The hour is almost up, the Watchtower is still in one piece, the League still alive, but the critical juncture approaches one can only hope Supergirl manages to derail Galatea's murderous intent. Even Batman did get to Waller, it won't change what Galatea is planning, only Supergirl can stop her.

The infirmary level starts lighting up again. All the wires and other attachments on Atom start charging up again. It looks like Supergirl did it.

"Looks like power is coming back online," remarks Atom.

Everything goes out again, it looks like Question might be wrong and they all might be dead in a matter of minutes or seconds. There would be no time to evacuate, no way to get away, and then the Founders would have all their deaths on their conscience, much worse than one hero's death. The fifty plus heroes and all the staffers aboard would be gone without a trace except raining metal in the night sky that burns up on its way down to the surface. Their deaths could be the thing to snap Superman, but right the three still in the infirmary struggle to believe it had something to do with Supergirl taking down Galatea, not the other way around.


Several minutes pass, nothing happens, and then the trio hears S.T.R.I.P.E's robotic voice over the inter-station comlink. Supergirl answers and there is some sighs of relief to follow before power starts to come back on again. A few minutes more pass before there is a request for Supergirl to come directly to the Monitor Hub.

"Sounds like something big is going down planet side, maybe they got a video feed or a broadcast coming in from the surface," suggests Huntress.

"One of us will have to stay with him though," reminds Question.

"You go, I'll stay with him until the med techs get here, go on, and I'll behave myself."

"I'm holding you to it."

Question at the least bothers with his pants, his orange socks, and his shoes before taking an auxiliary ladder shaft to the Monitor Hub. He made a point of knowing as much about the layout of the Watchtower II within days after setting up his quarters. The knowledge is paying off in unexpected ways right now. The infirmary level is several floors below the Monitor Hub, but for once in almost two weeks, he felt like he had a direction as a well purpose again after trying as well as failing to kill Luthor.

Luthor's fixation with immortality could be realized by an android construct to house his mind, but the motivations did not strike Question as entirely Luthor even with the immortality notion in mind. Something else is at work here, something as part of the hidden faction in this continuing conflict with Cadmus unless the Founders and Cadmus join forces against Luthor. The possibility had given a measure of hope, but it is still too earlier to be sure that such an alliance would transpire even under these circumstances yet strange times make for strange alliances.

[+++]

The news coverage is still on the binary gun firing event from over an hour ago yet there is a breaking story in Metropolis of all places. Some errant phone call had gotten several news stations as well as news papers to the streets nearest to Lexcorp. Several helicopters are also airborne as seen from rotating camera angles on the screens now functional again in the Monitor Hub. Question notices it as he enters the room yet sparingly takes note of the Ultimen copies out cold on the floor too. His attention reverts to the screens where the cameras are locking onto Superman who is pummeling away at what appears to be a half-man, half-machine. The individual he is fighting is not quite Luthor anymore nor is it the android Question felt certain Luthor had been building in secret.


Shayera hovers nearby holding Flash in her hands at least the speedster is still alive after this discovery much to Question's relief. Batman is dangling by a grappler while Wonder Woman floats close at hand as well. J'onn is also in flight while Lantern is out of sight, which means if they are all there then so must be Waller. If she was thrown clear of the windows after they were blown apart, someone would have to gone after her, probably Stewart, which a downward shot proves a few seconds later. As for Lexcorp, it is turning into some almost alien and the patterns being made in the structure by tentacles protruding from what used to be just Luthor, look almost Kryptonian to Question.


He spots recognition in Supergirl's stare as well.

Brainiac had either been masquerading as Luthor or hidden a copy of himself inside Luthor except the untimely or timely arrival of the Founders with Waller offset his plan to transfer himself into the android, which means the android if it is done, is now gone.


Superman continues punching away at the amalgam entity Brainiac-Luthor, but Brainiac appears to have the upper hand down there. Superman is quickly bound up by tentacles that have grown out of the building and then other tentacles lash out at the other six. J'onn dodges it and Shayera with Flash flies over in the opposite direction from J'onn. Diana is waving, dodging, and punching her way through the tentacles. Flash is torn away from Shayera and soon enough even she cannot get away either even with the advantage of her mace.

The camera tracking Stewart shows him and Waller firing at the tentacles. His ring and her pulse gun are useless as well. Batman's tools are likewise ineffective and Diana is going after Superman except it gets her caught too. Superman burns his way out with heat vision and Shayera is still whacking away at the tentacles with the mace except the longer any of them fight, the more tentacles under Brainiac's control find ways to beat them. It binds Shayera's wrists preventing her from concentrating to charge the mace, which means she is out too.

The tentacles nearest to Stewart and Waller try to surround them completely except Stewart makes a sphere blast, which incinerates through them except more come as Waller turns him over. Stewart although stunned sees them going after Waller so he pushes her out the way enabling them to grab him instead. Brainiac now holds the seven within tentacles restraints. The cameras are too far away to pick whatever Brainiac is probably saying to them though Question can imagine he is ranting about how this is just part of his programming. Seven gray liquid polymer wires shoot out from Brainiac then latches onto the upper bodies of the seven heroes.

The painful cries and groans can be heard even at street level and on the cameras.


Copy all so-called relevant data then destroy the originals is the company line for Brainiac. Flash undoubtedly might have a joke right now, but that won't do anything except give him a chuckle cut off by the tubules slamming into his flesh like it is already doing to the other six. I might not think him that funny, but I rather have the ability to think it rather than think with the mental kick that he is dead.


The Martian ever the telepath realizes the direness of what is happening now as he is probably feeling the emotions of the other six more intensely than anything else right now. There is a dual purpose when his defiant shout can be heard aloud to the many watching this scene whether from the Watchtower or from any screen viewing this battle in Metropolis.


J'onn it is all on you to avert their deaths in this moment, I may find you annoying and we disagree yet right now you and I both know you all have to survive this.


J'onn phases through the tentacles and tubules before lunging at Brainiac-Luthor. The Martian moves with the speeds unseen in him before and he rips the tubules straight off the merged entity in front of him. The surprise is clear even the impassive look on Brainiac's face in Luthor's chest. The tubules dissolve off the other six then they all pull away with Superman shouldering Flash and Diana shouldering Batman. Shayera, Stewart, and J'onn keep their own holding patterns away from the transfiguring Lexcorp structure directly in front of them.

A super sized skull with Brainiac's emblem emerges from the shattering rooftop then starts attacking the city instead of the seven. Shayera flaps her away around the cascade of laser beams. The other four who can fly follow Shayera's lead by attacking the floating skull and it already appears to be giving way to the attack, which means to Question that this is a diversion so that the real target can slip away. However it is important to shut that flying menace down even if it is a trick. Stewart blasts out the laser eyes then falls back into formation with Superman to slice it in half.

More explosions follow as the skull plummets to street level and the cameras trail the heroes to the wreckage. Batman and Flash are there first as the others scan the skies to be certain there are no other floating attackers out there. Question is certain that Batman would reach the same conclusion he did about the Brainiac skull. Someone other than Superman would suggest that as a retort that this must be the wrong fight, which in itself is actually true though it would occur to the speaker after they said it, not before. As for Superman, he would conclude that Batman is right and now they would have to work out where Brainiac would go to recover from the damage because as durable as the machine was before, he's still sharing a body with Luthor.

[+++}

Metropolis' SCU and other emergency services go on full deployment because while individuals like Emil Hamilton may have lost faith in Superman, there are still plenty in the city that still hold Superman and the League in high regards. The story is getting out now to some degree that Luthor and the villain known as Brainiac had something to do with binary gun firing on New Mexico yet nobody is letting the League off the hook for the binary gun's existence either. The former bears the responsibility to using the gun while the latter retains the blame for having it. However many realize for the moment, the priority is stopping Brainiac-Luthor as some are beginning to think of the two as being right now. The seven plus Waller likely conclude that they will be going after the Dark Heart remains kept at the new Cadmus R&D facility in D.C.


The extent of the damages to Watchtower and the Javelins means that whoever is on the ground are on their own.

J'onn put out the Omega Level Alert, but even at top speed nobody except for the seven are close enough to Washington.

The military and the media are watching as well as waiting for the Justice League to save the world again (as usual). Their trust is on the rocks, but they struggle to have faith that the seven can stop the end of world like they have done before. Brainiac-Luthor is quicker than expected yet things always get worse before they get better, though this time around there might not be a better waiting for them at the end of this particular route. A camera crew gets close, but they are keeping their distance for safety. Question quickly dashes over to the monitors' control console then starts working to enhance the view so that they almost right at the scene imaging.

We may not be down there with you in body, but the least we can do is bear witness as the world hangs in the balance with only the seven of you to tip the scales.


Shayera is flung backwards from a blast then at first Seven Brainiac type androids rise up from the ground then almost as immediately as they appear something shape shifts their appearance…

The Justice Lords except there never was a Lorder Flash… this is Luthor's idea of a sick joke.

Each Justice Lord cybernetic duplicate attacks their flesh and blood counterpart. Undoubtedly more than a few had choice taunts for their real counterparts. As Question watches all his mind alternates between this on-going fight and the tapes of the prison fight several years ago that involved the real Justice Lords minus a Flash. Things again start off against the seven yet they had to plow through this in order to stop the real threat. The taunts are doing the mind jobs already except there is a difference when viewing Flash against Lorder Flash.


Your first mistake as a combined villain was pitting Flash against himself. He has fears like the rest of them, but he is not just the fastest man alive… there is more to him than that moniker.


Flash's entire right arm phases through Lorder Flash and there it is, the key to beating them is they are not meant to do anything except to be the delaying tactic. A move they perhaps mistakenly believe will afford them a window of opportunity to finish the device that will absorb or download all that Brainiac considers relevant to know of Earth before destroying the planet. The amount of information that Brainiac had absorbed since Krypton's destruction had only done one thing made him a slave to its collection and to the singular purpose of destroying the universe.


Universal destruction in his twisted thinking means that he alone would possess the knowledge and then his task would be done, but then he never had AMAZO's cerebral dilemma.


The dilemma as well as the confusion it wrought within AMAZO's mind had made the machine more than a machine, given the machine the pangs of brooding, of contemplation, of Ivo's intentions in creating him. AMAZO had more in common with the creature in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein whereas Brainiac had more in common with the A.I. in Isaac Asimov's I, Robot short story anthology. The A.I. that decides in order to fulfill its primary function it must destroy in order to preserve whereas Brainiac seeks to preserve then destroy while the actions are opposites, the ends are similar at least for comparison in Question's mind.


Flash's ability to manipulate and vibrate molecules causes Lorder Flash to contort partially back to his liquid state before exploding due to molecular disintegration then the robot duplicate explodes hurdling Flash several feet away. Flash's mouth move, which means the blast, did not kill him thankfully. Question sighs loud enough for everyone to hear him at least near the communications console. Supergirl pats him gently on the back with a sympathetic smile on her face because many are allowing slight gestures to indicate that things however dire do not keep out flickering bright spots.


The camera shifts to Batman who likely upon seeing how Flash got rid of his robot duplicate found a quicker way to destroy the Lorder Batman duplicate. Batman throws a few exploding batarangs, one lodges in the robot's cowl and the other two impact where a human shoulder blade would be, and the horror surprisingly shows on the robot's face for a few seconds. Lorder Batman disappears in a fireball less than five seconds later when the exploding batarangs go off.

The camera moves away from Batman towards Superman who is still at with Lorder Superman and Superman has not quite finished him off as both Flash as well as Batman had just done only moments ago. The punches stop just after Superman plows Lorder Superman into part of the power generator. Superman steps back almost as if something caught him off guard yet for a split second everyone can see that Lorder Superman briefly had become the still human looking Luthor before switching yet as he lunges Diana's lasso pulls him away.

Diana made some kind of a joke, humor is about the only thing left to take the edge at least presently, and so they swap robotic counterparts. Question would have to compliment Diana for that later, a clever tactic, but could he expect less from someone of her combat finesse, the answer is a rhetorical no. The camera pulls over in the direction of Stewart as Lorder Hawkgirl comes flying right at him yet she is not fast enough to dodge the ring construct of an oversize mallet, which Stewart uses to pound the robot into dust, again too easy a killing move.

Shayera definitely teases him about it, but then lip reading is somewhat less accurate even for Question watching this from the Watchtower Monitor Hub. Lorder Green Lantern thinks he can sneak up on them in the middle of a chit-chat, but again wrong as Shayera smashes the robot's head clean off. Nobody could see Stewart's expression yet it is quite plausible he looked more than surprised at her clean slash across the robot's neck, which led to the head flying off.

The view pans back to Superman against Lorder Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman against Lorder Superman. The two slam duplicates get flung at each and erupt in flames on collision. All watching from the Hub let loose in cheers and even Question felt him smiling from behind the mask as Huntress and Atom come up behind him.


"I'm glad you were right this time babydoll," sighs Huntress.

"As I am Mr. Sage," remarks Captain Atom.

Atom while not back to tip top shape is still looking better by far, but the med techs are staying close at hand just in case though they allow the trio some privacy.

Everyone's attention is drawn back to the screen as the seven prepare to rush Brainiac-Luthor head on.


The sphere surrounding Brainiac-Luthor glows then pours out several beams of energy, very precise aiming, and Superman is hit then thrown backwards first. Next to be hit is J'onn, then Stewart, and after them is Shayera. Batman is thrown back after her and Flash keeps going once he picks up speed. The single shot blasts keep missing him, which causes a collective whispering from everyone hoping Flash can close the distance in time.

Brainiac-Luthor shifts to a continuous beam, which means Flash will have to go faster than usual except the beam path is leading him to taking the longer way to the sphere. He is maintaining speed except as he draws near the arc of the beam is shorter allowing for an even more precise continuous beam path. The shot finally lands knocking Flash to the ground, a mixture of gasps, groans, and grunts fill the Monitor Hub almost immediately after the speedster goes down for the second time as he like the others appear to still be alive. The beams still to have only been set for a high stun setting.


Someone is missing and they will see it a moment so where are you Diana?


The Javelin is hurdling at high velocity towards the structure surrounding the sphere. The aim, the speed, and quite possibly the power source of the Javelin could cause the structure to implode outward yet as it does in a show of anger, Brainiac-Luthor blasts Diana out of the sky. She hits the pavement harder not far from where Batman had fallen from the blast that knocked him out. The structure crumbles all around the sphere yet the sphere shield protects its maker. The view is momentary blacked out by the dust rising from the structure's collapse.


Question grips the console unable to do anything except stare waiting for it to clear yet when it does everyone sees Brainiac-Luthor standing over Flash with a shot gun. It is an artificially created gun yet just as lethal as the real thing for after all a bullet is made from liquid metal anyway. At the same time, the simulation video of Luthor killing Flash causes Question to shudder and so it seems they have more than just Atom to worry about right now in this room.

"What's wrong baby?" asks Huntress softly.

"It is… happening… I thought they could…" quivers Question.

"Oh god, he is right…," gasps Huntress.

"Flash will find a way out of it… you have to believe… you made me believe," reassures Atom.

"C'mon Question, you saw how Flash beat that cheap imitation of himself," pips Supergirl.

Everyone waits either for Flash to die or for him to defy the route that rises in front of him like the gun barrel before his very eyes. His arms vibrate depolarizing the false soldiers holding him down. The shot gun dissolves and Flash rises to his feet yet still the mood is dark even up here. He turns around and runs away from the man who just tried to kill him to end the world. At first there is hope then there is fear as well as confusion, and what is left if Flash flees while the others lie at the mercy of a planet killer?


He is up to something, he knows a head on fight is a death sentence, and his only power is speed.


The camera shifts towards a blur coming from the other direction, it is mostly red, and then the cheers resume knowing that Flash did not run away to flee, he had run away to speed his way around the world, to go faster. The blur slams into Brainiac-Luthor and then they see the golden armor had been torn clear off one of the combined villain's arms. Another blur follows less than a minute later and with it more of the armor is torn off exposing part of the upper body. Flash runs faster and faster each time as well as peeling away more of the armor with each collision.

His velocity exceeds anyone's ability to see him though they can see Brainiac-Luthor stumbling more and more each time. The villain goes tumbling one last time and just under half the armor is gone exposing the Luthor's still human skin under as well as the wiring crisscrossing the human flesh.

There is a current running through Flash's costume as he comes to a stop less than a short dash from the fallen villain. Brainiac-Luthor attempts to fight back yet Flash gives no quarter as he pins him to the pavement. Flash's fists moving at superhuman speeds phases through what remains of the armor on the Brainthor's shoulders and vibrates it away just as he had done with those laps around the world. One can hear the villain's screams and all the debris both from the pavement as well as the disintegrating armor blow around the two like a whirlwind, which blows back against all the other wreckage nearby. The unconscious six are starting to rise from the ground in time to witness the bravest thing Flash had ever done in his life.

There is no way for the six to safely close the distance so all they can do is watch and maybe even pray that Flash succeeds without their fears gaining realization in Brainthor's defeat. The air turns a super luminous blue and dark blue bolts shoot away from them as the pavement continues to crumble around the center of where Flash is battling Brainthor. The air flows faster with each passing second until a muffling boom drowns out all noise except the boom. The screen goes grayish black instead of black yet they like the six are left to wait for the dust to settle before discerning the fates of their friend and their enemy.

Luthor is half visible from the hole in the road with no visible traces of Brainiac still on his skin while Flash stands there with the charge still around his costume.

Flash went well beyond a velocity that he thought possible yet he had won though as goes to rejoin the six, his whole body starts to vibrate out of existence as if he had just died… died to save the world.

There is an indescribable demeanor on the faces of the six and even the camera angle goes wobbly probably because the camera man or woman is bursting into tears. Plenty watching in the Hub break out into tears too and Atom shoulders Supergirl. Huntress herself begins to cry because what Flash… what Wally West had done is the most moving as well as heart wrenching scene any of them had ever seen in their lives.


Flash is dead by defeating Brainthor except Luthor still lives, which means Armageddon could still happen… unless Superman heeded my advice from earlier today. Superman, don't make Flash's death meaningless now.


Superman is the first to recoil back from the shock as Luthor starts to climb out of the hole in the pavement and definitely gloating about Flash's demise. Superman seizes Luthor by the throat and pulls into the air. There is no mistaking the fact that the Man of Steel's eyes are glowing to the point that he would use heat vision to kill Luthor.

"Clark!" yells Kara.

Question had known her real name for about as long as he had known Superman's real name, but as usual he thought of most by costume names when he is in costume yet right now it is not about costumes, this is about people and the fate of those people. Diana tries to intercept the attempt except Bruce blocks her path as if sensing what Question had thought himself not long ago, which is that only Superman can decide whether to kill or not. Everyone almost holds their breath as another eternity passes before Superman's eyes revert and he lowers Luthor to the ground.

A roomful of sighs follow as Superman tells Luthor off presumably.

Five of the six turn their attention to J'onn who is pressing one hand to his forehead and it appears something else is going now besides deciding what to do about Luthor. Shayera's hand reaches out to deceptively vacant looking air next to her just before a vortex opens, a vortex of the same color as the energy that had been used by Flash to defeat Brainthor. The camera catches the shadow of the contortions on her face as if she is imploring to the vortex.


"Could it be?" wonders Question.

"What are you thinking Q?" probes Huntress cautiously.

"Flash never showed this ability before so we have no way of knowing if it did fully kill him to use it," responds Question.

"You mean he could still be?" asks Huntress.

"Maybe…"


Shayera is grabbing onto something within the vortex.

"No, Wally, take my hand!" cries Shayera.

The vortex's gravity is pulling her inward yet then John Stewart grabs her arm.

"I'm here too Wally!" yells John.

J'onn, Superman, and Diana follow suit forming an anchor in the pavement.

"We are all here!" shouts Superman.

Diana's head tilts back towards Batman when probably feeling his gloved grip on her forearm and the camera catches a slight surprise in her gaze yet this is the bond of the seven whether they admit to themselves or to others, it remains with them. It is straining them all to keep pulling, but they have to if they want Flash… want Wally back.

The familiar red fabric of Flash's costume starts to emerge from the orifice of the vortex then he fully comes out with a slight stretch from the molecular bend of the black hole effect. He collapses to the ground in Shayera's embrace and John walks over kneeling next to his best friend. The looks of concerns do not diminish yet Wally speaks weakly about something though it is hard to tell what exactly. Shayera nuzzles his head against hers and John's gently grips Wally's shoulder.

They all start smiling again as they saved the world and their world… their Wally.


The tears of sadness are turning into tears of joy as Supergirl hugs Atom and she is not the only one going around for hugs right now. Atom likewise expresses signs of relief that they beat the bad guy and got Wally back.

Question collapses in sweat into Huntress' arms and the world goes starts to go black on him.

Armageddon averted… Helena safe… Flash still lives… Luthor stopped… world safe again.

"Medic!" shouts Huntress.


A/N 1: Divided We Fall, there is much I could say for this episode, but the episode speaks for itself in volumes. Divided We Fall on a character level struck me in much the same way as Apokolips... Now II had done on first as well as repeated viewings. I pair them together in my mind because in both instances one man made a difference even though Wally survived where Dan died.

A/N 2: One is left reeling as Superman appears ready to kill like his Lorder counterpart did yet he didn't... he didn't succumb and then there is a heart wrenching release that Wally can still be saved. The six in the most emotional scene of the episode anchor to pull him back to their world... to them.

A/N 3: Wally sounded ready to die except they disagreed in a way similar to how I wrote Huntress as unwilling to leave Question to the fate he believed he got for going after Luthor alone.

A/N 4: There are almost no Watchtower scenes in Divided We Fall, so most of this chapter is made up except for the battle scenes, those are from the episode, the scenes are how I imagine the characters react to seeing the fights, particularly the second in regards to Flash... to Wally.

A/N 5: How Question reconfigured the monitors to show them all this... well it takes them being able to see the news broadcasts a couple steps further because after all its been implied that the Watchtower II has plenty of sophisticated hardware built into it.