We're back with your favorite story in the world! At least, I hope it's your favorite. Thank you all for waiting so patiently! Now then, let's enjoy the new year with a new chapter!
Chapter 17: Savage World
Phantom, Flash and Batman were in the Watchtower, waiting for the Javelin to return. Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl just finished some mission from space that involved the Green Lanterns and a space biker named Lobo.
"How did the mission go?" Batman asked through the communications.
"Had a few bumps," Superman replied. "The Javeline got damage, so Green Lantern is steering."
"That's good," Batman said.
"Hey, did you guys bring a souvenir?" Phantom commented, floating on top of Batman.
"We brought a space rock," Hawkgirl commented, showing a huge piece of metallic-gray rock.
"Nice," Phantom said with a grin.
Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light before it disappeared in an instant. The ones in the Javelin were shocked to what happened. The Watchtower was suddenly gone.
"What?" Wonder Woman said, confused to what happened.
"Javelin to Watchtower, can you read me?" Superman said, looking at the screen, which was showing nothing. "Batman? Phantom? Flash?"
"What happened?" Hawkgirl said, dropping the rock. "Did the Watchtower get attack?"
"I don't think so," Superman said, frowning. He then turned to Martian Manhunter. "Can you sense them?"
Martian Manhunter looked at the planet and his eyes started glowing. "Hm…this is peculiar."
"What is it?" Wonder Woman asked.
"I can sense them...but they feel different," he explained as the glow ended. "Like they are not the ones we know off."
"Green Lantern, can you get us to Earth faster?" Superman asked, worried about what was happening.
"On it," Green Lantern said, increasing the speed.
The Javelin reached the where Martian Manhunter felt their teammates and were shocked. Below them was supposed to be Metropolis, but it was different. The buildings were huge and more dictator-like with the symbol of the Nazis proudly displayed all over the place.
"Great Hera…" Wonder Woman said with a shocked gasp.
"What…What happened?" Superman said with shocked eyes.
Everyone else was shocked to what was before them. They didn't remember the place to be like this when they left. At the place where the Daily Planet was, stood a statue of a man with eyes full of confidence and a goatee, dressed in a broad-shouldered outfit.
"Who is that guy?" Hawkgirl asked, never seeing him before.
"No idea," Superman said with a frown. "But I bet he's the reason behind this."
"Everyone!" Martian Manhunter said, getting their attention. "I'm sensing Phantom. He seems to be in trouble!"
In one of the buildings, some guards wearing high tech armor were chasing a lone figure. He was about sixteen, dressed in black and white high-tech armor, with a robotic eye mask, just stopping the bangs from covering his eyes.
"Get him! He's number two on the wanted list!" one of the guards exclaimed, aiming their guns at him.
The figure just pulled out a grenade from his waist and threw it at the guards. It hit the ground, causing it to explode, sending the guards off their feet.
"Serves you pigs right!" he exclaimed before he threw another grenade to the wall, causing it to explode, creating a hole. He jumped through it and pulled out webbed wings from the side of his armor, causing him to glide.
Suddenly, flying vehicles started following him, firing at him. He easily dodged them with practiced ease. He spun around and pulled out two blasters from his waist and fired at the vehicles. He aimed at their wings, causing them to fall to the ground and exploding.
He smirked as he faced back to the front and saw flying guards, their blasters aimed at him. They started firing, causing him to do a barrel roll to dodge the blasters. Suddenly, the left side of his glider got shot, sending him spiraling to a roof top. He rolled as he landed so he wouldn't get hurt before jumping back to his feet, pulling out his guns, aiming at the guards flying around him.
"We got you now, Phantom," the one leading the assault said with a smirk as all the blasters were aimed at him.
"If I'm going down, then I'm taking you jerks with me," Phantom said as he got ready to fight.
Suddenly, a green racket appeared and smashed the guards away, surprising everyone. Phantom looked and saw Green Lantern holding the racket, which disappeared back in the ring. Behind him was the Javelin, with Superman, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl flew off the ship.
"Who are these freaks?" the guards exclaimed as they got mowed down quickly.
"Who cares, shoot them down!" the leader exclaimed before he got smacked by Hawkgirl's mace on the face.
Phantom watched dumbfounded as the strangely dressed people beat up the Nazi Guards. Once they were all gone, the strange people landed in front of him, causing him to tense and aim at them.
"Easy there, Phantom," Superman said, his hands raised defensively.
"Who are you?" Phantom said with a growl. "Are you Savage's lab experiments?"
"Savage?" Hawkgirl said, confused by the name.
Wonder Woman suddenly walked forward, causing Phantom to aim at her. She lifted her hands with a gentle look on her face. "We don't want to hurt you. Please, Danny."
Phantom's eyes widen and he lowered his guns. "How…How do you know that name? Who are you people?"
"We're your friends, Danny," a voice said behind him. Phantom turned and saw Martian Manhunter looking at him with red eyes.
"AAAAAGH!" Phantom exclaimed as he jumped away from Martian Manhunter. "What the heck are you!?"
"What's going on here?" a familiar voice said, causing them to look and saw a man dressed in black high-tech armor, with the helmet shaped like a familiar cowl.
"Batman!" everyone exclaimed.
"I was wondering what took you so long," Batman said as he looked at the costumed heroes. "Who are they?"
"I don't know," Phantom said, walking to Batman. "But…I think they can help us."
"What?" Batman said, looking at Phantom. The two looked at each other in silence before Batman looked at the Justice League. "Can we trust them?"
"They saved me," Phantom said. Batman looked back at him before nodding.
"Follow me," he said before looking at the Javelin. "But leave your ship. It'll attract attention."
Superman nodded before flying to the ship and turning it invisible. With that, the Justice League followed Batman and Phantom.
"So, what are you people?" Phantom asked, looking at the flying heroes.
"We're heroes," Superman replied.
"Heroes…" Phantom muttered before they continued running to the hideout.
The hideout was hidden beneath and abandoned ship factory. Despite being abandoned, there were still some usable equipment used to make weapons and armors. Batman and Phantom led the heroes to the center of the factory before they opened a hidden trapdoor. Everyone walked down the trapdoor, through the narrow, dark path.
After a few minutes, they reached a metal door. Batman punched the code, causing it to slide open. The heroes closed their eyes, temporarily blinded by the sudden brightness. Once their eyes adjusted, they were surprised to see a large group of teenagers and young adults, all dressed in the same armor. They all had their helmets down, and were talking to each other or maintaining their gears.
"What is this place?" Superman asked as they followed Batman and Phantom to a big computer. "Who are these people?"
"This is our hideout," Batman replied as he pushed some buttons, revealing a few pictures and information. "And we are the Revolutionaries."
"Revolutionaries?" Wonder Woman asked as Phantom removed his helmet. They were shocked to see someone who looked just like Phantom, but with black hair and blue eyes.
"We fight against the corrupt government run by Vandal Savage," he replied as he pointed at the screen, revealing a black-haired man with a black beard and had sharp, black eyes.
"Who is he?" Green Lantern asked.
"The ruler of Earth," Batman replied before showing old clips, which some of the heroes recognize as World War II. "At the near end of World War II, Savage's great grandfather supplied Germany with high-tech equipment that gave them the upper hand against America and our allies. Since then, Germany became the powerhouse of the world, under the iron rule of Vandal Savage and his family."
They all looked at the old pictures and noticed some unfamiliar weapons and vehicles, things that shouldn't exist in that time.
"Some of those weapons are too high-tech for that year," Green Lantern said, rubbing his chin. "You think he's a time traveler?"
"Or he has a time machine," Hawkgirl suggested, crossing her arms.
"Time traveler? Time machine?" Phantom commented, looking confused. "What are you guys talking about?"
"It wasn't Vandal's grandfather that supplied Germany with weapons, it was Vandal himself that did it," Martian Manhunter explained.
"What? But how?" Phantom asked, confused by that. "He used…a time machine?"
"That's a possibility," Martian Manhunter said with a nod. "See, in our world, America won World War II, not Germany."
"What? Really?" Phantom said with disbelief.
"Indeed," Martian Manhunter said. "Our world is not run by dictators, and there are many heroes like us. You and Batman were like us."
"Really?" Phantom said before looking at Wonder Woman. "Is that how you know my name?"
"Yes," Wonder Woman said. "We're friends, Danny."
"Friends…" Danny said, like it was a foreign word to him.
"A time machine…" Batman said before typing at the computers. "Hm…that would explain all the radiation our scout detected."
"Radiation?" Superman asked.
"Our scout detected a large amount of beta and chronic radiation from his fortress," Batman said, showing the readings to the heroes. "Radiation said to be detected from time traveling."
"So, he's using a time machine to change history," Wonder Woman said, understanding why the world is so different.
"Wait, if what you're saying is true, then how come you guys aren't different?" Phantom asked.
"My ring must have protected us from the effects," Green Lantern said, looking at his ring.
"Do you have more of those?" Phantom asked, looking at the ring in interest. "We could use power like that against Savage."
"You have to be chosen to wield this," Green Lantern said.
"I see," Phantom said, sounding a little disappointed. "Anyway, you guys must be tired. Rest up for a while. We don't have much, but we have enough."
The heroes looked at each other, it had been a surprising day, mentally taxing them. They needed a moment to process what's happening.
"I want to talk to Batman about something," Superman said to his comrades. "You guys go on without me."
Phantom then grabbed his helmet and led the others to the resting quarters, leaving Superman and Batman alone. A lot of the Revolutionaries were looking and pointing at the strange people, whispering among themselves, some of them not nice.
"Sorry about the whispers," Phantom said as they walked through the corridors. "We're not big fans of outsiders, especially weird ones."
"What do you mean by weird?" Hawkgirl asked with a raised eyebrow.
"…See, there's rumors of super humans being produced by the Axis Power," Phantom said with a tired tone. "After seeing you guys…I started worrying that the rumors were true."
"Can't you fight back?" Hawkgirl ask.
"With what?" Phantom said, looking at Hawkgirl. "We have limited resources that's barely enough to fight them. If there are super humans with them, then we'll be as good as dead."
"Wait, shouldn't you have powers?" Wonder Woman asked.
"What?" Phantom said, turning to her with wide eyes. "I have powers?"
"Actually, you were a Ghost," Wonder Woman said.
"Eh!? You mean I'm dead in your world!?" Phantom exclaimed with a shocked expression.
"It seems like it," Green Lantern said, crossing his arms.
"…" Phantom just looked down, not knowing what to say. "I kinda envy the other me…He doesn't have to go through all of this."
"So, how did it happen, Bruce?" Superman asked, looking at Batman.
The two had a little talk and Batman was surprised that Superman knew him. Apparently, those two worked together in the other world and knew each other personally. Batman was shocked, but from Superman's expression, it was true.
"…Vandal's tyranny began forty years ago," Batman said as he remembered the dark days of his youth. "He's sudden declaration of total domination surprised everyone, even his allies. Soon, he took control of every country in the world, using force to bring them under his heel.
There were a few families that resisted them, one of them was mine. He didn't show mercy…My parents were executed publicly, as a message to anyone who dares oppose him."
He remembered the darkest day in his life as he kneeled at the hanging bodies of his parents, crying his eyes out.
"I'm…I'm sorry," Superman said, not knowing what to say. This was worse than how the other Batman lost his parents.
"He thought it would stop us, but he only made us stronger," Batman said as he clenched his fist before looking at his soldiers. "These kids…they loss everything, especially Phantom."
"…What happened to him?"
"My parents were in charge of Vandal Savage's techs," Phantom said as they asked what happened to him in this world. "But they were helping the Revolutionaries by providing weapons and intel. But Vandal got word of what they were doing, and he wasn't happy. Batman tried to save my family…but I was the only one that got away. The next day, my parents were executed on T.V. and I never saw my sister again…that was ten years ago."
"I'm sorry, Danny," Wonder Woman said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's alright," Phantom said, rubbing his eyes. "I needed that off my chest."
"By the way, where's Flash?" Hawkgirl asked, noticing the lack of the speedster.
"You know him too?" Phantom said. "Hey our fastest scout. If anyone can get intel from Savage's base, it's him. Is he a super hero too in your world?"
"Yeah, but he never cut it with the ladies," Hawkgirl said with a smirk.
"Really? Not even with Artemis?"
"Who's Artemis?" Hawkgirl asked.
"His girlfriend," Phantom replied simply.
Everyone were shocked when they heard that. They didn't know whether to be shocked that Flash has a girlfriend or Phantom saying it. Phantom then opened an unoccupied room.
"Sorry if it's small," Phantom said apologetically.
"It'll do," Green Lantern said, since he was used to small rooms during his military training.
Phantom then nodded before exiting the room. Wonder Woman looked at Phantom with a sad look. He was livelier as a Ghost than a human. It was weird not to see him grin or tell jokes. It was disheartening to her.
"This is messed up," Hawkgirl said as she sat down on the hard bed.
"Indeed," Martian Manhunter said, remaining to stand up. "The Batman, Phantom and Flash in this world is very different to ours."
"But they are still our comrades," Wonder Woman said. "They need our help."
"But what can we do?" Green Lantern ask.
"We can help you, Bruce," Superman said, looking at the alternative Batman. "We can fix this."
"How are you going to fix this?" Batman said, gesturing at an old article on the Axis Power's victory at World War II.
Superman looked at the article before an idea came to mind. "We travel back and fix history."
The Next Day…
All the Revolutionaries were gathered in the meeting room, all paying attention with their helmets under their arms. In front of them was their leader, Batman, and his second-in-command, Phantom. Standing beside them were the heroes. They were all confused to why they were gathered. The only time they gathered like this was when one of them falls.
"If I can have your attention, I have something important to say," Batman said, causing all of them stand straight. "We may have a way to stop Vandal Savage for good."
They were all surprised by that. Despite their efforts, they never came close to Vandal Savage. They all listened closely to his plan.
"From the reports we received from Flash, we believe that Savage may have a time machine in hand," Batman said as he showed a map of Vandal's fortress. "From our calculations, the time machine should be located here, in the basement." He circled at the lower part of the fortress.
"That's interesting and all, but how are we going to beat Vandal?" Dick Grayson said, crossing his arm.
"We're going to prevent him from changing history," Batman said, causing all of them to mutter in confusion. Superman stepped up to explain the situation.
"You see, me and my friends here aren't from your world," he said, gesturing at the Justice League. "We're from an alternative universe, a time where the Allies won the World War II. We believe that Vandal Savage traveled back in time to supply the Axis Power weapons from the future."
"Yeah…and I have green skin," Garfield Logan said sarcastically.
"Why should we believe you?" Roy Harper said in a suspicious tone. "For all we know you're one of Savage's experiments."
A murmur of agreement spread among their ranks, feeling unease and looking at the heroes with distrust, their hands slowly going to their weapons. The heroes tensed, thinking they were going to fight.
"We can trust them," Phantom said, making all eyes turn to him. "They saved me from Savage's men. They're trustworthy."
Almost immediately, the distrust was gone. Since the leader and his right-hand man trust these strangers, then maybe they are on their side. Phantom then nodded to Batman, who nodded back before stepping up.
"The mission is simple, invade the Fortress, get this time machine under our control and send these heroes to World War II," Batman said and everyone stared at him like he was crazy.
"Invade the Fortress!?"
"That's suicide!"
"I ain't risking my life for some strangers!"
Everyone didn't look happy on the thought of attacking the Fortress, where all of Vandal Savage's men and weapons were all located.
"Quiet!" Phantom exclaimed, causing everyone to quiet. "Look, we all know how dangerous this mission is, but we always known how dangerous being a Revolutionary is. But this may be the only chance we have to end this tyranny once and for all. And if it means my life, then I'll gladly give it up."
Everyone looked at Phantom before gaining a determined glint in their eyes. He was right, they joined the Revolutionary to stop Vandal Savage, and if this was their best chance to finally take him down, then they will follow them and gladly give up their life.
Seeing the determination and resolve in their eyes, Batman nodded. They then started planning on their attacks to the Fortress. All the heroes looked at them with worried expressions since this sounded like a suicide mission.
"It is a suicide mission," Phantom said, noticing their expressions. "Savage's Fortress is the most protected place in the world. A lot of people tried to attack the place, but they ended up dead."
"You shouldn't be risking your lives for us," Wonder Woman said.
"It's not just for you people," Phantom said as he put on his helmet. "If what you said is true, and you can change back time, then all of this wouldn't happen. My parents won't be dead and my sister would still be here. I'm ready to die just for that."
Wonder Woman looked at Phantom as he walked towards the group to hear about the plan. She wanted to say something to stop them, but Martian Manhunter put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. She looked at him and saw him shake his head before turning to the Revolutionaries.
The rest of the heroes watched them plan the mission that they had no intention of coming back from.
Later…
All the Revolutionaries were all gearing up to storm the Fortress. Since this was going to be the biggest fight they'll ever have, they were going to use all the equipment they have in hand. Phantom was busy strapping blaster ammo and grenades over him for easy access, and placing all his blasters on their holsters.
He was in his quarters, preparing for their mission. He looked around the room, taking every detail since he felt like this could be the last time he'll be here. He then pulled something dangling from his chest. It was a circular locket. It was the most important thing to him.
He looked at it for a few minutes before putting it back in his armor. He then stood up and walked out his quarters. As he walked, his thoughts went to those strange heroes. He can't help but trust them, despite being suspicious. Sure, their explanation that they were from an alternative universe where he has super powers was definitely weird, but it sounded better than this world.
He entered the docking room where all his comrades were getting on assault vehicles to take them to the Fortress. He could see their expressions, they were nervous, but determined to fight. He in charge of the main assault, to keep Savage's forces focus on him while Batman would sneak the heroes to the time machine.
He got on his personal assault vehicle, it was his parents', and started leading the others away. They drove through the city, alarming the citizens. Soon, the guards tried to stop them, but they all got run over by the mass of vehicles. There was no firing, because they were saving their ammunition for the Fortress.
A few minutes later, the assault team finally spotted the Fortress' gates. The walls were so big that it would be impossible to scale over them, since they were also heavily defended by weapons. Hopefully, Flash would disable the weapons and open the gates.
"Remember, our job is to cause as much trouble as possible," Phantom said through the communicator. "So, once we get through the gates, go crazy!"
They all cheered as the gates slowly opened. Phantom then noticed something at the entrance. When it was fully opened, his eyes widened.
Standing at the entrance was an armored figure holding a bruised and beaten Flash before throwing him to the side. Phantom stared at them with wide eyes before growling and activating all weapons and aiming at the mysterious figure.
All blasters, lightning bolts, small missiles were fired at the figure, who just stood there, waiting. When the projectiles almost reached them, the figure raised their hands and a green shield appeared, blocking the attacks, much to his shock.
The shield disappeared and the figure raised their hands and it started glowing green. A blaster then flew out of their hands and hit Phantom's vehicle. He immediately ejected from the vehicle as the vehicle exploded into a burning wreckage.
Phantom landed just a few feet away from his vehicle, staring at it with emotionless eyes. He then turned to the figure, getting a better look at them. From the body shape, the figure was feminine, wearing white armor with only an orange ponytail sticking from her helmet.
"Phantom, you okay?"
"I'm fine, Nightwing," Phantom said as he pulled out his blasters, glaring at the armored figure. "Proceed with the mission. I'll handle our friend here."
The rest of the assault vehicles started driving towards the entrance, but the figure was aiming her hands towards them. Suddenly, her head was hit with a blaster. She didn't stumble, but it got her attention.
Phantom blew the smoke off his blaster as the assault vehicles drove through the entrance and started causing havoc. The guard stared at the Phantom as he reloaded his blaster. Phantom fired again, but this time the guard disappeared in a blur, surprising Phantom. He turned to the right and saw the guard running towards him with glowing hands.
He ducked as the guard swiped at where his head was. He aimed the blaster at her abdomen and fired rapidly. The guard was stunned a bit, giving Phantom the chance to place a grenade on her chest and kick her away. The grenade detonated, knocking the guard off her feet, the helmet flying off her head.
Phantom ran towards her, readying the blaster to finish her off. Just as he about to shoot, his eyes widened when he saw the emotionless expression of his sister.
"Jazz…" he said before he was blasted to the chest by Jazz. He was thrown off his feet a few feet away from her, groaning in pain. He watched as Jazz walked towards him with her hands glowing brightly, intending to finish him off.
Phantom couldn't do anything, still shocked to see his sister, alive but different. Just as she was about to fire, a blaster shot hit her from behind the shoulder, getting her attention. She turned and saw that it was Flash, breathing heavily as he aimed his blaster at her.
She suddenly turned into a blur and appeared in front of Flash, kicking him in the face, and sending his sliding a few feet away from her. Flash painfully looked at her as she aimed her glowing hands and was about to finish him off, when an assault vehicle ran over her and towards the wall.
A blond woman ejected from the vehicle and rolled to the ground as the vehicle exploded. She then ran towards Flash, a worried expression on her face.
"Wally!" she exclaimed as she kneeled next to him.
"Hey there…Artemis," he said weakly as Phantom ran towards them. Flash turned to him and smirked. "Sorry about this, Phantom…She caught me by surprise."
"Don't worry about it, man," Phantom said as he looked at him. "Just glad you're still alive. Can you still move?"
"I can't…Legs broken," he said with a wince. He then turned to Phantom. "Go on. I'll be alright…You're needed somewhere else."
Phantom nodded and stood up. He stared at the flaming wreckage where Jazz was. He could see her not moving, the flames licking her body.
"…I'm sorry, Danny," Wally said, noticing where he was looking at.
"…" Phantom didn't reply, he just ran towards the Fortress, anger burning inside him. Around him, the rest of his comrades were causing havoc, destroying and shooting everything in sight. The guards tried to stop them, but they were overtaken by the sudden attack.
Phantom threw a grenade at the giant, metal doors. The doors were opened with a bang, flying inside the Fortress. He ran through the smoke, seeing some of the guards get hit by the doors. He ran further into the Fortress and saw a lot of guards charging towards him, weapons raised.
He simply threw another grenade and shot at it as it rolled towards them, causing it to explode faster, sending the guards into the air. He then kept running until he found the stairs. He started running up the stairs, ignoring the commotion outside the Fortress.
"Batman to everyone, mission is successful!" Batman said through the communicator. "The package has been sent!"
"That's good," Phantom said as he jumped over two guards by using their face as springboards and entering a big room. "Now let's do the second plan, blow the Fortress to kingdom come."
"So, that's your plan," a voice said that stopped Phantom on his tracks. His eyes widened behind his helmet as he saw the man that caused all this misery. Vandal Savage was calmly walking towards Phantom, holding a cane and wearing a fur cape. "I must say, it's rather entertaining to watch you bugs risk your life trying to take down my Fortress."
"Savage," Phantom growled as he grabbed his blasters and aimed at the man.
"Phantom, the number two of the Revolutionary," Vandal said with a smirk as he circled around Phantom like a wolf about to attack. "I must say, for someone so young, you've earned the infamous reputation."
Phantom was tensed as he followed Vandal Savage's movements. Despite being a man with no weapons and armors, he couldn't help but be cautious, despite being the perfect opportunity to shot him.
"Oh, did you see the new soldiers my men were working on?" he said, causing Phantom to stop breathing. "The super soldier program is going quite well. I noticed you fighting one of our earliest subjects. She became quite the soldier."
Phantom, with a loud growl, started firing at Vandal, wanting to shoot the look on his face. He just smirked and raised his cane, causing a shield to appear in front of him, blocking the blasters. Phantom was surprised before Vandal disappeared and reappeared in front of him.
Phantom was then whacked on the side of the head by the cane before getting jabbed on the gut, causing him to double over and was kicked on the chin, sending him flying a few feet away from Vandal. He growled angrily before pulling out the giant blaster strapped on his back and fired. But the shield kept blocking. He growled and just kept firing, but it was useless. Soon, the big blaster ran out of ammo.
Growling, he threw the blaster to the side and charged, fists raised. Vandal just smirked as Phantom threw punch after punch, but he kept dodging. He suddenly deflected a punch before throwing one that cracked Phantom's helmet. Phantom fell to the ground as his helmet split, showing his tired but angry face.
"Well now, there's a face I haven't seen in a while," Vandal said in slight surprise. "You're the Fentons' kid boy. I thought you died a long time ago. Your parents would be so happy and proud to see you all grown up."
Phantom growled angrily as he grabbed his last blaster, only to get his hand whacked by the cane, causing him to drop the weapon before getting pinned on the ground by the cane pinning his chest. He then grabbed a grenade from his waist and threw it at Vandal, only for him to use his cane to send the grenade flying to the wall, creating an explosion that made a hole. Vandal then used his cane to strike the grenades at certain places, turning them into duds.
"You need a millennium worth of skills before fighting me, child" he said as he grabbed Phantom by the hair and dragged him across the room, towards a window. "Your little surprise attack did its purpose, but only for a while."
He lifted Phantom and slammed him to the window, giving him a view on what was happening. His eyes widened when he saw super soldiers rounding up his comrades. Some tried to resist, but they were easily taken care of.
"As for your fearless leader, well he is being taken care of," Vandal said.
At the lower levels of the Fortress, Batman was on the ground, his helmet broken as Vlad Masters smirked at him with glowing eyes. He was breathing heavily as blood dripped from his mouth. He tried to plant the explosions, but he was stopped by Vlad Masters.
"Your valiant efforts are praiseworthy, but they were foolish!" Vandal exclaimed as he threw Phantom across the room, causing him to roll like a log before stopping. He slowly stood up, only to be smacked on the face, causing him to go down. "Did you honestly believe you can survive this suicide mission?"
"It's called suicide for a reason," Phantom said as he spat out a tooth. "We all came here with the intent of taking you down, even at the cost of our lives."
He stood up and pulled out a retractable baton hidden in his boot. With a roar, he charged and swung his weapon. Vandal just smirked and blocked it with his staff. Phantom growled, showing that he was missing an upper tooth, and kept attacking. Vandal calmly kept blocking with the cane.
"I noticed that cane of yours looks pretty important," Phantom commented as he kept swinging. "You kept making those barriers and teleporting wherever you want."
"I'm surprised you figured it out," Vandal said as he jabbed him on the forehead, causing him to tumble, but he managed to remain standing. "This cane is my remote control. With it, I can do anything in this Fortress. Like this."
He tapped the ground and suddenly the floor swallowed Phantom's feet. Surprised, Phantom tried to free himself, but he was stuck. He then felt a blow on his head, stunning him a bit. He fell a bit, using his hands to stay up. He felt blood trickled down his head, blinding his left eye.
"You children are so pitiful, crying because of the way you live," Vandal said as he watched Phantom bleeding, looking at him like an adult scolding a child. "This is the way the world works, survival of the fittest. You and your little club of revolts are weak, so you will not survive this world. And if you think your hero friends can fix the past, then you're mistaken."
He lifted his cane into the air, intending on smashing Phantom's head open. "Because I have made this plan for centuries, it can't be toppled by children like you!"
Just as he was about to swing his cane, Phantom suddenly flicked his switch, causing a throwable knife to slide out his wrist guard. He threw the knife as Vandal swung the cane. Because of the momentum, he couldn't change the direction of his strike. The knife stabbed him on the wrist, causing him to drop the cane in pain.
Phantom quickly swiped the cane off the air and tapped the ground. Thankfully, the ground opened up, freeing him. He jumped off the hole and snapped the cane on his knee. He smirked as he saw the shocked looked on Vandal's face.
"Well, I guess old age made you careless," Phantom said, enjoying the look on his face.
"…You will regret that," Vandal said, his expression a mixture of calm and anger as he threw his cape away.
He charged at Phantom with fists raised, no longer the composed gentleman. He looked more like a savage beast. Phantom got into a defensive position as Vandal attacked. The way he strikes was like a gorilla, using his muscular arms instead of his fists. Even the armor protecting his arms was denting.
He was then swatted aside, hearing something crack. He rolled on the floor like a ragdoll. He tried to stand up, but wince from the pain in his body. He could feel all of his ribs were cracked. He was shocked that Vandal managed to do that with just one strike when he was wearing armor.
He looked up and saw Vandal walked towards him like a predator to a weakened prey. Phantom was barely breathing as he watched the man walk towards him before he felt something touch his finger.
"It's been fun, Phantom, but it's time to say goodbye!" he exclaimed as he clasped his fists together in the air, intending on smashing him into a bloody pulp.
Acting quickly, he grabbed the thing that grazed his finger and, ignoring all the pain flaring up, leapt forward and stabbed him on the chest. Vandal stopped and looked down as the upper part of cane sticking from his chest.
The two then fell to the ground, unable to get up. Phantom rolled on his back, not even wincing from the pain.
Suddenly, the communicator in his helmet beeped.
"Batman to Revolutionaries," he said as he sat on the ground, his head bleeding. Lying a few feet away from him was an unconscious Vlad with his mouth and eyes wide open from shock. Attached to the walls were bombs that had timers on them, with a two-minute countdown. "The bombs are ready…to detonate…Run while you can…"
Outside, the remaining Revolutionaries, who surprisingly defeated the super soldiers, heard the message. They immediately carried the injured and rushed away from the Fortress. Flash was being helped by Artemis as he looked at the Fortress with a worried expression.
Inside, Vandal and Phantom were lying on the ground, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, he heard Vandal chuckle lightly.
"To think…my years of planning…foiled by you lot…" he said as he closed his eyes.
"You…don't sound disappointed," Phantom breathed out, turning his head to look at him.
"There are other…universes besides this one…" Vandal said as he looked at the hole on the wall, seeing the night sky. "Other universes with other Savages…they will succeed where I failed…"
"…Then I guess the other me will have to take you down again," Phantom declared. Vandal laughed in amusement from his declaration. Once he was done laughing, he closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
Phantom looked at him before pulling out his locket underneath his armor. He opened it and saw his family before his parents were executed. He gave a small smile as he clenched his fist around it.
"I'm going to see you soon," Danny said as he closed his eyes. Bruce was watching the countdown to zero. He watched it reached zero and closed his eyes in content.
The bombs exploded just as a white light appeared, shrouding everything in white before disappearing.
"Hey, is this the place?" Danny Phantom asked, looking around the old factory. It was abandoned and rundown, with just some cans and spare parts littering the ground.
"According to my readings," Batman said, holding a scanner. Flash suddenly appeared in front of them in a red blur.
"Searched the place from top to bottom," he said. "Nothing unusual."
Batman looked at his scanner before at the floor. "Phantom, the floor."
"On it," Phantom said as he touched the floor and turned it invisible. Beneath them was a cleaner basement with a giant platform and a device dangling over it. "Woah, what is that?"
"Whatever it is, the energy signature is coming from that device," Batman said. "Get us down there."
Phantom nodded and turned the floor intangible. They jumped through the floor and landed near the device.
"What is it?" Flash asked as they looked at the device.
Suddenly, device started glowing and the platform humming. There was a flash light and the three heroes all tensed, expecting an enemy or a monster, but instead saw the rest of the Justice League.
"Are we back?" Hawkgirl asked, looking a bit ruffled up, so was everyone with her.
"Guys?" Phantom asked, getting their attention. They all looked and saw Phantom, Batman and Flash in front of them, with the Ghost and speedster looking surprised while Batman was calm.
"Where did you guys come from?" Flash said, crossing his arms.
The heroes just stood in silent before Wonder Woman and Superman walked towards Phantom and Batman.
"Danny, it really is you!" Wonder Woman as she hugged him and lifted him off the ground.
"Batman, it's good to see you," Superman said as hugged the Dark Knight.
Batman and Phantom looked at each other in confusion as the two were released.
"Did we miss something?" Batman asked as Phantom noted the wet eyes Wonder Woman had.
"It's…a long story," Superman said with a small smile.
"We got time," Batman said as the rest walked towards them.
Later…
Phantom was waiting outside a retirement home. He was confused to why Wonder Woman wanted to come here. She said something about looking for a Steve Trevor. A few minutes later, Wonder Woman exited the building, a small smile on her place.
"You look happy," Phantom commented as he floated down to her. "What did you guys talk about?"
"Nothing, just some things," she said as they flew off the ground.
"Who's Steve Trevor, anyways?" Phantom asked, curious that Wonder Woman knows a guy that wasn't part of the Justice League.
"Just someone I've met," she said with a strange look on her face, a face he only seen in girls who were in love.
"…You look weird," Phantom commented, earning a light slap on the head. Suddenly, another thought came in his mind. "Wait…a guy in a retirement home…I didn't know you were into old men…"
Another slap on the head, this one a little harder.
Wonder Woman sighed before giving a small smile. This was the Danny Phantom she knows, the one that makes lighthearted comments and knows when to relax.
"Hey, let's go get some ice cream," Wonder Woman said with a smile as she flew to the closest ice cream cart, with Phantom behind her, rubbing his head. That slap was a little hard.
And I'm done! My first chapter in 2017! And there will be more, don't worry. Though school is starting next week, so updates won't be frequent. Sorry about that. And try and find all the references I made to this chapter if you can.
Also, this is usually the part where I do the review reply, but I'm feeling a bit lazy for it. I'll do it next chapter, sorry.
Speaking of which, next chapter, Twilight! Two of Superman's greatest enemies! See you later!