Gotham, Wayne Manor
Kal hadn't slept much. Diana and Lara were on his sides cuddled up to him and resting. It felt like he had slept for years. Now he needed to act, to take back control of his life and free the world. His chest heaved slowly up and down as he tried to imagine what he'd do to the people responsible for everything. He might have to kill again, but would he be able to? His internal torment over the decisions he has made might last forever. Now he would be thrust right back into that world, the world he was forced to abandon. He wondered if the people would shun him again after he saved them for the millionth time. None of that mattered now, he would save this world and make it a safe place for his family to live and grow.
He remembered the day before when he and Diana were caught in the heat of passion, his family was going to grow again. He absent mindedly rubbed Diana's stomach as he thought about the new life they created. His lover was stirred by his touch and brought herself closer to kiss him.
"Good morning Kal. Did you sleep?"
"A little. Too much on my mind I guess." Lara cuddles up closer on his other side but is still asleep.
"I know it's a lot to process for now, and we have to keep moving forward but when the dust settles Kal I know everything is going to be okay."
Diana cups Kal's face with one hand. He looks tired to her but not in a physical way. Tired in his mind and in his heart. When the world rejected him after saving her and Lara he was torn apart. This world was his home and the people he had grown to love didn't want him anymore. Now he needed to save them again and possibly face their rejection again. Diana would always stand with him and whoever tried to hurt him again would face her wrath.
"Bruce told me…Wally's alive Diana. His death was faked all those years ago." Diana is shocked, but also has a feeling of relief because her friend is still alive.
"Someone staged his death?"
"Bruce told me they have him and are holding Linda as well. They have to be using him for something and holding Linda to use against him."
"None of this can be a coincidence Kal. Someone planned this, and I feel like the worst has yet to come."
"I feel it too, but for now we have to focus on freeing Wally and Linda. Then we can figure out who's been pulling our strings." Kal looks towards Lara's sleeping form.
"Maybe you should take Lara to Themyscira, she'll be safer there." They sit in silence for a while before Diana responds.
"I'm not taking her back."
"What? Why?" They stare at each other.
"This is the first time we have been together in almost a decade Kal, now you want to split us up again?"
"It's not going to be safe Diana. We are going to have to fight a war and that isn't going to leave us time to protect her."
"I won't force her to go back Kal and she is a warrior. She will want to join us on the battlefield."
"We can't let her do that Diana, it's too dangerous. She's only 10!" Diana shakes her head with an angry look on her face.
"You have missed a lot Kal. I know you want to protect her, but she is an Amazon. She has proved herself to be a more than competent warrior. She is already one of our best and she's twice as powerful as I was at her age." Kal grunts in frustration. He wasn't going to let Amazonian pride get his daughter hurt.
"Her powers are growing Kal. The amazons and I have taught her all we can, she needs your guidance now. You can't deny her that."
"She is 10. She isn't ready for this fight Diana, I won't let it consume her like it did me."
"You don't know what she's capable of. You haven't seen what she can do, and you have no idea what she can handle." Diana takes a deep breath to calm her anger and replace it with the same concern Kal has.
"I don't want to bring it up, but you aren't equipped to make this decision for her. Maybe neither of us are. But I will tell you why I think she can handle it."
"Sparring with her sisters that love her and hunting animals on the island isn't good enough to prepare her for people that want to kill her or capture her Diana. I know you have the utmost confidence in Amazon training, but I don't want to risk her life." Diana stares very calmly at Kal.
"When she was 8 she bested Artemis in the Coliseum for the first time and hasn't lost to her since. The only amazon that has bested her consistently is me and that's only because I'm stronger than her, for now. When she was 9 she killed her first minotaur. And when she turned 10…Kal she has battled the God of War and won." Kal's eyes widen at the thought of Ares attacking Lara.
"Ares attacked the island? When? Lara beat him?"
"The Gods fear her Kal, you know how they get when they think their power is under threat. Ares climbed she would overthrow them all and take Zeus's place on the throne if she got any more powerful. When he sieged Themyscira we fought his army on the beaches and in the city while my mother kept Lara safe in the throne room. But Ares snuck past us and tried to kill Lara. As I arrived he had Lara in his clutches and was about to kill Hippolyta. Then something strange happened. Before his sword struck her, I heard a voice fill the room and it whispered 'No'. Then the room was filled with light and it sounded like a lightning bolt had hit outside. Ares was gone and so was Lara. We found her outside the palace unconscious with Ares' empty helmet beside her."
Kal is in pure shock at hearing the tale. He had fought Ares before and so had Diana. Each battle was hard fought and almost always took them to the brink of death. Hearing that his little girl somehow beat Ares in an instant is unbelievable.
"Her body was glowing still, and lightning seemed to be coursing through her. When I tried to wake Lara, her eyes shot open and they were glowing white. I think she somehow was channeling the same god powers I have. She didn't need to take off her bracers or anything she just used it to stop Ares from killing my mother. No one knows what happened to Ares Kal. He has not been found since their encounter. The Gods think she took his power and simply killed him, so they haven't messed with Themyscira since. In fact, many of the Gods have taken it upon themselves to visit Lara after it happened and offer their aid whenever she needs it." Diana smiles at the memory of her patrons showing their respect for Lara.
"She killed him?"
"Is that all you heard Kal? She is incredibly powerful already and she needs our guidance. Her kryptonian powers are still growing and getting stronger every day. We are surrounded by our friends who love us and now we can lead our daughter by example. There is no safer place for her to be than here in your arms and mine." They are both looking to Lara now.
Kal sighs "I guess the safest place she could be is here with us, but no joining us on the battlefield. This is going to get messy Diana and I don't want her caught in the battles to come"
"I knew you'd see it from my point of view Kal. Our daughter will be safe here with me and you." She beams at him then lays back on his chest.
"This is going to get crazy Diana. We have to keep her safe, no matter what."
"We will keep each other safe Kal, as it should be."
BOOM
The telltale sound of a boom tube opening causes Kal and Diana to jump out of the bed. The sound is coming from the cave, so they rush down. They arrive ready to take on all of the armies of Apokolips but instead are greeted with the smile of an old friend.
Diana calls out "Barda!"
Big Barda used to be an agent of Darkseid and the leader of his furies, a death squad made up of some of the most powerful women in the known universe. She had openly rebelled Darkseid with Mister Miracle and fled to Earth seeking sanctuary. They were taken in by the Justice League and eventually became emergency members. Barda's fighting prowess was only topped by Diana herself and she was very intimidating because of how she towered over everyone, even Kal. Her and Mister Miracle were called into action by Highfather to help him in his battle against Darkseid.
"Diana! Good to see you. Has the fighting started already? I didn't miss too much did I?" The two grasp each other's wrists in a warrior's handshake.
"Bruce didn't tell us you were coming." Diana side-eyes Bruce sitting at his computer and he grunts in response.
"Sorry to startle you, my opening to get here was very small."
Barda's armor has some scorch marks and is covered in blood. It's clear she just got done fighting wherever she was. Diana notices the blood and the marks.
"Are you okay Barda?" Barda looks down and laughs.
"Oh no worries, that's not my blood. We have been pushing back Darkseid's advances and I got to get my hands dirty." Barda smiles. "Ever since I got Bruce's hail he has been pressing the attack. Almost like he doesn't want us helping you." She turns to Bruce now. "Orion would have come if we hadn't been getting pushed by Darkseid's forces. I guess you'll have to settle for little old me."
"Hopefully the rest of our cavalry shows up today, we don't have much more time to sit around."
Bruce is grumpy as usual. Oracle woke him up just as he was getting to sleep to tell him he needed to authorize the Zeta shield to be dropped. The Zeta shield prevented anyone from boom tubing into Gotham or any type of teleportation to be allowed into Gotham. He was able to get back to work, much to Selina's dissatisfaction, so he was mostly happy.
"I like the new look Superman, the boy scout one was getting long in the tooth." Barda loves poking fun at Kal's look. "The beard is a nice touch."
"Good to see you too Barda, I'm glad some things haven't changed." A friendly nod is exchanged between them.
"What's the plan Bruce?" The three of them crowd Bruce's chair so they can see the plan he has.
"Right now, we need to focus on freeing Wally. He's being held in an energy plant. They are using him as an energy source for most of the United States. I have his location, but we need to get Linda. They are using her to keep him in line. I have her location as well, but we need to strike simultaneously so neither of them get moved or hurt in the process. Wally is going to be a League effort. The facility has a large battalion of droids and I'm guessing Hero hunters are in play too."
"We can get to Wally Bruce, let us free him." Kal wants to see Wally with his own two eyes, just to make sure this is all real.
"I know you three will be a force to be reckoned with, but the sheer numbers against you plus the hunters will be too much. They can be outfitted with anything to neutralize your powers. That includes red sun radiation or kryptonite. It's likely they don't have anything specific for Barda or Diana, so they would be the logical choice to- "Kal interrupts him.
"I'm not sitting this out Bruce. I want to save Wally from them. I need to save him." Diana speaks up.
"Kal we can't get Wally out safely with a force of that size, we need a distraction." Barda chuckles at the trinity fighting each other already, things really don't change.
"This move will escalate everything. Most of the United States will lose its primary power source when we free him. That's going to bring the world government down on us. Hard. That means we need to be ready for the endgame before we go for Wally. So, before we do we are going to get Serenity on board, and I'd like to get Alan as well before we do anything." Barda is irritated at having to wait.
"What's so special about them that we have to wait to strike?"
"Serenity is Arthur and Mera's daughter. She is old enough now to carry her old man's mantle to be the bridge between our world and Atlantis. She has her mother's hydro kinesis and her father's abilities underwater and on the surface. Her only drawback is her temper which is bigger than Arthur and Mera's combined. I'm surprised they have been able to reign her in for so long."
"Alan is Donna and Kyle's son, he has the power of every Lantern corps running through him. So far, his only problem is controlling his own emotions so that he can control the power he has. He was powerful enough for the Green Lanterns to reject him out of fear, but we need that power now." Barda has a half impressed and half annoyed look on her face. Her adrenaline is till pumping from smashing parademons.
"You know where Alan is Bruce?" Diana hasn't seen her nephew in a long time.
"He's in Central City. I was hoping you could convince him to join us. He was reluctant when I asked him to join the resistance. Maybe joining the Justice League will inspire him out of hiding." Diana looks to Kal expectantly and he nods.
"I'll try Bruce, just tell me where and I'll see."
"He's got a little place there in Central City. He's been focused on controlling his powers but now we need him whether he can or can't. Oracle can give you the place when you get there." Diana walks away to leave the cave. Oracle chimes in.
"Serenity hasn't made any follow up contact at all Bruce should I keep trying? By the way, Hi Barda glad you made it here okay."
"Good to be back. You would not happen to have anything for me to fight right, now would you? I've still got some steam to blow off." Oracle laughs a little.
"I'll see what I can do for you Barda. Also, Bruce there is a lot of chatter concerning Atlantis and it keeps spiking every hour. We may have rattled more cages than you thought." The old JL communicator transponder is pinging on the screen right where Atlantis is.
"Keep trying Oracle we need to at least speak to Arthur about getting involved. I'm sure he's just as tired of the world government as we are." Clark is surprised that Arthur would agree to be neutral in all this.
"So be insistent but don't seem desperate, got it. Oracle out."
"Why hasn't Arthur answered the call himself?" Bruce scoffs at the notion. The wound of the sea king's neutrality is still fresh.
"After Arthur became the full-time king of Atlantis, Savage made a deal with him to ensure Atlantis's sovereignty in the sea and allow the world government to operate in his waters occasionally. He sold his soul to reduce pollution of the seas and make sure Atlantis would face no threat from the surface. Serenity has been outspoken for the resistance in Atlantis from what I can gather, but Arthur and Mera have made no move to help us."
"He did it for his people and his family. Not completely surprising. "
"Disappointing Clark not surprising. He could have spoken out and used his power to keep the world free of Savage's control, but instead he left us and focused on Atlantis." Barda is getting impatient.
"Is there going to be nothing for me to punch while I'm here? I can't take all this talking."
"If you want to help us clean up in Metropolis your more than welcome, but until then keep your fists to yourself." She grunts in disapproval.
"Anything's better than listen to old men plot and plan. Call me when you're ready for me to crush something."
"Selina is down there coordinating so check in with her, so you can be useful." Barda exits the cave.
"I'm not sitting on the sidelines when it comes to Wally Bruce. You can't expect me to do that."
"You are part of the plan Clark, you just won't be on site. Believe me you will have it worse than the strike force we send. I need you to attack the anti-meta HQ so that all the droids and hero hunters flock to you."
"Just a big distraction?"
"They will be on alert for you anyways. The more attention you get the safer Wally's extraction will be." Clark nods in approval. He did want to see Wally in person, but securing his freedom was more important.
"Are these kids ready for this Bruce? They may be powerful, but we won't have the time to train them."
"They are raw but still talented enough to make a difference. I'm sidelined for the moment, so I will need you and Diana to lead them and pick up the slack when necessary. Alan should be fine on taking direction, but Serenity may be a problem as far as working with a team." Kal smiles as he remembers little Serenity Curry bossing the league around when she visited the watchtower with her parents.
"I remember the princess bossing Arthur around when she was little. You said she has Mera's temper?" Bruce smirks at him.
"She has both of their tempers and the power to make good on her words when she needs to. She can be a real asset just don't let her argue with Barda. I don't have enough resources to replace all the things they would destroy."
"Never thought I'd see the day when Bruce Wayne couldn't throw his money away." They share a small laugh before getting back to the matter at hand.
"Do you think Diana can convince Alan to join us?"
"It's probably our only chance beside being under direct attack. We think he helps in Central City sometimes, but he is always too fast to be picked up by anything. He's powerful Clark, so powerful the Guardians fear him. We could steamroll anything the government throws at us with him if he has his power in check."
"Then they'll just fear us again Bruce. We have to do this right. Show the world that we can protect them, and they don't have to fear us. We have to inspire them all again." Bruce looks at him incredulously.
"You know we can't go back to that world Clark. You can't be so naïve to think that things will ever be like the way they used to be."
"I guess I just have hope that it can be." Clark grins.
Clark has that stupid smile on his face that Bruce hates. He grunts in disproval and turns to the computer just in time to see the transponder in Atlantis go dark. Oracle chimes in again.
"Bruce the chatter around Atlantis is going crazy something is going down."
"The transponder just went out too. We need eyes on."
"I'll go, have Barda meet me and tell Diana we need to move." Oracle interrupts his departure.
"Incoming message Bruce. It's from the world government."
Clark asks Bruce "They usually make house calls?"
"No, not since this started. Play it on screen Oracle." Amanda Waller appears on the computer.
"Hello Batman, let's keep this brief. I have been authorized by the world government to discuss terms of a ceasefire between your resistance and the world government's army."
