Chapter 26: GodWar Part 1
Bruce descended down the stone steps to the BatCave, quickly making his way to the "Suit Gallery", where he kept all the different variations on his Batman costume, including variations on Robin's and Batgirl's suits as well. He had created a suit for pretty much every situation. He had a white batsuit that was designed to withstand extreme cold temperatures( works wonders when going up against Mr. Freeze), a deep space suit, which helps him fight and handle the vastness of space (good for off-planet Justice League missions), and many other suits lined either side of the walls. However, Bruce was only interested in one suit near the back, one that he has used rarely but would need it now more than ever.
He stood before the display case, gazing at the empty suit, with the empty cowl staring back at him. It was his armored batsuit. He had developed it to combat some of their more...brute enemies, such as Doomsday, Lobo, Darkseid, and...Superman. While it's true he had created the suit at first to battle Kent, in case he ever lost control or went bad, it became more of a "in case of emergency" suit, and therefore, not used much. Clark was a good friend and ally, and it almost pained him to have to wear this suit to fight the Man of Steel. Almost...
Harley was more important to him, and Superman was threatening to split them apart. He could understand Clark's point-of-view sure, and maybe in a way he was looking out for the Caped Crusader. However, the law was on Bruce's side here, and Superman has decided to ignore it because he's afraid. That fear has led to this, and Clark only had himself to blame. Fear makes me ignore reason and common sense, but Batman was fully prepared to beat the fear right out of him, and the rest of the Justice League if need be.
"Master Bruce," Alfred's voice filled the gallery room and Bruce turned to see his butler standing not to far away, "Are you sure this is the only way? Surely we can talk it out, perhaps over tea?"
"Not this time Alfred. I'm afraid not even your tea can stop what's about to happen." Bruce answered, opening the display case to the armored suit.
The suit was made of a flexible metal created by WayneTech ( even though it's been years the flexible metal is still going through trials and red tape, so it's not on the market as of yet). The metal is strong, able to withstand a good bit of force, but the metal was also flexible enough for him to move easier than you would expect. Not as quick as his regular suit but he would need this to help cushion the many blows that were sure to come. The suit also has an exo-skeleton created to strengthen his body's bones, so the suit wouldn't put too much strain on him but also able to pack a punch. Finally, on each fist was a huge gauntlets made from his flexible metal, making it able for him to easily throw a punch, but strong enough for the punch to have a ton of force behind it. Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out a small green vial. He carefully coated the green liquid on the gauntlets, covering it where his fist would make contact.
"Sir is that what I think it is?" Alfred asked, a bit worried, probably more for Clark's sake.
"Yes. It's green kryptonite I converted into a liquid form. Even with this suit the odds are not even half in my favor if I get into a one-on-one fight with Superman. This should boost my rate of success to at least 60%." Bruce answered, stepping up to the suit and beginning the long process of putting it on (a big drawback in Bruce's mind).
"Those odds still aren't good you know." Alfred said, his brow furrowing even more.
"I know, but I'm use to beating the odds." Bruce replied, smirking a bit, "By the way, has Harley left the city like I instructed."
"Er...yes sir." Alfred replied, "She should be in Bludhaven right now. Going on that shopping spree."
Earlier in the day Bruce had instructed Alfred to send Harley out in the next town over to go shopping, to get her away from the violence and out of harm's way. He had given Alfred his credit card to hand to her, since he was far too busy preparing for what's to come. He had not even seen her since yesterday, and he hoped Harley wasn't getting suspicious. It was getting hard to pull one over on her. Couldn't wait for the trouble he was in for when she found out...and he knew she would eventually. Still, as long as she's safe and out of Arkham, he was prepared for the consequences...even if she hated him for it.
He sensed Alfred was hiding something and was about to question him further when the pair was interrupted by Nightwing running into the gallery, a big grin on his face. He pointed his thumb back the way he came.
"Guess what. We won't be getting the beat up alone!"Dick said, smiling, "Your cavalry is here!"
Fully suited up, Bruce walked out of the Gallery, following Dick. He was a little bit surprised anyone answered his request for aid. He was after all, going up against Superman and a good portion of the Justice League. He wasn't sure anyone would want to fight the big guy, or even agreed with Batman's position on the whole matter. He assumed the worst though and figured they would side with Clark, making their struggle that much more harder.
As he came out of the Gallery and into the rest of the Batcave, he was both surprised and happy to see a good company awaiting him. Green Arrow stood off to the side, chatting it up with Black Canary. Upon seeing Bruce he flashed a half-cocked grin at him and waved. Captain Atom was here as well, which was a wonderful addition to see, considering they desperately needed some heavy-hitters of their own. The Question and the Huntress was here as well, along with Atom and Firestorm. Robin had even been able to enlist the help of the rest of the Teen Titans, which the group was clustered together off to the side. He was surprised at the outcome but even with all these allies their power level and forces weren't exactly equal.
Batman stood above the group, peering down at them and addressing them, "I thank you all for coming to my aid. But I shouldn't have to remind you what our odds are and even what we are fighting for. I'm not big into rousing speeches but I will say it means a lot to me that you all came. Superman and the rest of the Justice League are misguided in their views, and the law is not on their side. I won't sugarcoat it, the scales aren't exactly tipped in our favor. If you guys want to bail now's your chance. If you do I won't think less of you. It's not your fight after all. It's mine."
For a moment no one spoke, the only sounds that could be heard was the bats flapping up above. The silence was broken by none other than Green Arrow, "Gee Batman are you trying to get us to leave? Work on that pep talk buddy."
The BatCave was instantly filled with laughter, something it's occupants, both human and non-human alike, were not use to. Bruce couldn't help but to smile, something not many people had ever witnessed or knew was possible. Guess Bruce had Harley to blame for that.
"Glad you guys are enjoying yourselves. Throwing a going away party?"a voice boomed throughout the cave. At the Waterfall entrance both Superman and Wonder Woman emerged, hovering above the group.
"Man talk about buzz-kills." Huntress grumbled, readying her crossbows.
"We don't have to do this Bruce." Superman stated, "This is your last chance. Hand over Quinn and stop this before it begins."
"You're a strategist Batman," Wonder Woman added, "So you already know how this is going to play out."
"And you already know my answer."Batman answered, raising his fists.
"So be it then." Superman said, sighing a bit at the fruitlessness of it all. As if on cue portals opened up behind them and other superheroes filled the BatCave. Among them were Flash, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and many others. More than likely these portals had been opened from the WatchTower up in the earth's orbit.
Batman gritted his teeth in frustration. He had not planned on them invading his home. He had figured Superman would have summoned him to a isolated location to hand over Harley, and fight if he dared refuse. Bruce greatly miscalculated.
"Enough stalling! Time to hit something!" BeastBoy's voice echoed throughout the cave, before turning himself into a gorilla. That instant the fight was on. Words were no longer going to be traded, only blows.
The environment was not to either side's advantage. While Superman's forces had gotten the element of surprise and had come to them, the BatCave, while fairly large, was not suited for a full-scale fight between meta-humans. The cave rang out with the loud noises of battle, causing the bats of the cave to shriek in surprise and fear and fly around the cave, becoming a nuisance to both Batman and Superman's forces.
As soon as the battle had commenced Superman had rushed forward towards Batman. If he took out Bruce, the others would have no reason to continue the fighting. Clark collided with Bruce head-on, slamming him into the Batcomputer behind Batman. Sparks flew as the huge computer screen shattered against the blow. Batman quickly countered, punching Superman across his lower jaw, the blow flinging him so far back that he hit the railing and almost tumbled to the cave floor way below.
"That...that hit."Superman gasped, rubbing his jaw."Your gauntlets are laced with..."
Bruce smirked as he pulled himself away from the shattered remains of his computer, facing off against the Kryptonian, "You know it."
Superman frowned, clearing not expecting Bruce to have kryptonite, let alone him using it. Batman was not messing around clearly, and so shouldn't Clark. The pair leaped at each other, their fists raised to deliver a blow to their opponent. Batman was the first to land his punch. Hitting the Man of Steel along his right cheek, before Superman retaliated with a blow to his stomach. Luckily his armor shielded him from most of the force, but it still caused Bruce to gasp in pain and have the wind knocked out of him.
Superman quickly took advantage of Batman's stunned state and grabbed his black cape from behind him, before spinning the Bat around in circles. He released Bruce, causing him to soar across the room, knocking away both Superman's and his allies alike. Batman quickly recovered, pulling out his grappling hook and shooting it into a steel beam above him. Using the momentum to his advantage, he swung over the steel and flew right back at Clark, righting himself just in time to deliver a kick to his chest. Superman buckled under the impact of the blow and the whole floor shook. The floor, heck the entire cave, was not built to withstand a fight of this magnitude. He wasn't sure how long it would be before the whole place crumbled. He needed to end this fight before that happened.
Clark grabbed the Dark Knight's leg, before swinging him over and slamming him hard onto the ground, causing the floor to shake once more. Bruce groaned in pain as his eyes roamed his surroundings. The heroes were all fighting in pockets and clusters. He could see Wonder Woman easily fending off the combined might of the Teen Titans unfortunately. Green Arrow was squaring off against the Flash, who all to easily was dodging his arrows, until he misjudged the trajectory of one of his odd boxing glove arrows, which hit him square in the face and causing him to tumble and slide across the floor into a few other heroes. Captain Atom and Black Canary was facing off against Martian Manhunter, which it seemed J'onn was having a little difficulty facing the pair. Bruce was taken away from his surveying as Superman flipped him onto his back, before landing a hard punch on his face. Bruce instantly felt blood filling his mouth and he quickly spat it out into Superman's chest, smudging his S symbol red. The Caped Crusader landed an uppercut below Clark's jaw, causing him to be knocked away from Bruce and allowing him to get back up on his feet.
Bruce wasted no time, pulling out his grappling gun once again and firing it at Superman. The claws wrapped around his neck and Bruce jerked the line forward, causing Superman to be pulled towards him. Clark was met with a hard left hook to his sides, and before he could even register the pain, was greeted with two more quick shots to his face and chest. Clark howled in anger, grabbing the Bruce's shoulders and holding him in place as Superman head-butted him. Bruce's vision instantly went hazy and he could feel his feet start to sway under him. Clark landed a hard hit alongside Bruce's right shoulder, knocking him back and to the side. Clark started walking towards the downed Batman before a high intense of electricity coursed through him. He screamed in pain and quickly turned around to see Nightwing prodding him with his escrima sticks. With a hard backhand to Dick's face Nightwing was knocked a couple of feet back, clearly going to need a minute or two to recover from that. Fortunately, the distraction gave Bruce plenty of time to recover himself, landing a quick kick to the distracted Superman's back. He grunted,more in surprise than pain, as his head flung back against the blow. Bruce grabbed his neck and head in a stranglehold, before bring his armored elbow down hard against his exposed chest. Superman's knees buckled under the blow but he still held his ground. He managed to swing the Man of Steel around and flung him once more against the railing, which this time gave way under the force and both it and Superman tumbled down into the darkness below.
While Superman was out of the fight( Bruce guessed it wouldn't be more than a couple of seconds before Clark flew right back up to continue) he was hit square in the chest with an electrified mace, knocking him back hard against the wall. He managed to get his hands up to his neck as he felt the shaft of the mace pressed roughly against his throat. He tried to push the shaft away from his neck as he was pinned against the wall.
"I always thought you were smarter than this Batman." Hawgirl stated, shoving the metal shaft of her mace harder against his throat, causing him to gag a bit, "Letting yourself be fooled by a pretty little psychopath is one thing but to think you can take down the majority of the Justice League with just a few heroes you managed to sway to your side is beyond stupid."
Bruce grunted as he shifted his hand a bit, managing to type in some buttons on his gauntlet, "You talk too much."
Hawkgirl was about to retort before lights shone on her face, momentarily blinding her. The source came from the Batmobile nearby, it then responded to the set of commands Bruce had given and surged forward, smashing against Hawkgirl and pinning her to the wall. Bruce fell to the floor , rubbing his throat before slowly rising to his feet. She was out cold and he estimated the most damage she probably received was a concussion and a few broken ribs. Hawkgirl was tough, she would be fine.
Bruce barely had time to recover before Superman was back on the scene, rising up from below, towering above the Dark Knight. Setting him another command on his gauntlet the top of the Batmobile opened up, with a mini turret gun popping up. The turret shot rapid explosives at Clark, which Batman knew it was nothing more than an annoyance to him. Superman's eyes became red, before his heat rays melted the gun and ended it's attack.
Batman was not able to land another hit, with Superman already upon him. Grabbing him by his already bruised throat, he lifted the Caped Crusader off his feet. Bruce struggled in his grasp, gripping at his arm and trying to not choke. Bruce was about to bring his kryptonite-laced fists down against Clark's arm but with a quick freeze-breath his fists were covered in ice, shielding Superman from the kryptonite's harmful effects.
"This nonsense stops now Bruce!" Superman yelled, clearly beyond irritated that this fight had gone on as long as it had.
Suddenly a high-pitched voice rang out in the cave, causing everyone to momentarily stop and look at the waterfall entrance to the cave, "Get your hands off my man!"
At the entrance was a very pissed Harley Quinn, dressed in her Batwoman outfit. She pulled out a Baterang from her utility belt and held it up ready to throw it. Her eyes were trained on Superman, staring the big lugg down.
"Harley...no...run!"Bruce struggled to say, still griped in Superman's hold.
"No. This isn't just your fight Bman."Harley replied, "It's mine as well. We're in this together."
"You are just as foolish as Batman if you think you can take us on." Wonder Woman grimaced.
"Oh probably so." Harley stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "If that is I came alone!"
As if on cue four more people leaped through the waterfall and into the fray. Killer Croc, Scarecrow, Riddler, and Poison Ivy all stood by Harley. Superman's forces were starting to get a mix of confusion and fear as the odds have suddenly tipped a bit not in their favor.
"Now let my man go or my friends and I are gonna lay the smack down on you!"Harley threatened and her and her team leaped into the battle.
*This was pointed out to me by a reader named Leonard. There was an inconsistency in my story from Chapter 1.I changed the villian Batman drags back to Arkham to Mad Hatter instead of Scarecrow, since it conflicts with the story later on. Give it a quick read if you want. I want my work to be as good as it can possibly be for my fans and readers, so I always welcome positive criticism and pointers. Thanks!