Superman was speeding over to the Metro Tower as fast he could. As much as he wanted to head to the outskirts of Metropolis, he knew he needed to check the Metro Tower out first.
When he reached it, to his horror he saw that all the windows were blocked with iron plates. The door was sealed. That could mean only one thing; the Metro Tower was under lockdown.
They developed the new security protocol after the Apocalypse '09. The point was if ever the Watchtower or Metro Tower were under attack, the other one would protect itself. The problem was it was operated under the assumption that either Mister Terrific, or the founders would have a presence at one of the stations to override the lock down when judged appropriate.
Superman's mind raced. He knew at least Shayera and John were on the Watchtower. Did something happen to them? The Metro Tower on the outside looked unharmed but appearances could be deceptive. Was there a coincidence why the Justice League was under attack while Batman was in Metropolis? Was someone trying to bump off the original founders? What about J'onn, Wally and Mister Terrific? Surely one of them would have been in the Metro Tower?
These thoughts were racing through his mind. The Man of Steel tried to use his x-ray vision but forgot they had lined the steel with lead to prevent radiation attacks. Knowing he was taking a risk, he took a deep breath and slowly descended to the secret control panel to type the code to turn off the lockdown. Did no good leaving this locked up if he didn't know what had happened.
However just as he was about to rip off the panel to type the secret code, all the steel panels began to lift up. He could hear many hisses and clanking. The Metro Tower was opening itself up. Was some villain expecting him?
He did not even bother to open the front door; he just flew right in breaking it down while ignoring the alarm going off. He flew to the atrium ready to take out as many foes as he could. Instead he saw himself in the presence of about a dozen tired looking League members who were shielding their eyes as they tried to get adjusted to the lights which had turned back on.
"Hey Supes!" Wally cried waving at him. "Don't worry. We're all clear here. I overrode the lockdown."
"After it took you three hours to remember the code…" Green Arrow muttered looking annoyed.
"Wait, what?" Superman asked confused. He was expecting to face an army of super villains.
"Something happened at the Watchtower that caused us to go on lockdown. Nothing was going on here before it happened," Dinah explained.
"Wait, do you have any idea what happened up there?" he asked alarmed. Not only was a bulk of the League up there, but a baby as well.
Wally looked a little nervous.
"Uh- we just got the lockdown lifted. Q is trying to get communications back online to the Watchtower…"
Superman looked over Wally to see the Question fiddling with the big monitor screen.
A bright light appeared.
"Watchtower, this is the Metro! Please give us a status report!" Question spoke into the microphone.
Superman headed over there followed by the Flash.
"We're alright, annoyed but alright," they heard the gruff voice of Shayera muttered on the other end.
Superman let out a sigh of relief. He took the microphone from Question's hand.
"What happened Shayera?" he asked.
"Something malfunctioned on the Monitor Womb. Knocked out our communications and put us under lockdown. I guess that happened to the Metro too. The network up here was fried so we couldn't put in the override code. Can you give us a hand here?" she asked.
But Superman did not hear that last statement. Upon learning it was just a technical failure, he immediately began taking off. Batman was in trouble and he was not going to be overseeing technical difficulties. He turned on his commlink to call Diana.
"Diana!" he yelled as he got ready to step outside and take off. "Everything is back online I am coming ov-"
"I got him Clark!" she yelled back over the communication network.
Superman was about to sigh with relief but Diana was not done talking.
"Tell the medics to get ready for emergency treatment!"
He froze at that remark. How bad was Bruce? Was he even alive?
"Is he-"
"Yes! But barely! I'm heading over there right now!" she said before ending the communication.
Superman wasted no time and headed back into the tower.
Wally was trying to help turn the lockdown off in the Watchtower.
"Is the med bay online?" Superman asked Green Arrow who was a little put off by the urgency in the Kryptonian's voice.
"Yeah. Should be-"
"Tell them to get ready for emergency medical treatment!" he demanded.
"What?" asked the archer confused.
"GO!" Superman shouted, causing all the heroes in the atrium to stare. Superman did not care and watched as Oliver hurried over to brief the medical staff.
He then turned to head back outside to help Diana bring Bruce in.
"What's going on? Who's hurt?" Wally asked alarmed. Shayera was listening on the other end as well.
"Batman," Superman called out, not really noticing the reactions all the heroes were giving each other.
000000
Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash stood in the Metro Tower med bay in silence. No one dared to say a word. After Batman was brought in, Superman ordered Shayera and John to head to the Metro Tower and that all other heroes head back to the Watchtower. That was a difficult task. Many heroes wanted to stay in the Metro Tower because they wanted to know what was going on after seeing Wonder Woman and Superman carrying a half-dead, bloodied Batman.
But a quick threatening glare from Superman with heat vision caused all the heroes to get onboard the Javelins to be transported up to the Watchtower.
Shayera and John had just arrived by Javelin to the Metro. The teleporters up on the Watchtower would be down for a while. The married couple paused to observe the somber looks the three were giving.
"How is he?" Shayera asked worried. Superman explained to her what happened over the radio as they piloted the javelin to the Metro.
"We don't know," he replied angrily. He was angry at himself mostly but at Batman as well for putting himself in danger like that.
"Where's J'onn?" Flash asked worried.
"He's on his way. He is transporting Mister Terrific with him. They were working on a case in California."
Speak of the devil. Superman's superhearing picked up the sound of J'onn and Holt landing outside the Metro Tower door which he had broken hours ago.
In a manner of moments J'onn appeared.
"Where's Holt?" Flash asked.
"He's with the repair team that's trying to fix the front door. He understood that Superman just wanted the founders in here."
Superman sighed.
"So what exactly happened?" John asked. "Bru-Batman is not part of the League anymore. What's he got to do with anything?"
Shayera gave him a dirty look.
"I didn't mean it like that!" John tried to explain.
"What did you mean then?" Shayera demanded taking a step closer.
"Enough," said Superman. All eyes turned on him.
Clearing his throat.
"The two towers were under lockdown at the exact time that Batman falls into a trap in Metropolis. Such convenient timing because the League was not able to help him because we were distracted by this. Diana and I felt it was too coincidental. We felt like it was almost as if someone planned the Metro Tower to be locked up because they did not want anyone to help Batman," Superman explained, not really paying attention to what he was saying.
In his head he was chiding himself for not only abandoning Batman, but failing as a leader. He should have seen this coming. If only he was faster, stronger, smarter, this never would have happened…
"That might not be the only thing amiss," J'onn muttered darkly.
"What?" asked Flash confused.
"Doctor Destiny is back," J'onn explained.
The air in the room felt stiff. Diana did not personally experienced Doctor Destiny because she was on a mission during the time, but she did hear all the horror stories about him. If it wasn't for Batman, who knows what would happened.
"Wait, I thought he was killed when Darkseid blew up Luthor's satellite?" John asked.
The Martian shook his head.
"He managed to latch his conscious onto the minds of a few villains that survived before the explosion. It seems he has put himself back to better recently. Not only that his powers have evolved," J'onn said grimly.
"Evolved?" asked Green Lantern a little worried. That's all they needed, Doctor Destiny getting more powerful.
"He is able to feed off emotions as well. He can feed on just that. It allows him to manipulate people more. In a way he can attack the heart, not just the mind."
Flash was having a hard time wrapping his head around J'onn's explanation. It seemed more philosophical than an actual explanation.
"How do you know this?" asked Shayera.
"Mister Terrific and I were investigating a string of mysterious bank robberies around the country. I was able to read one of the guards mind and I discovered he was using this power to make them sleep and learn how to bypass the security to obtain money."
"Why would he need money?" Superman asked. It seemed a little cliché.
J'onn sighed, "I have not been able to figure that out yet either. Doctor Destiny cannot fully take physical form. He may become stronger in the presence of powerful emotions, but it would take a lot to render him permanently physical. I would think that would be his priority. If he does not find enough emotions to feed on, his nonphysical form can disappear."
"I still do not see what this has to do with Batman. I mean sure it makes sense that Doctor Destiny would probably hold a grudge against Batman but I mean look. I still do not see what he has to do with Batman fighting a bunch of villains in Metropolis," John said gruffly. He was truly sorry that Batman had to fight off a whole army of villains by himself and nearly got killed doing it, but he felt with Doctor Destiny on the loose the League's priority should be stopping the man or whatever he was now.
All the founders looked at each other. John had a point. But before anyone could speak, Mister Terrific called them to the atrium.
Superman seemed reluctant to go. He did not want to leave Batman's side after he had already left him to die once.
Diana went up and touched his hand.
"It's alright Kal. We will be there when he wakes up," she whispered softly.
That brought Superman out of his brooding and he went with the other five to see what Mister Terrific needed them for.
Mister Terrific stood by the monitor, arms folded. It looked like he just watched something on tape.
"What is it Holt?" asked Flash worried.
"This is the security feature from the Watchtower before the lockdown," he muttered angrily.
The founders watched as he replayed the recording. They saw that Booster Gold was on Monitor Duty staring off into space.
"Why would you leave him alone up there?" asked John angrily. He was not particularly fond of Booster.
However Mister Terrific just pointed to the monitor. The founders watched as Booster suddenly passed out and a figure in a blue hood slowly appeared behind him. There was a faint orange light glowing in his hands.
The hooded man shot the orange light at the Monitor Womb control panels. The electronics all began to spark. The camera feed began to show static. But the feed did not completely cut before the hooded man turned around to reveal a skeleton face grinning wickedly with yellow eyes.
All the founders gasped.
Holt cut the feed.
"It appears that Doctor Destiny has returned…" he explained.
Understanding just hit Diana like a train. She knew what the two boys meant now by the skeleton man attacking Batman.
"It was him!" she exclaimed. All eyes were on her.
"Two of the hostages that Bru-Batman managed to save were two little boys. They said after Batman defeated all the villains, a skeleton man appeared and attacked him."
Realization was hitting Superman fast. He immediately began sprinting to the Med Bay.
"Superman! Where are you going?" Mister Terrific asked.
Superman did not listen. If Batman was attacked by Doctor Destiny, he might be living his worst nightmare right now.
He was almost to the med bay when a female voice yelled his name.
"KAL!" Diana called sprinting up to him. "What are you doing?"
"If Doctor Destiny's back, he probably has Bruce trapped in some nightmare! And we are sitting around doing nothing!"
"Well then what are you going to do? Are you a telepath?"
That caused Superman to pause. He was not sure what to do when he got in. But he hated feeling helpless while Batman's life hanged in balance. He had to do something.
Diana gave him an understanding smile and placed a gentle hand on his face. J'onn had approached the group.
"Let J'onn try. If there is anyone that can help, it's him. You do not have to do everything," she whispered.
Superman sighed.
"But I am going inside with you," Superman demanded.
"You can both come," J'onn said and opened the med bay door.
The medics were washing their hands and taking off their gloves.
"Excuse me, we just operated on him! You can't be-"
But the sight of Superman, Wonder Woman, and J'onn standing in the doorway was enough to make the doctor pause.
"How is he?"Diana asked.
Superman was just staring at Batman's lifeless body. They had ripped off his costume. He was badly bruised, his face almost unrecognizable. He was hooked up to a bunch of monitors and machines. To Superman, he looked worse than when he crashed a javelin at the Kryptonite missile.
The doctor sighed. "He's alive, but that's about it…"
The three heroes showed alarming looks.
The doctor continued, "I have never seen anyone take such a beating before and still be alive. They were saying on the news he took out seven supervillains by himself? How does someone take a beating like that and still beat them all?"
"What's wrong with him?" Superman demanded.
The doctor however kept his calm.
"I guess he must have taken a beating to the head badly or something. No overt signs of trauma to the head, but we are getting no response from his brain waves. We are going to try to do a scan later to see what's up. For the lack of the better world though, he is in a coma."
Superman bowed his head. It could not end like this, not now.
J'onn stepped forward.
"I would like to see if I can probe his mind. Maybe see what the problem is."
The doctor motioned J'onn to go ahead.
"J'onn," Diana asked with concern. J'onn looked at her.
"You are aware this is Batman's mind right?"
J'onn nodded before his eyes glowed orange.
00000
J'onn was in a swirling mass of darkness. Or at least you call it darkness. It looked like nothing.
"Hello?" J'onn asked. He had never encountered this before.
"Batman!" J'onn called with assertion. He had to be somewhere here. Somewhere in the darkness.
"Batman!" he shouted again. Still no response. There was nothing.
That was impossible. This never happened, unless…
"The lights are on but no one's home," an evil singsong voice called in the distance.
J'onn looked around. Slowly emerging from the abyss was the blue hooded man.
"You are looking at the wrong place," he grinned at the Martian.
"What have you done to his mind?"
"Nothing," Doctor Destiny replied. "Let's just say, it's offline at the moment."
"What did you do?"
"He put up such a good fight against Bane and the others. You all would have been proud! Or not considering the League did fire him!"
J'onn did not say anything to that accusation. He was actually one of the few founders other than Wally who were willing to vote Batman back in.
"Well anyways, he was worn out though; he lost control of his emotions. He opened his Heart of Darkness for my taking!"
J'onn looked alarmed at that threat.
"You didn't-"
"Oh I did. With his emotions, I will become far more powerful than you can imagine! And the best part is, I get revenge as well! Now excuse me, I have bigger fish to fry!"
Before J'onn could say anything, he felt pain all over him. He screamed and he was back in the med bay rolling on the ground.
Superman and Wonder Woman were doing the best to restrain him while the doctor was trying to order them out.
Finally J'onn seemed to calm down.
"What is it?" Diana asked.
"It's worst than we thought," he stated in pain.
