Chapter 4
I'm going to be introducing a lot of new characters over the next few chapters as more people get involved. I thought the idea that there were only really two sides during the whole Injustice event was a bit unrealistic, there would be more parties involved that wanted different things. Because of that I'm going to be using some names that aren't widely known and for that reason you might need to google.
If you don't know some of the heroes go to:
wiki/DC_Comics_Database
dc-comics/4010-10/characters/?page=1
…Watchtower
Superman was with Wonder Woman, looking at the Earth. "I killed so many."
"You did the right thing. You save billions of lives. People are chanting your name. Making banners. Don't blame yourself for killing them. It was the right choice Clark" she reassured him, putting her hand on his shoulder and looking at him tenderly.
"You're… you're right. I should've been doing this from the start. But I can't be everywhere. We need more people like us, willing to do the right thing."
"There aren't any like us."
"Not yet" Hal declared as he entered. "What you did. More will follow your example and when they do we'll convince them to join us. Clark we're with you. We'll support you. We believe that what you're doing is right."
"Thank you, Hal. You're a true friend." Hal smiled back at him.
"When did you get back?" Wonder Woman asked.
"A few minutes ago, but I didn't come with good news. I barely got out of there. Thanks to John I escaped. The Guardians aren't happy, they're going to stop you. They'll send an advanced team to talk first but if we don't back down they'll send the entire corps here to force us."
"Now getting more allies is a must" Wonder Woman commented.
"Yeah. There are two new lanterns on Earth, Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz. They're both inexperienced but they might join us against the crops and after me and John can train them."
"I could talk to Donna. She might be willing to join as well"
"Good thinking Diana. Wonder Girl is strong." Superman agreed with her idea. "Hal, contact John and get him to visit those other two. But what about Kyle and Guy?"
"They won't join. Guy confirmed that when I went to Oa. He stands with the corps and Kyle's missing. Apparently, he was injured on his last mission and is hiding out."
"What about Carol. Could she help?" Superman asked.
"Maybe. But that isn't a sure thing either."
"What about the metal men. We could reprogram them to work with us without question. They'd add to our total. Gold, Tin, Lead, Iron. Mercury, Platinum and Copper. But we'd have to find Magnus first."
"Shouldn't be difficult" Cyborg entered. "I've been keeping tabs on him for a while. I can find him. It shouldn't be hard either to reprogram them."
"How long have you been there?" Hal asked.
"You were coming up with good ideas, I didn't want to ruin the flow."
"Makes sense. So, we're gonna get two lanterns, a Wonder Girl and the Metal Men. Enough to make a difference. Ask Jason too, he might know someone."
…Ruins of Metropolis
"He said he'd meet us here, right? Where is he?" Bombshell asked.
Standing beside her was Steel. Wearing his trade mark armour. "Don't forget he has to avoid being seen. Being late is expected."
"Did you invite anyone else?"
"Yeah. I invited someone else."
They waited for another few minutes. A car pulled up beside them and Black Lightning got out fully suited up. "Sorry I'm late" he apologised.
"You're not the only one." Bombshell responded.
"I hope it's alright, but I brought someone else" he opened the door and Static got out. "His name's Static."
"Hi" Static waved.
"Hi" Bombshell waved back.
"Who're we missing" Black Lightning asked.
"Me" Major Force was standing behind him. Black Lightning was surprised but before he could do anything Steel stopped him. "No need to fight, I'm with you."
"We can't fight now. We need to establish a base here. Quickly. Before anyone notices" Steel said.
"A base? Why here" Static asks.
"Because it's the last place they'd look. In the outskirts of a ruined city, especially one with this much radiation. Speaking of we need to get you two protected" he points to Static and Black Lightning.
"I brought suits for us. The car has a radiation seal. We'll change while you start to look."
While they got changed the other three looked through the wreckage. They found a building, half buried in rubble, but the entrance was clear, and they managed to get inside.
"What is this place?" Bombshell asked as they looked around the dusty room. It looked like a lab. There were metal benches and pieces of equipment, some things were on the ground and on their side. It looked like whoever was there had left in a hurry.
"It's a lab. It looks like they had shielding to protect them, but it didn't block all of the blast" Steel replied.
…Somewhere in Space
Kyle Rayner was flying through space. Following another lantern, Arisia Rrab who had found Rayner when she was on her own mission and got a call to return to Oa.
"Thanks for helping me"
"No problem. Lanterns should help one another."
Their rings began flashing and suddenly Rayner was hit by a yellow construct, knocking him into and asteroid. "Kyle!" Arisia called out to him.
She turned to see Sinestro, floating with six other yellow lanterns. "Where do you think your going?" he asked.
Green chain wrapped around some of the yellow lanterns. One broke free but the other three were thrown by Kyle. He then made a construct of a battle suit and began fighting with the others. "Arisia go! You have to get out of here!" he ordered her.
She tried to leave but she was blocked by an axe, one Sinestro had made.
"What do you want from us Sinestro?!" Kyle demanded to know.
"When you look at the Earth what do you see Lantern?"
"My home" he said a little confused.
"I see a potential ally. One that could crush your crops if I let it grow. With Superman taking power, enforcing justice in the way that I would."
"Hah! Sure. Superman would never-"
"Do you know why your crops is mobilising? It's because they're trying to stop Superman and his regime before they get a hold of the planet. One they can't break so easily." Sinestro floated toward Kyle, but before he could do anything more Green Lanterns arrived, and they were able to free their comrades.
Leading this group was Kilowog. There was a dozen of them, all ready for a fight, but Sinestro didn't agree. He left with his corps members.
"Thank you"
"Don't thank me yet Rayner. We still have a fight ahead of us."
…Oa
The last of the lanterns were arriving. Amassing near the main power battery, each of them charging their rings before they left. Kyle had charged his ring and was sitting on some steps with Arisia, his head in his hands. "I can't believe it. I'm gone for a year and when I come back my whole world has changed."
"What're you going to do?" Arisia asked.
"Wait till I get there and when I do I'll make my decision of which side I should be on."
…Fortress of Solitude
Superman and Lex were standing together. "Are you done?"
"No. This will still take time" Lex lifted the goggles that were covering his face, put down his tools and removed his gloves. He picked up a glass that was beside him and took a gulp. Then he replaced all his equipment and resumed work.
"Will they work?"
"Yes, they should give the consumer increased physical traits near to your own, but they won't be the same, although the difference will be very small."
"Alright, I'm going to sleep for a while. Wake me if you need anything."
"Sure."
Superman left the room to sleep. Leaving Luthor alone.
He put the pill in a glass cube and then started on another.
…
When Superman woke up he took a shower and came out to see less finishing another batch of pills. "Lex?" he asked, surprised by the number of pills.
"I found a way to produce more at a quicker rate. I had the time to make two hundred pills. This is the first one I completed" he tossed the pill he put in a glass cube to Superman. "You look better having slept finally. I bet that was the first time you've really been to sleep since it happened, isn't it?"
"Yeah… I just couldn't before."
"I couldn't make it months without sleep. You might be able to, but you shouldn't. You should try resting more often. After all, we have more members joining and with the Lanterns unavoidable you need to be fully rested."
"Yeah. Yeah. Okay you're right. But now I'm rested I'm going to go to the Watchtower, see if I can help."
"Alright, but don't forget your new pills, take these and show the others, I'll take the teleporter to my lab when I'm done here." He passed him a bag of several dozen pills.
"Sure."
…Watchtower
Cyborg was waiting on the other side of the teleporter. "Superman. It's good you're here. We assembled the new team members and I've contacted Dr Magnus about the Metal Men, he's rebuilding them as we speak. Simon and Jessica have agreed to help, so has Donna. Flash even found another kid, goes by The Ray. He has light based powers and could also be a help."
"Sounds great. We're definitely making progress. And you weren't the only ones" he shows Cyborg the bag of pills. "Lex finished two hundred of these."
"That was fast" he said a little shocked.
"He was-"
"Really?!" Flash entered, surprised to see what they were looking at. "You really did it. We've come to making a super drug. This is what we do now?"
"Lex was already working on the tech before Metropolis. I supplied him with more Kryptonian technology. I know that this seems extreme-"
"Extreme doesn't even come close! What if these find their way onto the streets. What then? Everyone will be walking around with super strength. It's not going to make our problems go away. It's going to make them work."
"I want to make this world a safer place. These will help to do that."
"Ugh!" Flash sped into the teleporter, leaving the Watchtower.
"Is he going to be alright?"
"Yeah. He just needs to cool off. All this change is putting a lot of us on edge in different ways. Me and Wonder Woman have been all in from the start, but it'll take time for everyone to fully grasp all that's changed. Hal has done processing and is now in, that's obvious from his attitude since he's returned, Shazam still has doubts, and being a child that'll take time. Be patient." Cyborg reassured him.
"Thanks Cyborg, I'll keep that in mind. Where are the others?"
"In the briefing room."
The whole team was there waiting. Except the Flash and Lex. The newest members of the team were there as well. The Ray, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, Donna Troy and an unexpected guest, Arsenal, whom was brought there by Red Hood.
…Fortress of Solitude
"Clark doesn't need some super drug Lex. You should know that" Martha Kent argued. "He needs to talk to someone."
"Mrs Kent. Your son feels that he needs this to better protect the world, to save as many people as possible. He's doing something more than we mere mortals can understand. More than we can comprehend."
"Don't give us that son. He's hurting. He's more hurt than he's ever been in his life and without someone to guide him on the right path he's going to spiral."
"What're you saying Mr Kent?"
"I'm saying that you need to do something. He lost control of his life when he lost Lois and he's going over bored trying to regain that control. It's similar to when we first discovered that he was different. He had a blanket when he was younger, he slept with it, he carried it with him everywhere. But one day he lost it. Clark was so upset that he jumped into the air, but instead of going a few centimetres high, he launched himself up for miles and landed in a field. The town thought it was an Earthquake. But it was a tantrum."
"Are you trying to tell me that Clark is a small child that's lost his blanket?"
"In a way. Yes. We need you to be there for him and stop him should the need arise."
"Actually… Mr Kent. I've already been doing that. Or at least I was. When this all started it overwhelmed me, I figured that I needed a contingency if this all went to far, do you think I should resume my plan?"
"Son, if you don't try to talk to him. If you don't prepare for the chance he doesn't stop all this, you need to be ready."
Lex called Morrow. "We're going to continue. Meet me at the lab."
…Watchtower
"We're utilising Kryptonian Nano-tech to enhance the physical capabilities of ordinary people a thousand-fold. It's something that I and Lex have discussed for years, as a counter measure to face me if I were to lose control."
"So, it's what? A magic pill?" Arsenal responded
"If it makes it easier to understand then yes. They're magic pills. I'm sure we all have people that we can trust enough to have these, but remember to only take one, anymore and you'll put too much strain on the heart and other organs."
"We should draw up a list of candidates" Wonder Woman suggested.
"Wait a sec. You want us to ask our friends to police the world?" Jessica Cruz asked.
"Yes. But only the ones that want to, we don't want to force them into it."
"You want an army?" Simon Baz asked.
"It's not an army, more like a peacekeeping force. Like the crops" Hal assured him.
Superman divided the pills into equal portions. "Each of you take them, use them if you're ever outmatched. They're not only to protect the people but also you, so what happened in Syria never happens again."
"What if the wrong people get their hands on them?" Hawkman asked.
"They won't. That's why we'll each only have a small supply on us at once. I can't take them, so I'll carry a few for you all, as an emergency and when you run out only then can they be refilled, that way we can track the number of pills we use."
After the meeting Damian snuck to the teleporter, expecting to go unnoticed but he was stopped by Red Hood. "Where are you going?"
"Nowhere" Damian stated bluntly, trying to shrug him off.
"You're going to the cave."
"I won't let you stop me!" Damian pushed him back, but Jason grabbed his arm and pinned him to the wall, bending his arm behind his back. "Let me go!"
"No. You need to calm down. I wasn't going to stop you. If you're going then I'm coming to. Everyone else is blind, they're with Bruce, only we have the sense to join Superman. Only we've realised he's right. Whatever you're planning to do, we're all the family we've got left, at least for now. I won't run the risk of you being captured. I'm coming." He let go of Damian and after the two of them shared glares they both went into the teleporter.
…Batcave
Jason and Damian both stared at the cave, it used to be home to them, more than the mansion. But now it felt cold, a part of their past long forgotten, or at least a part they were trying to forget. "This isn't right" Damian ran to the computer and accessed the computer. On the screen he could see that the files were being deleted.
"Crap! He's moved on. We need to find it."
"Look for clues. I'll try and save something" furiously Damian began typing trying to save just one file. But Oracle was too fast, she deleted everything. "Damn!" he slammed his fist against the console.
"I looked everywhere, but all the vehicles are still here. All except the bate plane, the older model. With the almost empty fuel tank it couldn't go that far, can you find it?"
"Only the area it could be in."
"Do it. Then we'll look for one of his people, follow them. Hopefully we can find Green Arrow, he'll be the easiest to track."
"Alright. Give me a second."
Damian highlighted an area of Gotham and they went to leave. "What?" Damian asked, stopping on the stair case when he realised Jason wasn't following.
"I'm gonna leave a present just in case he comes back" he took a bomb from his utility belt and placed it under one of the panels on the floor, arming it with a motion sensor and synced it to his bracer so that he would be alerted if anyone came in before the bomb would detonate.
Leave a review with any ideas you have.