The Riddler whistled, twirling his staff like he owned the place as he strode into a dark alley in Old Gotham. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he said, grinning as he stopped twirling the pole and planted it in the ground, generating a loud bang.
A man dressed as a security guard walked out of the shadow and nodded at the Riddler in greeting. He was the same man who'd showed Enchantress around the secret laboratory.
"Basil, ol' chap, what news do you have for me?" The Riddler asked as he watched the man's features slowly deform as he turned into a tall clump of humanoid clay.
"That crazy woman, Enchantress, came to the lab..." The humanoid clump of clay, better known as Clayface, said after twitching for several seconds to get used to his original form.
"She brought a red stone to the scientists. They're up to something," he added, the mud that was his face wiggling for another second before settling and taking its final shape.
"Overplaying your part again, eh?" The Riddler curiously asked, tilting his head as he noticed the Clayface's struggle to maintain his original form, which only happened when he took another shape for a prolonged period of time.
"No matter," The Riddler said after only receiving a dry grunt as a response. "What kind of stone? What could they be up to?" he asked, getting straight to the point.
"I couldn't tell. Enchantress was tight-lipped. It's either that or she knew nothing," Clayface replied as he finally seemed to adjust to his original form after some struggle.
"But, whatever they're doing, they need her help to accomplish it," he concluded, going quiet as he waited for The Riddler to process the situation, which didn't take long.
"Up to some magic jiggery-pokery, eh? That can't be good," The Riddler said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Well, whatever it may be, you need to figure it out before it happens," he added with a careless shrug.
"Worst case scenario, just off the eggheads if you can't figure out what they're doing," The Riddler nonchalantly went on as if the lives of said scientists were worth nothing.
"You're the boss," Clayface said in an equally casual tone, clearly on the same mind as The Riddler. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." he added, slowly changing into the form of the security guard.
"I've got a show to put on," he concluded, grinning as he turned away, leaving a chuckling Riddler alone in the dark alley.
"A show, eh...? You have no idea..." The Riddler muttered after waiting for Clayface to leave, his grin growing even more pronounced and demented than usual as he walked away.
...
Gotham
Tricorner Island
Inside the home of a local businessman
Batman had a blank expression as he finished diffusing the bomb attached to the homeowner's torso. He frowned as the man shakingly reached into his inner pocket and retrieved a card, offering it to him.
Batman kept an even expression as he read through the card and calmly left, quietly disappearing while the man was distracted for a second without waiting for him to say thank you.
The caped crusader moved towards a nearby park where Robin was waiting for him. "The Riddler's doing," he blankly said, adding nothing else as he didn't need to.
"Same on my end," Robin replied as he retrieved a card similar to the one Batman had. "What do you want me to do?" he asked after giving the card to his mentor.
"Follow your lead. Don't engage Riddler if you encounter him. Call me," Batman immediately replied without hesitation, much to the Boy Wonder's astonishment.
"Are you sure...?" Robin hesitantly asked, clearly in disbelief. His mentor would usually instruct him to go home when whatever they were working on involved one of the more dangerous villains like The Riddler.
"It's not like The Riddler to give more than one clue," Batman replied as he looked down at the two cards in his hand. "Something is off, and we need to know what, as soon as possible. You are ready," he concluded, offering Robin's card back.
The Boy Wonder went still for a second, but he quickly gathered his bearing and took the card from his mentor's hand, barely holding back a smile.
"I won't let you down," Robin hurriedly said after clearing his throat to calm himself and get rid of the smile threatening to split his lips at second.
"I know you won't," Batman replied as he left.
...
Gray's hideout
"There should be a limit to being fucking cautious..." I muttered to no one in particular, scratching my head in frustration as I went over the information I'd gathered on The Religion over what Abbot provided.
It was not much, to say the least. The bastards were so cautious it wasn't even funny. Not long had gone since my meeting with the werewolf, but I was getting impatient nonetheless.
I was not rash by nature, but the lack of results, the low prospect of getting what I needed quickly, the pressure from Waller's case, and my anger issues were getting the better of me.
Between managing public opinion, making sure Deadshot and the others don't get disappeared, watching out for The Religion, and constantly watching my back, I barely had any time to catch my breath, and the tiniest setbacks felt like insurmountable mountains.
I had so much to do in so little time that I couldn't help getting the urge to punch something or someone, which brought me to my upcoming meeting with Martian Manhunter.
Honestly, I was still hesitant between letting him inside my mind or living with the risk of doing something very dumb that could send me into a crash course with everything I've worked so hard to build toppling over my head.
I smiled, albeit bitterly, as one carefree kitten climbed into my lab and curled into a ball. "Well, at least one of us seems to be having a good time," I muttered, rolling my eyes as I patted Little Soot's back, causing him to purr.
'There's no use worrying or brooding over it, I suppose...' I mused to myself and decided to check up on the system to get my mind off things since I should have long since maxed my current class.
[+1 level to the Brawling skill]
[Brawling (50)]
[Due to reaching a milestone in your Brawling skill, you have unlocked the perk; Body Language Analysis]
[Body Language Analysis: the ability to intuitively read anothers' body language and expression, allowing the user to anticipate their actions and respond accordingly]
"Oh...?" I intoned as I read through the new perk's description, immediately recognizing it as Cassandra Cain's unique ability and the reason she was such an astounding martial artist.
It was an incredible perk that would bring my hand-to-hand combat to another level, but I honestly couldn't get excited about it. If things go how I want them to, I won't need to get into another brawl for the rest of my life.
Still, I knew that was an optimistic line of thought, so the addition of the perk was a welcome one since I knew better than to assume everything would go as planned by now.
[+5 levels to the Crime skill]
[Crime (49)]
[+2 levels to the Acrobatics skill]
[Acrobatics (32)]
[+5 levels to the Computers skill]
[Computers (50)]
[Due to reaching a milestone in your Computers skill, you have unlocked the perk; World Wide Access]
[World Wide Access: all of the user's Computer related perks and powers and considerably enhanced in terms of range (the ability to process such a scale of data is reliant on the user's Mind score)]
'Well... that's another great perk I have no use for right now...' I sighed again as I read through the new perk. It will no doubt come in handy when I'm done with Gotham and ready to branch out to the rest of the world, but my current range was more than enough as it is for now.
[+4 levels to the Mechanics skill]
[Mechanics (49)]
[+2 levels to the Art skill]
[Art (5)]
[+8 levels to the knowledge skill]
[Knowledg (9)]
[+5 levels to the Language skill]
[Language (6)]
[+1 level to the Linguist class]
[Linguist (level MAX)]
[+3 stat points]
[+16 accumulated class levels]
[You have reached the maximum capacity for your current rank. Would you like to choose a new one now?]
'Whatever...' I mused as I chose the Chemist without much thought since I had no more regular classes to select. I didn't have the time to invest into the available Archetype ones either, so the choice didn't matter.
'I'll check the rest later...' I mused as the exhaustion finally caught up to me, and I started feeling sleepy. Looking down at the cat lying on my lab, I could only smile as I leaned into the couch and closed my eyes.
...
"Carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, particle pollution, and sulfur oxides..." I muttered to myself as I stood on top of a high-rise building in the middle of Old Gotham after taking a deep breath.
It was incredible how one Archetype power changed my respective so much. I already knew how polluted Gotham's air is and had a rough idea about the chemicals responsible for said pollution.
However, with the first Archetype power, Chemical Analysis, I received from the Chemist class, I knew the exact portions of each gas and the countless ways it could melt a regular person's lung under prolonged exposure.
[Chemical Analysis: the innate ability to identify and analyze chemicals. It enables the user to detect acids and their level of acidity, chemicals or substances associated with poison or harmful effects like mercury, and also measure any foreign chemicals present up in the air]
It was honestly astonishing how people in Gotham are able to live beyond their fifties, but that's evolution for you. Enough gradual exposure to a specific hazard over more than one generation, and boom. The locals are suddenly more resistant.
It was by no means perfect, and there were cases of people getting respiratory system diseases, but not nearly as many as there should be, considering how the air seemed to hate humans with a vengeance in Gotham.
I imagine people here would develop complete immunity in a couple more generations the same way humans evolved into having expanded lungs after living in the mountains, but you get the idea.
Pollution; make bad. Evolution; make good. Unga Bunga.
Still, the Chemical Analysis power would definitely come in handy as it would help me in future projects. It would also allow me to identify poisons in all forms, which was a godsend.
I lost count of times where a villain used an undetectable chemical to beat supposedly undefeatable heroes like Flash or Superman in the comics.
It's always the fucking undetectable chemicals that get you, like that one odorless hallucinogen the Joker used to make Superman kill Lois Lane in Injustice or that tasteless, colorless poison that Cheshire uses.
Now, I'd be able to see that shit coming from a mile away.
'The other power isn't bad either...' I smiled as I brought up the system interface and read through the second Archetype power I received. Yes, I did get two powers because of the accumulated levels.
[Metabolism Manipulation: the innate ability to control the user's and others' metabolism (through prolonged physical contact), the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms]
If my understanding is correct, then this power would allow me to do all kinds of shit, like increasing my body heat, enhancing my healing factor, manipulating my enzymes, and much more.
It opened so many doors and had so many possibilities.
It was a superpower on its own. Unfortunately, it was reliant on my Chemistry skill, which is still level one currently, meaning I wouldn't be able to try any of that shit anytime soon.
In any case, the accumulated level increase had given me 54 stat points, and I already had 10, leaving me with 64. I invested 20 into each of my three stats, and this is what I ended up with;
Name: Grayson Whitlock
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Archetype: (The Mad Scientist level 5)
Class: [Thief (level MAX)] [Fighter (level MAX)] [Acrobat (Level MAX)] [Programmer (Level MAX) [Gunman (level MAX)] [Mechanic (level MAX)] [Duelist (level MAX)] [Artist (level MAX)] [Scholar (level MAX)] [Linguist (level MAX)] [Chemist (level 16)]
...
Stats:
Body: 180
Mind: 180
Spirit: 180
Stat Points: 10
...
Skills:
[Brawling (level 50)]
[Crime (level 49)]
[Acrobatics (level 32)]
[Computers (level 50)]
[Gun Mastery (level 27)]
[Mechanics (49)r]
[Medieval Weapons Mastery (14)]
[Art (5)]
[Knowledge (9)]
[Language (6)]
[Chemistry (1)]
...
Perks:
[Dormant Metahuman]
[Silent Step]
[Eidetic Kinesthesia]
[Superhuman Stamina]
[Perfect Recall]
[Accelerated Healing]
[Energy Detector]
[Energy Concentration]
[Augmented Reality Vision]
[Energy Conductor]
[Enhanced Durability]
[Empathy]
[Energy Manifestation]
[Metallurgic Intuition]
[Ricochet Intuition]
[Body Language Analysis]
[Worldwide Access]
...
Archetype powers:
[Network Crash]
[Code Manipulation]
[Personal Computer]
[Machinery Scan]]
[Machine Control]]
[Machine Morphing]
[Chemical Analysis]
[Metabolism Manipulation]
...
'Not bad...' I mused, nodding as I read through my status screen before dismissing the system's interface. I had my complaints about the damned thing, but seeing the numbers increase with your hard work wasn't a bad feeling.
I dare say I even grew to like it at some point before I realized it, but that's neither here nor there.
I wasn't nearly as powerful as I liked to be, but that would come in time. I'd get there someday. I'd impose my will on this world, make it my bitch and change it to my liking.
"Not before dealing with Waller and the religion though, but first..." I muttered to no one in particular, chuckling as I shook my head and dived towards the ground head first to swing away.
It was on my way, so I might as well check on Mark while heading back to the hideout, and it's straight back to work from there.
...
East End
I adjusted the hood covering my face as I looked at the apartment complex's entrance, smiling as I noticed Mark sitting on a bench in his post like usual, seemingly in good health and a better mood.
I was ready to leave when a little girl, roughly 8 or 9 years old girl walked out of the guard booth at the entrance and locked eyes with me before turning to Mark.
"Daddy, look! It's your friend from TV!" the little girl said, excitedly pointing at me, and I had the urge to curse as Mark immediately followed her finger and noticed me.
"Hey, Mark," I awkwardly greeted as I approached Mark, who quickly returned the greeting with a friendly smile as he picked up the little girl and put her on his lap.
"Hey, kid. It's been a while. How come you didn't drop by and say hi to your old pal recently?" Mark asked, giving me a suspicious look as he raised an eyebrow at me, and I immediately understood his words.
"It's not like that, man. You know the kind of mess I'm in right now..." I said, sighing as I shook my head. "You've got a family, and I didn't wanna bring you more trouble than you needed," I added, scratching my head.
"Relax, kid. I'm just pulling your leg. It's good to see you're still the same, though," Mark said with a light laugh, waving the matter away as he gestured with his right.
"This is Leah, by the way. My daughter," Mark remarked as he put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You wanna say hi, princess?" he asked as he pinched Leah's cheek.
"Hi, princess," Leah said with a cheeky grin as she slapped her father's hand with her right and waved at me with her left, causing Mark to chuckle and me to smile.
"I only wish, but I can't even pretend when the real deal is right in front of me," I said, smiling as I got on my knees. "How about a treat for her royal highness?" I added as I ceremoniously offered a piece of chocolate to Leah that I conjured from my inventory.
Leah turned to her father, looking for his approval, which he gave with a nod, prompting the little girl to gleefully take the chocolate as I got up and turned to Mark.
"Is it bring your kid to work day or something?" I asked as I tilted my head, gesturing towards the little girl enjoying her treat on Mark's lap with my chin.
"Well, starting last week, every day is bring your kid to work day," Mark replied with a shrug as he patted his daughter's head. "My wife, Jannet, finally got her GED and is now taking vocational school in cosmetology, now that we're doing a bit better financially," he added with a proud smile.
"So now I'm stuck catering to princess Leah's whims every day," he concluded, not sounding annoyed at all, what with the broad, genuine smile splitting his face as he looked at his daughter.
"That's good to hear, man..." I said, getting infected by Mark's smile as I gave him one of my own. "I hope it works out, but I have to go," I added, sighing as I scratched my head.
"You know how it is. The more I'm around, the more likely... you know..." I concluded, getting a nod from the security guard before I turned to walk away.
"You take care now, dude," I said, adjusting the hood to better cover my face before waving the security guard goodbye without looking, and he replied with a simple you too.
...
"Now that's more like it..." I muttered as I looked at the fireproof suit I'd just torched with Firefly's flame thrower, comparing how long it lasted to what the pyromaniac's fit.
Firefly's suit was still a bit better concerning heat resistance, but he designed it for that sole purpose. However, mine was bulletproof on top of being flameproof and lined with electric circuits, so I had to keep other considerations in mind.
It would still do its intended objective, which is to protect me from fire to a satisfactory level, and that's all I needed to consider the project a success, even if I'll continue working on it in the future.
It's been a couple of days since my meeting with Mark, and the suit wasn't the only thing I've been working on in my free time. Yes, you heard right, in my free time. I do this shit for fun now.
In any case, I've also worked on my Spider Drones, mostly their programming. As it turns out, a skill going over level fifty, which Computers did, was like overcoming a hurdle. It gave me a rush of new information.
I was now more than capable of programming the Spider Drones to do complex tasks such as using the forge and building Sentry Spiders and Guns on command.
It was still a work in progress, and it would take even more time to create a simple AI to manage my hideout and actual production lines, but it was a good step in the right direction.
I could play the role of the AI myself thanks to my Computers skill, Personal Computer power, and evolved brain. I intended to do that when necessary, but it wasn't easy and demanded my full attention.
In other words, it wasn't like I could be punching the shit out of someone and doing it at the same time as I usually do when I have to do something with my Personal Computer power. Thus an AI was necessary to maximize efficiency.
"Oh well..." I remarked as I inspected the pistol I'd dismantled and let my Spider Drone reassemble. It did it almost perfectly, with a little hiccup because its limbs malfunctioned for a second.
"Gotta work on that later..." I said as I kneeled next to the drone after disassembling it with my power. I picked up the malfunctioned limb and scanned it, immediately identifying the problem.
Sighing, I reassembled the drone and stood up to check the time. 'It's that time already...?' I scratched my head as I put down the machine and reluctantly walked to the exit.
It was finally time to meet Martian Manhunter and make the final decisions, which I'm ashamed to admit I still didn't make. No matter how long and hard I thought about it, I couldn't firm my resolve to agree or refuse.
And so I decided to do what every procrastinator would do; make it up as I go and do whatever felt natural when I got there and stood face to face in front of the martian telepath.
...
Unknown Location
"Have you figured out what Waller is planning, Riddler?" The Calculator asked as the robot with the tv showing his face turned to the villains dressed in a green suit, leaning on his staff.
"My sensors are picking up unusual heat signatures from their secret laboratory," he added, frowning before the image changed, showing the unusual scan results.
"Nope," The Riddler replied, grinning as he shook his head. "I've already told Clayface to stop whatever they're trying to do if he can't figure it out," he added with a careless shrug.
"There's no need to worry," he concluded.
"Is that so...?" The Calculator said, squinting as the scan report disappeared, replaced by his face. "I don't see Mothman anywhere, by the way. You wouldn't happen to know why that is?" The Calculator asked, his tone and expression turning several degrees more suspicious.
"Nightwing's been on his case lately... maybe he finally got him," The Riddler replied, clearly unconcerned with the anti-Batman villain's fate as if it meant nothing to him.
"Whatever the case may be, I'm sure Mothman would explain himself in due time," Poison Ivy interjected to end the subject. "Right now, we have more important things to worry about..." she added before urging everyone present to make their reports.
...
The Bowery
Batman had a blank expression as he stood over The Mothmen's unconscious body. He quickly bound the villain and started looking around his hideout, intently searching for something.
He's been following The Riddler's leads for several days now, and it had led him here, where he believed the final clue would be. Though the caped crusader was surprised to find Mothman here, he still made quick work of him, regardless.
Now, Batman only needed to find the last clue.
It didn't take the caped crusader long to find what he was looking for, a green calling card with a riddle, the last of many. "Old Gotham..." Batman muttered as he turned to leave after giving the GCPD an anonymous tip about Mothman.
...
Old Gotham
The secret laboratory
Enchantress opened the door to her room, raising an eyebrow at the security guard standing in the hallway. "What is it?" she asked, somewhat annoyed by the disturbance so late in the evening.
"I wouldn't be up at this time either if it's not business," the security guard said, having picked up on Enchantress's displeased demeanor, even if she tried to hide it.
"The eggheads are done with whatever they were doing..." the man said as he took a step back. "They want you in the lab as soon as possible," he concluded with a shrug.
"I see. Give me a second," Enchantress said as she exited the room, chanting her own name, causing her casual clothes to disappear, replaced by her green-golden costume.
"I gotta learn to do that," the guard said with a chuckle as he took a moment to look at Enchantress' outfit. "This way," he added, turning around as he started walking, and she followed suit.
"The eggheads still didn't tell you what they're cooking in there?" The guard asked, making conversation as they walked to the lab, causing the heroine to sigh.
She was used to the man's questions after spending several days in the laboratory as he would randomly ask all kinds of questions to pass the time and didn't even feel suspicious, unlike the first time he asked about the matter.
"We've already established that I'm as clueless as you are," Enchantress replied, rolling her eyes at the security guard. Though chatty and big-mouthed, the man was witty and entertaining, so she never found him annoying.
"Damned geezers are as secretive as ever I see. They'd gladly share all the boring stuff but never the exciting stuff," the guard said, scoffing as he shook his head before stopping.
"We're here," the guard said as he stopped before the laboratory's door and walked to the window to push the call button. The same elderly scientist came to the window, then headed to the door after seeing the guard and Enchantress.
"What took you so long?" the elderly scientist said, clearly annoyed as he opened the door and glared at Enchantress. "You know what, it doesn't matter, hurry up inside. We have work to do," he added as he stepped inside and stood at the door.
Enchantress sighed in exasperation, but she did not feel like wasting her time arguing with the elderly scientist. The sooner she finished her job, the sooner she'd get to leave, after all.
The guard looked as Enchantress entered the laboratory and quickly put his foot at the door to stop the elderly scientist from closing it, much to the latter's confusion.
"You're not allowed inside," the elderly scientist said as he glared at the security guard, trying to stare him down after getting over his confusion that turned into impatience and anger.
"I have to insist, I'm afraid. Director's orders," the security expertly lied through his teeth, clarifying his intention to go inside as he met the elderly scientist's glare without backing down.
"Fine, but touch anything, and you'll be fired before you even say sorry," the elderly scientist said, his frown becoming more intense. Had he checked, he'd know the guard was lying, but he was too impatient to start the experiment.
The guard, of course, knew that and was banking on it. "Sure thing, boss," he said, shrugging as he entered the laboratory as the elderly scientist closed the door behind him.
...
"It's about time..." The Riddler muttered as he entered a dark alley, having left the meeting with Ivy and the other villains. He leaned on the wall, retrieved a syringe, and jammed it into his neck.
He froze, leaning on the wall as his veins bulged and his eyes glowed green for a second before the simmer dimmed, prompting him to sigh in relief.
Having flushed Poison Ivy's pheromones from his system, The Riddler grinned as he stood straight and raised his wristwatch to look at the time, causing his smile to grow more pronounced.
The Riddler wanted Waller to go down as much as any of the other villains in their little group. However, much like the others, he had his own ulterior motives for being a part of the flimsy alliance under Poison Ivy's leadership.
Ivy wanted to enthrall everyone and put them under her command, and Mothman was the only one dumb enough to fall for it, as the others had taken precautions against the botanist's pheromones.
Not like Ivy would have any use for the anti-batman villains since the caped crusader had already neutralized him, but that was neither here nor there.
The Calculator wanted to gather information on the other members of the group and Grayson himself, while Mothman only wished to get Batman's attention, which The Riddler helped him achieve.
Perhaps Anarky was the only one who genuinely wanted to get rid of Waller with no other ulterior motive, as the self-proclaimed freedom fighter viewed her as a legitimate threat to his cause.
The Riddler, however, only joined out of boredom, and he immediately gave in to his whims once he found a chance to play with the caped crusader.
It was all going according to plan, and now The Riddler only had to sit back, enjoy the show, and make a grand appearance at the end to mock Batman and reveal how he played the latter like a fiddle.
Would it endanger many people's lives? Yes. Would it give Waller a chance to succeed? Yes. Would The Riddler gain anything by it? No. Did he care? Absolutely not.
It was all about the games, after all. The bigger the stage, the more fun the games would be. Needless to say, this was the perfect stage, and The Riddler would not miss it for the world.
...
Always the perfectionist, Clay's face leaned on the wall while waiting for the scientists and Enchantress to start whatever they were doing, still intent on discovering what it was exactly.
His primary objective was to stop whatever the scientists were doing, but doing that without figuring out their plan didn't sit right with him. It felt like half-assing things, so he waited, watching like a hawk as the scientists began their preparations.
They didn't keep him waiting for long.
"Everyone get in positions," the elderly scientist said, waiting for everyone to follow his instructions before pressing a button that revealed the pulsating red stone inside a showcase in the middle of the laboratory.
Other than shining brighter, almost blindingly so, it did not look different. However, Clay's face couldn't help getting a strange feeling as he looked at the red stone. It almost looked alive.
"Isn't it beautiful?" the elderly scientist remarked as he walked to the red stone with Enchantress following behind him. "After all this time, it still had signs of life..." he added with an obsessive smile as he looked at the red stone as if entranced.
"What vigor... what vitality..." the elderly scientist muttered, getting carried away for a second, but he quickly shook it off after taking a deep breath.
"By injecting the stone with different stimulants, we were able to bring it back to life... but it's not yet living..." the scientist said as he turned the brunette heroine, causing her to frown.
"Though alive, figuratively speaking, the stone didn't develop sentience," he added as he touched the glass containing the stone with his right.
"We could not uncover the secrets of its vitality as it had no conscience to steer itself, no will to survive, no self-preservation instinct," he went as he turned to Enchantress, giving her a hard-to-read expression.
"Waller had provided me a sample of your magic energy..." the elderly scientist said, his expression and tone souring as the word 'magic' came out of his mouth like he was tasting dog shit.
"After a thorough study, I've come to conclude that your energy is what we need to get the stone to live truly," he blankly concluded, going quiet as he allowed the heroine time to process his words.
"And what am I bringing to life, exactly?" Enchantress asked, frowning as she alternated her gaze between the red stone and the elderly scientist who looked like he was waiting for her to ask the question.
"You are looking at the remains of The Brimstone," the elderly scientist grandly said, his smile growing maniacal. "The fiery titan that brought earth's mightiest heroes to their knees..." he added, gesturing towards the stone, to which the heroine's frown immediately intensified.
"No need to worry... we will only give the stone enough energy to form a conscience, not enough for it to recover its strength," the elderly scientist said as if to assure Enchantress, having picked up on her concern.
"You only need to channel your energy through this device. It will measure your energy and cut the flow at the right time," the scientist added while pointing at a handle sticking out of the console attached to the glass showcase.
"Should the experiment take an unexpected turn, we have the rifle, which the mercenary, Deadshot, used to kill the original Brimstone," he concluded as if everything was under control.
Enchantress hesitated as she paused to think and weigh her options, but ultimately, the choice was clear. She had a deal with Waller, and the elderly scientist's words were assuring enough.
"I'll do it," Enchantress said, firming her resolve as she walked to the glass showcase, ready to channel her magical energy through, but a hand on her shoulder interrupted her.
"Not so fast," Clayface, still disguised as a security guard, said as he stopped Enchantress, getting a displeased, impatient look from the elderly scientist, which he didn't bother him.
"We need the director's permission before we begin," he added, buying time as he prepared to revert to his mud form and take out Enchantress first since she was the only real threat.
However, alarms echoed in the laboratory, declaring the arrival of an intruder as soon as the words left Clayface's mouth. Still, it didn't faze Clayface as he changed into mud.
He quickly wrapped around Enchantress, locking her limbs and flooding her mouth with mud to kill her as he reached for the glass showcase to snatch the red stone.
The laboratory's door burst open before Clayface could reach it, revealing Batman's figure as he scanned the room to assess the situation. The caped crusader quickly came to a conclusion and immediately attacked Clayface.
Batman sprinted into the center of the room, his batarangs flying ahead and hitting Clayface to distract the latter. He stopped before the surprised muddy villain and hit him with a taser gun.
Hit with his only weakness, Clayface's body liquified, forcing him to let go of Enchantress, who suffered her fair share of the electric assault, falling to the ground and going limb.
Batman kept the taser's wire attached to Clayface as he inspected the red stone the villain was reaching for, ignoring the stunned scientists, who were simply unable to make sense of the situation.
"What is this thing? Who are you people, and what are you doing here?" Batman asked as he turned to the elderly scientist, having figured he was in charge.
The elderly scientist was ready to answer. However, he had to swallow his words as Enchantress' body began glowing, and she let out a loud shriek that almost deafened everyone around.
Batman's expression quickly changed. He took out an ancient-looking stone from his utility belt, pointing it towards Enchantress, but it was too late as she exploded in a radiant shockwave of magical energy.
"It's coming to life...!" was the last thing Batman heard as his vision turned white, and the magical shockwave pushed him out of the room, robbing him of his consciousness.
...
Gotham
The Diamond District
"So, what will it be, young man?" Martian Manhunter asked as he stared me in the eye. He did not seem to be in a rush, content to wait for me to reply, despite giving me ample time already.
"I thought about it..." I said, sighing as I scratched my head. "I couldn't decide, but now that I'm here..." I added, taking a deep breath as I met the martian telepath's gaze.
"I..." I intoned and didn't get to complete my sentence as a loud explosion resounded in the distance, accompanied by a wave of heat that brought Martian Manhunter to his knees.
...
"What the fuck happened?" I asked as I kneeled next to the profusely sweating J'onn, turning to the massive pillar of flames at the center of Gotham.
"Something terrible..." J'onn shakingly said as he tried and failed to stand up. "We must contact the League..." he added, his face turning pale as he reverted to his original martian form.
"So many people... suffering..." he went on, clutching his head in pain before promptly passing out, to which I could only click my tongue in annoyance.
I quickly picked him up and slung him on my shoulder, immediately freezing as gunshots and police sirens echoed from every direction, causing my expression to darken.
"That didn't take long..." I said, sighing as I started moving towards my hideout to drop the martian telepath while trying to figure out what the fuck was happening with my Personal Computer power.
...
Old Gotham
It was a tragic scene in the center of the city. The once bustling area was now in ruins. Only ashes remained, a flaming giant standing midst what once was, surrounded by falling embers, ruined structures, and the charred corpses of its hapless victims.
"Father!" the flaming giant raised its head and bellowed to the sky. "You have not forsaken me, after all, father!" it went on, glee audible in its tone as it looked down, appreciating its handiwork.
"Behold the angel of vengeance, reborn anew with the power of the mighty one... behold ye mighty, behold ye graven images... look into my eyes and despair...!" the fiery titan bellowed once more, grandly spreading its giant arms.
"Darkseid is...!" it exclaimed, sending out a colossal wave of flames that wiped everything in its path, leaving a wasteland behind that had no sign of life.
...
Gray's hideout
"Fuck..." I cursed, rubbing my forehead as the camera feed cut off, and I lost visual on the giant cluster of humanoid flames as he'd torched every fucking camera in a mile's radius.
I quickly hacked into the closest satellite orbiting above Gotham, and my expression worsened as I realized the flaming monster was heading eastward, clearly intent on repeating his performance.
I turned to J'onn and had the urge to bang my head against the wall at his still unconscious, sweating, pale figure. "Fucking comic book logic...!" I grunted as I put on my equipment and headed for the exit.
...
The citizens of East End could do naught, but huddle in their homes, trembling as the flaming giant continued to make his way toward them, unmindful of the military jets raining ballistic missiles on its body.
It would occasionally stop to swat away the occasional jet or attack helicopter, as if to prove it could, before marching on as if nothing had happened.
Even batman's sidekicks could do nothing to halt the giant's steps as Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin tried everything in their power to stop it and failed, barely clinging to their lives with severe injuries.
Their fear grew as the giant stopped, having reached the edge of East End. "The day of reckoning has come, mortals..." the giant roared, raising a clenched face.
"The graven images, the false gods you call heroes and worship so dearly, can not save you now...!" It exclaimed, its body glowing as it prepared to unleash another wave of flames, much to the people's despair.
"Perish...!" it remarked, unleashing its devastating attack in all directions, clearly intent on wiping all signs of life around it. However, the flames did not go far as a giant transparent dome of green light materialized, encasing and stopping the fire.
A man in a green costume appeared in the dome after the raging flames dissipated, gently floating in the air as he calmly stared down at the giant, radiating a bright green aura.
"This is as far as you go, monster," the man said, and his mere presence was enough to calm the people watching in fear. It imbued them with a will, the will to live, and the will to see another day.
"And so you appear, false god..." the titan calmly said as it stared into the floating man's eyes. "You shall serve as the first sacrifice...!" it calmly remarked as it raised a hand in the man's direction.
"Watch me, father, as I slay the first of many pretenders in your glorious name...!" the giant remarked, a ball of flames materializing in its humongous hand.
"Hail Darkseid...!" the giant bellowed, clenching its fist, and the ball of flames immediately turned into a scorching beam that flew towards the floating man at an incredible speed.
The man frowned at the mention of the intergalactic warlord but reacted quickly, reaching forward with his right hand that had a glowing green on it to create an energy shield.
He struggled to maintain the shield as the protective dome was already straining enough but endured and warded the attack before creating a giant fist construct he used to strike the flaming titan.
"You dare...?!" the giant indignantly howled as it staggered two steps back due to the force of the attack before returning the favor with a punch of its gigantic hand.
The man, Green Lantern, moved away to dodge before flying head-first into the giant's stomach, causing the latter to fall. He created two missile launcher constructs and started raining explosive projectiles on the fallen titan.
The flaming giant, Brimstone, raised its hand to shield its face before quickly getting up, opening its mouth, and unleashing a pillar of concentrated flames from its throat, flying through the smoke towards Green Lantern.
Hal Jordan was surprised by how quickly Brimstone recovered and didn't see the attack because of the smoke. The attack connected, sending him flying and crashing into the top of the protective dome.
He grunted in pain, his green light flickering for a second, and the dome seemed on the verge of dissipating. However, Green Lantern quickly firmed his will, gathered his bearings, and reinforced it, much to the awe of the people watching.
The fight continued, and though Green Lantern's will was unbending, akin to steel, he could not keep up with Brimstone as he had to worry about the safety of the people.
Brimstone caught his foe off guard after deliberately targeting the protective dome to drain his energy. He delivered a devastating punch to Green Lantern. The force of the attack was enough to drain the last of his ring's charges and send him crashing to the ground.
The dome dissipated as Green Lantern fell towards the ground, the brilliant shimmer of emerald surrounding his body fading as the people began to lose hope.
However, two figures emerged. One of them performed a mighty leap into the air and caught Green Lantern before he hit the ground, while the other jumped at Brimstone, delivering a punch with so much force that people on the other side of the city heard it.
"It's you... Grayson, was it...?" Green Lantern said as he raised his head to look at his savior after they landed, and the latter put him on the ground in a hurry.
"Introductions will have to wait," Grayson said, ignoring Green Lantern as he looked at the flaming giant, who'd fallen on the ground after the surprise attack.
The second figure, who'd attacked Brimstone, landed not far away and approached Grayson. "That thing sure is tough," she said, raising her scorched hand that was healing at a visible rate.
"Can you handle it?" Grayson asked, frowning as he alternated his gaze between her hand and Brimstone, who was scanning the area to find the assailant who dared to sucker punch him.
"Handle it? No. I'm going to crush that motherfucker," she said, grinning as she turned to Brimstone. "And if you don't make good on your promise, I'll crush you next," she added with a laugh as she leaped at Brimstone without bothering to wait for a reply.
"Well, she looks like she has it in the bag..." Green Lantern said, bitterly smiling as he sighed after watching Crush leap towards Brimstone, knocking him to the ground again.
"No, she doesn't," Grayson said, his expression blank as he turned to Green Lantern. "Charge up, or whatever it is you need to do," he added as he walked past him, two guns materializing in his hand.
"We'll buy you some time," he concluded as he raised one of his guns, its barrel radiating a dazzling golden light for a second before unleashing a giant projectile towards Brimstone.
The attack hit, pushing the giant away as it attempted to swat down Crush in midair.
"It won't be much, so I'd hurry up if I were you," Grayson concluded, his expression grim as he watched the giant stabilize itself and resume attacking.
...
"Damn..." I muttered as I watched Brimstone Swat Crush down to the ground, giving her severe burns all over her body. Gritting my teeth, I channeled energy into Ebony and released a fully charged projectile.
The energy bullet hit Brimstone in the face, forcing him back before he could stomp on Crush and giving her enough time to get back to her feet and flee.
Crush was very strong, there was no doubt about it, and her healing factor was at least two times stronger than mine. However, she was nowhere near how strong Lobo was.
Her attacks, unfortunately, did little to no damage to Brimstone, and she suffered severe injuries every time her attacks connected as the giant's body was a cluster of concentrated flames.
Crush's healing factor, though rather potent, was barely keeping up with the accumulated damage, and worst of all, we might have won by now if Green Lantern wasn't dumb enough to create that gigantic protective dome.
Anyone with a brain cell would realize Brimstone wasn't interested in killing the regular people and was only doing it to lure heroes, the so-called graven images, and false idols.
He targeted the protective dome because the flaming giant was smart enough to take advantage of it and deplete Green Lantern's energy, but he didn't even try to attack civilians once it was down.
Crush and myself were already there once the fight started. However, we couldn't intervene because the dome kept us out, and here we were, buying time for Green Lantern to charge up so we could fight Brimstone together.
Looking at Crush staggering as her healing factor began lagging behind, I grit my teeth as I looked around. I took a deep breath as I headed toward a black Mercedes.
"Whoever owns this car better have insurance," I muttered as I gripped its frame from the side and picked it up. It immediately broke into two pieces because of fucking physics, which only seemed to apply to me.
"Hey fuck face!" I exclaimed to get Brimstone's attention as I hurled the front of the car at his face, and he turned towards me just in time to get hit right in where his nose would have been.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" I added as I watched Brimstone's head jerk back before throwing the rear of the car. Accessing my inventory, I retrieved every single Spider Sentry and Sentry Gun inside.
I began shooting with Ebony and Ivory to keep Brimstone distracted as I activated my Machine Morphing and Machine Assembly powers on the machines.
The Sentry Guns and Spider Sentries began changing as they approached one another, slowly merging and forming a gigantic humanoid shape by the time Brimstone had enough of me taunting and seemed ready to strike me down.
"Huh... so it really does work..." I muttered, raising an eyebrow as I watched the humanoid machine standing at an impressive 20 feet, fully equipped with enough weapons to wipe out a small city.
Brimstone's colossal 70 feet figure still dwarfed it, but it was still a sight to see nonetheless, taking even Brimstone by surprise before charging the flaming giant and tackling his ankle.
Still, I did not get to appreciate my handiwork for long as parts of it were melting already due to mere contact with Brimstone. I moved the cooling devices to the melting areas and ordered the machine to back away.
Now that I think about it, I hadn't named the thing yet, and I quickly decided on the first name that came to mind; Sentry Titan.
In any case, I had the Titan retreat as I released the only three Drones I had and merged them into its body, giving it the tools to fix the damage, which it did.
However, Brimstone was already up and ready to continue fighting before Titan fixed itself, so I took things into my own hands. Quickly changing into my heat-resistant suit, I lunged at the flaming giant.
I channeled every ounce of energy I could muster into my right, forming a fist that I buried in the giant's face, and I seemed to take more damage than him by the looks of things as my arm turned black while he only took several steps back.
Luckily, Crush had already healed, and Titan had finished its self-maintenance, so they quickly tagged in while I retreated to allow my arm time to heal.
"How much longer?" I asked, my scorched arm dangling to my side as I used my other, intact one to shoot Brimstone and turned to Green lantern with a frown.
"Almost there," Green Lantern replied, holding his lantern close as he began chanting his oath to replenish his ring's charge, so I could do nothing but grit my teeth through the pain as I kept firing.
...
Gotham
The Batcave
"What... happened...?" Batman groggily asked as he slowly regained consciousness after raising his upper body to scan the area and noticing his current whereabouts.
He wasn't alone and not the only one lying on a sick bed, either. Nightwing, Batgirl, and even Robin were there beside him, with Alfred stitching up their wounds with a grimace.
"I was hoping you could tell me, master Bruce," Alfred said, sighing as he closed the last wound in Robin's chest and took off his clothes. "There was an explosion in the middle of Gotham..." the butler added as he walked to the Batcomputer.
"This... thing appeared in its wake, and we found you not far away from the crater, unconscious," he went on as he brought up footage of Brimstone wrecking Gotham.
"Brimstone..." Batman muttered, frowning as he turned to look at his proteges, connecting the dots and making sense of the situation, realizing what had happened.
"Deadshot... I need to go to Blackgate," Batman said as he shakily sat up after recalling the information about Brimstone and how he was defeated in the first place.
"Is The League here?" Batman asked as he began dressing up, much to Alfred's exasperation as he knew there was no point in trying to stop the caped crusader now, so he didn't bother.
"Only Green Lantern. The others are busy dealing with other threats, it seems," Alfred replied as he approached Batman and reluctantly helped him get dressed.
"However, Mr. Whitlock and a friend of his are helping Green Lantern and keeping the monster busy," he added as he finished helping Batman and returned to the Batcomputer.
"They have done well so far. However, I don't imagine the trio would last for too long," the butler concluded as he brought up live footage of the battle taking place at East End's edge.
"Then I need to hurry," Batman said, taking a deep breath as he took one final look at his unconscious proteges before heading to the Bat-jet, clearly in a rush.
"For once, I agree, master Bruce..." Alfred said, sighing as he looked at the three injured sidekicks, a concerned expression surfacing on his wizened visage.
...
Unknown location underground
As she slowly regained consciousness, Enchantress couldn't help but groan, feeling pain all over her body. She tried to move her arms, only to freeze upon realizing they were bound.
She opened her eyes and immediately panicked at the sight of countless green vines covering her mouth and binding her limbs, pinning her inside what seemed to be a spherical green room made entirely of plants.
The wall in front of her began wiggling as it parted, and a red-haired, green-skinned woman walked through it, stopping before Enchantress, and the heroine immediately recognized her as Poison Ivy.
The botanist was sweating, clearly in pain, as Brimstone's mere presence and the searing heat emanating from his body brought tremendous harm to every plant in the city. And by extension, Poison Ivy herself.
"What have you done? Is that thing destroying my babies out there your doing...?" Poison Ivy asked, her agony audible in her tone as she looked barely able to hold back the urge to tear Enchantress to shreds.
"What... what are you talking about...?" Enchantress asked as the vine covering her mouth moved away, and Poison Ivy immediately scowled at her reply.
The botanist injected her mind-control pheromones directly into the heroine's bloodstream and repeated her question, only to receive the same answer, causing her to frown.
Poison Ivy then explained the situation in Gotham to the heroine, and the look of realization, panic, guilt, and finally self-loathing on Enchantress's face was all the botanist needed to connect the dots.
"It was an accident. I never meant for any of this to happen..." The heroine said after hearing Ivy's explanation. "But it was because of me... I lost control..." she said, then went on to explain her side of the story, which Ivy intently listened to.
...
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