Thirty years ago, gunshots rang out across Gotham Harbour Street, where the theatre was, thirty years ago, a boy lost his parents and descended into darkness. Since then there have been a great many fights, battles won and lost, friends come and gone. For thirty years, the fight has been waged, and now, in the middle of the greatest crisis that has ever happened to him, Bruce Wayne does not know what to do. Lois Lane is dead, the person who kept Clark Kent rooted to his humanity and reminded him of who he was, is dead, gone, killed by men who were rooted in the villainy of the league. Bruce knows that there are things he should say, things he should do but right now all he can think of is preventing the league from falling apart.
"Lois Lane is dead." Bruce said to the room at large, he saw Oliver Queen's head droop, Dinah Lance took his hand. "She was murdered by Kenneth Braverman known as the Conduit, with help from Clifford Devoe." Barry's head shoots up then. "Clark wasn't able to save her; he was held back by a stack of kryptonite so powerful it incapacitated him." Bruce paused, to think, to get the words straight. "Clark has gone to grief, I say we allow him to grief, to handle things the way he needs to handle them, then we attend the funeral, and then we ensure that our friend heals."
"Has anyone told Jonathan and Lucy?" Oliver asked.
Bruce nodded. "I spoke with Lucy early this morning, she said she would tell Jonathan what had happened." Oliver nodded, then Bruce continued. "I have decided that we must bring Jonathan back to the Hall of Justice as soon as possible. Devoe and Braverman targeted Lois and Clark for a specific reason." He paused there, looked at Diana and said. "Diana, if you would?"
Diana stood up, cleared her throat. "For the past few weeks we have been tracing an organisation called Serial Four. An organisation that has links to both President Matthews and Maxwell Lord. This organisation has been spending millions of dollars funding several companies that have been doing research about an amulet that has links to Gog." Diana paused, took a breath then continued. "Gog being a creature from the old world, who has the power to kill Clark. From what we have found out, Devoe was also a member of this organisation and consequently has been working to harm Clark."
Diana sat down. "How did Devoe break out? We designed his cell at Iron Heights to ensure that he could not get out, we implanted several cellular blockers that would prevent his neural cells from breaking normal bars." Barry said.
"How he got out is just one of the things we need to focus on. The other is finding Braverman and ensuring that he is brought to justice." Bruce replied.
"What do you mean by bringing him to justice?" Oliver asked.
"I mean ensuring he is arrested, and brought before a court and convicted. Clark's statement will be more than enough to put him away for a long time." Bruce answered.
"Do you really think that's the smartest course of action?" Victor asked. "After all, if Devoe could break out of Iron Heights, then they must have people inside the place which means they have access to several keys and codes. Braverman is either going to never make it Iron Heights or he is going to break out of the cell he's put in before you can say Shazam."
"I agree with Victor, there must be another place where he can go." Diana said.
"Arkham is not secure at this moment, not since the Joker tried to break in to get Harleen." Bruce responded, he'd gone toe to toe with that monster and there had been a very close call where he'd very nearly lost his cool and broken that monster once and for all.
"Then perhaps we should keep him in Tartarus." Diana said simply.
"Don't people have to be dead before they can go there?" Barry asked.
"Not necessarily," Bruce said. "Hades owes us a favour." And that would be an interesting one to call in. Especially considering his own views on Hades and the Underworld.
"Tartarus it is then." Diana agreed. There were murmurs of agreement.
"What about Clark, how long are we going to be able to keep things going without him? This investigation into Serial Four will require his help, it can't happen if he's grieving or not here." Damian said.
Bruce glared at his son. "We will give Clark as much time as he needs. Barry, I want you to keep an eye on things in Central City, the moment you see something that suggests that Devoe is back, I want you alert the league." Barry nodded. "Oliver, can you and Dinah look through Star City, I believe Braverman knows someone there, it is possible that he will venture there to seek solace and shelter."
"Will do." Oliver replied.
"Very well." Bruce said, dismissing the members of the league, they got up and left, until it was just him and Diana. Bruce looked at his friend, there had been something between them once long ago, but that had since died, and he knew how his friend felt for Clark. "He will need you, Diana, more than ever, Clark will need you."
"He will need both of us, Bruce." Diana replied. "We are all friends."
Bruce sighed. "I cannot provide the emotional comfort that Clark will need, but you can. Just remember that you are not Lois, and that things cannot go beyond a friend comforting her friend."
"I know that." Diana replied angrily.
Bruce merely nodded. He heard Diana leave the hall, he sighed, and left the hall himself moving slowly, purposefully to ensure he was not followed, once he was out of the building he got into his car and drove, things would go badly from here, he knew where Braverman was likely to go, and he suspected Clark knew as well. But there was someone else he needed to meet before he could go there. He stopped the car, and opened the passenger door. "General." He said to the man who got in.
"Mister Wayne." The general answered.
"My condolences on your loss." Bruce said simply. "Lois was a great journalist and lady and friend."
"Thank you." The general answered simply. "Now what is it you wanted to see me about?"
"Your daughter has died; Superman's greatest ally has been removed from the world. Do you know what that is going to do to him?" Bruce asked.
The general had often been described as a cold man, as someone who could not have a heart, Lois herself had often described him as such, but as Bruce looked at the man, he saw someone trying desperately to come to terms with everything that had happened. He took his time to respond, and when he did his response was simple. "The unknown."
"Precisely, Superman is a being with god like abilities, who for the past twenty years has been serving as humanity's greatest saviour. He has just lost his greatest link to that very same humanity. And now his son is in danger. Your grandson is in danger general." Bruce said. "The same people who came for Lois will come for him, if they haven't already and given Jonathan's place in the British line of succession, that makes him an even bigger target. We must put the plan into action."
"You are sure that this is the course you want to go down?" The general asked. "Once you open this can of worms there will be no going back, you do understand that Mister Wayne? You prompt Superman into doing something such as this, and you will not be able to stop what Wonder Woman, Cyborg and even your own son encourage him to do."
"I know, and I know that the role I have to play will cast me as the villain, but I must do this. This must happen. Devoe has already set into motion things that cannot be stopped. Clark will not listen to me, not now, not after Lois' death and I do not have the tools to stop the poison Diana will whisper into his ear. The only hope we have for things to be somewhat moderated is Jonathan. And he is but eighteen. We cannot expect an eighteen-year-old boy who has just lost his mother to do much of anything." Bruce replied.
"You are prepared for the fallout?" The general asked.
"I am. I have been prepared from the day I learned Clark and Lois had a son." Bruce replied.
"Then I shall get my men ready, and I shall prepare things accordingly." The general answered.
"Before you go general, there is one more thing I wished to ask." Bruce said.
"Then ask it." the general replied.
"Why are you so willing to go forward with this? I know that this is something that goes against your values, and as a military man, surely you would want the status quo maintained." Bruce queried.
The general said nothing for a moment, then he answered. "The status quo cost me my wife and my daughter. If this new world you say is coming is better than that then I am willing to sacrifice my own views for it. I will not let my grandson suffer the way I have suffered. That is why I am doing this." The door opened and the general got out.
Bruce waited for a moment, then once he was convinced the general was gone he started the car and drove. He knew what was going to come, had known from the moment he'd been told Lois had gone missing. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but he knew deep down a part of him had always suspected. Clark would make the world a better place, but Bruce knew he could not join his friend in the sun. People like him? They didn't get the praise and the celebrations, they got the job done and moved onto the next task. The phone buzzed. "Alfred, have you found him?"
"Yes, Master Bruce, he's three minutes away from your current position." Alfred replied.
"Good." Bruce said.
"Master Bruce, are you sure about this?" Alfred asked.
"I am. It has to be done this way." Bruce said.
"Very well." Alfred said before the phone went silent.
Bruce turned the corner and stopped the car. He got out, and threw the red gas he had prepared for this moment. He heard coughing and spluttering and as the gas cleared, he moved forward. "Kenneth Braverman, you are under arrest for the murder of Lois Lane."
Braverman said nothing, he allowed Bruce to put the cuffs on him and allowed him to remove the kryptonite buried in his clothes through slow processes. Then he was dragged into the bat mobile and driven off to Metropolis police department. Placed in a cell, then processed then taken for questioning. Bruce said nothing for the first few minutes, neither did Braverman.
After half an hour Braverman spoke. "You are oddly silent, don't you want to know why I kidnapped that slut?"
Bruce said nothing. Braverman laughed. "You know it's funny. I always thought you'd have figured it out first, Batman. You know that Serial Four is spread throughout the government, it's not going anywhere. Devoe might have gone rogue, but no one else has. They are all working toward the same thing. Hell, even your old friend the Joker is in it. Do you want to know his name?"
Bruce didn't answer, as the walls to the room broke open, Clark dressed in his suit, hair ruffled, eyes wild, appeared. "Move." Clark growled.
"Clark…" Bruce warned.
"Move." Clark snarled.
Bruce got up and moved, as Clark moved closer to Braverman. "Not so brave now." Bruce said as he watched his friend put his fist through Braverman's chest.