...And Injustice For All

Chapter 5: Tread Carefully

CW2K: This part is the continuance of the previous chapter.

Green Lantern: I'm resisting arrest... again!

Hal checks over Wonder Woman.

Green Lantern: You ok?

Wonder Woman: Hal?

Yellow Lantern: Someone call for me?

Green Lantern: You're Sinestro Corps?

Yellow Lantern: Sinestro's right. Fear is more effective than willpower.

Green Lantern: So you ditched green and went yellow, the color of cowardice.

The two lanterns blast their energies at each other. Chris and Nightlight had showed up after their act of passion.

Yellow Lantern: We are still about order, just like the Guardians.

Green Lantern: I'm sure they're very proud of you.

Yellow Lantern: Sanctimony is easy if you know...

Green Lantern: Save it. Time to kick my ass.

Both Lanterns fight each other. They both have the same moves so what's the point?

Green Lantern: Well, that was surreal.

Wonder Woman: And a bit strange.

Green Arrow: All that yellow must be tough on the eyes.

Wonder Woman: So Chris, who is this?

Chris: This is Nightlight.

Green Lantern: Why are you with Sinestro?

Nightlight: At first, I thought fear was the most powerful of the emotions. I joined the Sinestro Corps to instill fear into others. Until tonight...

Wonder Woman: What do you mean?

Nightlight: I met this man.

Wonder Woman: This is Chris. He too found himself here somehow as well.

Green Lantern: How's it going?

Wonder Woman: This is Green Lantern and Green Arrow.

Chris: Green Beans and Green Peas! Gotcha!

Green Arrow: Oh! He's got jokes!

Sirens were heard from afar.

Nightlight: I must go!

Chris: We can talk more later. We need to go.

Green Arrow: Running from the cops. Aren't there any good guys?

Green Lantern: There just might be.

They find Batman in a nearby alley.

At the Watchtower in the prime (Original) universe, Superman checks on Flash and Cyborg regarding the missing superheroes.

Superman: Nothing yet.

Cyborg: The energy signatures from the park doesn't match anything in the database.

Flash: Why don't I just vibrate at the same frequency as the energy signature and follow them?

Superman: Because we don't know if they went somewhere dangerous.

Cyborg: Or if they went anywhere at all. Superman's right. It's too risky.

Flash: I wasn't fast enough to catch them in the first place.

Superman: We'll find them. We have to.

CW2K: Now we move on to Aquaman's chapter.

Aquaman visits the Royal Atlantis library and meets the royal archivist.

Archivist: A pleasure most rare, Your Highness.

Aquaman: I need information on surface world governance. History and current structure.

Archivist: Ah, for the treaty negotiations with the High Counselor?

Aquaman: Yes. The treaty discussions.

Archivist: I'm afraid our resources are limited. Superman has been less than willing to reveal his regime's inner workings.

Aquaman: Tell me what you know. Recount the events of his ascension. A thorough review might illuminate new strategies for the negotiation.

Archivist: I am humbled, Sire. Five years ago, the criminal Joker deceived Superman into killing his wife and unborn son and destroying Metropolis. Consumed by grief, Superman killed the Joker.

Aquaman: Yes... we all remember where we were that day.

Archivist: Afterward, he showed no restraint. Judge, jury and executioner, he and other -like-minded metahumans quickly reigned in the criminal element.

Aquaman: Which made him quite popular.

Archivist: The surface world was desperate for strong leadership. Superman consolidated his power. He created the One Earth government. Democratic institutions were swept away.

An Atlantian guard appears.

Guard: Sire, the High Counselor's envoys await you in the throne room.

Aquaman heads to the throne room and sees Flash (Regime) and Shazam (Regime).

Aquaman: Flash, Shazam, welcome.

Shazam (Regime): Your Highness, it is a honor to meet you.

Flash (Regime): And to be the first surface people to visit Atlantis.

Aquaman: Yes. We have important matters to discuss.

Flash (Regime): The final draft. Superman is glad you've agreed to his terms.

Aquaman: May I?

Flash (Regime) hands him the treaty. Aquaman reads...and doesn't like what he's read.

Shazam (Regime): Is there a problem, Your Highness?

Aquaman: This is complete subjugation. Superman will rule Atlantis.

Flash (Regime): It's what you agreed to. It's what we expect.

Aquaman: You threaten me? Tread carefully.

Flash (Regime): We have our orders.

Both tried to attack Aquaman, but he countered each attack. He knocked Shazam (Regime) down while Flash (Regime) tried to use his speed to attack but Aquaman holds him and knocks him down.

Aquaman: You can tell Superman... HE WILL NOT HAVE ATLANTIS!

Aquaman knows the Flash all too well. He was so pissed that he ends up taking his aggression on both.

Aquaman: Your orders be damned!

Shazam (Regime) shot a lightning, but Aquaman dodges it.

Aquaman: Let's not take this any further, Billy. I want to talk to Superman.

Shazam (Regime): You don't talk to Superman, you do what he wants, and you're gonna do what you promised!

Aquaman knows Shazam is just a kid, therefore he didn't use as much on him but manages to defeat him.

Aquaman: You two make sorry diplomats.

Atlantian guards try to charge at Aquaman, but he defeats them. More arrive, along with his counterpart.

Aquaman: Well, Parallel dimension it is.

Aquaman (Regime: Who do you work for, usurper? Manta? Ocean Master?

Aquaman: I am the King of Atlantis. I answer to no one, (sarcastically) unlike you.

Aquaman: (Regime): Mind your tongue.

Aquaman: You would give your kingdom like a pair of worn boots to a surface dweller?

Aquaman (Regime): The treaty requires Superman to maintain Earth's oceans, and recognize our autonomy.

Aquaman: You put your army at his beck and call!

Aquaman (Regime): A necessary compromise.

Aquaman: More like appeasement!

Aquaman (Regime): (Irritated) I grow tried of this. Take him!

One guard got taken down easily. A few others try their hands but like the first one, no match for Aquaman.

Soon Aquaman (Regime) had no guards left and both Aquamen battle.

Aquaman: I would offer help, but I've changed my mind!

Although with equal powers, neither Aquamen were able to get the upper hand, but Aquaman was able to take him down. I guess the Regime versions of these characters don't seem to know their own strength.

Aquaman: Now let's discuss a more revised foreign policy.

More guards arrive.

Aquaman (Regime): Kill him!

Before they could, they end up getting turned to stone. Ares (Insurgent) has arrived.

Ares (Insurgent): They do tend to fight first, don't they? Although I may have stoked the fires a bit.

Aquaman: Why are you here?

Ares (Insurgent): I feed on conflict. Until today, I've been starving. I sensed the return of aggression and sought its cause.

Aquaman: You did more than that, Ares. You brought us here.

Ares (Insurgent): No, but I can guess who did.

Aquaman: My fire doesn't need stoking, Ares. Tell me who.

Ares (Insurgent): You presume to command me?

Aquaman: I do, and you will obey!

Aquaman learns that this is not the same Ares he knows so well. Because of Regime Superman's One Earth government that eliminated all crime and injustice throughout the pillars of society, all types of conflict Ares savors so much became non-existent, which is why this Ares could not use any of his sorcery effectively as he always does. Aquaman defeats Ares, using very little strength and not overdoing it.

Aquaman: You're weak, Ares.

Ares (Insurgent): Superman's reign nearly eliminated conflict, left me virtually powerless.

Aquaman: If you didn't bring us here, then who did?

Ares (Insurgent): Those who would end Superman's rule, the insurgents.

Aquaman: Heroes?

Ares (Insurgent): Only one. All other heroes who challenged Superman have been eliminated.

Aquaman: He killed them... and the only ones left are those who joined him?

Ares (Insurgent): Along with a small cadre of villains, whose loyalty was bought, not coerced.

Aquaman: I need to join my colleagues.

Ares (Insurgent): They're with the insurgents as we speak.

Aquanman: Send me to them.

Somewhere in a hidden base, Green Arrow was about to swallow a pill when Aquaman arrived.

Green Lantern: How'd you get here?

Aquaman: Ares... not our Ares.

Green Arrow: We know. Meet Not-out-Batman.

Batman (Insurgent): I was wondering how to retrieve you from Atlantis. Who is this?

Wonder Woman: This is Chris. Somehow he found himself in this universe.

Batman (Insurgent): Who do you work for?

Chris: I'm a Commander of he Homefront Warriors, created by the U.S Government to preserve Earth's safety.

Aquaman: Headache?

Green Arrow: Trying to prevent one.

Batman (Insuregent): It's a durability enhancer, Five-U-93-R.

Aqauman: How can a pill...?

Batman (Insurgent): Kryptonian nanotech. Increases the tensile strength of bone and tissue by several thousand percent.

Chris: Whoa! That much?

Green Arrow: Bats can tell you more later, if you're having trouble sleeping. He borrowed the recipe from Superman. Supes gives it to his flunkies.

Aquaman: I met a couple of our evil twins.

Batman (Insurgent): They're not evil. Most obey Superman out of fear, or they believe he is right and have lost perspective.

Wonder Woman: So you're the only one left?

Voice: Not the only one.

It was Lex Luthor, who joins the Insurgency.

Aquaman: What is this?

Green Arrow: How are you even alive?

Batman (Insurgent): He's with me.

Luthor (Insurgent): Unlike your Luthor, I never indulged in law-breaking. Superman does not suspect his best friend is funding the Insurgency.

Batman (Insurgent): Luthor's involvement is a secret. People critical of Superman disappear: Government officials, activists, reporters...

Wonder Woman: Now that we're all here, explain why you chose us.

Green Arrow: and why you didn't ask before yankin' us over. We were kinda busy.

Luthor (Insurgent): The nuclear bomb. It didn't go off. Your transfer somehow prevented it.

Chris: Transfer? So that's how I got here.

Green Arrow: How did you find yourself here?

Chris: I was sent by the Special Forces back home...

Batman (Insurgent): Special Forces?

Green Lantern: I thought you work for... I forget.

Chris: I do, but Special Forces were called upon as reinforcements.

Wonder Woman: I remember seeing you there where the bomb was. What was your purpose there?

Chris: To disarm it, but the Joker and his girlfriend's presence prevented me from proceeding. Luthor, How did you know...

Luthor (Insurgent): We've been monitoring your world for some time, particularly the four of you.

Batman (Insurgent): I have a weapon... a Kryptonian laser...

Green Lantern: Hold it. A Kryptonite weapon? You kill him, you're no better than he is.

Batman (Insurgent): I didn't say 'kill,' it'll incapacitate him, nothing more. The weapon's in the Batcave. I need your DNA to unlock it.

Wonder Woman: What's Chris gonna do?

Batman (Insurgent): He'll have to find his way home on his own.

Chris: (Sarcastically) Gee, thanks.

At the Fortress of Solitude, Regime Superman was working on something when Regime Wonder Woman comes in, not in her usual battle armor but in a sexy strapless outfit. Goddamn!

Wonder Women (Regime): The collar's working good. Reeducation wasn't going to affect him. You sure you don't want me to stay?

No response.

Wonder Woman (Regime): Kal, I know you didn't lose your super-hearing. Are you ok with this? With us?

Superman (Regime): Of course.

Wondeer Woman (Regime): I'm not trying to replace her.

Superman (Regime): I know Go on. I'll be fine

Wonder Woman (Regime): I just came to tell you Hal Jordan's...

Superman (Regime): On his way in. Look Like my super-hearing is working.

As Regime Wonder Woman leaves, Yellow Lantern comes in.

Yellow Lantern: High Counselor. Love Diana's new look. We have a problem. I ran into Diana's twin, someone who looks like Oliver Queen, and Hal Jordan.

Superman (Regime): Find them, and any others that are out there. I want to know everything.