The "World of Heroes" DC RPG Season VIII

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The black spikes come out from under the ground, and the ones closer to me impale me instantly. My leg starts to bleed as I let out a scream of agony.

"ARGH!!!" I force my impaled leg out away from the construct and use my heat vision in anger to Black Hand; who just blocks it with a shield.

"I don't know what power you hold, or what's happened to your sick twisted mind. But I will stop you!!"

I fly straight towards Black Hand, tackling him into the ground and a bubble construct encases us inside.

WARNING: DETECTING HINTS OF ANTI-LIFE BZZZZZZZZZZZZTT...WILL POWER WEAKENING.....POWER LEVELS 34.8%.......25.6%....0.00%

"What...?"

Submit, Sodam Yat. All is one in Darkseid................

I shake my head away, forcing myself to think straightly. It's as if this place is taking control of my mind....Submit.

Submit.

Screaming, I fly away from Black Hand and set up a series of chains from my Ion power and hold him high up in the air.

Submit.

"What....what are you doing to me!!?"

"Me?" Black Hand asked innocently, "I'm not doing anything." The mob has gathered around Sodam now. Eyes glowing red.

"Little Lantern, Black Hand is but a mere cog. A pawn in my new Dark Empire. Just like you,"
Black Hand, the Black Lanterns, and the mob all spoke in unison.

"Your destiny has already been written, Ion. The spirit of willpower will fall before the greatest enemy of the Green Lantern Corps." Something had seized his leg and pulled him down, smashing him into the ground, and causing a crater.

"And who greater than Darkseid?"
Standing above Sodam Yat was the cosmic despot, the destroyer of worlds, Darkseid.

"I would never consider sullying my hands on you, mortal. For this, I will make a personal exception. Consider yourself fortunate to fall by my hand."
 
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"Me?" Black Hand asked innocently, "I'm not doing anything." The mob has gathered around Sodam now. Eyes glowing red.

"Little Lantern, Black Hand is but a mere cog. A pawn in my new Dark Empire. Just like you,"
Black Hand, the Black Lanterns, and the mob all spoke in unison.

"Your destiny has already been written, Ion. The spirit of willpower will fall before the greatest enemy of the Green Lantern Corps." Something had seized his leg and pulled him down, smashing him into the ground, and causing a crater.

"And who greater than Darkseid?"
Standing above Sodam Yat was the cosmic despot, the destroyer of worlds, Darkseid.

"I would never consider sullying my hands on you, mortal. For this, I will make a personal exception. Consider yourself fortunate to fall by my hand."

Submit.

Anti-Life is the only way.

Life is Death.

Submit to Darkseid.

NO!

My body lays on the ground, my uniform torn by the impact that Darkseid created on impact and I feel my body lie flat with my breathing like that of fire. But still I try to fight. I know Darkseid is said to be a God, but I have a weapon of one.

Submit.

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Submit

I shake my head starring up towards the hulking tower of a being in front of me as I rest on the ground. Clenching my fist, I ignore everything; it's now or never.

Submit

No more prophecies, no more tools of fear, this is either where I fight to the last drop or die trying.

Submit.

"NEVER!!!!!!!!!"

Screaming I let out a huge Ion backed power blast towards Darkseid, I fly at speeds I never thought possible using my other powers to my advantage and begin to give an array of punches to his head nearly a hundrend in the face of a minute. I back up their power by covering it with an emerald glow with the most powerful elements I can think of to hurt anything that lives or moves; my eyes hurt of the intensity of the emerald light but I keep going, not knowing if it'll be enough.

"...Want to keep going......."God of Evil"......" I say exhausted.

 
Qward

The Joker had been plenty of strange places in his time, but few if any of them had been stranger than an antimatter universe in deep space. Yet here he was, at the home base of the Parallax Corps. When he was brought here for training, he was a common grunt, and the closest he got to meeting the boss was through Arkillo acting as an intermediary. But Arkillo was out of the picture now, and so The Joker had been summoned.

He stood before the massive yellow central power battery. Fear itself. If he was capable of feeling fear, he'd probably be crapping his pants right about now.

"Joker," fear incarnate said to him, its voice booming from within the battery.

"You rang?"

"You performed very well on Earth."

"We did? As far as I can tell, we retreated. We didn't conquer the planet like we planned..."

"No. But you accomplished my true goal. Earth, the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians.... now they will fear us."

The Joker grinned.

"Ah. Now I get the joke."

"With Arkillo gone, I am promoting you to field leader. You best get ready. Up until now, we have been merely playing. With the next step, things get truly serious."

"Well, it's a good thing that I'm a serious man. HA HA HA!"
 
Submit.

Anti-Life is the only way.

Life is Death.

Submit to Darkseid.

NO!

My body lays on the ground, my uniform torn by the impact that Darkseid created on impact and I feel my body lie flat with my breathing like that of fire. But still I try to fight. I know Darkseid is said to be a God, but I have a weapon of one.

Submit.

803441-ion005.jpg


Submit

I shake my head starring up towards the hulking tower of a being in front of me as I rest on the ground. Clenching my fist, I ignore everything; it's now or never.

Submit

No more prophecies, no more tools of fear, this is either where I fight to the last drop or die trying.

Submit.

"NEVER!!!!!!!!!"

Screaming I let out a huge Ion backed power blast towards Darkseid, I fly at speeds I never thought possible using my other powers to my advantage and begin to give an array of punches to his head nearly a hundrend in the face of a minute. I back up their power by covering it with an emerald glow with the most powerful elements I can think of to hurt anything that lives or moves; my eyes hurt of the intensity of the emerald light but I keep going, not knowing if it'll be enough.

"...Want to keep going......."God of Evil"......" I say exhausted.


"Gladly," When the green light dimmed, the smoke cleared, and the dust settled, Darkseid stood unharmed. Darkseid lands a punch sending Ion flying into a side of a building. Men and women who have fallen to Anti-Life had gather around him once again. Smashing their weapons against him. People's bones shattered like glass as they rained blows on him. Darkseid throws people out of the way to Ion. He stomps on his back over and over again.

"I am through playing games, Lantern," he grabs him by the arm, "submit!" There was a snap as Ion's arm fell limp. Darkseid pick him back up by the throat.

"There is no hope here. Any signal to your Guardians will be blocked and soon you will pleading for death. It will never come, Ion. You will either submit or face damnation."
 
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Poseidonis, Atlantis
Outside the Great Dome


I suddenly see Mera leaving with something in her hands as she hands it to one of the guards escorting her around the city. Man, I needa get in there. Taking a quick glance, Hagen & Triton do not seem to be anywhere in site. Besides, all I need to do is get in and talk to her for a brief moment.

Maybe. Just maybe, I can make her remember. With her help, I can help take down Triton & Hagen. One simple spell will let me phase right through this protective dome. No one remembers me, or knows I even exist. So long as I make sure to keep out of Hagen & Triton's sight, I can make this work.

tempestspell2.jpg

Making my way into the dome, I find a robe from a vendor's shop. Not proud of it but I cast a spell to distract him that causes one of his racks to fall over. As he tries to pick up the robes, I grab one of the robes from the other racks on the other side and conceal myself as I put them on. Walking through the city, I quickly find Mera and the guards who escort her.

Can't take out the guards; it will draw attention. Me being arrest for knocking out a pair of Atlantean Soldiers will just make my presence known to both Hagen & Triton. Gonna have to make a telepathic link and hope she doesn't freak out and make it obvious something isn't right. Gonna have to be as...peaceful and delicate as I can be.

~Mera.~

She doesn't stop, but she does look around a bit cautious. Good girl. She just thinks it was someone calling out to her rather in her head. Time to break the news to her--

That's when I stop, because I see Triton steadily approaching. Dangit. He stops her and the two guards, and smiles at her and rubs her chin for doing what he apparently asked of her from the looks of it. Triton starts to talk to the guards as she remains quiet and I send another telepathic message; this could be my only chance.

~Mera, do not be startled. I am speaking to your very mind. Do not be startled, it will only give notice to Triton and the guards.~

~My...mind? Who are you?~

~I know you, though you don't quite know me...but you do. You just don't remember anymore. But what you do know, is that the way things are in Atlantis aren't quite right. If you want to know the truth of things, and you want to be free along with the rest of the people from Hagen & Tritons reign, meet me outside of the dome in the next changing of the tides. I have to go now, before risking the chance of Triton seeing me.~

~How will I know it's you?~

And that is when I send an astral image of myself to her. I only do it for a second, because it renders my body exposed, but it is long enough for her to get a good image mentally.

~Bye for now, Mera.~

And then, I start to slowly make my way to the nearest section of the dome. I'm sure Mera will find a way to meet me outside the dome. She's clever enough to make it happen. Phasing through the dome once again with the flick of a spell, and I'm swimming through the water once again. I'll take refuge in a nearby cave until the tides change.
 
Dropping down to the alley where he'd parked the Bat-bike, Damian slung himself on the back of the motorcycle and kicked the black vehicle into motion, the matter still weighing on his mind as he burst through the streets of Gotham like a blur. The Spoiler would be a different matter. She wasn't competition. She was a wench, but she was an interesting wench at the very least. Asking her for advice wouldn't be the same as asking it from any of the others. And it might help him to understand something about the irritatingly curious girl. So that decided it, then. Damian would find and ask the Spoiler what he should do.

Damian's hand let off on the throttle. His head came up to glance over his shoulder in an instant where he'd gotten the distinct impression that he was being shadowed. The feeling sank into the pit of his stomach. Paranoia? Perhaps, but that was always a healthy thing for an assassin. Steeling himself to stay focused on the reality around him, the boy grabbed the handle and opened up the throttle. The bike ripped across the pavement, ferrying the child at insane speeds out of Gotham's city limits.

Jason Todd- 'Rebirth'
-----------------------
I spot Bruce's little brat and watch as he rides off with his bike. The knowledge Darkseid gave me about all of this...wasn't he trained by the League since birth? This brat doesn't know when he is being tailed? All I had to do was make my way back to Gotham City and took me more than an hr to scour the city and spot the young punk.

Time to make things fun. I wanna see what this kid can do. Then...I make sure Bruce drops to his knees in terror.

"Let's make it rain."

jason18.jpg

I aim for his tires. I'm not out for blood.

...Yet.
 
"Gladly," When the green light dimmed, the smoke cleared, and the dust settled, Darkseid stood unharmed. Darkseid lands a punch sending Ion flying into a side of a building. Men and women who have fallen to Anti-Life had gather around him once again. Smashing their weapons against him. People's bones shattered like glass as they rained blows on him. Darkseid throws people out of the way to Ion. He stomps on his back over and over again.

"I am through playing games, Lantern," he grabs him by the arm, "submit!" There was a snap as Ion's arm fell limp. Darkseid pick him back up by the throat.

"There is no hope here. Any signal to your Guardians will be blocked and soon you will pleading for death. It will never come, Ion. You will either submit or face damnation."

Darkseid's hand crunches to my neck as I stare into his eyes and as I look into them; all I can see is a void. A big dark void. I've faced many things as a Lantern but never did I witness such pure evil as this, and for the first time since I joined the Corps.

I'm...I'm afraid.....

No! I'm not afraid I can fight this monster if it's the last thing I do. But even as I try to fight it, my mind feels like it's being set on fire from the inside. As an equation starts to ring inside me head.

Loneliness+ alienation + fear + despair + self-worth ÷ mockery---

Stop!!!!!

Darkseid is one.

"NO!!!!!!!"

My eyes and hands burn with the green flame of Ion as I let myself go from Darkseid blasting more and more before I eventually fly in head first towards him and going high up in the air as I can I finally summon all the willpower burning inside me.

831181-sodam_s_final_sacrifice.jpg


Darkseid falls from the Earth's atmosphere due to the impact of the blast and lands back on Oolong Island causing a massive THUD sound of epic proportions. As I stay in the vacuum of space the thought of winning this fight is impossible and so I do one last thing before facing my fate; using all the willpower that's left in me I push out the Ion entity from inside me as it stays in space for a while.

902930-ion_entity.jpg


"Go.....go......to.....Oa.....NOW!!!!"

As I see the entity flying away hopefully back to the Central Power Battery I feel every fibre of my body aching as I slowly fall down back to Earth and to Oolong Island; there's nothing more left in my body or spirit to keep the fight against something that powerful; maybe I wasn't the greatest Lantern of all after all, I released Ion before Darkseid can get hold of it only part true about that prophecy was I lost against the "dark lord", I feel the fire burning from out of my body as I land back onto Oolong Island with Darkseid's minions all beating me to a pulp before they all pick me up and show me to him. He just stares at me, blankly. Nothing looks different about him; not even a scratch.

"Do....do your worst......."

He just stares into me as I instantly feel that equation from before inside again, only this time I say it simultaneously.
loneliness + alienation + fear + despair + self-worth ÷ mockery ÷ condemnation ÷ misunderstanding...

Goodbye, Corps.
x guilt x shame x failure

Goodbye, Arisia, Jordon, Rayner, Kilowog....all of you.

judgment n=y where y=hope and n=folly...

Goodbye, Mother, Father and Daxam.

love=lies
...

Goodbye, Life.

life=death

Self= Darkseid.

IDENTITY OVERRIDDEN, WILLPOWER ERASED.

SODAM YAT OF DAXAM, DIE FOR DARKSEID.

"ANTI-LIFE JUSTIFIES MY HATE!!!"


 
damian.png


The boy is mindful to keep an awareness of everything in all directions of him, not merely the traffic in front of the black motorcycle as it ripped out of Gotham City. He couldn't tell where, but he knew he was being watched. He couldn't say it was uncomfortable as much as it was disquieting. He'd been watched for all of his life, the only question being... was this someone from the League? His father? Or someone else? Whatever the case may be, they were trained if they eluded his direct notice. Even when Damian spied at the location where he felt the spy should be, he found only empty darkness. So all he could do was be conscious of the predator looming in the night and wait for the inevitable attack.

jason18.jpg


The glint from the projectiles betrays the coming of the storm, catching Damian's eyes in the mirrors of the bike in time enough to avoid the initial volley. He could have kept running and let the *****e in the red eat his exhaust... but what fun would that be?

Cutting the throttle, the boy hauled the motocycle over and skidded to a halt. Two lines of skid marks putting an impression on the black top, as Damian casually dismounted from off the bike. Holding out his hands, the youth cracked the knuckles of either hand as he loosened up before the eagerly anticipated invitation for a fight that just might actually present him a worthy test of his skills. As he moved away from the bike, the boy's eyes caught a glimpse of the projectile used. Batarangs. A nice touch.

"So what do they call you, Masque of the Red Death?" Damian cracked in a voice whose arrogant disdain wasn't veiled in the least. Reaching back over his shoulder, the child flipped up the hood of his cloak before crassly adding, "Or how about *****e-Bag? That seems appropriate doesn't it?"

Giving a laugh at his own joke, Damian playfully tipped up one of the batarangs with the toe of his boot. Kicking it up, the boy seized the bat-shaped shuriken in one hand and let it rip toward the red-hooded figure. As he did, the boy wasted only as much time as was necessary to see how the stranger would shift his weight... indicating to which side he would dodge the batarang. As soon as he thought he had an answer, Damian charged.

Leaping through the air, the son of the Bat let loose with an air-borne kick he hoped to connect against the side of the man's red face...
 
I have to smile at their reactions as I nod, looking only at Wally. I take a step towards him, feeling all kinds of emotions as I look at my nephew. I know he became the Flash after I died. Due to my time traveling escapades, I've even worked with him, backing him up during tough times. I've always been proud of him, and how he more than lived up to the Flash name, taking it to a level I could not.

Tears form in my eyes. God, I just thought that I'd never see him again.

"Yes, Wally. It's me. I'm back."

His words brought me back to reality, and no sooner than he confirmed it was really him I walked towards him, happier than I've been in a while.

"Uncle Barry!"

I hugged him as a few tears rolled down my cheeks.

I have my Uncle back.

"I'm so glad you're back... I missed you so much."
 
"So what do they call you, Masque of the Red Death?" Damian cracked in a voice whose arrogant disdain wasn't veiled in the least. Reaching back over his shoulder, the child flipped up the hood of his cloak before crassly adding, "Or how about *****e-Bag? That seems appropriate doesn't it?"

Giving a laugh at his own joke, Damian playfully tipped up one of the batarangs with the toe of his boot. Kicking it up, the boy seized the bat-shaped shuriken in one hand and let it rip toward the red-hooded figure. As he did, the boy wasted only as much time as was necessary to see how the stranger would shift his weight... indicating to which side he would dodge the batarang. As soon as he thought he had an answer, Damian charged.

Leaping through the air, the son of the Bat let loose with an air-borne kick he hoped to connect against the side of the man's red face...

Jason Todd- 'Rebirth'
-----------------------
Spunky little bastard. Quite the mouth of him. After dodging the batarang, I catch his kick to my head but the impact still throws me off balance a bit. That kid can kick. I can already tell this is going to be one fun sparring match; until I have enough and end it. As the kid tries to come at me again I flip backwards, evading his second kick, and counter with a roundhouse that knocks him back a few.

"One thing you will find out, kid, is that names are a dime a dozen. I've gone by countless names in all my years of...well, if you could call it a life."

That's when I finally notice, he's wearing part of my od uniform. Oh, this is just too funny and ironic. I let out a chuckle, which seems to throw him off as he stands there in a defensive stance although that was not my intention at all.

"The red looks good on you, kid. Though the shirt looks a bit big. But, what can I say, I wasn't as scrawny as you or even Dickie boy when I sported that look. Although...I doubt Bruce would willingly let you take that and wear it. Run away from home, boy?"
 
The Vega System
Okaara


"They lied to me. They stole from me..."

Larfleeze was distraught. Hal Jordan! He woud remember that name forever, it would be burned into his mind. Hal Jordan had promised to return his stolen ring to him, and instead he'd given it to The Guardians! Those dirty little thieves! They'd tried to use it to siphon away his power, but he'd stopped them. He'd cut off the connection. But that didn't change the fact they'd tried to break their bargain with him! He would make them pay! Oh, he would make them pay...

"Ahem..."

"Who dares trespass in my sanctuary!?"

Whoever it was had teleported right in. Their ring did not have the restrictions placed upon those of the Green Lantern Corps. And no, this was no Green Lantern. A strange being with white skin, green hair and a YELLOW RING ("I WANT", Larfleeze thought) approached Larfleeze.

"My name is The Joker. I have much to give you, Larfleeze..."
 
His words brought me back to reality, and no sooner than he confirmed it was really him I walked towards him, happier than I've been in a while.

"Uncle Barry!"

I hugged him as a few tears rolled down my cheeks.

I have my Uncle back.

"I'm so glad you're back... I missed you so much."

I can't help but smile as Wally and Barry hug. I know it's been a long time since Barry sacrificed himself, and Wally's moved on. But he always blamed himself for not being there for Barry, and a part of him always wished it had been him instead. I don't know how Barry is back, and for the moment I don't really care. I'm just glad he is, for his sake and Wally's.

And the last thing I want to do right now is interrupt the reunion. But, there is a world to save, after all. I put my hand on Barry's shoulder, partly to get his attention, and partly to make sure he's real. "Barry, I'm glad your here. Especially now. I think we could use the help."

"Don't think that's gonna be necessary Jay. I think we've got them turning tale." Ted and Stargirl land, and Ted points up to the sky. I look up and see dozens of red and yellow lights heading higher and and away from the city. And a number of green lights, and a few members of the JSA, follow.

I breath a sigh of relief. I just wish it was over. "Ted, gather up the Society. You two, come on. We've got a couple of cities to clean up."
 
damian.png
"One thing you will find out, kid, is that names are a dime a dozen. I've gone by countless names in all my years of...well, if you could call it a life."

That's when I finally notice, he's wearing part of my old uniform. Oh, this is just too funny and ironic. I let out a chuckle, which seems to throw him off as he stands there in a defensive stance although that was not my intention at all.

"The red looks good on you, kid. Though the shirt looks a bit big. But, what can I say, I wasn't as scrawny as you or even Dickie boy when I sported that look. Although...I doubt Bruce would willingly let you take that and wear it. Run away from home, boy?"
He likes to talk. Damian's mind was working in all different directions as the boy caught his breath. He'd done his best to absorb the hit, but it had still winded him. And the fact that this begger had managed to dodge both of his kicks was infuriating. The way in which this man moved belied a casual attitude toward their fight. It had the effect of making the child adopt a defensive strategy, a first for that night - to include when he'd killed the Yellow Lantern. Something about the movement was irritatingly familiar though, which only made the commentary that much more distracting. "*****e-Bag says what," Damian quipped back in a sullen tone, reaching back to draw the katana from out of the sheath on his back. Honestly, he had no idea just what the man was on about. While 'Bruce' was on target, Damian had no idea just who 'Dickie boy' was supposed to mean. Though, for a variety of reasons, Damian could easily imagine Tim Drake getting handed the name Dick. Oh wait, there was another adopted ward wasn't there? Richard Grayson. Dick Grayson. Christ, how many fake brothers did he have...

The thought hardly put Damian in a better mood. In fact, if anything, the idea that he might be facing off against another of Bruce's wannabe sons only added to the desire to draw blood. But Damian wouldn't repeat his first mistake. He needed an edge in order to play at the level of this assailant. Though at least when he killed this one he could claim self-defense. After all, this was one of those rare moments in which Damian hadn't started the fight...

The youth kept his guard up, content for the moment to assess his target as he fell back on his League training. Obviously he was disadvantaged by a lack of knowledge about his opponent; or, at least, this guy seemed to claim knowledge about him. Circling to the left, the boy interjected a second time with a caustic line to try and bait the man. "As I understand it, the guy who wore this wound up with his brains smashed in by some sociopath in clown make-up," Damian really wasn't one for names. What some supervillain who fell out of the freak show called himself wasn't a detail he paid a lot of attention to. "Though if you're trying to tell me that you're brain damaged... Yeah, not really a news flash."

Bait and wait. Bait and wait. Let the *****e come at him. Damian was already poised on the defensive, thus hoping to have the stranger tell the boy more about himself by their changing roles. He needed to see more of the stranger's moves in order to get an idea of what technique the man used. And, from that, figure out the weak point to exploit. It was a little more calculated and restrained than Damian liked... but he couldn't remember the last time someone dodged two of his attacks. Let alone two in a row.

What was another good one liner? How did this... Jason whatever die again? Oh yeah... "Maybe I should put this sword away and just use a crowbar. I understand you like that sort of thing."
 
[YT]tkJNyQfAprY[/YT]
Tim's vision swam, and his head felt like it had been dunked in lukewarm water. He blinked as he opened his eyes and found himself in a rather comfortable armchair. He looked down and saw a small girl curled up on his lap, a book of bedtime stories lay open on the arm. A bat was emblazoned on the cover, and the title read "100 Superhero Stories of The Modern Age"

"Tim?"

Tim looked up, past the roaring fire and the christmas decorations, and into the face of Stephanie Brown. She looked older, laughter lines around her mouth, her hair longer. A wedding band was on her finger.

"You both fell asleep - honestly you're as bad as each other!" she said, smiling "Jason's just headed out to get some more milk,"

Stephanie lifted the blonde girl off of his knees and laid her out on the sofa, covering her in a blanket. Tim stood up with shaking legs, staring down at the little girl, his little girl. Steph walked over to him smiling, put her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly. Tim pulled back, eyes widening.

"Mistletoe," she said, then saw the expression on his face "Are you okay honey?"

"Oh...yeah...I'm fine," he mumbled. The doorbell rang.

"Could you get that? I bet Jason's forgotten his keys again. I'll wake this little troublemaker up,"

Tim nodded silently, walking out into the hall. It seemed like a small house, stairs leading upstairs with backpacks next to them. One of them had the hello kitty logo on it. He saw a jacket hanging off the coat rail with a police badge on the inside. He blinked and looked around again. There was a large mirror and he looked into it, gawking slightly. He was older too; streaks of grey lined his hair and was that...was that a goatee?!

The doorbell rang again. He opened the door.

"Hey dad, look who I found,"

It was almost like looking in the mirror again. Jason was the spitting image of him, except for a single white streak that ran in a line down one side of his hair. Dick and Babs were there, arms linked, along with a red haired teen who was chatting animatedly with a twenty-something Damien, adoration apparant in her green eyes. And finally, Bruce whose arms were laden with gifts, but a large grin plastered on his face. Tim stared.

"Dad? You going to let us in? We haven't caught you and Steph in the act again have we?" Jason asked, a look of mock revulsion passing over his teenage face. Tim noticed that his eyes lingered on Dick's red haired daughter for a second longer than they needed to when everyone laughed.

"Yeah...sure," he said, stepping aside.

"Gwanpa Bwuce!" a little voice hollered as his daughter came running down the corridor.

Tim's vision swam and he sagged slightly. He heard voices, calling out in alarm, and a single heartbreaking scream. Then he blacked out.


***​

"You've taken an inordinate time to get here, Mister Drake, I must say. You were very nearly late,"

827535-the_mad_hatter.jpg

"Would you care for some tea?"
 
A black glove connects with Sodam Yat's face. He falls to the ground still shouting his new creed. He gets back up, crimson covering his face, and bows before Darkseid.

"die...for...you..."

"Shall, we kill him master?"

"No, there is still use for him. Continue."
******
The Ion entity floats over the broken Oa. It swims through space watching over its home. The entity's appearance is very unsettling for the Guardians. Sodam Yat has fallen, Darkseid has risen. No more was he a mere voice preying off the thoughts of mortals like Black Hand and Superboy Prime but now he has been given flesh.

"It has begun."

"We can not remain silent for long."

"The universe must not learn about our secrets."

"No, but we must contain the threat."

"I do not believe that is an option anymore."

"Lantern Salaak? We did not authorize your audience at this time."

"Leave us."

"I serve at the Guardian's pleasure but with all due respect...NO."

"No? Salaak, you are well aware of the consequences of Lantern Gardner's insubordination."

"And Lantern Jordan, and Sayd, and Ganthet. We were just ambushed by a group of what can only be called Black Lanterns. How can you only explain there experience along with the other Corps?"

Silence

"That is what I thought. I've done some research and..."]

"You have step over your bounds..."

"Actually, I haven't. All the information that I have access is well in my clearance. The Black Lanterns chants were an easy one to decipher. The Apokolipian Devil God Darkseid has risen. Judging by the unusual cosmic disturbance in Space Sector 2814, I will assume Earth. What you fail to realize is the absolute magnitude of the situation! Darkseid's emergence has literally broken reality. There is no telling what his effect will he have on the the very fabric of space/time. Combine that with an intergalactic war. Guardians, we are looking at end."

"That will be all, Lantern Salaak."

"I am not finish."

"We have taken precautions against the the threat."

"You mean Lantern Yat? The entity has left him and all communication has ceased with him. You sent Sodam Yat to his death."

"ENOUGH!" A beam of green beam went straight for Salaak. A shield went up around him.

"Naw, I think you, poozers, are going to allow him to finish." Kilowog along with a group of Lanterns made a shield around Salaak.

"Cause when I get home from fightin' a bunch a yellow freaks for you and find my rookies dead. I want answers."

"Thank you, Kilowog. Now where was I? Oh yes, you broken the pact. The only logical explanation to Darkseid's current course of action."

"Very well, we will send a platoon to Earth to deal with the problem."

"Guardians...." The middle of room shows images of cities of Earth. Justifiers ravage through the cities, flags with the Omega symbol hang high, and in one image showing Coast City Sodam Yat is hovering in the air.

"Earth has fallen."
 
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Alfredo, M. The name was in red, written down on the large whiteboard that encapsulated the work of Gotham's Major Crime Unit. These were the murders. The cases that needed solving.

"This floor is GCPD only, Bard," Detective Sergeant Vincent Del Arrazio said as he walked past Jason Bard standing by the board.
"Where's Jo?" Bard asked, following Del Arrazio to his desk.
"None of your business," the detective replied as he took a file from a stack of folders on his desk and started leafing through it.
"You're her secondary on the Alfredo case?"
Del Arrazio turned in his seat to face Bard. "I'm her partner, aren't I?"
Bard shrugged. "I don't know, I figured she might've traded you in for a younger model by now."
Del Arrazio shook his head. "I never understood why she liked you."
The private detective smiled in turn.
"But anything you'd say to her, you can say to me," Del Arrazio continued.
Bard nodded. "Jo was thinking Valestra might've done it, the mob boss from the Met--"
"--I know who he is."
"He didn't do it."
"How do you know?"
Bard imitated two pointed ears with his fingers and Del Arrazio sighed.
"The Bat."
"Right. I visited Valestra. He was scuffed up. Bruised lip. This was in his own office, mind you. Pretty angry too. Cursed me out."
"That I can understand," Del Arrazio replied.
"If it had been him, he'd be hanging from a lamp post outside the precinct now."
Del Arrazio looked away for a second. "Thanks for letting me know."
"No problem. I'm meeting with Alfredo's old army buddies in an hour. See what they know. They're the ones who called me in."
"Keep in touch."
"Will do." Bard gave a mock salute and walked away.
 
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The night after my talk with Valestra I hit up the Gotham underworld...literally.

"A member of Salvatore Valestra's organization was killed," I tell a thug as I dunk his head into a filthy bathroom toilet.

"Who would want him dead?"

"I d-don't know!" He screams as I hoist his wet head out of the commode. He spits out toilet water and gasps for air.

"You know. How about you? You had a profitable number running business before Valestra and Alfredo come to town. They muscled into your business and made you share half your profits with them."

I shove his head into the toilet again. A gurgling sound accompanies his screams for mercy.

"I spare you when you talk!"

"Okay! Okay!" He finally relents. "Mike was muscle...but never serious muscle. He was always too busy sucking up to Sal, making sure he got outta the heavy work. But-"

"But what?"

"There was this one guy, about a year ago. He was threatening Sal and Mike took care of him personally. That was the only time he got his hands dirty."

"Did he kill the man?"

"He better have," the thug says with a shrill laugh. "****ing guy was carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Took half his goddamn face off with a knife."

"What was his name?"

"I didn't know his name, I swear."

"What else?"

"That's all I know!"

"What else?!"

".....I saw my cousin naked one time when I was fifteen!"

I drop the man to the bathroom floor and turn to leave. If this man survived, that seems to be a big if right now, then he would certainly have a motive.

Right now, this mysterious man who may be dead is my best suspect.​
 
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"That's Tim! But who are the creeps with him...?" Steph whispered to herself, she watched as the two weird men pulled out a glowing gun.

"What the---?"


Within a quick white flash, Robin had vanished, right before her.

"TIM!" Spoiler growled, leaping to the dark alleyway below. She landed with a great thump and looked up to see the two, weird men, gone.

"What's going on," Spoiler rolled back up her mask and quickly scanned the alleyway with her sharp eyes.

"Why hello there, young Spoiler,"

Quickly spinning round, Spoiler's eyes caught the sight of March Harriet, who stood before her.

March Harriet was extremely tall, and had a lot of sinister features. She held a large gun, that looked like an over-sized mallet, in her left hand. Slowly lowering it to the firing line of Spoiler, she smirked. "You could be the next Alice,"

"Over my dead body, will I ever, ever, wear a dress." Spoiler hissed.

Spoiler leaped towards March Harriet with all her might, slinging out one of her sharp, modified bat-a-rangs, that were made into the shape of an 'S'. As she felt something hard hit her in the stomach, she realized it was not a metallic bullet at all.

Groaning slightly, Spoiler took one last jab with her hand and plunged the weapon right into the abdomen of March Harriet. So, with that last force of her body, the white light had now over taken her sight completely.
 
Gotham

I started today waking up exhausted in Barbara's bed, I forgot how.......persitant she can be. Right now I'm having her research all of Two-Face's past associates from last year where; from the help of the Dark Alliance, he became one of the leading criminal bosses in the entire country nearly rivalling Intergang. He seems to be targeting all of his former associates; Warren White (a.k.a. The Great White Shark), Michael Vincenzzo, Brick (based in Star City) and others; the former three he has either killed or put into incarceration as to stop his criminal empire from spreading. I'm not sure why, Harvey has never been all there and has been known to have a major case of schizophrenia to the point where he is entirely dependant on his lucky two-headed coin. Though there still remains redeeming qualities inside, he's still a danger to thousands of people; innocent or guilty.

Barbara gave me Intel of one of Dent's under-bosses from Metropolis named Johnny Witts who claimed while he was in Gotham to be "one step ahead of Batman" until me and Bruce got him jailed into Blackgate. Since then, Witts worked undercover getting jailed by Clark before he got employed by several other higher bosses in the Metropolis area; Two-Face needed expansion and looked towards Metropolis where he made Witts his main guy over-seeing all his operations over there, tonight a mole informed us that Dent wanted to meet Witts outside the Gotham area. I watch from over head where I see Witt's and his men outside their cars eagerly waiting the arrival of their boss, who is going to try and kill them again.

"So when's the big guy going to turn up? It's boiling up here and my balls are starting to...."

"Will you guys shut up! He'll be here, now keep quiet!!"

Witts stubs out his cigarette, he never was very bright. I can tell by his body language that he's intimidated by Dent but is oblivious to what's going to happen. I see near by that a car is pulling up near them and see Witts happy to see the car as it stops by them, Witts signals one of his men to greet the people in the car; looks like Witts is smarter than I thought. On closer inspection I see that the driver is female; and that's when I notice something familiar about her. Jumping from my position I yell out to Witts as I grapple down.

"GET DOWN!!"

The confusion is apparant as the car bomb goes off and I hear bullets spring out of no where as all the gangsters get their guns out and start pointing at me, I disarm them with a few batarangs as Witts start to run in the opposite direction I grap him and take cover underneath a trash can.

"WHAT ARE YA DOING, YOU CRAZY SON OF A..."

"Most people say "Thank you for saving my life Nightwing", someone's trying to kill you Witts!!"

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"SAY GOODNIGHT YOU CREEPS!!!!!!!"

Katie Riordan, former Bludhaven police officer turned vigilante whose family were killed by gang members and scarring her for life in more ways than one. Not surprised Dent hired her. I get some string and tie Witts to a poll, keeping him for questioning later as I spring into action, jumping from my current position onto a near by car and giving Hella a spinning kick.

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"I had a feeling you weren't dead.....and as much as I hate to leave ol' Witts over there haning, I can't let you kill him!"

The kick disarms Kate temporarily but she's had training as she gets out a knife and tries to slash me, I duck under and push her to the floor. She head-butts me pushing me aside. My reservations for hurting women always get me into trouble.

"He's scum, Nightwing. Just like Blockbuster and all the other criminals you've fought here in Gotham, Bludhaven....where-ever! I have a job to do!!"

She starts running towards Witts and as I chase her I sense a bit of Helena in her and even Jason, after he came back from the dead. Maybe those two should hook up in the future, they'll make a good couple. I get up and start chasing Riordan and getting a few smoke bombs out, I manage to disorientate her as her magnum starts firing randomly. Grabbing her by the neck, I force my strength onto her throat.

"Kate, listen to me! You've got to stop doing this, is Dent putting you up to this!! He's the same as the people who killed your family, he's the same as Johnny over there!!"

"NO! HE'S DIFFERENT!! HE UNDERSTANDS ME!!"

A blade from her elbow sticks into the kevelar, leaving a minor cut as Hella throws me to the ground. Her magnum points to my face and my first reaction is to grab it out of the way as a loud shot goes into the ground, I throw her off course and trip her over while getting up; getting my batons out I put a signal to her.

"I don't want to fight you, Hella..."

"Feelings mutual..."
Her second gun fires to the ground as a small dart explodes and I start coughing, this gas is too strong and potent.

"What's....what's....happennninggggggg........"

***
Ten minutes later I wake up from the ground and see the night sky, despite the fumes of the car everything seems quieter than before but as I turn my head I see a lifeless hand on the floor. I run up towards it and see Johnny Witts' dead corpse, half burned like Hella and Two-Face's and I punch the wall. Screaming in anger, I've lost another lead and failed to save a human life. Even if he was a criminal.

"Oracle! It's Nightwing....I.....Johnny Witts is dead, I couldn't stop the hit!"

"What happened!?"

"Hella....this woman I fought a few times in Bludhaven was hired by Two-Face to kill Witts. She used some sort of knock out gas to incapacitate me. She wasn't this good before hand, she's gotten better..."

"Dick, it's alright! Everyone makes mistakes!!"

"Yeah well, not all the time! First Deadshot, then Star City.....now this!...."

I stop the moaning and instantly take a look at the bullet she fired on the ground that managed to strike me down.

"Nightwing, what's wrong? What..."

I pick it up and take a look at the formula inside; "Wait a second. I think I may have a lead on how to find Dent, I'll talk to you later. Got to go!"

I call up my bike and get on it, starting the engine I head back to the cave with a sample of the formula in my hand.

****

Somewhere South of Gotham

Hella came riding down her motor-bike on the secret location she had been riding to ever since the destruction of Bludhaven and her time in Arkham Aslyum. During that time she met a man with a similar situation whose life and body had been destroyed by criminals and was in a never ending quest for vengeance. As she got out of the bike he sat down in the shadows flipping his coin and finishing his target practice he came over to her.



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"Were you followed?"

"You know me better than that.."
She said chuckling.

"So, no more Johnny Witts?"

"Nope, and the message was clear on who did it. Half his face was burnt, and now he's the main suspect on whose been killing your guys."

"That's my girl!"
Two-Face went over to her and taking off her mask, kissed her passionately on the lips, before noticing a tear on her costume. "What happened here, I thought you said you weren't followed! And I know Witts couldn't have given you a hard time..." Hella sighed as she walked away from Harvey and sat down.

"I had a little run in with Nightwing....and..."

"WHAT!? I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T FOLLOWED!!!!"

"I WASN'T FOLLOWED, HE ARRIVED AT THE SCENE BEFORE I DID! WHAT DO YOU CARE, I KNOCKED HIM OUT AND WITTS IS DEAD!!"

"Is Nightwing dead!!?"
Two-Face asked urgently his eyes waiting eagerly for an answer.

"What!? No, why would I kill him!? He's on our side, just doesn't do enough of the right thing!"

"Are you an idiot!? Nightwing can track us down from anywhere, he's got links all over the world!! If you're going to fight him then you try and kill him, he's just as good as Batman!!! ARGH!!!"

Two-Face punched a mirror in his anger and washing his face took a deep breath before flipping his coin. Hella wasn't like the other women in Harvey's life, she wouldn't take any of his nonsense and would just wait till he was over his anger.

"I'm sorry....beautiful...it's just that....."

"What?"


"I have a feeling that, Nightwing....isn't the only problem we have right now."




Batcave

Stopping my motorcycle I leap off of it and walk around the cave with the formula in my hand.

"Bruce!?? Alfred? Tim?......." I sigh at the next name I shout out kind of hoping he won't be here, though I could use him. "....Damien?" I walk around the empty cave, not surprising since it's just gone over 11 and mostly everyone would be on patrol. Sitting down I then hear footsteps coming from the Grandfather Clock entrance as I see Alfred coming down.

"Any problems currently, Master Richard?"

"Alfie, um I need a favour to ask."

"Hm, and what would that be?"

"Well I had an encounter with Hella this woman that I fought a few times in Bludhaven, she's working with Two-Face and she used this strange chemical to sedate me. Since I'm not too great at chemistry I was hoping you could take a look and since where it comes from?"

"Well I may not be as good with these formulas like Master Bruce and Master Timothy are but I'll gladly help you sir."


Handing over the bullet with the chemical inside Alfred gets busy analysing the compounds whilst I use the computer to find traces of it to see weather or not Bruce or anyone else has had a run in with the chemical. After a while under the microscope Alfie comes back with a book on formulas and notes on what managed to knock me out.

"Master Richard, I've researched the chemical and it appears to be more or less ten years old. It has a similar formula to valium but with much more harmful chemicals intended for killing, luckily these wore off so that might be why the sedative only worked for the ten minutes you were
un conciousness."

"Huh, sounds like Hella managed to overlay it; she didn't really intend on killing me. Her target was Johnny Witts and his goons, now the rest of the Dent's old network seem to be on the run."

I type in the compound formula Alfie's written down to me as I search through the Bat Computers' history, I manage to overcome a documented file inside. Bruce encountered it once when fighting Professor Milo- the original part seemed much more deadly. Looking on Bruce's file of Milo I manage to find the selected hideout around the time he used it on Bruce, just by the south part of Gotham.

"I've got to go, I think I've managed to find a lead on where Dent and Hella are hiding out. Take care Alfie."

"Do be careful Master Dick."

"Don't worry, I will!"
I give him a smile as I rush to the motorcycle and rush into the city.

Ten Miniutes later

Speeding down the location I add to the bike's map as I get to Barbara on the phone.
"Oracle, I think I've finally found the location of Dent and Hella, I'm heading there now."

"Wait! Don't you want any help!? Hella almost killed you just a few hours ago!!"

"Yeah, almost!"

Doing my bad-ass action hero one liner, I come to a halt on the bike when I find the building. An old rusty den just two miles away from Gotham, I come running out as I kick the door down as it breaks in a matter of moments to find no one inside except for one man tied to a chair screaming in pain.

"No...please...please, Dent!....I can't....can't take anymore!!"

"Calm down! I'm not Dent, who are you and where are Two-Face and Hella!?"

"I....I don't know....they left....said something about Nightwing....are you Nightwing!?"

"Yeah." As I walk closer to him I see he's tied to the chair and there are various cuts and bruises over his body and face, the only thing inside are a few of Milo's old notes and a bloodied baseball bat. I pick it up and see that Dent inscribed it.

Like old times...Boy Wonder!!

Cute, Dent.

"Okay so what happened exactly?"

"Well first....the chick shot down Johnny Witts and his old gang...then Dent brought me here....cause I used to work for him......outside of Gotham to make sure everything was safe round these areas......he called to meet me here then wiped out all of guys and then...beat me to a pulp......said he was gonna kill me but said I got "lucky"...."

"He's still dependent on that coin.......somehow you're the only one of his old gang that he hasn't killed."

"Yeah.....but...now, he's thinking of....going after....after Senator Henry.....said the guy took bribes for him....and...stuff......."

"Yeah, always thought there was something wrong with that guy."

I look all around the room of the warehouse when I notice writing on the floor, looking like lipstick.

Just cause I've got rules, doesn't mean she does. So I'm not guilty.

Looking at the man strapped to the chair I notice something behind him, looking like an explosive.

"WAIT! DON'T...."

A massive explosion hits us, killing him as I deflect some of the impact and land on my back. Shaking my head around I see the guy that Two-Face kidnapped dismembered and bloodied, punching the ground in anger I look back at how many times Dent has doped me....like a real Two-Face. Taking into account what I just heard I get into my com-link instantly and start to talk to Babs.

"Oracle, we've got a grade A Emergency. Apparently Two-Face is trying to kill Senator Henry!!"
 
As Kara knocks the creature back, the construct pushing Megan below the ocean dissipates in a faint flicker. "Zach, cover Kara."

"I was hoping you'd ask me to do that." The young magician nods as he raises his hands and begins to speak. "Erif hctac stcesni!" He shouts valiantly, causing the constructs to suddenly ignite in a blaze.

Focusing his attention toward Megan, Conner turns toward the water and flies down into the depths after his friend. With every bit of his strength, he plunges deeper and deeper, keeping his eyes open wide as he searches intently. After a few seconds, Conner finds the martian hero floating unconsciously, her red hair waving about her head like a spectre. Using his super speed, Conner moves toward his teammate, sweeping her up in his arms and heading hastily toward the surface.

Soon, Conner breaches the ocean's surface, holding his friend in his arms as they move into the air. "Megan," Conner starts cautiously. "Megan, can you hear me?" Groggily, her eyes open as she slowly comes to consciousness.
"...wow," she says, shaking her head gently. "I'd rather not do that again."
"Good... I thought I lost you."
"Not that easily," she says with a smile. Conner lets go of Megan's body as she begins hovering, gaining control of her body once again.
"Alright, come on - we've got to help the others." Conner says as he moves to engage the constructs attacking his fellow Titans.
"Kon, wait!" Megan says, catching his attention. "Before he hit me... I got a glimpse into his mind."
"And?" Conner asks curiously. "What is he?"
"He's a member of something called the Parallax Corps."
"Parallax corps... what the heck is that?"
"I-I don't know. He broke my telepathic link before I could get anything else."

"Hmm.... Wait... wait a second. He's got a ring on his finger."
"What?"
"A ring - you know, like the Green Lanterns. They're part of a corps right? Maybe... maybe there's some kind of link."
"Maybe," she says hopefully. "But what good does that do?"
"I think I remember Superman telling me something about how the rings they use are controlled by thought alone. If this guy's ring works the same way, maybe if we could disrupt his thoughts-"
"We'd be able to weaken him and take him out."
"Worth a shot. I'll distract him, just do your thing." Megan nods as Conner flies off, heading for the alien attacker.

Moving with tremendous speed, Kon cuts through the constructs like a wild animal, knocking back the insect animations as he grows closer toward his foe. "Don't worry, guys, calvalry's here."

"Oh, good." Zach says, dodging the swipes from one of the yellow creatures. "I was worried I'd have to save the day alone."
"Sorry, Zach," he says with a grin. Conner's eyes suddenly ignite in a red fire, sending two beams of heated light past Zach's shoulder and into an approaching construct preparing to attack just behind the magician's back. As the beams hit the construct, two holes pierce clean through it's body, causing the construct to flicker and fade away. "I'd hate to steal your thunder." Zach looks over his shoulder, then back to Conner with an unimpressed expression.

"Psh, I was saving that one for you."
"Sure you were. Hey, Kara! You want to see if bugs can bleed?"
Kara watches, and realizes the constructs are coming from the ring. No ring, no constructs, same principle as a Green Lantern, really.

Kara flew at the wielder of the yellow ring at supersonic speeds. The yellow lantern attempted to throw up a shield in front of her, but it shattered against her Kryptonian strength. She grabbed his appendage adorned with the ring and tore it backwards as hard as she could. The arm broke off at the joint, and the lantern lost power gained from the ring. Starting to fall towards the Earth.

"Catch him, we need to find out what he knows."
 
"You've taken an inordinate time to get here, Mister Drake, I must say. You were very nearly late,"

827535-the_mad_hatter.jpg


"Would you care for some tea?"
He was still in the clothes from the christmas celebrations. He shuddered.

"Tetch?" Tim growled, stepping forwards to grab the little man by the lapels of his coat. He disappeared, as did the thronelike chair that he was sitting on.

"I am he," the Hatter giggled.

"So let me see if I can work this out," Tim muttered "I was knocked out by whatever that weapon was. I assume those are the new tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum?"

The Hatter nodded graciously.

"So you've set me up in some kind of artificial worlds. You've affected my mind and brought about an unreal reality. A sort of lotus eater machine. But they never worked for long...so what's the reasoning? Why bother?"

"I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, Sir, because I'm not myself you see," Tetch said with a grin.

"Ah, so that explains something. You aren't you, you're not here. You may have been controlling this whole experience from a focal point in the subconscious. You're just another artificial construct within my mind, with a given number of answers to expected questions," Tim said, looking at the grinning creature with curiousity.

"Twinkle twinkle little bat, how I wonder what you're at!" the Mad Hatter exclaimed brightly, a slight frown wrinkling his face.

"What do a raven and a writing board have in common?" Red Robin asked, a smile starting to play across his lips.

The colour drained from the Hatter's face, and he slumped in the throne.

"I...I don't...I...I don't..."

The white checkered room began to spin until the colours blurred. It started to slow down, taking on the appearance of Arkham Asylum, cell doors banging open with a crash. The party clothes changed into the costume that had recently become familiar to him. Red Robin grabbed the criminal construct from its throne and pulled him along the line of cells.

"This is my head," he said, pushing the struggling man towards the cells "Which means my rules,"

He punched him once, sending him sprawling into the cell. The door closed shut with a satisfying clang.

***
Tim opened his eyes. Steel table. Not strapped down. Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum. Spoiler unconscious.

"Curiouser and curiouser," he said, rising.​
 
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The initial impact creates a shockwave that spreads for miles in all directions, blasting apart the mounds of rubble and remains. The cloud of dust that's generated darkens the already blackened sky. The shock is enough to finally bring down the last crumbling remains still standing in Manhattan.

That's my first punch, landing squarely against Zod's jaw. He goes tumbling off into the dust-cloud, barely a speck in the distance before I close in on him, laying into the mad Kryptonian with blasts of Heat-Vision.

"What was the point of this?" I say as I grapple with him in mid-air. "All the worlds you've destroyed, all the people you've killed....what the hell were you trying to prove? What were you trying to accomplish by doing this?"

"What was the point?"
Zod asks mockingly. "Foolish little boy; the destruction itself was its own point. That is all our powers are good for, Kal-El, all I am capable of or interested in doing. I've ground entire strata of reality into the dust, burned whole civilizations in your name, all because I didn't have you to destroy."

With that, he breaks free of my grip, and lands a shattering blow that sends me tumbling into the upper stratosphere. He gives chase, striking me in the gut with his knee, then bringing both fists down into the back of my neck. The explosive pain sends my senses reeling.

When I've regained by bearings, I'm speeding towards the ground like a meteor. I'm able to correct my course just a few feet before impact, but before I can climb back into the sky, Zod drives his foot into my back and sends me crashing into the dirt.

"Now you're here, strong enough that I can fully take out all of my hatred on you. And I have enough hate for you to last a hundred thousand lifetimes and more. We can fight across the cosmos, for all eternity if I choose."

He prepares to land another blow, but as he winds up, I throw him off and counter with another punch to his face.

"We don't have all eternity, Zod--we probably don't even have the rest of the day."

I gesture up to the rifts in the blackened sky, the gaping wounds in the fabric of time and space that only grow wider.

"Our actions are tearing everything apart, and I mean everything. By coming back through the Source Wall, tearing across different realities where we don't belong, we're causing these rifts. If we don't stop, if we don't get back to our home universe, it will tear apart the whole of reality. Every universe, every multiverse, is in danger now."

Zod sneers, and rattles me with a thundering flurry of punches.

"Bringing down the entirety of existence in battle with the spawn of my most hated enemy. I can't think of a better way to die."

"Well I can,"
I say, stopping his charge and hurling him into the distance.

Before Zod can return, I scan the wreckage of the city for any sort of weapon that could give me an advantage. This planet may not have anything as immediately effective as Kryptonite, but it did have a population of superheroes, some of which were even able to hurt Zod from what Spider-Man said. Maybe some of their equipment is still usable.

In the ruins of Dr. Richards' skyscraper, I see two things that catch my attention.

The first is a shield made of some metal that my X-ray vision can't penetrate. I focus on it with my microscopic vision and see it's made of some wild element that I don't think exists in my universe, but isn't too different from Thanagarian Nth-Metal. I recognize it from my first trip into this universe, from the man injected with all the super-soldier chemicals, the leader of the group that apprehended me after fighting the Hulk.

The second is a hammer, the same one the Viking-looking man had. Spider-Man said that he was able to hurt Zod with it, even though it looks like nothing more than common wood and metal. That probably means magic. And on a world with no Kryptonite, magic will have to do.

"KAL-EL!!!" Zod shouts as he streaks across the sky, his voice full of rage.

"Still here, Zod," I say, equipped with my two new-found weapons. Here's hoping I can put them to good use.

jlaavengers4.jpg


"Let's finish this."
 
Sector 3599
An Unknown Planet


This far into space, the planets don't have names. The colonising types don't want to venture into this territory, being so close to the unchartered, unsectored depths of the universe. The Manhunters, and worse, lurk beyond those borders. Fear reigns strong here.

But I'm here. I've spent my time travelling from one barren, nameless world to the next, looking for some sign of my son. The monster known as Kryb, a member of this Parallax Corps, has stolen my son. And she has him somewhere in this sector...

As I arrive in this new planet's orbit, I'm greeted with something I haven't found much of in my search thus far: readings from my ring of sentient life. I land, and it's not long before I find the lifeforms.

"Good God...."

Babies. Dozens of them, from a whole range of species. All of them trapped in pods of some kind, with tendrils seeping up from the ground and hooking into their skin. One of these children is my son. One of these children is Martin! I need to find him, I...

"How dare you!?"

I'm blasted off my feet by a burst of yellow energy. I land hard on the ground, try to roll with the impact, and turn to face my attacker. It's a hideous, hulking hag of a creature, with four arms and a giant cage growing out of my back. Kryb.

"You violate my sanctuary! My home! My children!"

"They're not your children!"

"LIAR!"

Kryb lunges, landing on top of me, pinning me down with its four hands. Try as I might, no matter what will I muster, I can't break free of it's grip. I can't get out! My son is trapped, in this creature's clutches, and I can't get out! My ring won't work! I can't...

"You're afraid."

And I realise she's right. That's why my ring is failing me, because my willpower is failing me. I can't help it. My son, I... I'm giving in to fear.

"No one is fearless. Everyone is afraid of something, and in the face of that fear, their willpower crumbles. Prepare to die, Lantern."

A yellow construct of a giant axe forms over my head, ready to decapitate me. My son! I can't leave him like this! I have to do something! My ring is weakened, so I act on instinct. My arms are pinned down, but Kryb is close enough that she obviously isn't expecting what I do next. Lunging upwards, I bite into her throat.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

The shock and the pain breaks Kryb's concentration, and the construct vanishes. She stands, writhes, swings around, but I keep my teeth clamped down in a vicelike grip, rotten black blood spraying everywhere. The more determined I get not to let go, the more I feel myself glowing with that green energy once more, willpower engaged on a primal level. And in constrast, Kryb's aura weakens, her mastery of fear giving in to feeling fear herself.

And so she should. She tried to take my son from me.

"NNNNNNNNNNGLLLLLLLLLLLFUUUUUUUUUHHHH!"

With a guttural, muffled roar, I bite down the rest of the way, biting through the remaining flesh of her throat and tearing her jugular clear out. Kryb collapses, twitching, as I spit out the putrid mass of flesh in my mouth in disgust. With black blood dripping out of my mouth, smeared all over my face, I watch the abomination bleed out on the ground in front of me.

My heart is pounding in my chest, the adrenalin coursing through my veins. I turn my attention back to the babies, and the adrenalin all too quickly cuts out when I see it. When I was blasted off my feet, I dislodged one of the pods from its roots, severing the baby's connection with whatever was being pumped into it. I can see it, it's a baby, a little blue skinned baby. And that baby's screaming, oh God, it's screaming. It's in agony, it's skin rippling and bubbling as if its insides are being torn apart. What can I do, how can I...Jesus, oh Jesus! It's melting! It's skin is peeling, its falling in on itself.... it's disintegrating before my eyes! I don't even know what I'm doing as I break into the pod, trying to scoop it out and watching my fingers sift through its rotting remains. Why is it still screaming? WHY IS IT STILL SCREAMING?

And then, it's gone. Nothing but a bubbling mass of goo. I sit there on the ground in front of the ruptured pod, dumbfounded. Then I throw up, sobbing through the last dribbles of vomit seeping out of my mouth. What just happened? I look at my blue-stained hands, and I retch again. I stagger to my feet, trying to walk it off. What just happened?

I stagger through a network of pods, walking through a nightmare. Did being disconnected from the pod do that to the baby? I raise a trembling hand towards the nearest pod.

"Ring. Full biological scan of the lifeform inside this pod."

<LIFEFORM IS BRAINDEAD. ALL INTERNAL ORGANS, INCLUDING BRAIN, HAVE BEEN DISSOLVED INTO A MUSH OF NUTRIENTS, CHEMICALLY COMBINED WITH THE FORMULA BEING FILTRATED INTO THE BODY. ANY ATTEMPT TO DISCONNECT FROM THE NETWORK WILL RESULT IN STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE. SUSTENAINCE PROVIDED BY NUTRIENTS WITHIN THE POD, AND BY THE MILK OF THE LOCAL LIFEFORM, KYRB.>

"What?"

I cast a guilty glance over at Kryb's corpse.

"What if Kryb can't feed them?"

<THE END RESULT WILL BE DEATH BY STARVATION.>

So take these children out of the pods, and they die a slow, agonising death. Leave these children in the pods, and they die a slow, agonising death. That's no choice. That's no choice....

And then I see my son.

He's one of them now. One of these mockeries of life, one of Kryb's "children". What kind of "mother" would do this? I think about this as if it's an abstract idea, as if it's someone else's child this has happened to. I don't even realise I'm sobbing inarticulately at first, and when I do, I know that it's because this isn't someone else's child. It's my child, my boy. I kneel down in front of the pod, place my hand on it, and in a choked whisper, ask my ring the same question, already knowing the answer.

"Ring...... Full biological scan of the lifeform inside this pod."

<LIFEFORM IS BRAINDEAD. ALL INTERNAL ORGANS, INCLUDING BRAIN, HAVE BEEN DISSOLVED INTO A MUSH OF NUTRIENTS, CHEMICALLY COMBINED WITH...>

I don't listen to the rest. I press my head against the surface of the pod, and let out a deafening wail that reverbates through the barren silence of this world, of this God forsaken sector of space. I don't know how long I lie there, how long I cry and scream and tear at my hair. But after a while, I am quiet. I raise my head off the pod, looking down at my son as I kneel beside it. My ring cuts a perimeter around it, and gently, I lift off the roof of the pod. I place my hand on my son's head.

"Hello, Martin."

Of course, he doesn't recognise me. He stares vacantly, mindlessly through me, his eyes looking at me but not seeing me. Not anymore. I wonder if he even feels any sensation as I gently run my hand along his cheek. It still feels like his skin.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I will love you for the rest of my life."

Softly, I kiss my son on the forehead. Fresh tears run down my cheeks as I say the one word I can't bear to hear escaping from my lips.

"Goodbye."

A blinding flash of light escapes from my ring, a concentrated beam that instantly vaporises everything within the pod. Martin Jordan died quickly, and painlessly.

I don't scream this time. Inside I am, of course. But I just stand in front of the smoking pod, numb, absorbing the enormity, the finality, of what I've just done. And I'm ashamed to say it, but the first thought that springs to my mind is the lie I'll have to tell Carol. I just killed my own son. I look around at the sea of pods. Dozens of innocent babies, snatched from loving parents and corrupted by a vile monster.

"God help me... I have to kill them all."
 
I can't help but smile as Wally and Barry hug. I know it's been a long time since Barry sacrificed himself, and Wally's moved on. But he always blamed himself for not being there for Barry, and a part of him always wished it had been him instead. I don't know how Barry is back, and for the moment I don't really care. I'm just glad he is, for his sake and Wally's.

And the last thing I want to do right now is interrupt the reunion. But, there is a world to save, after all. I put my hand on Barry's shoulder, partly to get his attention, and partly to make sure he's real. "Barry, I'm glad your here. Especially now. I think we could use the help."

"Don't think that's gonna be necessary Jay. I think we've got them turning tale." Ted and Stargirl land, and Ted points up to the sky. I look up and see dozens of red and yellow lights heading higher and and away from the city. And a number of green lights, and a few members of the JSA, follow.

I breath a sigh of relief. I just wish it was over. "Ted, gather up the Society. You two, come on. We've got a couple of cities to clean up."

"Well, let's get to it, Jay."

I speed off through Central City, reparing park benches, replacing light bulbs, putting out fires, and even picking garbage up from the streets. I haven't really had a chance to slow down since I came out of the Speed Force, and it looks like I'll have to wait awhile longer before I can get down to the mystery of my return.

Suddenly, something comes to mind. I stop in the middle of fixing a car's flat tire and activate my commlink.

"Green Lantern? Flash here. Did you get to the bottom of...well, you know, that thing with the baby?" I ask Hal cryptically.
 
Red Robin stepped over the unconscious bodies of Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, towards the Mad Hatter, who had taken to cowering in a corner.

"What gives you liscence to go poking around in my head," he growled.

The tiny buck-toothed man quivered in fear. Out of the corner of his eye, the costumed hero could see a looming shadow creeping up behind him. Without bothering to look, he raised a fist into March Harriet's face, knocking her to the ground.

"Try as hard as you might, all you are is a discount version of Harley Quinn," Red Robin said coolly, before turning back to Tetch "And you aren't even that,"

Tim punched him once, just above the eye, then cuffed the villain. He pressed a button on his communicator that dialled the police, before moving towards Spoiler.

"Steph? Steph, wake up,"
 
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