Gotham City
The moon still hung high in the early morning sky while the sun slept. Inside the Iceberg Lounge restaurant and casino, most of the staff wouldn't start to arrive until five to prepare everything for the lunch time rush. However, one figure still dwelled inside the dormant structure. Inside the massive lounge, high above the large iceberg that had been imported from the Atlantic Ocean was the office of the Lounge's owner. A small man that was around four feet tall and still wearing a rather expensive business suit was none other than Oswald Cobblepot himself. His nose was large and almost looked like a beak, and what was left of his black hair was greased and slicked backwards as he went over the books on his desk. At first glance, most people would think he was wearing a monocle over his left eye. In actuality, it was the bottom of what was once a rather small but expensive bottle of fine wine.
Oswald's family had been rich at one point. But when Oswald was still a child, their fortune had been all but squandered by his father's gambling habits. It also didn't help matters that the Wayne family exposed his father's other activities and made the Cobblepot family pariahs. When his father died of pneumonia, his mother and himself then lived with his grandmother who owned a bird sanctuary. Because of his small stature and chubby frame, and his mother making him take an umbrella with him after his father's death, he was often ridiculed at school. As a result, he spent most of his time at the bird sanctuary with his grandmother where he learned a great deal about the feathered creatures he would call his friends. As Oswald grew older, he learned even more in the ways of training certain birds to perform specific tasks.
While he kept his society appearance as a respectable and legitimate business man, he had trained many birds from the bird sanctuary to steal from the open windows of high rise homes and hotel penthouses. Finding that he could earn a great deal of money from fencing stolen goods, he began a life of crime. Oswald tried to join one of the mobs in Gotham, but was ridiculed and literally kicked out. Oswald returned, and shot the mob boss in the head with a converted umbrella that was also a .45 caliber weapon. Soon, his family fortune was rebuilt and he earned a place amongst Gotham's notorious kingpins of crime. Known for the ruthlessness of his tactics and only choosing the best to work for him, Oswald is known as the creature he had been compared to all his life. The Penguin. For the right price, he could get anyone in Gotham City anything they wanted with his restaurant and Casino as a front. That was why a tall and very attractive woman in formal attire was in his office.
"If you hadn't noticed, we're closed." He muttered as he continued to calculate figures and made sure his umbrella was close by.
"I'm here on business, Oswald." As she stepped closer, allowing her features to be lit by the small table lamp.
"Mercy? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Miss Gough needs something." Mercy said and saw the small man's face frown.
"Not interested." Penguin muttered.
"She's willing to pay in cash." Mercy said.
"Do you know what happened last time I did business with your boss? Her ex-husband, Lex Luthor, sent the Gotham police after me! Gordon and that pointed ear freak cost me a shipment of explosives and guns, not to mention the money I had to refund to my customer because of it! If I wasn't so careful about watching my backside, I'd be in Black Gate prison right now! To this day, I've still got that winged rodent breathing down my neck. So tell your boss to look elsewhere."
As the Penguin tried to return to his work, he didn't see Mercy raise her left leg high in the air before she brought it crashing down into the center of his desk and break it in two. Oswald fell over backwards in his chair from the sudden action and lost his grasp of his umbrella before he soon felt Mercy's boot pressed against his windpipe.
"I don't like being here, Penguin. You might act all proper and fancy, but I know you're still nothing more than a little slimy maggot that feeds off of Gotham's underbelly. But we either do business, or I'm going to make sure that the next thing you do is kiss the underside of my boot as it knocks your teeth out." She said before taking her boot away from his neck.
As Oswald coughed and tried to regain a proper breath, he glared up at Mercy for a moment before standing to his feet. "What do you need?"
"Something that's in your trophy room." She said as she saw his eye slightly widen. "Miss Gough knows about your collection beneath your precious lounge. Like the body of the man that gave you your eyepiece." She said as she saw Oswald's hand lightly graze the bottle piece that was stuck in his face. "A pair of Joker's hyena's that he let loose in the Lounge. The mob boss you killed, and all the umbrella's you've used to take down everyone who tried to stand in your way." Mercy continued.
"Give me a good reason not to put a bullet through your head." Oswald growled as he saw Mercy stand between him and his weapon.
"There's a case you keep down there for Batman. You might not have him, but you have several of the gadgets he's left behind. One of them is a cowl that was almost destroyed. I need it." Mercy said.
"As you said, Mercy." Oswald said as he removed a cigar from a drawer in his broken desk and lit it. "I'm a collector. If I don't have it, I get it. So what is that you have that you think would be worth one of rodent man's little toys?" Penguin asked her.
Mercy stepped outside the office for a moment before coming back in with a large duffle bag. With little effort, she tossed the bag toward the small man and heard it land with a loud thud. Cautiously grasping his umbrella, Oswald used it to open the bag and couldn't believe what he saw. It was a small wooden dummy of a gangster with a large, deep scratch on the side of its face.
"Mr. Scarface? I thought that brute thug of his, Rhino, was keeping an eye on him while the Ventriloquist was locked up in Arkham." The Penguin said.
"Who do you think I took him from? Now, do we have a deal or not?" Mercy asked.
"I think we can arrange something." Oswald said with a small smile.
Metropolis
Ron was overlooking the new Man of Steel suit as Wade ran a few more diagnostics before they had to leave. Dr. Irons had his hands full trying to orientate the Titans with the working on the Thunder Road beneath them, but Beast Boy was proving to be quite a handful. It didn't help that he and Victor/Cyborg kept calling the Thunder Road the T-Ship for short. But Ron had faith in Robin as a leader. He knew he would get them ready in time for them to leave for Coast City. He hated to say it because he was well aware of his own flaws, but Dick was starting to become more and more like him when he was behind the mask.
While Robin tried to get his team ready, Ronald was making sure his team would be ready as well. Even with the aid of the solar suit, Kim's powers were still slowly returning. She was getting stronger with her physical strength, but Ronald knew it wouldn't be enough. So, Wade was currently outfitting her with a pair of rocket boots, and a set of John Henry's weapons. But Ron was scared how far non-lethal's would go in a hostile alien environment. As for Ron himself, he had brought a suit that was in all literal terms, a suit of armor. It was created in case of an emergency situation like rioting in Gotham streets, or a massive jail break. Or an even worse scenario that he prayed would never happen, Arkham Asylum falling into the hands of the lunatics that dwelled inside of it. And in it's utility belt, almost every gadget for every situation. He knew it would add weight to him, but what good would Ron's training be if he couldn't deal with it?
And now there was Wade's latest suit of armor. Ronald had been impressed with the prototype alone. This new suit however seemed almost ready for any urban situation. But that was another factor that worried Ronald. This suit was built for urban combat, a gang war. Not to go up against aliens from another world. But Ron saw all the enhancements and stronger medals used. The Toastmasters that the gangs were using were something out of a nightmare. So Wade and John Henry had to strengthen the armor. He just hoped it was enough.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Kim asked as she walked up behind him.
"Raven is right. The odds aren't in our favor."
"It's the right thing to do, Ron. And it's not the first time we've faced odds like this before." Kim said.
"That was years ago. And you at least had your strength and speed then." Ron said.
"Not when we first started." She said and saw the confused look on Ron's face, despite the fact he was wearing his cowl. "You don't remember? The first case we were on?" she asked him.
"Now I remember. The Cuddle Buddy collector." Ron said.
"I didn't need flight, strength, or even heat vision for that. That was all pure skill." Kim said proudly.
"Kim," Ron started, but stopped. She could see he wanted to say something, but it was hard for him to get it out. "Kim, I thought I lost you. And there's a chance I might loose you again."
"Don't ask me to stay behind. Because I'm,"
"It's not that, KP." Ron said as he took a deep breath. "Kim, marry me. I know you wanted a large wedding, but we may not survive this. But if this is our last fight, I want to know I went down with my wife by my side." Ron said to her.
"But where are we going to find someone to marry us now?" Kim said.
"Raven can. I've talked to her, and she is a priestess. She could do it if she wants to. Kim, I'm begging you. Will you marry me?" Ron asked her.
"Ron, I"
Kim stopped from answering him when he saw him grimace in pain and clutch the right side of his head. Fear surged through her brain instantly as she saw him groan and was by his side in no time.
"Ron, what's wrong?"
"My – comm system. It's picking up some kind of signal." He said as the shrill noise in his ear began to fade.
"Can you hear me?! Hello? Is anyone there?!" a voice asked through the static.
"Who is this?" Ron asked, fading into his Batman voice.
"About damn time. You're a hard man to reach." The voice said as the static cleared, and Ron recognized the voice.
"Miss Gough?" Batman asked in surprise. "How the hell did you,"
"Can it, batboy. We've got an emergency on our hands."
"If you don't get off this frequency,"
"Quit the tough act, Stoppable!" Sherri shouted, causing Ron to freeze. "That's right, I know who you are. But we can talk about that later. I've got Superwoman's clone with me, and she has some important information about the invaders in Coast City."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because I've known who you are for years, and I've kept my mouth shut. Now I need your rubber clad ass at Gough Tower now! We don't have much time!" Sherri said before her transmission cut out.
"What's wrong?" Kim asked.
"We need to visit an old friend." Ron said.
Deep Space
Through the vast void of space, a single emerald comet sped through the vastness like a bat out of hell as it passed through several worlds that looked more like giant works of art than actual worlds. A closer look at the shooting green star would reveal that it was a human being clad in a glowing green and black bodysuit, with a green domino mask covering the upper features of his face. On his right hand sat a ring that was glowing with pure green energy that allowed the man to fly through space and not suffocate. His face was gaunt as he kept his eyes facing forward as he traveled further in space.
"Come on. Come on, already." Will Du, Green Lantern of space sector 2814, muttered to himself. "If I don't get something soon, I'm going to start,"
"Contact with Oa has been re-established." The ring said within Will's mind.
"About time. I thought I would never get within range again. Ring, open a channel to the Guardians." Will said.
"Channel open."
"Ganthet, it's Will Du. I've got some good news. I was able to get both races to agree to a cease fire. As we speak, a five-thousand year feud is coming to an end." He said.
"We're glad to hear it, Will. I look forward to your report. However, we need you to return to Earth at once." The small blue skin alien said to Will.
"What's wrong? I thought Gardner and Stewart were still there."
"They were called away. Will, there's been an attack on Earth. We don't know the details, but a city along the North American West Coast was destroyed."
This was a feeling Will Du was all too familiar with. He had seen it before when ever Doctor Director had bad news about friends of his in Global Justice that had fallen in battle. The look in Ganthet's eyes that showed how unsure he was to deliver the terrible news, and the sudden unusual gentleness that was easily heard in his voice. Will was shocked to hear that there was an attack on his home planet, enough to spark outrage and want to bring justice to whomever did it. But with the way his mentor and friend was acting was making Will feel like an ice ball had formed in the bottom of his stomach.
"Which city?" Will asked as his throat felt dryer than Death Valley in the middle of summer.
"I'm sorry, Will. Coast City is gone."
Gough Tower; Metropolis
"Would you calm down? If you don't stop pacing back and forth, you're going to wear a hole in the floor." Sherri said as she tried her best to remain calm herself. After everything the young teen had told her, she was doing her best not to grab a bottle and drain it in a single gulp. She had to put on a brave front though. If for no one else, it was for herself. Sherri was so terrified that she could actually feel herself trembling. Christ, she hadn't trembled this much since she was a child that was still scared of the dark.
"Stay calm?! Not to be rude, but are you nuts?! Aliens just blew away an entire city and they're going to do the same to Metropolis for Christ's sake! Staying calm is the last thing I should be doing!" Supergirl said as she stopped her pacing and flopped herself onto a leather couch and heard the legs snap as the couch fell to the floor with a thump. "Sorry."
"I was going to replace it, anyway." Sherri said. A stupid couch was the last thing she needed to be thinking about.
"Are you sure it was Batman you were talking to? How do you know it wasn't some nerd at Comic-Con?" Supergirl asked.
"I'm sure. Only Batman has technology that sophisticated, and the Penguin wouldn't have had it if it didn't come from Batman." Sherri said to her.
"Then I should remember to put a self-destruct in everything from now on." A low and very rough voice said from a darkened corner of the office. Both stood and turned to see the Dark Knight himself emerge from his hiding place, almost as if the shadows had created him. "This better be good, Miss Gough."
"It is. Tell them, sweetie." Sherri said as she looked at the teen super heroine and saw the terror that was in her eyes from only looking at the caped crusader. "HEY!" Sherri shouted, snapping the teenager out of her stooper.
"Right. Look, Coast City? It's gone. I mean, there's nothing left of it. Not even ashes."
"I gathered that. But right now, the Cyborg has been telling everyone that you were captured and brainwashed by the other Superwoman. How do I know if you're telling the truth?" he asked.
"You've got to be kidding me! Is everyone on Earth brain dead? That titanium slut is lying! She's leading the assholes that killed everyone in Coast City! She killed the news crew that was following us, and she's building the biggest freaking engine in the history of – of – ever!" Supergirl shouted.
"What do you mean she's building an engine?" the Dark Knight asked.
"I didn't understand a lot of it. It's some deal she's made with this ugly yellow alien guy name Mogle, Maggle, or,"
"Mongul?" Batman asked.
"Yeah, that's it! Wait, how did you,"
"Superwoman faced him once, several years ago. But you're telling me he's in league with the Cyborg?"
"It looks more like he's a bootlicker. But she leveled Coast City to build a city that's a big freaking engine. She's going to do the same to Metropolis, and soon!" the young girl said as she tried to catch her breath and just watched as the Dark Knight stood still like a gargoyle. "Well?!"
"You were able to escape?"
"Yeah." She said, still nervous.
"Can you get us back in?"
"Dark dude say what?"
"Wait a minute. You're not planning on,"
"I already have an assault planned against Coast City to expose the Cyborg. But if she can get us into the facility itself, we may be able to stop the Cyborg." Batman said.
"Over my dead body!" Sherri said. "She's just a kid and she barley made it out! If you think I'm going to let you come in here and just,"
"HEY!" the teen girl shouted, causing her voice to echo and crack several pieces of glass. "I'm going. I'm terrified, but Metropolis may not be here in a few hours. If he's got a plan, I'm going with him. I've been show boating for too long. I think it's about time I earned this symbol." The young girl said as she touched the family crest of the House of El that was on her uniform.
"But – you – he," Sherri sputtered, trying to think of an excuse.
"Sorry, Miss Gough. I've got to do this." The girl said as she looked at the Batman. "Need a lift?" the girl asked nervously.
"I brought my own ride. Try to keep up." Batman said as he leapt out the window he had entered. The Teen of Steel ran to the window, expecting to see the Caped Crusader falling to his death. Instead, she saw a sleek jet roar past, carrying the Dark Knight inside.
"Where does he get those wonderful toys?" the teen asked herself before taking flight and following.
"Stoppable, you better bring her back in one piece." Sherry said as she watched them fly out of sight. Once they were gone, Sherri returned to her desk and placed a phone call.
"This is Waller. What do have to report, Miss Gough?"
"We have an Omega level situation, Miss Waller. There's more to Coast City than what we thought."
The Fortress of Solitude
"Cyborg. Coast City . . . dead. Must . . stop. Danger, world. Stop her. M-must stop her. STOP HER!" Galatea kept repeating over and over in the tank, thrashing about like a caged great white shark.
"What's wrong with her?!" Kal demanded.
"Her bio signs are spiking at an alarming rate."
"Is it her delirium?"
"Negative. She is obsessed with stopping the Cyborg. If her signs do not return to normal, her body will go into shock. Her pulmonary system will shut down." One of the fortress robots said as Kal's eyes widened.
"No." Kal whispered as he watched Galatea thrash about again and again. Physically, she appeared healed, but not completely. There was still trauma and damage that would kill her if she didn't stop. The data feed didn't help like he had thought. She knew who she was again, but she wanted revenge. Or did she? She kept saying she needed to save people, but was it an excuse?
The beeping of several alarms broke Kal's train of thought as he looked at the data. What he saw wasn't good at all. Galatea was starting to clutch her chest as she started to go into cardiac arrest. She was dying.
"NO!" Kal screamed as he saw Galatea in pain. "DO SOMETHING!" Kal shouted.
"The only course of action to save her life is the gene therapy. Chances of her survival are slim, and the fortress would shut down permanently." The robot said.
"Slim is better than none. Bring the program on-line. Use every ounce of power in the fortress, just save her." Kal said.
"Affirmative." The robot said as the computers activated the program and the robots began to shut down, allowing the computer to gather as much power as possible.
Within moments, the lights in the fortress dimmed as the chamber that held Galatea began to grow brighter and brighter. Alarms began to sound off all through the fortress as the lights throughout the alien complex to grow dimmer and dimmer. The walls began to shake as a faint smell of something electrical burning began to rise from the computer systems. Soon, the healing chamber was the only thing that gave any form of light within the fortress as one sound began to fill Kal's ears. Something horrible. Something so terrible for him to hear that it felt as if his heart were being ripped out of his chest. Even as he fell to his knees and covered his ears, he could still hear the unbearable sound. It was Galatea screaming in pain. The light in the tube grew so bright that not even Kal could look at it at the smell of smoke began to grow stronger. The chamber began to vibrate as the fortress' computers overloaded and began to explode, causing the massive crystal walls to crack and bring pieces of the ceilings crumbling down upon Kal's head.
As Kal dodged the debris, he heard the chamber begin to power down. As he turned and looked, he saw that the light inside the chamber had faded away. Thankfully, Galatea had stopped screaming. For a brief moment, Kal felt relief that she wasn't screantil he realized that she was unconscious inside the chamber. A chamber filled with fluid, and no longer receiving oxygen since the computers in the fortress were now nothing more than alien scrap metal! Panic and dread filled Kal as he ran toward the chamber, leapt into the air to hurtle over various crystal shards with a balled fist raised, and sent it smashing through the thick glass of the chamber and let the liquid spill out onto the fortress' floor. Nothing but instinct took over as he broke the chamber, sending shards of thick glass in every direction as he lifted Galatea's limp form into his arms and carried her away from the debris. Despite the lack of light, he carried her to the bedroom where they had been staying and placed her on the bed, wrapping her in the covers. The room was still dark. Looking at the sealed window, Kal rushed to it and hammered away at the covering until it fell apart and allowed the rays of the sun to fill the room.
Kal returned to Galatea's side and brushed several strands of her wet hair out of her face. Her hair had become darker now, becoming almost completely black. He ran his fingers along her face as he listened. Nothing. No heart beat, no breathing!
"NO!" Kal shouted as he placed his hands against the center of her chest and began presseing against it several times. CPR. He had read about it and seen demonstrations many times before. If there was ever a time he needed it, it was now. He stopped only to breath air into her lungs before he started chest compressions again. She beat death once, she could do it again. Kal kept giving her air and compressing her chest. He wasn't going to let her go. He had already lost a world, his family, his people, and he almost lost the one person he could call a sister. He wasn't going to loose anyone else! With a loud shout of frustration, he brought his fist down onto the center of Galatea's chest, and heard something. Was it a heart beat? It had to be! Balling up his fist one more time, he brought it down upon Galatea's chest again and jumped as she sat up straight and took a deep breath of oxygen with her eyes wide open.
Kal felt joy, satisfaction, and relief in so many waves that he thought he was going to collapse into a heap. A large smile filled his face as he found himself chuckling at the sight of his – his girlfriend. His girlfriend, sitting on the bed with him, and looking out the window. Wait a minute. She was looking out the window? Did that mean she could?
"Galatea?" he asked her gently.
Slowly, she turned her head to look at Kal-El. It was the same face, the same expression, the same person. She was there, all there. But her eyes. Her eyes were now a crystal sky blue, like his. And as she looked at him, tears filled her beautiful blue eyes and began to fall down her face.
"You're a sight for sore eyes." She said as she began to smile.
After a moment of silence, as they looked at each other, both began to laugh. Just a chuckle at first. But then, it began to grow. They were both laughing. They were laughing so hard that anyone observing would think that they had just heard the world's funniest joke. As their laughing began to quiet, they quickly held onto each other as tight as they could. For now, they just wanted that moment. Until Galatea looked at the debris and damage and said,
"Kim's going to throw a fit when she sees this place."
Metropolis
"You've got to be kidding me." Beast Boy said as everyone soaked in what Supergirl had just told them. Even though they had seen plenty of actions and gone up against several super criminals themselves, they had never faced anything of this magnitude. To think that these beings could be just so cold toward life, toward all life on a planet, was unimaginable to them. Many of them felt like they were going to throw up.
"That's just – insane." Cyborg said.
"It is more than that. It is cruel and – and – not good." Starfire said.
"I think the word you're looking for is horrific." Batgirl said as they all took a minute to adjust. Mongul wanting to turn Earth into a new War World was unthinkable. They new as soon as he started doing that, that would mean most of the planet's population wouldn't survive. And if anyone did survive would become enslaved.
"I should have taken that bastard down when I had the chance." Kim said to herself.
"You did." Batman said flatly.
"You know what I mean." Kim shot back.
"You did take him down. When you defeated him, he lost everything." Batman said.
"And I put the Earth in danger. Now look what's happened." Kim as she continued to mentally kick herself for letting Mongul get away. "This is all my fault."
"The hell it is." Wade said, making Kim turn. "You did the right thing."
"He's right. If you had killed Mongul, you would have been no better than him." Robin said.
"I hate to break up this sappy moment, but we still have a problem." Raven said, getting their attention. "Metropolis is going to be turned into a crater, and we don't have much time."
"You're right. If we're going stop this creep, we need to leave now." Robin said. "Everyone, suit up and prepare for lift off. We've got a world to save." Robin said to his team. Without a joke, objection, or cynical remark, all of them stood and went to ready themselves. Wade escorted Supergirl with him to give her a quick rundown on some of the weapons she would be getting, and to find out as much as he could about Engine City.
"What just happened?" Ron asked Kim.
"I think your sidekick and his friends just stepped up. I don't think we can call them sidekicks anymore." Kim said with a small smirk.
"I never considered Robin a sidekick." Batman said as he looked at the young man prepare for battle. "He's my partner."
"No, Ron." Kim said as she gently turned his face to look at hers. "He's family." She said as she leaned in and kissed him. "For luck."
"We're going to need it." Batman said as he gave Kim a firm hug. "I better get ready. We launch in a few minutes." Batman said as he reluctantly let Kim go and began to walk away.
"After this is over, we have to talk about Han being Batgirl." Kim said, making Batman pause for a moment.
"I didn't know your x-ray vision had come back." He said.
"It hasn't." Kim said.
"You're learning." Batman said as he walked away.
"The progress?" the Cyborg asked Mongul as he looked over all the various alien slaves, robots, and lower cybernetic organisms as they worked at their stations. After he glanced at the data on one of the screens, a small yet chilling and sadistic smile soon spread over his yellow face. The sight almost looked as awful as a cracked and peeling callus.
"The missile is ready. All diagnostics say that it is ready to be deployed."
"The humans have a holy text that supposedly for see the end of their world. Where they will be judged by their God and he will decide whether or not they shall saved or damned. I hope their God doesn't mind that I make that choice for them myself." The Cyborg said as she brought up a holographic interface and plotted the missile's course while programming all the machinery inside of it. "From hell's heart, I stab at thee." She said as she launched the missile and felt the entire complex begin to rumble from the force of the giant weapons launch into the skies above Engine City.
"May the rebirth of War World begin." Mongul said as his smile grew wider.
"And may Superwoman be blamed for the Earth's destruction." The Cyborg said.
"Titans, give me a systems check." Wade said as he made himself comfortable in the Thunder Road with the other teenaged superheroes.
"Weapons systems and engines are go." Cyborg said as he looked at the readings in his cockpit.
"Radar and Environmental systems are online." Beast Boy said.
"Communications are online." Raven said.
"Cloaking device in the Batwing and Thunder Road are in the green." Kim said in the seat behind Ron in the new Batwing.
"Then tighten your sphincters and hold on to your underwear. If these work like they should, you're going to be in for one hell of a ride." Wade said as the roof above them opened and the ships began to rise vertically. As soon as they began to rise, the cloaking device kicked in and the armor on both machines began to reflect the environment around them in an effort to hide their existence. After the ships had raised themselves to a height above the city skyline, Wade and Batman inputted the coordinates for Coast City.
"I would suggest you all tighten your safety harness'." Wade said.
"This thing isn't going to crash, is it?" Beast Boy asked.
"No. But, the propulsion system makes a bat out of hell look like a snail." Wade said.
"I'll believe that when I see it." Cyborg said.
"Be careful what you wish for." Kim said to herself. "Propulsion drive is coming on line in three . . two . . one." Kim said as the engines powered up.
"Teen Titans, GO!" Robin said as both vessels shot through the skies and breaking the sound barrier almost instantly. As they flew through the skies at sonic speeds, everyone had to disengage their com systems as Cyborg hooted in delight and Beast Boy began to scream in sheer terror.