The "World of Heroes" DC RPG Season VII

[Byrd Man]

Her smile faded, and she took on a more serious, almost parental tone. Friendly banter out of the way, Lois quickly turned back to her 'fearless reporter' mode.

"Which brings me to another question. I hate to just repeat what I'm sure you've been hearing for the last year, but we all know that it should be you in the cowl, not the poser we just took down. I mean, I put on the 'S' when Clark left, and I don't even have powers. What's your excuse?"

"The past year, everyone in the community has been wondering why I've been off in Gotham, keeping to myself. That question right there is why." I say with a slight scowl.

"Everywhere I go it's 'Why haven't you done it?'. It's not that I'm afraid, it's not that I don't want to do it. It's just, all my life I've lived in his shadow, doesn't matter if I was Robin The Boy Wonder, or Nightwing, former sidekick. Everyone remembers me as being a part of the Batman legacy. In many ways, I'm proud of that. But in a lot of ways, I don't want that. I'm Dick Grayson, I'm Nightwing. I'm not Batman, I never will be. Why even try?"

 

[Karem-Knight]

Sector 3544

It's been two days since the Red Lanterns attack on Oa and since then the Guardians have given me the power of Ion; I am now simply to put it "willpower incarnate" and now have absolute control over the entity and no limitations to normal Green Lantern Corps rings. The Guardians clearly want to keep an eye on me so that I can help out any other Lanterns in need of assistance, which I'm happy to do but I have one thing I must do before hand. I come across a beautiful purple planet nearly isolated from the rest of it's system as I can't pick up any other life signals other than the Lantern of this Sector and his race.

I hover down the planet slowly and intercept the location of those I need to find, within moments I lower myself to the ground with the green energy hovering all around me and see the woman who I have travelled sectors for in need of answers. She sees me as I approach her and smiles.

"NOK NOK COLO NOK NOK."

I sigh and then she uses her staff to finally say; "Hello, Sodam Yat of Daxam. What brings you here?"

I make a stern face to emphasise this is not a social visit.

'We need to talk."

She stays still, completely motionless as I can tell she was in the middle of her meditation that the Indigo Tribe have been doing ever since I've come across this planet.

"A few days ago, you and your Tribe bought me here to this planet after I was attacked by a group of Red Lanterns of which you managed to overcome. You then healed me after my wounds and devastating battle for which, I thank you greatly. But what I found out later were the corpses of the Red Lanterns floating around my Sector; the wounds were not made by that of Green light or any other noted Corps colour but they were in fact; red light with traces of Indigo colours."

She still sits there waiting patiently.

"And I think it's obvious to you, as well as me; who killed those Lanterns."

Lowering her head I see a sign of guilt overwhelming her being as tears start to fall down her eyes and fall to the ground before she finally speaks.

"The Red Lanterns....they were; corrupted. They're very being gave into the traces of anger that made them monsters of what they formerly were, we could tell that all they saw was hate in other's. They wanted to kill anything without reason, we acted in sorrow and in our ways saw how they had become; we were compassionate for their future victims and the well being of the universe- but also to the Red Lanterns themselves."

More tears fall from her eyes; "There was no other choice. I'm sorry...."

I sigh heavily before confirming my final statements to her. "Indigo, I am a member of the Green Lantern Corps who patrols the entire universe; we have made it our duty to bring murderers and those who take the law into their own hands, without permission from the Guardians or the local state back to justice. And right now, I'm obliged to take you in."

Starring at me a look of confusion arises.

"However, the Guardians are not aware of this and neither are any other members of the Corps except for me. This includes your existence and right now, I am the only Lantern who knows of your being here. So I ask you to keep an even lower profile; if anything happens contact me in my Sector; thank you Indigo."

Before she has a chance to even reply I shoot up into the skies of space and head back to Oa.
​

 

[Catman_prb]

"How is she?" Tim asked as the nurse came out of Rose's room.

"She'll be fine," the nurse said, smiling amiably "And the baby's fine too,"

Tim let out a sigh of relief and sat down in the seat, holding his head in his hands. Connor patted him on the back with the arm that wasn't in a sling, a smile on his battered face.

"I told you I could hear a second heartbeat," he said, grinning.

"Yeah, I know," Tim said quietly "How're you and Cass?"

"Physically? Fine, I should be able to take this thing off in a few hours. But as a couple? Well, we've got some stuff to work out, but we should be alright in the end," Connor said.

"I'm glad, man," Tim said.

"You can come in if you like," the nurse said, poking her head out from Rose's room. Tim stood and walked in nervously.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hi," Rose replied, shifting awkwardly in the bed. Tim moved a little closer, sitting down on the chair next to her.

"How're you feeling?" he asked. Rose shrugged.

"Okay, I guess," she said. They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Tim took her hand silently.

"This can't happen again, y'know," he said in a hushed tone.

"Well what do you propose to do about it?" Rose muttered stuffily.

"We're both going back to Gotham. Tonight," Tim said, a hard edge to his voice.

Rose glared at him.

"What about the Titans?" she asked.

"They'll do fine with Connor in charge for a while," Tim said. Rose sighed and considered it for a while.

"Okay," she said eventually "Why not,"

"Good," Tim said, standing up "I'll pack our stuff,"

"Tim?" Rose asked as he went to the door.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to Powerboy?" Rose asked quietly. A dark look crossed over the Boy Wonder's face.

"He's being taken care of,"

"By who?"

"Top men,"

***
​

Later that night

"Oracle? It's Robin," Tim said into his comm from the top of the City Hall building, watching over the streets of Gotham. The fresh air on his face, the sharpness to the skyline. It was almost good to be back.

"Tim? What's up?" Barbara's voice sparked in his ear.

"I'm back in Gotham. And I've got some news,"​

 

[NiteMare Shape]

​

"So do you think you can help me? Can you find my daughter?" ​

I look across my desk at a woman who is clearly desperate. I do not have to reach into her mind to see that she has already done everything she can to find her little girl, to no avail. When this woman came into my office and began relaying her story, I could not help but to feel for her. Her six year old daughter Maggie has been missing for several weeks, seemingly taken from the playground near here apartment complex. No witnesses, no leads. A brazen abduction in broad daylight. The woman who sits before me has lost faith in the ability of anyone to bring her daughter home. She is a single mother with limited income, having been to several private investigators hoping for a miracle, only to be laughed at when they realize that she doesn't have the money to pay.​

"Don't you think that perhaps you should let the police continue with their investigation?" I ask, already knowing the answer.​

"Mr. Jones, the police haven't done anything. I keep calling the detectives that are in charge of the case, and on the rare occasions that they actually return my call, they won't tell me anything. I just want my little girl back."​

I want to tell her that I am sure that the police are doing everything in their power to find Maggie, but I know that it won't help this woman. She doesn't understand that these things can take time, and unfortunately in cases like this...the more time passes, the less likely it is to recover the child. So I look the young woman in the eye, smile and tell her...​

"I'll help you."​

The woman, Cassandra, she said her name is smiles...tears streaming down her face as she thanks me, telling me that she may not be able to pay me, but she will find a way. I tell her to think nothing of it, and that I will do what I can to return Maggie to her. She continues to thank me even as she leaves my office. After she is gone; I continue to sit at my desk, thinking about how humanity can be so cruel...that the desire for money and material possessions comes before the life of a little girl. I look down at the photograph that Cassandra had given me of her daughter, and for just a moment, I find myself thinking about my own family...and how empty I feel without them.​

"K'hym....."​

Snapping my self back into the here and now, I head out into the streets to find little Maggie, and to save Cassandra from a lifetime of the same regrets that I myself feel.​

I have have searched for several days, following up on dead end lead after dead end lead, unable to find any information on little Maggie or her abductors. It is times like this that I miss Batman...when it comes to world class detectives there was no one better.

Feeling dispair over my lack of success, I turn back to my office to look over all the information that the girl's mother had given me, hoping that perhaps I will find something that I had overlooked previously.

"I will find you Maggie, that I promise you."

 

[Red_Robin77]

I give Gardner a strange look. "Easy, cowboy," I warn. "You know I don't agree with the Guardians either, but I'm not trying to lose my ring." We walk a little further in silence before I continue, "All I'm saying is we should be careful about this."

"Fair enough," I reply, considering what we should do. "We have to do it quickly though, careful or not. We don't know how long it'll be before the rest of it comes to light, could be a day, could be a year, but we need to be ready if it comes up fast."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Hunter sighed as the cool wind blew through his hair. It was a cool, pleasant day in Keystone City, but that did little to change his somber mood.

Dressed in regular clothes and a Keystone City Combines hat, Hunter gracefully weaved his way through the tombstones.

Finally coming to a stop in front of an ordinary, run of the mill slab, Zolomon stopped and looked down at the dirt before it.

"Hi, Ash...it's been a while."

"Lot has happened since our last talk", Hunter paused as he tried his best to swallow the growing knot in his throat.

"Combines made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals", he said with a forced smile.
"Lost to the Lightning, but it was a hell of a series. Took it to seven."

"Just moved into a new loft in downtown Central. Not bad deal. Seven-hundred a month, including water."

"Settled in yesterday", he finished as he couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

"God, Ash...I miss you so much. I wish...", Hunter weeped, trying to compose himself.
"I wish I could've been stronger. I wish I didn't let it consume like I did. I was a monster, Ash. What I did to you..."

Hunter tried to stop his crying, but he couldn't help it.

"And to think you even forgave me before you died. Something I didn't deserve."

"But I'm not going to let the monster run me anymore. For you, for myself, I'm going to make things right. I'm going to make up for all the atrocities I've committed."

"And one day, I hope to finally earn your forgiveness."

Hunter knelt down and reached in his pocket. Producing a gold ring with a sparkling diamond set in it, Hunter held it up to his face as he watched the light dance off of it.
Reached down with his free hand, Zolomon dug a small hole, and placed the ring inside. Covering the hole up and patting it tight, Hunter leaned forward and kissed the tombstone.

"Goodbye, Ashley. I'll always love you."

Hunter stood up and silently looked down at the grave, and then, in the blink of an eye, he's gone...

 

[Andy C.]

"The past year, everyone in the community has been wondering why I've been off in Gotham, keeping to myself. That question right there is why." I say with a slight scowl.

"Everywhere I go it's 'Why haven't you done it?'. It's not that I'm afraid, it's not that I don't want to do it. It's just, all my life I've lived in his shadow, doesn't matter if I was Robin The Boy Wonder, or Nightwing, former sidekick. Everyone remembers me as being a part of the Batman legacy. In many ways, I'm proud of that. But in a lot of ways, I don't want that. I'm Dick Grayson, I'm Nightwing. I'm not Batman, I never will be. Why even try?"

Lois just couldn't stop grinning.

"You may not think it, but that determination to making your own legacy, carving out a name for yourself? The way you idolize your father-figure while running yourself down? You're exactly like Bruce without even trying."

She leaned back into her bed and took a drink of water from the paper cup at bedside.

"So maybe you won't need to put on the cowl. Maybe you don't really need to take on the same gimmick. But it's one of the basic inevitabilities of human nature that we all grow up to become our parents in one way or another. I've kept my eye on you ever since back when you were running around in short shorts. The man you've become, and the man you're eventually going to be, are both miles ahead of where you think you are. Bruce didn't train you to play catch-up to him; he trained you to be better than he was. And believe me, you are, and you're still barely getting started.

"Being Batman isn't something you have to be or were destined to be; it's something that you, and only you, get to be. You think Superman wants Connor to spend the rest of his life agonizing over what happens when Clark steps down? Or that Barry meant for his mantle to be a burden on Wally? You can decide to take it or leave it, but Batman was a gift that Bruce gave specifically to you. And more importantly, it's up to you to keep losers like Prometheus from ruining that gift. Keep that in mind the next time you start thinking you're not good enough for it."

Lois finished her water, and began to doze off as the painkillers in her IV kicked in again.

"But that's just me, and you know how much of a sucker I am for this sort of thing. Anyway, take care of yourself. If Nightwing ever needs a hand, Flamebird's only a phone call away...if I can get enough scraps from the Fortress to make another suit."

 

[Watchman]

The Batman was dragging Gotham into a black hole. The Religion of Crime's numbers were growing while the cop's were dwindling. He leap off a building and shot off a grappling hook. Gotham was in the grip of fear. It was all because of him, the Batman.

They try to argue with him. They try to disagree say that he isn't the Batman. They are wrong. Lane, Nightwing, Gordon says that he is some kind of punk dressing up as Batman, only if they knew what he really was. What was really going to happen to their little reality. He has taken Batman's crusade and turned its on its head. His kind walks free on the street of Gotham while the innocent live their lives in the prison he has created.

They say he's not Batman but no one else is. Wayne, dead. The sons refuse to carry on the legacy. Todd was up for reeducation when they were at Arkham but never got to him. Perhaps later just to turn the knife even more. No, when they turned their backs on the Bat he took over. Batman has be redefined, reborn for the new age. The others will follow.

He lands ontop of a building. He looks down to see cult members tearing apart a police car. This was his city now. Not Batman's, not Promethus' but his. Nothing will stand in their way. The forces of good are weak and ineffective. Godfrey's concert is the bell toll for the fall of the age of heroes and the start of reality enslavement. No resistance whatsoever.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Carol, Martin.... I'm coming. Please...please God let them be okay. Please let me get there fast enough...

I managed to shake off Hammond's orange construct, and then I launched myself across the cosmos, as fast as my will could carry me. And now I'm here, at my own front door. Nightmarish visions flash through my mind of all the awful sights that could await me, but I can't give in to fear. I can't afford even a moment's hesitation. My family needs me.

And so I blast through the front wall of my apartment, and somehow.... I manage to be surprised by what I see. Carol is Star Sapphire again! That's... weird. But it's not important right now. What is important is the very unwelcome houseguest, who has just launched some kind of psychic attack on my wife. I use my ring to form a massive green exoskeleton around myself, offering physical and mental protection, and I send Hammond flying across the room with a swipe from my construct's massive, crane-like arms.

"Get away from her, you b**ch!"

I pummel Hammond with my constructed crane-arms, working out all the anger over the mindgames he put me through. But Hammond soon recovers, and retaliates with a barrage of orange daggers, hitting me with surgical precision and cutting apart my exoskeleton construct. Once it's taken apart, he knocks me to the ground with a huge orange fist.

[BLACKOUT]"How does it feel to be on the receiving end of that, Jordan? Annoying, isn't it?"[/BLACKOUT]

I wipe the blood away from my mouth.

"Not as annoying as you."

I fire a blast of emerald energy at the big-headed freak, knocking him through my apartment's back wall.

 

[trustyside-kick]

OOC: Previously...

As the rest of the heroes continue to travel through Sivana's underground facility, Carter raises his mace high and to his surprise the robot is faster and already tackles him into the wall.

"ARRGH...Alright, I get it. While not nearly on par with Marvel's speed, you sure are more than meets the eye. I wonder what other toys Sivana has put into--oh crap."

Seeing the electricity start to surge in the robot glasses of the Sivana head, Carter quickly knows what is coming. Which is precisely why I uses all of his strength to get out of the robot's hold on quickly dash away. Instantly the robot exerts an electrical surge, and in the loud speaker of the robot's mouth is a recording of Sivana's voice, mockingly saying 'SHAZAM!'.

"Cute, Sivana. But there's something you don't realize. You're used to battling it out with Mr. Innocent, Kind, and Boyscout Marvel. Me?"

Taking up his shield, Carter hurls it with great speed, slicing off the robotic head instantly.

"I get to the point, and use whatever I have to to end the fight."

Flying over to the decapitated Sivana/Captain Marvel robot, Hawkman picks back up the shield, wields his mace over his shoulder, and leaves the scene. Spotting his allies up ahead, Carter picks up his pace.

 

[trustyside-kick]

OOC: Previously...

Black Manta's men get the worst of it, tossed around in what seems to be an endless whirlpool. Now in open waters, the men are scattered several feet in all directions, all the while Mera keeps her hard-water construct strong keeping her and Aquaman intact. The cry of baby Kym still echoes and roars throughout the water, and Orin can start to understand what's going on.

"Mera! Let met out real quick!"

Obeying her husband, Mera creates a hole in her construct, that the Marine Marvel quickly swims through right before she closes the hole. He swims with all of his might, the current is so strong. The power of the tides as they go rampart and turbulent are so strong.

Kym...is so very strong. And she's only but an infant. Unable to control her apparent newfound powers, she has this much raw power of the water. And the Aquatic Ace believes he knows why they can not see Kym, yet hear her in the background of all the havoc and mayhem: Kym is the water.

Closing his eyes, trying to shut out all distractions, Orin tries to pinpoint Kym's 'precise' location with precise being a very loose term given her molecules and atoms are scattered throughout the water as she has become one with the very water. Extended his waterbearer hand, he sends a small telepathic message to his daughter.

~Shhh...it's okay, my darling. Dada is here. Papa is safe. Shhh~

And much like the soothing voice of a parent can calm any small child, the former Sea King's telepathic waves sooth the mind of young Kym. The water starts to stop spinning about, and in the center of it all several particles of water converge towards one point. In moments Orin and Mera can see the formation of what looks like Kym made of pure water.

Seconds later, the form solidifies, and the moment Orin can see Kym's beautiful blonde hair and green eyes, he swims over and embraces his daughter. Mera quickly follows, and sighs in great relief.

"There there, Kym. You're safe. We're all...safe."

 

[Watchman]

For the past few days bodies have been pileing up across the country. The strange part is that none of them are dead. Doctors are baffled about this strange phenomenon. People falling into coma, their eyes turning black, little brain activity or vital signs. An almost death like state. Most doctors are at a lost. Help has been called in from the superhuman community. Dr. Midnite and Mr. Terrific have been asked for assitance in examining the bodies.

"Well this is quite unusual."

"I believe that's why we were called in."

"Right but I've looked over everything. Perfectly healthly people falling into death like states. I can't find anything that may have caused this." T-Sphere begin to buzz, they seemed to have found something.

"I think I've found something, Pieter. My T-Spheres are picking up very strange bring activity. They're picking up something. I can't really make it out...it looks like an equation?....I...I" One of the T-Spheres blew up. Mr. Terrific fell to the ground. Dr. Midnite had ran over to him, helping him up.

"Michael, are you all right?"

"I...yes, I think so. Listen, I'm going to go through the information that the T-Sphere picked up. Maybe I can find something on there."

"Michael, if you need any help..."

"I'll be fine." Though he didn't look find. Something happened when he looked he looked into that person's mind. Dr. Midnite went back looking over his notes. Hoping to find something. The mind seem to hold the key.

"I think I'm going to need a psychic."
******
Oa,

The Guardians of The Universe have gathered. Their attention has turned towards Earth and most disturbing events that have unfolded. The Guardians hover over the image of Earth. Three black lights appeared around the globe.

"Another sign."

"Ganthet, I am going to speak plainly. We can only tolerate your nonsense for so much longer..."

"Are you blind, brother? The events that have been fortold to us. The coming darkness will consume us all."

"Enough, you may have convince the Earthmen of your superstitions but we will forever remain unmoved by your scare tactics. Lantern of Sector 6893, you may enter."

"What is this about?"

"We are taking care of the problem on Earth without causing mass hysteria."

"I wish no part in this."

"Duly noted." Ganthet leaves the Guardians.

"Kormin Ran, we have a mission for you."

"Yes, I understand this but why not one of the four Lanterns from Earth."

"The Lanterns of 2814 are troubled at the moment. Recent events have made them the unfit for the mission ahead."

"Very well."

"Coordinates have been uploaded to your ring."
******
Earth, Space Sector 2814

The Lantern descended to the building below. It look abandon but the Green Lantern was just going to charge right in.

"Ring scan."

Unknown energy signature located

"Unknown, great. Better go check it out." The Lantern flew into the building. The building was completely dark. Something wasn't right about this place. Something was creeping along the shadows.

"Ring...."

Warning Unknown threat in your vicinity. Immediate action required A hand reached from the darkness and grabbed the Lantern fist, covering his ring.

"Ah I was wondering when one of you are going to show up."

"Who are you?"

Subject: William Hand of Earth. Numerous conflicts with Green Lantern 2814.1 Hal Jordan

"Yes, I was expecting, Jordan." His black ring lit up.

"You...you have a ring?"

"Like it? Soon you'll have one just like it. Your willpower is meaningless. Give in."

Warning! Warning! Error! 10101010101! Corruption! loneliness + alienation + fear + despair

The green of his costume replaced with black. His ring stopped glowing green, replaced with black.

"What's happening to me!"

"Give in, Lantern! Learn the sole truth of the universe."

"No...." The former Green Lantern feel to the ground.

Identity Destroyed. Will Power Erased.

45% Charged

Black Hand looks down at the Green Lantern. Nothing remains besides a vessal for his master's will.

"The pact is over, Guardians. Your Corps will soon be no more."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

The door opened to the dark living room, as Hunter stepped into his loft. Flicking on the light switch, Hunter hung his coat up on the rack by the door. Walking to the small kitchen, Hunter opened the fridge and took out the half carton of milk, twisting the top off, and taking a big swig from the jug.

He sighed as he walked into the small living room, sitting down on his couch. His mind was elsewhere as he reached down to take off his shoes, dirt from the cemetery still on them.
His thoughts drifted back to his last few memories of Ashley Zolomon, and it made him angry that that was all he could immediately think of. The bad times.

"****", he cursed under his breath when he noticed the trail of dirt he had tracked in across the hard wood floor.

The frustrated Hunter got up and headed towards the closet to get the broom and dustpan when the entire building shook as a sonic boom echoed through the city.

"What the hell was that", Hunter asked himself as car alarms began to go off, and the large basset hound next door began to howl.

"Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. And who knows", Hunter said with a smirk.
"It might be the perfect thing to help me take out some of this aggression I'm feeling."

In a blink of an eye, Hunter's civilian clothes had disappeared, replaced by the costume of his alter ego, Zoom.

Then in a flash, he's gone...

--------------------------------------------------​

"Shoot him, Morillo", detective Chyre shouted as he hid behind the parked police car while he and his partner opened fire.

The man held out his hand, and the bullets seemingly froze in mid-air, only feet away from their intended target.
With a flick of his wrist, as though he was batting away a fly, the bullets shot backwards towards the officers. But before the bullets could tear through the cops, they disappeared.

Seemingly appearing from thin air down the street a few blocks, Zoom carefully set the officers down on their feet.

"Stay here, detectives", Zoom said before turning to see a blurred fist slam into his face, sending him skipping a mile down the road and slamming into a parked car.

"Uggh", Hunter shook his head as he slowly hobbled up to his feet.
"What...the hell just hit me...", he questioned aloud seconds before a flurry of punches found their mark to his head.

"Not who I was hoping for, but you will do."

Knocked down to his feet, Hunter took a solid kick to his jaw that sent one of his back teeth flying from his mouth in a spray of blood.

"You are going to help me send a message to the Flash", the man stated as he loomed above the hurt Zoom.
Hunter looked up at the dark-haired man with the strange scar across his chest.
The man snatched Hunter up by the collar and spun him around, launching him into Central City Park. With a sonic boom following his departure, the man rushed after Zoom.

Spoiler

"The war is coming, Zoom. And you shall be it's first casualty."

The Calm Before ~ Act 1

 

[Byrd Man]

​

​

I'm back.

It takes me about twenty minutes to land the Batwing and be back out on the city streets.

Gotham is getting worse. Prometheus is tearing it apart, infesting it with madness. I think about what Lois said to me, about wearing the suit. Maybe a new Batman is what this city needs.

"Back so soon?" Babs says as I leap down into an alley.

"You know me, a glutton for punishment."

"I assumed as much, seeing as how you are dating me."

"What's been going on in town?"

"It's starting to get spooky out there, Dick. But right now, head over to Spring Street. Tim's back in town. Might want to talk to him."

"That's a big 10-4, O." I say as I shoot a grapnel line into the air and swing off.​

 

[Blacklight]

OOC: Previously...​

As the rest of the heroes continue to travel through Sivana's underground facility, Carter raises his mace high and to his surprise the robot is faster and already tackles him into the wall.

"ARRGH...Alright, I get it. While not nearly on par with Marvel's speed, you sure are more than meets the eye. I wonder what other toys Sivana has put into--oh crap."

Seeing the electricity start to surge in the robot glasses of the Sivana head, Carter quickly knows what is coming. Which is precisely why I uses all of his strength to get out of the robot's hold on quickly dash away. Instantly the robot exerts an electrical surge, and in the loud speaker of the robot's mouth is a recording of Sivana's voice, mockingly saying 'SHAZAM!'.

"Cute, Sivana. But there's something you don't realize. You're used to battling it out with Mr. Innocent, Kind, and Boyscout Marvel. Me?"

Taking up his shield, Carter hurls it with great speed, slicing off the robotic head instantly.

"I get to the point, and use whatever I have to to end the fight."

Flying over to the decapitated Sivana/Captain Marvel robot, Hawkman picks back up the shield, wields his mace over his shoulder, and leaves the scene. Spotting his allies up ahead, Carter picks up his pace.

Me and Jay rushed into the room were Carter and Billy had just turned one of Sivana's bots into a scrapheap. Now if we could just find the bald-headed Doctor, then we can get him out of the way and I can head back to Keystone and check up on things there. Been away too long for something not to be happening. Crime always seems to have the tendency to show up in well... a flash.

"Nice job making that robot into sheet metal, Carter. Now we should find Sivana. Once he's been taken care of, I don't think that Grodd will be able to make good on his threat to earth. Especially without his right-hand man helping him anymore. Wouldn't you guys agree?"

 

[The Mighty Thor]

​

"Mr Queen, I'm sorry to disturb you, but you have a visitor. I told him you don't accept anyone without an appointment but he's...persistent."

I didn't hide the irritation in my less-than-subtle sigh. It hadn't been a good night. There'd been no big threats, but I'd taken on a gag of junkies and a few of them scored some lucky hits. My back was painfully sore, a bruise pretty much covered my left thigh, and my shoulder ached. Needless to say, I wasn't in the mood for unscheduled meetings. Especially when I hired this pretty little assistant girl for eye candy, not for delivering bad news at eight in the morning. I grabbed for my coffee and let her hang for a few seconds while I took a gulp, then spluttered in disgust as I realised it was cold. Damn girl couldn't even serve hot coffee, apparently.

"Okay, Annie, what's this pushy guy's name?" I ask briskly, tugging at my goatee in frustration.

Annie pouted and frowned. "My name is Julia, sir. And your guest is a Mr..." She checked her clipboard. "...Naif al-Sheikh. Shall I send him in or away?"

My eyes shot wide open and my jaw dropped. Naif al-Sheikh was an old teammate from my days in the Elite, a black ops strike force that hadn't ended well. There were certain members that I hadn't expected to see again, and al-Sheikh was one of them. He was a snappy, cynical little man who had probably given me lung cancer ten times over from all the second hand smoke he kicked out, but he was a decent part of the group. The one you knew you could trust yet distrusted at the same time. Why was he here?

I stood and tightened my tie. "Send him in. Mr al-Sheik is an old friend."

Julia (or whatever her name was) nodded and allowed al-Sheikh to pass her before closing the door behind him. He hadn't changed much; the smell of stale smoke still hit me from the other end of the office, the red robes were still neatly pressed, and the beard was still precisely clipped. The only difference was the slight tremor of desperation in his voice as he spoke.

"We need to talk. Vera's gone and I require your help to recover her."

Straight down to business, as always. Vera Black had been the Elite's founder and leader, a shady but reliable figurehead. "Whaddya mean, 'gone'?"

"I mean she was out on assignment and hasn't reported in for three days," he snapped. "For all I know, she could very well be dead. And if that's true, then her assignment has to be completed regardless."

"...fine. Take a seat." I slumped back into my own, muttering, "Don't pull your punches, do ya?"

"In my line of work, I can't afford to." He remained standing. No doubt wanting to show himself to be in control. I decide to let him think he is as he begins to explain. "Since the Elite disbanded after the incident with Manchester Black, Vera and I have been working together to continue to take on the...shadier...threats before they reach the public. Same mandate, different methods. With only two of us, we had to be far more creative in our methodology. For the last few months, we've been tracking extraterrestrial shipments to various organisations on Earth. Small batches of equipment received by rich deal brokers that don't know quite what they're getting involved in. Last week, Vera went undercover in a foreign branch of Intergang, the next group to be taking a shipment. She was making daily reports up until three days ago."

I keep my expression neutral, but inside, I'm bewildered. How the hell have the two of them been doing all this behind the backs of the entire superhero community? They're better than I thought. "So, this equipment, what's it for?"

He jammed a cigarette into his mouth and lit it without even asking. I can't be bothered to reprimand him...it's not like it would make a difference. Al-Sheikh's a bit of a b*****d. Always has been, always will be."We're not quite sure yet. But what we do know is that tomorrow, the various organisations will be meeting and bringing their pieces of the puzzle together. We suspect that the aliens responsible used different groups so that they didn't have to put all their eggs in one basket, so to speak."

"So you need me to go in, rescue Vera, find out what the hell is going on, and put a stop to it? Alone?" I demanded, my tone unashamedly incredulous. Seemed a hell of a task for a guy with a bow and arrows. "I know Menagerie is in prison, but what about the others? Coldcast, Dawn?"

Al-Sheikh shrugged. "Coldcast expressed no interest in getting back into this business and Dawn is hard to track down. Besides, you're the only one I fully trust."

"Because I'm the only one with no powers." I sighed. He was still a prejudiced old git. "Fine. Just tell me where and when, and I'll be there."

"Actually, I already have a transport arranged. It departs in an hour, so we should hurry." He turned towards the door.

Cursing him under my breath, I start to follow him out, giving Julia a quirk of the eyebrow as I passed her. "Postpone my meetings for the next week or so, would you? I'm taking an impromptu vacation..."

 

[Andy C.]

Infinite universes.

Infinite possibilities.

Infinite yellow suns, giving off infinite amounts of energy.

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this.

In the amorphous ether on the outside of the universe, the usual rules don't apply. I can reach into an infinite amount of possibilities and pull out what I need. That's what gives me the sudden surge of energy to meet Zod strength for strength, blow for blow. At least, scientifically speaking. I'm given greater strength from something far more powerful than hate, more profound than rage: unlike Zod, I have hope.

He swings with another blow, but I duck under it. The swath of kinetic energy caused merely by his fist cutting through the void spreads for miles and more, slamming into the Source Wall and growing the cracks in it. I fire back with a hard left hand that catches him just under the eye, and the shockwave is even bigger.

Zod tumbles away for a moment, but before I can follow up, he's regained his bearings, and rushes at me like a torpedo. I dodge the big uppercut he throws, but it's only a distraction: as he passes me by, he suddenly spins around and kicks me in the head. The blow sends me tumbling back towards the Wall...

...and for a second, I see what this battle is doing to the world on the other side.

History is knotting up as different events from different timelines pile upon each other. The rules of physics bend and blur. Matter and energy switch roles, and I'm the only one who can perceive it.

Reality is on the blink.

Zod catches me on the chin with an elbow, and Hitler has won World War II.

I answer it with a knee to the ribs, and Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters overthrow the ghost of Joseph Stalin.

Zod fires an apocalyptic blast of Heat-Vision, and the Roman Empire never fell.

I cut through it with a hurricane of Arctic breath, and Jimmy Olsen wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

With every blow, with every miss, the two of us send echoes and reverberations through time and space and possibility. Universes and histories emerge like bubbles in a boiling pot, then dissipate as they reach the surface.

One moment, my ship lands on the outskirts of Smallville, Kansas. Then another one lands in the heart of the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. Another lands just outside of Gotham City, and yet another lands on Apokolips.

Lois and I have been married for years. Lana and I have just gotten a divorce. Diana and I are talking about having children.

Lex Luthor is living underground in exile, having fooled the world into thinking he died heroically. He is being incinerated by my own Heat-vision, murderous retribution for the deaths of my friends in the Justice League. He is gunned down by the police after finally killing me, still clutching one last sliver of Kryptonite in his hands.

Batman and I are duking it out in the ruins of Gotham, the older version of Bruce aided by Ollie, a young girl dressed as Robin, and a host of anti-Superman weapons. It's not going well for me at all. There's another ripple in the universe, and I snap his neck without thinking twice.

None of these are really happening. All of them absolutely are. The longer this fight goes, the closer we come to collapsing reality on itself.

"Zod....stop," I say through gritted teeth as I grapple with him. "Look at what's happening around us. We're going to bring the Source Wall down! We have to stop or--"

"Or what?" Zod sneers. "Or we'll pollute the flow of history? Warp the structure of space? Destroy the universe?"

He breaks up the grapple with a headbutt, sending me reeling.

"After all the time I was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone by your father....after being sent to my grave by you....after everything I've been through, Kal-El...do you really think I care what happens to the universe?"

He slams me into the fracturing Wall again and again, shards of reality coming loose.

"All that matters, all that has ever mattered, is destroying you, you weak, snivelling boy. If your end means the end of everything else, then so be it. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way."

He shoves my face into the rift created by the cracks, shoving me into the unknown chaos beyond. His grin sours, and he takes on a grim tone.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time, Son of Jor-El."

He pushes me into the rift, but as he does, I grab hold of his arm.

"I don't know where this is going, Zod," I say as I pull him in, "but you're coming with me."

We tumble into the rift....

...and the rules of reality itself shatter around us.

 

[Catman_prb]

​

I'm back.​

It takes me about twenty minutes to land the Batwing and be back out on the city streets.​

Gotham is getting worse. Prometheus is tearing it apart, infesting it with madness. I think about what Lois said to me, about wearing the suit. Maybe a new Batman is what this city needs.​

"Back so soon?" Babs says as I leap down into an alley.​

"You know me, a glutton for punishment."​

"I assumed as much, seeing as how you are dating me."​

"What's been going on in town?"​

"It's starting to get spooky out there, Dick. But right now, head over to Spring Street. Tim's back in town. Might want to talk to him."​

"That's a big 10-4, O." I say as I shoot a grapnel line into the air and swing off.​

"Oracle, it's getting pretty nuts down here," Robin shouted into his earpiece as he slammed his fist into the face of yet another nameless thug "Whatever the hell is going on is starting to kick off,"

"Are there any patterns in what they're doing?"

"Just attacking civilians, cops, whatever's lying around. It's like an organised riot," he said, cracking two skulls together and dropping the crooks to the ground "Trust me to get back just in time for the crazy villain plot of the week,"

"So...Rose is pregnant..."

"Yup," Tim said, keeping his voice carefully blank.

"Are you sure it's yours?"

"Pretty sure," he replied, breaking someone's jaw "But thanks for the vote of confidence,"

"Hang on down there, Nightwing should be arriving soon,"

 

[Byrd Man]

"Oracle, it's getting pretty nuts down here," Robin shouted into his earpiece as he slammed his fist into the face of yet another nameless thug "Whatever the hell is going on is starting to kick off,"


"Are there any patterns in what they're doing?"


"Just attacking civilians, cops, whatever's lying around. It's like an organised riot," he said, cracking two skulls together and dropping the crooks to the ground "Trust me to get back just in time for the crazy villain plot of the week,"



"So...Rose is pregnant..."

"Yup," Tim said, keeping his voice carefully blank.

"Are you sure it's yours?"


"Pretty sure," he replied, breaking someone's jaw "But thanks for the vote of confidence,"


"Hang on down there, Nightwing should be arriving soon,"

"Somebody call my name?" I ask as I handspring from the rooftop and into the middle of the battle.

I roundhouse kick a thug into submission as I stand back to back with Tim.

"Welcome back to Gotham, Robin. As you can see, the **** has indeed hit the fan."

 

[Catman_prb]

"Somebody call my name?" I ask as I handspring from the rooftop and into the middle of the battle.

I roundhouse kick a thug into submission as I stand back to back with Tim.

"Welcome back to Gotham, Robin. As you can see, the **** has indeed hit the fan."

"A pleasure as always Nightwing," Tim said, throwing the hired help over his shoulder and into a brick wall.

"After all, how could I afford to miss this?" he asked "So who is it today? Two-Face? Or just a full scale revolution?"

 

[Byrd Man]

"A pleasure as always Nightwing," Tim said, throwing the hired help over his shoulder and into a brick wall.

"After all, how could I afford to miss this?" he asked "So who is it today? Two-Face? Or just a full scale revolution?"

"From what I gather, Prometheus. Flamebird and I took him down in Metropolis, or so we thought. Guy is like a cockroach, though."

I toss one of my escrima sticks across the mob and clock the ruffian in the back of the head.

"Watch my back." I say as I run through the crowd and leap on a light pole.

I twist the wrist on my right gauntlet and grab a small device out of the hidden chamber.

"Robin, cover your ears."

I press the button and toss it to the ground as it emits a ear-shattering scream.

"Bat-scream, not as cool as a batarang or batwing, but it gets the job done."

 

[Catman_prb]

"From what I gather, Prometheus. Flamebird and I took him down in Metropolis, or so we thought. Guy is like a cockroach, though."

I toss one of my escrima sticks across the mob and clock the ruffian in the back of the head.

"Watch my back." I say as I run through the crowd and leap on a light pole.

I twist the wrist on my right gauntlet and grab a small device out of the hidden chamber.

"Robin, cover your ears."

I press the button and toss it to the ground as it emits a ear-shattering scream.

"Bat-scream, not as cool as a batarang or batwing, but it gets the job done."

"Bat-scream?" Robin asked, bringing his knee up in between the legs of a man who was at least twice the size of him "You called it a bat-scream? Good god man, self respect?"

"So..." Tim said awkwardly, knocking the legs out from underneath a couple of thugs.

"Rose is pregnant," he said "Actually, thinking about that, I probably shouldnt have brought her to the city with the black hole...or whatever the hell it is,"

 

[Byrd Man]

"Rose is pregnant," he said "Actually, thinking about that, I probably shouldnt have brought her to the city with the black hole...or whatever the hell it is,"

"You mean Rose as in 'Ravager'? The same one who is the daughter of Deathstroke and once helped kill us?" I ask as I fned off another attack.

Even through the fighting, Tim has time to shoot me a look.

"Sorry, still kind of iffy about that. But you trust her...obviously."

I deliver a bone crushing hit to another heavy and turn back to Tim.

"So, I take it the baby is yours, huh?"

 

[Catman_prb]

"You mean Rose as in 'Ravager'? The same one who is the daughter of Deathstroke and once helped kill us?" I ask as I fned off another attack.

Even through the fighting, Tim has time to shoot me a look.

"Sorry, still kind of iffy about that. But you trust her...obviously."

I deliver a bone crushing hit to another heavy and turn back to Tim.

"So, I take it the baby is yours, huh?"

"I hope so. Power Boy the psycho Apokalipton ex-Titan thought so," Tim said in the very strained voice of a person who knows he is going to have to answer a very awkward question a lot.

"And you're dating Babs now, of course," he said, breaking a thugs nose.

The crowd started to move away from the caped crusaders, in the direction of somewhere the pair knew far too well.

"They're heading towards Crime Alley,"

 

[wiegeabo]

Leaving the sounds of battle behind, Garrick, Flash, and I quickly make our way out of the room. But the Flashes find they cannot move too fast once everything around us goes dark. The only source of light, my ring. So I focus, expanding the light to give us more room to work with.

"Thanks," Garrick says quietly. I only nod as I swiftly float down the corridor, Flash's beside me. But we're stopped as the sound of two massive doors slam down around us.

"Not good."

I expand my light, and don't like what I see as dozens upon dozens of small laser turrets pop out from all around us.

"Wally...run!"

I barely even see the blurs as laser blast light up the corridor. The Flash's keep out of the lines of fire, but they must be feeling the pressure since only the occasional turret suddenly explodes.

My forcefield protects me, but I'm still forced to increase it's intensity to deflect the sheer amount of weapons fire I'm taking. I tap into our comm system with my ring, hoping I can accelerate my signal enough for them to hear.

"ENOUGH!!!" I wall of energy divides the room in half, and I sweep around in a circle, vaporizing turrets in my anger, thoughts of Mary and Samantha fueling my rage. In short order, the room suddenly becomes silent, smoke from the burnt out husks wafting in the air.

"I have had enough of these games!" A shoot a massive gold fist forward, wrenching an opening into the barrier.

The silence is broken by the sounds of clapping. "Very entertaining."

On the other side of the final door is our target. The sick mind behind the virus that almost took Mary from me. That almost put this world in the hands of an animal.

"Sivana..."