Earth-38
Gotham City
Wayne Residence
A man wearing an overlay of a dark brown garment, covering over his entire body, even his head. He walks down the blanked narrowed path, covered in trails of greens. A path too invisible for anyone to perceive, except to the man that entered in vicinity. He makes way to a house-texted monument. A sort of shed. Looking on it, a hidden panel is seen before him. The man slides a covered layer out, revealing a red button in which he thumps his finger at the centred panel. The area aroused on him briefly drums on him as he feels his body momentarily drifting downwards, like his spirit immediately left his host role in his body. But in reality, he is drawn downwards by the floor, beneath him, going downwards.
He's gratified no one's in Wayne residence. Cycle in the time tunes to infinite night play. It usually avails to notorious criminals in Gotham City, whom prefer the shade of darkness. Though some can be aware that Gotham has its Dark Knight. In this age, it's doubted there is any living criminal, or crook, lingering in the dark city.
Reaching down to underground level, he forages around to look for any living people residing in the darkness of the caves. He recognises the infrastructures of this cave. Hasn't changed, meaning no one's used this platform. A benefit for this man as he motions forward across the littering flakes of stoned rocks piling on the ground. Most likely caused from a near chaos, or the overall crises that has been aging on five years. Whilst he walks on forward, ignoring the dissolution of his cave, which appears to be normal for visitors who've came to know this place decades ago, he glimpses on arched mini-chamber glass containers. Cosplay sets of different costumes displayed as views, related to the symbol of the bat.
He urges forward, eventually reaching the large computer, cobbled with strings of strengthened web. He taps on the keypad, triggering the vibration of the screen, loading into its operational agile form.
"Still alive after all these years. 2040 defines the tales entitled out of the date", the man mutters to himself.
Earth-1
Mount Justice
In the Mission Room. A large spaced room. A beeping source alerted the whole team of something they are not known yet. Prompts Dick Grayson, sided by Wally West, Iris West-Allen, and Felicity Smoak.
"What's the distress signal now?", Felicity expressing how tired she is. Latter hasn't had a day of rest as she was was on the monitors, checking on CCTV. Both broadcasts and recorded footages. Stresses her at a greater distance when she hears a beeping noise which is twice worser.
Dick manually inspects on the given alarm, checking its reasons
"So...?", Iris inquires in.
"An alarm was triggered in Wayne Manor. In Gotham City. Earth-38", Dick addressed.
"Which floor?", Tim asked, moving forward, after overhearing the words from Dick's proclamation. Much less a surprise from Iris, Felicity, and Wally. As they're aware Tim and Dick have ties and relations to Wayne Manor, and its former residents.
"The Batcave?", Dick exclaimed, learning the knowledge from his holographic screens.
"The Batcave?!", Tim exclaimed. When he heard it, he briefly had some admission that a favoured familiar man might've returned, though he is different to Earth-38's version. "Bruce?!".
"Won't show it", Dick addressed.
"Let me try?", Felicity volunteered, ensued a nod from Dick as he moves aside for Felicity to fasten her sets of expetise in computers on the holo-frame. She swaddles over the screen's actions, diving harder like digging an exigent hole. She finally tapped into the realm of figuring the tapes. No interpretation was stated to be seen. "Nothing".
"What do we do Dick?", Tim questioned. "If it's not Bruce but some other crook that somehow figured the secrets of that residence, he could easily obtain all the resources Bruce utilised in his crusade".
"I know. But with no way of crossing to Earth-38, we're literally stuck like bowls", said Dick. "I wanna be there to stop it Tim. I want to. But we don't have any extrapolators. They were all out glitched after our manoeuvre, affliction with the Parademons".
"I could zap in full speed to Earth-38 to do a quick sweep on who Wayne Manor's mystery guest is", Wally offers.
"Absolutely not", Iris shot down, glaring at him, a force of plantation as an overprotective sister. "You can't go there. Not by yourself at least. Justice League isn't responding. Dark Supergirl has killed countless lives, destroyed multiple universes. And...". Iris draws back, realised she almost mentioned a name.
"Don't tell me you're still mad that you're still blown in grieve after Barry's disappearance-?!"
"I believe he is dead!", Iris shot back.
"So you're just going to publish agreement that Barry is dead because he simply vanished in thin air in front of us? I've seen those stages before", said Wally.
"Transportation is unlikely. Barry is gone Wally. Admit it. If he was alive, he would've came back in a flash. Five years passed. No voice, transmission, fit voice from comms. Nothing. He's gone", Iris expressed.
"You know what your problem is? Your recognition of hypocritical beliefs is the same as before. 23 years ago. When Barry dissolved into the Speed Force for 6 months, you became a critical nut-hit , extinguished on neglecting the chances of hope. A reason why those around you, left you. Cisco left with Gypsy. Nora abandoned you through frustration and hate".
Before anymore arguments were driving to more tenser heights, Dick,Tim, and Felicity intervenes, requesting them to stop as they've got more attentions hanged on them.
Suddenly, Wally blimps in a flash, leaving the Mission Room, to occupy himself in a different room. Dick and Tim followed out, discussing about stuff regarding an unknown guest in Gotham City.
"You okay?", Felicity asked to Iris.
"I don't know Felicity. Either I should be worried about Wally. Or focus on finding some specification that Barry is still alive", Iris expressed. Latter tilts to Felicity, with embedded taste of juiced cries. "Do you believe he's alive?".
Felicity lowered her head down, thinking about the question, compelling on past memories from decades ago. Her affiliation with Oliver Queen and Team Arrow. Specially on their war against the League of Assassins.
"May have explained this to you before. Probably years ago. I'm sure you are aware. Like all of us. We both, like everyone else, thought Oliver died, just vanished in thin air. No trace or sign of an accident, or transgression. Just spiral spaced void came and ate Oliver. We all believed he died. 2 years onscreen. No one saw him. Until we all saw he was actually alive this whole time. Just grounded in Kara's world. So for a subject of instance, I believe he is alive", Felicity explains in expression of what she believes.
"Thank you for your honest answer Felicity. I might've needed it", Iris exhales, receiving a pleased smile from Felicity.
Meanwhile. Dick, Tim, Jason, and Barbara rallied in Living Quarters. Discussions hailed on an unknown person in the Batcave.
"So our mysterious guest figured out about Wayne's secret layer, and you're saying that we have no idea who he is?", Barbara surmised in the summary of what Dick and Tim disclosed to her and Jason.
"No propitious clues were given to us by far", Dick addressed.
"Could it be the Court of Owls again?", Jason raised on.
"I doubt the Owls are behind this. We've dealt with them to the point not an inch is seen in there. And to dump it out away, Diana had our backs, finishing all the Talons, the men and women. Even the magistrates. So I doubt a single person still ledges onto that court as their legacy of proceeding onward. Other than the rationals, we all know Earth-38 was one of the worlds Kara-". Dick cut himself out the last word as he realised he mentioned someone that saddens Barbara, the latter whom was eyed over by her friends. "I'm sorry Barbara".
"No. No. It's fine. I just got a bit disorientated. Go on", said Barbara, leveraging it down as nothing but an excuse.
"As I saying; Earth-38 is invaded, swarmed by Parademons so there shouldn't be a living life, residing in any city. Not even Gotham City. As we're aware of its dark theme", said Dick.
"Do you think Bruce returned?", Tim raised, drawn the eyes in confusion from his teammates of which Bruce Tim is referring to. "You know. A doppelganger of Bruce that Barry snatched from another timeline".
"Chances on that are at fifties", Dick declares. "But if he does return, it will give us seniority of calmness, knowing that that Bruce is alive, and he's back in operating Gotham. Which we have no way of hopping across. And can't".
Earth-38
Gotham City
Wayne Residence
A flattened hatch opens aside, lifting up a floored layer, allowing the visitor of Gotham to step out. He soon motions to stroll out the spot where the elevated platform stands, moving to the graveyard site.
Reaching to that area, he sees the tombstones, written in the names of people that died over the past few decades. Ones most notable to the man. Thomas Wayne. Martha Wayne. Surprisingly, Alfred and James Gordon were inscribed in their respective structured stones, in which Bruce forgot he's not in the year he's supposed to be in. He's in the year 2040. Avoiding eye-lines with the tombstones, he goes to one tombstone, written in his name. The second one that undefiantly presumes for everyone that he is deceased. Not to the watcher as he draws his scanner out, residing on any residual traces of a dark aura. Till his scanner picked a beeping sound, detecting a trace which the man sees.
Looking down on the point, close to the site where the headstone is, the man discerns at a black-pitched shard, suddenly unleashing a smog that skies high up. One that makes him easily see in visible contact that it's real.
"So I was correct. When a mysterious figure known as Nekron revived my cloned corpse into a Black Lantern puppet of his. When Superman faced my clone, he might've cracked a piece of it", the man muttered to himself, knowing Superman can be rash when he's pushed to a bit of an edge. The man picks a black shard, smoked in aura. The same aura that reforms, in instant, into a full-grown ring. A black toned ring. Much to the man's amazement. "With this power, I can help my friends. Confront Kara. And reestablish myself as the man I formed in oath. The Batman".