Disclaimer

I don't own any of the characters I used in this story. They are the property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. However, the story is entirely a product of my own imagination

Chap 4

Superman was the first to get down the shuttle, followed by Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Hawk Girl, Jonn and Flash. Batman peeked through the window to examine the terrain. It was a war world, no doubt. It was nothing like the new genesis he had seen before.

"I don't see anyone - " even before Superman could complete a sword glided in from nowhere and plummeted into him, right on his logo, failing to pierce through the impenetrable body.

"You spoke too soon!" Hawk Girl remarked as she noticed an arrow hurled at them. She swung her club and broke it in half. GL came forward and covered everyone with his ring, as the swords and arrows rain through the sky.

"Batman! Don't come out!" he shouted as he saw the caped crusader disembark the shuttle. But Batman was far from obeying his orders. He swung over the shuttle and dropped to the other side of it. Soon he was the target to the assailants, but he was too quick for the arrows. Green Lantern disengaged and tried to follow him, but was stopped at the sight of something of the likes of a plasma cannon aimed at Hawk Girl, who was too busy banging the arrows. But even before it could shoot, Superman crushed its nozzle and the cannon burst in a violent explosion. Green Lantern was once again quick enough to guard them all.

"Let's get them people!" Superman ordered.

Flash zoomed out towards a small hill, which was the origin on the attacks. He found but a few disfigured soldiers and knocked them all off even before they realised he was there. It was hard to imagine that a handful of defaced creatures had caused them so much trouble. In the meantime Superman and the others arrived.

"That was a serious risk you took!" Jonn remarked as he bent over one of them.

"Pshaw! Hardly 10 people, or whatever they are!" Flash rubbed his fingernails rapidly against his chest.

"May be it is a trap!" Hawk Girl suggested. Everyone got alerted and observed their surroundings with caution. There was no one around there.

"Let's go meet High Father." Diana suggested.

"I don't remember this place to be so gloomy!" Superman exclaimed.

"Are you sure we are at the right place?" Hawk Girl enquired.

"Yes, the appearance certainly raises questions. This looks more like Apocalypse!" Diana remarked.

"This is New Genesis!" Jonn spoke abruptly, "and these are its citizens!" He had read the mind of one of the assailants.

"Great Hera!" Diana exclaimed.

"He is one of the soldiers under Orion." Jonn added.

"You mean, Darkseid had turned them all into -" Superman paused.

"Zombies!" Flash exclaimed. "Yuk!"

The others eyed at him.

Superman looked around. "Wait! Where is Batman? Where did he go?"

"I saw him run towards the other side." GL explained. "He must've seen something."

"Then maybe we should find him first." Flash suggested.

"Jonn, can you sense him?" Superman asked.

Jonn went into trance for a while. "He must be in trouble. I cannot get to him!"

"Then let's go!"

On the other side, Batman was running frantically in response to an unknown signal on his monitor. Its frequency matched with that of radio waves, and especially with the frequency of their own Com link. His heart raced as the signal began to grow strong. He stopped and looked through his binoculars. He could see a dark figure at a distance.

Orion!

He strode down the rocky path keeping an eye on the dark figure and the monitor. The signal grew stronger as he approached it, but he wondered why the figure did not move. He slowed down and took one step at a time, cautiously, taking note of his surroundings and clutching a bat-a-rang in his hand. A stopped at a small hill and observed the figure, its structure. It was too dark to see his face, but could wager that the build belonged to Orion. He was turned to his side. Batman turned his binoculars in the direction he thought Orion was looking, and realised that it was the same place he and Diana had had first met him, although the buildings were no longer present.

May be he is waiting for the league - he thought. He began to rise, but his shoe slipped off a tiny rock, which was sent tumbling down the hill. Batman steadied himself and detected a movement in the figure. It had turned in his direction; undoubtedly the sound of the tumbling rock had got its attention. The figure wasn't armed, to Batman's surprise, who expected Orion to shoot at him, taking him for a foe. He remained motionless as he watched it approach him. Perhaps Orion had recognized him.

Suddenly, thick fog filled the atmosphere. Batman tried to fan it away with his hands, but it didn't help. He could barely see his own hands and felt a sudden surge on breathlessness. He wasted no time in wearing his oxygen mask. Rest assured he had lost the track of the figure. He reached out for the torch in his utility belt, but his hands had gotten numb and the torch fell off his hands. He realised the best thing he could do was to stick to his place and wait for help, which was arriving.

"Orion! I am here!" he called out.