This chapter will include the first callback to Star Wars in this fanfiction, namely the meeting of the Galactic Senate in Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Hope you enjoy, and don't worry. We'll see some action on Darkseid's part here and later.
Chapter 2: Partnerships and Preparations
It was twenty minutes after the Justice League's emergency meeting that the President was contacted. When he received the warning from Superman, he could hardly believe his ears, but he also knew that Superman knew more about Darkseid than he did, and so he took Superman's word and contacted the joint chiefs and topmost officers of the U.S. Armed Forces as well as the Department of Defense. However, when he was told that the League and their protégés would still not be enough to hold off Darkseid's hordes of Parademons and the war technology of Apokolips, the President concernedly asked, "Then what do you expect me to do?"
"We need to speak with the United Nations on this matter, Mr. President," Batman's voice replied over the phone. "This threat is bigger than any of us on our own."
The President considered this option for a couple moments, and then said, "I will contact the U.N. and let them know that the Justice League must meet with them as soon as possible. I can't make any promises that they'll move past the papers and regulatory business in favor of handling the emergency, but I'll do my best."
With the first task of preparing to defend Earth out of the way, the Justice League now had to prepare their apprentices to go with them into battle. Superman took the co-founders of the League with him and they instantaneously beamed down to the private room of the Hall of Justice, where their protégés and their friends were waiting for them.
Batman addressed the group with the air of a military instructor, which it seemed he was since he often supervised training. The Dark Knight said, "All right, ladies and gentlemen. You've been called here to the Hall of Justice and you have a right to know why. At this moment, the Justice League is preparing to face the greatest threat to Earth since the Injustice League. Darkseid of Apokolips has attempted to dispose of Superman to make his conquest of Earth easier, and as he has failed, we have reason to believe he will try another method of a surprise attack before launching the final phase of his invasion."
Now some members of the teenage hero teams were aware of who Darkseid was and what he was capable of, but there were some of them who had little knowledge of him or Apokolips. Wonder Girl asked, "Who is Darkseid?"
"Best guess: he's the biggest, baddest big bad the Justice League knows?" said Beast Boy half-jokingly.
"A colloquial statement, Beast Boy, but correct," confirmed Batman.
"Darkseid is an intergalactic tyrant and warlord from the planet Apokolips," Superman explained. "He's obsessed with conquering the whole universe and ruling it for himself, and he's not alone. He has agents in his service who practically worship him as well as an army of Parademons big enough to swath a whole planet within hours. His subjects on Apokolips are broken, placid slaves who work themselves ragged to provide energy for his world, and any world that Darkseid conquers has its population reduced to slaves just the same."
The young heroes trembled at Superman's description of Darkseid. If he was really that bad, they didn't want to meet him. But the description of Darkseid's army made a lot of them feel a little sick. Then Nightwing asked, "But what can we do about this?"
That's when Batman broke the news to the young heroes. "The Justice League is working on a plan to stop Darkseid from taking Earth altogether. But if we're going to succeed, we need all hands on deck."
"Did I hear you right, Bats?" asked Robin. "Do you mean the League, the Titans, and the Outsiders working together to stop a worldwide invasion?"
Batman only nodded with a slight smile, which made every teen in the room cheer, and the Dark Knight could have sworn he heard Kid Flash say, "Dude, that is so crash!"*
Wonder Woman was pleased to see the League's protégés were expecting to help the League combat the threat, but there was one other aspect of this operation that needed to be handled before the battle came. So she stepped in and said, "I know you're all glad to be able to help us in an emergency this big. But even all of us together won't be enough, which is why the Justice League is taking the matter up with the government and the United Nations to ensure that Earth's safety is preserved. In the meantime, we will be here for a while to inform you about Darkseid and his powers, the servants of his inner circle, and his army and war machines."
And so the group spent a full hour and fifteen minutes looking over the information the League had to present. When the meeting was over, the League got to work training their apprentices to fight faster, harder, and better, for they would need all the strength and stamina they could muster to protect Earth from Darkseid. Eventually, Batman had to leave. It was time to put the second phase of the League's defense plan into action.
WASHINGTON D.C.
JUNE 12, 14:35 EDT
Batman took a Zeta Tube to Washington D.C. and then journeyed to one place he never thought anyone in the Justice League would be welcome: Cadmus Headquarters. He entered through the ventilation shaft and then made his presence known on the security cameras. On the lower levels of Cadmus, in Sublevel 26, Amanda Waller was watching him there and gave Batman clearance to enter. True, she wasn't the Justice League's biggest fan, but it was better to aid superheroes than to produce weapons and illegal breeding projects to fight them on Lex Luthor's orders. After all, Amanda had come to understand that there was a reason for what the members of the League did for the public, and because of that, she had come to respect them.
When Batman entered Sublevel 26, he went straight to Ms. Waller's office, where she was waiting for him. Ms. Waller rose from her desk and said, "Thank you for coming, Batman. I admit I wasn't expecting you, but I guess you wouldn't have come if it was unnecessary."
"Believe me, Amanda, it is necessary," Batman said seriously. "I'm here because the League is facing an emergency just as dangerous and more than the Injustice League."
"What do you mean?" she replied.
"Darkseid of Apokolips is planning to conduct another invasion to add Earth to his oppressive empire," Batman explained. "If he succeeds, our civilization as we know it will be torn to the ground and all people everywhere will be enslaved and deprived of their will to live, literally made incapable of revolt."
Amanda Waller looked disturbed to say the least. She knew that Batman never joked about any situation the Justice League had to face, so she took his word on the spot. "How can Cadmus help?"
"What sort of technology did Luthor pass off as being sold to the military when he was attempting to arm the Injustice League's factions with it?"
Batman's response surprised Ms. Waller, but she assumed that Batman and the League were preparing to use Luthor's inventions for protective purposes, so she said, "Come with me, Batman. I have something to show you."
With that, she led Batman from her office and led him down to Sublevel 40, where the storage room was located. When they entered, Batman saw various armaments that Luthor had constructed for the use of the Injustice League. Even though this technology was built at Cadmus, the courts believed that those working there were only following orders, and most of the scientists and engineers had been unaware of Luthor's real activities.
"Here is all the so-called military tech Luthor had Cadmus build for him to subvert U.S. law," said Ms. Waller.
"It'll have to do," Batman declared.
"For what?" Ms. Waller inquired.
"The Justice League has called the younger heroes whom we train to fight beside us for this mission, but even our numbers won't be enough," replied Batman. "We're going to need a much bigger force to handle a worldwide emergency on this scale, and the only way to do that is to convince every nation that values its existence to fight for that. We may not be on good terms with every nation, but in this scenario, the enemy of our enemy is our friend."
Amanda Waller immediately understood what was going on. The Justice League was trying to unite people around the world to fight back against Darkseid's invasion. It was a risky move, for there would be some nations who would not help for personal reasons, but if the League played their cards right, Earth might have a chance to keep its freedom.
"In that case, Cadmus is in," Waller declared with a real smile. "So, what's the plan?"
A short time later, Ms. Waller contacted the President and informed him that the League was working to upgrade military technology for the country and if the U.N. meeting went well, then the militaries of each country would receive the same upgrades so they could have a chance to fight back alongside the Justice League. The President contacted the U.N. once again and after another few hours, Superman and his fellow co-founders were allowed to come to the United Nations for an emergency meeting.
...
On Apokolips, Darkseid and Desaad were observing the transactions between the Justice League and the U.S. government as well as the League training their protégés. Granny Goodness was with them, and she was quite surprised that so many young people were training to become first-rate superheroes.
"Sire, why do we wait to carry out the second phase of your attack?" Desaad said hastily. "We must strike now while the Supers are unaware and the Earth's people are at their weakest."
"Patience, my friend," rumbled Darkseid. "We must first see for ourselves if the Earthers are truly capable of cooperation."
A scowl formed on Desaad's pale, disfigured face, but he held his tongue. However, Granny Goodness said, "Great Darkseid, when Earth is in our hands, may I request permission to break the wills of the remaining heroes' whelps and then train them? They will make a much stronger honor guard in your service."
A smirk crossed the tyrant's face at that suggestion. If he triumphed, he could make the heroes who were left over his, and no one could stand against him ever again. In his mind, Darkseid granted Granny's request.
NEW YORK
JUNE 12, 19:45 EDT
Superman and his friends transported themselves to New York City and arrived at the United Nations headquarters in time for the meeting. After a few tense moments of document signing and procedures, the seven founding members of the Justice League were permitted to enter the U.N. General Assembly. The chairman of the assembly said, "Ladies and gentlemen, delegates of the United Nations, you have been called here tonight for this emergency meeting of the General Assembly because our nation's superheroes in the Justice League have reason to believe that the world's security is in jeopardy. To explain the severity of the situation, we have brought the seven founders of the Justice League to speak on our behalf."
The delegates all applauded the League, some members more than others, and then Superman approached the podium. Then he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I know that many of you will have doubts if what the League has to tell you is true. But I will add whatever truth I can by saying that this threat is not new to me. The world is in danger from a threat to parallel the Injustice League in the form of Darkseid."
As Batman projected files from the Watchtower computers onto the wall, Superman explained. "Darkseid is a power-mad dictator from a war-torn planet named Apokolips. Every civilian on that planet is a slave to him, and not just on his own world, but on several worlds that Darkseid has conquered. His army is composed of monsters that are called Parademons, whose only purpose is to fight and die if they must, and each of them is the physical equivalent of an armored car. The technology he uses is meant only to cause pain and torture, and his weapons are no exception. If we fight Darkseid's armies separately, then victory is vastly out of the question."
The delegates of the U.N. were quite disturbed at this news. They could believe Superman about Darkseid even though he was not as well-known as Lex Luthor and the Injustice League, but the idea of an army of monstrous creatures and war machines ravaging the entire world was unthinkable. The first delegate to speak out was Brazilian ambassador Otàvio Garcia, who asked, "What do you mean, 'if we fight separately'? If the Justice League defends all our nations, who's to say we cannot win against this Darkseid?"
Batman stepped up to the podium and explained, "Even with our protégés helping us, the League's forces will be spread thin across the globe. From what the League knows, Darkseid will first strike at population centers to get our attention. He will send his forces there to fight us until he has overtaken us, and with limited numbers, we can only stall his attack on Earth until then."
"Then what are we to do?" said Swiss delegate Isabelle Mainz.
"If our soldiers and weapons cannot stop these creatures, there may be no hope for our civilization!" Edwin Harbison of England cried.
That's when Wonder Woman took the floor and said, "That's precisely why we came to this meeting. If the Justice League and its partners fight alone, then Darkseid will have the upper hand. Our military's common arms will do only so much and we understand that. But if we all work together, our chances of keeping our civilization free will doubtlessly be increased."
"The Justice League is working with Cadmus and S.T.A.R. Labs to incorporate LexCorp technology into Earth's defenses," explained Batman. "We are also enhancing our defenses by combining alien technology from our past missions with Earth's arms, vehicles, detection systems, and communication systems. We should have these new defenses ready in another ten hours time, after which the new armaments will be delivered by ship to each nation willing to fight beside the Justice League in defense of our world."
The delegates of the U.N. were intrigued at this offer, for if the Justice League could provide their nations with arms strong enough to counter Darkseid's armies, it would indeed give them a chance to win. Boris Oblanski, the ambassador of Russia, was the next to speak out and he said, "If we are to fight beside the Justice League against this Darkseid, then I say we put personal bickering behind us. Distrust and dissension should not be getting in the way of our peoples' safety any longer. I recommend an accord be drawn between each nation able and willing to fight this invasion to ensure that our countries do not misuse the aid and armaments provided by the Justice League and that those arms do not fall into unsafe hands."
"China concurs with the honorable delegate from the Russian Federation," said ambassador Qin Song. "For the sake of safety, an accord must be appointed."
The room erupted into cheers and shouts of assent from every delegate until the chairman called, "Order! We shall have order!"
The room became quiet once more with a few murmurs of agreement, but there was one last bit of work the Justice League's founders had to do before the motion was agreed upon and the plan could begin. Martian Manhunter said to his colleagues, "It appears that the aid we will provide has encouraged most members of the United Nations to stand beside us in this fight, but there is still doubt among them. We must let them know that Earth has more than superheroes and strong weapons to protect itself from Darkseid."
"I think it's time for one of your inspirational speeches, Superman," said Green Lantern.
With that, Superman stepped up to the podium once more and waited for a question or comment to be given to him. After a moment, ambassador Padma Narang of India said, "Superman, you and your friends in the Justice League have made it clear that you are sending your forces to help us against this invasion and you are providing us with armaments to give us greater firepower. But if this alliance fails, what then? What will happen if this Darkseid succeeds where Lex Luthor and the Injustice League failed?"
"The answer to this question is clear, Madam Ambassador," Superman replied solemnly. "But now is not the time to fear defeat. We in the Justice League are aware that not everyone in the world has or will accept us, but we have continued to fight crime and injustice for people everywhere because it is the human thing to do. There will be times ahead when we will endure suffering and sorrow, but the Justice League hopes to work with friends and rivals to preserve the world's safety now. The League was formed to protect Earth and its people from evildoers at home and from elsewhere, and we have, but Darkseid's threat is bigger than all of us individually. So I want to end this meeting by asking all of you a question: who among you is willing to see your countries stand with one another to defend your people, your lives, and your future?"
That was the weak link in the chain of doubt. The delegates all began applauding as Superman returned to stand beside his fellow heroes. Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman smiled hopefully at the resounding agreements from the delegates. Martian Manhunter had a peaceful look on his bright green face, and even Batman had a slight smile coming in.
Things were getting set up for what could be the biggest battle for justice the League had faced yet, and with the support alone, they had a fighting chance.
...
When Superman, Batman, and the others returned to the Watchtower, their fellow Leaguers and their protégés had finished training after a full hour, Batgirl turned on the national news to find Cat Grant outside the U.N. building with an excited look.
"The Justice League was instrumental in providing the United Nations with a rundown of the intergalactic threat currently posed to Earth and providing a solution," she was saying. "In just forty-five minutes, the meeting went from information and questions to the League offering new arms to each nation to defend itself beside the Justice League, and the meeting ended with a rousing speech of encouragement from America's greatest champion of modern times; Superman. Though the Man of Steel was unavailable for comment, the member states of the United Nations have signed the first-ever Defense Arms Accord to ensure the safety and proper use of the new armaments that will be delivered to the newly allied nations by tomorrow morning."
The Justice League and their apprentices smiled at that, and Superman said, "It's never this easy to convince people to work together."
"True, but it is easy to influence people as we have tonight," replied Batman. "Hopefully our allies will learn a lot from the outcome of this battle."
"Perhaps they will," Starfire thought out loud. "We can only hope that victory will teach us the power of standing together in friendship. If defeat should be our lot, hope may be lost and we must learn from the consequences. But if fate is kind, it will not come to that."
Each member of the Justice League and their teenage partners nodded at that. But they didn't have time to worry about the matter, for Batman was now calling the group together for a briefing on what actions to take if Darkseid tried another attack before the League and the national armies around the world were ready to defend Earth.
APOKOLIPS
JUNE 13, 00:50 UTC
Darkseid, Desaad, and Granny Goodness were not comfortable with what they saw. If Superman and his Justice Leaguers had convinced so many nations around the world to fight against them, then they would have to act quickly before they could hope to fight back. Sensing her master's personal displeasure, Granny Goodness asked, "Sire, should I send the Furies to plant the Father Boxes?"
"Yes. But do so in locations beyond their cities. We will not risk any of the humans stumbling upon them," Darkseid ordered.
"I hear and obey, great Darkseid," Granny replied. And with that, she left the throne room of Darkseid's palace to instruct the Furies on their grim task. If their plan went well, it would not be long before Earth was theirs for the taking.
A/N: If anyone is curious about the ambassadors in this chapter being described, I included characters from neither North America nor Europe to emphasize how Darkseid's conquest would threat human civilization everywhere and how everyone willing to fight would need to work with the Justice League and each other to prevent seeing their lives taken away completely. Also, it seems fair that delegates from all over should have a say.
I also had Kid Flash say "crash" because he is Flash's future grandson Bart Allen, not Wally West.
Feel free to let me know if I took a step too far. Please keep it constructive, though. Chapter 3 will be up soon.
