Issue #28 – FALLEN
After a day of torture at the hands of Darkseid, Kal-El's spirit had been broken. He knew he would never feel the healing rays of the sun, the soothing kiss from Lois' lips, he would never feel anything again except pain. Superman was dead, replaced by an empty shell, a mere shadow of the man he once was…nothing but a memory.
Gotham City:
The sun set over the horizon. Lights came on all over the city to push back the darkness. There were no mob enforcers on the streets of Gotham this night however. No back alley brawls, no illegal dealings in the shadows. On this night, the entire population of this crime-ridden city were locked up in their homes. There was a bigger threat than gangsters in the city tonight.
High up in the night sky, a famous signal covered the moon. The sign of a bat. Deep underground, a menacing figure watched his TV as his nemesis battled the armies of Darkseid. A wry smile spread across his face as the alien invaders sought to destroy Batman.
"Well Batty boy…even I would find it hard to laugh in this situation. Nevertheless…Ha Ha…" Joker laughed insanely as his attention was held to news reports and live coverage on the streets above.
Batman flew in his customised jet plane. Behind him, attack drones chased and fired. Ahead of him, a battle cruiser hovered, waiting for the plane to come into range. Missiles launched from the wings of the plane, homing in on the cruiser, causing large explosions. Pulling up, Batman flew in a loop, ending up behind the drones. A spray of bullets streaked across the sky as the drones were destroyed one by one.
"…Bruce…what's going on out there?"
The voice of Lois Lane on the radio. She had gone to Gotham to seek Bruce Wayne's help in finding Clark. But as Darkseid's forces descended from space, Batman was called into action.
"I haven't seen anything like this before. Whatever they are…they're not from this world…"
Despite being struck by a barrage of missiles, the battle cruiser was still causing devastation, destroying buildings in downtown Gotham. Thinking for a moment, Batman made a decision.
"Lois, stay at the house…I promise I'll do what I can to find Clark…Wait for me to contact you…"
Pressing an array of switches and buttons on a control panel, Batman activated the jets self-destruct and set it on a collision course with the cruiser. Dodging laser fire, he went closer and closer, waiting for the right moment. As he reached the point of no return, Bruce activated the ejection protocol and was catapulted from the plane.
His cape extended and hardened, creating a glider as he fell softly and landed on the city streets. Looking up to the sky he watched as the plane collided with the battle cruiser just as the self-destruct countdown reached zero. A tremendous explosion ripped through the battle cruiser blowing it to pieces.
Batman found he was now surrounded by foot soldiers. They attacked, punching and kicking. Batman defended himself. Blocking a punch, pushing up against the soldiers arm, twisting and breaking it before turning in a roundhouse kick, smacking against another's face, sending him to the floor. He heard a shot.
Reacting instinctively, Batman jumped and flipped backwards. Looking behind him he saw a foot soldier unconscious on the floor with another costumed hero standing above him. Nightwing.
"Dick…"
Dick Grayson, once known as Robin, had left to strike out on his own and make a name for himself without being in Batman's shadow.
"Listen Bruce…don't thank me, don't start acting like a parent or a brother and start talking about friendship or partners or any of that crap. I'm not here for you."
"Why are you here?"
"Haven't you heard? Edge City has been completely blown away, Coast is in flames and Metropolis is under siege. This is happening everywhere Bruce. All over the world. I'll be damned if I let it happen here too. So don't talk to me…just fight."
For the first time in years, they fought side by side. On the other side of the city, Barbara Gordon donned her Batgirl costume one more time and headed for the battle zone. No words were spoken as the trio battled against the alien army.
Even the notorious villains of Gotham were battling. This threat was a danger to them all. For one night, heroes and villains battled together to fend off Darkseid's forces.
The infamous Joker walked the streets of Gotham, laughing as he surveyed the damage caused in the battle. As he came upon the war zone, he witnessed Batman, Batgirl and Nightwing fighting foe after foe.
Their agility proving a great asset as they dodged and parried blows before hitting out. Walking straight into the fight, Joker raised his gun and fired, targeting a soldier who was sneaking up behind Batman. Totally shocked, Batman looked at Joker.
"Don't look so surprised Bats…I don't want you dead. Besides, sneaking up on you is no fun at all. There are far more creative and enjoyable ways to kill you."
Joker began laughing, the smile on his face showing his insanity as he discharged his weapon again and again, bullets finding the heads of aliens.
"One Mississippi…two Mississippi…."
Joker counted each shot as Batman walked towards him. Joker stared at the caped crusader, extending his hand.
"So Batman…are you gonna shake the hand of the man who saved your life?"
Bruce looked down at Joker's hand then back at his smiling face. Batman extended his hand, suddenly raising it, his fist striking Joker square in the nose, knocking him to the floor.
"Your welcome…" Joker laughed before his eyes rolled back and he passed out.
Space:
Darkseid stared at Superman, who had a collar around his neck that generated random shocks to his body, causing him great pain. Clark's mind was broken. His body was destroyed.
"Tell me Kal-El, do you know of the anti-life equation?"
Clark didn't answer. He no longer had the strength or the will.
"I have searched for a long time. The power to control all life…everywhere. I believe it is here."
Darkseid looked out of a window, his eyes viewing the planet Earth.
"Everyone has it…parts of it. But humans…more than any other race in the universe, free will is evident here. Buried deep in the 90 of unused brainpower, lies the formula to become a true god and destroy the free will of all life. There was another world where the entire equation could be found. Your home planet of Krypton. But as you know…they destroyed themselves."
Clark looked out, the light of the sun shining through the window, slowly restoring his strength. However Kal-El was so far gone he didn't even notice. His body was becoming stronger but his mind had been shattered.
"You were right Kal-El. Humans have potential. They could be a great race. But free will is a curse to them. They are similar to Kryptonians…their curiosity, their need to discover greater power. Their inevitable destruction. Like Krypton, Earth is a danger. The humans will destroy themselves. That is why you are here Kal-El. That is why you must help me."
Darkseid smiled to himself, the final stage of his plan was beginning to take shape. Earth was a war zone. The entire planet was engaged in a horrific battle. Millions were dead, countless more badly hurt. For the first time in the history of the human race, the world was fighting as one, working together for one common goal. But it just didn't seem to be enough.
On Earth, the fighting stopped for a few moments as giant holographic images of Darkseid appeared across the planet. People watched in horror as the invader delivered his message.
"Citizens of Earth…for too long the human race has remained complacent in their domination of this world. Today marks the beginning of a new order. My reign begins now. All who oppose me will be severely punished…"
The image blurred, then focussed again. But instead of Darkseid's menacing face, the hologram showed Superman in chains, bloodied and broken.
"…This is what awaits anyone who defies me."
The image faded and cut out. Those who had seen and heard it spent the night in tears. The vision of a tortured Superman burned into their brains. In Wayne Manor, Lois Lane sat in tears. Crying openly for the man she loved.
Lois had seen the message, she had seen Clark in chains. Now she couldn't hold back her fear. She screamed as tears streamed down her cheeks, before being overwhelmed by her emotions and passing out.
In Smallville, Martha Kent and Lana Lang were holding onto each other, also crying. The entire world had seen their hero reduced to a broken, bloodied man. The fighting raged again. Heroes battled, soldiers did their jobs. The war continued through the night. Darkseid's intimidation had backfired.
Instead of instilling fear and doubt in the warriors of Earth, the image of Superman only served to give them hidden strength and resolve. Giving hem a determination to defeat the invaders and to win the day. They fought for themselves, they fought for the fate of the planet, and they fought for Superman.
Metropolis:
Two heroes, two forces of good arrived in the city. One, Barry Allen, known to the world as the Flash. The other, Hal Jordan, a protector of Earth, the Green Lantern. Two heroes, fighting side by side against the invading armies of the villainous Darkseid.
They fought to protect the people; they fought for the freedom of all mankind…they fought for Superman. Green blasts of energy filled the night sky as Jordan used the powerful ring on his finger to battle incoming drones and cruisers. On the ground, Flash whizzed through troops like a knife through butter.
Gotham:
The battle seemed to be won. Darkseid's forces wee in retreat as the caped crusader and his companions drove them out of the city. Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson followed Bruce Wayne as they attempted to destroy the invaders.
They had seen the image of Superman and they were determined to make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain. A bright red light shone through the dark sky, Batman looked upwards to find the source as a colossal beam of energy shot through the clouds towards the city.
Metropolis:
The Flash, and the Green Lantern continued to push back Darkseid's troops. Flash sped along the roadside, moving so fast any object caught in his path would be totally blown away as Lantern flew skywards, using his ring to create a large hammer-like object, which he used to smash through one of the bulk cruisers firing on the city.
As it exploded, both Barry and Hal were stunned into silence as a beam of energy struck the city from high above, tearing up the city streets and obliterating most of downtown Metropolis.
Some of the larger skyscrapers were vaporised, while others crumbled and collapsed. Thousands, who had fled to the buildings to escape the fighting, were killed instantly. Men, women and children were destroyed without remorse.
Gotham:
Batman clawed his way up and out of a large pile of rubble that had fallen on him during the energy attack on the city. Looking around, he surveyed the damage, realising that a lot of people were surely dead.
He saw the Joker, a large sharpened piece of shattered glass stuck through his chest. As the maniac lay there lifeless, he still had a menacing and insane smile on his face. Turning, he went to look for Batgirl and Nightwing.
"Dick…Barbara…"
Not getting a response, Bruce activated a homing beacon on his belt. Tracking the signal, he came upon the remains of a toppled building. Acting swiftly, he began dragging pieces of rock and cement away, digging deeper until eventually he staggered back in shock.
"No…"
Before him, his companions laid dead. Huddled together, they had desperately tried to shield each other from the falling debris. Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson were motionless, their bodies cold and lifeless. Batman pulled off his cowl, the mask that had protected his identity for so long. Not caring anymore who saw him, Bruce Wayne screamed into the night sky.
Space:
High above the surface of the Earth, the largest ship in the fleet seemed to open up, firing another shocking blast towards the planet, decimating another city. Inside, Clark watched in despair as the world he knew was changed forever. Darkseid smiled as the Earth was ravaged by blasts from the fleet's most powerful weapon.
"You can stop this Kal-El. The sun has been shining through for quite some time now. Your strength has returned. Use it. Strike me down."
Clark's strength and power had indeed returned, but he no longer had the will to harness it. He was a broken man. Darkseid laughed, then nodded to Desaad, who placed a strange device on Superman's head.
"This is a neural imager Kal-El. It will show you what has gone before and what is yet to come."
The imager flashed to life. Clark's eyes were closed but he could see. He saw the lives of early man, the slaves of Egypt, the Greco-Persian Wars…
"This is the race you have so much faith in Kal-El…they have great potential but as you can see, their bloodthirsty nature…their lust for power…their greed and murderous instincts are too powerful to overcome on their own."
As images of the Roman Empire flashed through his mind, Clark saw the gladiators of the Coliseum, then forward to the bloody horrors of the crusades, the annihilation of the native tribes of the Americas.
Tears streamed down over Superman's face as he witnessed the atrocities of the world wars, the persecution and genocide of the Holocaust, the short-lived cries of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as their world was ended by the atomic bomb.
Superman felt every death, every cell in his body was in agony as he was shown these images.
"These humans…look what they have done with free will. They cannot be allowed to govern their own fates anymore Kal-El. They call you Superman…be that man Kal-El. Help them…don't let them destroy themselves…"
Clark gasped as he saw the Earth scarred, in flames. Bodies lay dead everywhere, their corpses rotting, and no sign of life anywhere. The sky dark, except for brief flashes of lightning, the atmosphere, poisoned and defiled.
"This is the fate of mankind if you do not act. That is why I am here. To control their lives so they won't make the same mistakes your Kryptonian people did…"
Clark screamed as he saw an image of himself, holding a dead Lois in his arms before everything began to shake. The Earth exploded. The imager turned itself off as Clark opened his eyes.
"Become a true hero Kal-El, fulfil your destiny…help them!"
The imager started up again. Clark was shown the same images over and over as Darkseid attempted to poison his mind.
"Truth and Justice…what you are seeing is truth Kal-El…my domination of this world is justice…"
Clark was no longer broken. He could feel the strength in his body, the power that flowed through him.
"…But you Kal-El…you are hope…you are the only one who can save them…save them from themselves. You must join me. I will conquer this world but you…you will rule them. Together we will take control of all life and reshape the universe. I give Earth to you…show them the way Kal-El."
Superman looked up, staring into the eyes of his captor, then over at Desaad. Anger and rage filled his senses as he broke through his restraints. Standing free now, Clark turned to Desaad, who had tortured him for so long.
Desaad tried to back away, but Superman was too fast for him. Kal-El grabbed him around the neck, pulling him close. Clark's eyes burned as his heat vision ignited, firing right through Desaad, who screamed as Clark lifted him up and bent his body, snapping his spine before crushing his skull in his hands, killing him.
As Superman dropped Desaad's limp body to the floor, he turned, looking out through the main window at the Earth below, then over at Darkseid. He straightened up, walking towards his enemy, his fists clenched.
Darkseid looked down at the lifeless body of Desaad then back at Superman.
"Well son of Krypton…will you kill me now? Or will you help your people? What is your answer?"
They stood face-to-face, Darkseid and Superman. Darkseid's eyes seemed to glow as he awaited Kal-El's response.
"Well? What say you…?"
Superman laughed, his muscles tensed as his eyes burned once again. Swiftly tuning, he blasted the lifeless body of Desaad, watching as it caught fire.
"Well he won't be coming back from the dead…"
Kal-El watched as Desaad's body turned to ash, before turning back to face Darkseid, a look of grim determination on his face.
Wayne Manor:
Lois sat in tears. She had been crying ever since she had seen the images of Superman chained up and beaten. Lois watched as a secret door opened and Bruce Wayne walked through. Lois instantly recognised the agony on his face.
"Bruce…what is it? What happened?"
Bruce looked at Lois, seeing the tears on her face while desperately trying to hold back his own.
"They're dead…"
Batman collapsed, his body giving way to utter despair. As Lois rushed to help him, she glanced at the T.V. which showed live coverage of the Flash and Green Lantern fighting to protect a ruined Metropolis. Looking upwards, she thought of Superman and whispered,
"Hold on Clark…just hold on…"
Metropolis:
The fighting continued. War had descended upon the city and without the man of steel to protect the people; other heroes had to step up and save them. The Flash and Green Lantern had battled through the night; neither willing to give up until all of Darkseid's forces were defeated.
As dawn broke and light from the sun filtered through the vanishing clouds, Barry Allen looked to the sky. A thousand more attack drones were coming down from space. Ahead of them, a dark figure floated, surveying the city.
"Who is that?"
Hal Jordan turned and looked up. As the shadowy figure drew closer and closer, his features becoming visible, the Green Lantern came to a realisation.
"It can't be…"
"What?" The Flash looked at Jordan then back up to the sky, his face suddenly turning pale.
"I don't believe it…it's Superman…"
Wayne Manor:
Lois Lane watched live news coverage of the battle in her native city while attempting to comfort Bruce Wayne, who had been stricken by grief after the loss of his one-time partners, Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon.
Lois watched the large screen, viewing shots from a helicopter as it zoomed in on the figure hovering over Metropolis. She sipped coffee from a mug before suddenly dropping it. As it shattered on the floor, Bruce looked up drying his tears, his face turning to shock as Lois mouthed the words he was thinking.
"Oh my god, it's Clark…"
Chicago:
Wonder Woman had spent the day travelling all over the country, fighting the invading armada. But now, as she defeated the last of the foot soldiers in the city, her eyes were glued to the window of a T.V. repair store as she saw what many across the world were now seeing. Superman, the man of tomorrow, was floating high over the streets of Metropolis, a large invasion force behind him, threatening to shoot him down. But there was something different about him.
Metropolis:
As Lantern created an energy-field around himself and the Flash, he guided them both upwards into the sky to greet their fellow hero. It was Superman alright, but he didn't look the same.
His familiar blue tights and red cape were gone. In their place was an all black costume, the symbol on his chest now a glimmering silver and his cape a dark grey.
"Hey Supes…welcome back…I like the new costume…snazzy." Flash laughed jokingly, only to go silent as he saw the serious, determined face on Kal-El.
"How did you escape? We saw you…chained, destroyed…oh it doesn't matter, it's good to have you back."
Hal looked at Clark, then over his shoulder at the attack drones flying down to the city.
"Let's go kick some alien ass…uh no offence…I meant the evil ones…"
Clark smirked at the remark but remained silent and still, his arms crossed as he watched the Green Lantern and the Flash head towards enemy forces. Jordan used his ring to create a path through the air for Allen to run across as they made their way to fight the drones. Superman however, remained motionless.
The drones' sensors picked up the heat signatures of the heroes approached and changed direction to confront them, all converging rapidly as they emitted laser fire at their targets. Flash jumped and sped up, dodging the blasts as Lantern concentrated on creating a shield around his body to deflect the bolts before recreating the path for the Flash to land on.
Kal-El watched, then smiled as he flew towards the drones, igniting his heat vision and firing, striking Jordan in the back, with just enough energy to make him lose concentration, causing the energy path to disappear. The Flash, with nothing to run on, fell from the skies.
Regaining his composure, Lantern sent out energy from his ring towards the Flash, creating a slanted path for him to get his feet on and run safely to the ground. Suddenly realising what had happened, he turned to Superman, confused and angry.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm sorry my friend, I can't let you destroy those drones…"
"What are you talking about? What the fu…what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing…I've just seen the truth of this world Hal. We must save these people, protect them from themselves."
Clark flew towards the drones, turning around in front of them, slowly sinking towards the ground. Lantern watched amazed as the drones followed behind Superman while Flash looked up from the city streets in shock. As Superman landed in front of Barry, he waited for Hal to rejoin them. The Flash and Green Lantern stood, confronting Kal-El.
"Whatever you're doing…snap out of it."
Jordan's ring glowed as a beam of energy was released, straight at one of the drones, destroying it. Clark's face turned to anger as he picked Lantern up and threw him backwards across the street into a mailbox, while the Flash watched in horror.
"You don't understand…do not stand against me, do not get in my way. Trust me."
"And let you kill innocent people? I don't think so."
"I have no wish to kill anyone Flash, I am only doing what we as heroes should have done long ago. Save them. Not from burning buildings or natural disasters, but from their emotions, their need to destroy each other. You must join me. I don't want to destroy anyone in this transition but I will kill you if I have to."
Lantern and Flash both stood in shock as Superman walked coolly towards a military tank, scanning the interior with his x-ray vision to make sure no one was inside before picking it up with ease and tossing it skywards, striking an attack helicopter, watching as the pilot ejected before it exploded. Turning, he looked over his shoulder at the heroes.
"If you will not see the truth, then stand aside. Don't make me kill you…"
Chicago:
Wonder Woman's face was white, she felt numb and paralysed, unable to move as she tried to digest what she was seeing on the screen. Superman, the greatest hero the world had ever known, had turned on his friends and was now proceeding to destroy the military presence in Metropolis with the aid of the invading drones.
Diana watched as his dark costume emphasised the change in Kal-El. She couldn't figure out why he was doing it. Closing her eyes, she prayed for guidance. Looking around, seeing that the armed forces were in control of the situation, Wonder Woman ascended into the air before zooming across the sky towards Metropolis.
As she flew, she encountered a battle cruiser coming from the opposite direction. Diana merely extended her arms in a fist and flew straight through the cruiser, remerging and flying onwards, not turning to see the large ship explode behind her.
Gotham:
Lois Lane sat in shock, her heart breaking as she saw what her beloved was doing in Metropolis. Turning to her friend, she saw Bruce stand, burying his pain as he walked to a secret door. Lois followed, hurrying down a flight of stairs into a large cave.
"Bruce…what are you doing?"
"I can grieve another day…I have a job to do."
Bruce Wayne opened a vault, revealing his familiar dark costume. A few minutes later he was wearing the suit, now in the guise of the Dark Knight, Batman.
"You're going to Metropolis…aren't you…"
"I have to…I have to stop Clark before he…"
"Kills someone…?"
Bruce looked at Lois, not knowing what to say.
"He's not himself Bruce, you know Clark...this isn't him."
"I know…"
Batman took a small lead box from a compartment and walked to one of two remaining customised planes.
"I'll do whatever I have to Lois…I know he's being controlled somehow, but I have to think of the lives of everyone, not just his."
"Please Bruce…bring him back."
"I'll try…"
Batman closed the hatch on the plane, pressing some control switches, opening the exit of a long tunnel in the cave, giving Lois a final glance, and seeing the fear on her face as he activated the start-up trigger. A large clamp gripped the plane, pushing it along the tunnel underground, slingshotting it at a tremendous speed until Bruce ignited the burners, sending the plane out of the tunnel and up into the sky. Reaching high altitude, he turned the plane south towards Metropolis.
Inside the cave, Lois sat, shaking and crying, being comforted by the butler Alfred as she thought of Clark in Metropolis, becoming what he had fought against for so long.
"What did they do to you Clark…?"
Lois whispered to herself, her mind filled with heartbreaking thoughts as her despair became too much and she passed out from stress and anguish.
Space:
Darkseid watched on his monitor, smiling to himself, his greatest weapon now unleashed on the world.
"So Kal-El, your destiny will finally be fulfilled…"
The dark shadows of the ship and the empty void of space were irrelevant as Darkseid laughed, watching pictures of Wonder Woman and Batman heading to Metropolis, hoping to get there to help the Flash and Green Lantern, towards a showdown with Superman.