Hi! everyone. Ok first of all thank you for even bothering to look into my fanfic. I hope I won't disappoint. Thank you to NHWS for giving her permission to borrow some of her ideas. You may find it similar to her fanfic Superman and Wonder Woman in The End of Days which is a really good read by the way, but I promise mine is a very different story. Thank you also to my beta-reader Raziel777 and to my friend Annesan Aka Anne for giving me her support and just being helpful. I really hope you guys give this story a chance. I'm open to questions and criticism but please be professional. Enjoy. Oh, and before I forget this story is on wattpad.
2040
"People of earth, today we celebrate the day we defeated the organization known as the Justice League. A backward organization that slowed down our progress. However, with the establishment of the One Earth Government, the human race has thrived far beyond its capabilities by removing its weaknesses and flaws. Exterminating those who are weak. Rejoice in our birth as a perfect being of creation!" addressed Commander Atticus to his crowd of cheering spectators.
The man wearing a gold and black armor levitating in front of what was the remains of the Hall of Justice grinned at his supporters. He lifted his hand to give him room to speak amongst their cheering.
"But our great civilization is in danger from the great enveloping cosmic dark that is the universe and it's our duty to stop this danger from inflicting our world. We need to spread our ideals to the stars and beyond. Only then can we truly be safe. So, I am pleased to announce that today we will begin our campaign of cleansing the universe from it's filth and usher it into an era of greatness,"
The crowd's cheers turned into roars and the grindings of machines were heard as behind their commander, tall, gleaming rockets began to emerge from the ground. Each one carrying the crest of the New Earth Government which was the earth with the words 'order' in front of it.
Among all the brainwashed 'devotees', one man stood not one bit amazed. This man had a bitter look on his face. When the cheers were getting too over the top, the man turned away. The regime soldiers that stood guard gave him a questioning look but nevertheless they let him out. After all, who would suspect that this frail old man in his seventies could do much harm? It's not like he's the Batman.
No, Batman died 5 years ago.
But Bruce Wayne didn't. He was still alive and as well as a senior citizen should be. Bruce trudged through the streets of Washington staying close to the shadows and avoiding the authorities at every moment. The atmosphere changed from the bustling city to the slums filled with the homeless and needy, victims of the cruel tyranny.
Finally, he reached his destination which was a flight of stairs that leads to what was once a metro station. He walked a few miles underneath until he reached a blocked out tunnel.
"Open up, Ben," shouted Bruce.
The door opened and it revealed a hideaway for the so-called 'resistance', equipped with basic amenities, a small lab, and large computers that monitor the city.
" Left too soon, Bruce," said a young man in his 20s who was watching the monitors.
"Nothing new except he wants to add the whole universe to his empire," grumbled Bruce.
The man called Ben turned his chair to look at Bruce. " So, what's the plan?"
"I told you the only real chance we got is to find an Olympian,"
Ben huffed. "Bruce, we've tried and tried but those gods aren't probably on earth anymore,"
"You don't get it, kid. The Olympians are connected to the earth. Even though, that Olympians denies it. With the way everything is going things are not getting better. Only worse. The Olympians won't stand idly by and watch their power crumble. There's got to be one down here," said Bruce determined.
The doors behind them open and a young woman with red hair walked briskly to them. Her face itched with urgency.
"Bruce, the Olympians you're looking for. I might found one of them,"
Bruce gave Ben his famous bat-smirk. He rolled his eyes "You're right again. What a surprise," he turned his chair back, facing the monitor.
"Where?"
"I heard from the streets that a peculiar lady likes to visit a bar down Maycomb Street and order a jack and coke. So, I went and investigated. I managed to take some pictures of her. Look!" She brought out her camera and showed the pictures. The lady in question was wearing a peacock patterned frock and had her hair done in an elegant manner. This was definitely Hera.
"Nice work, Jen," complemented Bruce. For the first time in years, Bruce felt hopeful.
Bruce entered the establishment. It was dark and it smelled musky. After braving through some drunks, he made it to the bartender.
"What's your poison ?"
"Whiskey,"
In no seconds flat, the bartender passed him his drink. As Bruce downed his drink, he scanned the area for Hera. He finally laid eyes on her, sitting by herself in a booth, drinking a Jack and Coke. He finished the drink and went over and took a seat opposite her.
She rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm flattered, but you can't keep up with a woman like me ."
"You're not my type," stated Bruce plainly. "I'm Bruce Wayne and I can fix this mess,"
Hera's eyes widened in curiosity. "And I thought he's long gone. Faked your death, didn't you ?"
"An unrecognizable body burned by the fire. That bastard wouldn't know the difference." Bruce remembered that day. He leads him to a warehouse. The battle that happened caused the building to catch on fire. He planned it through and through. Even creating a body that looks just like him with his DNA to avoid suspicion. It worked and to Commander Atticus' delight, the bat is dead.
She played with the drink in her hand."Is that any way to refer to your former protege," teased Hera.
"He stopped being my protege when he killed his parents!" snapped Bruce. His face darkened. "We should've dealt with him when we had the chance,"
"Well, it's not like you could do anything even when he was a child, he's a monster. With that temper of his. That brat always thinking himself a cut above the rest of us. He's worse than Apollo. Too bad, Diana couldn't see past the good boy illusion, "
Bruce cursed Diana. Damn her. He was angry at her for loving that monster. Even when he acted up, she was always forgiving. At least Clark could see how dangerous he was but Bruce was mad at Clark too for conceiving Atticus while still having the doomsday virus in his body. He just couldn't wait. However, they both paid for their carelessness and ignorance with their lives. Bruce was a witness to their death at the hands of their son and by damned they will be avenged.
He continued,"And now we all suffer the consequences. I might be able to end this but I need your help,"
"Olympus is dying with the instability of earth, our domains weaken so have our powers and ...immortality," Hera showed her hand which was wrinkled and coarse. Not soft and delicate like it once was. "There is little we can help,"
"I don't need your help precisely. I need your father's,"
Hera scanned his face and came to a conclusion. "You want to time travel, don't you? And what? Kill him when he's a child?"
"Preventing his conception to be exact,"
Hera let out a curt laugh. "Father is tame with what Hades had done to him. He'll send you back in time if we told him to. "
"So, you'll help ." asked Bruce, his voice still deep but sounding hopeful.
"Yes. I will but you need to go to the sisters of fate first. Even I know that tampering with the timeline has dire consequences ." said Hera, her old aura of power returned for a moment.
Bruce nodded understandingly." I see. Alright then. Take me to them,"
Bruce and Hera appeared in front of an ominous cave surrounded by the ocean in nowhere. It radiated a mystical feeling of the unchanged past, ongoing present and unknown future.
"Well, go ahead then. Go in," said Hera pointing to the cave's entrance.
"You're not following," he said as he grabbed a torch that hangs from outside of the cave.
"You're the one that wants answers. I'm only here as your vessel," stated Hera plainly.
Bruce entered the cave and walked briskly with the torch illuminating his way. He stopped when he reached three tunnels.'Three tunnels. The Past, Present, and future, perhaps, thought Bruce wildly.
He finally chooses the third one as he needs a correct solution to save the future. He walked the length of the tunnel and at the very end, he saw a light and a silhouette of a woman. Bruce found himself in a room. It had a gothic vibe about it with the low light and victorian furniture. There was also skulls hanging on the walls. He hoped it was only for decoration.
In the middle of the room, there was a table with four chairs and one of the chairs was seated by a hag of a woman. She appeared blind but that's when Bruce remembered the fates share an eyeball.
"My sisters and I have been expecting you," said Klotho, the Moirai of the future. "Sit," she pointed to the seats opposite her.
Bruce took a seat. "I'm only expecting you? "
Just as he finished the sentence, the two other sisters appeared on the chair, Lakhesis and Atropos.
Klotho clasped her hands together. "Now, we can begin. What brings you to us ?"
Bruce saw that the eye on the table moved and was staring right at him. " The earth and her people are suffering under the cruel tyranny of Commander Atticus. We can't stop him now in the present but we can stop him in the past. The only way would be to prevent his conception from ever happening, isn't it ?"
Bruce waited for one of the fates to respond. Lakhesis, the Moirai of past grabbed the eyeball on the table and put it in her eyes socket.
"The birth and conception of Atticus Kent, son of Kal-El and Princess Diana must always happen. It is a fixed point in time. If you were to change it then it would be dangerous," declared Lakhesis.
Bruce's face was grim. "Then, what should I do,"
Atropos grabbed the eyeball from her sister and put it in her own socket. " If you go back in time your actions would make, his fate lies in an ...uncertainty. He has the potential to be both good and bad,"
"How does that help ?"
"It would better to have some hope of goodness in him rather than none at all. Our current Atticus lacks any from the beginning. However, heed my words Bruce Wayne, in order for the light to prevail a beacon must guide his way so he will not toil and fail,"
Bruce analyzed the cryptic words of the fates. He thought Atticus was unteachable but now the fates were telling him that if he were to go back he has a slight chance. Judging from what he has seen of him, he doesn't like the odds,"Anything else I should know?"
"Ask Hera about the well of souls she might ...enlighten you," explained Klotho. She then disappeared in a flash followed by her two sisters.
Bruce was left alone in the room, questions plagued his mind. He retraced his steps and returned back to the entrance of the cave. Hera stood facing the sea, her arms crossed.
"What did they say ?"
Bruce sighed. " Turns out I can't prevent his birth because of some fixed point in time,"
Hera snickered."Tough,"
Bruce turned to face her, eyes narrowed. "But they did say I should ask you about ...the well of souls. What about it ?"
Hera's teasing smile dropped and she finally faced Bruce eye to eye. "The well of souls is a place where the souls of dead come to rest ." She sighed. " I once thought that I could temper the beast inside of him by imparting a good soul inside of him.
"A beacon?"
"Yes, or you would say... an antivirus that can help combat the evil but ... it was too late, he was too deep in his destruction. If only I had known earlier," Regret filled her face.
Bruce blinked. This is the first time he had seen the Goddess humbled. It seems ... human. However, it might not be too late if they go back in the past, he thought. "Your plan might still work. If I travel back in time to when he's a baby, the good soul might still be able to influence him. Start him off young,"
The smug look on Hera's face was back. She crossed her arms and beamed. "Always have a plan, don't you, Batman ."
"Thanks. It's my trademark," said Bruce in a serious tone.
2015
The piercing sound of his wife's scream echoes throughout the palace. The man of steel was pacing outside her chambers. Feeling anxious and terrified at the same time. Hippolyta had banned him from the birth because 'childbirth is sacred and no man is to bear witness'. Hearing her crying out in pain, there is no place he would rather be but by her side. Clark knew Diana wants him to be there too but now all he can do is wait in agony.
He sighed. Clark had all the reason to worry. Throughout the pregnancy, Diana had been weak. She lost a lot of weight and became unnaturally pale. Clark did not like to believe it but he fears the baby is the cause to all of this Like a parasite, absorbing all her nutrients.
Get a hold of yourself, Clark!
What kind of father would he be to think his own child as a parasite?
Just then, Diana's screamed at her highest and longest. The sound made his heart tremble.
And suddenly all was quiet. The pregnant silence did not sit well with Clark. He marched to the door and barged inside the room but nothing prepared him for the scene that followed.
Midwives were in a mad frenzy bringing towels, pails of water and such. In that chaos, they were paying no mind to him. He stepped forward to the bed where Diana was. He staggered backward and gasped. Blood was all over the place. Staining her once pristine dress. Mostly in her vaginal area. Her face was deathly pale no longer the usual olive color. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to her but a hand on his shoulders stopped him.
"Clark, you shouldn't be here. Go away. We can deal this," urged Hessia.
"W-will she be okay?" stammered Clark.
"We will do our best. Have faith ."
Clark then remembered his newborn child. " What about the baby ?"
Hessia averted his eyes and sighed. "He's in the adjoining room with Hippolyta ."
Clark rushed to the adjoining room that was meant to be the baby's nursery. He's a father now, to a son. Clark always knew but he didn't tell Diana as she wanted it to be a surprise but why was Hessia so downcasted. Was his son sick too?
Clark peered into the room and saw Hippolyta looking down at the crib. She did not bore the expression of a proud grandmother instead she looked angry.
He went over to them and in his crib, he saw an infant with red eyes, gray skin and an exoskeleton of spikes on his body.
The spawn of doomsday.
It all make sense now. No wonder, Diana was so weak during her pregnancy. She was not carrying a normal child.
"The child came out screaming, looking like this ...heinous creature. It nearly killed her." Hippolyta's voice was full of spite. "He won't be accepted anywhere. Killing him would be merciful,"
She was about to unsheath her dagger on her side when Clark blocked her way to his son. His eyes burning with protectiveness for a son he did not love but all the same, he is still his son.
"No! Don't do this!"
"You don't know anything, Clark. Our oracle, Hellene dreamt of your son killing you and my daughter when he comes of age. Her dreams are never wrong and judging by what I saw it's the truth,"
A chill ran down his spine as Hippolyta tells of the prophecy. He looked at the child and saw that there was every possibility that the child would grow up to be just as Hippolyta says with his doomsday like form. Besides, he almost killed Diana. However, Clark couldn't bring himself to kill a baby even though the baby brings with him death and calamity. It was his way. Superman's way.
He looked back at Hippolyta and hoped that his humanity wouldn't fail him in the end.
"Be that as it may but it's still a living, breathing child. Don't blame him. If it's anyone fault it's mine. I was the carrier of the doomsday virus. I went to Diana and we conceived him while I still had the virus," reasoned Clark with pleading eyes.
She glared daggers at him. "Tssk. Just like a man to allow his lust cloud his judgment. Weak,"
"Yes I was weak so please don't make him pay for my mistakes. He's your flesh and blood too, Hippolyta," pleaded Clark.
Hippolyta glance over to the sleeping infant. He was stirring in his sleep as if he was having a bad dream. She can't deny that the baby was indeed a victim of circumstance but the haunting prophecy lingers inside her mind. "If I don't your safety and Diana's safety is in danger. What do you propose I should do?" challenged Hippolyta.
Clark thought for a while and concluded the most viable option was to separate. "Give the baby to Hephaestus. He'll accept anyone and make sure he's in check,"
Hippolyta nodded. "Very well. We will say that he's stillborn. Let's hope we won't see him again," she left the room coolly without uttering another word leaving father and son alone.
Clark suddenly felt something touched one of his fingers. He looked to his hand in the crib and saw that the gray hand of his son was grasping his index loud voices had probably woken up the child. He didn't pull away instead he lets him enjoy the first and last touch of his father.
"I can't do anything for you now. The only thing I can do is to give you your name. Your name is Atticus Won-El Kent. You're the son of Diana and Clark Kent," the baby gurgled and grasp his fingers tighter.
"But...we can't take care of you. I'm sorry," Clark pulled away his finger roughly from his son's grasp and he cried immediately, wanting his father's touch again. Clark paid no heed to his cries, his only concern was his wife. He left the room, shutting the door behind him.
In the crib, baby Atticus cried by himself with no one to comfort him from the harsh and cruel fate of his birth. Since day one, Atticus was all alone.
Bruce walked down the dark corridors of the Mount Etna, Hephaestus, and Hera leading the way. A few hours ago, he had successfully time traveled to 2014 by using the help of the Titan of Time. The old Titan was far from a Titan. So weak and poor. It was fortunate that he still had the power to transport him through time.
Convincing the Olympians was another story. It took a while but thankfully with the seal of the queen of Olympus, Hera gave him, they believed his story They brought him to the well of souls and Bruce picked out the soul he wanted for Atticus. He chose Jonathan Kent's soul. The good man Clark was or is in this present is because of this man. He hoped that Jonathan can guide Atticus the same way he did for Clark.
They stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor.
Hephaestus opened the door to reveal a nursery with soft colors, filled with everything a baby would need, toys and such. A change from the gloomy ambiance of the forge.
Bruce couldn't help but feel amuse. "Nice motif," he commented.
Hephaestus grunted. "I've been providing for male babies for years,"
"Where is the child?" asked Hera.
Hephaestus pointed to a crib at the corner of the nursery. The trio stepped forward taking a good look at the occupant who was whining and moving his arms all around. Hephaestus explained how just before he was given away, his appearance changed from a gray little monster to a seemingly normal Kryptonian-Amazonian baby. Even so, he looked like a normal baby, Bruce could feel he was anything but normal.
"Poor child. Abandoned. Never to be loved," said Hera as she gazed down upon Atticus.
"Much like I was, mother," stated Hephaestus flatly.
Hera cast him an annoyed look. "Oh, get over it. It's been a thousand years,"
Bruce cleared his throat. " I think we should start,"
Hephaestus nodded. " Very well then. We'll leave you be. Come, mother,"
The two Olympians exited the nursery, closing the door behind them. As if on cue, Atticus started to cry.
Bruce sighed. " I see you got your daddy's timing," said Bruce as he brought out a glass jar. The jar was filled with wispy gas and if you could hear closely you could hear the voice of Jonathan Kent.
Bruce looked at the jar and then at Atticus who was crying his head off. "I hope this works," with that he opened the jar. Jonathan's soul immediately went inside of Atticus' body through his mouth, ceasing his cries. When all the wisp was inside, Atticus calmed down a bit but he was still crying softly.
Bruce gathered him up in his arms and gently rocked him back and forth while wandering the ongoings of Jonathan's soul in Atticus' sub-conscious.
"HELLO IS ANYONE THERE!" hollered Jonathan Kent. He sighed when the only sound he could hear was the echo of his voice.
A few moments ago, he had ended up in this dark and empty realm. The how and why he didn't know. He tried walking to see if anything is around but found currently nothing. "If this is hell then somebody has to step up their game," commented Jonathan
He sighed and continued walking to where. He didn't know. He only hoped he'll find anything that can make sense of this emptiness. Suddenly he heard a sound that sounded like a baby crying ."What in the world?"
The source of the voice came from his right. From afar he could see a bright area. At that area, a dark aura of blood red wisp was hovering over a crib. Without a second thought, Jonathan rushed to the crib.
As he approached the crib, he noticed the wisp flowing away from him as if he was a repellent. He swatted away the remaining wisp that was hovering the mysterious baby. As the last of them flew away, he shouted out. "Good riddance,"
The ongoing cries of the baby brought him out of his little celebration. "Oh, sorry, little ..." he picked up the baby and checked under the blanket "...fella. There, there. It's okay. I got you. I got you. You're safe now," cooed Jonathan as he rocked the infant gently.
The child ceased his crying and looked up to the kind man's eyes with his fist in his mouth. Jonathan looked back and smiled. The baby's bright blue eyes reminded him so much of Clark but he had some traces of exotic features to him also. And then, it clicked. In that moment he knew exactly, his reason to be there.
"Atticus..."
Jonathan brought him closer to him and kissed the top of his head. He readjusted his grandson so that he was facing him by supporting his head with his hand and the other hand, supporting his tiny body.
He stared deeply into his eyes not once letting the smile leave his face. "Hi, Atticus. I'm not gonna lie to you. Your life won't be a picnic. That's because you're different but you don't have to be ... separate from them. They can reject you, fear you and hate you but don't let them make you a monster. Repay them with kindness and you won't ever be detested,"
Atticus gurgled and reach out to touch his cheek. Jonathan laughed "Yeah, I'll help you. You could always come to me if you're in trouble,"
Jonathan brought him closer and whispered,"Whatever you will be. I know one thing for sure. You're gonna be...very, very strong,"
"Good luck, little hero,"
