Chapter II – Breaking Point
The 'Western World' had long considered the Oracle at Delphi a legend, but like all myths and legends, the origin of the story was based in fact. Before the Gods of Olympus created Themyscira and bestowed immortality on the Amazons, that race was responsible for perpetuating the Oracle for millennia. Much like the papacy, when the seer known to the rest of the world as 'the Oracle' died, a new seer from the Amazons was elected in her place.
The unbroken chain of Amazonian seers was interrupted only once during the Ancient Days. Enslaved by the Army of Herakles for fifteen years, the Amazons freed themselves in a bloody uprising. Foregoing their right to execute their captors, the Olympian Gods rewarded the Amazons resiliency by granting immortality to the entire tribe. As a second gift, the Olympian Gods created the tranquil island paradise known as Themyscira, cloaking it behind a magical barrier to forever shield the island from the intrusions of Man's World. The exaction for these gifts was steep as the Gates to Tartarus – the Olympian version of hell -- lay deep under Themyscira., To the weary Amazons, it was a price well worth paying. In keeping with the ancient tradition, the Oracle was also moved to Themyscira, forever denying Man's World access to the prophecies of the Gods.
For more than two thousand years, the Amazon Queen known as Hippolyta ruled over the Amazon tribe. Lonely in her vigil over the Gates of Tartarus, she begged Athena for a daughter. Athena instructed her to sculpt a daughter from clay. When Hippolyta finished the statue of the little girl, Athena bestowed it with the gift of life as well as some of the powers of the Gods, including flight and strength.
Raised on Themyscira, Diana was shielded from the depredations of Man's World. As she grew up, her life was one of unbroken peace and tranquility. Fueled by the stories her Amazon sisters related at feasts honoring their Gods, Diana became intrigued by the mystery of what lay beyond the magical barrier. As she grew into full womanhood, Diana secretly consulted the Oracle, begging the woman to show her the sights and wonders of Man's World.
What she learned both shocked and intrigued her. For centuries, she watched with anguish as Man's World engaged in one bloody war after another. While Diana was intrigued, the images she witnessed for the most part validated her mother's jaded view of Mankind. Still, the horrors she witnessed didn't extinguish her curiosity, especially when a new breed of heroes emerged to bring justice to the chaotic corners of their world.
Diana was especially intrigued when a new image appeared on the Oracle's scrying glass. Clad in blue with a red cape majestically streaking behind him, the man was capable of flight, strength and speed that seemed to surpass her abilities. Stunned by his appearance, she thrilled at his accomplishments, taking daily risks to consult with the Oracle on his adventures. She was surprised at her open defiance of her mother's instructions to leave Man's World alone, but she could not ignore the strong pull she felt towards it.
"Who is he?" she asked the Oracle breathlessly. "A gift from the Gods, perhaps?"
"The Gods themselves are unsettled by his presence," the Oracle replied uncertainly. "His appearance does not bode well for the future of Man's World."
"Why?" Diana replied, confused. "What harm could a man like that bring to Patriarch's World? Judging by his actions, his mission seems to be one of justice…of peace."
"He is no man to be sure," the Oracle replied ominously. "He comes from a world far from our own. If he traveled here, whatever his mission, others with evil in their hearts will also follow. Such is the balance of Man's World."
"Must I not help him in his mission then?" Diana inquired, her heart skipping a beat in anticipation.
The Oracle nodded sagely at her inquiry. "Your time here on Themyscira is coming to its end," the Oracle whispered. "Man's World will soon need the wisdom of the Amazon champion to guide their way."
"When should I prepare myself?" Diana asked, shocked and excited by the woman's prophecy.
"Your time will come soon enough," the Oracle replied without elaborating. "Soon enough."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTBruce Wayne wriggled impatiently in his bed on the second floor of Wayne Manor. The knife-wound he'd suffered at the hands of Penguin's latest thugs had proved more difficult to recover from than he'd initially bargained. As usual, he'd rushed back to patrol before his body had completely healed. His first attempt to use a jumpline had re-opened the sutures Dr. Thompkins had so carefully sewn only two days before. He'd probably lost another litre of blood before Alfred had rebandaged the wound.
Confined to strict bed rest by Leslie and Alfred until his body healed, Bruce was relegated to perusing his laptop. The inactivity made him uneasy. Bored with compiling notes regarding some strange occurrences at facilities involving the Deep Space Monitoring Network, he was pleasantly surprised when Lois dropped by to pay him a visit.
His memory of the details surrounding his arrival --and departure-- from her condominium were somewhat hazy. By his own recollection, his instinct for self-preservation had prevailed over his promise not to involve Batman in their lives. After the wound was inflicted, he'd somehow made it to her place, but the events that followed were a total blackout. As he'd regained consciousness in the cave's Medical Bay, he'd inquired about Lois. Alfred pointedly ignored him. He'd regained his strength a day later then called her twice, but she hadn't returned his calls.
Apparently whatever he'd done had roused her full fury.
Now that she was standing in his bedroom, he didn't know what to say. She stared at him sternly, pursing her lips in a way that told him he was going to get a scolding, or maybe worse.
'Ah, love.' He thought with resignation, a smirk settling onto his face.
"What are you smiling about?" she demanded indignantly.
"You," he replied. "You always make that face when you're angry. What did I do this time?"
"Bleeding out on my living room carpet isn't viewed as something I should get angry about in your twisted view of the world?" she snapped back.
"I didn't bleed out," he protested, then rolled to his side to show her the stitches. "In fact I'm practically good as…ohhh."
"New, huh?" Lois snorted, but her eyes softened with sympathy. "Still hurt?"
"It's…uncomfortable." He finally allowed, blinking back the tears of pain so that he wouldn't display any weakness.
She noticed his discomfort. "What are you working on?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Few odds and ends," he started. "Nothing important. There's been a series of random failures of the deep space monitoring network that I'm looking into."
"Batman's looking into, or YOU are?" she mocked.
"As one of the government's largest defense contractors, NORAD uses WayneTech's communications relay equipment as a back-up to its own. I only learned about the network failures because our equipment in Metropolis went off-line the last two times NORAD tried to use it. Problem is," he noted, pointing to his wound, "I'm kind of stuck in bed for the foreseeable future, so there's nothing I could do about it even if I wanted to."
"If it's so important, why don't you have Superman take a look at it?"
His eyes narrowed at the mention of the name. He looked away, measuring his response, then returned to meet her gaze. "First of all, the failures are probably an anomaly. Second, he and I don't exactly have a working relationship. Last I checked, he was kind of peeved at me when you came to Gotham. Finally, I didn't want you to worry, but there hasn't been a report about him in over three weeks. It's almost as if he's disappeared."
"It's not as if we ever dated or anything," Lois countered. "I think saving me was a hobby he took up to keep from getting bored. Stopping bank heists probably gets a little tedious for a superhero."
"I wouldn't know," Bruce replied sharply. "Bullets whizzing overhead ALWAYS manages to draw my complete attention."
"You know what I mean," Lois retorted. "As for his disappearance, he's been known to do that from time to time. But if you're worried, I'll call Clark to see what he knows."
"Don't bother," Bruce retorted quickly. "I have a feeling he won't be much help right now."
Bruce saw a puzzled expression briefly cross Lois's face at his statement about Clark, then watched as she took a deep breath, steadying herself. He braced himself as her expression portended that she'd rehearsed it numerous times.
"Bruce, we have to talk," she started, however the bedroom doors suddenly banged open, interrupting her speech.
Alfred walked in quickly. Pointedly ignoring Lois, he opened the cabinet that housed the television. He switched it on before either one of them could protest. "Sorry to interrupt. Master Bruce, I thought you may want to take a look at this."
Lois and Bruce exchanged puzzled glances then turned their attention to the screen. The monitor displayed an on-going battle between a brigade of army paratroopers trying to defend against an airborne attack of Parademons led by…Superman. He was dressed in a new uniform --all black with red-piping-- but there was no doubt he was leading the attack as he confirmed it by blowing up a Bradley Infantry carrier with his heat vision a moment later. A reporter's terrified voice informed the audience less than twenty minutes prior, that a boom-tube had opened on the outskirts of Metropolis. Led by the former favorite son of Metropolis, the legion of Parademons had systematically started working their way towards the city, cutting a swath through the Army's positions.
As their defense lines shrank, the Army started to hold their positions when squads from the Metropolis Special Tactics started reinforcing their ranks. Using the same strategy and weaponry they'd employed against the Parademons a year before during Darkseid's first invasion of Earth (successfully repelled by Superman with the help of the New Gods), the SWAT teams originally organized by Dan Turpin started plucking the airborne Parademons from the sky. Frustrated by the sudden lack of progress, Superman quickly began punching holes in the armored formations. Without tank and artillery support, the infantry was quickly overwhelmed and fell back to secondary positions.
Bruce and Lois watched the footage for another minute, but there was nothing else to be gleaned from the images. Alfred clicked off the coverage. Bruce set his jaw in determination, which Alfred immediately interpreted. .
"If you don't mind Master Bruce, I'll head down to the Cave and pre-flight the Batwing."
"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce replied absently, swinging his feet out of bed. Lois intercepted him before he could make his way to the closet.
"Where do you think you're going?" she blurted.
"Where do you think?" he replied in the low growl of the Bat. "Somebody's got to stop him."
"And that has to be you because…"
"Because I'm the only one who knows how to stop him," he replied. "I kept a piece of the kryptonite Joker brought to Metropolis. Looks like I just might need it."
Lois eyes narrowed sharply. "What about Supergirl? Or the Army? They stand a better chance against him than you do."
"None of us…Supergirl included…can match him toe to toe. The trick is to know when to take advantage of the right opportunity."
"You don't even know why he's doing this!" Lois yelled.
His eyes narrowed and his expression became more distant, fully that of the Bat. "Does it matter?" he rasped, then stepped around her, heading for the closet.
"Bruce…don't go. I don't want to lose both of you," she whispered.
"You won't," he replied coldly. "I don't kill, remember?"
"You saw the footage!" she protested, remembering the carnage Superman was inflicting on the hapless troops before him. "He does…now!"
"I'll try to remember that," he replied dismissively, then pulled back a secret compartment in his closet that housed his extra uniforms. "Are you really worried about me, or him?"
"That was a long time ago," Lois replied defensively. "Feels like another lifetime."
"Does it?" he asked, a trace of jealousy evident in his pained expression. Turning the cowl over in his hands, he considered her for a moment. Subconsciously, Batman had always remained aloof from Lois. It was easy since she didn't want Batman involved in her life. Subconsciously, a primal part of him always wondered if her true self didn't belong to someone else. He wondered whether the fact that he had no metaphysical prowess of his own had anything to do with his response, then dismissed the thought. He had no time for introspection in normal circumstances and a Superman/Darkseid invasion of Earth certainly wasn't an everyday occurrence.
"I may not be here when you get back," Lois stated calmly, but there was a hint of trepidation in her eyes.
"I understand," Bruce replied before he slipped the uniform over his chest. "But for now we've got to deal with the present. If I can't stop him, maybe you should try to talk to him. After all, he has…had feelings for you once. Maybe he'll still listen to you."
Lois didn't reply. Hurriedly, he slipped on his cowl so that she could no longer read his expression.
Impatient with her silence, he made his way from the room. Lois' gaze burned a hole in him though. Surprising her, he turned and asked, "Can I give you a lift to Metropolis? It appears I'm heading that way."
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Diana's heart sank with dismay as the Oracle displayed the current images from Man's World. The man who in the days and months before had so thrilled her had turned against the helpless population. She steeled her resolve to confront him in battle however the Oracle cautioned her haste to leave Themyscira so quickly.
"Patience, Diana. The time has not yet come for you to leave us," the Oracle noted. "Man's World is not yet in the peril you believe."
Diana left the Oracle unconvinced; however the Oracle had never once failed her. She barely slept that night, wondering if Man's World was being overrun as she stood idly by.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTThe Parademons had almost breached the outer defenses of Metropolis before the tide of the battle swung against them. Superman had led by example, smashing the pieces of field artillery and tanks into smoking ruins to open up holes in the perimeter defenses. The Parademons had no choice but to follow, however when a green plasma cannon suddenly plucked him from the sky like the hand of God, the Parademons lost the initiative. As many of them had felt Superman's wrath firsthand, it was no surprise they left him behind during their retreat to safety.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTGeneral Hardcastle stood beside the plasma-fueled artillery piece that had launched the kryptonite attack against Superman. Smugly triumphant that the team of scientists had managed to channel the kryptonite radiation into the plasma matrix, he stepped back into the shadows. He approached a silhouetted figure lurking in the shadows, joining him in the darkness. The two of them looked on as his soldiers hauled the unconscious bodies of Superman and Supergirl (unwittingly she'd been injured in the blast while trying to protect the soldiers from her cousin's onslaught) into a hovercraft illuminated internally by a harsh, red light.
"Are you sure this is all it takes?" General Hardcastle whispered to the shadowy figure.
"To be honest, I'd prefer you kill them right now. Barring that rather attractive option, keep them bathed under that red sunlamp. They won't give you any more trouble." Lex Luthor advised. "My scientists tell me within an hour their powers should be dormant though judging by the look of her, it may not matter. Just don't allow him access to any yellow light or his powers will manifest again within seconds."
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Perched above them in a recessed alcove, Batman blinked in surprise. Luthor's actions had relieved him of the responsibility of using the kryptonite himself. But the coziness of the relationship between Luthor and the military surprised him nonetheless. From Gotham, Batman had deliberated as to how far Luthor's hand extended into the government's inner workings. He'd always assumed Luthor was content to rule Metropolis in the same manner Bruce Wayne lorded over Gotham City, but Batman was surprised Luthor's dealings had worked their way into D.C.'s inner sanctums. It was another piece of information to be processed for the World's Greatest Detective. Satisfied there was nothing further to be gained from the surveillance, he retreated to the Batwing. He'd landed it on Luthor's private helipad but even Batman knew that Luthor wouldn't take the insult lying down.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSuperman awoke in a daze. His last conscious memory involved piloting the Kryptonian spaceship which had carried him to Earth years before into deep space. He'd been test piloting the craft during the last few months and this flight represented a record journey for both distance and speed. He'd made it 40 light-years from Earth when his ship had suddenly come under attack. Superman remembered a blinding flash of light, then everything after that was a nightmare of dream sequences involving Darkseid, Granny Goodness and even the Furies. In his nightmares, he'd lead two conquests of strange worlds in Darkseid's name before leading the Apokiliptan legions to Earth for a final conquest.
He shook his head to clear the cobwebs, blanching with panic when he tried to move. His extremities were individually shackled with magnetized titanium bands which on his best day would have been hard to budge. Not that they were necessary, he realized with a sigh. The red sunlamp bathing the room had rendered him powerless. He raised his head off the prison table and by the look of the room, surmised he was being held captive in an Army or other Armed Forces prison somewhere in the U.S.
He grimaced in frustration, realizing that the nightmares were true. An icy ball of rage stirred in the pit of his stomach, but restrained at all four extremities and bathed under a red-sunlamp, there was little he could do. Hoping that he still held some of his strength in reserve, Superman took in a deep breath. Gritting his teeth with the strain, he pulled with all of his might against the restraints, but it was to no avail.
The red sunlamps had completely drained his powers. He was helpless.
"Help you with those?" a familiar, feminine voice floated from the doorway.
"Lois?" he yelped. "How did you get here?"
"Shhhhh!" she whispered, furiously unbuckling the restraints. "Daddy's a two-star general, remember? I swiped his security card and bluffed my way past the guards."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise but said nothing, his mind racing to determine the best method to deal with the current situation.
"I've got to get you two out of here," she continued. "Can you walk?"
"Two?" he whispered in surprise, then rubbed his arm in pain where the restraints had dug into the skin.
"Supergirl is also here," Lois replied with a frown. "She was injured in the firefight."
"How badly was she hurt?"
"I don't know yet. She's being held one level up. There's another detail of guards in front of her room. I thought I'd help you first then see what we can do to help her."
"Show me," he demanded, gratefully accepting her help off the table. Groaning with exhaustion, he almost slipped to the floor. Lois quickly managed to prop herself underneath his arm, then by sheer force of will started dragging him down the corridor. He almost stumbled over two comatose guards lying prone on the floor, then looked at Lois in evident admiration.
"Bruce been refining your martial arts training?" he asked dryly.
He saw her surprise at his connection between Bruce Wayne and Batman, but could also see that she was unsure as to whether he actually knew his secret or was just guessing. He grinned when she decided to play it straight.
"No martial arts training, though he has offered," she replied smartly. "I came with him from Gotham. Swiped a few gas pellets from the Batwing when we landed. Those things come in handy when you're trying to slip past a few well-armed guards."
"So that's where they got the kryptonite," Superman muttered darkly, ignoring her jibe. "Tell your boyfriend I owe him one."
"I'm not his messenger service," she replied tartly. "Tell him yourself. Besides, if he did give them the kryptonite, it's not as if he didn't have a reason. Why did you go on that rampage today?"
He stared in surprise at the sharp accusation of her tone, but gave no reply. The revelation that his infrequent crime-fighting partner from Gotham had contributed to Kara's current predicament, supplemented in turn by his absorption of almost all of the yellow light emitted by the overhead fluorescents, strengthened him considerably. By the time they'd reached the stairwell to head up to Kara's floor, he'd shrugged away from using Lois as a makeshift crutch. She didn't give up easily however, demanding a response to her query as they trudged up the stairwell.
"Well, I'm waiting. What happened?"
Superman sighed wearily at the top step, then tested his x-ray vision (his full powers were still returning) to determine if there were any guards behind the door. Standing on the landing, he allowed himself the luxury of a quick explanation.
"I was testing the spaceship that originally brought me to Earth. I'd made it all the way to Rigel-9 when I came under attack. Darkseid. His minions brainwashed me and turned me against Earth. He even had me warm up by conquering two other planets in his name before coming here," he muttered icily. "My guess is he knew I would either conquer Earth or suffer the humiliation of losing the population's trust. I'm not sure which alternative gave him more pleasure."
Lois nodded in sympathy, reaching out to provide a comforting hand on his shoulder. He gratefully acknowledged the gesture, but his brow knitted in consternation. "You're taking an awful risk with Bruce. Why did you break me out?"
"You'd never knowingly kill innocent people like that," Lois replied. "It's not in your nature."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTDr. Hamilton was monitoring Supergirl's condition when Superman stormed into the room, Lois trailing right behind. The Kryptonian had nearly regained the full use of his powers under the yellow glare of the overhead lights. He'd easily taken out ten guards on his way down the corridor. While the two men had worked together on a number of scientific experiments over the years, Dr. Hamilton had never seen the expression of rage evident on Superman's face.
"What's wrong with her?" Superman barked.
"The blast severely damaged her internal organs," Dr. Hamilton replied, nervously looking past Superman for the guards who were supposed to protect him from this threat.
"Why aren't you operating on her?" Superman screamed, then picked him up by the collar, eyes glowing red. The scientist paled with fear at being immolated then realized he had a more pressing matter as his windpipe was slowly being crushed.
"General Hardcastle prohibited me from helping her," Hamilton managed to choke. His face was quickly turning purple as Superman's grip tightened around his neck, constricting the airflow.
"If you don't help her, you'll wish you'd never met me," Superman seethed, eyes flashing to red as he powered up his optic lasers to emphasize the point.
"Superman, stop it!" Lois yelled from the other side of the room. "This man isn't your enemy."
Hamilton's face continued to work through the darker colors in the spectrum before Superman finally relented, lowering the scientist back to the floor with a thud. Gasping for air, he looked at the Kryptonian with evident hatred.
"Please help her," Superman begged, then looked at Lois as his gaze reflected his rage once again. "I'm going after Darkseid."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSuperman's return from Apokilips should have been triumphant. Just minutes before, he'd worked behind the Lord of Apokilips then closed his hands over Darkseid's eyes. His action had reflected the Omega beams right back into Darkseid's skull. The resulting explosion left the Apokiliptan battered, but not broken. Foregoing a killing blow, Superman left the wounded tyrant under the care of his grateful minions then boom-tubed back to Earth.
Unfortunately, the last survivor from Krypton felt nothing but trepidation upon his return. He found Supergirl resting peaceably in a recovery ward at Star Labs; however Dr. Hamilton stared at him like he was Darkseid incarnate.
"She should fully recover," Dr. Hamilton muttered at him with evident disdain, then stalked out of the room.
Superman started to follow him out down the hallway, however Lois stopped him. "Give him time," she urged. "You put one hell of a scare into him."
"I've let a lot of people down," he replied, miserably surveying the devastation he'd caused.
"Well, I've been explaining to everyone who will listen that Darkseid brainwashed you," Lois soothed. "You can start rebuilding their trust one by one. It will take time, but people will forgive you, you'll see."
"When are you heading back to Gotham?" he inquired, desperately wanting to change the subject.
"Tonight, I guess," she replied with a look of regret. "I don't have anywhere to stay in Metropolis. I sold my place a few months ago and most of the hotels are filled up with wounded soldiers."
He briefly flirted with the idea of asking her to stay overnight, but decided against it. He'd already made enough enemies in one day. Making a pass at the Dark Knight's girlfriend wasn't something he was prepared to try.
Yet.
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