United We Stand (J'onn)

Here we all were. Only four of us; me, Aquaman, Green Lantern and the Flash. I was the first to arrive. Wandering around the coastline, I eventually ran into the Atlantean captain. Soon after, the Corps member and the speedster had arrived to rejoin us. Only the Amazon was missing now. We have been waiting patiently for her arrival, but it seems as though she may not be coming.

"You think Wonder Woman got… y'know…?" the Flash asked grimly. "I mean, she's been gone for at least ten minutes, plus I saw something crashing into another part of town, so…"

Aquaman pinched the bridge of his nose and frowned, pacing back and forth anxiously. "…it's possible…" he sighed.

"Well, everything is going just great…" Green Lantern remarked. "Now we lost three people. One got mind-controlled, another decided to go full-idiot mode and went off on a suicide mission, and now Wondie's either dead or brainwashed as well."

The Flash rubbed his face and grimaced. "This is hopeless, guys. I mean, what else do we do now?"

"Don't tell me you're giving up now, Flash," Aquaman groaned.

"I'm not saying that. I'm just wondering how we could take on this guy without our other heavy-hitters," he replied. "We couldn't defeat that giant starfish monster, we can't even hurt Starro without killing that thing first, and he has a whole army of flying drones and brainwashed citizens at his command. We can't even stay together as a team, so how do we even stand a chance against him?!"

"I have faith in all of you," I finally spoke. "I have chosen all of you for your great power and determination. Though we may have had a few casualties, I still believe in all of you." The three young men now have their attention turned towards me. "I have lived on this planet for much longer than all of you. After the death of my planet, I grew to love the things on this planet, its inhabitants, its environment. If I cannot save this planet, then I will at least die protecting it. Now Aquaman, do you have a plan?"

"Wha- NO!" he snapped. "Why am I always the ones coming up with the plans?! Don't any of you have anything to say?!"

"I have chosen you because you have greater leadership ability than all of us," I responded. Green Lantern snorted out a laugh and the Flash hesitantly rubbed his neck at that. "You may be laughing at it now, but his quick-thinking is what saved most of us and kept us alive up until this point. I have all the information on Starro, so use that information and help lead us to victory."

The young Atlantean ran his hand through his hair and sighed in exacerbation. "I don't know, J'onn. How are we suppose… to…?" Looking up into the sky, his expression changed from one of hopelessness to surprise. The rest of us looked in his direction and saw hope. I was pleasantly surprised to see Superman, free from his mind-control with Wonder Woman, carrying an injured Batman.

"Holy shi…" Green Lantern said in disbelief. "That crazy bastard actually did it…"

The three landed on the sand and immediately approached Aquaman. "Arthur! You need to heal him, quickly!" Wonder Woman pleaded.

"Wai-what?!" he responded, confused.

"Batman is about to die and we need you to heal him!"

"But- Diana, what about you?!" he pointed out. "You look like-!"

"Don't worry about me! I can heal fast! But he can't!" she interrupted him. "Please, give him medical attention!"

"Uh- I-I don't know if I can!" the Atlantean replied. "The last time, he just had minor injuries! I don't know if can in the state he's in now! Plus, my gauntlet's not even working, so-!"

"Please!" the Kryptonian pleaded desperately. "You have to!"

Unsure and confused, Arthur looked to me for an answer. "We do need all the help we can get," I told him. "Batman has a great mind that will assist us in defeating Starro, so try your best to resuscitate him. I believe in you."

He paused for a moment to think about his next action. Reluctantly, he said, "Give him here." Handing the half-dead Batman to him, the Atlantean carried him out into the water. Taking a deep breath, Arthur submerged both him and Batman under the water. The water then started to glow a bright bluish tint as we all waited in suspense.

These next few minutes have been very tense. I suspected it would take a long time in order to restore his injured body back to a normal state, but I was not sure how long. Kal-El was shifting nervously, sweating and holding his breath. Diana was right by his side, comforting and reassuring him about the situation. I have a feeling that the Kryptonian was somehow responsible for this. The Flash and Green Lantern were watching on as well, occasionally exchanging glances at each other, unsure of what to expect.

Then the light ceased. The next few moments were just silent. None of us had any idea of what was going to happen next. The intensity rose dramatically and we feared about what will occur.

Suddenly, both Arthur and Batman sprang from beneath the surface of the water. The Dark Knight was coughing violently and gasping for air, vomiting water and blood from out of his mouth as the Atlantean weakly carried him back to land. As soon as they reached the sand, the both of them collapsed on the ground.

All of us rushed to both of their sides, checking to see if they were okay. Kal-El slumped his shoulders in relief and breathed easier as he saw Batman. His injuries were healed, from what I could examine. His face was no longer disfigured and he was alive, thankfully.

"Thank you, Arthur," both Kal-El and Diana expressed gladly.

"No… problem…" he panted heavily. Taking off his gauntlet and shaking his hand in pain, he said, "God… I felt like I was going to die…" Rolling on his back and looking at the unmasked Batman, he remarked, "You know… I thought you'd be… a lot older…"

There was a look of confusion on the Batman's face before mortification crossed it in an instant. He reached his hand up to his face and felt for his mask. Once he realized it was not on, he tried to get up, only to be stopped by Kal-El.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," the Kryptonian said. "You just came back from near-death, you need to relax."

"Clark, where am I?" he asked in a panic.

"You're safe. That's all that matters right now."

The Flash took a closer look at the unmasked vigilante. "Wait a minute…" he remarked. "Is that…? Holy crap, is that Bruce Wayne!?"

"Wait, who the hell's Bruce Wayne?" Green Lantern questioned. The others gave him a judgmental look. "What?! I'm off-planet half the time, I don't keep up with celebrities and stuff!" he raised his hands in defense.

Rolling his eyes, the Flash answered his question. "Bruce Wayne is like one of the wealthiest people in America. His family is like one of the richest families in Gotham, plus the guy donates to multiple charities across the country and he's like everywhere, on the news and media and stuff!"

"Okay, so lemme get this straight," he started. "Batman's not a vampire or some dark and gritty old guy, but he's a crazy, spoiled rich kid in a costume?! Are you freakin' kidding me!?"

"Shut up… Jordan…" Bruce wheezed.

"Alright, well this is officially the craziest day of my life," the Flash said, rubbing his temples. "First, there's an alien invasion, then Batman's real, then Atlantis and the Amazons exist, and now it turns out Bruce Wayne is Batman."

"Oh, trust me, Barry, there are worse things than that," the Batman said, finally catching his breath.

"Wh-wh-what!?" the speedster stuttered flabbergasted. "How do you know my-?!"

"I heard this moron addressing you by that name," he replied, pointing at Green Lantern. "I guess subtlety is not his thing, is it?"

"…yep, looks like you're back," the Corps member groaned snidely.

"Diana, help me up, will ya?" Arthur asked the Amazon for assistance. Leaning on her, he asked, "Are you sure you don't need your hand checked?"

"No," she shook her head. "I can already feel my bones healing and setting back into place."

"Okay then," he sighed.

"Are you okay, Arthur?" Kal-El asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Healing him just took a lot out of…" His words trailed off as an inquisitive look crossed his face. "Wait, he said your name was Clark…" he muttered. Having a closer look at the Kryptonian, his eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, Clark?! Clark Kent?! You're Superman!?"

"Er…" Kal-El stammered. "No, I'm not. W-why would you think that?"

"You know, I can recognize your voice, right?" Arthur responded. "Plus, the two of you look pretty similar, so I just put two and two together."

For a moment, the Kryptonian stared off into space, unsure of how to react. "Eheheh… well, funny meeting you here, am I right?" he laughed nervously, forcing a smile.

"Oh my God, I called you an idiot right to your face…"

"I don't mean to break up your little reunion here, but are secret identities, like, not a thing anymore?" Green Lantern intruded.

"Not like it matters now, Hal," Barry answered his question. "We're in the middle of an invasion and the world's about to end."

"He's right," Bruce said. "Have you guys managed to stop Starro?"

"What does it look like, Spooky?" Hal answered dryly.

"...right," Batman rolled his eyes. "Is the invasion only taking place here right now?"

"No, it's not," Kal-El said. "While I was under his control, I saw drones and brainwashed citizens attacking big cities along the East Coast. Boston, New York, Gotham, Metropolis. They've even attacked D.C."

"Are the armed forces deployed?"

"Yeah, but they all getting obliterated by these things. Right now, I think they're evacuating the cities and retreating."

"That explains why there's no military presence around here." Standing back up on his feet, Bruce pulled his cowl over his head and sighed. "Looks like it's just us seven again."

"Yeah," Arthur noted. "No more separating or going solo; we have to stick together."

"Have you found any weaknesses against Starro?"

"Well, he has this giant starfish that serves as the mothership. If we can take it out, all of the drones drop dead, the civilians are free, and we weaken Starro. If you were wondering, we couldn't take the thing down, even with all of our power."

"Any other weaknesses?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Here, I got this," Hal announced. "Ring, do the Star Conquerors have anything that they're weak against."

After a pause, it gave an answer. "There is a material on Earth that the Star Conquerors are susceptible to."

"What is it?"

"Calcium oxide."

"What's that?"

"Quicklime!" Barry exclaimed.

"What?"

"Quicklime!" he repeated. "It's a chemical compound made by thermal decomposition of limestone or anything containing calcium carbonate." As the speedster continued his explanation, he paced back and forth excitedly. "The compound itself is not very stable either. When cooled, it will spontaneously react with the CO2 in the air, but after a while, it'll completely convert back to calcium carbonate, so you'll need to find some and use it quick before-"

"Okay Barry, I'm just gonna stop you before you have another nerdgasm," Hal interrupted him. "Now can you speak English to me?"

"It's basically a chalky, white substance used in cement or plaster. I'd be careful with it around water because it'll cause some serious damage to you if you're not careful. Man, who would've thought that aliens would be weak against this?"

"Hmm, you're very knowledgeable, Barry," Bruce complimented. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks," Barry smiled, rubbing his neck. "I try to be."

"Kiss-ass!" the Green Lantern coughed to cover up his insult. "So we just get a bunch of this stuff and spray it on the Motherstar? That's how we defeat it?"

"That's how we weaken it," Bruce corrected him. "But what about the civilians? Even though they'll be attacking us, we don't want them getting hurt or caught in the crossfire."

"Barry and I could carry them away from the battlefield," Diana suggested. "We simply incapacitate them and get them to safety before we turn our attention towards the warlord. Do you mind if I call you Barry?" she asked politely.

"Yeah, of course," the speedster replied. "But are you sure you can keep up with me?"

"Please, I am gifted with the speed of Hermes," she boasted. "The question is can you keep up with me?"

Hal snorted out a laugh at that. Barry then responded, "Wow. Sassy. Um, yeah, I can keep up."

"So until we take down the Motherstar, no one engage Starro," Arthur commanded. "If he comes to you, then run. Got it?"

"Understood," Bruce acknowledged. "So here's the plan: Jordan, find some quicklime to weaken the mothership with. Get large enough amounts to disable the drones as well."

"Yeah, yeah, got it," the Green Lantern said, using his ring to search for the nearest supply of quicklime.

"Barry, Diana, you two are here on the ground. Take out any potential threats and remove all of the pedestrians in the city," Bruce continued. The two nodded in agreement.

"J'onn, Clark, you two are in the air," Arthur commanded. "Take out all the drones that come your way and stall until Lantern comes back with the stuff."

"What about you?" I inquired. "What will you and Bruce be doing?"

"I'll be monitoring the situation from the top of this mountain," the Batman replied, pressing a button on his gauntlet. "I'll keep all of you updated on any changes that occur so we'll change our game plan if necessary."

"Also, another thing," Arthur started, "Clark, J'onn, can you lure the Motherstar towards the water? I have a surprise in store for it."

"What are you planning on doing?" I asked.

"Starro has his giant, tentacle monster; I have mine," he responded. Turning around and walking into the ocean, I felt him telepathically calling for someone or something. "I'll be making Lantern's job easier by doing this, so you can thank me later, Lightstick."

"Understood. I will establish a telepathic link between us all so that we may communicate and stay in contact with one another," I said.

"Alright, looks like we've got a plan!" Hal exclaimed. "Okay guys, we got this!" he cried before flying off to retrieve the quicklime.

"…'we got this?' That's his big battle cry?" Arthur questioned.

"Forget him, he's an idiot," Bruce replied.

"Alright then," he shrugged. "I'll be back soon. Stay safe." The Atlantean then leaped several feet into the air before diving into the water and swimming off to his destination.

"Okay, Diana, you ready?" Barry asked the Amazon, stretching his muscles.

"Please, I was born ready," she replied proudly.

"That's what I like to hear," he smiled back. In the blink of an eye, the two were gone, leaving only a trail in their wake.

The sound of an aircraft flying approached us and it hovered right above our heads. "There's my ride," Bruce said. "Clark, give me a lift."

"Got it." Kal-El carried him up to the plane while I followed behind him.

"You two be careful now," the Batman warned us. "And try not to get mind-controlled again, Clark."

"Trust me, I won't." The windshield of his plane closed and he flew towards the tip of the mountain to get into position.

"Are you ready, Kal-El?" I asked.

"Let's go."