ZEROBEN'S JUSTICE LEAGUE
"As you can see right now, this is as close as we can get to what is happening in New York. The STAR Labs building is gone, nothing but rubble and ash. The same to be said for a three to four block radius as a massive metahuman battle is taking place. We have seen Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Batman all combat this monstrous threat and who appear to be two other as of yet unidentified heroes. We do not have an identity on the villain, we do not know where it came from or where these equally monstrous androids are coming from exactly. All we do know is a state of emergency has been put in place for the entirety of New York and surrounding states including the Canadian border, as officials have no way to know exactly how far this battle will stretch. Please, wherever you are, stay indoors, stay safe, this is an emergency of the highest value."
4#
"Justice Begins"
Part IV
Manhunter after Manhunter, the war raged on. Over the horizon, the sun just barely began peeking out. Morning was on its way. Superman locked up with Kalibak, Batman as well. Green Lantern, Flash, Cyborg, The Martian and Wonder Woman fought with the Manhunters. But, it seemed like for every one they eliminated, two more would take its place. At times, it felt like a lost cause, but they had made the decision to not stop fighting and there was no intention on reversing that call.
Hal with a mini-gun, Wonder Woman with her sword and shield, Cyborg with energy beams. The Flash even tried a cyclone to round them up, but they just kept coming. Superman landed right after left on Kalibak, the villain responding in kind. Batman took control of the Batwing remotely, calling upon concussive bullets to try and slow down the behemoth.
"We cannot lose this battle," The Martian hovered over the others, "Kalibak must be defeated."
"Fools," Kalibak declared, "All of you. You cannot defeat me. You cannot defeat Darkseid. This futile attempt at war accomplishes nothing but delaying your inevitable end."
"He's right," Cyborg shouted above the sound of battle, "I have an idea, though. Cover me!"
"Kid," Lantern created a wall to keep him safe, "I hope the hell you... Where did he go?"
"He teleported," Flash didn't see a blast coming in from behind courtesy of Kalibak's staff. It sent the Scarlet Speedster flying into a pile of wreckage, his body racked with pain, "Ahh... AAHHH! Make it stop! What the hell did he do to me?"
:::Elsewhere:::
Bonding with the mother box gave him numerous abilities, one such being teleportation. He was able to tap into the Manhunter's commands and the Mother Box's wealth of knowledge. It took some sorting, but remembering the name Kalibak shouted... Steppenwolf... Also helped. Cyborg wasn't quite sure where he was, but he assumed it was where this Steppenwolf was controlling the Manhunters. If nothing else, it was worth the try.
He found himself in what appeared to be like a twisted lab of some sort. But the walls where a thick, blood-colored, fleshy substance. Hell. This place reminded him of Hell. In the middle of a large room, an oval-shaped monitor, out flat like a table. Overhead, the same thing. However, the bottom appeared to be Kalibak's own eyesight, and the top was an armory-like place filled with Manhunters. At the head of the table-like monitor, a control panel. He could hack into it... He could stop the...
"The thing about Manhunters is both their best and worst aspect, I'm afraid," Cyborg froze momentarily upon hearing the sudden voice, a muscular man with red and black armor, long black hair and beard, appearing at the opposite end of the monitor, "They must be controlled. And by that, I do mean each and every action they take must be a given command."
"I'm putting an end to it," Cyborg suddenly realized his being frozen wasn't of his doing, but of this man's power, "Let go of me!"
"No, no, I'm afraid I can't," Steppenwolf stood calmly, hands behind his back, his cool demeanor somehow making him all the more threatening. He walked forward slowly, Cyborg's body being laid out on the monitor, stretched into an X shape, "Really... Did you believe it would be this easy?"
Cyborg struggled, but couldn't move, couldn't even use any attacks, "You're not getting the mother box!"
"Says the little boy who can't move a muscle," Steppenwolf remarked, a series of tools being brought over to them through use of his telekinesis, "I am getting it, even if it means ripping it from your body."
"Thing about having a box inside of me..." Cyborg spoke through gritted teeth, "... I don't need my body to use it!"
Steppenwolf's eyes went wide as the control panel in front of him overloaded, sending a fireball to his face. And before he could recover, he was mauled by Cyborg, rights and lefts before being slammed into the bottom monitor. His body convulsing from the surge of electricity, he was then hit by Cyborg bringing down the higher monitor, sandwiching him in-between.
"Manhunters," Cyborg spoke, hacking into the system, "Execute Self-Destruct sequencing."
Through the system, Cyborg was pleased to see that all Manhunter signals were going dead. As had been commanded, they were all self-destructing. Was this truly the end of the Manhunters? Only time would tell. But, for now, the threat of them had been eliminated. Cyborg lifted up the second monitor, discovering Steppenwolf had escaped somehow. Fine... What ever this place was... Where ever this place was... It would be destroyed.
Cyborg laid waste to anything and everything inside the twisted lab. Once satisfied, he teleported, hopefully back to the others.
:::What Used To Be STAR Labs:::
Weak but not yet defeated, Flash slowly picked his head up from the ground, hearing the sounds and seeing the sights of the remainder of Manhunters exploding in the air like fireworks. Amidst that, he saw his fellow heroes valiantly battling Kalibak in the middle of it all, fire raining down from the sky, explosions hitting the ground.
"The kid did it!" Green Lantern exclaimed, wrapping Kalibak in green chains, though the construct wasn't strong enough and he broke free with ease.
"Our battle isn't through yet!" Wonder Woman shouted, sinking a shot into Kalibak, followed by Batman dropping smoke grenades and Superman teaming with The Martian to land a powerful blow that finally took the monster off of his feet.
"You won't win," from the ground, his staff out of his grasp, Kalibak spat a thick line of black blood past his lips, "Your defiance of Darkseid will not go un-punished."
Cyborg appeared after a blinding flash of light, a little beat up and drained, but okay. He stared grimly, marching over to the fallen Kalibak, "Steppenwolf is gone. The Manhunters are gone. I suggest leaving while you're still able."
"No," Wonder Woman tightened her lasso around Kalibak's neck, pulling back, the villain gasping for breath, struggling to survive, "You aren't leaving."
"Wonder Woman," Batman stopped her, "Alive or dead, something tells me we'll still have to deal with this Darkseid at some point."
"I would strongly advise allowing Wonder Woman to execute him," The Martian said, "He will only come back stronger and deadlier."
"No, Batman's right," Superman agreed with the Dark Knight, lowering to the ground, "Let him go back. Let him tell his father... Earth has heroes that have banded together," he looked to them, "This world..." to Green Lantern and The Martian, "This universe... Is under our combined protection."
Begrudgingly, Wonder Woman listened, but not without a last warning to the defeated Kalibak, "The next time... You won't be spared."
Disgusted in himself, in Steppenwolf, in the failure of retrieving the Mother Box for his father, his ruler, Darkseid... Kalibak stared with rage in his eyes, with burning hatred. Moments and a burst of light later, he was gone. And finally, as the sun rose into the sky and the dawn was upon them... The battle had ended. Earth's heroes stood victorious.
"It... It's over?" Green Lantern chuckled out of relief, "We actually did it?"
"I think we did," Superman nodded.
Flash had been helped up by Cyborg, "Is it bad that I'm bummed I got my ass kicked?"
Batman stared into the sky, Wonder Woman at one side, Superman at the other, "You'll get a rematch. This isn't the last time we'll see him."
The Martian spoke, "This battle will force Darkseid to take notice of us... Of Earth. I fear the war has only begun. It will be long, it will be bloody, it will be deadly. But, as I stand here with you all, I feel... It is a war we can win."
"So," Flash said, rubbing his head, mask off, nursing more than a few injuries, "Are we, like, a team now?"
They all looked at each other, gear war-torn, injuries aplenty, lives forever changed, the wreckage reducing to ash behind them. Yet, the sun shined down upon them while they stood in a circle. The first was Superman, stepping forward and reaching a fist to the center of the circle. Next... Flash, followed by Wonder Woman, The Martian, Green Lantern and even Cyborg. The last... The one not taking a step forward... Batman.
The moment lingered as the smoke blew in the wind around them. A silent, deeply quiet moment where all other sound seemed to disappear. A deep breath, a final thought, a slow step forward and a black gloved hand meeting the rest.
:::Central City:::
"I'm so frickin' sore. Look at me, I'm a wreck! That... Whatever the hell he hit me with... That was bad, man. Bad effin' news, that guy, let me tell ya."
"I'm your girlfriend, not your man. How would you like it if I called you girl?"
Barry Allen laid in bed, watching Netflix like a regular joe, still feeling the fading but present effects of Kaliban's attack. Fortunately for him, the love of his life was more than willing to keep him company while he recuperated. Her name being Iris West, daughter of Central City's Police Chief. She laid beside him in bed, his arm around her while she rested her head between his bicep and chest.
"I'd be your girl any day of the week," he smirked, quickly kissing the top of her head.
She smiled briefly, but a sad thought crossed her mind, "I'm guessing you're expanding further than our little city, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know," she didn't want to sound like a needy girlfriend, but it did affect her, "You're gone enough as it is. Now... Working with them... Will I ever see you?"
"Babe, don't worry," he brought his arm a little closer, a little tighter, "No matter where I am in the world... I'm only a minute away from you. Anyway... Enough about me and my grandiose super heroic adventures saving the world. How about you? How was your day yesterday?"
She laughed, "You really wanna know? You don't think it'd be boring?"
"Trust me," he said, "After last night, I could use a little boring."
"Okay, but I should warn you... My tale begins with putting on my pj's and reading a book."
He laughed, "We. Are. Awesome."
:::Metropolis Hotel:::
The world had been saved. For now... that is.
Call it the portable Bat-Computer if you would. But, regardless the name, Bruce was back to work on it. He knew he heard the words Mother Box before, just couldn't place it. A little digging... And he found an old file hidden within the cyber walls of LexCorp. More digging ensued. In minutes, he found exactly what he was looking for. A very detailed document, spelling out an instance involving none other than Lex Luthor himself. An instance where Lex had come into contact with a Mother Box and the experience drove him mad. It wasn't long after this that Lex began acting very erratic, leading to an eventual confrontation with Superman, landing Lex in prison. Metropolis Penitentiary, better known as The Block.
Considering his current state of mind, maybe Arkham Asylum would be a better fit?
A knock at the room's door, Bruce not looking away from his laptop, "Room service." . Not a second later, the door opened and in walked a hunched over teenager pushing the cart of food. The door shut behind him, and once it did, the meek and mild teen erased the facade and showed his true skin... That of J'onn J'onnz... The Martian.
"I received your message. You have proof that another Mother Box is here?" he asked, that voice just so deep, so powerful yet calm, "Do you know where it is?"
"Not exactly," Bruce responded in a gruff voice of his own, "But, I may have an idea where to start searching," he turned the laptop so J'onn could see clearly the face of Lex Luthor, "Do you know who he is?"
"I've been here longer than, perhaps, is assumed," J'onn's answer, "I've been observing in silence. So, yes, I know of Lex Luthor and his abrupt mental deterioration two years ago. I should have known... A Mother Box had something to do with it."
"I need to know everything you know about these boxes," Bruce said with certainty, "Especially how Cyborg can tap into any network in the world, but is blind when it relates to the others' whereabouts."
"The latter, I can answer now," J'onn responded, "When the Boxes were scattered... A failsafe was implemented in their very DNA, if you will. They are unable to pick up the signals they can put out. Cyborg knows how many there are, most of what they're capable, but he will never be able to simply think of where they are."
"I should say something," Bruce stood up, standing face to face with J'onn, "I'm putting a lot of trust in you... Someone I just met yesterday. It isn't something I normally do."
"I can say the same myself."
Bruce spoke, "I guess what I'm getting at is... If I'm wrong to try and trust you, if I'm wrong to think you're part of this team... It's important that you tell me right now. If you don't... If you screw us over in any way..."
The Martian interrupted, "I sensed you would want an explanation. Why am I here? Why did I help? Why would I continue to do so? I will tell you... I am the last of my kind... The Sole Survivor of the Martian species. And the reason that I am is because of him. Darkseid."
"I see," Bruce said, crossing his arms, "You should realize, though. If we are, in fact, the team we agreed to be... Darkseid isn't the only villain. There's hundreds more - maybe even thousands. In and - apparently - out of this world."
"Give me Darkseid," The Martian spoke grim, scowling, "And I will give you every last one of your enemies."
:::Bunker underneath the wreckage of STAR Labs:::
A heavy metal wall gave way, Cyborg walking through and over it, eye acting as a spotlight in the darkness.
A few dead bodies, scans indicating none were his father. More searching, more dead bodies, still no signs of his dad. But, he soon made it to the STAR Labs Bunker. Door was still intact, lock too, but the keypad to punch in the code had seen much better days. Was it even still operational? Cyborg tried. It took a few times, but he managed to get the door open. There was some slight structural damage, but the bunker was largely unharmed by the battle above it.
"Is there anyone here?" he asked, his voice hollow sounding, as he looked around the area, "Dad? Rudy? Anyone?"
"I don't believe it," Rudy, his father's partner, on the floor, propped up against the wall in the corner of the room, eyes red with blood, sweat pouring down his face and soaking his clothes, a pile of vomit beside him, thick long purple veins bulging within his skin, "Victor? It can't be... Is that you?"
"Yeah," Cyborg knelt down, "Listen... I'll get you out of here. First... Is there anyone else in here?"
Rudy swallowed painfully, a purple tint coloring his eyes, strands of hair falling from his scalp, his teeth beginning to crack as he spoke, "Kid... I'm so sorry. I tried... I just couldn't..." his eyes began rolling into the back of his head, "Listen... There's more... We changed... All of us... Changed."
"Shit," Cyborg cursed, wanting to continue his search but knowing Rudy's life was on the line, "Okay, okay... Now, what's about to happen might scare you. But, you have to trust me."
Whatever strength Rudy had been holding onto was now lost after talking. Therefore, Cyborg didn't waste another second, he hoisted the scientist's failing body over his shoulder. Though, just before teleporting out of the bunker, he couldn't help but take one last look... Where did his father go?
:::The Planet Oa:::
Little know factoid; The easiest way to travel to Oa was to hyper-port (long distance teleportation) via a Green Lantern's power battery, which also happened to look exactly like... Ya know... A green lantern.
She was amazed. No, that wasn't strong enough a word. Astonished, maybe? Nevertheless, Carol couldn't believe her eyes. It had to be a dream. This place... Among so many other things... Was so beautiful. The mixture of dark blue and purple in the sky, the brightness of the stars that felt close enough to touch. The structures, the ground, the environment, everything. It was all so strange and obviously out of this world. But, all at the same time, absolutely beautiful. Though, as the brutish, monstrous, Kilowog approached Carol and Hal as they went up the steps to the main hall of Oa, she would be lying if there wasn't a certain level of fear thumping alongside her heartbeat.
"Heard a lot about you," Kilowog, a fellow Green Lantern, of course, looked her up and down, "Hal was right, you're not half bad for a human."
"Okay," Hal chuckled nervously, taking Carol's hand and leading her up the stairs, past Kilowog, "Not exactly how I worded it, Kilwog. Thanks, man."
It would be absurd to say something as obvious as she was out of her element, but how else could she say it? How else could she explain it? It was insane to even think she was on an alien planet, let alone one that was the home of an intergalactic police force. Why was she even here? Why did she agree? Hal pushed it. He said he wanted one more opportunity to prove to her that they belonged nowhere else but with each other. To be honest, most of her talk of leaving was frustration pouring out. She was afraid of losing him, of the one day when he was just... Gone.
They came upon huge and remarkable double doors, adorned with the design of the multi-colored Lanterns symbol. Their progress stopped and Hal turned to properly face her. He took a deep breath and dissolved the domino mask so they could really look into each other's eyes, "I know how hard it is," he spoke softly, shooting stars soaring in the background, "I know I'm not the easiest person to love and that's not even counting the Green Lantern stuff. But, you love me and you do it better than anyone ever could. Even when it was just you and me, and I was testing your father's planes... I knew back then... There's nothing more I wanted."
He sighed, "But... Then this happened. All this. There's so many times - You don't even know the half of them - That I wanted to quit... That I wanted to give the ring back and go home. Sleep next to you every night, wake up next to you every morning."
She was tearing up.
"I can't, though," he was nearly crying himself, "And I know it's not fair. You deserve better. You deserve the best guy there is, whoever he is, wherever he is. You deserve diamonds and gold and to be loved. Not just normal love. A great love. A love that can move planets and create stars."
"Hal," she was choked up, but took his jaw in her hands and leaned up to kiss him.
After the kiss, "So, all that out of the way," one more deep breath as he pushed away and went down on one knee, "Carol Ferris, will you marry me?"
Full choke, tears a plenty, a gasp and hands over her mouth. The frustration melted, the fear lingered but was being buried by the feeling of love, "Yes! Of course, yes!"
Celebration! The doors swung inward, revealing a joyous scene of streamers, music and applause. At least two dozen Green Lanterns were inside, a few of their family members thrown in for good measure along with different colored Lanterns. They cheered for Hal as he and Carol kissed once more, this time a bit longer, a bit more passionate. Once their embrace ended and they both were smiling, a rather peculiar looking orb bearing the Green Lantern symbol came into the scene, swirling around their heads.
"Aww, you guys, I'm so happy for you," a high-pitched voice, a feminine tone to it, "Congratulations! So, will you be impregnating her before or after the wedding? Please don't say during... I cannot go through that again."
Carol and Hal had shock painted on their faces from that remark, "Wow... Not cool."
"What?" it worried, "Oh heavens, did I disrespect you?"
"And that will be enough," Green Lantern energy encapsulated the orb, preventing further embarrassment, "Mogo."
"That voice," Carol recognized it anywhere, though his appearance... Dare she say... Fish-like, "You're the one Hal always talks to through his ring."
"Correct," he bowed briefly in front of her, "Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Tomar Re of Xudar. And might I say... You are every bit as beautiful as Hal Jordan of Earth described."
"Thank you," she smiled warmly, "Really, I don't know what to say. This place is so beautiful and you're all so nice."
"Please," he gesture inside, "We have all heard so much about you. Let us all meet the lady behind the myth."
Hal held her back for just a moment as Tomar Re and Mogo- bouncing around in her little makeshift prison - went inside. He just needed to make sure, "Are you sure about this? I don't want you to feel pressured by this place. I just wanted to show you... This is where I am when I'm not with you."
"I never wanted to leave you, Hal," her voice was soft, "I never will. I was just... Scared, I guess. Scared of the day that you go off on one of your adventures and don't come back. But... If we weren't together... I would be just as scared because I'll never stop caring about you. I love you, Hal."
He breathed a sigh of relief, "I love you, too."
:::Smallville:::
It was a mundane, quiet, little moment. But... It was his moment.
He sat on the front steps, just like when he was a kid, watching the sun set over the field. Everything that happened... His father dying... The battle in New York... The formation of this team of superheroes... It felt like a new beginning. Maybe his father dying was the ending of a chapter and everything after was the start of a new one. Where to go from here? Only time would tell. Like dad always said...
"Better to be patient than a patient," his mother stood behind him, having just come outside.
He looked at her awkwardly, "How did you know I was thinking that?"
She partly smiled, taking a seat next to him on the step, it creaking when she did, "He never did get around to fixing this damn thing, did he?" it was a lighthearted moment in a sea of heartache. She sighed, staring at the sunset along with him, "We're gonna get through this. I don't know how just yet. But... We will."
There was a heavy feeling in his chest, "Part of me feels like... I don't know... Like it's over. He's gone... And I don't know if that's something I can recover from."
It hurt her to hear those words, "Now you know you shouldn't be saying that, Clark. Your father was a great man and I know we'll both always miss him. We'll cry, nights are gonna be the hardest for awhile, but... It's life. It hurts like hell, but it's life. We lose the ones we love, they lose us. Life. It's part of it. The worst part? Sure. But, still part of it. It's just the way it is."
He was fighting tears now, his voice even a touch shaky, "I know you're right. I know life goes on... I know all of that. It doesn't make it any easier, it doesn't make it hurt any less," he paused for a moment, the tears starting to fall, "He's not here anymore. He's... I..."
"I know," she patted his back, "I know."
He took a long deep breath, closing his eyes briefly, "Just part of life, huh?"
"You got it, Kiddo," she said, feeling sadness of her own, "He was always so strong for us. Now it's our turn to be strong for him."
Clark nodded, still staring off into the sunset, "You're right."
:::Star City:::
Oliver Queen was a busy man. For far more reasons than one. Because of that fact, it was a rare sight to find him actually inside the headquarters of Queen Industries. But, there he was, suit and tie, being alerted by his assistant, Felicity, that he had a visitor... One that claimed an appointment was foolish and that if Oliver Queen was half the man he was made out to be, he would make the time to meet, regardless of how sudden it was. He had also been told by Felicity that the person was currently inside his private office, refusing to leave, and wanting to make sure he came alone.
"So," his personal security, John Diggle, walked side by side with the young man, having just gotten off an elevator that took them to the floor his office was located on, "You're just going to walk in there? Oliver, there could be anyone in that room."
Oliver didn't let that dissuade him from reaching for the handle once they made it to the door, "Crime's dropped to zero since the battle in New York, I'm not worried about a potential ambush."
Oliver opened the door and closed it behind him, the chair to his desk turned in the opposite direction, someone sitting in it, but him being unable to instantly know who. That being until it spun around, revealing Diana Prince, sporting just the slightest of bruises on her once bloody lip.
"Mr. Queen," she greeted, "Our companies have worked together before but we've never actually met in person."
"Miss Prince," his response, "What brings you here? Something to do with our business arrangement?"
"No," she said, "Something else. I would like to discuss with you a different kind of business arrangement."
"Okay," he wasn't sure where this was going.
She smirked.
"ZEROBEN'S JUSTICE LEAGUE"
5#
"Backlash"
Part I