Chapter 11: Space Battle
In the S.T.A.R. Labs Cortex, the remaining heroes were conversing amongst themselves and the S.T.A.R. Labs team, waiting for Flash to return.
"Ok, this is pretty cool." Cisco voiced. "I mean, Batman and Superman. Here. In my lab."
"Our lab." Caitlin corrected.
"Point still stands." Cisco replied. "You guys are… beyond amazing."
"Nice to know we leave an impression." Superman replied.
"I thought the Central City S.T.A.R. Labs branch was shut down after it was deemed a health hazard." Batman remarked.
"It was." Cisco confirmed. "Thankfully, Dr. Wells was able to convince the Labs to give us a second chance. For now, we're working on clean-up from the particle accelerator explosion and regaining public favor.
"As well as secretly working as the Flash's support team." Batman deduced.
"Indeed." Cisco nodded. "You're looking at the guy who made all his gear."
Caitlin let out a cough, giving him a glare.
"One of the guys who made all his gear." he corrected.
Wonder Woman chuckled a bit at the exchange.
"Your friend is quite the character." She remarked.
"Yeah, I guess so." Caitlin replied in a stagnant tone, which Wonder Woman picked up on.
"You do not seem to carry much emotion in your voice." She noted. "I have seen this among many war veterans I interact with. Tell me, what happened to you that caused you to seal off your emotions?
"You know about the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion, right?" Caitlin replied.
"I've heard of it, yes." Wonder Woman confirmed. "I imagine it would be devastating for you."
"That's putting it lightly." Caitlin replied. "My once promising bio-engineering career is hanging by a threat, my boss is paralized for life, and I lost my fiance in the explosion."
"I'm sorry." Wonder Woman concoled.
"Sorry won't bring back the dead." Caitlin said coldly.
Across from them, GL, Aquaman, J'onn, and Dr. Wells were sitting off to the side, just talking.
"How long is this gonna take?" Aquaman questioned. "That Brainiac guy could be knocking down our front door any second now."
"Have patience, my friend." J'onn reassured. "The boys mind is clouded with anger and loss. He required gentle coaxing if he is to aid us."
"You possess… quite the talent Mr. J'onzz." Wells commended.
"Thank you." J'onn replied. "But fear not, I do not read minds without permission. It is considered rude to do so."
"Very considerate of you." Wells commended.
"Gotta admit, I think the fish man is right." GL concurred. "Brainiac is on his way right now, and we have no idea when he's gonna show up."
"41 hours, 55 minutes, and 17 seconds and counting."
Everyone turned, seeing Flash and Victor walking in. Victor had a new hoodie on, but had his hood down so everyone could see his face.
"That's how long we've got until Brainiac comes knocking at Earth's door." Victor told them
"What can we expect when he shows up?" Batman questioned.
Victor walked over to the computer system, placing a hand on it. His fingers dug into the circuits and the screen began fritzing slightly. Suddenly, several diagrams and specs appeared.
"These are reads outs on Brainiac's ship and drones." Victor relayed. "The one's he's been sending out are just scouts, designed to come in and gather intelligence and do basic defanging of the populous.
"If these were just scouts, I'd hate to see ones designed for combat." GL remarked. "What exactly is he gonna do when he gets here?"
"He'll gather up any and all data he can his get metaphorical hands on, and then he'll choose a city to digitize to add to his collection." Victor answered.
"Digitize?" Flash questioned.
Victor paused, as if trying to figure out how to word it.
"It's like… imagine you took a picture of something." Victor tried. "Now everything that's in that photo is trapped in said photo, frozen in a single moment in time."
"That's what he does to whole cities?" Aquaman asked in astonishment.
"Pretty much." Victor replied.
"And after that?" Superman inquired.
"Then, he ignites the planet's core." Victor explained, the screen bringing up a simulation. "It will cause a chain reaction all across the crust until..."
The simulation explodes as Victor removes his hand, the screen returning to normal.
"We have to stop this thing!" Diana declared.
"How?" GL questioned. "Even the GL Corp's scared to go up against this guy."
"Doesn't change the fact that we have to take action." Batman replied.
"What we need to do is stop him before he reaches Earth." Superman proposed. "It's the only chance we have."
"Uh, Supes, not all of us can fly." Flash pointed out.
"I could get us out there with my ring." GL proposed. "But I get the feeling I'll need to save my energy for the fight."
J'onn rubbed his chin in contemplation, then an idea came to him.
"I might have a solution to our problem." he said.
…
Later, the heroes arrived at a hanger owned by the DEO. The guards in charge parted willingly as J'onn led everyone to one specific hanger. He opened the doors, revealing a large, sleek ship docked inside.
"The DEO has been developing this for sometime now." he explained. "It is called the Javelin Mark 7."
Aquaman let out a whistle in astonishment.
"Sweet ride." He commented.
"Lantern, think you can fly it?" Batman asked.
"Not gonna be a problem." GL reassured.
The eight of them began boarding the ship, with Green Lantern taking his place in the cockpit.
"Alright, we're eight complete strangers piling into an experimental ship to stop a demented robot from destroying our world like's he's done to countless others." Victor piped up. "My life has become so weird."
"Hey for me, this is Wednesday." GL commented before activating the engines.
They instantly ignited, the ship taking off at incredible speeds as it shot into the sky. Once they began their ascent, Flash addressed the ship.
"So… do we have a plan?" he asked. "Cause I'd really appreciate it if we had a plan."
"Brainiac is the nerve center of all of this." Victor spoke up. "We take him out, everything else shuts down."
"Something tells me that's gonna be easier said than done." Superman voiced.
"Things are rarely easy." Batman agreed.
The Javelin continued flying upward until it reached the upper atmosphere.
"Alright, buckle up boys and girls!" GL called out. "It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"
Everyone buckled in as they prepared to exit earth's airspace. The G-forces started hitting them, shoving them deep into their seats. Finally, they cleared the atmosphere and shot out into space.
"Alright Tin Man, where's the big guy now?" GL asked.
"According to the readouts, he's just passing Saturn." Cyborg informed. "If we push this thing enough, we should catch up with him as he reaches Mars."
"Then let's see how fast this puppy can go." GL said, pushing the Javelin into overdrive.
The jet streaked across space as the heroes braced themselves, knowing the dangers that would surely await them.
…
Back on earth, Faraday came into Kari's room in the hospital, having heard she had just come out of surgery. She was asleep on the bed, oxygen hoses around her face and an IV in her arm. The doctor made sure everything was set up, turning to Faraday.
"You were brought in with her, correct?" he asked. "What's your relation to her?"
"We work together." Faraday answered. "How is she?"
"I'm afraid the damage was extensive." the doctor admitted. "We managed to stop the internal bleeding, but the nerves on her spinal column were badly damaged, not to mention the column itself. We installed a brace and several pins… but I'm afraid that there is an 87% chance she will be parapalegic for the rest of her days."
Faraday was shocked by this.
"Honestly, she's lucky to be alive at all." the doctor admitted. "If that shrapnel had been left in there, she would not have lived through the surgery."
"Right." Faraday agreed, realizing J'onn's greater hand in her survival. "Thank you for telling me."
"You can stay for awhile, but she needs to rest." The doctor urged. "Besides, you have your own health to think about."
He prepared to walk out, but stopped.
"Does she have any family, any significant others we should contact?" The doctor asked.
"... no." Faraday answered. "Actually… one, but he's… unavailable right now."
"I see." The doctor noted. "Thank you for the information."
The doctor took his leave, allowing Faraday to remain with Kari.
"Hang in there Dr. Miller…" Faraday told her. "Just hang in there. I'm expecting a lecture on my trust issues for J'onn when you wake up, so you better not disappoint."
…
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Dr. Stone came into the cortex, looking frantic
"Dr. Wells, have you seen Victor?" He questioned. "He's not in his room and I can't find him anywhere in the lab!"
Cisco and Cailtin quickly took their leave of the area.
"Silas, there's no need to be worried." Wells reassured. "Victor is in good hands."
"Then where is he?!" Dr. Stone exclaimed. "Where is my son?!"
"... Victor has joined a group of heroes and metahumans in an attempt to stop the current crisis that has befallen not just Central City, but others." Wells explained.
Dr. Stone was at a loss for words.
"He WHAT?!"
"It was his choice." Wells reassured. "In fact, it was your words on your video logs that inspired him to act."
"He… he saw those?" Silas asked, feeling all his fear suddenly leave him.
"It seemed to put his adverse feelings about you to rest." Wells told him. "Now he's choosing to fight to save you and everyone else."
Silas was genuinely taken aback, forced to sit down from the sudden surge of emotions.
"I… I don't believe it…" He let out. "I was sure he'd never want to talk to me again after everything."
"I have a feeling when he gets back, you and he will have a lot to talk about." Wells told him. "And he will come back, Silas. I can promise that."
…
In space, the heroes were still jetting through space, with Victor keeping an eye on the clock. To the others, it looked like he was staring into space, which just made it somewhat creepy.
"Everything ok there, kid?" Aquaman asked.
Victor snapped back to reality.
"Yeah, sorry." he apologized. "Never really took the time to… y'know... Explore my new robot body. Was keeping an eye on the time while poking around my systems."
"How much longer?" Superman asked.
"Til D-Day or arrival?"
"Both." Superman answered.
"37 hours, 13 minutes and 26 seconds until D-Day." Victor listed off. "2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds until arrival."
"We should use that time formulating a plan for when we arrive." Batman decided. "Brainiac may not be expecting a direct assault, but he's still dangerous."
"What can we expect to encounter once we get inside?" Wonder Woman asked, turning to Victor.
"Drones, ground troops, security tighter than the Pentagon, and Brainiac himself watching our every move." Victor listed off. "Whatever we need to do, we'll have to do it fast."
"Fast, I can do." Flash remarked.
"Somehow, I figure just running in and punching him until he goes down isn't gonna work." GL replied.
"Green Lantern is right." Batman agreed. "This is a living computer that's destroyed countless planets. It's no doubt upgraded itself over the years to keep itself safe."
"That means it could see us coming from every angle." Superman surmised.
"... maybe we use that." Wonder Woman suggested. "If he were to see us coming from every angle, then we attack from every angle."
"Keep his focus split." Flash picked up. "And then when he's vulnerable, one of us goes in for the final blow."
"That could work." GL agreed.
"It'll have to." Batman replied. "If it doesn't… a lot of people are gonna die."
...
A few hours later, and the Javelin continued flying, passing by Mars as they did. J'onn gazed out the window at his former home, a hand on the window as he looked at it mournfully. Superman happened to look over and saw this.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"It is… hard, seeing my world like this." J'onn told him. "Barren and lifeless."
"I can only imagine." Superman said quietly. "I honestly don't know what's worse: remembering the ones you lost, or having no memory at all."
"I honestly couldn't tell you." J'onn replied.
"What was it like?" Superman asked. "Mars, I mean."
"Mars… it was beautiful." J'onn shared. "It was a thriving utopia where all lived in peace. My wife, M'yri'ah, and my daughters K'hym and T'ania, they were my entire world. Then war broke out, and… I lost everything."
J'onn lowered his head in remorse. Superman reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. J'onn turned back towards Superman and smiled a little.
"I have not been on Earth long, but I will not allow the same fate that befell our planets to befall it." J'onn promised.
"I know," Superman replied. "Neither will I."
"Well I hope you guys can back up those claims, cause we're here." Victor informed them.
The two looked forward to see a massive ship shaped like a mechanical skull, complete with the three dots on its forehead. It also had numerous tendrils on the bottom, waving around as it flew.
"I'm guessing that's it?" Flash let out.
"Eyup." Victor nodded. "I seriously hope we know what we're doing."
"We'll find out in a minute." GL replied. "J'onn, this thing got any weapons?"
"I believe so." J'onn answered. "If I remember correctly, the fifth button on the middle right row activates them."
Green Lantern pressed the button and two turrets opened up on the front of the jet, shooting at the ship. The shots seemed to collide with a forcefield being generated by the ship, not making a dent.
"Damn, the thing's shielded." GL let out. "Now what?"
Before anyone could answer, the ship opened fire on them, causing the Javelin to shake and rattle. One of the blasts hit the thrusters, destroying them.
"Engine's shot!" GL called out. "We're dead in the air!"
Brainiac's ship then flew in closer, its jaw slowly opening and two of its tendrils stretching out to grab it. It wrapped around the ship like a deadly kraken, dragging it towards the open maw.
…
Inside, the ship was promptly dropped on the ground, shaking the occupants inside.
"Well, it's now or never!" GL declared, using his ring to slice open part of the Javelin and allowing the heroes to climb out.
As each hero landed on the ground, they split off into groups of two, taking off in opposite directions on the ship. Flash and Victor made their way down a massive corridor, trying to find anything resembling an archive room.
"So, what's the plan?" Barry asked.
"Those things were scared of me, or at least what I'm made of." Victor pointed out. "I think they're afraid of what my tech can do to them. So, I'm gonna plug myself into Brainiac's systems and wreck some havoc."
"Sounds good." Flash replied. "So you just plug in, wherever?"
"Nah, it needs to be somewhere important." Victor rationalized. "This guy's big on info, so he's gotta have an archive around here. Imagine what I could do to all his precious information."
"Any idea where that would be?" Flash inquired,
"No dice." Victor lamented. "Wherever my tech came from, they knew about Brainiacs forces and out security, but absolutely nothing about the inner workings. Guess they didn't have the guts to pull off what we're doing."
"If that's the case, we're gonna have to do this the hard way." Flash decided, taking hold of Victor. "Hold on tight!"
He then sped off, carrying Victor along with him. Almost immediately, Victor cried out.
"Dude, what the hell?" He shouted. "Stop!"
Flash quickly came to a stop, setting Victor down.
"What?" Flash asked.
Victor immediately hunched over and vomited, leaning against the wall.
"Dude, my stomach is literally metal, and you made me throw up." Victor wheezed. "Do you even think before you act?"
"Uh… sorry?" Flash let out nervously before looking up. "Hey, check this out."
Victor looked up, seeing that they were in front of a large room filled with hand-sized orbs.
"What do you suppose these things are?" Flash inquired.
"I'm not sure." Victor answered, reaching for one.
As he touched it, a flash of images appeared before his eyes. The entire history of a planet flashed before his eyes, right up until it;s horrible destruction. Victor then pulled his hand free, allowing him to return to reality.
"Victor," Flash let out, rushing to his side. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I…" Victor tried to respond. "I think this is Brainiac's archives."
"You sure?" Flash asked.
"Entirely." Victor replied. "These orbs are the condensed histories of every planet Brainiac's ever visited. Just grab one and you'll see."
Flash obliged and took hold of one, seeing images of a beautiful planet filled with scientific marvels. He could also see images of Brainiac's symbol on various screens, right before the planet suffered its own catastrophic destruction.
"Farewell, Krypton..."
Flash then snapped back to reality, realizing what he held in his hands.
"I think this one belongs to Krypton." Flash told him.
Victor blinked.
"No way… Superman's home planet?" he let out. "Here, let me hold onto that."
Flash held it out towards Victor, who took it and opened up a compartment on his arm, slipping the orb inside. Flash winced.
"That is… slightly disturbing." He admitted.
"You get used to it." Victor shrugged.
Just then, a door opened up, and three large drones. These were not the humanoid ones from earth. These were twice their size, triangular in shape with large mechanical arms, a turret for a base, and Brainian's emblem on the front.
"I'm guessing we found the security in this place." Flash noted.
Victor nodded.
The drones immediately opened fire on them, with Flash grabbing Victor and running off once more. The drones flew after them, connecting to Brainiac as they did.
"Theft in the Archive Room." One reported. "Kryptonian Orb stolen. Two intruders detected. Apprehension halted."
"Unacceptable." Brainiac replied. "Locate the intruders and dispose of them."
"Intruders match files of Meta-Human designated Flash and organism bearing Motherbox Technology." another drone added. "Destruction still desired?"
"Negative." Brainiac corrected. "Capture the Motherbox alive and intact. Such technology will prove invaluable to me."
"And the Meta-Human?" The third drone inquired.
"Coercion for the Motherbox to cooperate." Brainiac replied. "Capture it as well."
"Affirmative." the drones all said in unison.
…
"So, going into space to fight an evil alien robot." Aquaman remarked. "Bet you weren't expecting to do that when you left your island."
"Admittedly, I didn't know what to expect when I left Themyscira." Wonder Woman told him. "Still, I can also admit that my days are rarely boring."
"I know how you feel." Aquaman replied. "Feels like everyday it's one adventure after another. I love it."
"Agreed." Wonder Woman nodded. "Though there are some days I long for the peaceful tranquility of home."
At that moment, an alarm started going off, causing the two heroes to ready themselves. Aquaman gripped his trident as Wonder Woman drew her sword.
"Think you can handle whatever we face without water?" She asked.
"You just worry about not dulling up that sword of yours." Aquaman remarked.
As he said that, some security drones came flying in, shooting at them. Wonder Woman held her shield up to block the shots as Aquaman threw his trident at one of them, causing it to fall and crash. Wonder Woman flew into the air and sliced through one drone before landing on one and jamming her shield into the top of it. The drone then exploded, knocking Wonder Woman to the ground and causing her to drop her weapons.
As she got back up, more drones moved towards her and opened fire, causing Wonder Woman to move her arms around, using her bracelets to block the attacks. As she did that, Aquaman ran towards one of the robots and grabbed hold of one of its arms, tearing it off and smacking the drone with it. Aquaman continued swinging the arm around, hitting one drone after another before they continued to open fire on him. While the shots didn't penetrate skin, they were starting to wear him down, forcing him to crouch over in pain. Wonder Woman saw this and moved to try and help him.
"Aquaman!" she shouted, reclaiming her sword and slicing at the drones.
One drone shot its arm out and pinned Wonder Woman to the ground. She tried to struggle, but more arms came down over her, effectively immobilizing her.
…
Elsewhere in the ship, Batman and Green Lantern made their way quietly through some of the lower hallways.
"This place is huge." GL marveled. "Finding anything in here is gonna be a chore."
"Complaining about it isn't gonna get the job done any faster." Batman told him continuing forward. "Let's keep moving."
"Yes sir." GL replied sarcastically. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin."
"I'm not a vampire." Batman informed him.
"Yeah, I picked up on that." GL replied. "... must be a little annoying then."
"What do you mean?" Batman asked, turning to face him.
"We're facing an alien AI alongside a Kryptonian, a Martian, an Atlantean, An Amazon, A Cyborg, and a Speedster, and all you've got going for you is being some really scary guy in a batsuit." Green Lantern explained. "You can't tell me that's not a little overwhelming."
"You want overwhelming, try having three teenage boys and a teenage girl as partners." Batman told him.
"Wow, you really have it in check." Lantern noted.
"And you don't?" Batman replied. "Take away that ring, and I'd say you and I are the only two normal people here."
"Hey, this ring is the source of my power." GL reminded him.
"One you had to earn, no doubt." Batman theorized. "You compared yourself to a police force once, making you, for all intents and purposes, a cop."
"The Guardians of the Universe don't give these things out to just anyone, that's for sure." GL informed. "Only those without fear can wield their power."
"And this thing doesn't rattle you in the slightest?" Batman inquired.
"Actually, it kinda does." GL shared, his mask fading away to reveal his face. "It rattles me that if this thing succeeds, everything and everyone I care about is gone for good. I may play devil may care, but it's only so I don't make this thing work less than optimum. These things run on will power, and fear is the enemy of will."
Batman remained silent for a moment, taking all this in.
"I've always believed that brave is the man who fights, but braver is the man who is afraid, but fights anyway." Batman shared.
Just then, an alarm started blaring out, much to the concern of the two.
"Think we can fight them?" Hal asked.
"Maybe we won't have to." Batman replied. "I have a plan… if you're willing to trust me."
…
A few moments later, the security drones arrived and saw Batman standing alone with his hands raised.
"I surrender." Batman said.
The drones looked somewhat surprised, pausing in their flight. This passed as quickly as it came and he was grabbed. They then carried him off down the hallway, unaware of someone watching from the shadows.
…
Meanwhile, Superman and J'onn flew down the various halls of Brainiac's ship, looking for its nerve center.
"I'll give Brainiac this, he certainly knows how to keep intruders busy. Superman remarked.
"Indeed." J'onn agreed. "If he was organic, I could have located him by now. Unfortunately, his mechanical nature leaves much to be desired."
He paused for a moment.
"If I am honest, being in this ship, isolated from Earth's populous… I feel like I have been cut off from something great." he admitted.
"You must've taken quite a liking to Earth." Superman noted.
"It has… provided me with a secondary home, and people I can count on." J'onn answered tactfully.
"Including one person in particular?" Superman guessed smirking.
J'onn gave a nod.
"The first person to show me kindness when I arrived on Earth." J'onn admitted.
"What's her name?" Superman asked.
"Kari Miller." He answered. "You met her. You saved her life."
"Right." Superman recalled. "Don't worry, I know she'll pull through."
"I hope so." J'onn admitted, a hand drifting to his chest. "She designed this form for me. She thought it would help me integrate into Earth's society."
"It suits you." Superman told him.
"And what of you?" J'onn asked. "Who tethers you to Earth?"
"My adopted parents for one." Superman shared. "They raised me, helped me understand my powers. Then there's Lois."
"Lois?" J'onn repeated.
"She's… special." Superman told him, not knowing a better way of explaining it.
"Like Kari is special to me?" J'onn prompted, a small smile on his face.
"I'd say so." Superman replied.
Just then, an alarm sounded off, alerting the two heroes to coming danger. A panel in the wall opened up and security drones started coming out and shooting and them. Superman flew upwards as J'onn made himself intangible, allowing the shots to pass through him. Superman then arced downwards, spinning his body so he drilled right through one of the security drones, destroying it instantly. Once that was dealt with, Superman used his heat vision to slice through three more drones, taking them out with no problem.
J'onn, meanwhile, phased through one drone, pulling out several circuits as he did, causing it to crash to the ground. J'onn then flew towards another oncoming drone and punched it dead on, denting it as it crashed into a wall and exploded. He then grabbed the arm of another oncoming drone and tore it off before stabbing it into the drones body.
"Something tells me this won't be the last of them." J'onn shared.
"You're probably right." Superman agreed. "Let's keep moving."
…
Back with Flash, he and Victor continued moving through the ship, avoiding the pursuing drones. Flash managed to lose them for a minute in a small alcove, allowing Victor a chance to regain his barings.
"I am… serious… resisting the urge… to punch you." Victor wheezed, one hand on his stomach as he leaned on the wall.
"Sorry, but unless that metal body of yours can withstand point blank shots from alien robots, I think I made a good call here." Flash replied.
"Still… don't like… you dragging me… at 763 MPH."
"I can slow it to a cool 570." Flash offered, earning a glare from Victor. "Right, not helping."
Before their argument could continue, more drones start moving towards them.
"Here we go again." Flash lamented.
Before he could speed off, he was grabbed and slammed against the wall. One of the drones grabbed his legs, the clear intent of breaking them.
"What are you doing?!" Victor shouted. "Stop!"
"Agree to surrender to Brainiac and no harm will befall the Meta-Human." the drone promised, twisting Flash's leg slightly.
"Don't listen to them!" Flash winced, trying to pull himself free. "I'll heal. I'll be fine!"
"It is unlikely the Meta-Human can heal from having his limbs severed from his body." the drone went on, twisting the leg further.
"Victor, don't!" Flash shouted.
His leg popped, Flash screamed, and Victor quickly threw his hands up.
"Okay, okay!" he shouted. "You win! Just don't hurt him!"
The drones relented and took hold of Victor.
...
"The Motherbox and the Meta-Human have been captured." the drone reported.
"Excellent." Brainiac replied. "That just leaves one complication left."
Brainiac turned back to his screens to see Superman and Martian Manhunter still dispatching the drones. He got out of his chair and stepped out of the shadows, showcasing his mostly purple body with a silver chestplate and boots, as well as green hands and a green head with his signature three interconnected dots on his forehead.
"The Last Son of Krypton, and the last Green Martian." Brainiac mused. "This shall be interesting indeed."
