Cadmus Lab Rehibiltation Center
Batman and Slade, stripped of their masks, sit in a bright room bound to a pair of chairs back to back.
"You alive, Wayne?"
"Somewhat. They've stripped me of all but my name. You have anything?"
"Just my eye. This is where the boyscout would come in handy right about now."
"..."
"Cats got your tounge? Didn't think even Selena could shut that self righteous attitude up."
"Enough games, Slade. We need to find a way out of here."
"Said the joker to the thief." Another voice answered.
General Vandal Savage entered into the room.
"Well, I suppose it'd be more of the joker saying it to the bat, if he were still here."
"Who are you?" Bruce asks.
"A very VERY patient individual." Vandal answers, circling the room as he continues. "I've waited a long time for this moment, for when I could have the world in my hands. And it's all thanks to you Bruce Wayne, all because you invented The Batman." Another door opens to reveal Killer Croc and Manbat. "All because you gave The Joker a reason to be." Several more doors open for Deadshot and Brother Blood. "All because you turned your back on the League." A final door opens to reveal Harley standing in the doorway. "And now, your current friends turn on you. Isn't that right Harley?"
"What did you do to her!?"
"You've seen the pods, Wayne. Using Braniacs tech and some of the life forms he's amassed in his travels made rehabilitating several prisoners easy. As for those who had resisted me... Well that's another story. But now I offer you and the Terminator the same deal. Join me and secure this worlds future."
"There is no future in YOUR world Savage!"
"Fraid I'll have to side with nut who dresses like a winged mammal. I'm taking a pass too."
"I had thought as much." Vandal stated while backing out of the room through Harley's door. "Proceed with the rehabilitation mister Strange."
"With pleasure, General." An intercom with Hugo Strange's voice echoing through it answered as each door closed.
The room began to fill with a green gas. Slade and Bruce's veins began to bulge as their muscles tightend. Both gritted their teeth and shook in their seats violently. Bruce then calmed down. His eyes opened and he found himself standing in the streets of a city during the day, dressed as Batman but nobody acknowledging him.
"What is..." Bruce stopped as he turned around, hearing the sound barrier being broken.
A red streak then shoots up into the sky, rising far above the Daily Planet building. At that moment, Batman had realized where he was. He reached out and screamed 'no' only to be answered by the city erupting in the nuke that had ruined his life. Batman lowered his hand after shielding his eyes from the explosion and saw Superman floating down to him with Lois in his arms.
"Clark... I'm so sorry."
"Don't be such a downer bats, after all, you are due some of the credit." The Joker answered, walking out behind him.
"Joker, I should've killed you myself years ago. The world wouldn't have flinched if a nut in a costume did you in."
"Perhaps, but you didn't! YOU allowed me to go on. YOU allowed me to do THIS. And the humor here is, you know it to be true. You failed Metropolis, you failed your friends and you failed your parents little Brucey." And with that last line of dialogue, Batman took his swing at The Joker.
Cadmus Prison Hall
Meanwhile, in the next room, Harley stands aside for Vandal to turn and walk away from the door. Prisoners such as Captain Boomerang and King Shark reside in their cells behind a force field wall as ceiling mounted turrents remained locked on them on the other side.
"I wonder what he's thinking of. Whatever it is, it'll break him soon enough. As it did you, and he won't even know it either." Vandal elaborates.
Harley then glances ahead and dives in Vandals way, taking a volt of lighting to the chest.
"Harley took the shot? I knew Bats was wrong to trust her." Static says as he and Aqualad enter into the same hall with Vandal.
"Static Shock and Aqualad? That's a problematic team up. Even for the immortal." Vandal states while drawing his sword from his cane.
Vandal makes the first move, tossing a flash grenade at Static's feet, stunning him. He then draws his flintlock and fires it at Static, hitting him in the torso. Vandal then dashes forward, while Static is wounded, and lands in front of Static, grabbing him by the shoulder and running his blade into his stomach before hoisting him up and over his head and tossing him back. Savage then leaps up and redirects one of the turrents in the ceiling at Static, catching him in its scans and letting it open fire on him. Vergil bounces off of the ground and out of view, leaving Aqualad to take up the fight. Vandal had no way nor the time to counter Aqualads whip construct as it lashed across the room and knocked him back. The second flail of Kalds weapon lassoed Savage by his waist and pulled him with it as it went flying over its weilder's head and slammed into the ground. Vandal leapt back up and tossed another flash grenade, dazzling Aqualad. He then leapt up and grabbed another turrent, this time pulling it out of ceiling and tossing it at Aqualad, knocking him down. Savage then leapt across the room, like a primal caveman, and thrusted his sword downwards, impaling Kald before kicking him back. Aqualad stands back up only to be shot in the head by Vandals flintlock.
Savage brushes the side of his blade, admiring the craftsmanship. All the while, Aqualad gets back up, more pissed than hurt. Savage then pulls out and tosses a landmine on the floor, too close to dodge it and learning of it too late Aqualad falls for the trap. The explosion sending him flying back into the air where he is once more struck by the flintlocks shot and slammed into the ground by Vandals preforming his Primal Leap once more. This time, the kick would send Aqualad flying back and out of view as Static leaps back into action to defend his friend. Static claps his hands together, sending out a small burst lighting to daze Vandal. Static then takes hold of him, and hoists him into the air by discharging some voltage into his chest and gut before overloading it and letting out a small burst that sends him flying back. Savage got back to his feet and fired a shot from his pistol, which Static blocked easily, being able to resist metal substances with his electricity. But this left him open to Vandals flash grenade, stunning him and allowing for Savage to land another shot before preforming the Primal Leap. Instead of skewering Static, though, he brutally socks his head into the floor with three punches before standing up and kicking him away.
"Children still, even to a modern man." Vandal said while inspecting his fallen attackers.
Meanwhile, Harley pushed herself back to her feet. Something in her eyes had changed. Her pupils dilated back to normal and she felt a singe in the back of her neck. She turned to see Vandal approaching Aqualad with his blade drawn. As he took him by his shirts collar and pulled him up, Harley leapt up and onto his shoulders, pulling his head back.
"Disobedient little...!" Vandal shouted while reeling back with his head.
His superior strength had prevailed in the end, however, making it easy for him to slam her into the wall, grab her leg, and toss her across the room. Harley slid across the floor and towards the door where Batman and Slade were being tortured behind.
"You've made a grave mistake Quinnzel. I granted you redemption, to do right for once in your life by serving a higher calling. And you threw it all away to resume your mad life." Vandal spoke while reaching into his coat and pulling out a detonator.
"Maybe you're right. No. Your absolutely as right as rain ya Gieco commercial reject! I've done a ton of bad tings and probably will keep doin' tem! So it's time I do something right for once." Harley answers back while reaching up and opening the door.
On the otherside, unbeknownst to anyone, Slade, under the influence of the gases filling the room, had went into a berserker rage. His enhanced strength allowing him to rip out of his restraints, turn and swat the chair holding Batman over, shattering it and freeing him in the process. He then turned as the door opens. The gases fill the hall, passing by Harley as she holds her breath, and infects Vandal. His vision blurs. Slade runs to him. As his sight adjusts he sees not the stripped and unarmed captive of his charging him but the fully suited and well armed Deathstroke making his way to him.
Vandal readied himself, drawing his blade. While only a drugged up hallucination, Vandal felt the sting all too real when Slade drew his twin glocks and took four shots at the caveman. Savage was dazed, the drugs making both of its subjects more vulnerable than usual, even eating away at their health while in idle stance. Deathstroke than dashed by him with his three blade strike combo, nailing him twice until Vandal broke his combo by reposting his sword with his own. Savage countered by smacking Slade across the helm with his swords sheath and swiping down, taking out his legs before driving the sword down into him. Savage pressed his heel onto Deathstrokes face and pried the blade back out, kicking him away. Deathstroke leaps back up only to be blinded by a flash grenade and shot by Savages flintlock.
Slade gets up, snapping his neck as he loosens up for the real fight. Vandal, however, manages to land the first blow as he preforms his Primal Leap,following it up by beating Deathstrokes head into the floor. He gets up and off of Deathstroke, awaiting for him to stand back up and unaware of his counter while on the ground. Slade grabs hold of his still holstered guns and opens fire, shooting three rounds from each gun off of his hips and pushing Vandal back. Deathstroke leaps back up and jumps to redirect one of the ceiling turrents, riddling Vandal with some shots.
The drugged general leapt back up, slamming his hands into the floor like and enraged gorilla. He then tossed down a lindmine and backed up. Slade followed, leaping over the booby trap, but leaving himself open for a shot from Vandals flintlock while in mid air. The hit knocked him back and caused him to land on the land mine, blasting him back into the air. Vandal takes another shot with the flintlock, juggling Slade, and then preformed a Primal Leap, slamming Deathstroke into the ground and following it up with the three punches to the head.
The drugs began to wear off as Vandal looked upon his beaten foe and saw the armor fading away. Vandal brushed his hand over his face as he tried to sober up.
"You're dead Harley. Dead!" Vandal shouted. "Harley?"
"No. Not Harley." Batman answered as he stepped out of the room.
Much like Deathstroke, his armor was returned to him in the hallucination.
"What have you learned from my rehibilitation?"
"That if anyone has a long enough life, they'll go mad in time. Consider this to be a mercy killing."
The Bat struck first, tossing a Batarang that Vandal easily blocked. Though, it gave Batman time to leap up and redirect one of the ceiling turrents. Vandal leapt back up and tossed down a landmine. Bruce manages to detonate it by throwing a smoke pellet on top of it, giving him room to dash towards Savage, but this was not unexpected. Vandal preformed his Primal Leap and pumble do Bruce's head to the floor, rising up behind him and kicking him forward. As Batman got back to his feet, Savage reeled back and thrusted his shoulder forward, knocking Batman into the wall and plastering him into it.
One of the ceiling turrents scanned him and opened fire, pressing him further into the wall until it gave way and he fell through. Bruce toppoled down a flight of stairs before bouncing off of one of the rails and through another door, landing him in a cellblock that held the ship of Braniac and the detained monster Starro as it was fighting its restraints and captors to break free.
Vandal rushes into the room as Batman lies sprawled out on the floor. Savage beats his chest like his primal self urges him to, before recollecting himself. Bruce rises back up, pulling out his grapple hook and skewering it into Vandals chest, giving him his propelled dive kick into the savages torso. The general stood back onto his feet and thrusted his blade forward, skewering Batman on it and head butting him off of it. As Bruce rose back up, Vandal swung his upper body at the cape crusader, slamming into him and sending him flying to the back of the room where Braniacs ships still active force field bounced Batman back to the front. Vandal stomped his foot onto Bruce and kicked him back laughing as he sheaths his sword.
"You're just another one of millions I've faced, Mister Wayne." Savage spoke while looming over Batman.
He slapped himself as the drugs began to wear off. Vandal then came to the realization that the hall was sounding off the alarm as some soldiers were still drugged from the gas seeping out of the broken down door, shooting at each other.
"Light weights." Vandal scoffed. "Where's Quinn?!" He bellowed.
The general began marching down the hall, backhanding one solider while grabbing the barrel of anothers gun and pulling it out of their hands, smacking him in the face with it as his torso heals up from the shots fired into it.
Cadmus Labs Control Room
Meanwhile, Cyborg lies sprawled out on the floor. A hand knocks on the metal part of his head.
"Wakey wakey! Dontcha have a built in alarm clock, Rust Bucket?" Harley asks as Cy stirs.
"Quinn? What are you... Where am I?"
"No time for that mombojumbo Geek Squad, we've got some work to do."
"Why would I ever work for you?"
"Not for me, with. And for good reason, trust me."
"Trust you? You blew up a city and single handidly started a civil war!"
"..."
"And when that wasn't enough, the moment you precious 'Mista J.' Came back from the dead you swapped back over to his side! I have more than enough reasons to distrust you, Lady Bozo! If anything, I should save the others the trouble and do ya in right here! Right now!"
"That's the plan actually."
"What?"
"Hack into these mainframes, you'll be caught up to speed. Let your Titan friends know where the Highschool reunion is being held too. The rest... Well, I'll spare ya the details." Harley said as she walked away.
Cyborg then turned to the controls and began hacking away at the system.
Titans Tower
The Titans were still faced with an overwhelming force. Kara struggling with three Metallos as they shinned their Kryptonite beams at her. Starfire and Raven fighting back to back as the Metallos closed in on them. Beetle and Firestorm seemed to have been nearly drained of all energy as they were busy catching they're breath. Damien landed next to them after bringing a flying unit down by decapitating it. The tide of battle changes as two arrows stick in the back of two Metallos heads, detonating them and allowing for Kara to tear the third apart.
"We heard you needed a hand." Kid Flash says as him and Arsenal enter the room.
"Superboy and Wonder Girl were busy?" Damien asks.
"Survive now, fight later!" Supergirl answers.
Everyone then turns as a Boom Tomb opens up, taking aim for the next wave to come through. Instead, several Cyonic Blasts shoot through, demolishing several of the Metallos. Cyborg runs through shouting his signature phrase as he does so and unloading more beams from his modified arms into the Metallo's surrounding him.
"That's a true Titan!" Robin shouts out proudly.
A Metallo behind him then is struck in the back of the head by a tazzer baton, taking it down before it could strike. Everyone turns to see who it was that tossed it.
"Once a Titan, always a Titan." Nightwing adds as he steps into the room with the Lanterns, Flash and Arrow behind him.
Both teams of Titans and JL members look out to the demolished wall as more and more Metallos hover in the air and towards them.
Cadmus Secret Sector
Meanwhile, Harley walks into a room, standing atop of a catwalk and overlooking Braniacs ship.
"Would ya look at that?"
"Marvelous, isn't it?" Vandal asks, causing Harley to turn and look to him. "A testament to the Kryptonians might, being able to topple a ship of such might. Within its data entries, we've discovered it held the knowledge of over nineteen-hundred and ninety-four worlds. Their history, their civilizations, their weapons." Vandal then getsures to Starro, now less active and more beaten down into a submissive state. "Then this creature was founde in Superman's Fortress Of Solitude. Awakening it was a big mistake on our part, cost us over half the squad, even Doomsday. But it's detained now and has been properly studied. It's anatomy had shown us how to craft the perfect organism."
"So ya combined the starfish with Braniacs tech, eh? Guess the boy in blue was right after all, we should'a destroyed it all when we had the chance."
Harley readied herself for a fight. Vandal made the first move, beating the floor to shake the ground up and under Harley, stunning her long enough for him to preform his Primal Leap and to smash her face into the floor. He gets up and kicks Quinn away, beating his chest as he does so. Harley gets up and bats a grenade in Savage's direction, which he blocks effortlessly. How every, this denied him the opportunity to dodge Harley's tank of laughing gas, locking him in a slightly hysterical state of laughter and giving her the chance to nail him in the head with a baseball. Vandal snapped back to reality and pulled out one of the supports to the catwalk, shaking it up and allowing him to whip Harley from across the walkway before it snaps and is made useless. Savage then pulls out his flintlock and hits Quinn in the head before knocking her down.
Harely gets back up, slapping both sides of her head before resuming her fighting stance. Vandal backs up and tosses a landmine on the ground. Rather than jumping it, Harley rolls one of her gas tanks into it, setting it off safely. Not foreseeing this, Vandal was left open for a baseball to the head, again. Quinn dashed forward, stopping onl y a few feet in front of Savage. She struck him once or twice with the bat, using it like a pool que to his gut and swatting it over his head, but was halted when Savage beat the floor again. This time, the supports to the walk way had snapped and gave way, dropping to the ground. Both Savage and Quinn took damage as they hit the ground but now were seaperated enough for Vandal to collect himself. He shot Harley and swiped her with his sword in a vertical fashion, before taking hold of her and running it through her gut. He finished the grapple by head butting her off his blade and laughed while sheathing it.
"You disappoint me Quinn." Vandal said as everything returned to normalcy. "Once you were a respected Doctor. Now look at you."
"I know I know, every story begins with a 'Once Upon A Time'. But the fable can change drastically depending on which prince you wind up fallin' for." Harley answers while looking to a knife in her hand. "Guess ya can say I'm not gettin' my happily forever after." She then turns and lunges at Vandal.
(Press Light Attack) He takes hold of her hand and twists it around, head butting her before breaking her arm. (Press Jump) Vandal then locks Quinn in a bearhug, the sounds of her bones crackling. (Mash Heavy Attack) He continues to add the pressure until she screams. (Press Right Trigger) And endss it all by grabbing her by the throat and slamming her into the floor. He walks past Harley as she lies on the floor, literally broken.
"Yo- you's ain't... Human."
"No, I'm the first human." Vandal says while fixing his coat collar. "And I shall be the last." Vandal says with a smile as he feels the side of his waist. "What?"
"Looking for tis?" Harley says while holding up her detonator trigger in her good arm.
"What can you possibly do with that?"
"Make things right for a change! Static may have shocked me back to myself but I bet ya the explosive is still active in there." Harley answers while getting back to her feet and climbing over the rails. "I ain't gonna be your toy, General! And you can't play with Braniacs! This ones for Bats, for Metropolis, the blue boyscout and everyone else I've screwed over just by exsisting!" Harley screams as she leaps over and falls towards Braniacs ship.
Vandal looks over the edge and watches as she falls through the torn open head of the ship. Harley nears the still active core and throne of the ship. Her finger then presses the trigger to the detonator. Vandal turns and begins to run. The entire ship is then consumed by an explosion. The fire builds and fills the room, catching even Savage in it.
Titans Tower
Back with the Titans and JL, the Metallo's continue to press forward. They then stop and begin to fritz out. The hordes eyes grow dim and they go still. All of the heroes look to them in confusion but not ready to lower their gaurd. Beetle slowly approaches one and pokes it, tipping it over. Everyone then looks to each other not sure what to make of it.