Chapter 4

Batman had been thinking of ways to enter Lex Luthor's skyscraper in Metropolis without being noticed. He knew if they were caught, the press and public would quickly turn against them, but there weren't any easy ways in. If the Flash were still alive, he could simply turn himself invisible and never be detected. Magic was off the table, as he needed Zatanna for reviving Barry, and Dr. Fate was off-world, dealing with the Lords of Order. The best plan he could come up with now was getting the Atom inside. It was risky, because this was Lex Luthor, the evil equivalent of Batman, and like him, most probably had contingencies in place, at least for Superman. The whole building was lined in lead, which made it impossible for Superman to use his X-ray vision to peak inside. But even getting the Atom inside would be very difficult, if not impossible. The guards never left the building, which meant sneaking the doctor into one of the guards was out of the question. Teleportation was also impossible, as it didn't work in a two kilometer radius of LexCorp's skyscraper. There was only one option left. At least, one that wouldn't be looked into too deeply.

Clark Kent would request an interview with Lex Luthor, and if given, he would solicit the interview be in LexCorp. That way, he could sneak the Atom inside without raising any alarms. And he had the perfect excuse for an interview; Luthor hadn't been seen in much time.

Bruce Wayne had to pull a few strings to make the interview happen, but sure enough, it would. As long Kent played his part, then everything would be fine.


"Are you ready, Atom?" Batman asked him through the comms. Superman was in a cab on his way to LexCorp, and the Atom stood on his shoulder, almost invisible. Batman was in the Batcave, communicating with the Atom, and receiving video footage from him.

"Yes," the Atom responded, as he flew in front of Superman's mouth. "Superman, I'm going to enter your head now. You won't feel anything, but I just want you to stay still, because if you move, I'll probably be slammed into the walls of your insides."

"Roger, Dr. Palmer," Superman affirmed. The miniature man flew into Superman's head, and found his way to the most dense part of his skull.

"We're here," the cab-driver informed. He had heard Kent talking, but thought he was talking to himself. It didn't matter to him though, and once Kent paid the fare, he sped away.

Superman's heart rate was through the roof, and Batman knew this.

"Calm yourself, Kent," he said, as Clark entered the lobby. The place was very polished, and employees were hustling, but there was no sign of the man himself. In front of the elevators were a series of security checks Clark would have to pass through to make sure he was clear.

"Right this way, Mr. Kent," a guard said. He was wearing the typical black suit with a white shirt, and Clark assumed he was one of Luthor's bodyguards. The guard brought Clark to the first checkpoint, where Clark's satchel was taken away and was inspected by other guards. He glanced around as he was pushed through to the second checkpoint, where he was instructed to enter a small, open booth, which would use an X-ray machine to scan him for anything unusual. As he made his way over, he pretended to be taking notes on his journal, to fake tripping into one of the sides of the booth. As he fell, he shot the Atom out of his mouth as gently as he could, and the guards rushed to help him.

"I'm sorry, I'm quite clumsy," he said, sheepishly as he rose. The guards scoffed, and they proceeded with the scan. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared, and they escorted him to the elevator.

"Press the button that says '121', and when the doors open, walk forward. Mr. Luthor will be waiting for you," the guard instructed. Clark nodded, and went inside. He pressed the correct button, and the elevator started to rise.

Dr. Palmer, on the other hand, was free to roam the building, and he was very quickly lost. Batman had just ordered the Martian Manhunter to establish a telepathic link between them, and Atom soon noticed he could use it.

"Atom to Batman, where do I go?" he asked. The room was massive to him, as he was much smaller than a fly.

"You need to take the elevator, the one Kent just entered."

"But it just closed, and he's going to the top floor!" the Atom protested.

"Find a way up, we need to get to Luthor's private lab," Batman said firmly.

"How do we even know he has a private lab?" the Atom questioned.

"How do you think Superman knew Luthor was cloning the invaders?" Batman said, referring to the fact that Superman had uncovered Luthor's plot to clone the Man of Steel before.

"Fine. I guess I'll just wait here for the elevator," the Atom groaned.

"Just make sure you get back down with Kent; he's your ticket out," Batman said.

"Right," the Atom said, and for the next five minutes, he did nothing but fly around, looking at everyone. When he finally heard the ding from the elevator, he rushed into it, making it just in time. There were some people in it, but even the small room was quite big enough for all of them.

There were many stops on the way up to whatever floor the final destination was. Too many for the doctor, who decided to get off at the next stop. He had to look for the stairs to the building. That way, he could check for any floor which might look inhabited by scientists. Unfortunately for him, the stairs were behind a door, but fortunately for him, there were no security cameras nearby, which meant he could momentarily turn human sized and open the door manually. It took him no time, and he was soon flying up the stairs.

"Atom to Batman, which floor do you believe Luthor's lab is on?" he asked as he kept going.

"If I were Luthor, I would put it in a place where it could easily be destroyed without injuring anyone. That way, there would be no problem if one of his men had to bring the place down. I would say the top floor, which we know only Luthor and Mercy Graves have access to," Batman assessed.

"What if you're wrong?" the Atom inquired.

"You better hope I'm not."

"Well how am I going to get in?" he asked. There was no response from the Dark Knight.

Once the Atom had finally made it to the 121st floor, he saw there wasn't even a window on the door into the floor. Instead, there was a sign that read, "NO PERSONNEL ALLOWED BEYOND THIS POINT".

"Batman, there's no way through the door. Even if I turn back to my size, I think if I unlocked it, the alarms would go off. There's only one thing I can do," he said.

"Which is?"

"To go subatomic," the Atom breathed. Both men knew if he did, there was a chance the suit would stop working, and even if it didn't, it would have very little power left. It was risky, to say the least.

"Do it. If you get stuck in the building, your suit will run out of power and you'll revert to your normal size," Batman told him.

"Here goes, the doctor sighed, as he pressed a button on his suit to go subatomic. Everything around him was disappearing, and he saw the space between the atoms grow. He had to maneuver through them, and his program finally informed him he was past the door. He grew back to his miniature size, and contacted Batman via the telepathic link.

"Batman, I'm here," he said while taking deep breaths.

"Good. Find the laboratory, and do it quickly."

The only problem was, the Atom could see Clark Kent standing and shaking the hand of Lex Luthor. The interview had just wrapped up.

"Bad news, Bats. Superman is about to leave," he winced.

"Tell him to stall; we need information on what Luthor is up to."

"Superman, this is urgent, distract Luthor for a moment, I just arrived," the Atom whispered, knowing Superman was able to hear his voice with his super hearing.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Luthor, but do you have a bathroom? I need to use one," Kent said apologetically. Lex sighed, and pointed him towards it.

The Atom flew around the office, until he found another door which looked out of place in the room.

"Batman, I think I found it, but I can't get in," the Atom informed him, as he tried to find any way in. There was no keyhole in this door, like all the other doors, and time was running out. Superman had just returned from the bathroom, and was thanking Luthor for the interview. The Atom looked back at the door and knew it wasn't going to happen, so he quickly flew back to Superman.

"Are you in?" Batman asked.

"There was no time left," the Atom responded, as he landed on Superman's shoulder in the elevator. "I'm with Superman now."

There was no response from Batman, and instead, he had the Martian Manhunter establish a mental link with Superman, now that his attention wasn't elsewhere.

"Did you learn anything, Kent?" Batman questioned.

"Nothing of use. All he kept talking about was his private vacation island in the Atlantic and how great it is," Kent grumbled.

"Did he say where, specifically?" Batman said suddenly.

Superman had to check his journal for reference. "He didn't say which, but he said it was in the Exuma district of the Bahamas."

"Of course!" the Atom said as they finally exited the elevator. "His clone making facility must be there."

"Highly unlikely, but it's the only choice we have left," Batman said. "It's time to regroup on the Watchtower."


"Sir, I've just received word of the satellite being destroyed," Mercy Graves said nervously. Luthor was unsurprisingly calm, and only blinked.

"Did they manage to take anything?" he asked her.

"No sir, although it appears they all survived."

"Show me," he ordered, and Mercy quickly played the footage on one of Luthor's monitors. There were three Justice League members on board, including the Batman. This was interesting. They had brought the detective along, which meant this little investigation of theirs was high profile for them. Slowing down the explosion caught on camera, and he could see a green light engulf the Caped Crusader, which surely meant the Green Lantern had protected him. But the biggest bother for Luthor was the fact it had not even scathed the Man of Steel. He had been seen frequently after the date of their journey to his satellite, which meant he was fine. But those explosives were full of small shards of kryptonite, which meant it should have affected Superman.

It was something Luthor could not fret on, however. He was sure there would be more opportunities in the future.


"Are you sure?" Batman asked, angrily. There hadn't been any good news at all recently.

"I'm sure. He was telling the truth. There's nothing but a basement, and there's nothing in it. No lead lined walls, nothing," Superman answered.

"And you're certain it was the correct island?" Batman sighed.

"Yes. But if I'm being honest, he has far too many self portraits," Superman informed.

"Then there's nothing else for us to do, except keep searching. Superman, inform the core members of the League to keep searching for the monsters Luthor is making," Batman instructed him.

"What will you do?" Superman asked, confused.

"It's time," Batman said.

"You mean-?" Superman's eyes widened.

"Locate Zatanna; tell her I need her," Batman told him.

"Are you really going to do this? Should I tell the rest of the League?" Superman asked.

"Do not tell anyone, Kent. It will be better the less people know."

"Where will I find her?" Superman asked.

"That's your job," Batman said with a small smirk, as he pressed his teleporter to bring him home.


Bruce Wayne was busy with a program he made to search for any mention of a certain 'laughing' magician, when he felt a presence enter the cave. He turned from his chair to see Elsa standing in front of him, looking sleepy.

"Busy tonight, detective?" she teased.

"I'm about done. What do you need?" he asked warmly. She would never say it to him, because it would probably be lost if she did, but she loved the way he cared for her. Under the big, frightening persona of the Batman, there was a more tender man, which she adored.

"I enjoyed our previous mission, but we haven't been together much since then. When will our next 'date' be?" she asked shyly.

"A date," he repeated, raising an eyebrow, and Elsa turned to a shade of red. He exhaled quietly before giving his response. "I'm going to be away again. This time will be longer."

"How long?" she asked him, worriedly.

"Maybe two days, maybe four. I can't say for sure," he replied.

"But you will come back?" she asked, hopeful.

"There's a chance I won't," he said grimly.

"Then don't go, please!" she pleaded. Elsa knew of how much he did for the world, but truthfully, she just didn't want to lose him.

"I have to. This trip is to bring back Allen," Bruce said.

"You're going to do it?" she asked. The last attempt had failed, and they had already moved on, so she thought they had given up on it.

"Our attempts to stop Luthor's army have failed. We've no choice but to go after Allen," he explained.

"Why do you think you might not return?" she asked.

"When dealing with magic, know this; magic always comes with a price. This time, I fear I will be the price we will have to pay," he said dismally.

"But my magic has no price," she pointed out.

"Your magic is different, to say the least, Elsa," he said. "And even then, you have paid the price for it."

"How?"

"You lived a life of isolation, right? Before you came here. That was the price you paid," he said softly.

"Please don't go, Bruce. I need you. I'm tired of almost never seeing you, of living in a home without you," she begged.

"You have to understand, I'm doing this for the sake of the world." It sounded as if he were trying to convince himself. Elsa was on the verge of tears.

"When I come back, I'll have a little surprise for you," he assured her, trying to make her feel better.

"You'll come back?" she asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Of course I will," he said, as he embraced her. He could only hope he would stay true to his word.


Batman had used the Batmobile to drive to the hotel where Zatanna Zatara was staying. As a stage magician, her job often asked her to move around, and fortunately for him, she was currently having a show in Gotham. He entered as Bruce Wayne, however, and shocked the entire lobby. People took out phones and cameras to get a picture of the multi-billionaire, and he waved and flashed a smile at them. He took the elevator, disappearing from the view of the media, and his smile instantly evaporated.

Zatanna had not wanted to go to Batman; rather, she had wanted him go to her. He had memorized the directions Superman had given him to her room, and he quickly found the hotel room housing her. He banged on the door, waiting for a response.

"Hello, Bruce," Zatanna greeted slyly, as she opened the door. "Finally come to your senses?"

"I need your help," he bluntly stated. Zatanna quickly understood this was something serious, and let him in.

"What's up?" she asked, as she pulled out a stool from the bar in her hotel room.

"Are there cameras in here?" he asked, looking around.

"None," she answered, and when Bruce looked at her, she rolled her eyes and utilized her magic to erase any cameras that might have been hidden. "Happy?"

"I need your help with Constantine," he said directly. He knew sugarcoating it wouldn't help.

"Oh come on, Bruce!" she fussed. "You visit me for help, and you ask for the one thing you know I hate."

"This is dire, Zatanna," he said quietly. "Not even you can stop what's coming."

"Oh, but Constantine can?" she said angrily, throwing her hands into the air.

"He's unhinged, unchecked. He'll do what no one else will," Bruce said. "We need him to bring back someone."

"Who? Your parents?" she scoffed, before realizing what she had just said. "Bruce, I'm really sorry I said that..."

He ignored it, and, repeated what he had already asked. "Will you help me?"

"Of course, Bruce," she sighed. "Let's get to it."


The pair had gone to Constantine's address in London, using the teleporter. They had taken a cab straight to his residence, with no stops on the way. Zatanna had placed a spell on the driver to make sure he couldn't overhear their conversation.

"Who exactly are you going to revive?" she questioned Bruce.

"It's best if you don't know," he told her.

"Really Bruce? Even after all we've been through together?" she said, while biting her lip.

"I'm tied down, Zee. Permanently," Bruce said, and then said under his breath, "if she doesn't leave me."

"What was that?" Zatanna asked.

"Nothing of importance," he said, dully.

"Who is she, anyway?" Zatanna questioned.

"She's not from Gotham." He gave her an answer he hoped would stop her from asking questions.

"Another exotic actress?" she pressed.

"Leave it," he said sternly.

"Fine. You can't blame a girl for trying," she said as innocently as she could.

"Remember, if he's not here, we're going to head to Dublin," Bruce said. "He's been there recently."

"John hates Dublin," she disregarded. She paused as they both stared at the apartment building from the window of the cab.

"Your turn," Bruce said. They had both gotten off, and faced the building. It was old and rusty, and was falling apart.

"You owe me for this," she said, as she went in. Bruce went around to the back, and quickly changed into Batman, staying hidden. Being spotted might bring unwanted trouble.

Moments later, Batman found himself in the living room of John Constantine, where the voices of John and Zatanna could be heard arguing.

"John, come on, this is bigger than us two! You have to help us! You can't just disappear like every other time!" Zatanna protested.

"And why not? It's worked perfectly 'every other time'," he argued.

"This time is different! This time-" she started.

"No, this time, I refuse to work with that bloody melon. He's a blundering twat," he spat, pointing at Batman.

"Just because he doesn't agree with-" she tried.

"Oh, sod off with that. He'd hang me if he could," John claimed.

"Stop your bickering. It's going to get us nowhere," Batman said, as he raised his voice. Neither had ever heard him be so loud. Not even John, who had argued with Batman before.

"The old geezer's right," John grumbled. "I'm still not helping you lot, though."

Batman grabbed Constantine by the coat, and stared into his eyes. "Listen to me. Once he arrives, there will be nowhere in the universe you will be able to hide from him. All of reality will be altered. Now will you help us, or not?"

John didn't even seem fazed. "Well how come I've never heard of this lad?"

"He's from the multiverse, and he's already defeated his universe."

"Then why the bloody hell is he not here, then?" John shot back.

"Time from their universe doesn't run parallel to ours," Zatanna quickly explained, hoping John would buy it.

"We need your help to revive a friend. He's the key to winning against our enemy," Batman clarified.

Constantine grinned at the mention of bringing back lost souls. "You should have led with that."


"Here we are," John presented. "The House of Mystery. Although it's more of a mansion, but, whatever."

John had taken both Zatanna and Batman to his home away from home, through a teleportation spell. Its location could never be deduced, at least by Batman's means. It truly was a mystery.

"Explain why we're here, Constantine," Batman growled.

John looked insulted. "This house is the only place I can safely cast the spell we need."

"And which spell is that?" Batman asked.

"A summoning spell," Constantine replied, annoyed. "Now let me concentrate, and stand back." Zatanna and Batman moved as far away as possible, waiting for him to enact the spell.

"Apparent daemonium Dromos!" he chanted, as his eyes glowed white, and his hands formed magical symbols. The Marbas sigil on the ground started glowing as well, and a demon started to emerge from the ground.

"Constantine! What is it you want now, you dog?" the demon asked, irritated.

"Surely you haven't forgotten that favor you owe me, now have you?" John asked.

"Who're you friends, Johnny?" the demon asked, intrigued, and avoiding the question.

"Answer the question, Dromos," Constantine commanded.

"Yes John, now what do you want of me?" the demon said, acknowledging he had lost.

"I need the Card of Life," Constantine said. At the word of this, the demon immediately perched up.

"The Card of Life now, eh?" the demon said, thoughtfully. "Well that one's gonna cost ye an arm and a leg!"

John looked at Batman and Zee, and turned back to the demon. "What is it we really need?"

"Well your singular favor isn't gonna cut it this time, John. You're going to need a sacrifice," the demon said happily.

John turned back to the pair, feeling a bit warm inside.

"It's not a blood sacrifice," the demon added. "But rather, a sacrifice from the heart."

"Stop speaking in riddles, mate, and just get on with it," Constantine said.

"You have to spill your darkest secret," the demon sighed.

"What, to anyone?" Constantine said nervously.

"No, you spoon," the demon answered. "To those who it will hurt the most."

"Bollocks," John mumbled, and turned to look at the pair. "Well, we tried."

"Hang on a second John," Zatanna began.

"I'm sorry luv, not this time," John said, shaking his head.

"Does it have to be Constantine's secret?" Batman said, suddenly.

"That it doesn't," the demon gleefully replied.

"Then I'll do it," Batman announced. "Since our 'friend' isn't willing to comply."

"I'd like to keep what little dignity I have left, thank you very much," John snorted.

"Very well then," the demon said. "I have to be in the presence of your confession, but I will remain concealed, invisible to the naked eye. That way, the fun isn't lost."

"Do I have to stay here, or go to the-?" Batman asked.

"Oh no my friend, I'll take you anywhere for your little secret. Where do you wish to go?" The demon looked much too excited, as if this was a rare experience for him.

"Take me to the Batcave," Batman asked him, and when the demon snapped his fingers, they were there.

Batman quickly became Bruce Wayne, and looked at the demon.

"Even though I can see you, she won't?" he repeated.

"A she, you say? Now this is getting interesting, I'll say," the demon said, chuckling. "Don't worry, I never interfere."

Bruce didn't trust him, so he checked his sensors in the cave, proving the demon right. He wasn't being registered at all, as if he were a ghost.

Thankfully, the demon was behind him, so he wouldn't be a distraction, and he wasn't talking either.

Alfred was upstairs in the manor, and Bruce told him to tell Elsa to enter the Batcave, without any reason.

A few minutes later, the entrance to the Batcave made a loud noise as it opened, and Elsa came rushing down the flight of stairs. She moved even faster when she saw Bruce.

"Bruce!" she called out, practically jumping with joy. "Alfred told me to go down here and didn't say why, but I knew you were-" She stopped when she noticed his face. It was sad and regretful. "What's wrong?"

"Elsa, there's something you need to know," Bruce started slowly.

"Please don't say you're leaving again," she whispered, not wanting to repeat the experience.

"I have something to show you," he said, and he beckoned her to the Batcomputer.

"What is it?" Elsa asked worriedly, and the room grew slightly colder. Bruce played footage of Justice League members to her, with multiple pieces of writing next to their pictures.

"These images you see, they're full descriptions of my teammates, but also detailed contingencies for them," he explained to her.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It's an archive of information I've collected since the formation of the League in order to be able to defeat each and every one of them in case they ever went rogue," Batman said.

The room became warmer, but the frost still had an effect. "Why would you need that?"

Batman began thinking of a simple way to explain it to her. "There are criminals out there who can possess people, like demons. If they get a hand on our members, the whole world would be in trouble. These plans I've made will be able to stop my colleagues in case that ever happened."

"So? Is that what you wanted to show me?" Elsa had no clue where he was going with this.

Bruce took a deep breath, and played a new video. This one had a photo of Elsa, and a similar piece of writing, like the others, next to it. She quickly put her hand up to her mouth.

"You have one for me?" she got out. A million different thoughts were running free in her head, but she wanted confirmation.

"You have to understand Elsa. What you did in Arendelle in the past is incredibly alarming. You froze an entire city with your emotions, and you had no control over it! Tell me, what would we do if it happened again?" he asked her.

"You don't believe in me?" she whispered. The cave was becoming icy cold, and now there were tears rolling down her face. "I thought you did."

"I do believe in you, Elsa, believe me," he said, exasperated. "But what if those criminals got a hold on you? How would we defend ourselves from you? I mean, you make matter from nothing! Please, understand!"

"I'm sorry, Bruce," she quivered. "I can't. Not anymore."

She ran back up the stairs as quickly as she had come, and disappeared from Bruce Wayne's vision, leaving him at a loss for words.

"Now that was drama on another level," the demon exclaimed. "The lover leaving because of a secret from the other lover? This will get the ratings back up again!"

Bruce turned to face him, his face not revealing his true emotions. "You better live up-"

But before he could finish his threat, the demon had snapped his fingers, and they were instantly back in the House of Mystery. John and Zatanna had been waiting patiently, and surprisingly there had been no arguing between the two.

The demon twirled his hand, and flame erupted from it. When it was over, a card had appeared in his hand.

"This is the Card of Life. You can bring anyone who ever lived and died to this Earth. Though, frankly, I don't know why you would want that," the demon said, handing the card to Batman, who was back in costume, courtesy of the demon.

"Alright, Dromos, your time on 'Earth' is over. Back to your slimy hole," Constantine said, and began closing the sigil. The demon started to get sucked into it, but before he was gone, Batman gave him one last question.

"How does it work?" he yelled, as the room they were in became very windy.

"You say the name of the person, or something. I haven't had someone use it in a long time..." the demon yelled back, before being plunged deep into wherever he had originally been. The room in the house became silent again.

"I say the name of Allen while holding the card, and he's alive again?" Batman inquired.

"Did you not listen to what the demon said, mate?" Constantine asked, bewildered.

"I assume his soul returns to the place where his body rests?"

"I think so. Never needed the card," Constantine shrugged.

"Oh come off it, John," Zatanna scoffed. "You need a whole deck of those cards."

"And have to repeat the process? No thank you," Constantine laughed, while taking out a cigarette.

"Thank you for your assistance, Constantine," Batman spoke.

"Hey, remind me again why I agreed to help you lot," John said angrily.

"End of the world stuff," Batman let out a smirk, and then disappeared, using his teleporter.

John blinked once, looked at Zatanna, and kept smoking. "That wanker."


Elsa had fled to her sister's home in Arendelle, not knowing where else to go. The Watchtower was run by Bruce, and she didn't have a place of her own. She had felt so heartbroken, she couldn't think straight. It just couldn't be true that Bruce would ever document her like an animal. She was his lover, the closest person to him, but he still felt threatened by her? Enough for him to study her, to find her weakness? Maybe the whole relationship was just a ruse for Bruce to get close to her. She had trusted him with all her heart, and he still had gone behind her back. Elsa knew their relationship was over, but still wept her heart out for him.

Anna had taken her sister in, not expecting the story she would tell her, but there was nothing Anna could do for her. Elsa's relationship with Bruce was over, and Anna was still mourning over Barry's death.

That day, only sadness and grief filled the house, home to two very lonely 'widows'.