Hunters of Justice (RWBY/DC)
Chapter 39: Duty-Bound
December 6th, 4:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time)
Watchtower, Geosynchronous Orbit, Earth
The rest of the Wayne gala was tense for the members of teams RWBY and JNPR. After Lex Luthor brazenly walked up to them, revealed that he knew exactly who they were, then had the gall to offer them employment, it proved impossible to enjoy the party. They would have left had they not understood that doing so would have given Lex another win. None of them wanted that, so they sucked it up and went on with the rest of the evening. A conscious effort was made to avoid the vile supervillain whenever possible, and Damian Wayne decided to stick close to them for the rest of the night. Only once the gala concluded did they return home, then immediately requested a teleport up to the Watchtower so that they could report their findings as well as stay the night.
For at least that night, staying in Metropolis didn't feel as safe as it once did.
"How did this happen?" the Flash asked as he and the rest of the Justice League's founders gathered in the conference room, sitting across from RWBY and JNPR.
"The same way Lois Lane did it," Batman suggested, bringing his hands together as he focused his attention squarely on the young Huntsmen and Huntresses. "He started connecting the dots after the eight of you left Jump City for Gotham, and once you moved to Metropolis and started making a name for yourselves, he seized his chance."
"So, us moving in with you may have tipped him off?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Since it appears he knows who I am, yes," Batman admitted, his voice neutral but apologetic all the same.
"I suppose it was only a matter of time," Superman remarked, bringing his hand to his chin. "Especially once you all moved to Metropolis. While Lex has hands in every corner of the world, he considers Metropolis to be his personal territory, with him as the alpha predator. He runs most of Metropolis' utilities and services, and whether they know it or not most people in the city work for him. That means he has eyes and ears everywhere in the city."
"Well, that's not unnerving at all. Between this and that Waller lady, I'm starting to wonder what's the point of even having secret identities," Nora stated, leaning forward across the table and resting on her elbow. "What do we do now? Personally, I say we charge in and crack some heads. We all know he's guilty, and in my eyes the party proved it."
"It wouldn't work, Nora, and you know it," Weiss countered, causing the Pink Lightning to frown in her direction. Before she could say anything, Weiss continued, "The playbook Lex is using is the exact same as my father's. Legal and ethical violations all wrapped up in plausible deniability."
"I know that all too well. Despite the fact that Jacques Schnee was universally despised, openly so, by the White Fang and the people whose lives he ruined, most of Remnant simply saw him as a shrewd and powerful businessman," Blake added, twirling her hand around lazily in emphasis. "Lex, meanwhile, has a ninety-percent approval rating, despite the fact that his animosity with the superhero community is well known. If he weren't so vile, I'd consider it impressive."
"Batman, if he figured out your secret identity," Ren spoke up, drawing everyone's attention, "how likely is it that he's figured out the rest of the founders' as well?"
The League Founders looked at each other uncomfortably, then Green Lantern leaned forward and said, "Well, Shayera, Diana and I don't have secret identities, so I'm personally not too concerned about that."
"But Bats, Supes, J'onn and I all do," Flash pointed out. "While I can outrun almost anything sent my way, the same can't be said about the people I care about in my life. The idea of Lex probably knowing exactly who I am does not sit well with me."
"Nor with me, although I suppose I have ways to conceal myself further," the Martian Manhunter calmly remarked. He was clearly referring to his species' ability to shapeshift, so if Lex found out his current secret identity, J'onn could always create a new one. He then turned his head towards Superman, and pointed out, "Out of all of us, Superman is in the most danger. If he's figured out who you really are, he wouldn't hesitate."
"No need to remind me," Superman replied, his face flat. Then, to everyone's surprise, Superman shook his head and remarked, "But I don't think I'm in too much danger on that front."
"What makes you say that?" Jaune asked, raising an eyebrow. "Lex hates you. He's been trying to kill you for years."
"Yes," Superman confirmed and nodded, "but I know him. Lex is the smartest man in the world, with nearly unlimited resources and all the motivation he needs to find out exactly who I am. Yet after all this time, he hasn't."
Everyone paused to absorb Superman's words, then they realized he was right. Blake was able to figure out that Superman was Clark Kent after only a few conversations with him, Lois, and finally seeing him at the Daily Planet, and she had only been on Earth for a few months. Lex had been Superman's archenemy for years, yet never once figured it out. Now that it was brought to her attention, Blake couldn't help but find it odd.
"Yeah, you're right," Yang muttered. "He hasn't figured out who you are. Why? I mean, it can't be that hard to look up a picture of you with glasses."
"All he needs to do is pick up the next issue of the Daily Planet," Blake added, and Superman nodded.
"Yes, but I know the real reason why," Superman confirmed. "Lex Luthor hasn't found my secret identity because he doesn't believe I have one. As much as he hates to admit it, Lex believes I am a god among men. It's a belief shared by many people all over the world, despite my attempts to stop it. For a man of his stature and ego, he can't comprehend the idea of me living among everyone else. It's unfathomable to him."
Team RWBY and JNPR stared at Superman, slowly absorbing his words. Soon, they came to understand that Superman was completely correct. Not just because he knew Lex better than anyone else, but because they, too, once believed it. Before Blake figured out that Superman was, in truth, Clark Kent, RWBY and JNPR knew Superman to be Kal-El of Krypton. He was raised by human parents, yes, but that was all they needed to know. But now that they knew the truth, it was impossible to separate the two, which they knew Superman appreciated.
It was one of the things that drew them all towards him. Their situations were so similar, both the last children of dead worlds, but while they got to live on Remnant long enough to learn to love it, Superman never did. He was spirited away as soon as he was born, and the only connection he had with Krypton was borrowed memories left behind by his father. Ruby didn't know if he could be considered unlucky or not. On the one hand, he never got to experience his native culture, instead being raised as a human from Earth. But, at the same time, he didn't have to experience the pain and heartbreak of seeing his homeworld destroyed like they did. Had Brainiac invaded Remnant when they were still children, would they long for Remnant like they did now? Or would they consider Earth their true home? It was a question that Ruby didn't have an answer to, and it made her feel uncomfortable.
Shaking her head, Ruby moved on and declared, "I think the more pressing issue is the Grimm. Last night made it clear that Lex has no idea what he's dealing with. He thinks he can control them, but he can't. No one can, and we have personal experience with what happens when people think they're the exception."
"You're referring to Dr. Merlot," Hawkgirl stated, and Ruby nodded.
"Guy thought he could control the Grimm. Ended up setting into motion the chain of events that led to Mountain Glenn's destruction," Yang pointed out. "Only this time it's on a global scale, so we got that going for us."
"Indeed. We need to find the center of the Grimm's production and destroy it as soon as possible, before the situation gets more out of hand," Batman said, clenching his fist and frowning slightly.
"Do we have we any luck on that?" Pyrrha politely asked, and Batman nodded.
"I have the Question looking into it. He's following a lead as we speak. There's no telling how long it'll take before he finds conclusive answers, though."
"Isn't the Question the guy without a face who constantly rants about insane conspiracy theories?" Ren asked, and Batman nodded while the others openly cringed. Raising an eyebrow, Ren asked, "How is he going to help us?"
"The Question is…out there," Batman admitted, "but he is one of the best detectives the League has. If there's a connection, however faint, he'll find it."
"…If you say so," Jaune replied, his voice sounding unsure. He then hung his head and sighed before asking, "What do we do now? Lex knows who we are and where we live. Do we just…stay here where it's safe?"
"I don't think that's necessary," Superman answered. Upon seeing RWBY's and JNPR's confused faces, Superman added, "You're all concerned that Lex is going to attack you from the safety of your home, but trust me when I say that is far too blunt, crude, and open for him. He's much more likely to arm Intergang with experimental weapons and send them towards the general direction of your patrols. I wouldn't worry about him sending assassins after you in your sleep."
Were it anyone other than Superman, RWBY and JNPR wouldn't have believed them. But they nodded along in acceptance, trusting the Man of Steel at his word.
"Now then, since we're here let's get on with the next order of business," Superman continued, tapping a button on the table and projecting a holographic image of the Earth, with several sites detailing Grimm activity shown all around the world. Compared to the last time they saw this image, there had been a noticeable increase in activity. Nothing compared to Remnant on a normal day, thankfully, but concerning, nonetheless.
"Despite the League of Shadows' operation in Blüdhaven being destroyed, Grimm are beginning to pop up in the continental United States. We've had sightings all along the eastern seaboard, with a particularly high number of cases in Fawcett City, Pennsylvania."
"Why Fawcett City?" Ruby asked.
"A few weeks ago, we detected a spike in magical activity. At first, it was positive, not unlike that of Zatanna Zatera but on a vastly different scale," J'onn answered. "But, about a week ago, a powerful surge of negative magical energy emerged, and while it was contained after a few days, it was enough to attract the Grimm."
"Let me guess, you want us to investigate?" Ruby asked, and Superman nodded.
"Not just the Grimm, though," Batman added, then pulled an image of a man wearing a bright red costume hovering in mid-air, doing battle against a Beowulf. A short white cape with gold trim hung off his back, and a gold lightning bolt insignia was displayed proudly across his chest. Overall his image was curiously similar to Superman's.
"Who's that?" Nora asked, eyeing the bolts of electricity being shot out of his hands towards the Grimm.
"We don't know," Batman admitted, then pulled up a series of YouTube videos all from a user named HeroManager. All of them depicted the hero in question, usually in an abandoned warehouse of some kind, his immaculate costume clashing with the grungy surroundings as a series of power tests were shown.
"Is he…doing the floss?" Ruby asked as they saw the superhero absentmindedly perform the dance on a video labeled Strength Test # 1. Then, once he caught on to what he was supposed to be doing, he walked over to a concrete pillar and punched right through it. He looked at his fist excitedly, shaking in joy from the power he just displayed.
The next video, Strength Test # 2, was him flicking a metal oil drum away with his finger, which both dented from the impact and went flying into a wall several feet away. After that, a new video titled Flight Test # 1 was shown, and it involved the red superhero running down a half-pipe to gain momentum with which to jump high into the air. To his credit, he managed to obtain a respectable leap, but then he fell back to the ground, flailing all the way and crashing hard against the half-pipe. The cameraman, who sounded quite young, asked the hero if he was okay, and only received a groan in response.
More videos were shown, ranging from a laser eye test that completely failed, prompting the hero to pretend to do so by using his fingers next to his face to shoot out lightning, and a teleporting test that immediately turned into a fire-proof test. That one caught their attention as they saw a young boy wearing a thick blue jacket and using crutches pour gasoline all over the cardboard box the superhero climbed into, then he set the trail on fire which engulfed the box in flames. A few moments later, the hero burst out from the box, completely unharmed, and they heard the young cameraman shout that he was sorry as the clearly angered hero stomped after him.
"Oh my god, these are hilarious!" Yang cracked up as they watched more videos, then Batman shut them off. "Ah, man…"
"I take it you want us to find them?" Weiss asked, rolling her eyes at their antics.
"Yes. We don't know who they are, but they're clearly a new superhero on the scene. With what's been happening lately, the League hasn't had the chance to introduce ourselves just yet," Superman replied. "But, since they're clearly young—"
"The man in red spandex looked like he's in his late twenties or thirties," Weiss flatly pointed out.
"Yeah, that is kinda weird. Maybe he's a kid at heart? Might explain why he's hanging out with a teenager," Ruby suggested, her tone of voice sounding unsure.
"Which isn't concerning at all."
"Regardless, we'd like you to investigate what's going on," Batman interjected, bringing everyone's attention towards him. "This superhero is new, having only been on the scene for a few weeks at most. So far, he's mostly been under the public's eye, but it's only a matter of time before that changes. If you can go in and establish a dialogue, the League will be in a better position to move forward."
"We can do that," Jaune confirmed with a nod. "When do you want us to head out?"
"No later than tomorrow. It's been a hectic night for you all, so head back to Metropolis and get some sleep. We'll send a Javelin over to pick you up first thing in the morning," Green Lantern answered. RWBY and JNPR nodded, then once they were dismissed got up to walk back to the teleporter. The Founders watched them leave, and only once they were well out of earshot did they continue speaking.
"I don't like this," Diana declared, frowning softly. "We're asking too much of them. They're still children."
"I know, but like it or not they're our best asset against the Grimm," Batman insisted. "I have complete faith in their abilities."
"Not enough faith to prevent you from making those nanites, though," Flash muttered under his breath.
"A precautionary measure that was proven to be the correct action," Batman immediately countered. "I didn't want to make them, Flash, but I'm glad I did."
Flash looked ready to retort, but Superman cut them off by raising both of his hands. He then turned towards Green Lantern and asked, "What's the status on the Green Lantern's upcoming ambush on Brainiac?"
"They're in position now," Green Lantern answered. "Brainiac's proceeding along as scheduled, and we anticipate he'll reach the targeted system in no later than two weeks. This is the largest attack we've done on him in centuries, but even then we don't know how it's going to go."
"Keep us informed, John," Shayera calmly said, and her lover nodded before they turned back towards the holographic image.
"There's…another issue, one that is far more concerning to me," Diana grimly pointed out. "The Grimm that are emerging are…new, not just the forms that initially appeared back in Metropolis. Russia reported attacks by Grimm in Siberia that appeared similar to sabretooth cats and mastodons, while a three-headed giraffe-like Grimm attacked an Israeli army base near Palestine. They're changing, but at a rate that is far too fast to be natural."
"Can we even call the Grimm 'natural?'" Flash asked, and Diana shook her head.
"No, we can't, but they're so alien compared to everything else that we don't know what normal evolution for them even is," Diana clarified. "But, based off what RWBY and JNPR gave us, we can make some estimates. The Grimm that were spotted in Siberia were known to plague Solitas, and are called Ice Sabyrs and Megoliaths. But they weren't there originally. In fact, the Kingdom of Mantle was purposefully founded in Solitas because it was too cold for the Grimm to survive. It took decades for the Grimm to adapt to the harshness of Solitas. They've only been on Earth for a few months, and in much smaller numbers."
"That's not why you're worried, though," J'onn said, not even having to use his telepathy to read between the lines.
Diana nodded, then replied, "Either the Grimm's high rate of evolution is completely natural for them, their different forms are stored in some kind of collective memory bank that can be accessed at any time as needed, or something intelligent is manipulating them that way. Frankly, I don't know which is worse."
"How can something be manipulating them? You remember what RWBY and JNPR said. The Grimm can't be controlled," Green Lantern pointed out.
"As far as they know," Batman replied, causing the room to fall silent and turn towards the Dark Knight. With everyone's attention squarely on him, Batman propped his arms up on his elbows then intertwined his fingers, adding, "I think its obvious that Remnant, much like Earth, is filled with secrets. None more cryptic than the Grimm, almost as if it was by design. While I'm not saying it's likely the Grimm have a driving force, the possibility does exists. If it does, and it's manipulating the Grimm here on Earth, that can only spell disaster for us all."
The Justice League's founders all stared at Batman, then one by one they frowned as they pondered the implications. Like him, they had their doubts, but the possibility was there. If it was true, then Lex was playing with fire more than he even realized, and it was all the more imperative that they stop them before it got to that point.
Beacon Academy
Bottled City of Vale
Headmaster Ozpin's office was quiet and tense as the occupants stood around the room, all of whom were sullen and downcast. It was hard to be anything but. One of their own, Qrow Branwen, had been betrayed by his own sister to become yet another of Brainiac's personal test subjects. While hope remained, the feeling that they would never see their comrade again was nearly overwhelming.
"God…dammit," General Ironwood cursed, clenching his gloved fist as he stared out the shattered window of the balcony towards the impenetrable barrier that encased the entire city.
"I suppose, in hindsight, it was inevitable. Qrow's Semblance, and others like it, are far more esoteric than most," Oobleck pointed out. "Not to mention his other gift. For a being as curious as Brainiac, it's only logical to study those phenomenon."
"Those are attached to my brother," Taiyang hissed, and Oobleck looked at the angry man and nodded.
"I know, Tai. I'm just as angry as you are," Oobleck said, his eyes flashing a barely constrained inner rage that the hyperactive doctor never quite showed.
"The commander of Atlas' Ace Operatives has a Semblance much like Qrow's," Ironwood declared, his back still turned to the others. "Now I can't help but wonder if he's going to be another of Brainiac's test subjects, too."
"Probably not at the same time as Qrow," Ozpin replied, sitting at his desk at the front of the room. "Having two luck-based Semblances in close proximity to each other is a recipe for disaster and a risk Brainiac is unwilling to take."
"How do you figure that?" Professor Port asked, raising an eyebrow, and Ozpin turned to look at him flatly.
"After spending quite a considerable amount of time in close proximity to Brainiac, I've picked up on much of his personality. Each and every time I go up there, I am newly introduced to just how revolting of an individual Brainiac is," Ozpin coldly answered. "Does that answer your question, Peter?"
"Er…yes. Apologies, this…," Port sighed and shook his head. "This entire thing is just one big mess. First Ms. Polendina then Qrow. I can't help but wonder what happens next."
"That remains to be seen," Ozpin admitted then took off his spectacles to clean the lenses with his handkerchief. "Regardless, I don't believe all hope is lost just yet. Call it a gut feeling, but if my instincts are correct, Qrow's unfortunate position may be perfect towards our ultimate goal of freeing the cities."
"I've been meaning to ask. Why do you think that?" Glynda sternly asked, crossing her arms.
"It has recently come to my attention that there exists an intergalactic peacekeeping organization called the Green Lantern Corp," Ozpin revealed. "From what I can gather, they are a paramilitary force based out of the planet Oa that protects the cosmos from various threats in an effort to keep the peace."
"Clearly they've been successful," Ironwood remarked as he stared out over the ruins of Vale. The others certainly agreed with Ironwood's sarcastic assessment, and to a point so did Ozpin.
"Yes, although it appears that our solar system was cloaked by a barrier of some kind that shielded us from the rest of the universe. Until Brainiac found us, no one knew we existed," Ozpin pointed out.
"Then how did he find us?" Ironwood asked, turning around to face the Headmaster.
"During my next session, I intend to ask. Regardless, we are getting off topic," Ozpin said, reorienting the conversation back towards his original point. "Brainiac and the Green Lantern Corp have come into conflict numerous times over the centuries, and while it hasn't happened often, they're one of the only entities to have successfully fought him off. Brainiac has been on somewhat of a 'preservation spree' as of late, bottling five planets in the past month alone."
"Gods, that many? Why?" Oobleck asked, already aware of Brainiac's twisted logic and justification behind the destruction of Remnant. As a historian, Oobleck was well aware of the fault lines that Brainiac highlighted, but in Oobleck's opinion they were capable of being overcome. What Brainiac did wasn't preserving their people for eternity, instead he robbed them of their future.
"Of the five planets," Ozpin answered, "three were supposedly about to experience ecological collapse on account of over-industrialization. One had its population soar to unsustainable levels, causing planetwide famine and social upheaval. The last had the planet be divided up into two superpowers of opposing ideologies, each armed with enough weapons of mass destruction to wipe out the entire world multiple times over. On that last one, he said the world was a hair's breadth away from using those weapons due to an incident that had been ongoing, so he went ahead and 'preserved' them before they had the chance to wipe themselves out."
"How could he possibly know that was going to happen? There was a chance peace could have pulled them back from the brink," Oobleck spat, once again seeing Brainiac's perspective but unable to justify his actions whatsoever.
"It doesn't matter. All that does is, like Remnant, Brainiac was convinced it was inevitable and he acted accordingly." Ozpin sighed, then placed his spectacles back onto his face. "Needless to say, the destruction of those planets has caught the attention of the Green Lantern Corp, yet they hadn't confronted him yet. Why do you think that is the case?"
Everyone was silent as they pondered Ozpin's words, then Ironwood began to shake his pointed hand up and down as he turned back towards the rest of the group. Knowing that he had come to the same conclusion as Ozpin, they allowed him to speak.
"If the Lanterns have fought Brainiac before and only succeeded a few times, that means they know a frontal assault is unwise. Brainiac's ship is well fortified and easily defended, and attempting a siege would only result in more Green Lantern deaths," Ironwood surmised, tapping into his military training and thinking to the best of his ability. "So, knowing that, they probably figure that the best course of action is to find out where he's most likely going and laying a trap, catching him unawares and maximizing their chances of success."
"You mean they're planning an ambush," Taiyang stated, and Ozpin nodded.
"I'm not completely certain," Ozpin admitted, "but it seems to be the most likely outcome."
"Has Brainiac been preparing for that possibility? If you've noticed it, then so has he," Glynda pointed out.
"He's the one who told me that's what they're most likely doing after I figured it out," Ozpin revealed. "Yet, despite knowing what the Lanterns were planning, Brainiac hasn't altered course whatsoever."
"Wait… Brainiac knows he's walking into a trap, yet he's going in anyway?" Ironwood asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yes, because he doesn't think their efforts will be enough. He's defeated similar attempts before and has upgraded his arsenal since then numerous times. Rather than change course, he's hoping to use the opportunity to capture one of the Green Lanterns' power rings for study."
"Power rings? What are—You know what, never mind," Glynda cut herself off. After seeing how outlandish weapons could be on Remnant, she supposed she had no right to judge the weapons of another.
"That seems quite arrogant of him," Port declared, and Ozpin nodded.
"Indeed. That's the biggest thing I've learned about Brainiac since our games began," Ozpin began. "Without question, Brainiac is so self-assured in his position as the smartest being in the universe that everyone else is beneath him. We are but ants to him in comparison, and what concern does one have towards ants? Yet, at the same time, he doesn't seem to grasp that something tiny and seemingly insignificant can turn the tables on him. It's how RWBY and JNPR managed to make their escape and why Brainiac continues marching towards the ambush he knows is coming. He's so arrogant, he believes his victory to be inevitable, and with the Brothers as my witness, I will ensure that arrogance becomes his downfall."
The others nodded in approval at this statement, although Ironwood had a more contemplative look on his face. It was a look that Ozpin recognized, and so he turned towards the General and raised an eyebrow. He had an inkling as to what Ironwood was thinking of, but he wanted him to admit it.
"Something on your mind, James?" Ozpin asked. Ironwood shot up in a start, then shook his head.
"No, just…thinking is all," he lied, but while Port, Oobleck, and Glynda deigned to raise their eyebrows in subtle disbelief, Taiyang openly scoffed and crossed his arms.
"Oh, I think we all know that's bullshit, James," Taiyang declared, frowning deeply. "You've been hiding something from all of us, something you've been having your men work on for months ever since we learned Ruby, Yang, and their friends escaped. Mind sharing with the rest of the class?"
Ironwood looked at Taiyang Xiao Long and narrowed his eyes. He looked as though he was about to issue another denial, but when he saw the others harden their gazes, he relented and sighed. After shaking his head, he straightened himself and folded his arms behind his back to address the room.
"I'm sure you've noticed by now, and now's as good a time as any, I suppose," he admitted, then took another deep breath and continued. "Do you any of you remember the late Doctor Watts?"
"I remember him being insufferable," Oobleck replied, and Ironwood nodded in agreement.
"Yes, he was, but at the same time he was utterly brilliant. Among other things, he designed the Atlesian Paladin, Mantle's citywide code network, and multiple weapon systems that were still in use by the Atlesian military by the time of Brainiac's invasion."
"What does Watts have to do with anything?" Taiyang asked while raising a hand, and Ironwood looked towards him before continuing.
"Shortly before his death following the Paladin Incident," Ironwood calmly explained, "Doctor Watts and Doctor Polendina devised a theory. We all know that the splitting and fusing of atoms releases a tremendous amount of energy, but so far accessing that energy has proven to be elusive outside of limited laboratory testing. They believed that taking fissionable material, such as uranium, and settling it in a perfectly shaped Dust charge could cause a chain reaction, one where the splitting of the fissile material exponentially increases energy output. Energy that could be used to generate clean, efficient power, thus allowing Dust to be redirected purely towards fighting the Grimm…or create devastating weapons more powerful than anything seen before."
Suddenly everyone seemed to realize where Ironwood's train of thought was going, and Port muttered, "James, you didn't…"
"Following the Paladin Incident, the Nuclear Dust Bomb, as it became known, was shelved in favor of Project P.E.N.N.Y.," Ironwood revealed, doing his best to ignore the outraged looks on everyone's faces. "But the theory itself was still worked on. In fact, Penny often helped her father with refining it prior to her arrival in Vale for the Vytal Festival in the hopes of creating nuclear power plants one day. As such, Penny became an expert in the emerging field, second only to her father."
Ironwood took a deep breath and closed his eyes before looking back towards the others. He added, "Ever since Brainiac destroyed us, he's left his technology behind. Mostly destroyed drones, but it was enough for us to learn about them. The nanolaminate alloys that were so finely merged that it was impossible for us to tell what elements were in them, the type of gas compounds that combined to fire their plasma cannons, as well as the fact that they were powered by small nuclear power cells. Once Brainiac started taking you up to see him on a regular basis, I had Penny and my men gather as many power cells as they could as well as all the fine Dust crystals we had to spare."
"James, do not tell me that you made a nuclear bomb," Glynda demanded, and Ironwood looked at her.
"Penny was taken before it was finished," he admitted. "But we've made—"
"For the Brothers' sake, James!"
"Let me explain—"
"Do you not realize just how reckless that is?! What if that bomb went off here?!"
"It's perfectly safe, I assure you," Ironwood insisted, trying to placate the angered woman. "I had Penny design the bomb herself and internally check hundreds of times to ensure that nothing could set it off prematurely. Once it's completed, it will only detonate at full power if done so in a highly specific way. If you were to blow it up improperly, all that would occur is an explosion strong enough to level a building. At most, a city block."
"Okay then, let's continue," Taiyang remarked, getting off the wall he was leaning on. "Once this bomb is completed, how strong will it be?"
"At full strength, and deployed properly, a yield of fifty kilotons."
"Fifty kilo—by God, man," Port muttered, and Taiyang's scowl deepened.
"What were you hoping to do with a bomb that powerful? Try to blow up our bottle?" Taiyang asked. "Because I'm pretty sure all that's going to do is destroy Vale."
"Don't be ridiculous," Ironwood shot back, his face hardening as he clearly took offense at the insinuation. "You're all acting as though I'm trying to kill us all, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm trying to save us."
"Then tell us, James. What do you plan to do with this nuclear Dust bomb?" Oobleck asked, and Ironwood slowly turned his head towards Ozpin.
"The design that Penny made was compact enough to be fit into a large briefcase," Ironwood revealed. "A briefcase that could be carried by one man. A man who has direct, personal access to Brainiac."
At once, everyone realized exactly what Ironwood's plan was. Slowly, they turned their heads towards Ozpin, who was silently contemplating everything that Ironwood was telling him.
"So that's your game," Taiyang muttered. "Finish the bomb and give it to Ozpin. Then, when he goes up for another game of chess, boom. A fifty kiloton explosion goes off in Brainiac's face."
"I have to admit, it does have a certain ring to it," Port replied, and Ironwood fervently nodded.
"Exactly," Ironwood declared, his face hardening in determination. "I know it's a longshot, but it's a chance for us to kill him. Brainiac may be powerful, but I doubt even he could survive an explosion of that magnitude. Especially one that close."
"Your plan would kill Ozpin," Glynda pointed out.
"Ozpin will reincarnate," Ironwood shot back. "Even then, he's the only one able to get the bomb close enough for it to even have a chance of working. Believe me, if I could do it in his place, I would. Even if it meant my death, if Brainiac went with me I'd do it in a heartbeat. There would be no hesitation."
They could see that Ironwood was being completely sincere in his words, and none of them could doubt that they were true. They themselves agreed wholeheartedly. If they had to die to ensure Brainiac faced justice for his immeasurable crimes, it was a sacrifice they'd happily take.
"What about the cities? Wouldn't they be destroyed by the blast?" Oobleck asked, and Ironwood shook his head.
"Based off of the intel Ozpin gathered, I don't believe so. These barriers are practically indestructible. At most, there would be a heavy rattling, like an earthquake, for the occupants inside," Ironwood said. "Don't you see? I know that RWBY and JNPR are out there, but we have to face the facts. We are most likely never going to see them again, so holding out hope for them to find allies and come save us is fruitless. The only chance we have to save Remnant and stop Brainiac from destroying more planets is to stop him ourselves. We have the perfect opportunity to do so when these Green Lanterns are in position to retrieve the ship, and all it would take is the sacrifice of one man who would come back to life anyway."
"Even if we accept your plan, James, which I'm not saying we should," Glynda remarked, "Ozpin's reincarnation doesn't simply have him come back to life. He would die then become nothing more than a voice in some poor soul's head. Their souls would then merge as his new host is forced to take on Ozpin's responsibilities, and after that…the Ozpin we know would be gone forever."
The others nodded in agreement. None of them wanted to lose Ozpin, especially now when they needed his leadership the most. Ozpin's death would be like losing the captain of a ship in the middle of a hurricane, which wasn't an appealing prospect.
Glynda continued, "Assuming we do as you suggest and throw Ozpin into the slaughterhouse, we have no idea who he'll reincarnate into nor when. It could be years for him to reincarnate, and there's no guarantee he'll do so in Vale. We would lose him with perhaps no chance of recovery."
"And what if Brainiac survives the assassination attempt? Or simply sees it coming when he becomes suspicious of this briefcase Ozpin has never carried with him before and scans its contents?" Oobleck added. "I highly doubt he'd let Vale or the other Remnant cities off lightly for such a thing. If Brainiac isn't killed by this bomb of yours, you'd be dooming Remnant entirely."
"That's a risk we have to be willing to take," Ironwood insisted, then turned towards Professor Ozpin. "You agree with me, right? You, of all people, know that Brainiac needs to be stopped as soon as possible. I know this has a slim chance of victory, but it's better than nothing. Better than just sitting around as his lab rats, waiting for him to decide that he's learned enough and dispose of us like trash."
Ozpin didn't speak, contemplating everything. Everyone else was silent, waiting for Ozpin to reveal his thoughts. Finally, after several tense minutes, Ozpin looked up from his desk towards General Ironwood.
"James' plan is sound," Ozpin admitted, and James smiled.
"Thank you, Ozpin," he said. "I know that it's asking a lot, and it's nowhere near done, but—"
"But I don't approve it," Ozpin interrupted, causing James to look at him in surprise.
"What? But, why?"
"Besides the fact that the chances of it working are slim," Ozpin started, "it is not because I don't want to die. On that, James, you and I agree. I would gladly sacrifice my life to kill Brainiac, and since I reincarnate, the cost would be…less absolute than anyone else."
"Then why say no?" Ironwood asked, and Ozpin sighed before getting up and walking towards the balcony. His back was turned towards his subordinates as he looked across Vale, refusing to take his eyes off it.
"It is only a suspicion right now," Ozpin softly started, "but I believe I know the true reason why Brainiac hasn't been dealt with. It's not because he's too powerful, for there are others who are far superior either individually or as a group. No, I fear it's because of what he holds. Inside Brainiac's ship is the collective knowledge of thousands, if not millions, of worlds and civilizations, along with hundreds of thousands of currently inhabited cities. At the moment, they are secure, all connected to Brainiac himself so that he can monitor them for study. What happens if that connection is forcibly severed?"
The others stared at Ozpin, then their eyes began to widen in horrified realization. With her voice trembling, Glynda replied, "You don't mean…?"
"Yes," Ozpin answered, turning around to face his comrades with rage in his eyes. "I believe the reason why Brainiac hasn't been killed yet is because the act of doing so would destroy the cities he's captured. By taking his life, we could be killing trillions."
Ironwood felt all eyes fall on him again, and he gulped while his body trembled. He shakily said, "You…you don't know if that'll happen."
"No, I don't," Ozpin admitted. "Not for certain, but either way I'm not willing to take that risk."
Ironwood stared at Professor Ozpin for a moment, then he sighed and backed away while muttering, "Gods…damn him."
"On that, you and I completely agree."
December 6th, 5:00 PM (Afghanistan Time)
Parwan Province, Afghanistan
Lieutenant Luke Fox drove his Humvee down the desert road, eyes squarely focused on his surroundings as his squad finished their patrol. Songs from the 80s were blasting out from the radio, and a few of his squad mates were vibing along to the tunes while others tried their best to ignore them.
"Why do we gotta listen to this old shit, LT?" Private Smith asked from the backseat, keeping an eye out the window just in case anything popped up. "I'd rather not listen to Highway to the Danger Zone when we're already there."
"You know the rules, Smith," Luke replied, keeping his left hand on the wheel while raising his right pointer finger into the air. "Front passenger is DJ, and Corporal Jenkins is a fan of 80s rock."
Jenkins, a broad-shouldered Caucasian man with a bushy brown beard and wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, looked behind his shoulder towards Smith and smiled while flashing a thumbs up. Smith frowned, but knew he didn't have a leg to stand on. The sanctity of the passenger DJ was not to be violated, and all he could do was grumble and wait for his turn.
"Hey, don't worry man," Private Ramirez, a short Hispanic man with black hair and a neat moustache on his face, remarked with a smile as he manned the machine gun on top of the armored Humvee. "When you're DJ, you can play all the Disney songs you want to your heart's content."
"Those aren't the-! Gagh!" Smith began protesting, but the rest of the squad all laughed. The Army private grumbled, but otherwise stayed silent. Speaking up further would only make things worse.
Luke couldn't help but smile as he glanced at his squadmates from the rearview mirror. Cracking jokes like this was a great way to relieve tension, even if nothing was going on at the moment. As a soldier, Luke Fox knew that moments like this were fleeting, and so it was good to cherish them whenever they arrived.
Luke turned his attention back towards the road. He and his squad were finishing their patrol and returning to base. For the most part, everything was uneventful with no signs of Grimm nor insurgent activity in the area. The most exciting thing they saw was a small herd of rams bounding up the mountainside. While some might have felt that was boring, Luke was more than okay with it. Boring meant safe, and safe meant his squad wasn't getting being said, he was more than well aware that things could turn on its head at a moment's notice, and so he kept his M4 carbine next to him at all times, much like the rest of his squad did with their weapons.
"So, Lieutenant. Been meaning to ask you something," Corporal Kim, a Korean woman with short black hair, spoke up.
"Fire away," Luke replied, and Kim nodded.
"You come from one of the richest families in America," Kim pointed out. "Your dad is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. By all accounts, you should've landed a cushy job with him when you graduated from MIT, yet you're slumming it out here with us. Not that I don't enjoy your company, but I have to ask: why'd you do it?"
Luke chuckled, having been asked this question numerous times. He answered truthfully, "I've been living with a silver spoon in my mouth for my entire life. Figured I might as well give something back."
"Oh, don't give me that!" Kim replied, a smile on her face. "Come on, what's the real reason?"
"Yeah, LT! You can trust us!" Smith piped up, and the rest of the squad looked over towards him with expectant smiles on their faces. They clearly all agreed with Kim's assertion, but rather than feel offended, Luke was more amused than anything.
He shook his head, then admitted, "Fine, you caught me. You wanna know the real reason why I joined the Army?"
His squad eagerly nodded, and Luke nodded back before declaring, "I wanted to be Batman."
None of them expected that answer, and Jenkins tilted his head and asked, "Really? You wanted to be Batman?"
"Yeah, really," Luke confirmed. "Or at least work with him."
"…Why?" Smith asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't get me wrong, Batman's a badass and all, but he's…kinda nuts, don't you think? I mean, he dresses up as a bat and goes around kicking the crap out of people. Someone who does that clearly has issues."
"To be fair, that's not all that uncommon anymore," Ramirez pointed out, looking down from his turret emplacement.
"Yeah, I know, but Batman started doing it well before anyone did, and don't get me started on the kids he works with. That's just…weird," Smith muttered, and Luke shook his head while continuing to drive.
"Hey, don't diss on the Robins. All of them are just as heroic as he is," Luke defended, then his face softened. As he continued to drive, he quietly added, "But, the thing is, I didn't want to be Batman just because he was a badass. He is one, but ask any kid in Gotham and they'll tell you all the same: Batman may be scary at times, but he makes them feel safe and secure. I've lived in Gotham my entire life, and before Batman showed up, it was a hellhole."
"You mean to say it isn't now?" Jenkins remarked flatly.
Luke shrugged in response then added, "No, not saying that. Gotham still has its fair share of problems, but believe it or not, before Batman arrived it was even worse. Sure, we didn't have the Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Penguin, or any of the other supervillains who moved in, but Falcone, Maroni, and all the other crime families were just as bad. Worse in some cases, really. They ruled the city, corrupting the police department, the courts, the mayor's office, the press, everywhere. There wasn't any place in Gotham that was safe.
"I remember hearing about an incident involving Carmine Falcone," Luke added as they rounded a bend. "He was eating at one of the Italian restaurants he used as a front to launder his money when a young man walked in. This man hated Falcone, hated what he represented and what he'd done to Gotham, and wanted to tell him to his face that he wasn't afraid of him. Falcone responded by pointing out that there were two councilmen, several off-duty officers, a union official, and a judge all around them, and yet despite that many high-level witnesses being there, Falcone wouldn't have hesitated to shoot him in the head at that very moment. He meant it, too. Had he done so, he would've gotten away with it Scott-Free."
Luke's frown deepened, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. He added, "Gotham was rotten to the core. Any good that was there was slowly being crushed by the sickness around it. Even from my high tower, I could see it everywhere I looked. I hated living in Gotham when I was a kid, and I couldn't wait to leave.
"Then, one day, everything changed." Luke's frown turned into a smile. "At first, it was simply whispers and urban legends about a man-sized bat who preyed on criminals in the dead of night. No one believed it, but then reports started piling up. Rapists, drug-dealers, murderers, crooked cops, and more all found tied up, beaten to a pulp and terrified beyond reason by an unknown assailant they described as a man-sized bat from Hell.
"Soon sightings of the Batman, as he became known, started gaining widespread attention. When the GCPD launched an official investigation to try and capture him, that confirmed his existence to everyone. At first, we considered that the end of it," Luke admitted, "then the Batman did something no one thought was possible: he took down Falcone and provided indisputable evidence to the city, state, and federal governments about his crimes. The Batman managed to take down Carmine Falcone's entire operation in just six months, something people had been trying to do for years. A few months later, the Maroni family, then the Triads. He even worked with then Lieutenant James Gordon in taking down Commissioner Loeb, the former corrupt head of the GCPD who was in league with Gotham's crime families. When Gordon became commissioner, the abusive and corrupt officers of the GCPD were taken down, replaced by a force that once again had integrity and honor to its name. When he was still Gotham's district attorney and before his accident, Harvey Dent worked with Batman to remove corrupt judges and government officials from seats of power. Slowly but surely, the corruption that was poisoning Gotham was stripped away, and people finally began to feel safe."
"Sure, that's impressive," Kim admitted, "but all that did was leave a power-vacuum. One that was filled with supervillains, and I don't think I need to remind you of how often those psychopaths make a scene."
"Frankly, I'm surprised they're still alive," Ramirez grumbled. "Give me two minutes alone with the Joker and I'll make sure that fucking clown never laughs again."
"A lot of people would agree with you on that," Luke replied as he continued to drive. "Personally, so do I, but at the same time I respect Batman's commitment not to kill anyone. At the end of the day, he's become a shining, incorruptible beacon of hope for Gotham, and so long as he's there, people believe that Gotham can one day move past its current ailments. For a time, he even succeeded, at least until Darkseid wrecked the place. But despite all of that, Batman's efforts made the city a better place, and so I looked up to him. I wanted to be him, I wanted to work with him, and a lot of what I did once I started high-school was in an effort to be noticed. It's why I got into MMA, learned forensics and computer science, got my pilot's license, and more."
"In essence, you became a nerd who can kick someone's ass," Smith joked, and Luke smiled and nodded.
"You know it, Smith. Anyway, that obviously didn't work, and when I got into MIT I gave up on that dream. But, I still wanted to, you know, give back after receiving so much. You're right, Kim. When I graduated, I could have gone straight to working for my father, but instead I chose to enlist and become an officer of the U.S. Army," Luke declared. "So yeah, that's why I'm out here with you guys."
His squad all looked at him, then Ramirez snorted and remarked, "Sounds about right. Tried to be Batman but settled for Army instead when that didn't work out."
"Should I be worried about Army recruitment in Gotham now, LT? Does that apply to the Marines, Navy, and Air Force, too? On second thought, never mind. Let them figure that out on their own," Kim added.
"What about the Coast Guard?" Ramirez asked, and Jenkins snorted.
"Them, too," he joked, and the Humvee occupants laughed at the display of inter-branch rivalry.
Luke laughed and shook his head, then said, "Yeah, in hindsight it's a little silly. Still, I look up to Batman. Pretty much everyone in Gotham does."
The laugher died down and the soldiers looked at their lieutenant. After a moment, Kim nodded and added, "Yeah, I suppose so. Thanks for answering, LT."
"No problem, corporal. Happy to—" Luke stopped as he saw something from the corner of his eye, then he slammed his foot on the brake. The Humvee skidded to a stop, and the surprised occupants of the vehicle lurched forward as inertia carried their moment. The second car in their patrol stopped as well, and immediately everyone was on alert.
"What?! What is it?!" Smith asked as he raised his M4 up alongside Jenkins. Kim had her M14 at the ready while Ramirez swiveled his mounted M249 around the area.
"Look, right there," Luke answered, leaning to the side and pointing up the mountain. His squad followed his finger, then Jenkins narrowed his eyes and gave Luke a sideways glare.
"Lieutenant, that's just a bunch of birds," he pointed out, but Luke merely pulled out a pair of binoculars to study the birds more closely. After a quick confirmation, he handed the binoculars over to Corporal Jenkins, who followed the silent order and looked through them as well.
"Those aren't just birds," Luke corrected. "Those are griffon vultures. Scavengers."
"Yeah, I know what a vulture is. I'm from Texas, remember?" Jenkins remarked as he passed the binoculars around the Humvee, allowing the rest of the squad to look through them as well. "Something must have died and now they're eating the carcass. That's what vultures do."
"They need thirty for that?" Luke asked. Jenkin narrowed his eyes and counted the number of vultures. Sure enough, there were roughly thirty of the scavengers flying around, and there may have been more already on the ground.
"We passed by this area not five hours ago, and those birds weren't there."
"Maybe a couple big animals died recently?" Ramirez suggested, and Luke nodded.
"Perhaps, but I don't think it'll hurt to check it out," Luke said, looking over his shoulder towards his squad. They all looked at him then each other, and after a moment Corporal Kim looked back at Luke Fox and nodded.
"It's your call, LT," she replied. The rest of the squad nodded in agreement, then Luke nodded back before flipping on his radio.
"Command, be advised. We spotted something out on patrol. Going to investigate, over," Luke reported into his radio, then drove the Humvee off the dirt road towards the mountain. The other Humvee followed, and a tense atmosphere formed over them.
"Acknowledged, Lieutenant. We are standing by," the radio operator responded.
Luke didn't bother replying, instead focusing on traversing the rough terrain. When they got to the base of the mountain, they found themselves unable to drive any further. There was a path up the mountain, however, and so he and his squad got out of their vehicle with their weapons in hand. Once the other Humvee joined them, the other four members of Luke's squad jogged up.
"What's going on?" Sergeant Matthews, a tall, cleanshaven Caucasian man asked, looking around for any signs of danger.
"Don't know yet, but I got a funny feeling," Luke replied.
Having already grown accustomed to Luke's funny feelings, as well as how often they saved their behinds, Matthews accept it without question. Hefting up his M249, Matthews ushered Lance Corporal Johannes, a man of German descent with a short, stubby beard across his face, and Private Brixson, an African-American woman with her black hair neatly tied up in a bun, up to take point with their M4s. Private Johnson stayed behind, using the scope of his M14 to survey the landscape alongside Corporal Kim.
They carefully made their way up the mountain, keeping an eye out for any loose rocks that would make them lose their footing. A few times a loose rock slipped out from under their feet, but their squadmates were there to make sure they didn't fall down the steep path. When they drew closer to the top, a foul stench of death rose through the air, and many of the soldiers visibly gagged while others pinched their noses shut in an effort to block out the smell. The stench burned Luke's nostrils, but he pressed on until they finally reached the top of the mountain, where the vultures were gathering.
"Jesus Christ…" Luke muttered under his breath, his eyes widening as he saw what the vultures were eating. As his squadmates rejoined him, they gasped in shock and horror as well.
The vultures weren't eating from the carcasses of a few dead animals. Instead, they had stumbled onto a mass grave. Dozens of Afghan villagers were piled on top of each other, baking in the intense sunlight as their flesh was ripped off their bodies and devoured by the vultures. Already a few had their bones exposed to the elements, and Luke suspected that in just a few short hours they'd be picked clean. Many already were.
"Hey, get the fuck out of here!" Smith roared as he marched forward, aiming his M4 towards the vultures. He fired a few shots that harmlessly hit the rocks around them, but the scavengers got the message. Startled by the loud noises, they flew off, leaving the corpses be.
"Command, get someone over here now! We just…God, we just found a mass grave!" Luke announced. The radio operator immediately responded, and as Luke detailed what they found the rest of the soldiers slowly moved up to secure the area and inspect the bodies for evidence.
"What the hell happened here?" Kim muttered as she got close to one of the bodies, turning it over to inspect the damage. Immediately she noticed several bullet holes in the upper torso, as well as one in the head. Other bodies featured similar wounds, telling her exactly what happened.
"These people were executed," she announced, standing up and shaking her head, trying her best to keep her mind focused.
"Yeah, no shit!" Ramirez remarked, holding up his M249 to secure the area. "Where'd they come from?"
"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell going to find out," Sergeant Matthews replied, a deep scowl on his face as he studied more of the bodies.
"Acknowledged command. Fox out," Luke finished giving his report, then joined his squad in inspecting the bodies. "They're sending helicopters up here to secure the area and retrieve the bodies. We're to stand guard until they arrive."
"You got it, LT," Smith replied, already taking position and mounting his rifle onto a rock that overlooked the valley below. Most of the squad did the same, leaving only Fox to stand over the bodies. He had a sad frown on his face which soon morphed onto an angered scowl as he tightly clenched his fist.
"Goddammit," he cursed, then prepared to join his squad in securing the area.
Before he did, though, he noticed that one of the bodies was younger than most. Walking over to it, he found that the partially-eaten body was that of a girl. She had a dark hijab over her head that matched the black and blue robes over her body. The blue was stained with dark, dried blood from the bullet holes all over her body, but the most grievous was on her head. She had been shot straight through her left eye, exposing parts of her skull and brain. The girl looked no older than sixteen, which just punctuated the tragedy of it all to him.
Sighing in regret, he turned around, but then he saw a faint violet shimmer pass over the girl's body. Catching his attention, he looked back with a start, raising his eyebrow and taking a step closer.
"What the hell…?" he muttered, leaning in to get a closer look.
A few heavy moments passed, and he was prepared to chalk it up to seeing things when another violet aura appeared over the girls' body. This time other members of his squad noticed, and as they turned around to look, the girl's right eye suddenly shot open and she screamed at the top of her lungs while bolting upright.
"JESUS CHRIST!" Smith shouted as he fell back in surprise.
"HOLY SHIT, SHE'S STILL ALIVE!" Matthews shouted as well, and Luke had already thrown his weapon aside as he held the girls' shoulders.
"Brixson, get your ass over here, now!" Luke ordered as Private Brixson, the squad's medic, rushed over while pulling out a first aid kit. As the medic drew close, Luke turned back on his radio and shouted, "Command, we have a survivor! Need immediate medical extraction! Now!"
The girl continued screaming, both from pain and fear as she clutched her head. Her head that was still shot completely through. How she was alive was an impossible mystery to Luke, but right now he figured that question could wait for later.
"It's okay, it's okay. Just hold still," Brixson attempted to soothe the young girl, but she wasn't responding. She just continued to scream, and to their surprise saw the violet aura from before spring back up.
Their eyes widened, and the soldiers stepped back. The aura filled the girl's body and even her eyes began to glow violet, and to their surprise they saw her wounds begin to heal. The bullet wounds on her torso were the first to go, then the stripped away flesh on her exposed arms began to grow back. Finally, the wound on her head sealed shut, first the brain followed by her skull. Only once both were fully healed did the muscle, skin, and eye grow back, and finally the violet glow ceased. The girl stopped screaming and began to breathe heavily, holding herself close as she looked around, a confused look on her face.
"…Command," Luke softly spoke into his radio. "the girl…healed herself."
"Say again, Lieutenant?" the radio operator asked, and in the distance they could hear the rotors of approaching helicopters.
"She's a metahuman, command. She…started glowing violet and her body healed," Luke clarified. The other end of the line was silent for a moment, then the confused radio operator began to speak once more.
"…Alright. Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Standby, medevac and reinforcements are on the way."
"Copy that, command. We'll try to figure out what's going on," Luke Fox said, then gently picked the confused and scared girl up and walked her away from the bodies. Brixson pulled out a thin blanket and draped it over her shoulders while the rest of Luke's men formed a protective barrier around her. Once they were far enough away, Luke sat her back down on a rock, and he crouched in front of her and smiled warmly.
"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now," he gently stated, using a wet rag to wipe away the dried blood on her face. "Do you understand me?"
The girl looked at him for a moment, and he was prepared to start speaking Pashto when the girl nodded. Relieved, Luke's smile widened and he asked, "What's your name?"
The girl looked at him and the other concerned soldiers, then looked down at her feet and said, "I…I don't know."
Luke looked up at Sergeant Matthews in concern. Then he turned his attention back towards the girl and gently replied, "That's okay. Do you remember anything?"
"…No. Everything's…blurry," she admitted.
Luke furrowed his brow. The girl was clearly suffering from memory loss, most likely as a result of her trauma despite the fact that she was able to recover from them. Getting shot in the head was going to result in brain damage, no matter what you did. He then noticed that where her body previously laid was a small bag. Snapping his fingers towards it, Ramirez ran up and grabbed it before handing the bag over to Luke Fox. He fished through it, hoping to find something that he could identify her with. Unfortunately, anything that could be used to identify her was either gone or destroyed, leaving him at a loss.
"Alright, let's see if we can't figure everything out together," he said, looking at the girl while offering a comforting smile. The girl tilted her head in confusion, then after a moment smiled back and nodded.
The girl then frowned and grabbed her head, remarking, "My head hurts…"
"That's okay," Luke soothed the girl, Brixson already fishing for medicine to help alleviate the pain. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised she was having a headache. That was rather understandable after getting shot clean through the head.
At the same time, Luke knew he couldn't just keep referring to her as 'the girl' forever. It was incredibly dehumanizing, which was the last thing they needed. They needed to find out her name, but without any identifying documents on hand, he doubted they'd find out anytime soon. Keeping a smile on his face to mask his worry, he looked over the girl to try and come up with something.
"You know," he said, snapping his fingers and drawing the girl's attention to him, "you look like a Violet to me."
The girl raised her eyebrow and Brixson shot her lieutenant an incredulous look. A look that screamed, 'Seriously, that's the best you could come up with?' He offered a shrug to his squad's medic, then looked back at the girl and smiled.
"Does that work for you?" he gently asked. He'd only call her that if she was okay with it. She scrunched up her face, thinking it over, then nodded.
"Violet…sounds nice," she admitted, and Luke sighed in relief.
"It's a nice, pretty name," Luke declared. Violet looked at him for a few moments, then smiled gently. Luke's smile widened, then he turned to his men and ordered, "Search them for anything else you can find. Let's try to figure out where they came from."
"Yes sir," his squad replied, and while Luke sat back down with Violet they started carefully combing through the bodies, trying to find any scraps of information they could.
"Now then, Violet. My name is Luke Fox. I'm a soldier, and I'm trying to find out what happened here. Do you think you can help me?"
Violet looked at him for a moment, then nodded and answered, "I'll…I'll try."
"That's good," Luke softly whispered as he nodded, then the two began to talk.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Here's the latest chapter of Hunters of Justice. Apologies for any issues seeing the previous chapter last month. decided to crap out on all of us right as I posted. That was...swell, just like what happened yesterday when wouldn't let me upload documents. Then the main Spacebattles portal was inaccessible due to the site crashing for three hours. Clearly, the internet loves my story.
In any case, a bit of a slow chapter but nevertheless just as important. Think of this chapter as a bridge getting us to where we're going next.
Now, onto the Q&A:
TheLandMaster: Happened in canon during Volume 7, so we had to reference it somehow.
Jonrocksthestar: That's because Darkseid IS. Trying to measure up to him of all beings is asking to be made miniscule by comparison.
Guest (1): You will have to wait and see. Please keep in mind, try to avoid questions like these as they are directly related to spoilers. I'm not going to answer them, basically.
Guest (2): The thing is, though, you can't really say that the Brother of Darkness is purely evil. Destructive, yes, but that's not inherently evil. Trigon, Necron, and Darkseid are definitely pure evil, but I wouldn't say the Brother of Darkness is. Just as I wouldn't say the Brother of Light is purely good, either. They operate on entirely different spectrums of morality than we do, so it's hard to quantify.
Guest (3): The thing is, actually, the Injustice universe doesn't qualify as part of the Dark Multiverse. Does bad stuff happen in it? Absolutely, but it still follows logic and reason. The Dark Multiverse is literally made from illogical nightmares that literally break down under their own weight. It's why they're so dark and edgy: it's the entire point. They're so dark and edgy they literally destroy themselves because the universe itself bends over backwards to accommodate the darkness and edginess. As for whether or not I'll do Injustice in any capacity, you will have to wait and see.
Guest (4): You'll have to wait and see.
The Viking Stranger: Yep, the Dark Multiverse tends to do that to people.
RandomName3064: Yeah, I'm really happy how it turned out, too. Although I can't take credit for it. That honor belongs to The Infamous Man. He reached out to me and requested permission to write it, and I happily obliged and gave assistance as well. In case you don't know who he is, The Infamous Man is the author of Amazing Fantasy, a Spider-Man/My Hero Academia crossover where Izuku Midoryia, aka Deku, becomes Spider-Man and is mentored by Peter Parker, the actual Spider-Man, after he's sucked from the Marvel universe into the MHA universe. It's very entertaining and I recommend you guys check it out!
Guest (5): As mentioned previously, I did not write the Dark Multiverse omake nor the Omega Batman omake. Those were both written by The Infamous Man. I only wrote the Halloween Do-Over chibi omake.
Drake G. Reaper: Yeah, I can see where you're coming from, but at the same time there is a reason why the really, really bad versions from the Dark Multiverse keep popping up. They're both super popular and offer perhaps the greatest avenues for character interactions.
Crossovernaru: Given how last year's Halloween special was DCeased, we figured having a mix of light and dark made sense. It's Halloween, after all. Diving into horror is half the fun of it.
Jackalope89: I understand that, and honestly I try to avoid grimdark as well. For a sidestory like this, we felt it was fine, but don't expect the main story to get this dark and depressing. Darkness-induced audience antipathy is a thing and one we're desperately trying to avoid. Will things get dark? Yes, they will, but in doing so the light at the end of the tunnel gets all the brighter.
Guestspirit: They'll come up at the opportune times, don't worry.
Brian.H.H: That's what it was meant to be, yeah. I'm glad you enjoyed them. Also, we're going to address what to do with all the cities Brainiac's captured, but RWBY and JNPR's focus is, understandably, only on the 4-6 cities from Remnant. Trust me when I say that we have a plan and you're going to have to wait and see what, exactly, that plan is.
gordhanx: Not a problem. Happy to see that you're still enjoying the story. I'm really proud of how we did Luthor in this scene. He's the second most important supervillain in this story, so we wanted to make sure we did him right. You can expect some good stuff from Superboy as well. We have a lot in store, same with the goings-on in Brainiac's ship.
That's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoy and let us know what you think!