A/N: Heeeeeeey… it's been a while. I know everyone was excited for a huge bit of Injustice action. Welp, I decided to build suspense and a bit of plot before things got crazy, mainly just because it seemed like the way I ended the last chapter was way too, "jump into the fighting without thinking, guns blazing not having any idea what was going on" sort of thing…
So here's a chapter with a bit more 'here's the plan' vibe without actually ruining any plot.
The team took time to make sure everyone was in a good condition before leaving their own reality.
Deadshot and Mystic even devised a method to continuously pool their ammo with her powers, and she stocked his own with her void-like abilities to hold it all in a pocket dimension.
Beast Girl, however, hadn't stopped crying since she got back from the land of unconsciousness. "Not Dad… not twice…" she whimpered like a lost puppy. Terra hugged her, "Your dad isn't so weak as to die because of a plant freak." She tried to comfort her.
Beast girl just shook her teary face, "That's not what I mean at all!" she said.
Ian sighed, "Brainiac will try and rewrite his loyalties most likely. We NEED a plan. Going in guns blazing is only a surefire way to be taken over and made to do what he wants or digitized into Brainiac Superman's personal infodump."
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Beast Girl lost her composure at the harsh reality of the situation.
Robin sighed, "We need to get Star back! I can't just let my girlfriend be taken over by a computer! No offense Dubs."
"None taken." Dubs answered without emotion.
Kirsty sighed, "Little bro, what's wrong? You seem detached…"
Dubs spoke in a cold mechanical manner. "Running simulations to determine the best course of action. I have now run fourteen million six hundred and five. Optimal versions of this reality so far… zero."
Ian suddenly got a weird idea. "This will not be easy. I need to talk to all of you for a second in case there are loopholes in this plan."
Raven raised a brow. "What are you thinking we should do?"
"Just listen to me for about an hour… this may take a while." Ian smiled to reassure her.
: An hour later:
"You know you are literally putting all your eggs in one basket here, right?" Raven said.
Ian just sighed, "Any better ideas?"
"Hey, you're the all-knowing super-nerd with an identity crisis!" she shot back.
"Gotta say… this is an idea I am not completely on board with," Robin said.
Malgand'r frowned, "So you will leave mother to be taken over to attack and take you over as well because it saves our world for another day or two?"
"This isn't even your world!" Robin shouted. "Just because I will have a kid doesn't mean you're the result in this reality!"
Malgand'r shrank back with a hurt look on his face. Robin realized what he said and sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Sorry… I didn't mean that… Star would have reigned me in, but she's gone, and I snapped, I just want her back…" Robin tried to apologize to his other-earth son.
Malgand'r frowned, "I know she's important. You need her, and I understand, but don't just apologize to me."
Beast girl sniffed.
Dubs stopped computing.
Catherine looked at Raven, "You don't think that do you?"
"Of course not," Raven answered with her trademark levelheadedness.
"I…" Robin took a deep breath, "Sorry guys… it was out of line for me to say that. So, let's just get this over with."
Dubs nodded, "Running odds of success of Ian's plan."
"And?" Beast Girl asked.
"Oddly enough it's 3.14159265358979323846—"
"OKAY WE GET IT!" everyone shouted out.
Ian smirked, "So basically we either have a 3 percent chance OR if you interpret that another way, infinity. I like those odds!"
"Leave it to you to call Pi a good chance." Dubs sighed. "That isn't how math works."
"Unless you're fighting a computer. And what is Brainiac?" Ian smirked.
"… He's got a point." Kirsty sighed.
Cyborg crossed his arms. "An idiotic one, but a point, sure."
"So do we need to do anything else to get ready before we go?" Terra asked.
Ian nodded, "Raven, Catherine, and I have something to take care of, you guys just get ready while we discuss this."
"Dad I didn't hear anything abou-Woah!" Catherine began before he pulled her into the hallway, Raven having headed out before them.
"Thought you'd be against this…" Ian commented as Raven led them to her room.
"Oh, trust me, I am not okay with it, but there's not much I can do to say no when you are hiding this detail from the team and the plan still works flawlessly to all of them."
"Well then… let's get down to business," Ian said as they entered Raven's room.
"Uhhh… you guys are scaring me…" Catherine muttered softly.
A/N: I know it's a weird place to end a chapter. There wasn't a good place to end without spoiling the plan. The next chapter should be much more action-oriented. For those of you who followed/favorited this story and read to this point, you have my thanks. Feel free to leave reviews on what you expect Ian's plan to be. Also, there were three references to three other series in this one chapter, if you can spot them all, feel free to list them in a review.
Expect the next chapter to come much sooner than this one did. I am ashamed of how long it took to realize they were just rushing into the most important fight of their lives and having to edit in what would be considered filler… it does not put a smile on my face.
Ian: Wrong franchise, asshat!
Me: says the guy who knows what universe it's from and also knows he could hypothetically go there!