Chapter 10: Out of the Darkness
Authors Note: Thank you all once again for your support and reviews as always I enjoyed your feedback and support. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and give credit to light seeker he did help write this after all.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Justice League.
Deep in an office in the old ruins of Wonder City, Anarky was sitting in front of a group of hostages who were strapped with explosive vests. Anarky sat in an old office chair with the detonator in his hands with a bored expression across his face. He let out a frustrated growl and checked his watch for the fifth time in a row. He let out an impatient huff and looked over at his scared hostages.
"Do you know how Wonder City was founded?" Anarky asked the hostages. "By a false dream of immortality. Not many people know it. Over a hundred years ago, the man who started this place convinced the people of Old Gotham that the world would burn from corruption, greed and thirst for power. He showed them what would happen if they stayed the course: death. He told them of a naturally made chemical called Lazarus, that when placed in organics like humans and animals, will prolong their life, preserve their youth and delay their old age. But at a terrible price. A price that he never told the people. Madness. And so, like a drug, they became addicted to it. Kind of like your company's cigarettes," he said to a man in a business suit. "And the man allowed this to happen, believing that they were being granted with immortality. In the end, the madness destroyed Wonder City and the place was deserted. The man and his followers disappeared without a trace though." He looked at the folder and computer disks sitting on a desk nearby. "Until now."
A door suddenly creaked open and Anarky's finger readied the trigger, until he realized it was not the Justice League or the Teen Titans. He smiled when he saw Shadow's face. "It took you long enough."
Shadow and his team looked over at the hostages.
"Please! Get us out of here," cried a weeping woman to the Shadow Warriors.
"I'll quit my tabloid business!" shouted a man. "Just don't let him blow us up!"
Anarky got up from his chair and was about to greet his guests when Shadow aimed his gun at his head. "Let them go."
"What? And let them continue their..." Shadow pulled back the hammer of his gun and made him stop whatever speech he had prepared, and he disabled the trigger.
"Now what is this information you want to give to us," continued Shadow, not letting Lonnie out of his sights.
The hostages fled the scene, ripping the explosives off their bodies in the process. Clearly, they did not want any part in this conversation.
"Well," said Machin, taking a file from one of the folders on his desk. "In my search for government weaknesses, I discovered a little paperwork from the White House. It's an exclusive order from the United Nations."
He handed it to Jayden, and upon reading it, his eyes widened. "They...they...what?"
"What is it?" Ronin asked.
Jayden hanged his head. "The UN has declared us enemies of the state...and they are now ordering the military to use deadly force if they come across us. The Justice League is also to take part in this."
"WHAT?!" everyone except Shadow and Anarky exclaimed.
"They-they can't do this!" shouted Frost in a rage. "After everything we've done! We saved those low lives from Armageddon and this is the thanks we get for saving them?!"
"After everything that's happened," hissed Whisper. "The Barons, Trigon, the Red Crosshairs, the Soul Eaters...this is how it has to end?!"
"The Justice League won't do it," Shadow concluded. "They know our actions, though questionable in their eyes, have saved countless of people."
"Yes, but you are starting to piss off a lot of people." Anarky replied. "I mean really, you have everyday citizens dressing up in costumes, you plant these ideas in their heads and not to mention arm them with grade A military equipment. One more screw-up and your asses will be put in the ground."
Shadow was starting to feel uneasy. He didn't mean for things to get out of hand. He just wanted to give people hope. He wanted them to take back Gotham without batman. He needed to gather these radicals up and go over the rules with them.
"But that's just a cover up," Anarky continued. "Can you guess who started the order?"
"Cornelius Baron." Shadow snarled.
"Exactly. He wants the government to hunt you down, while he, Savage and any other of their allies focus on their goal. And to do so, they need a few allies like Nekron."
"That's not possible." Ronin said. "Nekron cannot be summoned to this world by means of a zeta tube or a space ship. Hell, he can't even be controlled, so why would he side with Baron?"
"I don't know, but he has found a way to bring him into our world." He explained. "But he's not the only one. He's bringing a whole mess of trouble and one of those troubles is Zod."
"What?/Shit!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Zod, Dru-Zod?" Storm Walker asked.
"Yup, but this makes no sense." Reaper snapped. "Trigon will try to conquer the world, the same as Darkseid. Savage wants to conquer the world, the same as Baron, by wiping it out. Then there is Zod himself, he wants Earth to make it into the new Krypton. All these villains will cause hell when they realize they were pawns. Why is Baron doing this?"
"Maybe that's what he wants." Specter said. Everyone looked to him. "Think about it. You got all the powerful villains after the same goal, but once they achieved their goal and all of their enemies are dead the only ones remaining is them."
"And once they realize they would rather kill their partners than share the spoils they go all out and try to kill each other." Monarch stated.
"And at the end of it all, Baron will kill the remaining victor and recreate the world in his own image." Phoenix said. "We can stop them though right?"
"Yeah, sure we can." Theodosia said. "We have Kryptonite weapons to deal with Zod and I am sure we can handle Darkseid and Savage…"
"It's not that simple." Shadow said irritably. "Baron and Savage aren't like Joker who does things on the go. They could have this all planned out and already know how this will all end." Shadow ran his hands down his face exhausted. Monarch stepped up.
"Shadow, we need to get help from anyone we can." She said sincerely. "This isn't about our feud with the Justice League anymore. If we spend all our time and energy fighting each other we'll be left helpless against Trigon and Baron."
"Jayden, she's right." Breeze said. He had forgotten she was even here. "We have to tell Batman."
"I know," Shadow admitted in defeat. "We might have to pay Grandpa Ra's a visit too."
"Ra's!" Ronin snapped. He stomped towards Shadow and stood face to face snarling through his mask. "We can't trust him he's working for the Light he's part of the same fucking crew!"
"He won't be when we tell him that Baron and Darkseid are planning to stab him in the back. We have to try."
"And we're gonna need all the help we can get." Gauntlet said. "A whole team of stealth assassins could come in handy too."
"Also, if you are looking for help I would gladly assist you." Anarky said with a little too much assumption. Shadow pointed his gun back at him.
"What the hell would make you think I would let you help after that stunt you just pulled?" Shadow snarled.
"Because I believe what you stand for." He said in a sincere voice and pulled off his mask. "I do want to help fight corruption and I do believe in taking down evil where it stands. Hell in had to hack into the C.I.A and Lex Luthors personal account to get this info. I planted bugs in Baron's office and lost a few good people to get this."
"You also painted a bull's eye on your back, endangered the lives of innocent people and made yourself a target for the JLA. Do you really think that if we did take you as our own, the JLA would just let you continue on?" Anarky looked ashamed. He jumped when he felt Shadow's hand on his shoulder.
"Look, you have talents and you are extremely skilled in your field." He encouraged. "But you need to decide whether you are fighting for the people or against. Showing off the government is good especially when they are working for the wrong kind like the Light, but the people need to know that we won't sell them down the river like you did today."
"The explosives weren't real!" He snapped. "They were just…soap and old alarm clocks."
"I know, now if I need you or if you hear anything give me a call you know how." Shadow explained. "For now find a rock and crawl under it, because everyone will be looking for you."
"I will thank you."
With that Anarky left and Shadow turned to the rest of his team.
"Okay, now I know you've all read the files on Zod and Nekron, for the rest of you I'll give you a quick rundown." He took Anarky's seat and everyone listened in. "Dru-Zod was Krypton's general and the best of the best. He and his lieutenants Faora and Namek were last down to be taken down by Red and his crew a few years ago, but my guess is that Baron found some way to resurrect him."Mystico jumped up in front of the group.
"Shadow, I remember that day we killed Adrian, that pendant he wore, it was in a few of my books."
"Well don't keep us in suspense what the hell is it Mystico?" Saika snapped.
"It was said that Trigon would transfer a great amount of power to those he deemed worthy of his power. Meaning this thing gave you that power of a demi god."
"But Adrian used it and he ended up dead." Gauntlet stated.
"He was a follower, but he wasn't loyal and the pendent acted as a key as well. It just needed a human soul."
"Son of a bitch!" Shadow shouted. "Baron never needed Trigon, hell he doesn't even care because now he has a fraction of his power." Everyone started to look uneasy. Shadow slumped down in his chair. "Cornelius…That sick bastard sacrificed his son for power, manipulated us all to do his dirty work and fell for it."
"Hey, were not done yet." Breeze said.
"I know, let's just get back home so we can think clearly."
Everyone else agreed to that plan and left the ruins of old Gotham to plan their next move.
(!)
Sarina Wayne was never the same after that incident with her father five years ago. It wasn't every day you get manipulated into betraying your friends and family by your insane father. Bruce assured her that she was fine now, but she wasn't going to take his word for it so she quit being Batgirl.
Her and Tim dated and finished high school and were now in the middle of college. Right now she was in her apartment watching the news about Jayden's latest exploits as Shadow. Tim was out in his new Red Robin alter ego, helping Bruce and Dick to try and defuse the situation.
Sarina would love nothing more than to help them, but she just didn't have that same fire she had all those years ago. She got up from the couch and turned the TV off.
"Oh Jayden." She sighed, "You should have just packed it in like me. This hero crap didn't work five years ago and it sure as hell won't do you any good now."
She wandered into her room and fell onto her bed not bothering to take her clothes off. She was sad that Tim didn't stay with her and would rather be Robin, but she wasn't going to deny what made him happy.
She spent the next few hours tossing and turning in her bed, but she couldn't sleep a wink. She then heard the familiar buzzing of her cell phone. Exhausted, she reached over on the nightstand and clicked her cell phone on.
Her eyes widened in horror at the text message across her screen.
"I'm going to be on TV tomorrow night, be sure to watch ;) xoxo Papa J."