Prologue
The devastating toll the battle had taken was made apparent during the brief respite. Thousands of para-demons laid lifeless on the grounds that once flowed in the green hues of nature. It was now drenched in blood, sweat and the tears that fell from the remaining members of the Justice League as they remembered their fallen comrades – Aquaman, Cyborg, Huntress and so many more. But mourning would have to wait as the skies echoed loudly with the thunderous boom indicating Darkseid's arrival.
The fight was left to the more powerful of the remaining League – Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Black Canary, J'onn Jonzz, and the Green Lantern Hal Jordan. Yet none of them were able to do much more than breathe heavily and grimace in pain as they tended to their wounds: Wonder Woman had a broken left arm and collarbone which was not healing as quickly as she would have liked and needed; Batman had three broken ribs and a concussion; Flash was fast running out of energy and the cuts that were scattered across his legs were slowing him down tremendously; Green Lantern would probably lose his right eye and his ring was down to twenty percent power; Black Canary was nearly voiceless having unleashed her scream more than she could ever remember; and J'onns' telepathy was useless on the para-demons with the wound across his scalp showing no signs of closing anytime soon.
Darkseid approached: no emotion or thought evident on his stone chiseled face: "You have done well Earthlings, but it will not be good enough. Scores of para-demons are ready to converge on this planet and devour it to its last breath. Have you anything to say before you perish into the dust which riddles this planet?"
Batman began to laugh – a laugh that Darkseid considered to be one of desperation: "You laugh as the final moment draws near? Perhaps your bravery has dwindled and you realize the finality you are about to face?"
Batman continued to laugh, pausing between breaths to tighten his arms around his torso to prevent his ribs from hurting more. When his laughter subsided, he took a step back, looked Darkseid in the eyes and stated: "Actually, I laugh because the 'help' just arrived and he is not going to take kindly to you trampling his planet."
The Justice League members gawked at Batman, wondering if his sanity had snapped. Darkseid could only snicker, his lips forming a grimace that seemed out of place on the stone like skin upon his face: "There is nothing and no one that could…"
Before he could finish his words, the skies erupted in fire. All eyes moved to the heavens as the invading armada seemed to disappear from thin air, with only the wisps of smoke and small debris remaining to tell the tale of their presence. Darkseid's eyes roamed the skies looking for the cause of the disturbance, only to be met with blue cerulean eyes staring into the dark depths of his. The air displaced by the newcomer blew the League members back like tumbleweeds and forced Darkseid to actually step back from the sheer force.
The new presence glided effortlessly to the Justice League, back turned to Darkseid. Darkseid was amused; never had one been so arrogant and stupid to turn their back on the New God. He wanted to see how this would unfold, a new player in the game with the planet in the balance. "Took you long enough to get home," said Batman. "Sorry about that, didn't know there was trouble. I was about 10 light years out when I heard of the attack – news moves slowly in the Universe, great distances and all," stated the man. He was dressed in a tight fitting black suit that appeared to be made for stealth and grace while showing off a physique that left little to the imagination; a silver emblem resembling a stylized S sat upon his chest with a cape to match; his hair was cut short yet an unruly lock of hair sat upon his forehead; and his eyes were bluer than the purest of sapphires. Batman nodded, "Fair enough. Think you can handle this while we tend to our wounds?" "Shouldn't be a problem; I'll probably have to move up to 40% for this though, so steer clear for a few seconds," replied their flying savior. "40%? You haven't powered up to that level since…well ever," stated Batman in shock. "Well, better safe than sorry. I don't plan on staying here for the battle as it will just make things worse." Batman nodded and commanded the Justice League to fall back. His stare and tone were not to be taken lightly and since he knew more than they did, the League complied. They fell back about 20 yards but still within sight of Darkseid and the newcomer.
As the newcomer turned to face Darkseid, he took a moment to look to the horizon. It appeared that he was in a trance, frozen at the horrors he was seeing. But more than that, he was scanning the entire planet, trying to understand the scale of the damage. "You have done a lot of irreparable harm to this planet and I cannot allow that to continue. Do you have anything to say in your defense before judgment is rendered upon you?" Darkseid smirked even greater than before – a vision so ghastly that it would be seared in the minds of the League members for years to come. "I am Darkseid, the New God of the Universe and I am judged by no one. Tell me human, who are you to dare talk to me in that manner?" "The name is Kal-El and I am the last Kryptonian in this Universe. This planet is under my protection and for the atrocities you have committed, I will indeed be both judge and jury." "Kryptonian you say? Well, that is a surprise but nothing that can't be dealt with. Even on your best day, you are no match for me. I have lived for a thousand years and have conquered many more powerful than you could be. It will be a pleasure to kill you."
Kal-El's arms fell from their position across his chest to his sides. "You know what is special about Kryptonians? Besides their intellect, their bodies can absorb solar radiation. The more powerful the star, the more powerful the Kryptonian; red solar radiation makes us comparable to a human; yellow radiation makes us thousands of times more powerful; power from a blue star, well, let's just say cracking planets is child's play. But you want to know what is more intriguing than any of that?" "Is there a point to this babble Kryptonian," replied Darkseid. "Not very patient are you? Well, I'll just get to the point – you see the longer a Kryptonian absorbs solar radiation, the more powerful he becomes. And while I may not look it, I am very, very old; older than you in fact, with time to absorb not just yellow solar radiation, but solar radiation throughout the Universe." And without waiting for a reply, Kal-El shot forward, grabbed Darkseid and flew out into the cold recess of space.
"I couldn't even follow…I mean, they just disappeared," cried Flash. Batman smirked, "You were the fastest man on the planet Flash." "You mean he has access to the Speed Force as well?" "No, his ability is all within him, a product of his genetics and natural abilities." Flash stood there flabbergasted, not sure how to respond. He had believed that nothing was faster than the speed force, and yet this new comer had not just passed but leaped beyond that. "How is that even possible…?"
Batman knew they would all have questions and while he had some answers, most would have to come from Kal-El. Wonder Woman stepped forward, her arm having almost fully healed, "Will he be able to battle Darkseid or are we just biding our time?" Batman stared up into the sky, his fingers coming to the side of his cowl as if answering an incoming transmission, "Copy…will you be at the usual place?" he questioned. With a nod of his head, Batman looked to the League, "Darkseid has been dealt with. He has been placed within the Source Wall and should not be an issue for the foreseeable future. I know you have many questions and I will answer what I can. But if you want to know more, you will have to talk to Kal-El. What he stated is true – he is the last known Kryptonian in the Universe." Hal was about to interrupt but Batman put up his hand, "His existence has been kept secret, even by the Guardians at Oa. Very few will have heard of him and for good reason. You see, as he stated, Kryptonians absorb solar radiation, similar to how humans do but with much, much more efficiency and with the ability to use that radiation to enhance their capabilities. What makes Kal-El so different, and the reason for which his existence has been kept secret, is that he is over 3000 years old."
The League members stood with mouths wide open, in awe and in confusion of what they just heard. "You mean…" Wonder Woman started. "Yes, he is older than most civilizations here on Earth, even older than your Themyscira. Ask your Gods about him and watch their response. Kal-El has been here on Earth since he was an infant. His father and mother sent him out into space to save him as their planet, Krypton, was dying. In the aftermath of the explosion, his space vessel was caught in a temporal anomaly caused by the planet's collapsing core. Instead of coming to Earth during the 1960's as his parents had planned, he ended up on Earth around 1000 BC. Needless to say, he has been absorbing solar radiation for over 3000 years – he is, for lack of a better word, immortal and more powerful than anything we could imagine."
The League members were at a loss for words. Nothing made sense and yet they had witnessed it with their own eyes. Batman started to move forward, "If you want more answers, follow me." "Where are we going?" asked Wonder Woman. "To the moon…" was all that Batman said.