt. I dig a shallow hole, just big enough....

....then I pull out the anti-personnel mine I had stolen when that Starfire girl and I busted those Triad weapons dealers.

I don't have the training or the equipment to take on Batman head-to-head, that's a simple fact. If I tried to fight him fair, he would probably kill me without a second glance. But if he's wounded, then he'll be easy pickings.

I make sure the mine is linked up with the handheld remote detonator before placing it in the hole, then cover it up and pat the dirt down tight.

Once the mine is in place, I head for a vantage point. I can't risk direct line of sight because Batman might see me, so I instead duck into a mausoleum not far away, then pull out a remote control made from a heavily-modified PSP.

There's a low buzz that slowly becomes higher-pitched, then finally a whisper, as my personal remote-controlled camera drone takes flight. Made from the guts of a few model helicopters and piloted by a hacked X-Box Kinect--my Christmas present from Miss Cooper-- the drone will be my eyes and ears until I can confront Batman directly.

Now that everything is set up, I've got one more call to make. I pull out my smartphone and dial the penthouse.


"Wayne residence. May I ask with whom I am speaking?"

"Hi, Alfred, it's, um....it's me. Dick. Is Mister Wayne there?"

"I'm afraid Master Bruce is unavailable at the moment, Master Dick," Mister Wayne's butler says. "However, if it is urgent, I am sure i can get him for you."

"No it's....it's fine. Just....when he gets home? Tell him I said thanks. For, y'know......everything."

"I'll be certain to tell him that for you," Alfred says, a hint of suspicion in his voice. "If I may, why the sudden--

"Just tell him that for me, will you?" I cut him off, panicking. "Anyway, um, thank you, Alfred. That will be all."

I hang up the phone, and take a deep breath.

Everything is in place. Everything is ready to go.

I'm sorry, Rachel-- I get the feeling I'm going to do something very stupid tonight.

 

[Batman]

My eyes flicker open and I let out an audible groan. My vision is blurry and framed in red, but I can see that the man in green with the energy-manipulating ring has constructed a protective dome barrier around me as I slowly pick my head up off the ruined street and look at my bruised body to see Wonder Woman's glowing lasso wrapped around my leg.

"Is everyone all right?"

'All right'?

I let out another cough after spending minutes trying to breathe correctly again. Feeling the strain of his grip around my throat, knowing that the armor barely even held, it was as if my larynx were being pinned under a mountain of solid rock. Despite the fact, I still managed to escape the encounter relatively unscathed. Which is more than I expected - and further still, more than I can say about the others. A couple of feet away and Diana looks like she's about ready to pass out. A feat that's surely more impressive than any of us realize, given that her endurance could very well be that of superhuman proportions. The sensors in my cowl lock on and magnify The Atom in the distance, barely able to stand. Green Lantern, who's bruised and bloodied more than any of us, uses the spare energy of his ring to create the construct of a sling for his arm and a bandage for his forehead while continuing to hold the barrier. And The Flash...

Good God. To say I underestimated him would be an insult. When the unstoppable seemed at it's most unstoppable, his attack was the only one that managed to make a considerable impact. I don't know what the hell he did, or just how fast he was running when he did it... but I think it's safe to say that all of us may owe him our lives.

Stumbling forward through the rubble that he caused, I make my way over to where Superman is being held and stand just behind Lantern. I know that he seems to be in control of himself now, but none of us can be entirely sure. Well, that's not true, because only most of us can't.

"J'onn. Is he?"

~Back to normal? Yes, I believe so. I can feel that the telepath's link has been severed from each of you. With that in mind, I am now able to protect you all from being further manipulated.~

I'm not sure whether that should comfort me or not, given I still have someone in my head. But I suppose it's preferable to the alternative. Lantern looks back at me, knowing that I was communicating with our only viable source of information on the matter. I give him a nod. The barrier subsides, fully releasing Superman.

"...'All right' may be a point of contention."

"But we're alive."

 

[Byrd Man]

I hear Superman and Batman talking, but I can't make out the words. How far away am I?

"I'm here....wherever I am," I announce to whoever is listening. "I can't move, my hand is broken in a bajillion places and, even though I know everyone got tired of me quoting Ghostbusters last time, I really do feel like the floor of a taxi cab."

Green Lantern stumbles over, looking down at me. His face is bruised and his suit is torn and cut.

"Are you paralyzed?"

"No. I can move....I just don't have en energy. You give me a few triple bacon meat burgers, a pint or two of strawberry milkshake, and a pound of french fries and I'll be ready to go."

He lifts me off the ground with a beam and then creates a floating gurney underneath my body.

"Just wanted to say thanks. I have no idea what you did back there, but it worked."

"Yeah, I know. All I know is that I will never do that again unless it is absolutely necessary...like it was today, when I kicked Superman's ass."

"You got in one punch, don't get cocky."

"Why? You afraid if I do get cocky, I'll take you shtick?"

GL laughs and begins to walk towards the rest of the group, my floating gurney floating beside him.

"Tell me, how torn is my suit?"

"Not too bad. Your boots are intact, but your legs are torn and then your mask is ripped in places, but not enough to see your face."

"Damn. I was hoping I got some tears in my mid-section. Wanted to show off my physique to the ladies."

"Yeah, you know that skinny as hell and anorexic is in this year."

I chuckle as we approach Superman and Batman.

 

[Spike_x1]

"J'onn. Is he?"

~Back to normal? Yes, I believe so. I can feel that the telepath's link has been severed from each of you. With that in mind, I am now able to protect you all from being further manipulated.~

I'm not sure whether that should comfort me or not, given I still have someone in my head. But I suppose it's preferable to the alternative. Lantern looks back at me, knowing that I was communicating with our only viable source of information on the matter. I give him a nod. The barrier subsides, fully releasing Superman.

"...'All right' may be a point of contention."

"But we're alive."

"I..." My voice cracks a little as I start to get back on my feet and take in all of the damage around me, and I see just what I did to my allies now that the fog has been lifted from my mind, "I can't tell you how glad I am for that." The only solace I can take from what I did while under that villain's influence was that I still had enough control to avoid killing any Pokolistani citizens. But that's not much of a bright side, all things considered. So much has been destroyed.

"To say I'm sorry would be a horrible understatement." Seeing the looks in each of the League members' eyes, I can only say one thing. "Thank you all. For everything."

Unwrapping the lasso from my leg, I breathe a heavy sigh and humbly hand it back to Wonder Woman. The look of her bloodied face hurts more than any punch that the Flash could ever deal to me.

"When I was unconscious just now, I learned our adversary's name. It calls itself Doctor Destiny." I pause, thinking about how silly that alias sounds when spoken out loud, in contrast to the massive damage that the person brought about by controlling us. "J'onn?" I ask, verbalizing the thoughts that I'm broadcasting to him on Mars. "Can you trace the source of Doctor Destiny's telepathy?"

~Already on it, Superman. I'm sending the coordinates to each of you now.~

As J'onn telepathically gives us what we need to know, I can only shake my head in despair. "It would have to be Metropolis, wouldn't it?"

Then I see the Flash and the emerald hero whose name I don't know approaching us. "Flash." I'm struck silent for a moment as I take in the sight of him lying on the gurney, when all I can do is put my hand on his shoulder. "You... you did a good job, son."

 

[Batman]

Wiping away a small bit of blood from his mouth, Orm Marius draws out his sword. He takes a look down at his hand that has the small amount of wiped blood and shakes it in the water as the oceans cleanse it from his hand. Some of the previously disoriented Atlantean soldiers no longer are and try to interrupt the Ocean Master, coming at him from all sides. Raising his sword upward, as they are about to clash they are struck as he is surrounded on all sides by a red and orange fire-like magic substance that yet burns underwater somehow. Out of the group, as all are affected by the magical attack, it is but Aquaman is least injured by it.

He chuckles yet again as he decides to taunt Aquaman.

"Most impressive. The Ocean Master is pleased. It would appear that you are indeed powerful. But how skilled are you...with a blade?"

Without a second's hesitation, Orin ignored the stinging pain from the stranger's powerful attack against the Atlantean guard to reach for the sword attached to his side. He may have called himself The Ocean Master, but in Aquaman's eyes, he was just another obstacle that needed to be overturned. Still, even as he raised his blade towards his newfound enemy, who had attacked him mercilessly without so much as any sort of provokation, he had to wonder to himself the meaning behind something peculiar about the man. For what reason did he keep calling him "brother"? Orin had never encountered this man before in his life. Did he mean in a spirtual sense? Did they share some sort of kinship? It was baffling to dwell upon.

"I don't know why you've attacked me here. But you'll find that I'm more than skilled enough to meet your challenge!"

Vaulting at Ocean Master with precisive momentum, Orin struck at him and allowed the two opposing blades to meet and clash, feeling the strength of his enemy as he pushed back with a wild counter attack. Dodging the swipe of the blade, Orin fought back and made a stab for his opponent's chest, only to be met yet again. The sound of the metal scraping against metal was enough to send the marine life scattering even further, as Aquaman and Ocean Master's battle continued well into the nearby coral reef.

"Explain yourself! Why do you call me brother?! How would you know me?!"

 

[Byrd Man]

~Already on it, Superman. I'm sending the coordinates to each of you now.~

As J'onn telepathically gives us what we need to know, I can only shake my head in despair. "It would have to be Metropolis, wouldn't it?"

Then I see the Flash and the emerald hero whose name I don't know approaching us. "Flash." I'm struck silent for a moment as I take in the sight of him lying on the gurney, when all I can do is put my hand on his shoulder. "You... you did a good job, son."

"Thanks for the attaboy," I say with a grimace. My God, it hurts to even smile. "Just don't make me do it again. I don't think I could stand to beat you up again....yeah, I'm worried about you and not myself. Tell you what, you want to make it up to me, buy me some lunch sometime."

"So, now that we know where Destiny is, what are we waiting for?"