Chapter 12: Endgame

-Batman-

Assassin has stopped monitoring me. It must mean that Avenger has arrived on the Watchtower.

I can't help from inside this cell, but I can't get out of it either. Not without my belt or Cyborg unlocking it.

I can contact the Batcave using the emergency communication frequency on my gauntlet. But, as soon as I do, Cyborg will run a trace to find out where the signal is coming from. I'll be a sitting duck if he finds out it's coming from me. It should take Cyborg 58 seconds to find the frequency. I have until then to contact the family and find a way out of this. The Justice League's lives are on the line, and if Assassin has his way, millions more.

I activate the comm link and immediately the Batcomputer receives an alert.
Cyborg's discovered the link. I have to admit that his skills with technology drawf mine entirely.

Alfred: "Master Bruce?! Everyone told me that you were captured and..."

Batman: "No time, Alfred. I need you to activate the Motherbox I've been keeping."

During one of the League's trips to Apokolips, Superman was fighting against one of Darkseid's sons, Kalibak. During the fight, a Motherbox was knocked in front of me. I was able to take it in secret and study it. It's capable of so many things, but right now, it's the only way to save the Justice League.

Alfred: "Yes, sir. But, the others aren't here."

Batman: "Open a Boom-Tube and bring it to them. I need it quickly! The Justice League has been dosed with Black Sky."

Alfred: "At once, Master Bruce."

Batman: "Alfred... Make it fast.

I needed back-up as quickly as possible because now Cyborg was now in front of the cell.

I was 10 seconds off...

Alfred: "Master Bruce? Master Bruce?!"

-Third Person-

Back at Riley Rivers' Law Firm, all the members of the Bat Family were debating on what to do after Avenger went up to the Watchtower via Boom-Tube.

Red Hood: "So what now?"

Batgirl: "There's nothing we can do. There's no way we can get to the Watchtower to help."

Red Robin: "Even if we could, Assassin could just fire that weapon he's keeping.
I still can't believe the League has something like that. For what?"

Robin: "What else? To destroy key terrorist locations."

Nightwing: "I doubt that. Bruce wouldn't allow something like that."

However as they were talking, Lauren Winters was starting to wake up.

Lauren: "R-Riley, don't..."

Nightwing went over to her.

Nightwing: "Don't worry, you're safe."

Lauren began to open her eyes to see Nightwing. She looked around and she started to panic. Riley wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Lauren: "Where's Riley?!"

Batgirl: "He went to the Watchtower."

Lauren stood up and yelled.

Lauren: "What?! How could you let him do that?!"

Red Robin: "There wasn't another option. Talia has forced us into an impossible situation."

Lauren: "But what about Riley?! He's not like you! He shouldn't have to risk his life to save the Justice League! He could be dying right now! You have to save him."

Red Hood: "We can't. We have no way of getting to the Watchtower. Besides,
even if we do, what's to stop Assassin from frying Gotham?"

Lauren: "But, you guys are supposed the heroes! Riley's been doing this for two months! You've been doing this for years!"

Batgirl: "There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."

Lauren couldn't help it, but cover her face to try and stop her tears. Her best friend was going to die and there was nothing she could do to help.

Batgirl walks over to Lauren.

Batgirl: "You care about him."

Lauren removed her hands and looked at Batgirl with tears in her eyes.

Lauren: "He's a good friend. He can be distant, but he's a good friend."

Batgirl: "Is that all?"

Lauren: "... No. I don't think so."

Red Hood and Red Robin started whispering to each other.

Red Hood: "Is it me or did this become a love story?"

Red Robin: "Shut up, Jason."

Batgirl: "Lauren. We've all had the misfortune of fighting against Riley. We know he can handle himself. You've got to trust that he can do this."

Lauren couldn't do anything but look at the ground. She had doubts, but she didn't want to believe that Riley was going to die on the Watchtower.

At that moment, Alfred contacted the Bat Family.

Alfred: "Everyone, this is Penny-One! We may have a problem."

Nightwing: "What's wrong?"

Alfred: "It's Batman. He contacted me aboard the Watchtower, but I suddenly lost contact with him."

Red Robin: "He's in trouble. But, what can we do? We can't teleport without Cyborg and if we try using transportation, Assassin turn Gotham into a crater."

Alfred: "What are you talking about? The Watchtower isn't armed with any weapon like that."

The Bat Family then started to realise that Assassin had tricked them. It was a ploy to get Avenger to come and for the Family to stay away.

Nightwing: "We need to get to the Watchtower now! But, we might not make it in time!"

Alfred: "Master Bruce has been keeping something for this occasion. Sending it to you now."

Back at the Batcave, Alfred opened a Boom-Tube and threw the Motherbox into the tube. Back at the Law Firm building, the Boom-Tube opened on their side and out came the Motherbox.

BOOOOOM!

The tube closed as Red Robin picked up the Motherbox.

Red Robin: "A Motherbox! We could use this to get to the Watchtower!"

Robin: "Then open up one of those Boob-Tubes and let's get moving."

Red Hood: "It's BOOM-Tube, Robin."

Robin: "Shut up, Hood."

Batgirl: "You boys are very immature."

Red Robin then activated the Motherbox, opening a Boom-Tube.

Red Robin: "Everyone ready?"

Nightwing: "No time like the present."

Red Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, and Batgirl jumped into the Boom-Tube.
But, before it closed, Lauren stared at it and gulped. She didn't know if she could help, but she would rather try then do nothing.

Lauren: "This will be the stupidest thing I've ever done!"

Lauren then ran up and dived into the Tube before it closed behind her.

-Avenger-

Riley: "Dad!?"

Michael: "Yes."

I couldn't believe my eyes. In front of me right now was my dad, Michael Rivers. I saw him die after Jack Marco, a corrupt cop, shot him dead. Yet, he knows things that only my dad would know and he has my dad's face... When he was in his twenties, but this was undoubtably him. There wasn't another explanation that makes sense, but this doesn't make sense either.

Riley: "But, how?!"

Michael: "It wasn't easy. After I was shot by Marco, I injected myself with a sample of the Lazarus Pit. It kept my body alive and made my body younger, faster, and stronger. I slipped into a coma to conserve my energy until Talia could recover my body."

The funeral was open casket. I thought he was dead when actually he was alive the entire time.

Riley: "There's so much I need to ask you."

Michael: "And so little time. I can only answer the basics. For example, you want to know why I joined the League?"

Riley: "You wanted to learn to fight injustice. Ra's told me that was the reason you joined and the reason why you weren't considered to lead the League."

Michael: "Leading the League was never my objective. And you're half right. I did want to learn to fight the same injustice that took the lives of the men and women that died during the massacre. I joined the League to help the woman I loved."

Riley: "The woman you loved? Who do you mean? Talia?"

Michael: "This was before Talia. The woman I loved was Sandra Wu-San."

Riley: "Your former martial arts teacher."

Michael: "Right. She and her sister, Carolyn, taught me everything she knew. But, one day, Carolyn was killed. By David Cain."

Riley: "Cain?! Your best friend, Cain?!"

Michael: "We weren't friends then. Sandra wanted to hunt down and kill the man responsible, but I could no longer help her. I had to continue my journey, so I had to leave her. My travels took me to Ra's al Ghul."

Riley: "That's when you joined the League of Assassins. That's when you met Cain."

Michael: "At first, I despised him for what he did. I wanted to bring him to justice...
So I questioned him. Why did he do it? He answered. 'To save Sandra from her mercy.'
I also noticed that while Carolyn was alive, Sandra would hold back her full might."

Riley: "So you forgave Cain for his actions?! Based on that nonsense?!"

Michael: "It wasn't nonsense. It made perfect sense. Soon enough, Sandra found her way to us. She and I fought. I won. But, only because of her mercy. She realised that Carolyn was holding her back and she forgave Cain, just as I did.
She joined the League and we trained together once again, but the woman known as Sandra Wu-San died that day. She was reborn as Lady Shiva."

Riley: "So far, this doesn't sound like a journey for you to fight injustice. This sounds like a sick joke, dad."

Michael: "I never forgot my objective, Riley. But, Ra's al Ghul soon told me that I lost focus. I was too concentrated on defending the current system that I failed to see the truth. That the world was in decay. It was rotting. I wanted to leave the League and return to civilisation so that I could make a difference... Ra's al Ghul allowed me to leave, but he told me that I would die a broken man. I would discover that he was right. Justice was broken."

Riley: "It sounds like he got into your head. And you let him."

Michael: "But, it turned out to be true. When I came to Gotham, I found that the city was rife with corruption, crime, and criminals. Carmine 'The Roman'
Falcone was Gotham's major crime boss. I got to work and you wouldn't believe the filth that Gotham was saturated in, it was far worse than anything Winston Grace did! Women were raped in their beds, men were shot dead in front of their wifes and children, and the police did nothing! All the men i arrested were let back out in a day. Heck, I was demoted from my rank as Detective unjustly after Winston Grace discovered the massacre I was a part of in Chicago. Commissioner Gordon was forced to demote me in order to save an embarrassment. It was a way of removing me so that Grace could start his dominance over Gotham. Justice was broken in my eyes."

I didn't know how to respond. I wasn't even born then, so I don't know what it was like, but dad tried to make a difference, but it was all for nothing.

Michael: "I could have easily just broke into Falcone's home and killed him.
But, i was only a detective. I still believed in the law... But, I saw it all crumble in front of me. Cain knew it, so he came to me in Gotham."

Riley: "That's when you made the deal. For Cassandra and I to marry and lead the League."

Michael: "Yes. My first son and Cain's daughter would marry and lead the League of Assassins to continue Ra's al Ghul's legacy. A few years later, I fell in love with your mother... I loved her so much. I couldn't have Sandra, but in my eyes,
Kerry was worth more to me than Sandra was. Then you were born. My first son."

Riley: "You made the decision for me to join a group of murderous psychopaths."

Michael: "Damn it, Riley! You just don't get it! We have men who want to play dress-up in silly costumes trying to save a broken world. You need more than that to fix a broken system. That's why I wanted you to join the League. I knew that you would lead it to greatness. That's why I trained you."

Riley: "How? Did you really train me? Or did you torture me?"

I still had the two sets of memories in my head. One of my dad as a good man and one of him as an evil man.

When I mentioned it, dad's face made a surprised expression.

Michael: "You know about that? I didn't expect you to know."

Riley: "Know about what?! How you abused me and mom?!"

Michael: "You're right. I did. I had to mould you into a warrior. But, at the same time, you were my son. I couldn't let you have a terrible childhood. So, I used technology from Jervis Tetch to alter your memories to reflect a happy childhood."

Riley: "You... Changed my memories?"

-I felt like I've met you before.-

That's what Mad Hatter said to me after I broke free of his device after i was captured by Emma Grace. He commented that he knew me from before. I didn't know what he meant, but I understand now.

The man I knew as my dad. A great officer of the law, a great husband, a great father. It was all a lie? All of it?

Riley: "That can't be true. How could you?! WHY!"

Michael: "Don't be a child, Riley. I did what I had to do."

Riley: "You lied to me! Every day of my life, you lied to me!"

Michael: "I did. Because I believed you could be the saviour of the world."

Riley: "You know what? I now understand why mom cheated now. It was because of you.
Your abuse drove her back to Kieran! I now understand. You're the one who shot Kieran Troy with an arrow! You wanted vengeance against Kieran for taking mom away! You probably used that mind altering trick on her and Kieran! That's why mom never remembered that she gave birth to Charlotte and why Kieran didn't know anything about her mother!"

Michael: "She betrayed me. She went and whored around with Kieran Troy who was as dirty as any other attorney. Connections to crime bosses. Tampering with evidence.
He deserved to die and when we're done here, he'll be next."

I can't believe that I even thought about mom in any bad way. She was forced into a bad marriage all this time, and I didn't even know it.

I thought i had a father that I respected and loved, that loved me back, but it was all a damn lie!

Michael: "He doesn't matter right now. I'm thinking about the future of the world.
With the clones of the Justice League, I will wipe any trace of corruption from the face of the Earth."

Riley: "And you really think that's your mission? How can you use ONE vial of Black Sky to clone the whole Justice League?"

Michael: "It wasn't easy, but i was able to mix the Black Sky with a mass-produced solution. It may be inferior to the real thing, but it'll get the job done. The Black Sky formula itself inside the Hall of Justice, but it's too late anyway.
By now, the nanomachines are inside each member of the League. The cloning process is inevitable."

It's too late?! It can't be! There has to be a way to stop it... If only I had the White Sky... But, i left it with Lauren back on Earth.

Michael: "Riley, you must understand. Everything I did was because I love and care about you. I want you by my side as the world is changed forever. Father and Son together again. We can rule a new world free of corruption. Free of crime."

Dad extended his hand towards me.

Michael: "Take my hand. Join the League of Assassins and help me build this new world."

The man I idolised. Looked up to. Strived to one day become.

Nothing but another disillusioned criminal.

I walked up to him, with my hand out.

My dad smiled as a father would when he's proud of his son. But, once I was close enough...

I punched dad in the face.

Riley: "Never."

When dad recovered, he looked at me as if he never been punched at all. He looked calm and collected.

Michael: "So be it."

The next second, dad's palm collided with my chest. I never even saw it coming...
It knocked me back several feet and I crashed into the wall. I had trouble getting back up, both my back and chest feel like they've been tenderised.

My dad walked up to his mask and put it on.

Assassin: "You'll have to die, Riley."

I managed to get back to my feet and I put my mask back on.

Avenger: "No one is dying today. Your fantasy ends tonight, Assassin."

Assassin: "You think you can beat me in combat? Don't forget: I taught you to fight. You can't win."

Avenger: "We'll see, dad. We'll see."

-Batman-

Cyborg. A master of technology with a powerful futuristic cybernetic arsenal. And he was about to focus all of that on me.

However, there are no weapons inside the cells. Gas, electricity, or otherwise. In order to attack me, he has to let down the force fields to my cell, which he does.

Cyborg lunges at me, but I move out of the way and I run out of the cell. I hack the console and activate the force fields, sealing Cyborg inside. He tries to bash on the force fields, but it's no use. Even Superman can't break through those shields. But, it won't hold Cyborg for long, he'll be able to interface with the locks even from inside the cell.

I quickly run to Superman's cell. The Black Sky is a nanotech solution that is able to clone a person's entire being almost perfectly. We can't allow Superman of all people to be cloned and under Assassin's control.

I see inside Superman's cell that there are tubes of Black Sky pumping into him.
I also noticed that the tubes ran into the next cell. Could they be connecting to all members of the Justice League?

I manage to get inside Superman's cell. He's unconscious.

Batman: "Clark! Wake up!"

I tried yelling, but it doesn't seem to wake up someone with superhearing.

Assassin must not have much Black Sky on hand if he's connected tubes to each member of the Justice League. The solution in the tubes looks like a mass produced kind but diluted version. That's why it's taken so long for the cloning process to start. But even if we cut off the tubes, there must still be enough nanomachines inside the Justice League to start the cloning process. We need to purge the nanomachines somehow.

I then hear heavy footsteps behind me... Cyborg broke out.

I run out of the cell. I can't afford to be trapped in a small space with Cyborg.

But, as i run out, Cyborg is waiting and he grabs me by the neck and starts squeezing.

Batman: "Victor! You're better than this! Fight that virus!"

Cyborg: "Too.. Strong..."

Batman: "You can fight it!"

Cyborg: "C-Can't... System... Too infected."

Cyborg slams me against the wall and then throws me down the corridor. He then turns his arm into a cannon.

Cyborg: "Must... Kill... Batman."

The cannon charges up. I can't think of any way to escape this situation...

However, behind me a batarang came out and hit Cyborg in the arm, electrocuting him.

I turned around and I saw a Boom-Tube. Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, Batgirl,
and Robin stood there...

But, before the Boom-Tube closed, someone else came through it. A woman with strawberry blonde hair.

BOOOOOM!

The Boom-Tube closed behind her.

Batman: "Who is she?"

Nightwing: "Lauren Winters. I didn't expect her to follow us through the Boom-Tube,
but she's going back now."

Lauren went up to Nightwing.

Lauren: "Forget about that! I'm here to help Riley!"

She knows who Avenger is. I recognised her a moment later. Her name is Lauren Winters.
She works at the Gotham Gazzette as Vicki Vale's partner.

Batgirl: "We don't have time to argue! What's wrong with Cyborg?"

Batman: "Assassin implanted a computer virus in him. It acts like the common cold, constantly changing and adapting. His anti-virus can't seem to purge it."

Red Robin: "Then all we have to do is reboot his systems! It should clear the virus."

Robin: "Well done. Did you learn that out of a manual?"

Red Robin: "Did you learn sarcasm out of a manual?"

Red Hood: "Did you learn how to die from a manual? Because dying is what's gonna happen.
Look."

When I looked, I saw that Cyborg had recovered and he was about to fire again.

Nightwing: "Batman!"

Nightwing tossed me my utility belt and I pressed a button on it. When I did,
Cyborg's body started convulsing and shorting out. He drops to his knees.

Batgirl: "What's happening to him?"

Batman: "Had a virus of my own hidden inside Cyborg. It's set to temporary short out his body. Had it just in case Cyborg became a threat."

Red Hood: "You think of everything."

However, Nightwing presses a button on his belt, deactivating the virus.

Nightwing: "You also know that virus could completely shut him down if it's active for too long!"

Nightwing ran up to Cyborg, but he was still able to move, but Nightwing was able to trip him up. Red Robin and Red Hood also ran up to Cyborg and got each of his arms pinned. I tried to run up and deactivate Cyborg, but he was still strong enough to throw both Tim and Jason off of him and onto me. Batgirl and Robin jumped on Cyborg to try keep him restrained, but he tried to hit Nightwing, but he knocked the Motherbox out of Dick's hands and it landed hard against the wall...

We all managed to jump on Cyborg and we managed to deactivate him.

Batman: "Once his system reboots, the virus should be gone. With the Motherbox damaged, we can't rely on it. We'll have to use Cyborg's Fatherbox to get the Justice League out of here. We need to get the Black Sky's naonmachines out of their systems before the cloning process begins."

Nightwing: "What about Avenger?"

Batman: "He can handle himself. If we don't cure the Justice League of the Black Sky, the fallout could be the destruction of the world as we know it."

Red Hood: "Talk about pressure."

As Red Hood said that, Batgirl looked around.

Batgirl: "Hey. Where's Lauren?!"

We all looked around. She was gone. And the damaged Motherbox is gone too.

-Avenger-

My dad was known to everyone as a kind man. A great man, a great officer,
a great husband, and a great father.

I dodge a punch from Assassin and I try to counter attack by using a roundhouse kick, but he grabs my leg and swings me into the wall. Assassin charges and kicks straight, but I move and his leg goes straight through the concrete wall.

Assassin: "I taught you better than this!"

My dad is better than I remember. His form is perfect and his attacks are perfect.

The way my dad fights, he targets places in the body were nerves are directly located and he strikes them to inflict intense pain. It's a combination of Japanese,
Chinese, and Indian martial art that focuses on the vital points of the human body,
specially the nerve cells. There at least 95 million nerve cells in the body and dad claims to know all of their locations. I had to admit, compared to my dad, my knowledge of nerve points is inferior to his.

But, that doesn't mean I can't fight as well as he can!

Avenger: "You taught me too well."

I hit Assassin with a palm strike of my own directly into his abdomen. It stuns him for a split second so I hit him again by striking his throat with my fingers first, like a spear, but he catches my hand and tries to elbow me in the side of the head, but I block at the last second with my free arm. I am knocked aside by the blow and I'm sent rolling on the ground. Assassin runs at me and tries to stomp me, I counter by using the momentum of the roll to flip onto my feet and I kick Assassin in the head.

Assassin: "I have to admit. Your strikes have grown more precise. That actually hurt me."

Avenger: "I've had a lot of practise."

Assassin: "It's such a waste."

My dad was seen as one of Gotham's good cops. Ones that were willing to protect and serve.

Assassin grabbed my arm and tried to bend it. I managed to block him, if he breaks one of my limbs, I've lost this fight. I drive my knee into Assassin's stomach,
forcing him to let go. But, Assassin then hit me hard directly in my solar plexus.
The blow once again sends me flying... I can't even breathe right now. a direct result of being hit in the solar plexus.

I end flying over the edge of the wall since the entire central hub is on a platform.
I didn't know how far I'd fall before I hit the ground, but I wasn't planning to find out. I used my grapple gun to hook onto the wall which stopped my fall,
but the hook wasn't strong enough to stick and as soon as I stopped in mid-air,
the hook came out.

Lucky, the ground wasn't too far from where I was. When I landed, Assassin had jumped down after and landed on a platform above me with a crossbow in hand. He shoots an arrow at me, but I catch it between my hands. I take cover behind a console as Assassin fires more and more arrows at me. I peek out and I pull my head back just before an arrow goes through my head.

I take the arrow that I caught earlier and I throw it at Assassin. It hits him in the leg.

Assassin: "Ukk!"

Assassin pulled the arrow out of his leg. I leave cover and fire my grapple gun at Assassin's leg and it wraps around his legs, but before I can pull his legs, Assassin fires another arrow. I couldn't catch it this time, so it goes through my abdomen

Avenger: "Ahhh!"

I was in pain, but I managed to pull the grapple line that was wrapped around Assassin's leg and pulled him off the platform to the ground.

While he was down, I pulled the arrow out of my body and tossed it away.

Assassin didn't stay down long though. As expected of my dad.

He pulls out a blade from his waist.

Assassin: "I'm done playing games with you, Riley."

In response to dad using his sword, i pulled out his baton from the holder on my thigh.

Assassin: "That's my baton. I see you kept it."

Avenger: "I was hoping to continue what you taught me. The meaning of justice."

Assassin: "That was all a lie, Riley. I trained you because I was hoping that you could do great things, not waste your talents fighting a hopeless battle. Even if you do somehow win, you can't stop my plan. Once the Justice League are cloned, nothing can stop them."

Avenger: "I'll find a way."

Assassin: "By all means, find that way."

Assassin then struck at me with the blade, I block with the baton but Assassin kicks me in the chest. I narrowly dodge Assassin's sword and i aim for the back of his head, but he blocks me with the sword.

Assassin then kicked me in the temple, knocking me to the ground. I felt disoriented.
Confused.

Assassin: "You can't win, Riley. I've already won."

Dad tries to strike me with the sword, but I have just enough strength to get out of the way.

I just need a few seconds to get my bearings...

I see my dad running at me and I dodge, but the sword grazes my neck.

I never expected to ever be in this kind of situation. My dad is trying his hardest to kill me!

I manage to regain my bearing and I kick Assassin back.

At this rate, it'll never end! And I'm running out of time.

-Lauren Winters-

I don't know what this brick thing is exactly. Red Robin called it a Motherbox and it opens one of those Boom-Tubes. I didn't want to steal it from them,
but I had to. If this is the only way of the Watchtower, then I need to get this to Riley.

But, as I'm running, i hear a strange pumping noise coming from behind a door.
It was a well-decorated door and it had a golden plague written on the top.

'The Hall of Justice'

I heard of this place! There were rumors that the Justice League used a place called the Hall of Justice to communicate. There's one in Washington, but there's apparently another one in the Watchtower.

I didn't want to lose focus, but I had to know what that pumping sound was. It didn't sound natural for a meeting room.

I tried to open the door, but it was locked. A scanner appears in front of me and scans my body...

Computer: "Unauthorised entry. Access denied."

I can't get inside?! Come on! There had to be a way in...

In my hand, the Motherbox started flashing. I didn't know what it was doing but i decided to press one of it's buttons. When I did, the scanner scanned me again.

Computer: "Access granted."

Huh? It just rejected me. How could... Does the Motherbox have the ability to control machines?

I walk into the Hall of Justice and inside was some kind of pump with tubes connected to it. Black stuff was being pumped through the tubes. Is that the Black Sky that Riley mentioned?

I walk up to the pump and I notice that there is an empty vial inside a compartment.

I reach into my pocket and i take out the White Sky. This is the antidote to the Black Sky, so if i put it inside the pump, I save the Justice League?

It was worth a try, so i removed the empty vial and placed the White Sky vial into the compartment. When I closed it, the liquid pours into the black solution,
gradually turning it white.

I-I hope that did something, but for now, I need to find Riley.

-Batman-

Batgirl and Red Hood have left to go search for Lauren Winters. She must have taken the Motherbox and gone to search for Avenger. If Winters gets involved with Avenger and Assassin, then she'll be in serious danger.

We had to pull the tubes off of the Justice League. But... The black solution began to change. How?..

It began to pump into the members of the Justice League. I scanned the solution and there were traces of White Sky. The Black Sky's nanomachines were being dissolved by the White Sky's.

There was only one explanation I could think of: Lauren Winters. She must have brought a vial of White Sky onto the Watchtower.

But, that means that the cloning process has been halted. The threat is past now.

At that moment, Cyborg's body started to reactivate.

Cyborg: "B-Batman?"

Batman: "Do you remember what happened, Cyborg?"

Cyborg: "I was in Detroit when someone in a skull mask attacked me. He infected my body with a virus and locked down my systems. He's been using my Fatherbox to track down the other Justice League members. Where are they anyway?"

I showed Cyborg that the Justice League was inside the holding cells with tubes attached to them.

Cyborg: "What did he do to them?"

Batman: "Doesn't matter right now. The Justice League are safe for now, we need to cut them down from those tubes."

-Avenger-

KLANG!

I block Assassin's sword with the baton, but he pushes me back.

My dad is stronger than he looks. I can't hope to beat him in terms of strength.

Assassin swings his sword, but I evade him and I whack the baton into his chest.
He's stunned for a moment, so I swing around and elbow him in the back of the head. It knocks him forward so I try to press the attack, but he spins and kicks me to the side.

Assassin: "You really have gotten better, Riley. But, I've come too far to let you stand between me and a better world."

I had trouble standing upright and I started to see in doubles...

Avenger: "A better world? You mean a dead world. You want to use men and women who risked their lives to save this world to destroy it."

Assassin: "And you want to use the corrupted courts to punish the guilty? Isn't that more ridiculous? If the world can be saved and reset to ensure future devastation is prevented, shouldn't mankind take that chance?"

Avenger: "Devastation to stop devastation is still devastation, you foolish man."

Assassin: "I'm sorry you feel that way. Then this is the end. Talia would have made a great mother for you and she would have grown to love you over time."

Avenger: "I already have a mom! Her name is Kerry Rivers. I don't want your witch for a mother!"

Assassin raised his sword. At least I think he did. I can't tell what direction is up right now.

Assassin: "I'll silence you here."

Assassin swings the sword down towards me. I manage to catch the blade, but Assassin is too strong for me to overpower. Thanks to the Lazarus sample he took, he has the strength of a man in his prime.

Lauren: "Stop!"

I heard Lauren's voice, but that's impossible!

I looked and she was there! H-How did she get to the Watchtower?!

Avenger: "Lauren! How?.. Never mind! Stay back!"

Assassin also noticed her! Lauren's in too much danger here!

Assassin: "I see. So you know this woman? I'm sorry, but I can't allow her to live."

Assassin kicked me away and ran towards Lauren! I threw the baton at Assassin's legs which directly hit him, slowing him down.

I ran towards Assassin and jumped on his back, getting him in a chokehold.

Avenger: "Lauren! You need to get out of here now!"

Lauren: "But, I have a Motherbox and the Justice League are safe! We can leave now!"

The Justice League are safe? Wait, if Lauren's here, did she use the White Sky to cure the Justice League?! That means the world is no longer in danger!

Assassin: "Impossible! You can't have cured the Justice League! Unless..."

Looks like my dad figured it out.

Assassin: "No!"

My dad flipped me over and tried to lunge the sword into my throat. I evaded and I ran over to Lauren and pushed her behind me.

Avenger: "Lauren, how did you even get here?!"

Lauren: "Batman had a Motherbox. It's supposed to open up those Boom-Tubes. I followed Batman's group here and I placed the White Sky into the pump... Man,
Miss Vale isn't gonna believe this!"

Avenger: "We'll talk about that later. But, you need to get away from here!"

Lauren: "I can open up a Boom-Tube and we can both leave."

Avenger: "No. We can't leave my dad loose on the Watchtower."

Lauren: "Your dad?!"

Avenger: "Long story short: This man is Michael Rivers. He's the one behind all of this."

Lauren: "But, he died... You said your father was a good man."

Lauren is shocked and rightfully so. I am too. But, this is reality right now.
I have to deal with dad as i would any other criminal.

Assassin: "I thought I destroyed every batch of White Sky, but it seems like one survived. You've destroyed everything that I worked so hard to build! If I can't destroy the world, then I can at least kill you both."

Avenger: "Lauren! Run!"

Lauren: "Not without you."

Avenger: "Now!"

Assassin ran at us with his sword drawn. I can't protect Lauren and fight my dad at the same time...

A strange feeling then came over me. Like a disturbance in the wind, but different.
Someone was coming. Someone fast...

A streak of scarlet then zipped past me and punched Assassin across the face and knocked him back a few feet.

Three others were floating above us as the streak stopped moving. A man with a trident,
another with a cyborg-like body and the familiar cape and cowl stood next to us.

All seven members of the Justice League were here along with Batman and the Bat Family.

Batman: "Sorry we kept you waiting."

Avenger: "No problem. I didn't really need help with him."

Next to me, Superman and Wonder Woman landed.

Superman: "Batman. What do you have on this guy?"

Batman: "Speak to Avenger. He's the one that's been fighting him."

Wonder Woman: "This boy? When I faced this man, it was like he had the stamina of Zeus himself."

Avenger: "That sounds like dad."

Batman looked at me with a questioning look.

Batman: "Impossible. His body was buried."

Avenger: "Lazarus. He brought himself back to life. He's the one who planned this all out."

Batman: "Michael Rivers."

Assassin made it to his feet and looked at the Justice League. He no longer had any chance of winning.

Superman: "Just give up. You don't have a chance now."

Assassin: "Is that right, Superman?"

Assassin pulled out a trigger of some kind from his coat.

Assassin: "I may have lost the battle, but I still win the war."

Green Lantern: "What is that supposed to be?"

Assassin: "This, Lantern, is an explosive trigger. Avenger, I may have lied about the Binary Fusion Weapon."

Flash: "Binary what now?"

Assassin: "But, I didn't lie about the Watchtower's nuclear reactor. I've set explosive charges. Enough to blow the Watchtower to kingdom come."

Avenger: "Don't be stupid, Assassin. You'll kill everyone here, including yourself."

I didn't think dad would go to such measures to achieve his goals, but...

Assassin: "So be it."

He pressed the trigger... I was wrong about him.

KA-BOOOOOM!

A massive explosion that could be heard throughout the Watchtower rocked the entire structure! Pieces of debris fell around us and it felt like the entire Watchtower was going to break apart!

Cyborg: "Structure integrity of the Watchtower has been compromised! This entire place is gonna blow!"

Flash: "Then get started on the Boom-Tubes! We need to get out of here!"

Cyborg: "We can only go one at a time! If too many of us go at once, It'll put a strain on my systems and I might accidentally send us to Apokolips!"

Superman: "Then send the civilian first!"

Cyborg opened a Boom-Tube for Lauren. She was gonna be the first one out.

Lauren: "Ril... Avenger. Come with me. You've done enough here."

Avenger: "You first. I'll be right behind you."

While Lauren wasn't looking, I took her Motherbox. I had a feeling I needed it.
Lauren however checked her pockets and found that I now had the Motherbox.

Lauren: "Wait, no don't!"

I think Lauren knew what I was about to do... But, it was too late. She'd already gone through the portal.

The sound of an arrow then flew through the air...

Flash: "Gahhh!"

The arrow went through The Flash's leg, it came from Assassin.

Assassin: "This isn't a victory. It's only the beginning."

Assassin then ran deeper into the exploding Watchtower.

Avenger: "Batman. I'm going after him."

Batman: "Rivers, this place is going to explode any second!"

Avenger: "I won't leave him. Besides, this is personal."

Batman and I glared at each other. He wasn't intending on letting me go, but I didn't have time for a lecture.

Batman: "That Motherbox's too damaged. It will only have one Boom-Tube left in it."

Avenger: "That's all I need."

Before I ran off, Batman tossed me something. My baton.

Batman: "Don't die."

Avenger: "I won't."

With that said, I ran after Assassin. He may be a manipulative, murdering,
psychopath. But, he's my dad. I can't leave him. Besides, if justice is what failed him, I have to show him that the system does work.

The entire Watchtower was collapsing around me. The place could explode any second!
I had to find my dad fast...

Avenger: "Ugghh!"

But, he found me first. He'd been hiding and he attacked me from behind.

Assassin: "Why did you follow me? You know that this place is about to blow."

Assassin picked me up by my collar.

Assassin: "Were you planning on capturing me? Bringing me to justice? Putting me on trial? Did you really think that would hold me?"

Dad punches me several times in the stomach before kicking me into the wall.

Assassin: "I know identities of everyone in the Justice League, including yours.
I could expose everything about them if I'm put on trial."

Assassin kicks me in the ribs. The wind was knocked out of me by those punches.
The kick caused me to bleed from the mouth.

Assassin: "I'm really disappointed in you. I tried to give you a reason to kill and you didn't. Did you really think that Jack Marco was lucky enough to kill me? You should know by now that I can't be killed that easily."

I tried to make it back to my feet as Assassin spoke. I started to understand what he was talking about.

Avenger: "You... You wanted Jack Marco to attack us. You wanted it to look like he'd killed you."

Assassin: "I did. I thought that if I was killed in front of you, you would seek vengeance. You did go out and you were so close. But, at the end you refused to kill him. Then you became some kind of costumed superhero and tried to take on bad guys like Winston Grace. You didn't even kill the mastermind behind my death."

Avenger: "I thought I was making you proud."

I made it to my feet but Assassin kicked me back down.

Assassin: "No. You ruined all my hard work. I informed Ra's al Ghul that you were the son of Michael Rivers and he wanted to test you. That's why you faced the Order of St. Dumas. The Seven Men of Death. You even defeated Batman in combat. All that talent... All for nothing."

All i wanted to so was make my dad proud. I set my own life to one day match his.
Become the man he was. Yet, the man i saw was really an abusive and selfish monster. I remembered all the times he would hit me and slash me with knifes in that horrible set of memories. Two sets of memories and I didn't know which to trust... Now I know.

Assassin: "And now, you and I are gonna die right here. I've struck a huge blow against the Justice League. No one is gonna forget that their Watchtower exploded. I was hoping to be able to return to Talia and create a new son and repeat the process, but I guess my hopes and dream die with us."

Even now, as the Watchtower explodes around me, i still love my dad. Even after everything he put me through. You can't get rid of years of love and admiration.
I don't really know what I'm feeling for my dad exactly right now. I love him,
but I hate him.

But, that doesn't matter. I have to do the right thing.

So, I got back up again.

Assassin: "Just stay down!"

Dad tried to punch me back down, but I caught his punch and I twisted his wrist.

Assassin: "Argh!"

I then kicked Assassin in the stomach before delivering a right haymaker to the face,
knocking his mask off.

Michael: "Got a second wind. Very well. You and I will die in a blaze of glory."

Assassin and I once again exchanged blows. He managed to hit me hard in the chest and sent me flying back. I managed to land on my feet so that when he came charging,
I delivered a palm strike to his chin. It stunned him for a bit, but he kicked me in the head... How many blows to the head have I taken in this fight?

But, the Motherbox was knocked away from me.

Michael: "You have another Motherbox?!"

My dad ran for the Motherbox, but I tossed my baton at his hands as he picked up the Motherbox. The Motherbox was knocked through the air and onto the ground where a piece of debris was about to fall onto it! I quickly ran and dived towards the Motherbox. I managed to grab it and move out of the way before it and I were crushed.

For a second there, I thought our only trip home was done for...

WHACK!

I was distracted for a second and it cost me. Dad managed to take the baton and he hit me over the head with it.

Michael: "Remember that this was MY baton to start with."

Dad walked over to me while I was dazed and confused and he took the Motherbox.

Michael: "I will return to Earth and rejoin the League. If you refuse to beg for forgiveness, I will leave you here to die."

Avenger: "N-No."

Dad then opened a Boom-Tube with the Motherbox.

Michael: "Farewell, Riley."

-Batman-

All members of the Justice League and the Bat Family have been evacuated from the Watchtower except from me, Superman, and Cyborg.

Superman: "Where is Riley Rivers?! We can't just leave him here!"

Batman: "Avenger has a Motherbox with him. It's still capable of using a Boom-Tube."

Superman: "I should go in after him."

Batman: "If you do that and Michael Rivers still has any kryptonite remaining then both you and Rivers could be killed."

Cyborg: "It's now or never! The Watchtower's reactor has gone critical!"

When Boom-Tube closes, they create a boom noise. Hence their name. But, since Superman hasn't heard one close from inside the Watchtower yet, so Rivers isn't clear.

Superman: "Cyborg. You and Batman go back to Earth. I'll stay and find Rivers."

Batman: "What if he has kryptonite?"

Superman: "We can't just leave him!"

Batman: "You need to trust him, Clark. This is something he needs to do. You need to let him do this."

Clark's a boy scout through and through. He'll always stand up for his fellow man, but Riley Rivers stated that this is personal. This is something that he has to do. I don't want to leave him here, but I have to trust he can handle it.

reluctantly, Superman enters the Boom-Tube followed by me and Cyborg.

Stay alive, Avenger.

-Avenger-

Dad opened the Boom-Tube and was about to enter it, but i grabbed his leg. He turned around and grabbed my head in a chokehold.

Michael: "I'll give you a death worthy of you, Riley. I'll break your neck here and you can finally rest. Don't worry about Kerry, Kieran, or Charlotte. I'll see them soon."

Avenger: "No, you won't!"

I forced my way to my feet and I rammed dad into the wall until he let go.

Michael: "Why..."

First punch.

Michael: "Won't..."

Second punch.

Michael: "You..."

Third punch.

Michael: "Stay..."

Fourth punch.

Michael: "Down!?"

I blocked the fifth punch. I have had enough of taking a beating.

Avenger: "I'm your son."

I delivered a final uppercut to my dad and he flew through the air and landed hard...

He was finally knocked out.

Avenger: "But, I'm also an Avenger."

The entire place started to really come down around me! When I looked back, the Boom-Tube was making cracking sounds and sparks were coming off of it!

I looked back at dad. If i run to the Boom-Tube now, I could escape. But, no amount of Lazarus will bring dad back...

I can't leave him here. I'll be no better than him if i let him die.

I pick him up and I run to the Boom-Tube with all my strength!

BOOOOOM!

I heard one massive explosion and there was fire coming in around me!

It was now or never!

Chapter 12 End.