The screen flashes and reads 'Encryption Cracked'.

So much for Cadmus' vaunted encryption algorithms.

"Finally the connection between Cadmus and Luthor…."

The screen lights up with a list folders, which pertain to a plethora of Cadmus projects. Question's attention latches onto one directory in particular.

"Or something even better President Luthor…"

He drags the mouse button down to a sub-folder labeled 'Oval Office' though it is like opening Pandora's Box. It laid bare is many things Batman and Superman had not told him about the incident that precipitated Luthor's pardon for starters and as for the rest it would set off an unregulated tangent in his brain. He can feel his body slipping away as all the other files, both written and visual flood his thoughts as he flips through each of them. Every click a fall, every glance a snap, and this continues for hours. His fedora is the first thing to come loose as he starts pacing around the room though not enough to drive holes in the floor. He periodically yells at noises among other things. The tangent reaches its end though another begins just as easily with the stack of ideas his mind had put together from all that he read in the last several hours.

"It is all connected… not alternate reality… time loop… Luthor becomes President… Flash is killed… Superman kills Luthor in retaliation… superhero arms race… Armageddon… End of the World… It is inevitable," mumbles Question.

His fist slams into the peg board, it shakes, and now he must consider the pathways ahead.

"Is the future immutable? Can destiny be changed? Will they allow it?" continues Question.

Someone is at the door.

It is Huntress.

"Screening your calls? You haven't answered the phone for days," exclaims Huntress.

She recoils at the smell then pulls open the window. She had never seen him like this before. His hair a mess, his tie still on yet not in place, his trench coat on yet slacking, and then of course she ventures asking if the smell is him. She nears him asking him if he is alright yet he is of one track mind then dashes off whilst snatching his fedora as he runs out the door. His lack of attention to his surroundings only leads to the door getting something of a slam then Huntress sensing that perhaps it has something to do with what he found in the decrypted archives goes over to his laptop.

She scans the screen until she finds the last visual/video file he accessed and initiates a replay.

It shows her the White House's Oval Office, as it could appear when Luthor is elected and inaugurated as President of the United States. Superman is in the office with him, but as to what led to this showdown is unclear at least to her for the moment.

"There are at least six different ways I can stop you right now," comments Superman

"But they all involve deadly force, don't they? And you don't do that," snorts Luthor.

Superman said nothing yet Luthor is about to goad him on… that must be it.

"No. You need me. You wouldn't be much of a hero without a villain, and you do love being a hero, don't you? The cheering children, the swooning women - you love it so much it's made you my most reliable accomplice!" continues Luthor.

"Accomplice?! What are you--," retorts Superman.

"You could have crushed me any time you wanted. And it wasn't the law or the will of the people that stopped you - it was your ego. Being a hero was too important to you. You're as much responsible for this as I am! So go ahead, fix it somehow. Put me on trial, lock me up - but I'll beat it. And then we'll start the whole thing all over again," cracks Luthor.

"... I did love being a hero. But if this is where it leads...I'm done with it," concludes Superman.

Superman's eyes glowing, never a good sign….

The screen turns red, President Luthor is vaporized on the spot, but some part of her thought this cannot be right, Superman wouldn't do anything that stupid yet then she remembers the replays from Lexor City with his fight against Marvel. She also recalls Question telling her about Galatea, the Ultimen, Task Force X's breach of the Watchtower, San Banquero, but there is probably more as she knows little or nothing about the situation even now. All these files he found, they all drove him to some fatalistic conclusion, and it bothers her more than she can verbalize.

[+++]

Batman agrees to meet Question, much to an exceedingly erratic Question's confusion, but then his behavior as of the past day could be taken as him 'cracking up'. However it must be that Batman still had to hear what he found out and what should be done because of it. He already suspects Batman will not agree, but the findings must be made know in the event that his already decided plan to cut the pathways through Luthor end in failure, end with Question's death instead of Luthor's. His failure to kill Luthor would either insert him into Flash's place in the inevitable future or Flash would simply join him the ranks of death when Luthor wins the presidency and kills Flash just as he had done before. He carries a copy of the files from his laptop to show to Batman and as it all plays out again on the Batcomputer. The Dark Knight Detective betrays no signs of emotion though why should Wayne show any sign of it?

Not only because he knows about it, but because the other him had seen it or been there yet not fast enough to prevent it perhaps.

"Cadmus likely knows you have their archives and in doing so you may have accelerated their plans, but we can't do anything about that. I can still go to Waller, try to convince her that Luthor must be contained because so far many of their moves seemed to be influenced by him and maybe even directly by him. Things are moving quicker than even I thought they would move if it had come to this."

Ever the analyst Batman, but they abide by a time table whether I know these things or not.

"How much else has been concealed from me Bruce?"

"The Justice Lords… where to begin with them?" murmurs Bruce.

Batman rubs his forehead before resuming his evaluation of them.

"We were lured to their reality by a lie about collapsing realities and that their reality held some sort of significance to solve the 'problem.' J'onn's counterpart is the first we met, he was sent in an ambassadorial capacity. The seven of us crossed over into a rigged trap. Hawkgirl… Shayera tried to break free, but she was struck down presumably by Lantern's counterpart though Flash would be better able to account for that since he was still conscious. As for the rest of us, the discharge incapacitated all of us, but like I said Flash resisted the longest after Shayera's knockout."

An admission at least you can admit the deception…

"What happen after that?"

"Presumably we were transferred to the specialized holding cells such as red solar energy generators and lamps for Superman. The Lasso could be used to bind Wonder Woman, something that was ironically repeated by the Thanagarians after they caught her, but they also had to use a powerful stun gun on her. As for Lantern, one either separates the ring from him or denies him access to the Lantern Battery. In the case of Flash, it is anti-gravity or lack of energy necessary to metabolize his abilities. In regards to J'onn, one needs only heat as well any substance that makes it impossible for him to phase or shift as well as use any of his powers for that matter…."

All in the eye of the beholder for what is what one wants to see for there is lack of imagination to accept the reality that at the core is the potential to become that which we deny we cannot be…

"What about you?"

"Who do you think the warden was?"

He'd be the only one reluctantly left 'home' to be the watchmen of a warden.

"Justice Lord Batman… explains why he wasn't there with the others that night…"

"You also already know that their Flash died in or around the same time Luthor took office in their reality."

"Not alternate realities Batman… time loop… you were shown a future in a very loose sense of the word."

"They all appeared the same age as us when we first encountered them… the personal histories of ourselves and them were almost impossible to distinguish beyond initial subtle variations yet the divergence between the realities began when their Luthor took office and their Flash died."

Those events must not happen….here…ugh… again.

"I haven't forgotten the argument I had with him in his Batcave. I had seen at last why he might have gone along with that situation. He kept rationalizing, but it appears from what little I did see of that Wayne Manor as well as that Batcave was indicative that everyone that mattered to him was gone. I had two reasons for not going to the other Arkham, first I had to find the crossover device and second I had no interest in seeing what befell his Rogues considering what happen to that Luthor."

It made you uncomfortable that someone so very much like you would allow and go along with things like that plus others confirmed your fears as to what happened to that Arkham's denizens and no doubt that the people of Earth would doubt… would resist... one either doubts or trusts… holds onto one or the other… never both.

"After he and I fought as well as argued… I conceded defeat in consideration of this statement about our shared past in relation to the present… then we set off to find the rest of the League including the recovering Shayera… he got them away from the SWAT's who were about to storm Arkham possibly. We all went back to the cave and a short time after that went back to our reality... this one."

After that you went to the prison to prepare to ambush the five Lords here.

"It was a simple trick lure to them, to make it appear as if Luthor broke out again. Lorder Superman wouldn't resist the opportunity to finish him off in the same manner that he did his own Luthor. They found a split to second too early and too late that they were tricked albeit in a manner similar to the trap they laid for us. We had to box them in though Lorder Hawkgirl definitely had seen through the trap before the others did as she caught the discharge in her mace then utilize it to break through the cell door."

Question even his erratic state of mind listens intently.

"Lantern unlike Lorder Green Lantern hesitates to blast her yet he does then she drops yet is caught by J'onn. He is shortly thereafter caught in a ring construct duel with his Lorder self. J'onn faces off against his counterpart though they shape shift into unrecognizable creatures as they battle their way through the ceiling. Wonder Woman faces off against her Lorder self as well though I am much closer to that fight than the others. As for Flash, he is up against Lorder Superman…"

Evenly matched though how could Flash hope to last against Lorder Superman?

"Flash had speed on his side and somehow did manage to spin toss Lorder Superman out of the cell block. Flash takes off after him. As for me, I was trying to prevent Lorder Wonder Woman from killing Wonder Woman, but when she turned on me… I knew she would kill me…"

That things had more than soured between Lorders Wonder Woman and Batman, that perhaps that Diana and Bruce had more than just a falling out…

"If you are thinking that things went to hell between that Diana and Bruce… you'd probably be dead to rights. The fact that all the costumes were in their transparent glass racks did not feel right nor did the fact that a majority of the rooms upstairs had drop cloths over almost all the furniture. It did not appear as if Alfred was at that Wayne Manor either. His participation in the Lords' 'stewardship' cost him severely and it probably did include any relationship he might have had with his Diana."

Undoubtedly you wonder if things could ever sour that badly between you and her too. It bothers you when you say Wonder Woman, to you she is always Diana, nothing more, nothing less, you use her alias in public and around those who are not the Founders with the exception of those who know her name like me, like Helena, like Dick, like Tim, or especially Alfred. I admire him for his loyalty and devotion to you, to the Wayne family name, but one wonders what it would take for everyone to cut ties with you like they did with Lorder Batman. Luthor's assassination might have derailed the war in favor of the Justice Lords, but something more had to have happened to make the Bat Family break apart.

"His involvement probably ruined things between him and the counterparts of my partners… my 'family' including Alfred. They might have tolerated what happen with Luthor, but what happen with Arkham, that would have been crossing the line… a line you couldn't pull back from… sure he probably had the Kryptonite slivers and maybe more… but how long could that have kept Superman from lobotomizing any number of villains in that reality… he went along because Superman had both Wonder and J'onn on his side. Stewart and Shayera also probably fell in line yet Shayera would have been more reluctant… likely due to what happen to Flash… they are like brother and sister in this reality… probably the same there too… back to Stewart… to Lantern… all the warheads in the world would have been enough to make him follow... to push him into believing it would make the world safer… peace and security…"

Batman looks more than uncomfortable talking at length about the probable psychologies of each Justice Lord though, more so Lorder Batman of course. Batman had the argument with himself both figuratively and literally. Lorder Batman is also only half the reason they were able to get back.

"You were on even footing by training… it was never abilities between you two… you knew you couldn't get back by fighting him…"

"He undoubtedly found a way to circumvent the locks on the restraints in what had been Flash's cell… I knew I couldn't break us out… we thought alike except for the part where he apparently could justify his part in the Justice Lords' 'stewardship'. I suspected from his almost fixation with caution regarding our captivity that it had something to do with a teammate dying…"

The memories are putting Batman into a great deal of unease, but Question wants the whole story.

"That's where you concluded it must have been Flash…"

"His brief conversation with Flash is what validated it… Flash gave him a mouthful about the harm done to Hawkgirl… he spoke with such hidden concern and worry in his voice that I knew it must be Flash… he said the last thing he want was to lose another… then he stopped and went back to his rounds."

The topic obviously made him uncomfortable and probably part of why he took up being the warden to make sure nothing happen to lead to another team death. One had done enough damage in that reality.

"Flash probably began probing you for ideas on how you would lead the jailbreak except you told there was no way you could do it… so he orchestrated the breakout by tricking Lorder Batman."

"Faked a heart attack… Lorder Batman raced to the Flash's cell immediately. I heard several thuds that sounded like sped up punches then Flash came to my cell and starts trying random numbers on the keypad… I told him what I suspected was the code for mine… it was right."

Batman sighs then turns back to the Batcomputer and Question now knows to some extent what was kept from him about the crossovers aside from the projections that Cadmus had made about a repeat incident in this time line, this reality.

"Now you know everything… well almost… but only about as much as I do. I didn't tell you because I could hardly stomach talking about it with the others and Flash infrequently jokes that keeping him alive is the only way to avoid what happen to the Justice Lords…"

"He might be right you know…"

"So what are you planning on doing with this knowledge?"

"I needed to know what you know…."

"Get to the point Vic… if Cadmus is planning something I must know."

"Galatea is still alive… they are making an Ultimen army… and Luthor is their financier… he's also been acquiring increasingly larger shipments of nanotechnology, advanced cybernetics, and other android related tech."

"Waller aware of anything about Luthor's nanotechnology acquisitions?"

"Doubtful… even if she does… she apparently hasn't made the connection yet… and Captain Atom's been reactivated by Eiling."

Batman's glare contorts into a scowl.

"They are preparing for something… but what are you planning… I know you are up to something."

"You wanted my findings… but you are afraid of what they are compelling me to do."

Batman stands face to face with Question.

"What happen to us?"

"We turned on each other and you concealed things after recruiting me."

Question grabs both of Batman's wrists after sensing that Batman had turned to the Batcomputer for more than just to get Question's eyes off his own.

"You are not thinking straight Vic… let go of my wrists now," growls Batman.

"Drop the syringe or you won't be throwing batarangs for a few days," retorts Question.

They shift around until Question head butts Batman knocking him back into his chair. Both dive for the syringe except Question gets to it first then jabs Batman with it. The Dark Knight groans for several seconds before passing out, and Question takes a quick sniff of the air. It smells like an ordinary sedative, but a rather powerful dose of it.

"Hopefully the nightmares never come true Batman, but I can't have you interfering right now, this must be done to avoid history repeating itself," mutters Question.

He goes back up the stairwell through the grandfather clock covered doorway.

"Now to face the Man of Steel…"

He buries the thought for a moment in order to make the comlink call for a beam up.

[+++]

The teleporters due to maintenance force the technicians to teleport Question to an auxiliary platform within the Watchtower. The auxiliaries and backups are only used for emergencies when repairs are being done to the main pad, which is near the area that Superman is in now. He is there with Aztek and Steel as they are reconnecting power relays and shunts. Question places himself face to face with a man who looks disturbingly identical to the man he had seen kill President Luthor in that simulation of what he believes now, not to be another reality, but a certifiably immutable future unless kept from happening somehow.

The Man of Steel almost scowls at him. Superman, who often appears to try to befriend everyone or almost everyone, has instead lately been looking upon everyone suspiciously.

After what happen in Lexor City who could he afford to trust outside the Founders?

It would not take much more even though Question underestimates how much psychological resilience is left in Superman because Luthor knows the buttons to push to snap him though the only question there is how long would it take before Superman gives in?

The tangents are occurring on their own now, no prompts at all, must focus on conversations only he insists inwardly.

"Something I can help you with?" asks Superman innocuously.

"I hope so. But I assume you don't want to discuss your White House weenie roast in front of a crowd..." murmurs Question.

Superman sets down the massive bulk he had been holding up before politely excusing himself.

"I'll be back in a minute. "

The pair rides down in a turbolift to the vaunted Founders Conference Room.

"Always wondered what was in here. Private conference room. Original members only, yes? A place where you're free to discuss your secrets and lies, "comments Question.
"You said something about me in the White House," interjects Superman.

He pretends for the sake of indulging the notion that I am crazy.

"Not you, exactly. Another version of you, hmm?" quips Question.
"Quit dancing around it. How much do you know? "

He is upset that I know, but I am not the only who knows Superman.

"I know what you told everyone. The Justice Lords: a parallel universe version of the Justice League who came to Earth to rid it of crime just as they had on their own world. With Lex Luthor's help, our Justice League managed to rout them. I also know what you didn't tell anyone! On that other Earth, so very much like our own, a Superman, so very much like you, killed the president. "

The chair under Superman's arm bends, perhaps by accident, perhaps not, but Question barely notices anyway. There is anxiety in his demeanor, worry about how far this knowledge will travel perhaps.

"Question, no one can know about this."
"Or what? You'd incinerate me, too?"
"I'd never do anything like that. "

Denial perhaps the most predictable response when one refuses to believe the worst is possible.

"Wouldn't you? Didn't you recently try to lobotomize Doomsday with your heat vision, just as the Justice Lord did?"

"That's different! "
"It's the same! A heavily armed Watchtower with an army of proactive heroes, Luthor running for president - if it's not *quite* the same, it soon will be. Have you seen Amanda Waller's computer simulations?"
"Batman told me about them. "

Wayne told you on a need to know basis and I know now that I was left out, not surprising, he told me enough for me to do my work, but kept enough to force me to find out on my own about the Justice Lords. It also took making a deal with Luthor for use of the Achilles' disruptor to de-power the Lords.

"Did he tell you that all the models predicted that a war between the Justice League and the government would devastate the planet? ", quips Question.
"We would never fight the government! ", retorts Superman.
"Not even if Luthor was the government? ", snaps Question.

Superman stays silent, hit a nerve definitely, so Batman concealed much from me and Superman denies what he would do if Luthor ever took office, this is almost predictable, but cannot let it play out.

"Predestined... Flash will die... You will kill Luthor... Superhuman arms race... Armageddon... Inevitable..., "mutters Question.
"Question, I'm... "

Superman appears to be trying to assuage Question's fears, but Question sees otherwise though to save Superman's reputation as well as the League someone else will have to take Superman's place in the assassination of Luthor. He would have to take Superman's place in that role for the sake of Earth, for the safety of the League, and prevent Superman from bringing the world to Armageddon.

"I'm worried about you. You're mixed up. This world isn't like the other one. We're not the Justice Lords. Those things you're afraid of won't happen here. I won't let them."

Question shrugs off Superman and leaves the room. It is time to confront the future and find out if it can be changed or otherwise do the one thing he never expected to do, that being to die in order to save everything and everyone from a war that would them more than their lives. The one face that comes to mind as far as the deaths is Helena; her death would be like a precursor to his own if he simply let things play out as they would without him interfering with the paradox. It would not be an easy to get to Luthor, let alone get him while he is alone, but it could be done, it must be done.

[+++]

It is surprisingly almost too easy to slip into Lexcorp Headquarters in Metropolis and once there it is a straight shot to Luthor's office. The man kept unusual yet predatory creatures as pets, which can mean either he fears or respects what they are, maybe even both. Question settles into the chair in Luthor's office and waits with a view of much of Metropolis from here. It is imaginable that Luthor once basked in the power that such a view must have given for many even from the tallest of buildings in Metropolis would see the slightly higher Lexcorp building with its imposing black exterior overshadowing them. The familiar scrapping sound of Luthor's tasteful yet excessive in costs wing tip shoes are near. His attention drawn likely to the paperwork and his face reveals initial surprise when Question whirls around in his chair.

His demeanor is quick to change into a confident smile.

"Question isn't it? I believe you took something that belongs to me."

His gaze almost stuck on his paper stack does not dissuade Question from what the man's real focus is, which is to find out why Question is here and maybe what he knows now from the archives.

"Have you seen the latest polls? It is beginning to look like you'll be the next president, just like in that other world."

"I wouldn't bet against me."

His smile widens as he leans towards Question after sitting on the desk.

"No, it wouldn't be prudent. I want you to understand something, Luthor. Although my distaste for you a human being is Brobdingnagian, what I am about to do isn't personal."

He sounds unprepared, makes it simpler, but not easier though his demeanor looks even more confident.

"What are you babbling about?"

He feigns ignorance naturally.

"Everything that exists has a specific nature. Each entity as something in particular and has characteristics that are part of what it is. A is A…"

Question loosens and lowers his tie, which likewise opens part of his dark yellow buttoned down shirt.

"… and no matter what reality he calls home, Luthor is Luthor."

Question gets to his feet and walks around the desk as he continues his tirade while removing his tie completely.

"If I am to save the world, your existence must end before you take office."

Luthor almost unmoving reveals that he understands what and why Question is about to attempt now.

"You are going to kill me so that Superman can't."

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. Is not life a hundred times too short for us to bore ourselves?" Strange that I should think of Nietzsche at a time like this, but then there is all the trouble I went through to dissuade Helena from killing Mandragora. Luthor's done nothing to me except instigate probabilities of a war that could kill billions. He's seen what I intend to do.

"I'm a well known crackpot, the Justice League's reputation will survive my actions, and Superman's legacy will remain intact."

Luthor stares at his fingers as Question prepares to strangle Luthor with his tie perhaps.

"Interesting plan. Unfortunately for you, it won't be an option."

Luthor punches Question, which hurdles the willingly assassin clear across the room towards the glass that separates the office from the sharks' tank. The glass spiders as Question slides to the floor and Luthor grins almost sinisterly at this new super strength then walks over to reveal what Question thought possible yet not probable.

"President? Foolish faceless man. My campaign is a farce – a small part in a much grander scheme."

The realization of this fear is on par with Superman killing Luthor for killing Flash. Question gets to his feet despite knowing he won't escape this office. He lunges to grab Luthor by neck again except Luthor's hand seizes him by the neck first. Luthor is faster and then rapidly slaps him several times, which hurts more than getting flung into the shark tank' exterior glass.

"President? Do you have any idea how much power I'd have to give up to be President?" laughs Luthor.

He throws Question a second time. Question's body collides with the desk and hard enough to push it several inches towards the window. A struggle to stay conscious for certain yet Question's plan to kill Luthor lands into a new juxtaposition as Luthor could quite possibly kill him thus substituting him for Flash, Superman kills Luthor and then Armageddon. Luthor however picks him up to taunt him more. There is no use resisting or fighting anymore because he felt certain he would die soon.

"That's right, conspiracy buff. I spent 75 million on a fake presidential campaign. All just to tick Superman off," chuckles Luthor.

Luthor's demeanor had all the more sinister in the last several minutes, but then Luthor is a more sinister villain than even Question could fathom. The pain doesn't stop, it only gets worse as he feels all the nerves in his back, his neck, and even more so his skull howl in pain. It felt like he could black out at any second and Luthor lowers himself to Question's face a fourth time.

"Now about those files you stole from me…"

He was dead wrong for the third time today as Luthor won't be killing him. Batman didn't deceive him as he had already suspected something strange about that night that Justice Lords fought Doomsday. Superman likewise was correct to worry about his rants and his knowledge of Lorder Superman burning President Luthor to a crisp after Luthor executed Flash. Luthor running for office had been a sham all along and Lexor City should have answered that tangent for itself. The saying goes bad things happen in 3's and of course the superstition is proven right tonight.

Everything that happens after this moment feels blurry, he knows he probably admits that he broke the encryption on the archives, but some part of him resists even when his body cannot withstand whatever the punishment that awaits him. The path to war is still possible, but now he may have become the trigger instead, the anguish at such a thought is unbearable.

What will Huntress… will Helena do when she discovers what I had tried to do… what would she do? It could get her killed and it would be my fault… if she dies… then world would be over for me, and I'm already one step closer to death.

He didn't all that he did for her just for her to die because of his mistake… he hopes she will not do what he knows she will do...

… She will do it because she loves me.

A/N 1: The Batcave scene is one I made up that occurs between the apartment 'epiphany' scene and the Founders Conference Room confrontation. It is also meant as a minor nod to the conversation/argument scene in The Watchmen, if you read Watchmen, you know what argument and who.

A/N 2: The discussion between Batman and Question is based on my interpretations of the events of A Better World. Batman as shown hears him out except conceals worry about Question's intentions so he attempts to sedate him except gets the tables turned.

A/N 3: The Question-Luthor conversation/fight is one of the most intense scenes in Question Authority, so one gets the dose of what happens in it plus Question's internal doubts/fears as well a worry/acceptance that Huntress will be coming after him.

A/N 4: The Nietzsche quote is intentional in terms of the Question-Luthor scene.