A/N Say hello to my summer project! With my academic schedule this year running to a close soon, I thought I'd go and start up a new story. This is again focussed around the Justice League, but the way I'm going to take the characters means there may be a bit of OOC stuff depending on your personal ideas of the characters. As always, please leave a review, I love hearing what people think!
'We are not going to achieve a new world order without paying for it in blood as well as words and money' – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Washington DC. The Capitol Building. Newly sworn-in President Alexander Luthor Jr. gives an address broadcasted to the entire globe.
"My fellow Americans, people of the world, today is a day that should embody the concept of security. With the recent tragic events on American soil, we were given an all too bitter reminder that no-one is above the law, not even the Justice League. Their members have been left unchecked for so long and now we finally see the results of such a poor judgement call."
Luthor cracked a small smile. "However, I am pleased to announce that these much needed regulations are here. Effective immediately, all 'heroes' are to report to the Office of Meta-Human Regulation for briefing on the new laws. We will not let those with extra-ordinary abilities run rampant in our cities, endangering civilians with their recklessness. Now, I'd like to invite someone who will be the first to join this new Executive Office, Batman." Luthor stood aside, smiling triumphantly as Batman, with his ever-present stern expression, stepped in front of the camera.
"For too long the Justice League hasn't had any failsafe. We've just been trusted to do our job. Not only does the Office of Meta-Human Regulation have rules we must follow, but has contingency plans to bring them down in the event that they start endangering innocent lives. We will not allow the people of the world to suffer as collateral damage. You need to be safe, you need to be protected, but you also need to know who's protecting you, which is why I'm standing before you today."
5 MONTHS EARLIER
"This is Lois Lane, reporting live from the Washington Memorial. It is absolute chaos here; Laser beams are flying through the…" She ducked to avoid a hulking body falling through the air. "It looks like the Justice League is winning against Darkseid's parademons, they seem to be forcing a retreat. Look, there's Wonder Woman!"
Wonder Woman pounced on the parademon as it landed on the grass. It raised its weapon but not before she landed a thunderous blow to its temple, knocking its head sideways and smashing it on the ground. She stood up, gave a modest nod to Lois and flew back into the air.
"Situation report?" Wonder Woman said, pressing the com-link in her ear.
"We're handling it," said Batman, dodging a laser blast from three parademons at once. "Flash and I have the ground forces from the east, Lantern and J'onn have the south and you and the others take the main forces closing in around the White House."
"Understood" she replied, turning north towards the presidential residence. She landed just inside the perimeter set-up around the building by the National Guard, backed up by several other Justice League members.
"Wonder Woman!" General Luceno shouted, beckoning her over. "We may be pushing them back but we're still severely outnumbered should they out-manoeuvre us." He made a vague gesture around the army's position on a map in front of him. She looked around, surveying the carnage.
"Kal, you done yet?" she said into her com-link.
"Yeah, Darkseid's back on Apokolips, just need to get rid of the mothership over DC and it'll be over. I'm on my way now." Superman replied as he passed Saturn.
Back in Washington, the rest of the Justice League had regrouped on the gardens of the White House, fighting off the hordes of parademons flying through their boom-tube portals transporting them from Apokolips. Batman had stepped back to check on Plan B.
"We need to get these things away from the city. Cyborg, if you can't stop them entirely, can you at least move them?" he said. Cyborg, who stood beside General Luceno, tightened his lips.
"I'm trying, it'll be hard to move them quickly, but I can get them away from the White House in t-minus 2 minutes."
"It's a start" Batman replied, turned back towards the confrontation. "Clark, get your ass here." Superman entered the atmosphere with a deafening noise that was soon cancelled out by the crash he made as he swept through the hordes of parademons pouring into Washington. "Shazam, back up Superman" Batman said, as he parried the punch of a passing parademon.
"You mean I get to be on the front line? Finally!" Shazam, one of the league's newest members, left Nightwing and Black Canary to deal with crowd control and sped towards Superman.
"Batman," Cyborg said, straining. "I'm getting a lot of resistance here, their firewalls are fighting back."
"I'll send in some back-up for you" he replied, pressing buttons on his wrist computer.
In a WayneTech building just outside the danger zone, Oracle and Red Robin were sitting in front of computers scanning the battlefield and reporting to the rest of the league members. Batman's face popped up on their screens.
"What's up, boss?" chirped Oracle, strikingly happy considering the circumstances.
"I need you to back up Cyborg, their technological defences are giving him trouble. Tim, I need you with me now."
"Got it" they both said together.
Meanwhile, Superman and Shazam were finally starting to work their way through the horde, thinning the herd enough to build a stable perimeter around the White House.
"This is so much fun, dude, we should do this more often!" Shazam said, laughing as he bulldozed a dozen parademons.
"So you're saying you think the world should be in this kind of trouble more often?" Superman said, as Shazam skimmed past him.
"Uh…okay maybe you're right, but we should totally hang out!"
"Totally." The sarcasm practically radiated from Superman as he stepped back to assess the situation again.
"Good news, guys," came Cyborg's voice over the communicator, "Their firewall is down and I'm in. Should be able to close these boom-tubes in no time." Flash came sprinting over to Cyborg, now joined by Batman, who seemed to have been taking out a fair share of Darkseid's forces himself. "Nearly there" Cyborg shouted, as a fizzling noise echoed through the capital.
"Keep going, Cy" Flash said, raising a hand to pat him on the back, "Darkseid can…WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?" A monstrous ship, which had passed through the boom-tube, made its way over their heads and towards Superman, Shazam and the White House.
"Superman!" Batman shouted into his earpiece, "Incoming, we've got…" Without notice, the ship started spewing out parademons. Many, many more parademons.
"What the f…" Batman raised his hand to interrupt Flash.
"Put it this way, what we've been fighting so far was the hors d'oevres. Consider that," he pointed to the ship, "…to be the main course." Cyborg once again turned to his computer and started to scan the ship's specifications. Wonder Woman, J'onn and Green Lantern flew towards the ship to help Superman and Shazam. Batman, however, turned away and pressed his communicator. "Tim, where are you?"
"There's a few parademons attacking the crowds outside our bunker. I got them, don't worry. I can handle myself."
"Fine, but I want you here as soon as it's contained. Darkseid just pulled his big gun out before we close the tubes."
Things at the White House were getting worse. With all the heroes on the front line they were still struggling.
"Is there any way we can shift that thing?" Green Lantern said, "At least away from the major civilian areas?"
"I don't know, Hal. But we're doing ok so far." Superman replied. Shazam, however, didn't think so.
He electrified 10 parademons in his area and they fell to the floor.
"That's more like…" Shunted forward, he turned around to see 15 more behind him, bearing all manner of Apokoliptian weapons. They all pounced on him together. Wonder Woman flew over to help before an explosion sent them all away. "I've had enough of this. We need to take them out from the source." Shazam shot up and headed towards the ship high above them. A stunned Superman looked up in dismay.
"Billy! DON'T!" he shouted. Shazam broke the sound barrier with an almighty crack as he sped up even further. Superman shot up to follow him, beating off parademons with both hands.
"Shazam!" Batman shouted into his communicator, "fall back! That's an order."
Charging himself with electricity, Shazam broke through the shield surrounding the ship and smashed through the hull. The air pressure change inside the ship sucked all the air out and it started to cave in on itself.
"BILLY!" Superman shouted, racing even faster. He came within 300 meters of the ship when the fuel cells ruptured and exploded. The shockwave knocked Superman back, sending him flying towards the ground. The parademons all started to shriek and retreat towards the nearest boom-tube.
As Superman regained consciousness, he steadied himself in the air and saw the wrecked ship hurtling downwards and raced after it.
"EVERYBODY, GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!" shouted Batman. Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter leapt up to meet him, whilst Green Lantern ferried the rest away to safety.
Superman, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter all arrived at the bottom of the ship, but as they tried to catch it together, it took them down with it.
"Apokoliptian metals are heavier I take it" Wonder Woman winced. It felt like all the nerve endings in her body were on fire as she pushed with every ounce of her strength to no avail. The ship was getting closer and closer to the ground.
"We can't stop it" J'onn said, "It's too heavy." Superman looked around.
"Yes we can" Superman said. He flew further down, faster than the falling ship, then shot up and pierced the hull, moving through it. Suddenly, red lasers came shooting out of the ship, breaking it into smaller pieces. As the ship fell apart, Green Lantern flew up to help collect the wreckage. Superman appeared through the smoke, looking to help collect more falling debris, until he saw Shazam's body, clinging to a falling plank of metal and he wasn't moving.
As most of the ship's debris was collected, several unaccounted fragments hit the floor. One taking out an AmerTech building to the south, another plunging a great hole into the road. A third, far larger piece landed on the White House roof, caving it in.
Superman and Wonder Woman caught Shazam and brought him safely to the ground.
"Billy" Wonder Woman said, cradling his head. Superman used his X-Ray vision to check Shazam's vital signs. The rest of the league members started to group around them, oblivious to the chaos around them. "There's no heartbeat."
"Oh man" Flash said, taking a step back and trying to compose himself. Standing behind Flash, Batman's head shot up, alert and looking around. He suddenly realised: Tim isn't here.
"Red Robin, come in?" He said into his communicator. No response. "Tim, are you there?" No response. "TIM!" he shouted louder. No response. "Oracle where is Red Robin?"
"We got hit by some of that ship, boss. Our set-up is totalled but I'm fine." she replied.
"IS TIM WITH YOU?" Batman said, he started looking over towards Oracle's location frantically.
"No, he went out to join you didn't he?" Batman started walking over towards Oracle's base.
"Alfred, get up Red Robin's GPS co-ordinates." His walk accelerated into a run.
"Right away, sir." Batman started leaping over the wrecked landscape, jumping over crushed cars and smouldering metal. He stopped on top of a mound of rubble, laden with civilians who hadn't made it out in time.
"Alfred?" He said, frantically.
"Sir," the tremble in Alfred's voice grew, "He should be, oh my…" During the pause that followed, Batman's stomach dropped as he saw a red glove poking out from the rubble. "Right beneath you."