"In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?" –Saint Augustine
Justice League: Reign
Chapter 1 – Welcome to Gotham
'Ten years ago today, on December 21st, 2012, we tore ourselves from the jaws of annihilation. Ten years ago today, the human race united as one for the first time in history. Ten years ago today, we defeated our first and—God willing—last alien invader.
'352 days prior to V-T (Victory-Terra) Day, it arrived. First came the darkness, as it eclipsed the sun over New York. Then, it opened its one red eye and from its form rained millions of its children. By the time the United States government had responded, over half the East Coast was lost to the invader's thrall, each innocent victim's identity surrendered to a sickening star mask.
'Aliens existed. Our understanding of humanity and our role in the cosmos had changed forever. We had no weapon that could defeat the invader. It brushed off a dozen different nuclear warheads like they were flies. New York City was lost to excess radiation. Millions of people died. That was just the beginning.
'Israel's Prime Minister dubbed the invader, "The Devil." Many of the world's leaders addressed it as such. We knew better. The Devil has a sense of humor. The invader only had its mission: the enslavement of the human race. Perhaps in spite, fear, or even defiance, we refused to lose our sense of humor, declaring the invader, "Starro." The name stuck.
'After almost two billion human beings were assimilated into Starro's consciousness and thus killed, after dozens of cities and a handful of countries were lost to nuclear holocaust, we emerged victorious. How? How had the human race—one so proud, yet so fragile—come out on top? A hero arose, and led us to salvation.
'Alexander Luthor swore that he would win the war in less than a year. 352 days later, he did. The details of V-T Day are still kept classified, but the one thing we all know is that a satellite bearing the LexCorp logo burst through the air on that snowy December morning and destroyed Starro in one beautiful blue burst of light. We had won.
'Under the newly elected President Luthor's guidance, the rest of North America and Greenland joined the United States. Much of the world followed America's lead, as smaller nations merged with their larger brethren, and allies united under one banner. The United Nations became the World Parliament, a global congress.
'However, this piece exists not merely to recount our history, nor do I intend to bring back memories of lost loved ones. Everyone has someone to mourn, but that's not what V-T Day is about. It's about celebration. Thanks to President Luthor, since the war ended, the United States has become a technological titan, developing at a far greater rate than any other country in the world. Thanks to President Luthor, we have escaped the tyranny of the newly discovered nations of Themyscira and Atlantis with the help of The Silver Wall, which—to this day—keeps the United States safe from outside interference. Thanks to President Luthor, we live in prosperity once again.
'So, eat, drink and be merry. Enjoy today, the greatest holiday in human history, granted to us by our magnificent leader.
'Happy V-T Day!'
"Great Caesar's Ghost…" whispered a hefty man with a mixture of disbelief and anger as he finished his fourth read-through.
Perry White ran his hands over his face, took a deep breath, and then clicked 'send.' A powerful hand clasped down upon his shoulder. Perry winced and looked up, red faced.
"That's it. That's the last thing I'll write for him," Perry declared.
His angry gaze was met by a blank plexiglass mask. Its owner chuckled, rattling the assault rifle strapped over his shoulder. The trooper was dressed in standard LexGuard gear: a full body black Kevlar suit emblazoned with a US flag on one shoulder and a green LG on the other.
"The President won't be happy to hear that," the trooper teased, "He really likes you, White."
His fellow soldier snorted. Perry grimaced.
"I'm glad," he said sarcastically. Standing, Perry continued, "I've written enough flat-faced propaganda for that man. I'm done. Consider me retired."
"You know what the President will say, won't you?" the second trooper asked.
Perry slipped on his jacket. His gaze darkened as it fell to the floor. As if with great difficulty, Perry sighed deeply and looked up at the trooper.
"Yeah. I'll keep my mouth shut," he resignedly said.
The troopers merely laughed derisively in response. Perry headed for the door, but just before he could reach it, they stopped him again.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" the first trooper said.
Perry swallowed, clenched his hands into fists, and crossed his right arm over his heart. He turned toward an enormous picture on the wall of a handsome bald man, who smiled toothily back at him, as if amused by his frustrated obedience.
With the utmost venom, Perry said, "God bless America. God bless Lex Luthor."
…
A battered speedboat rose and sank with the tide just outside of an enormous pipe. Sewage flushed past 'The Queen's Gambit,' and sank to the ocean floor. The boat's three occupants had their noses plugged to block out the smell, but that didn't stop one of the sea-fairers from gagging at the sight of the sludge.
"How much longer is this gonna take, Winn?" asked the red-haired twenty-something, whose thin frame shivered at the freezing ocean breeze, even under layers of clothing.
"Just another couple minutes…I hope," the youngest man, Winn, added with a whisper, as he intently focused on the computer in his lap.
"Well, hurry up. It's freezing out here…" the ginger replied, shivering as he blanched again at a new round of sewage.
"You can wear my coat, if you'd like, Jimmy," said the oldest of the trio, who stood half a head taller than even the lanky Jimmy Olsen.
The ginger looked at his longtime friend with mixed incredulity and shame. Clark's face may have been protected by a thick black beard and a mane of shaggy hair, but he wasn't wearing much below his neck. He had a couple layers, certainly, and it wasn't like he was wearing short sleeves, but still…
"You've only got a sweater on under that jacket. Keep it. I'll be fine," Jimmy admitted. After a brief glance at the enormous wall that extended from the top of the pipe to as far as the eye could see, the ginger quickly muttered, "We sure this is a good idea?"
"Nope," Winn immediately replied, just as Clark said, "Yes."
"That's reassuring," Jimmy grumbled.
"It'll all work out," Clark began, placing his hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "Luthor's forces won't think to look for us out here. The minute Winn shuts down their firewall, we'll be able to send our article—"
"Your article," Jimmy interjected worriedly.
"With your pictures, Jimmy," Clark continued, "And it'll go straight to Redbird—"
"Who we still don't know," Jimmy admitted.
"But who's proven himself an ally of the rebellion time and time again. He'll be able to do what we can't, and publish the article on every website, all across the country, potentially even worldwide. The word will get out about Luthor's misdeeds, about his lies. We can win this war without ever throwing a punch, or firing a gun," Clark said, his blue eyes twinkling beneath his thick glasses. His words were laced with genuine optimism, and Jimmy couldn't help but feel a little more hopeful.
Even still…
"But if they find us," Jimmy pushed.
"They won't."
"But if they do. I mean, we're in Gotham City. This is Luthor central!" Jimmy argued.
"If they find us," Clark sighed, "We'll act accordingly."
Anger was now bubbling up inside Jimmy. His friend's constant optimism had quickly gone from endearing to irritating. He was acting stupid!
"And do what, Clark?! We can't fly away!" Jimmy shouted.
Silence. Clark's expression darkened, and he looked away. Jimmy immediately felt ashamed of himself. Clark wasn't an easy person to offend, so what he'd said must have really struck a chord. He had to have been thinking it, though, right? Clark couldn't have been that naïve? Or was it something else?
"Um…guys, I'm done. All I have to do is click 'enter,' and The Silver Wall's…er, firewall will come down and we'll have access to the Internet," Winn explained. He turned his gaze toward Clark. "Last chance if we wanna back down."
Without looking up, Clark said, "Do it."
As Winn hit 'enter,' a loud hum echoed over the city. What they couldn't see from their position behind the wall was that all of Gotham had blacked out. The city was without power.
"Shit! Something is wrong. The Internet's down," Winn said, typing furiously. "It must be tied to the firewall, or…"
"Jimmy…" Clark quietly said, staring up at the sky. "Get us out of here!"
"Clark…" Jimmy began. He followed Clark's gaze, and saw a golden spotlight up in the clouds.
"NOW!"
Jimmy muttered something incoherently as he hurried over to the driver's seat. He twisted the key, but the boat merely sputtered.
"No no no no," Jimmy said, getting louder with each word. "Come on!"
Suddenly, they could hear a loud 'SHOOM' as something flew toward them from the other side of the wall.
"Jimmy!" Clark yelled.
Jimmy twisted the key again, and the boat roared to life, zooming away into the sewers. As they swerved between pipes (Clark forced to sit down due to the sudden twists and turns), the water level began to rise around them.
"What the hell…?" Winn muttered, having since shut his laptop. "The water wasn't this high when we came through, was it?"
The boat suddenly lurched to a stop. Clark opened his mouth to scold Jimmy, but cut himself off when he saw why the young man had stopped. In the distance, a wave soared toward them. Someone was flooding the sewers.
Jimmy began to slowly reverse their speedboat. The wave got closer and closer. Winn's eyes widened in fear. Just seconds before the wave would have crashed into them, Jimmy managed to turn the boat and send it racing off down a different pipe. However, they quickly discovered the rising water levels were the least of their worries.
"There's something swimming towards us," Clark said, looking out the back of the boat.
Winn shook his head in disbelief. "That doesn't make any sense. What would…oh."
Clark was right. An enormous shadow tore through the water like it was nothing. Even worse, it was gaining on them.
"Jimmy, can this thing go any faster?" Winn asked.
"I'm pushing her for all she's worth. What the hell is going on?" Jimmy demanded, forced to keep his eyes on the piping in front of him.
"There's a…a thing behind us," Winn stammered.
"A thing?! What type of—"
"A crocodile," Clark and Winn said simultaneously.
"A—WHAT?!" Jimmy exclaimed, swerving right.
They were half right. The beast swimming towards them indeed had dark green scales and razor sharp knives for teeth, but it was shaped like a man. The monstrous humanoid even wore black pants that began to tear under the strain of the sewage.
Clark frowned upon noticing the croc's muscular arms and legs. "It looks human."
"One of Luthor's experiments?" Winn wondered.
"Who cares what it is—we've got to kill it!" Jimmy said, taking a second to slide back the flare gun with his foot.
"We are not going to murder anyone or anything!" Clark demanded, as Winn picked up the flare gun.
"I don't think we could if we tried anyway," Winn said, looking down at the small contraption.
"Do something!" Jimmy demanded.
"Too late," Clark whispered.
The beast was upon them, leaping out of the sewage toward the Queen's Gambit. It bit right through a chunk of the beam, forcing Clark and Winn back. The techie raised the flare gun. Before Clark could stop him, and upon the croc's second jump, he fired.
The flare burned into the beast's skin, causing it to sink back in the water for a moment. It roared with pain, and glared at Winn with its dark, yellow eyes. The young man gulped.
The croc swam toward them faster than ever. It would reach them in seconds, despite Jimmy's impressive handling of the maze of piping.
"Don't give up. Find a way to publish the article," Clark said, standing up.
"Sit down!" Winn shouted, the boat rocking as Jimmy turned it. Clark merely grasped the edge of the boat, and bent his knees.
Winn began to pick up on Clark's motives. Panicking, he stammered, "N-no, Clark, you can't—"
Clark gave him a stern look that spoke volumes. Winn shrunk back in acceptance. The croc reached jumping distance. Clark readied himself.
"What's he doing—?" Jimmy quieted when he heard a splash behind him.
Clark had just tackled the croc out of the air and into the sewage.
"NO!" Jimmy shouted, slowing down.
"He—he wanted us to leave him," Winn said, looking regretfully back at the chaotic splashing behind them.
Jimmy shook his head. "We can't just…"
"He'll be fine."
Jimmy and Winn both looked around to discover the source of the new, deep voice, but couldn't see anyone. They turned back to the splashing. Crimson blood had begun to seep into the water.
Jimmy mouthed, "No."
Suddenly, four shadows dived into the sewage.
…
Just minutes ago, Clark had been caught in a hopeless battle against the croc-man, who he now realized was wearing LuthorGuard sweats. The beast also sported a metal ring around its neck, one that looked suspiciously like a shock collar.
The croc-man was on its home turf, Clark could tell. He didn't stance a chance. However, that didn't stop him from fighting. He needed to give the others enough time to escape. So, he kicked and beat at the beast, even as it tore through his skin with its claws. Eventually, the croc managed to bite through his clothing and into his forearm. Clark swallowed water as he tried to scream, feeling bones break under its teeth. This was it.
Or so he thought.
As Clark's vision faded, four shadows crashed down upon the beast and into the water. He saw flashes of light, and suddenly the croc-man lay limp and floated to the surface, still breathing. Gloved hands roughly gripped his shoulders and pulled him out of the water. Before he knew it, he was back on the Queen's Gambit being resuscitated.
Clark coughed out water and gasped for air. He blinked twice. He must be dead, or at least seeing things incorrectly. That chiseled face, the rugged scruff, his dark blue eyes and pitch black hair…it couldn't be. The man who had saved his life, who stood above him, looked just like Bruce Wayne.
"I can't believe it…" Jimmy muttered incredulously, as Winn remained speechless. "You're…you're Bruce Wayne. But you're…"
"Dead?" the man finished, turning his intense gaze to the ginger. "There's a lot you don't know."
"W-why…? Urgh—how?" Clark grunted, as one of Bruce's three young lackeys wrapped a tattered black band tightly around his wound.
"All in due time," Bruce said, kneeling down beside Clark.
He gently pressed against a point just above Clark's collarbone. Suddenly, everything faded to black.
Thanks to Sonny Daye for motivating me to try something a bit different, a bit darker than my usual cup 'a tea. I've been tossing around this idea for a while now, and I'm glad I've finally gotten to it.
Please drop a review if you feel like it. It would mean the world to me.
'Til next time!