Disclaimer: DC owns the characters within, not I.
"Hello?" Barry called out as he stuck his head inside the darkened room in front of him. He tried to recall if he had ever seen a light switch in the room and fumbled around next to the doorframe until he felt for one. Finally, his fingers traced the outline of a switch and he flicked it. After a couple of seconds, the realization hit him that nothing had happened. "Weird."
Barry fumbled into his pocket to retrieve his phone for some light. After getting his flashlight app pulled up he shined it into the large room in front of him. The reflection of the light bounced back at him from the many computer screens lining the back of the room. Barry swallowed the anxiety that was rising in him and he stepped fully into the room.
"Bruce!?" Barry called out in such a loud voice that it echoed and it caused him to recoil a bit. He absentmindedly ran his hand along the big table in the center of the room as he passed it. He furrowed his brow and looked from side to side. He was supposed to be meeting Bruce to do some more training and his absence and the state of the place was starting to worry him.
Barry made his way to the computers on the edge of the room and looked around for any sign of anything. He wasn't really even sure what he was looking for, but at this point, he was at loss for what to do. He shined his light along the wall and stopped when he saw a crack in the panel that led to one of the many secret rooms in the mansion. He inched over to it and fumbled around with the edge of the door for a couple of seconds before he began to slowly pull it open.
Barry considered himself a fairly intelligent person. He knew the situation screamed of a problem. However, as a newfound superhero, he also felt that his gut instinct to turn and run was not the appropriate one in this situation. He stood in the doorway looking down the long hallway in front of him with spots for each of the team's gear and suits along the walls on the opposite of each other. Barry walked over to the case wherein one of his suits lied waiting and ready.
"Oh man... oh man..." Barry's heart normally raced anyway, but now it was doing laps around his chest. He turned his phone around and dialed Bruce's cell phone number once more. Just as the many times before he got no answer. Barry cursed under his breath and resumed using the phone for light. He considered his suit for a moment and then shook his head before continuing on down the hallway.
Barry considered how he had the feeling you got as a kid when you snuck into someplace you weren't supposed to be. Only now the innocence of sneaking into a movie you didn't pay for was replaced with the gravity of snooping around a superhero team's base of operations with no clue what was going on. He reached the end of the corridor and was surprised to find that a door that usually required a code to enter was wide open.
"That can't be good," Barry said to himself as he wiped his hand on his pants to get the nervous sweat off of them. He slipped inside the door and turned to look at it. That was when he felt his heart sink a little. The door had been forcibly pulled open as was evident from the bent steel. Oddly enough it appeared it had been done so from the inside.
Barry shined his light into the room and saw that it was a spiraling staircase leading down like something you'd expect to see in an old English castle. This was the moment of truth and Barry knew it. In the horror movie you go down the stairs and you die. It was always that cut and dry. He craned his neck as far as he could to look down the steps but saw nothing but darkness.
"Okay... okay..." Barry began to pep himself up. He held his phone up and began to dial Bruce again. He jumped when he heard a musical tone coming from the bottom of the stairs. It ceased when he pressed end on his phone. "B...Bruce?"
Barry turned and went back in to retrieve his suit from the glass case in the previous room. He had it on in a millisecond and was back at the top of the stairs. His speed burst had come to a screeching halt as he considered the stairs once more. He got his phone and dialed Clark. He figured it would be best to have some backup. After a few rings, it went to voicemail and Barry sighed.
"Come on, Barry... just check it out," Barry spoke in a whisper. He considered running at super speed but was not sure what was around the corner and didn't want to run blind into a wall or worse. So he slowly began to descend the steps. He paused momentarily at the bend in the staircase and then with a deep breath rounded the corner. He saw a room at the bottom of the steps and a large door standing open leading into it.
Barry considered the thickness of the door and the panel next to it. It was then it occurred to him that this was where Bruce was likely keeping the boxes. He knew they were somewhere on the property but did not know where. He wasn't sure anyone other than Bruce knew. Barry walked down the last few steps and made his way across the hall until he reached the open door.
"Bruce?" Barry found his voice and called out into the room. Maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do but at this point, Barry was still hoping for the best. As he feared he got no response. He took a step into the room and heard a crunch under his foot. He looked down to see he had stepped on a smartphone. Barry swallowed a lump in his throat as he reached down and retrieved it. He clicked the button on the side to confirm it was indeed Bruce's as he saw the many missed calls in the notifications coming from Barry's number.
Barry stood up and shined his light into the room. He saw in front of him the platform where he suspected the boxes would be kept. The problem was that the glass was smashed and they were empty. The anxiety that Barry had swallowed earlier was coming back up big time now as he tried to slow his breathing. He shined his light around the room but saw no sign of anyone. He took a couple absentminded steps backward and nearly slipped.
Barry looked at the ground to see he had stepped in a pool of something. A quick shine of his light catching the red reflection told him all too well what it was. Barry turned to exit the room and stopped. His eyes widened as he saw what was waiting at the bottom of the staircase.
(****)
Aquaman breached the surface of the water just enough to where his eyes were above it. He looked around before his gaze settled on his target. A large yacht docked in front of him. Not just any yacht either, the yacht he'd been spending the better part of the last few months looking for. Aquaman glanced over at a large warehouse nearby and saw lights coming from the windows in it. He slowly made his way out of the water and up and onto the pier.
Aquaman assessed the area. It was not the type of spot you would expect to see such a luxurious yacht docked at and as such, it looked terribly out of place. He glanced around at the warehouse and then the surrounding area. The place was actually pretty secluded as it was located down an inlet that eventually fed into the ocean. The warehouse appeared to be the only standing structure that he could see. The rest of the terrain was trees and overgrown grass.
Aquaman took a couple of steps down the pier and stepped behind a nearby tree. He considered his next move. He reached into a pocket on his suit and pulled out the device that had been given to him by Bruce. He pressed a few buttons and within seconds it was dialing him. He waited for several moments but eventually gave up and pressed end. He furrowed his brow as this was the first time he had been unable to reach Bruce with the device. He weighed it in his had for a moment before slipping it back into his pocket and zipping it up.
Aquaman gripped his trident tight and took a deep breath before he spun around the tree and began to jog over to a nearby row of barrels. He ducked behind them and was hit with a strong smell. He winced as he glanced up at the barrels to see them glowing with some green sludge. He felt anger as he assumed that it would somehow end up in the water. He glanced around to see what appeared to be a fire escape on the side of the warehouse.
Aquaman made his way over to the ladder leading up the fire escape and with ease, he climbed it and was making his way up the rickety steps as quietly as his large frame would allow. He reached a window at the top and stopped. He pressed himself up against the wall and listened to see if he could hear anything. He heard nothing from the open window and he glanced around at the area one more time before sticking his head into view of the window.
The boot that hit Aquaman under the chin was one he never saw coming. He felt it though and felt an even more distinct pain when his back crashed hard on the muddy ground at the bottom of the fire escape. He groaned in pain and opened his eyes. He looked up to see Deathstroke leaning out over the top of the fire escape and looking down at him. Within seconds a sword was coming down fast at him and he managed to roll clear and with the help of his trident he got to his feet.
"Snooping around?" Deathstroke asked as he landed on the ground and pulled his sword out of it.
"Curiosity," Aquaman responded as he readied his trident in his hands.
"You're not a cat... but it can kill you nonetheless," Deathstroke said before he moved in with a slash from his sword. It was blocked and Aquaman countered with a sweeping up motion from his trident that hit Deathstroke in the stomach and pushed him back a few steps.
"Been tracking you for a long time..." Aquaman commented with a point back at the yacht. "So this is where you have been hiding out?"
"No... not hiding out," Deathstroke responded before attempting a spin kick that Aquaman managed to dodge out of the way of. They both squared up once more. "We are just stopping by to pick someone up."
"Really?" Aquaman questioned.
"That's right," a voice from behind Aquaman caused him to turn and see Lex Luthor standing in the doorway of the warehouse. "This someone... is a rather nasty guy... not the friendly type."
"Well... he and I might hit it off then," Aquaman responded as he looked back and forth from Luthor and Deathstroke.
"Oh... well... let's see about that shall we?" Lex replied with a grin before he took a sip of a drink he had been holding in his hand. He then nodded over to Deathstroke. Aquaman watched as Deathstroke took a few steps back, sheathed his sword and crossed his arms.
"I don't know what's going on... but you two are..." Aquaman stopped when a loud groan from behind him caused his words to catch in his throat. He knew he should turn and look but he was finding it hard to do so. He glanced behind him to see just a silhouette emerging from the woods behind him. The sheer size of whoever was approaching him gave Aquaman pause. He was unprepared for the sight of him though. "What in the..."
(****)
Bruce opened his eyes and immediately a wave of pain hit him between them. He closed them tight once more before trying once more. He focused his vision and looked in front of him. Nothing he saw made any sense to him. It was as if a waterfall was flowing directly in front of his face distorting the images. He strained his vision to see if he could see through it. It was then he realized his hands were bound above his head. He glanced up to see they were firmly affixed to a bar hanging from the ceiling.
Bruce started to call out but thought better of it. It was then he noticed something to his left and he glanced over to see he was not alone. Victor was hanging next to him in a similar predicament. Bruce took notice that he had his eyes open and appeared to be staring straight ahead.
"Victor...?" Bruce spoke in a voice loud enough to only reach it's intended target. There was no response. Bruce considered the state of his teammate and it became evident he was under some sort of trance and was unresponsive to anything. Bruce looked around once more and grew even more frustrated as he could not see anything in front of him. He wiggled his hands and started to writhe around a bit. Pain shot through the back of his head and he blocked it out.
Bruce stopped when he heard something from the other side of the waterfall in front of him. He could make out movement as it appeared that someone entered the room. Bruce squinted once again as he tried to make out anything. All he saw were glowing red orbs that he could only assume were eyes based upon the position they were located on the figure. Bruce felt his pulse quicken as who or whatever it was approached them.
The figure stopped in front of him and stood still for a few moments. Bruce felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead and rest on the edge of his nose. Something about whomever it was that was mere inches from him sent a feeling of dread over him the likes he had never felt before. He had no idea why but he felt relief when the figure moved over to stand in front of Victor.
Bruce watched as a large gloved hand reached through the waterfall and rest on Victor's chest. The hand was large enough to almost completely obscure his torso. Bruce glanced up at Victor's face to see his expression remained unchanged. Slowly a grimace began to form on his face. Bruce frantically glanced from Victor's face to the hand on his chest as he tried to ascertain what was happening. He looked up once more at his shackles and then turned to see the look on Victor's face was one of pure agony now even though he was making no sound.
"Hey!" Bruce shouted at the hidden figure inflicting damage on his teammate. The hand left Victor's chest and disappeared on the other side of the waterfall. The figure moved once more in front of Bruce. He felt his pulse quicken as the hand breached the flow in front of him and began to make its way towards his chest. He tried to sink back as much as he could but felt the wall behind him. "Who are you?"
There was no response save for the gloved hand making contact with Bruce's shirt. Bruce expected the same the Victor got but was surprised when the hand pulled at his shirt and yanked him to where his face was right up against the flowing substance in front of him. He saw the who or whatever was on the other side had lowered his head to be just on the other side of the flow. He could feel the hot breath from it breaking through and bathing his face.
"You are the guardian of the Motherboxes?" A deep voice jarred Bruce as it spoke. Bruce wasn't sure what to speak, all he knew was the feeling of dread was overtaking him again. He felt the grip loosen on his clothing and he swung back into place in the middle of his and Victor's enclosure. After a few seconds, the waterfall in front of him stopped and he got a clear look at who had captured him.
"Wh... wh...who..." Bruce searched for words as he considered the appearance of the behemoth in front of him. Glowing red eyes, deep stone grey skin from the parts that were not covered in blue armor.
"I am Darkseid," was the response.
"What are you doing here?" Bruce questioned.
"I have come for what rightfully belongs to me," Darkseid responding as he pointed across the room at the three boxes floating alongside each other.
"No..." Bruce said quietly as he tried in vain once more to break free from his constraints.
"How can one so weak be the guardian of such power?" Darkseid questioned as he watched the struggle. "There must have been others?"
"What are you going to do?" Bruce asked as he ignored Darkseid's musings. Darkseid made he way over to the boxes and turned his back to Bruce.
"You shall see," Darkseid responded.
(****)
"I don't like this..." Diana said as she looked around the darkened room in front of her. She glanced over at what she could make out of Clark standing next to her.
"Me neither..." Clark replied.
"Why is the power out?" Diana asked.
"I don't know..." Clark responded before nodding at the end of the room at open door leading to the secret rooms behind it. Diana started to move across the room but Clark reached over and took her by the arm to stop her. "Wait."
"What is it?" Diana questioned, turning back to him. She could see he was using his abilities to scan the area for trouble. After a moment he disappeared from in front of Diana's view. She looked around the room and saw him emerging from behind the secret panel with Barry in his arms. She raced over to them. "Barry..."
"He's hurt pretty bad," Clark commented as he glanced down at the limp body in his arms. His armor was broken in many places including half of his mask being ripped off.
"Come on," Diana said as she motioned for Clark to follow her into the nearby area used as the medical bay. Clark entered the room after her and placed Barry down on the bed.
"We got to get power restored," Clark commented as he glanced around. He watched as Diana fussed over Barry and began to remove his suit. He winced as he saw the blood start to stain the white sheets beneath his body.
"Hurry Kal..." Diana said as she looked up and made eye contact with him. He nodded.
"I'm going to go out and see if I can see what knocked out the power," Clark said as he backed up to the doorway. He hesitated, glancing around the room.
"Go... we'll be okay... just get the power on so we can treat him," Diana stated, sensing Clark's anxiety about leaving them.
"I'll be right back," Clark said before disappearing out of the doorway. Diana turned her attention back down to Barry. She placed her hand on his neck to check his pulse. It was weak, too weak for her liking, and very weak for Barry. Diana made her way over to the cabinet nearby to retrieve some bandages off of it. She brought them over to the bedside and began to open them.
A noise from the main hall next to her prompted Diana to freeze. She looked up at the darkened doorway and tried to make out anything. She saw nothing. She heard distinctive noises now. Footsteps. Diana dropped the bandages and moved quickly to flatten herself up against the wall beside of the doorway. She clenched her fists as she waited for whoever it was to enter.
As soon as the source of the footsteps made its way inside the doorway Diana acted quickly by grabbing him by the throat and taking him down to the ground. She heard him moan with an audible cry as he hit the ground and she was immediately hit with a blinding flashlight in her eyes which she recoiled from.
"Miss Prince?" The recognizable voice came muffled as Alfred Pennyworth struggled for air with Wonder Woman's grip around his throat.
"Alfred?" Diana responded immediately loosening her grip and helping him to his feet.
"Yes... what is going on here?" Alfred asked as he massaged his sore neck. His eyes made their way over to the bed nearby with Barry lying on it. He turned back to Diana.
"We don't know... Kal and I found the place like this and he found Barry like that," Diana said as she made her way back over to continue to dress Barry's wounds. Alfred moved over to help her.
"What about Bruce?" Alfred inquired. "I have been unable to reach him all evening and that's why I came over."
"We don't know... Kal is outside trying to restore power so we can treat Barry and try to find answers," Diana replied.
"Who could have done this to him?" Alfred asked as he looked at the state of the fallen hero in front of him.
"I don't know..." Diana replied as she gestured over to a nearby table with scissors and tape on it. Alfred understood and retrieved the items for her. Just as she got them in her hands the lights came on above them. Within seconds Clark was in the doorway to the room.
"Alfred..." Clark addressed the older gentleman before he made his way to his side.
"Clark," Alfred responded.
"Downed power lines out back... it gets worse..." Clark said as he turned his attention to Diana.
"What is it?" Diana questioned.
"There is a large crater... something landed out there and I guess it made its way inside here," Clark explained.
"And did this to Barry?" Diana questioned as he turned her attention back to his wounds. She glanced around for the objects to prepare him an IV.
"How is he?" Clark asked.
"Not good..." Diana responded. "He should be dead."
"He heals fast... that must be keeping him alive," Clark supposed. Diana nodded. Clark turned to Alfred. "Can you come see if you can get anything on the computers?"
"Right," Alfred agreed as the two left the room and made their way into the main area and over to the rebooted main computer. Alfred sat down, and he immediately clicked on a notification bar in the bottom corner of the large screen.
"What's that?" Clark questioned.
"It appears that Arthur attempted to call in," Alfred responded as he pointed at the log in front of him.
"When?" Clark asked.
"About an hour ago now," Alfred asked.
"See if you can locate anyone," Clark said as he turned and made his way back into the room with Diana and Barry. She looked up at him upon entering. "Do you have a way to contact Arthur?"
"I do..." Diana responded as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She pulled up a special app that Bruce had installed and then handed it to Clark. "Just press that and it will ring to him."
"Okay..." Clark said as he pressed it and then held the phone up to his ear. He watched as Diana went about continuing to treat Barry and hook him up to various machines. After a couple of moments, he removed the phone from his ear and handed it back to Diana.
"Nothing?" Diana asked.
"No... I don't like that," Clark replied.
"Found something!" Alfred's voice from the other room prompted Clark to turn and run back to him.
"What is it?" Clark asked.
"It's a who..." Alfred responded. "It's Arthur... he's the only one I could find, but I used his phone to trace him."
"Okay... where is he?" Clark questioned.
"It appears he is in the middle of the woods on the outside of town... near the river that feeds into the bay," Alfred responded. Clark nodded. He glanced back to see Diana standing in the doorway listening.
"Alfred... can you take care of Barry?" Clark asked, turning his attention back to him.
"I've mended many of Bruce's wounds over the years," Alfred responded.
"Okay..." Clark replied. He turned back to Diana. "Let's go see if we can find Arthur."
(****)
Bruce watched as the three Motherboxes began to fuse into one in front of Darkseid. After a few seconds they combined and there was a large glow coming from them. Bruce closed his eyes and turned away as there was a large explosion from the boxes. Bruce felt himself get slammed back against the wall behind him. He lost his breath as he opened his eyes to see Darkseid standing with his back still to Bruce, he was seemingly unphased by what had just happened.
"What have you done?" Darkseid questioned as he stuck his hand into the boxes in front of him and pulled one away from the others. He examined it in his hand before turning slightly to look at Bruce. He then turned his attention back to the box in his hand. Bruce watched as a red beam shot out from his eyes and the box in his hand disintegrated. Darkseid then turned back to Bruce. "Answer me!"
"You'll never get the other one," Bruce replied as his ruse of having a replica box had been discovered.
"I will..." Darkseid countered, his voice low. He walked back over to stand in front of Bruce. "Or I'll tear apart this planet to find it."