Superman's Fortress

Their embrace held for a while. So much unresolved pain was left. But Diana remembered their daughter and knew they needed to get back. The path ahead would be long and full of more obstacles, but she, Kal, and Lara would face them together as a family.

"Kal? How are you feeling?" Diana looked to his eyes as the embrace broke.

"Like I just went 12 emotional rounds with you." A half-smile came to his face and Diana grinned. At least he hadn't lost his sense of humor.

"We need to get back to Gotham and to Lara. Bruce needs our help; the world is baring down on Gotham and I get the feeling he's doing worse than he let on." Kal turned to the table again and called for the fortress caretaker.

"Kelex? Prepare the new solar suit for me please." He looked to Diana.

"Wait… Bruce asked you for help? With Gotham?" Diana's grin returned. The Batman never needed help. Especially in his own backyard.

"The situation is bigger than you think. And he didn't ask directly of course, but he needs us and he knows it. We need to go back soon, I don't like being away from Lara so long."

Kelex arrives with a house of El shield that is black and white. Kal takes the shield and examines it.

"Why the black suit?" Diana remembered the last time he had to wear it. The memories were not pleasant.

"I applied some ideas I got from studying Nth metal to it to help me be a little magic resistant. It may help protect my mind if magic was being used to control me. The solar amp properties will give me the strength to fight off any mental attacks quicker as well."

"Kal you aren't just going to put that on, right?" She quirks her eyebrow up at him.

He looks confused at her "Is something wrong?"

"You haven't showered in almost 10 years." She holds her nose to make fun of his smell.

"You weren't complaining about my smell earlier." He grins while walking back toward her. She places a hand on his chest.

"Don't you want to be clean when you see Lara? Trim the beard and hurry up you're wasting time." He hands her the shield and blurs away to his quarters. Diana wants to follow him. Having fun in the shower was appealing but they had no more time to waste.

Diana looks toward the boxes and places the shield on the table with them. She picks one up and notices how lightweight it is. She wondered what the gifts inside were.

"Kal?" He blurs back out with just a towel around his waist.

"Yes my love?" Diana gawks at him a second before silently thanking Rao for sending her this man. He trimmed the facial hair he had, but she liked this look. Especially when he wasn't wearing anything. Then she remembered her question.

"What's in the boxes?" Kal picks up the shield on the table, places it on his chest and taps it. The solar suit spreads over his body quickly. He turns to Diana.

"They were supposed to be my gifts to you and Lara. Along with my heartfelt apology. I guess I can still do that." Kal looked away, a bit of sadness taking him again.

"I'm sure she will love it Kal. No need to be nervous, she'll be beyond excited to see you." She reaches up to his beard to play in it.

"She won't be angry?" Facing down one angry amazon was enough for a lifetime Kal thought.

"She's more forgiving than either of us and she loves you with all of her little heart. Lara has your heart Kal and your compassion." Diana wishes she would have taken Lara more serious when she said her father was in pain. Lara was righter than she knew.

"I'll make it up to her, Diana. And you. I promise." He takes the boxes in hand and walks toward the makeshift exit. "Kelex lock down the fortress after we leave and continue maintenance."

"Your presence will be enough to make her giddy for a lifetime Kal. You may grow tired of her tackling you. She's a big hugger. Especially with people who can take it."

"Super strength? Already?" Kal was excited again. Just how much power had Lara developed already?

"And much more. But I'll let her surprise you when we get there." Diana took his hand as they exited the fortress.

"What about flying? Heat Vision? Freeze Breath?" Diana laughed at his excitement.

"It's a surprise Kal. We all get a gift today"

"I'll never get tired of her Diana, or you." They kissed and took to the skies. Time for a reunion.


Gotham, Wayne Manor

Lara was feeling much better after some food and water provided by the Pennybot, as Selina called it. A short nap and she was all better as the sun rose the next day. She awoke to silence and was a little confused. On Themyscira when she awoke her sisters were already training and getting ready for the day. She left the guestroom and returned to the elevator to get to the Batcave. Time to freak out and try to identify every bat object that was in the Batcave. As the elevator came to a stop and opened, she saw Selina standing in front of the batcomputer.

Lara called out "Whatcha doin Mrs. Wayne?"

"Oh please Lara call me Selina. I'm just trying not to pull my hair out as Batman and his Knights do their thing."

"Is everything okay?" Lara was worried at Selina's tone.

"Yes, this happens often. The world government always make sure we are on our toes. I just hate not being there to help I guess." Selina was tapping her foot rapidly.

A voice spoke from the computer "It's okay Selina the battles are wrapping up. We have repelled them successfully again."

Lara gasped "Who's that?"

A green head appeared on the screen. "Hi Lara, I'm the Oracle. But you can call me Barbara if you'd like." Lara eyes went wide and her brain went into overload with the awesomeness that she was experiencing.

"Oh. My. Goddess. IloveyousomuchyourlikemynextfavoriteafterBatmanIcan'tbelieveI'mmeetingyouHi." Oracle laughed.

"I'm after Batman? I gotta step my game up."

"Well no offense its just, you know, he's Batman." Lara shrugged nervously. She didn't want to offend one of her 15 superhero idols.

"I get it kid, just messing with you." Selina's tapping stopped.

"Oracle what going on in Metropolis?" The screen focused on the Metropolis territory.

"More of the world government's droids are pouring in. They must have withheld units to give them reinforcements. Dick and the Titans have Bludhaven wrapped up and Tim, Stephanie and Cassandra are finishing up in Central City too." The reinforcements were pushing forward, but not making much headway.

"Bruce is on his way to help Jason and Damian." Selina started tapping again. She needed to be there helping her bat and the kids.

"It's okay Selina. It's not the first time they've focused- "Oracle stopped talking. The screen focused onto a lone figure weaving away from Jason and Damian's position through the droids. It stopped and looked back at their position. Selina knew who it was.

"Deathstroke is there! Pull them out Barbara pull them out now!" An explosion fills the screen with smoke. They can't see anything, and the droids are pushing the attack.

"All Knights are making there way now. Batman is one minute out." An image can be seen of Jason being pulled away by resistance fighters while Damian fights off droids and retreats to their barricade.

"Screw this I'm going down there." Selina makes her way to suit up. Her catsuit is pretty standard to what she has always worn. Bruce wanted her to have armor, but he's the one getting slower not her. She allowed him to reinforce her claws to deal with the thick armor of the droids and her whip can crush a droid's head if she gets enough coils around it.

"Selina, you can't get there in time just stay." Lara was a little lost. She wants to help, but she promised mommy she would stay put and be safe.

"I'm taking the tubes." Selina hated the tubes. Something about a cat and being in a small metal box that was going way too fast gave her problems. But her man and her kids were in trouble.

"Lara? Stay here with the Pennybot okay?" Lara wanted to come. She knew she could help.

"I can fight Selina. Let me come so I can help." Selina put her hands on Lara's shoulders.

"I know you're a brave Amazon, but I promised your mom you would be safe, and you did too. Even if you feel much better from yesterday you shouldn't be on a battlefield so soon after hitting your head. Stay here till we get back okay?" The Pennybot arrived and prepared the tube for Selina.

"Watch over Lara Pennybot. Authorization Cat." Selina got in the tube and started taking deep breaths and thinking happy, not trapped in a metal box, thoughts.

"Alpha Authorization accepted. Safe travels Mrs. Wayne." Lara waved to her as the tube was closed.

Oracle chimed in. "Batman will arrive as you get there. Don't do too much at first, it's a little disorienting. "Selina gives a thumbs up. "3. 2. 1. Launch." The tube shot off toward Metropolis.

Lara looked worriedly at the screen. The wisdom of Athena was showing her that the resistance fighters were losing ground and getting overwhelmed. The rest of the Knights wouldn't be there in time and it would take a miracle to turn the fight with Deathstroke there. Lara couldn't see him anywhere on the screen. He must be waiting for Batman.

"Its alright Lara they are old pros at this. Just a matter of time before our reinforcements get there and they get the droids pushed back again." The droids were being held by the barricade. Batman and Catwoman appeared on screen. They split up as Batman was seeking out Deathstroke and Catwoman was helping occupy the droids, so Jason could be helped safely.

"You need a miracle Oracle. The other Knights can't get there in time for the resistance not to get overwhelmed, and Batman will get cornered if he chases Deathstroke." Lara's mind was working the battle, trying to find a single scenario where the good guys won without her going in.

Oracle chimed in again "Proximity Alert, Sonic Boom detected 50 miles from Metropolis. Object pushing Mach 10 and accelerating. What the hell can go that fast."

Lara's smile grew wide. Only one thing could do something like that and it was her favorite hero (next to Mommy of course). Lara was beaming since she knew the answer to Oracle's question.

"It's Superman."


The battlefield in Metropolis

Selina and Bruce arrived just in time to free Damian up. He had been surrounded by droids while trying to push back to Jason's position. They made easy work and made it behind the barricade while the resistance fighters laid down covering fire. Damian yelled over the fighting.

"Todd is down! We need to get him to the hospital!"

"We know, you and Selina secure this area don't let any droids past the barricade. The resistance can hold till the cavalry arrives." Damien shook his head no.

"You need me with you father, Deathstroke was responsible for the explosion. I called him out to late for us to get away."

"Follow orders Robin. Secure Red Hood for transport with Catwoman." The use of codenames was very businesslike from Bruce. He knew Deathstroke would stay in the shadows and pick off his Knights one by one if he didn't seek him out. Selina spoke up.

"This is no time to argue. I can secure Jason and Damian can stay here so we can hold till reinforcements arrive." Selina didn't wait for them to object and made her way to Jason.

Robin and Batman stare each other down. Their father-son relationship was strong, but their Batman-Robin partnership was still shaky. Robin only wanted Batman's approval and his trust. Batman simply wanted his orders followed.

Oracle chimed in. "Deathstroke is 3 blocks away, seems like he's just waiting for you Batman."

"Make sure Jason gets to the transport. Then you can come back to help." Batman shoots his grappling hook upwards and disappears.

Damian sucks his teeth and relents. Deathstroke may have been aging, but his body still moved just as fast and just as powerfully. He knows his father will need help with him. He makes his way to Selina and Jason.

"How is he?" Selina looks toward him.

"It looks worse than it is, I think. His armor took most of the blast." Jason's armor is still hot from the explosion. Some of his flesh is exposed and burnt. The medevac arrives, and they load Jason in.

"I'll stay here to hold the line." Selina nods upward. "Go help him."

Damian gives her a smirk than runs off. Selina and Damian's relationship was shaky at first, but his relationship with everybody started like that. He may never call her mother, but he had the utmost respect for her. She knew his father better than he did and often played the role of good cop perfectly to mirror Bruce's bad cop. They may have never had their own children, but you couldn't tell Selina that. Bruce's adopted kids and his biological child were like her kittens. And she would claw out anyone's eyes who hurt them.

Over the Atlantic Ocean

Kal and Diana were flying leisurely and still holding hands. They loved just flying together before and often took the long way, when they didn't need to be somewhere urgently. They would glance toward each other the entire way and smile. Something about sharing this experience was just breathtaking. Kal watched Diana fly for a while. Somehow, she was more beautiful than he remembered. She looked toward him, and they laughed a little. But Kal's face went stern as his ears heard something far away, an explosion. Diana was familiar with the focused gaze he had off toward the horizon.

"What are you hearing?" Kal picked up his pace and placed the gifts in his belt.

"Fighting in multiple areas. Definitely a large battle." He focused his hearing again and heard a familiar sound. "Bruce is there, and his heart is racing."

"It must be a siege. We need to get there quickly." Diana kept up with him and they both pushed the pace again. Kal let go of Diana's hand.

"Shock and Awe Diana. I'll handle whatever their fighting, you help Bruce." Kal put some distance between him and Diana and shot forward with a sonic boom following him.

"Just like old times." Diana smiled and raced forward. Some time went by before she saw Kal impact from afar. It was like a bomb went off, a big one.

She searched for Bruce and saw him with Damian on a rooftop a little distance from Kal's landing. As she approached she saw Damian engage a figure with a sword. She bared her teeth at the sight of the familiar assassin.

Metropolis Battlefield

Batman and Deathstroke engaged each other on sight. Bullets and batarangs were dispensed liberally as each man closed in on the other. They met on a rooftop and went straight to hand-to-hand combat. Batman's defense was impeccable. He countered Deathstroke's speed advantage by staying in close and grappling when he could. Batman only had to buy time for the other Knights, they would turn the tide. Deathstroke got frustrated and sent a haymaker that was easily blocked and countered with a kick to the chest from Batman. Deathstroke rolled away and spoke finally.

"Good to see you have so much fight left in you Batman. Your death here will be an honorable one." He unsheathes his sword and points it toward Batman.

"Should I dial it back for you?" Batman is breathing a little heavy.

"Let's see if you can taunt me while you DIE!"

Deathstroke reengages quickly. His sword strikes aren't pushing Batman, but he's wearing him down. Simply striking harder and harder till an opening presents itself and it does. A slash to Batman's side causes him to stumble and fall back. Deathstroke pushes the attack and slashes downward to mortally wound his adversary.

But his blade is caught by another sword, Robin's. The two trade strikes and parry each other before separating.

"Foolish boy. Your death comes later. Now run along and go play somewhere else." Robin takes an offensive stance.

"I don't run, I chase."

A voice chirps in Deathstroke's ear but it's too late. A boom is heard and the building they're on shakes until an explosion erupts where the droids were fighting the resistance. The shockwave cracks the rooftop they are on.

"Shit."

Robin takes advantage of the distraction by jumping at Deathstroke and slashing at him vertically. Deathstroke blocks the strike at the last second and struggles to push Robin backward.

"Fine boy you die today too."

He headbutts Robin and breaks his nose than delivers a kick to his head. He steps over Robin's unconscious body and stalks toward Batman who is hunched over on one knee and bleeding profusely.

"So ends the Batman."

He goes to stab downward into Batman's back, but his hands get caught in mid-air by a rope and pulled back till he falls. He gets lifted into the air and slammed into the side of the building before being slammed back onto the roof. Wonder Woman has denied him his kill. She stomps on his chest with one leg and yells.

"Submit!"

Deathstroke's last conscious thought is to kill his employer for her incompetence. Robin is back up and rushes to Batman's side while Wonder Woman secures Deathstroke in her lasso.

"Robin to Oracle! I need a medevac on my position! Batman is down!" Robin takes his cape off to try and stop the bleeding.

"You did good Robin." Batman coughs up bloods and grinds his teeth.

"Don't talk and lay down. Helps coming just stay awake." Robin feels useless and he hates it. He should have got to the fight faster, but he got held up by droids on the way. Now his father might die because of him.

"Don't worry, that serum he has is basically like cheating." A rare batsmile comes through before Batman coughs up blood again.

"Dammit Oracle I need that medevac now!" A whoosh can be heard as Superman arrives to the rooftop quickly.

"Here let me take him, where do I need to go?" Superman bends to pick him up.

"The cave. There is blood for him their and Pennybot can take care of any surgery needed." Damian thinks for a second before stopping Superman.

"You can cauterize the wound, can't you?" Superman nods, but looks at Batman grimly.

"Can you survive the shock?" Batman growls.

"I'm not dying on this damn rooftop Superman. Seal it up." Wonder Woman comes over to take Batman's hand. Superman's eyes glow red as he emits a light amount of heat vision over the long wound. Batman lets out a loud scream and passes out from the pain.

"Father!" Robin checks for his pulse and Superman grabs Batman to pick him up.

"Cave hasn't moved has it?" Robin yells at him.

"NO! Stop wasting time! Go! NOW!" Superman flies off slowly toward Gotham leaving Robin and Wonder Woman with the droids he didn't get to obliterate and Deathstroke.

Superman listens for Batman's heartbeat as he flies him to the Batcave. He's seen his friend in worse shape before but he's still glad Bruce is okay.


Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I'm really humbled by all the responses you guys give and I'm glad you like the story. I tried my best to describe this "big" battle scene since some of the events are happening at the same time. For story purposes I'm making it so that Gotham, Bludhaven, Central City, and Metropolis are very close together. I don't like Deathstroke too much, but I acknowledge the fact that with prep he can do tons of damage which I hope I illustrated well enough. Age is coming into play in the story kinda soon and I'm not sure how I want to play it. Bruce and Selina have to be pushing 50 or already in their 50s since I basically skipped 20 to 30 years of comics to tell this story. That would make Dick at least in his 30s and Jason in his upper 20s. Tim and Steph are in their mid-20s with Cass being around their age but younger. As mentioned before, Damian is 15. He came to Bruce when he was 8 in my story so that was during the 10-year span of the world flipping its shit. This might not make sense compared to the canon, but that's what I'm going to go with in my make-believe land. Superman is around 40 now, which doesn't matter since he practically doesn't age. Wonder Woman is pushing into her 200s, but again doesn't matter for the same reason. I'm going to do a better job of putting ages on the new heroes I introduce besides Barda because New Gods don't age either.

Also, I thought I should describe some of the suits and armor that are being worn since I haven't given much descriptive summations for them.

Superman: His classic suit with the blue and red is styled after the new 52. I really like the appeal of armor over spandex or tights for most heroes. The solar suit is styled after Superman's suit in Batman Beyond but has the properties I mentioned. Also bearded Superman makes me smile, but he may cut it eventually.

Wonder Woman: I love any Diana look that gives her armor instead of a swimsuit. Just personal preference. In this story you could imagine her DCEU WW look or her current look in rebirth for now. She may or may not be getting an upgrade in the story soon.

Batman: I have no clue lol. There are so many batsuits it's hard to pick my favorite to use for this. If I had to give you a description it would look like any basic batsuit but bulkier to allow for armored plating underneath. I guess his BvS suit would be a good comparison He also may or may not be getting an upgrade and if he does I'll describe it somehow.

Deathstroke: I'm using Deathstroke's look in the current DC rebirth since he basically looks like a terminator with all that armor and swords and guns and bullets.

Robin: He wears his suit from Injustice 2 with the hood and he always carries that sword even if he doesn't plan to use it. (Intimidation factor)

Catwoman: She is wearing her Injustice 1 look which was really cool to me since she had armored claws on her hands and feet that would allow her to get around quicker and be a bigger threat in combat in my opinion.

That's it I think. I'll try and do a better job of describing the suits people are wearing. Thank you so much for reading this whole long thing. Thank you for the reads, favs, follow, and reviews.