A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! I know many of you won't read this until after the Holiday but that's okay. A bit of explanation is in order though. I put this chapter on hold during most this month because of a self imposed deadline to finish another story. This way I kept all my New Years Resolutions. If you're interested in checking it out it's called Silver Shadows and you can find it on I'm Kusco1 there.
Anyways. Welcome to chapter 28. This is where it all started. This is the very first chapter I envisioned. Everything that came before was built afterward to lead us to this point. Now I've modified it as my vision of the story evolved but I'm pleased that for the most part it's remained a lot like I first imagined. So there's your bit of trivia. I'll stop blathering now and let you enjoy!
Chapter 28
Battles Beginning.
Robin hated flying. Actually that wasn't true. When he was in the bat-plane he was fine. When he flew in one of Bruce Wayne's private jets he thought it was great. Heck, he didn't even mind flying coach if he had to. But he absolutely loathed it when he had to rely on another super powered hero to carry him through the skies. That was something for sidekicks. He hated being thought of the ultimate sidekick.
If he had to guess though he would have guessed that Jubilee was as uncomfortable with Superboy clutching onto her coat as he was with him clutching his cape. Of course then again, every time Robin looked her direction she moved her head away, so it was hard to tell exactly how she was feeling at the moment.
Below them Metropolis was coming into view. He had his misgivings about coming here. Deep down he could hear Batman's voice telling him that it was stupid and irresponsible to try to do this alone. Even with two super powered heroes to be his back up.
But the more he thought about it the more he doubted that they would be able to convince the X-men and Superman to reign back the aggression. Not with what had happened to Batman. Even if Robin, with Jubilee's help, were to free the Dark Knight…war would still likely be the result.
This was the best way, Robin was convinced, light reconnaissance, gather evidence, then present it to both sides. Let the facts speak for themselves. Jubilee had e-mailed Luthor's files to the X-mansion but she had no idea how long it would take for anyone to discover it. Or even if they would believe it. All of them had to hope that the truth would shine a light onto their problems.
"I still think that you should have let Cassie come with." Superboy looked down on him.
Robin ignored the comment. "Land just outside of city limits."
Superboy started descending. "You know an extra set of super human strengthened arms would help a lot with this. Plus I wouldn't have to haul both of you around."
"Cry me a river." Jubilee growled.
Robin couldn't suppress a smile, at Jubilee's comment. Superboy glared at him and the Teen Wonder motioned down to a street corner of one of the suburbs that surrounded the City of Tomorrow. "Set us down there."
"Fine." Superboy replied. "Keep your smug little attitude. You're just gloating because you get to bring your girlfriend along."
"I'm not his girlfriend." Jubilee snapped, then raised her hands and flashed some fireworks at his hand. The Boy of Steel cussed and dropped the mutant the few feet left before the ground. Again Robin allowed himself a grin, and did his best to ignore the venom with which Jubilee had insisted they were not together. It was his own doing though. He had been the one to break it off.
"Man!" Superboy grumbled, setting Jubilee down. "You singed the hair off of my arm."
Jubilee merely folded her arms. "Serves ya right."
Superboy landed and looked around. Not too far was a "Welcome to Metropolis: City of Tomorrow!" sign. Next to it was one that said "Home of Superman!" He turned his attention to Robin.
"So why'd you have me bring us here? I thought we were going to LexCorp tower."
"We are." responded Robin, moving into the street and taking a look around. The sun was starting to set against the skyscrapers in the city. "But we can't let Luthor know that we're there. He's likely got sensors to detect anybody with Kryptonian DNA flying around."
"So that still doesn't explain why we're here." Jubilee said with her hands stuffed in her pockets.
Robin approached a manhole cover and inserted his fingers into the holes. "We're going to sneak in through the sewer system." he announced and started to tug at the cover.
"Gross." Both Jubilee and Superboy made faces at the same time.
Robin looked up, the manhole cover hadn't budged. "Hey you two got any better ideas?"
Jubilee folded her arms and sighed while Superboy grumbled something about Tim being "Batboy". Robin gritted his teeth and tugged a the metal sewer lid. After a few seconds he was again receiving stares from the other teenaged heroes.
"I think it's welded shut." He grumbled.
"I got it." Both Jubilee and Superboy stepped forward. Robin furrowed his brows beneath his mask as they started arguing over who got to take care of the pesky manhole cover. Finally it was Jubilee that relented, mostly because Superboy brought up her shooting him.
The Boy of Steel could have easily ripped it from the ground, instead he leaned over an touched it. Employing his tactile telekinesis to shatter the metal. He stood up and clapped the dust from his hands. "There you go ladies." He grinned. "One open sewer."
They all looked into the darkened hole. Even if the sun had been directly over them Robin doubted that they would have been able to see into the blackened entrance. He leaned down and then realized that the other two were looking at him.
"What are you looking at?" He asked. "Let's get going."
"After you." Jubilee crossed her arms.
"I second the motion." Superboy added.
Robin sighed, leave it to the super powered heroes to make the non-super powered guy go first. Clasping the edge of the hole the Teen Wonder let his body slide down into the darkness before letting go entirely.
Superboy and Jubilee heard a small splash then looked to each other. A light ignited in the sewer and Robin was visible holding a small shining stick. He looked up at them impatiently, tapping his foot in the small stream of water at the bottom.
"Ladies first." Superboy said to the girl next to him.
Jubilee rolled her eyes and mimicked Robin's dive. Which went off perfectly, except for the part where her hand slipped and she tumbled downward out of control. Robin dropped the light and Superboy caught a glimpse of him moving to catch her just as the illumination was extinguished.
"Get your hands off of me!" Jubilee roared.
Superboy swore he heard her slap the Teen Wonder. There was silence for a moment and then Robin's voice came. "Conner will you hurry up?"
The Boy of Steel sighed. "This is so not what I had in mind when I signed up for when I decided to get into the superhero gig"
That said Superboy dove into the sewer with a "Cowabunga!!"
"So that's him is it?" Emma Frost quirked a brow, staring at the Dark Knight on the other side of the force field. Cyclops stood beside her, his arms crossed, several of the other X-men stood by as well. Iceman, Archangel, Storm, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat and Colossus; even Beast had torn himself away from the laboratory in order to witness what was about take place. These were the X-men that had perhaps grown closest to the Professor. The only notable exceptions were those that couldn't come, Jean, Jubilee, and those that wouldn't. Wolverine and Rogue. White Queen approached the cell her eyes running up and down Batman.
"Well he's in prime shape I'll give you that, but I still don't understand why your people had such a hard time capturing him. You're not going soft on me are you Summers?"
"Don't underestimate him." Cyclops shook his head. "We've all made that mistake and it's cost us."
Storm neared the cell. "Batman we're giving you one last chance to come clean with us. If you have nothing to hide then tell us. Otherwise we will be forced to take the information we seek from you."
In response the Dark Knight barely raised his head to look at her. "Even if I told you would you believe me?"
"We might." Cyclops said evenly. "Emma should be able to tell us if you're lying or not."
"I don't like people reading my mind." Batman growled.
"Then tell us whether or not you killed Xavier." Archangel took a step forward. "Quit playing games with us!"
"It sounds to me like you people have already made up your minds." The Dark Knight responded. "One way or another I get someone in my head. I'm not going to cooperate. Just be warned that when I get out, you won't be able to hide from me."
The X-men exchanged glances and White Queen reached her hand toward the panel. As she did the X-men proceeded to take their positions. Colossus near the only door out to the mansion, Iceman, Storm, and Gambit along the perimeter of the cell. It was Kitty however that stood directly in front of the energy field. White Queen looked to Cyclops who then gave a nod.
The field deactivated and despite everyone's pent up, coiled positions Batman did nothing to warrant an attack. He merely stood up and held his hands evenly at his sides. White Queen and Shadowcat stepped into the holding cell.
"I thought you said you weren't going to cooperate." Emma narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not." Batman growled. "You're not going to read my mind because I'm not going to let you in."
A brow cocked and a smile crawled up Emma's lips. You'll find that I can be very persuasive."
"And you'll find me very resilient." He responded then took notice of Shadow Cat, who flanked his other side. "What are doing?"
"I'm insurance." she said. "I'm here to make sure that right hook of yours doesn't do any damage."
"Ah, You'll phase me so I can't hurt your precious telepath here." A strange smile graced the Dark Knight's lips. Rather than looking pleasant it caused a couple of them to swallow slightly and do their best not to show how unnerving it was. Batman's face came to Cyclops.
"I have to hand it to you. You've thought of everything. Except of course what will happen when you either come up empty handed or the remote alternative that you find out the truth and I'm exonerated."
Cyclops folded his arms. "I wish it didn't have to be this way."
"Yeah you guys are real heroes."
"Says the murderer." Emma hissed and her hands lanced outward toward the Dark Knight's head.
Batman flinched slightly but it was already too late to do anything else. The moment White Queen clasped his head the Dark Knight started shaking and clenching his teeth. Emma's brows were furrowed and her fingers trembled against her subject's cowled forehead.
"W…what…" Batman forced the words out of his mouth. "…are you…doing?"
"Stop fighting me!" White Queen hissed. "Bruce let me in and it will all be over!"
The X-men had formed a tighter circle around cell their eyes transfixed on the scene unfolding before them. Emma was a powerful telepath, only exceeded by the likes of Professor Xavier and Jean Grey. Yet sweat was forming on her brow and her body trembled ever so slightly. Batman was fairing worse. His body writhed beneath Emma's hands, his fingers clenching and unclenching as he occasionally let out a pained grunt, trying to form words.
"So many walls!" Emma heaved. "So many barriers!"
"You're not…you're not…" Batman struggled.
Before he could continue Emma lowered her forehead to his. Alabaster skin made contact with a dark black cowl and a sharp light emanated from her head to his. Energy spiked around them. Batman started howling in pain and Emma arched her neck and added her own screams to his.
Kitty had her hands over her mouth and the X-men behind her shifted uncomfortably. Beast moved closer to Cyclops, placing a blue furred hand on his shoulder. The X-men's deputy leader jumped slightly and tore his eyes from the agonized pair.
"We need to stop this." Beast whispered. "This is wrong."
"We have to know." Cyclops insisted. Batman let out another pained holler. "What if he killed the Professor?"
"Even if he did." Beast growled. "We're raping a man's mind here."
Before Cyclops could respond Emma shrieked and ripped her hands from Batman's head. The Dark Knight toppled over as did the mutant that had been probing his mind. Cyclops raced to her, placing a hand behind her neck gently. Kitty in the mean time knelt beside Batman. Her fingers came out and touched his neck.
"He's alive." She breathed.
"Don't touch him!" White Queen panted.
"Emma are you-" Cyclops started.
"I'm fine." She interrupted, still breathing heavily. "He did his best to keep me out. But the murderer couldn't stop me! He killed Professor Xavier!"
Her words hung in the air for a moment. Not one of them spoke they hardly moved, save for their eyes which zeroed in on the still form of the Dark Knight. None of them had been quite ready for the answer whether it be true or false. In the end it was Storm that moved her way forward.
"Emma are you certain. Rogue said-"
"I don't care what she said." Emma hissed. "I saw it clear as day in his mind! That man murdered Charles Xavier!"
Cyclops held his fists clenched. "I almost believed him." he growled. He then turned to the other X-men. "We need to get a hold of anybody we can. Former members of X-Force, X-Factor, and Excalibur. Pull in every favor we have. When Superman shows here we need to be ready for him. Let's move people."
The X-men started disassembling and Emma placed a hand on Cyclops' "If it's just the same I ought to stay here. If it comes down to us fighting Superman we might need information that Batman's mind contains."
Cyclops nodded and helped her up. "Thanks Emma."
White Queen returned his nod and exited the cell with him. The energy shield reactivated itself, leaving the unconscious form of Batman alone again. Apart from him the pair were the only two in the room. Emma stuck close to the mutant leader.
"How's Jean doing?" she asked.
"Moria says there hasn't been any change. There's barely any brain activity right now." came the response.
Emma looked down. "I hope she recovers. I would hate to see you alone."
"Th-" Cyclops began but the door burst open and Nightcrawler ran in.
"You better come upstairs! The sensors have picked up several life forms approaching fast…we think it's Superman!"
"What is the end game then?" Xavier tapped his finger against his lip as he paced the length of the room. "What is it that Ra's Al Ghul, Lex Luthor, and Apocalypse seek? What is their ultimate design in all of this?"
Karina sat huddled on one of the beds while Alfred merely stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "What is their motivation you may ask."
"Precisely," Xavier nodded. "Apocalypse has of course his sickening view of survival of the fittest. Perhaps all he wishes in this is to see which of my X-men can withstand a full out assault from the Man of Steel, as to Lex Luthor and Ra's Al Ghul I'm at something of a loss. I'm afraid I'm too unfamiliar with them to say for certain. Power obviously."
"That goes without saying." Alfred nodded. "But it has to be bigger than just trying to manipulate the hero community into destroying itself. Otherwise why would they go to all this effort to capture Miss Bradshaw here?"
Xavier paused his march and rubbed his chin. "True. Another question that begs to be answered is what would bring all of these villains together. I find it difficult to believe that Apocalypse would stoop down to include a human in his plans."
"Hatred makes strange bedfellows." Alfred shrugged. "Another question we must ask ourselves is why they have not included other heroes in their little game. The JLA for example."
"Or the Avengers."
"Or the JSA."
"Or The Invaders."
"One wonders why the Green Lanterns were passed up."
"Spiderman, the Hulk, The Fantastic Four. None of them have been caught up. Only the X-men, Superman and Batman."
"Perhaps they feel they cannot control a war that would include all the worlds heroes."
"It's possible that-" Xavier started but Karina gave a small cough. Both men turned to the girl that was now sitting with rapt attention.
"I'm sorry if I sound stupid for asking…but what are you talking about?"
Xavier cocked one of his elongated brows. His voice came out in that of a stern teacher. "Have you not been paying attention? We are discussing--"
"I'm sorry Professor Xavier," Karina interrupted. "But I was talking to Mr. Pennyworth."
The pair exchanged glances and Alfred approached the bed. "I'm not sure that I quite follow your question young Miss."
"The Jay-el-aye? The Jay-es-say? Green Lanterns? What are these things?"
Alfred now wore a curious expression one shared by Professor Xavier. Both now huddling near the bed looking the young lady in the eye. She had a face of genuine curiosity. Telepathy wouldn't have been needed to ascertain that her questions were sincere.
"You've never heard of the Justice League?" Xavier asked, Karina shook her head.
"What of Superman and Batman, or Wonder Woman?" Alfred questioned.
Again Karina shook her head. "I remember hearing J'onn talk about this Superman. I thought it was just his way of saying Superhuman. And he did mention a Bat-man. But I don't know who any of these people are."
"So you've never heard of Earth's greatest heroes." Alfred stroked his mustache.
Karina sat up a bit straighter. "Yes I have. Captain America, Spiderman, Iron Man, the Avengers." she looked to Professor Xavier. "The X-men. I know all of those people. Who doesn't? I've watched the news and seen them save the world again and again."
The young teenager's features darkened again. "But when it came down to it none of them could save me or my family."
"That's because Karina Bradshaw..." Ra's Al Ghul's voice arose behind them. The door was thrust wide open and the trio of villains were all assembled. "You are an aberration. You are like a cobra. Unfit to be touched unless used as a tool. A man will not go near one unless he perhaps needs to harvest venom to prepare an anti-dote."
"Or a poison." Luthor added as Apocalypse took a step toward them.
Xavier and Alfred tightened in front of Karina. Both men had their fists clenched tightly. Xavier's mind struggled against the dampening fields that were located in the room, preventing him from truly using his telepathy.
"What do you intend to do?" Alfred asked.
"Take this girl to her destiny."
Cyclops had faced down an army of Sentinels, he had faced the likes of Magneto, Mr. Sinister, and Juggernaut. He had even stood against cosmic threats like Galactus, Onslaught, and Dark Phoenix. But if ever he felt he was seeing doom approaching it was what the long range scanners were showing him. Four blips. Three of them the computer recognized as Kryptonian.
Many of the X-men were in the War Room awaiting his orders. Even Wolverine stood with his fists clenched. When they had told him what Emma had found out they were almost worried that they would have to knock him out to keep him from marching down to the detention center and killing Batman.
Cyclops turned to Storm. "Who do we have here?"
"Wolverine, Beast, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Gambit, Rogue, Archangel, Colossus, Shadow Cat, Psylocke, Bishop, Quicksilver, you, and myself."
"Don't know if that will be enough to tackle the Big Blue Boy Scout, Scotty Boy." Wolverine cut in. "And if he's brung that cousin of his that's more fire power than even the twelve of us can tackle."
"We've fought larger groups before." Colossus responded.
"But few as powerful. If Superman wanted all it would take is a burst of super speed and a thrust toward space." Cyclops replied in turn.
"Or he could simply vaporize us from above with his heat vision." Beast commented
"Or freeze our entire bodies and smash us into bits." Archangel added.
Cyclops looked to the screen again and watched as the dots moved closer and closer toward them. He let out a sigh and then turned to the other X-men. "How many people have we been able to get so far?"
Cable entered the room. He'd been gone since they'd brought Batman in. Accompanying him was Cannonball and Sunspot. "My old crew just arrived." he announced. "You can count on X-Force to back you up."
Cyclops smiled, just as he was uttering his thank you though another familiar face waltzed in.
"Same goes for me." Havok. Cyclop's brother and former leader of the X-Factor team. "I got my old crew here too."
"Strong Guy, Polaris, Multiple Man, Wolfsbane…" Storm recited the names of the X-Factor members.
"Meltdown, Feral, Shatterstar, Cannonball, Domino, Rictor, Sunspot, Siren, and Warpath." Nightcrawler added. "This looks like we might just pull out an even fight here."
Cyclops nodded. "We'll need every one of them."
He glanced at the display screen. Superman was minutes away. His hand found the intercom switch and he cleared his throat before calling into it. "Alright people. Thanks everyone that could help us. We're dividing into two squads. All those that can fly, use energy blasts, will be outside on the grounds. I'll also hand select a few people with their own unique talents to join us. The rest need to form a perimeter leading to Batman's cell. You're the last line of defense. You'll follow the commands of either me, Cable, Havok, or Storm. Superman will be arriving any second now. Get to your positions and be prepared for anything."
"You want that I should get Deadpool over here?" Cable grabbed Cyclops' shoulder the moment he ended his announcement.
The mutant nodded. "Not much choice at this point. Do what you need to. In the meantime we need to go greet our visitors. They should be arriving in less than thirty seconds."
Perimeter alarms were already blaring as the X-men's deputy leader started to move toward the Mansion's grounds. They would meet the Man of Steel out in the open on the front lawn. They now had the proof they needed to substantiate their claims that Batman was a murderer. Each of them secretly hoped that that would be enough. That with that information Superman would leave them alone and allow them to seek justice.
Cyclops and Storm fanned out. They each knew who they wanted to be in the initial team. At least those that didn't automatically qualify. Colossus and Strong Guy were both drafted. Their Superhuman strength would be invaluable. Rictor was also included. They wanted his earthquakes to take place outside the mansion rather than in.
They also attempted to bring Beast along but the mutant declined.
"I've nearly concluded my research." he said. "Mayhaps Logan's exoneration from attacking Lois Lane Kent will be enough to mollify the Man of Steel's ire."
From there they went to the front steps. All in all the mutant force was nearly thirty strong. These were perhaps the most powerful mutants on the planet as well. As Cyclops gazed at them he couldn't help but feel a little more confident. Surely even Superman would think twice about attacking them.
There was a sound of a sonic boom and all assembled craned their necks up to the skies. Four figures were visible bursting toward them. All four sported red billowing capes.
"Spread out." Cyclops ordered. "No one attacks unless it's for defense or if I give the order. Storm give us cloud cover."
But even as they began to move, and the dusk sky rumbled with incoming clouds Cyclops realized that it was too late. The red blots had already taken shape and were distinguishable from one another. Superman was in the lead. To his right flew Supergirl. His kryptonian cousin. To his left flew a man that may very well have been Colossus' cousin by outward appearance. This was the chrome plated form of Steel. One of Superman's greatest allies. Lastly there was a whitish from behind them. Cyclops recognized this one as well. Krypto the Superdog.
The Man of Steel had brought the entire family.
In what seemed less than a second the distant forms seemed to be right upon them. Superman landed first. Hitting the ground with such force that they felt it tremble beneath them. The others followed in a gentler form. But Superman had clearly set the precedent, this would be no friendly chat.
Cyclops stepped forward, as team leader he was the one that had to be the spokesman. As the mutant took measured steps away from the mansion, the Man of Steel followed in suit and approached him. He only paused for a second to calm who Krypto had begun growling and baring his teeth, his canine eyes glowing menacingly. All others lingered behind. Waiting to see what the two leaders would do.
"Where's Batman?" demanded Superman without any greeting or pleasantry.
"He's safe and secure." Cyclops responded, knowing it was unlikely he could get away with a lie.
"Then I'm giving you five minutes to bring him here." Superman ordered. "If you do that and surrender peacefully I promise that none of you will get hurt and you'll get a fair trail for kidnapping him."
"We didn't kidnap him." Cyclops' fists tightened. "We apprehended a wanted murderer."
"Don't play games with me!" Superman jabbed a finger at the mutant. "Batman didn't-"
"Yes he did!" Cyclops shouted. "One of our own psychics confirmed it! Batman murdered Charles Xavier and we intend to see him brought to justice! Or is that something that you only believe when you merit it out?"
Superman was slightly taken aback by this information. He even seemed to calm slightly. "Of course I believe in justice! But that's not what you people want. You want revenge. And I don't care what your psychic says Batman didn't do it. He had no motive to kill Xavier and as all of us saw there were multiple shape shifters there that night!"
"We know that! Which is why we had our telepath confirm whether or not he was guilty. And that's excluding the psychic images that the Professor sent to Jean before he died. So I'm asking you Superman. Will you allow us to have justice and see that Batman is punished for his crimes or are you going to continue to aide a murderer and let him go free?"
It was now Superman that had his fists clenched. The wind from above blew his cape behind him and his brows furrowed. "I'm going inside and I'm rescuing Batman." He said in a calm voice. "Don't be stupid and try to stop me."
Superman took a step forward and headed toward the front door. The moment he did Cyclops tried to throw himself in the way. He was pushed aside as casually as someone swats at a gnat. The X-men began pulling in tighter toward the door and Cyclops pulled himself up, his hand went to his visor.
"X-men!" he yelled, "Stop him!"
Crimson beams flashed out and slammed into Superman's back sending him to the ground. And that was it. Negotiation was over, the fight had begun.
Before Superman had even pulled himself off the ground Cyclops heard a rushing toward him, he heard a canine growl next. He whirled about to fire on the enraged dog that was flying at him but Krypto was intercepted by a mutant that had a growl all his own.
Wolverine crashed into the dog with his full force, claws tearing at super strong fur and skin. Krypto latched in his jaws into Wolverine's arm. Teeth that could have easily snapped a man's arm clean off came into contact with adamantium laced bones and the dog let out a yelp.
Steel and Supergirl had taken to the skies. All about them the wind came in tremendous gusts and lighting poured down atop them. Supergirl found herself dodging the blasts that came from Storm while Steel fired metal bolts down on various X-men, trying to prevent them from getting in Superman's way.
Frantically Storm launched lighting bolt after lighting bolt. Each time only to be disappointed as the Maid of Might sped around each one. Closing the gap between them. The mutant's hands lanced out and increased the wind to hurricane force. Supergirl slowed down, a hand in front of her eyes but otherwise kept coming.
It was just as she was to reach Storm though that the air around them crackled with energy and she was encased in a solid block of ice which started crashing downward. Storm glanced about to see Iceman zipping past on an ice-slide waving.
His grin however was short lived for in the next moment not only did Supergirl smash out of her icy casing but a massive hammer strike smashed the ice slide. Storm dove after her comrade, catching him in mid air then zipping away from the main fray as Supergirl began pursuit.
On the ground Superman held his arms in front of his face as massive amounts of energy were poured onto him. From behind Cyclops blasted his optic beams. In front of him Cyclops' brother Havoc poured out his own plasma beams. Gambit peppered the Man of Steel with charged playing cards. Each blast pushed him back a little farther.
His head went up and his feet left the ground, intending to make it harder for them to hit him. Unfortunately he didn't make it more than a few feet. Hand of organic steel clasped his ankle and thrust him onto the pavement. Sending chunks into the air.
"We did not want to fight you Superman!" Colossus yelled over the roaring wind and rain. The Man of Steel started pushing himself up but the Russian mutant hammered a fist into his head. "But you have left us no choice!"
"Left you no choice?" Superman roared and crashed a fist into Colossus' gut. The air rang with the sound of super hard bones smashing into to metal skin and Colossus doubled over. "I gave you all so many chances! And I could have taken you out anytime!"
Colossus returned the punch with one of his own. Superman's head snapped back with the upper cut. "Then why don't you? You are strong enough are you not?"
Superman launched himself at Colossus, their hands met in the air and the pair began a contest of strength and will. Each trying to exert his own strength over the other. Their feet plowed into the ground. Breaking rock and concrete. Around them various X-men started to surround. Determined to distract and stop Superman.
And it was then when it seemed that Colossus was about to overpower his opponent that Superman took a step back and allowed the mutant's strength to propel him forward. The Man of Steel caught this momentum and whirled about in a red and blue cyclone before launching Colossus several miles skyward.
He had no time to celebrate this victory as Cyclops' optic blasts caught him squarely in his face. He toppled back for a moment but then opened his eyes and his own crimson heat vision poured out. At first it was like needles trying to cut through a wall. But as he increased his intensity the optic beams started to be driven back. Another duel began.
Storm had dropped Iceman to allow him the freedom he needed, now recovered. But now she had the persistent Supergirl to deal with. Where before it was Supergirl that was dodging lighting blasts it was Storm that dodged blasts from heat vision. The pair were drenched and Supergirl was gaining momentum.
In midair the mutant whirled about and clapped her hands together. The wind spun and circled the Girl of Steel. A funnel appeared from the clouds and she was engulfed in a tornado. Storm didn't let up. She fed more and more of her power into it. Below her some of her comrades were even having to cling to whatever they could to keep from being sucked toward it.
But it wasn't to last. Amidst the thunderous wind a red streak could be seen circling in the opposite direction of the gusts. It increased speed until the entire tornado itself took on a reddish appearance and then just evaporated with the counter winds created by the triumphant Supergirl.
She floated in the air, her arms crossed and a grin on her face. "Have to do better than that!"
"She's getting to it!" Another voice interrupted and a fist smashed into Supergirl's face. "But in the meantime Ah'll soften you up for her."
Rogue crashed toward the Girl of Steel, pounding her fists against her, driving her toward the ground. Storm flew toward her teammate. "I thought you wouldn't be helping us?"
"Much as Ah think this shouldn't be happening Ah can't let them take you apart! And maybe Ah was wrong! Everything Ah've tried has only made it worse!"
Below them the ground was shaking. Superman hovered in the air, his heat vision roaring at Cyclops. In turn the mutant's optic blasts fired outward keeping the Man of Steel's energy at bay. The air around them sizzled and the force of the blasts was wrecking the grounds around them.
"Is this the Justice you told me you stood for?" Cyclops hollered, his voice was lost to all save those with Super Hearing. "You intended to pound us into the ground and take what you wanted! That's what all the world's "heroes" want! We're all criminals to you aren't we? Well no more! We're standing for everything that you should be!"
That said Cyclops ripped off his visor and released the full force of his optic blasts. It was enough energy to smash through a mountain. Enough energy that a focused blast may have very well crashed through the Earth's crust. Superman was caught completely off guard. His heat vision overwhelmed as the energy drove skyward. The clouds parted and the Man of Steel was hurled away, parts of his cape tattering down.
Cyclops snapped his visor back on and touched his finger to the comm-link. "Everyone that can regroup. I taken Superman out…for now."
The Lexcorp towers were normally teaming with activity. Even in the waning hours of day time. Deadlines had to be met, reports had to be filed, and bosses ego's had to be stroked. But as Robin, Jubilee, and Superboy had discovered. This night was different. Security guards had been given the night off, late working employees seeking overtime had been thrust home, and the un-vacuumed floors suggested that the janitors weren't showing up any time soon.
The trio slunk from shadow to shadow. Robin always took the lead with the others trailing behind him when he gave the signal. Each time he did the Teen Wonder grimaced slightly to the amount of noise they were making. Well actually most of it was Jubilee. Her feet were unaccustomed to the art of stealth. The same could be said for Superboy but he had the advantage of being able to hover a few silent inches from the ground.
None of them cared to recall their trip through the sewers. Jubilee had even at one point made Superboy give her lift over what looked like a particularly vile puddle of…something none of them wanted to know about. For Robin having her along was a win/lose situation. He liked having another super-powered back up. He liked having another number to his team. But at the same time she was distracting. Not just her heavy foot falls and the occasional bumping into cubicles and what not, but the nagging emotions that she evoked in him.
He hadn't really seen her since the public funeral of Charles Xavier in Washington. Where he had broken things off. Having her with him now only served as a reminder of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place. Her keen sense of right and wrong, her devotion to doing what was right, even without a great tragedy to motivate her or overwhelming superpowers to back her up.
The trio moved up a stairwell, approaching the final floor they sought after. The top floor. The one that contained Lex Luthor's office. Robin took each stair with a silence and speed that would have made Batman proud. He paused however when he heard Jubilee stumble slightly and fall backward. Only to be caught by Superboy.
Another threatening thought came to his mind. Another reason that it was perhaps bad that Jubilee was along. He worried about her. He worried for her safety. She wasn't nearly as skilled at dodging bullets as he was, and they certainly wouldn't bounce off her chest like Superboy's. If he couldn't concentrate on his job because of that she would be a major liability.
Robin stared down at her, contemplating this, when she returned his gaze. "Sorry." She snapped. "I don't have night vision like some people!"
Then there was the fact that she didn't terribly like him at the moment.
Superboy floated forward, they were just a step or two, from the stairwell exit. After that it was a few hallways and waiting rooms to Lex Luthor's inner sanctum. "So what's the plan?" he whispered. "What exactly are we going to do in there? I mean wasn't only a couple of weeks ago that we trashed the place?"
"Yeah," Robin replied. "But one of the main reasons we went there was to recover a bug I had planted. In all the commotion I forgot about it. We're going to get it now and see if it can't give us a clue as to what Luthor's plan is."
"That's it?" Jubilee cut in. "Superman could be tearing my team apart right now and we're here looking for clues?"
"You were the one that insisted on coming." Robin shrugged. "And besides we can't hope to stop Luthor unless we have some idea what his plan is."
Jubilee sighed and Robin turned to the door. "Superboy can you use your X-ray vision? Tell use if there any surprises waiting on the other side?"
Superboy scanned for a moment then shook his head. "This is Lexcorp. Everything is shielded with lead."
Robin nodded and placed one hand on a batarang and another on the door handle. Superboy clenched his fists and Jubilee put her hands at the ready, small glowing sparks issuing from her fingertips. They were ready for anything. The Teen Wonder shoved the door open.
They were greeted with nothing but an empty corridor.
Jubilee shook her head. "I don't like this. Either you guys are full of crap about him being some evil super genius or we're being led here."
"Or…" Robin posited. "He has all of his assets elsewhere, and doesn't think this building is important anymore."
"Which isn't a good sign." Superboy added. "The last time Lex thought something was unimportant he tried to blow up half of Metropolis."
"Which means we should shut up, get our job done and get out of here." Robin breathed already moving ahead. Darting in and out of corridors and hallways. Always sticking to the shadows. Jubilee sighed and looked to Superboy.
"He always like this?"
"You should have seen him when the Gotham Knights lost the championship."
The pair shot after him, doing their best to somewhat mimic his movements. Soon enough they were at the door they sought, Lex Luthor's office. Robin started to fiddle with the lock, inserting various picks in to do the job. It was only a moment later that Superboy sighed and reached out his hand.
"This super-spy stuff is taking too long." he grumbled as he clasped the door and the entire thing disassembled itself thanks to his tactile telekinesis.
Robin stood and folded his arms. "Fine." he uttered. "but when we get caught because of the alarm you probably set off I'm not letting you live it down."
"Alright I'll log that one away." Superboy rolled his eyes.
Jubilee just brushed past the pair of them into the room. "down boys." she muttered then looked back at them. "So we're here. Where's your bug?"
Robin had planted a hand on his face. First the disassembled door now one of them had waltzed in without doing any checks for laser security or pressure sensitive floor plates. He found himself wondering if Batman ever went through this sort of thing with the Justice League.
The Teen Wonder took a breath and came in himself. Either no alarm had been triggered or it had been silent. His feet carried him to an oversized plant near the window. After a moment of searching he produced a small bat-shaped device.
"Figures." Superboy and Jubilee said almost in unison.
Robin cocked a brow but, merely stashed the device in his belt without remarking on their comment. "Let's go. Once we're outside the building we can analyze the data."
"Good." Jubilee replied. "We need to get to X-mansion and hope nobody's dead."
"Don't worry about it." Superboy responded. "The Titan's will stop them from fighting."
Jubilee nodded uncertainly but then froze as did the other two heroes.
"I'm afraid the Titan's won't be much help." Luthor's came from behind.
The Trio did an about face to see the villain stepping from a doorway that looked so very much like part of the wall. The upper half of his face was drenched in shadow, but they could still make out a smug, threatening look on his face. With his hands behind his back he looked perfectly foreboding.
"You see I've taken the liberty of installing shield generators within a one mile radius around the mansion. It will cut off any communication and any attempts to end the fight. Which I might add the three of you are causing me to miss. The X-men seem to have the upper hand at the moment but once Superman hears Batman's dying breath he'll start ripping limbs off."
Jubilee shot forward even as Robin and Superboy clasped after her. It was far too late though. The floor erupted in an electric display of energy. Bringing both Superboy and Jubilee down. Only Robin remained on his feet as did Luthor.
"Insulated footwear like mine boy?" Luthor regarded the Teen Wonder.
Robin snapped out his quarter staff. "You'd expect less from me? It's over Luthor!"
"For you child." A dark voice came from behind. "It is."
The teen hero didn't even have time to whirl about before the massive hand crushed him to the floor. Blasting consciousness from his mind.
Jubilee forced her eyes open and tried to cry out Robin's name as she saw Apocalypse bring him down. Her eyes shifted to Luthor who was standing over her.
"W…we trusted…you." She managed.
"Foolish." came the response, cold and victorious.
"I'd wager from that sonic boom I just heard..." Emma Frost muttered, "That Superman must be coming back."
She stood with her back to Batman's cell, watching a security monitor of the battle outside. The force field hummed along, the only thing listening to her. Or so she thought.
"Y…you lied to them." Batman's voice came.
The mutant pivoted her head to the side. "Finally awake are you? I was wondering how long it would take for your fragile human mind to recover."
Batman pulled himself up. Shaking his head furiously, clearing out whatever fuzz the White Queen's invasion had left. His eyes glowered at her the moment they made contact. She was facing him fully now, her arms folded superiorly across her chest.
"My, my, such a cold look." She grinned. "must match the way you feel only wearing bottom tights and a cowl."
"You should talk." Batman growled. "All in all I'm still wearing more than you."
Frost snickered and examined her nails casually. "Well you know what they say. When you got it flaunt it."
"I know what you did." Batman hissed, approaching the edge of the force field. "I know that you didn't see me being a murderer. You're part of this."
"You almost sound intelligent for an animal." She stepped up to the glowing line of energy. Now only inches from Batman's face. "Though I can't deny the thrill it was having you writhe beneath me. Tell me. Was it good for you too?"
"Lower the force field and I'll show you."
"Ha! I think not. As much as I'd like nothing more than to kill you with my bare hands…I'm afraid that there's a very specific death planned for you. One that will look so very much like a tragic accident."
"In case things go south with the battle above." Batman concluded. "Leverage to use against Superman. Make it look like he acted out viciously and without just cause."
"Right again." Emma smiled. "The story will be that you tried to break out, and the strain you put on the force field caused it to start giving away-"
"To which you started to boost the power until it "accidentally" overloaded, releasing an energy blast that ripped me in half." Batman grimaced.
"You're just too much." White Queen smiled, her hand coming up to the power button. "Any famous last words?"
"Go to He--"
Batman's words were cut off by the crack of a gunshot. He nearly stepped forward into the force field as Emma Frost's eyes went wide. They both looked down together to see the spike jutting out of her chest. A tiny flag hung from it with the word's "bang" flashed across.
White Queen slumped to the ground with a gurgle that was overshadowed by a horrible cackle.
"When all this is done with Batsy!" The Joker called out, stepping out in clear view from one of the other cells. "You owe me case of Cuban's and fifty years off my next life sentence! Ha ha ha haaaa!"
next time: The Battle Continues.
Zantac the Barbarian: Alright alright. You win you got your new chapter before the new year. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll have to make sure I try to catch any major grammatical errors in the future. Seems that I got a lot of comments about it this time around. Thanks for your continued support and great reviews.
MeShelly: impressed whistle That's quite the review you sent my way. I gotta say that it's reviews like the one you sent me that really get me excited about writing this story. It was well thought out. Issued praise and also pointed out flaws. As well as asked questions. Thank you ever so much. Now onto your questions and comments.
Kitty did indeed get the disk from Robin but Robin got it back later that night. Just after Superman beat the crude out of Wolverine. Batman used the data on the disc to conclude that Xavier was taking kickbacks from Luthor.
Nightwing was pretty much assuming that Batman's attackers were gone. And while it might have been more tactically sound to keep quiet he was a little overcome with emotion. For all he knew Batman was dead. Half the mansion demolished and all that.
Too true what you said about Superman affecting Batman. Superman will always be the #1 example that even Batman follows.
Robin didn't check back in because he was afraid that if he told them what he planned on doing they'd try to stop him. Especially since he was working with Jubilee and she was afraid to get near any of the DC Superheroes.
Hal Jordan has been Green Lantern again for a while now. I think almost a year. At least ever since the Rebirth story line. I specified because I thought if I put just Green Lantern it would lead to confusion as to which. Turns out it couldn't be avoided.
Batman is just distraught right now. He feels he doesn't owe the X-men anything and that even if eh tries to help they won't believe him. From his point of view his identity has been taken advantage of, his home demolished, he was brutalized and they attacked his family. He's in Dark Knight mode. Things need to happen before he's willing to come to the "negotiating" table if you will.
I'm not sure that if Green Arrow will show up again. At least in this fic. He may have a cameo at the end though. We'll see.
Oh and thanks for the compliment about my story being so good that I don't need little tag lines a the end to entice readers back. But you misunderstand. I don't do that for anybody but myself. I think it's fun to do the whole next time thing. Maybe I just watched too much of the old Batman t.v. show when I was a kid.
Whew I hope I covered all those questions thanks for the review!
Anonymousfog: Here's your update. I really appreciate your comments. Thanks!
Ezekiel-the-Hunted: Thank you for reading! It is heartening to see that you waded through my grammatical errors for a few days. Somehow this story must have hypnotized you. I try pretty hard to get the characterization right. I'm glad you approve. And I liked the Who's Who comment about my story. Thanks a lot!
Blackheart Syaoran: Hey things have to get worse before they get better. Luckily though things are getting to the breaking point. One way or another things will be completely different by the end of the next chapter.
Yeah Apocalpyse isn't the most subtle guy when it comes to his ultimate goal is he? The real question is in the particulars. Which I may add will be revealed in about two chapters I think. Anyway thank you as always for reading and reviewing!
Blues32: You weren't yelling. THIS IS YELLING! You just raised your voice! Thanks for the review!
Robster72: As I said to Blackheart Apocalypse goal will be revealed in full soon. As to what's going on with Mystique replacing Talia you'll find that out soon too. Such is the way with Super villain alliances. They rarely workout. Each has their own agenda.
Angel: I'm keeping most the non-X-men and World's Finest characters confined to the sidelines for now. Though don't count out an appearance by the Avengers. As to the others you mentioned. Half the Fantastic Four already showed and Spiderman has been mentioned (granted it was an obscure reference). But don't worry. Spiderman and the Hulk have very prominent roles in store for them in the sequel! Thanks for reading!
SonoKokuouOtakuJin72491: Joker's my favorite Bat villain too. I hope this ending wets your appetite for his true appearance in this fic. This teaser poster you mentioned. That legit or something made up? Sounds cool. Thanks for the review.
Cycloptic NightBat: There ya be. There's the death. Okay well there's a death. I'm not ruling out anybody else dying before this stories done with. Thanks for the review!
RaptorChicky: Garsh thanks! scuffs foot. Yeah I'd love to see this animated too. I guess we can all dream though. Maybe I should hurry. I want Kevin Conroy as Batman's voice before he retires. I hope the climax is all I've hyped it to be. We'll see soon enough. A strange observation though. Everybody seems to like the Rogue/Batman interaction. Who would have known the pair would have chemistry? Not me. Thanks for the review!
Tabitha: Hey I'm glad you've been following this and thanks for reading! Have a Merry Christmas!
Ladyofthebookworms: You wanted the paragraphs fixed. Done. It was a technical issue that the computer at the time wouldn't let me overcome. Anyway hope you liked this chapter and thanks for the review!
Dreambender: Actually Ra's goals and Apocaplypse goals are very similar. Both seek to destroy the world only to recreate it with themselves as the ruler. What differs is the ideology. Ra's seeks to purify the planet from those that would abuse it. Apocalypse seeks to purify the earth from those that he feels are unfit to live on it. Luthor is the odd man out. And yeah Batman lost some respect for the X-men. This is World's Finest vrs the X-men after all. But don't worry these are heroes we're dealing with. They'll figure it out…hopefully. Thanks for the great review!
Goldenrat: Thanks so much for the review. I appreciate you taking the time to read this fic!
giveGodtheglory: Well thanks for your comments tired though you may be. Have a Merry Christmas.
Cflat: Hope this chapter was easier to read. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!
