DC V

...

"This shrimp is absolutely disgusting, I am definitely suing Aquaman," The recording remarked, the projection showed a visual image of what was going down in the bottom floor.

The three heroes were currently on the roof of the building surveilling the ongoing interrogation.

Idly glancing towards his colleagues, he found Batman watching the projection like a hawk, his hands, currently, rapidly searching through his portable computer. Superman meanwhile seemed to have genuine surprise coloring his face, the man of steel unlike the bat had his full attention on the projection, having taken a seat before it. His arm's crossed.

Flash, however, one finger on his chin, was somewhat distracted.

He'd heard that name before.

For certain.

He just couldn't remember when.

"You were one of the world's first heroes..." Diana's voice filtered through, the projection showing the woman to be at ease around the very strange stranger.

"She believes him? Just like that?" Superman remarked, his surprise showing through his voice.

"We might need to extract her," Batman remarked in response, his gaze switching to his mini computer before frowning at the lack of results.

Superman blinked in response, his attention turned towards his colleague. "A little hasty don't you think? Maybe she has a reason-"

"She might be under a spell. He's already admitted to having mastered magic of some form."

Superman's gaze turned back towards the screen for a moment before the man of steel shook his head.

"Let's wait it out. If anything we'll get more information."

"Hm."

"Hero huh? I wouldn't say that," The stranger remarked, a hand rubbing the back of his head. "I probably killed more people than the Joker."

Flash's attention snapped upwards to see a very wary expression on both of his colleagues, Batman already about to connect his microphone to Wonder Woman before-

"It was a different time. Scriptures say you and your colleagues fought to preserve the peace your predecessors created. That you started fighting those wars in your own childhood! Surely you had no choice on the matter?"

Superman's wary expression seemed to turn into a torn one for a moment, while Batman's turned completely passive.

Flash focused back on where he'd heard the name.

"I suppose... But-"

"No buts!-" Superman's eyebrows rose up to his hairline. "Ah apologies, all the same, don't look down on what you did! You helped preserve one of the most modern civilizations in history!"

"Well, that's one way to look at it. Though I don't see how any of this relates to Batty's interrogation-"

Superman hid the snort by turning his head the slightest, while Batman's eyes narrowed.

"He seems to have nicknamed you,"

Batman didn't deign to give the man of steel a response as he echoed out Wonder Woman's next question through the microphone in his ear.

"...Five years ago- Hera I can't believe they threw someone like you in Arkham... Themyscira would've had a rebellion before they allowed it- Why didn't you say anything?"

Batman's teeth seemed to shut together as his expression turned warier.

Which was fair he supposed, given that wasn't the question he'd sent through.

"Who would've believed me? I told them the truth about Batman and your colleagues teamed up to convince the Asylum of my stay."

"...Hindsight really is twenty-twenty- That's how the phrase is used right?" Superman sighed.

No one responded.

"...Right... The threat you made-"

"It wasn't a threat. It was the truth."

Batman's attention turned away from his computer at the prompt, his own focus fully on the projection before them, one finger on the microphone connected to his ear.

"You said that Gotham would fall-"

"If Batman can't protect his own side-kicks, nor is he willing to deal with the assailants properly, what do you think that says to the criminals of Gotham? A line he won't cross is good and all, but the moment his enemies find out about it, is the moment they start abusing the system. If I recall, that's exactly what led to Batman's need of existence in the first place."

Flash's attention, for the second, turned away from his focus on where he'd heard the name to Bruce. The speedster to his surprise found a rather surprised expression on the man himself.

"...You know, he kind of has a point there..." Superman remarked, idly scratching at a non-existent beard.

"That's... I hadn't really thought of it that way..."

"Well, you learn something new every day, despite age."

"Are you calling me old?" Superman prepared himself, in case he needed to save the suicidal idiot-

"Do I have to answer that question?"

"Yes."

"Flash," Batman stated, turning to him with that look.

"On it." He prepared himself to start running, for as fast as Supe's was, he was even faster-

"Lady, you might be the first date I've had that's actually older than me."

Silence met them as Flash wondered whether Diana was about to let impulsiveness take-

When the woman started laughing, he let his guard down, focused back on the matter at hand.

"History was right, you really are brave."

"...If I'd said that, she would've sent me back to Krypton... During the explosion."

"She really might be under a spell."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I was as tame as they come."

"Oh? And here I thought you were going to be honest with me,"

"Are you asking to be my 'special someone?' Because I feel like you are."

"So... Am I the only one that thinks she's stopped treating this as an interrogation or..?" Flash felt the need to put in his own two cents, earning a confused expression from the man of steel and more paranoia from Batty.

"Why don't we put a pin-" And then it finally hit him. His memory finally unraveling itself in the process. "-on that one and get back to the interro- Actually, one more question, and I promise that it'll be the last one about your past."

"Somehow I doubt that," Superman remarked, idly shaking his head.

Flash wasn't paying much attention if he was honest.

"There was a girl-"

"Koharu." The stranger deadpanned immediately.

"You don't even know what I was going to say-"

"Yeah, she was psycho."

"...I feel like we're talking about two different people. The girl I was thinking of is a bit of a legend in my culture, known as an Empress in all but name in a man dominated world and cultu-"

"Yeah. She was a freakin' psycho."

"...Scripture says the two of you were friends?"

"The best of friends actually, I loved her to bits. What do you want to know about her?"

"Everything! She was my hero growing up!"

"Well, this is a bust..." Superman remarked sheepishly. "Though at least we now know he wasn't planning to attack Gotham himself."

"...If he's to be believed," Batman stated calmly. "...We still need to extract her, just in case. For all we-"

"Be my guest Bruce, 'cos I sure as hell ain't going down there." Superman deadpanned.

All of it, however, didn't exactly register in Flash's mind. His dread piling in on itself as he remembered exactly where he'd heard that name before.

The name had been used as a password...

One of many passwords meant to unblock certain passages of time in the past.

Passwords that had come out of that man's mouth in their race through time.

Thawne, the time-traveling emissary, or perhaps even hero now, that had come from the far off future, who'd tried towarn him about the one known as the Future Reaper.

...

Next DC chapter 'might' show a glimpse into the Run Through Time. Depends on how spoilerry it might turn out as the run-through time would include hints as to what happens in Ninja Grandpa. Most of everything else, including the last line, is for the moment only part of the DC ficverse. Whether I include more of the Canon Jumpchain has yet to be determined. The Future Reaper was added to replace the original big bad I had in mind for this when I was trying to decide whether to include it in the Jumpchain canon or not.

Feedback Is Appreciated!

Edit: 'Gods' to 'Hera' as I felt Wonder Woman wouldn't actually use the former. Could be wrong?