Bad news, guys. Even though I was on Thanksgiving break, I didn't utilize my spare time wisely enough, and thus, I'm going to have to split Chapter Six in two parts to meet my weekend deadline. It's okay if you're still disappointed, but know that as soon as I'm finished with Part 2, I will upload it. A/N: The underlined segments are used to designate records from Terry's future, so as I wouldn't have to keep dividing the text.
Watchtower, Orbit; March 21, 2027 15:00
The entirety of the Justice League were now assembled in a large chamber within the Watchtower where Terry would be presenting the details of the bad future.
Terry was standing in front of a giant screen where the video files and holographic historical records would be displayed to show what to prevent from ever happening.
"Thank you all for coming today." Bruce greeted, beginning the proceedings. "A visitor from the future has come with information that can help us prevent disaster this Veteran's Day."
"What's happening on Veteran's Day?" Kyle Rayner asked, happening to share Terry's voice.
"Let's just listen, Kyle." Donna responded. "Let's not worry yet."
"Okay." Terry started. "The future I came from had a catastrophic invasion this Veteran's Day by Darkseid and Apokalips."
"Should we worry now?" Kyle asked his girlfriend.
"I believe we should." Donna whispered back.
"Okay, let's start from the beginning." Terry said. "Yesterday, I interrupted the wedding of Clark Kent and Lois Lane when I arrived from the future."
Jason nodded in response to that assessment, still remembering the tranquilizers that put Terry to sleep for at least half a day.
"In the timeline where Clark and Lois's wedding was uninterrupted, they consummated their marriage later that night. And three days after that, they discovered that Lois was pregnant with twins. The Justice League congratulated Clark on his success, and Bruce offered to be the Godfather. A week after that, though, Conner was captured on a mission to one of LexCorp's facilities, and was transformed into a monster called Doomsday, its sole purpose to kill Superman, and, well, I guess I'll just show the footage." Terry reiterated.
Terry moved to the computer and played the holographic record that documented the deaths of Clark and Conner Kent.
The record opened with the date and time that read "Metropolis, New Jersey; March 31, 2027 2:30 PM EDT".
The holographic record showed the Founding Seven in combat with a being that looked like a monster from ancient Kryptonian mythology in the ruins of various Metropolis suburbs, where many corpses of soldier and civilian alike lay, evidently victims of the carnage unleashed by Doomsday.
"Bruce, get out of there!" Clark ordered. "You're going to have to fire a Kryptonite missile here!"
"You'll be at ground zero!" Bruce retorted, not wanting to kill his longtime best friend.
"I know, but at least Conner won't die alone!" Clark responded, still feeling pity for Conner that was somewhere within Doomsday.
"Clark, get down!" Bruce warned, noting Doomsday was right behind him.
Clark just threw the monster back with his right hand without looking.
"I know that there are some soldiers that had some anti-Kryptonian weaponry." Clark suggested. "Try finding some. I'm going to keep Doomsday distracted."
As Superman charged back towards Doomsday, Bruce ran to look anything that might incapacitate Doomsday without killing either Conner or Clark.
As he found some leaked Kryptonite from a grenade that was unexploded, he pulled out one of his batarangs to place some of the harmful material on his weaponry, hopefully not enough to prove fatal to Clark.
As the green matter laced the projectile, Miss Martian ran to Bruce.
"Miss Martian, get out of here!" Bruce ordered. "This is no place for you!"
When she disobeyed those orders, Bruce reititerated them in a more empathetic way.
"Listen, I want to help Conner, too." Bruce said. "But running into a warzone isn't the best way. Perhaps when he is incapacitated, you can reason with him."
"I can't make contact with him." M'gann reported.
"Damnation." Bruce quietly swore, as he discovered that he might have to kill him.
"Bruce! I can't keep him under control forever!" Clark shouted. "If you're going to take him down, do it now!"
Bruce threw the Kryptonite-laced batarang at the combatants, but it proved to be no use against Doomsday.
"Bruce, get M'gann out of there!" Clark ordered. "Call in that missile now!"
Trying to avoid such a measure, Bruce impulsively threw the grenade at the combatants, even as Doomsday stabbed Superman with his blade arm.
The grenade exploded, but Clark was already dead, being stabbed by solid Kryptonite.
Doomsday was little better, though, being brought to his knees.
"No." Bruce whispered, horrified by the fact that he might have just killed his best friend.
He and M'gann ran towards the duo of bodies, where the Kryptonian lay dead.
Conner's mind, however, was finally able to communicate with M'gann telepathically.
Stop! M'gann heard her boyfriend call. I'm in control. All the damage caused by the Kryptonite finally released the controls that kept my mind locked away. Only temporary, though.
Bruce didn't share any mind control abilities, but he was able to determine that Doomsday, or rather Conner, was not a threat for the moment, but that might not be the case soon.
What do you want me to do? M'gann asked.
There's a shotgun nearby that's loaded with Kryptonite shells. Conner pointed towards a soldier's fallen weapon. I'm going to continue to be a threat until you kill me.
M'gann ran to the dead soldier, reading his nametag that showed "PVT. L. JENKINS" on his uniform.
Grabbing the shotgun, M'gann walked hesitantly towards Conner.
The safeguards for my mind are already rebooting. There's nothing you can do. Kill me!
No, Conner! We can help you. M'gann argued.
M'gann, I'm already a monster. The world isn't going to accept me for what just happened here today. Pull the trigger and fire the shotgun. Conner begged.
"Before you do so, ask him if Clark was already dead when the Kryptonite grenade exploded." Bruce requested, remorseful over the possibility of committing what was essentially fratricide.
Bruce didn't kill Clark. I did. Conner informed his girlfriend in remorse. I love you.
I love you, too. M'gann stated as she pulled the trigger, closing her eyes.
The Kryptonian monster's head exploded, and Conner had finally died at peace, but M'gann was now an absolute emotional wreck, the realistic response of having just killed one's significant other to save others.
The M'gann in this timeline was by this point now weeping in horror and sadness, prompting Conner to comfort her.
Knowing that there should probably be a recess to give the White Martian some respite, especially after Terry found her alternate self's corpse in what just felt like yesterday.
"Okay, I think it's time to take a break." Terry announced, also observing that many others were weeping at Clark's death in the alternate timeline.
Conner took Megan outside of the assembly chamber to calm her down gently.
M'gann, it's going to be okay. It's not going to happen. Terry's already changed the timeline, so neither of us will be doomed.
Conner knew that most of this words were bullshit, but at this point, he was doing anything to comfort his girlfriend so that the poor girl wouldn't commit suicide.
Megan didn't even bother responding in either words or telepathy, as she buried her head in Conner's chest.
The emotional moment was cut short when D.I. spoke behind them mockingly.
"You ever hear the Tragedy of M'gann M'orzz the White?" D.I. rhetorically asked, referring to Revenge of the Sith.
"D.I., I swear to God!" Conner suddenly shouted, angered that Director Inverse was intentionally making an insensitive comment so soon after one of the revelations and knowing that M'gann's feelings could be hurt further. "In a trunk! Off a cliff!"
Conner gave D.I. a bloody nose in retaliation for mocking Megan.
"You know, I've always been curious over why you always wore those sunglasses." Conner wondered. "Shall we see if the reason is photosensitivity?"
Conner, what are you doing? M'gann asked her boyfriend.
Did we not just hear what happened? This asshole made an insensitive comment right after we watched you have an absolute breakdown.
Conner slowly removed the sunglasses, and turned Inverse's eyes towards the bright light above, as the latter was in obvious discomfort.
Nightwing exited the assembly chamber, and deescalated the situation from getting any worse.
"Enough." Richard calmly ordered, as he retrieved the sunglasses and put them back on D.I.'s head.
"D.I., please don't make insensitive comments." Nightwing said. "Conner, we don't engage in torture here."
"Yes, sir." Both men responded.
"Good." Dick said. "How are you, M'gann? Feeling any better?"
"Not really." She confessed. "D.I. did make an insensitive comment, and Conner was rather violent just now."
"Just get a cold glass of water, and everything will be fine." Nightwing ordered. "None of the stuff you just saw is going to happen."
Miss Martian obeyed said order, and headed for the water fountain.
"Since you're dead by the point of the demonstration, I don't think that you need to be here any longer." Nightwing advised to Conner. "And M'gann is going to need your help to get through this."
"I don't know." Conner thought. "I just reacted violently towards D.I. mocking the tragedy."
"I kind of deserved it, though." D.I. admitted.
"No matter how angry you can be, I know one thing: you could never raise a finger against her." Nightwing said. "That's how you two will make it through this madness."
"That's right." Superboy realized. "Our relationship was never tumultuous."
"Just help her out." Dick encouraged. "We're going to need to be calm these next couple of days."
Conner left, as Dick took D.I. back to the assembly chamber, as their fates weren't yet revealed.
"Apparently, Miss Martian and Superboy aren't joining us for this next excerpt from the alternate timeline." Terry mused.
He played a news file that was live on "April 8, 2027; 6:00 PM EDT".
"Breaking news!" Perry White announced as he appeared on the screen. "A paramilitary organization of unknown origin and motivations have just firebombed Smallville. The town was annihilated within minutes, and there are currently no reported survivors."
Superman's face went pale in shock and sadness at another tragedy of Terry's timeline.
"Add to that, the Daily Planet's starring reporter Lois Lane-Kent, recently married to Clark Kent, was found shot outside her apartment." Perry continued. "She was currently carrying her and Clark's twin children."
"Oh my God." Clark whispered, almost not caring at using the Lord's name in vain.
Terry continued to show newspaper clippings of xenophobic protests calling for the ousting of the Atlanteans, the Martians, and the Themyscirans, then news stories of Carol Ferris being murdered and the death of the Flash.
"If I had the proper paperwork to prove Bruce Wayne to be my legal father, I would give my inheritance to the lucky person who guesses the person behind all of these incidents." Terry rhetorically said, knowing that everyone already knew that it was Luthor.
Terry played another holographic record, this time a record of the Joker's death, dated around "Gotham, New Jersey; November 4, 2027 12:00 AM EDT".
Terry paused the record before providing context.
"Two weeks before this time and date, Tim went missing while on patrol in Gotham City." Terry reported. "Therefore, Bruce, Barbara, Jason, and Richard went on a search for him until they reached the end of the trail within the first Arkham Asylum."
The holo record was resumed to show Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Red Hood entering the abandoned asylum, and then cut to show them meeting Joker, Harley Quinn, and a mutilated Tim Drake transformed to be both physically and mentally like the Joker.
Apparently, Joker and Harley wanted to start some sort of "family", so they kidnapped Tim to "adopt" him. A fight inevitably broke out, and despite her efforts, Batgirl was unable to save Harley Quinn from falling to her doom. Inside the ancient facility, the Joker showed Batman a sick slide show of Tim's transformation, which resulted Bruce nearly tearing the Joker in two, until the latter provided a distraction by cutting Bruce's side, leaving Tim to shoot Batman.
However, Tim broke free of the Joker's surgery, and just as Joker was about to kill him in retaliation, Nightwing knocked him out, he and Red Hood returning from being busy with the Joker's goons.
When Batgirl returned to the group, they briefly discussed on how Tim would never go on any other assignments again.
The discussion was cut short, though, when Joker, having regained consciousness, pulled out his gun and fired at Batman, but Barbara intercepted the shot, resulting in her paralyzed.
Jason fired a revolver at Joker to kill the son of a bitch.
"Yeah. The Joker was hired by Luthor to psychologically break you, Bruce." Terry revealed, the Joker evidently claiming the idea as his own. "You only found out that information when you went to Camp Omega, which is basically the last holorecord I'm going to show you guys."
"Last?" Bruce asked. "What about the invasion?"
"The holorecord dealing with Camp Omega is expanded to the invasion." Terry clarified. "Long story short, M'gann, who didn't obey the exile to Mars edict pushed forward by Luthor, heard rumors of Superman being alive, and tried to rescue him, but unfortunately got herself captured. Oliver contacted you from the Watchtower to go to Camp Omega which was located in the site of Superman and Doomsday's tragic battle."
Terry played the audio record of Bruce and Oliver's transmission.
"Bruce, you there?" Oliver asked.
"I'm here, what is it?" Bruce responded.
"M'gann went on a mission just outside of Metropolis, Superman's final resting spot." Oliver explained. "LexCorp was doing experiments with his corpse in a laboratory on the site where he and Conner died. M'gann tried to go retrieve the body to give Clark a proper burial, but got herself captured instead."
"And judging from our decreasing membership in recent months, I'm the only one that you can send." Bruce deduced.
"Correct. Everyone else is on station due to an upcoming U.N. inspection." Oliver answered. "They want to make sure we haven't gone off the deep end because of Superman's passing."
"I'll rescue M'gann, and Clark's body." Bruce volunteered. "The least that the boy scout deserves is a proper burial. He spent years devoting his life to this world, and now it's time this world did something for him, even if it is posthumously."
"Agreed, Bruce." Oliver concurred.
"I'll take Nightwing and Red Hood to Camp Omega." Bruce said before cutting the comm.
"None of them knew it at the time, but this marked the beginning of the end in more ways than one." Terry stated after the recording stopped playing. "It was the beginning of Darkseid's invasion, and it was the beginning of Bruce's downward spiral."
"Downward spiral into what?" Bruce inquired. "Killing? Becoming the villain?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Terry promised. "It's just fortunate that M'gann isn't here to see what happened to her when she was captured in this timeline."
Terry played another holorecord, which was several hours long, starting at "Metropolis, New Jersey; November 11, 2027 5:30 AM EST".
The holorecord started showing a Watchtower shuttle landing at Camp Omega, and the three occupants planning their attack strategy.
"Once we get inside, we're more than likely going to be noticed." Bruce predicted. "Therefore, we respond with just-below maximum prejudice."
Jason was evidently getting an itchy trigger finger.
"Bruce, you haven't recovered from last week, have you?" Nightwing asked in concern.
"Barbara and Tim need to recover more than me." Batman retorted. "It's why it's just three on this mission. I'm done endangering children's lives."
"That's a start." Jason darkly noted.
"Non-lethal rounds only, Jason." Bruce ordered. "Whatever these scumbags have done to M'gann, we have to be better than them."
Terry paused the footage, and scoffed ironically.
"Yeah, well, that wasn't going to happen." The black-haired man noted. "Not after they found M'gann."
The footage fast-forwarded to the part where they found M'gann, skipping over a montage of brutal but unfatal takedowns of the Camp Omega security.
The trio finally found the White Martian, injured, with tubes and stitches in her body.
"Oh my god." Bruce whispered in horror and righteous anger.
Jason was really wanting to kill the doctors who did this, orders be damned.
"M'gann, it's me." Bruce greeted, holding her head gently. "I'm here to get you out of here."
The alien could only nod numbly, and her telepathic thought was only slightly less impaired.
Bruce, Luthor is going to...
"Shhh." Bruce interrupted. "It's going to be alright now. You're going to be safe."
"Bruce, we can't relocate her yet." Dick observed. "We have to disconnect all of this machinery from her."
"Do it as painlessly as possible." Bruce ordered. "We're going to get her back home safely."
"What about the personnel, boss?" Jason asked, really asking for permission to unleash hell.
"Authorization has been lifted to maximum prejudice." Bruce permitted.
"What?" Dick asked in shock, surprised that Bruce would be condoning murder. But even as he uttered that single word, he understood the disgust that he shared with Bruce and Jason for these thugs who tortured M'gann.
"Thank you, sir." Jason responded, ignoring Dick, and loaded his revolvers with far more lethal bullets.
"I'm going to find Clark." Bruce said before leaving. "No one's getting left behind tonight."
"Bruce, it's 5:45 in the morning." Dick corrected.
"My point still stands: no one gets left behind." Bruce reiterated from the shadows.
The footage then showed Bruce fighting his way through the facility, and finding various logs that Clark had been revived from the dead.
Even though joy had returned from his best friend being revealed to have been alive, it was quickly replaced by worry at how a revived Superman might be affected by the knowledge that his family was killed in his absence.
Sure enough, Clark had been tricked into fighting Bruce by Luthor, who had left the compound just moments before.
A deceived Superman was on the offensive with Batman barely holding on.
"Clark! It's me, Bruce!" Batman shouted, trying to calm the boy scout down.
The Kryptonian kept hitting back, and Bruce had to return punches.
Cliffhanger! Yeah, I know, it's not finished yet, but I will do so soon.